THE 340 CIPHER WAS CRACKED ON DECEMBER 3RD 2020 BY DAVE ORANCHAK, SAM BLAKE AND JARL VAN EYCKE, SO THIS EARLIER ARTICLE SHOULD BE VIEWED IN RESPECT TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

The 340 cipher, mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 8th 1969, has remained unsolved for just over 44 years, with many attempts relying on the notoriously unreliable use of anagrams to arrive at a solution, that is often subjective. The following section is not a solution, but a possible direction the Zodiac Killer may have taken when constructing the first two lines of the 340 cipher.

Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism have been suggested as possible Zodiac influences, with both employing variations of a cipher within their secret society, dating back as far as the 18th century. The Pigpen Cipher is commonly known as the Freemasons Cipher and uses geometric simple substitution to replace letters with symbols. The 340 cipher is constructed using 63 symbols, and could quite possibly have been formulated using a combination or variant of the Pigpen Cipher, alongside any other technique the Zodiac Killer decided to choose. The reasoning behind this way of thinking, is the Zodiac Killer's extensive use of directional arrows, such as the normal, sideward and upside down V's - as well as the forward and backwards L's throughout the 340 cipher, in a seemingly natural progression from the 408 cipher.

To find out what is written on the first line of the cipher, it is a question of trial and error until something exhibits a small glimmer of promise. As well as finding the key, or one of the keys to unlock the mind of this serial killer. So let's start with something we do know. He opened up the 408 cipher with the words "I like killing people because it is so much fun", and his July 31st 1969 San Francisco Chronicle letter with "I am the murderer of the 2 teenagers last Christmas". But a change was about to occur, when he sent the Debut of Zodiac letter on August 4th 1969, in that he had now adopted the Zodiac persona, opening his correspondence with the line "This is the Zodiac speaking". This was to become his opening phrase in virtually every confirmed letter thereafter, culminating with the Los Angeles Times letter on March 13th 1971. So let us adopt this known trait and apply it to the opening section of the 340 cipher, using the first word THIS as the key. This may shine some light on a possible solution, albeit, still a theory in its infancy. 
 

The first four symbols marry up with the symbols on the right, but the fifth symbol does not. Unless of course, after a set number of symbols in the 340 cipher, the key is rotated. In this particular example, the upper key would have to be rotated 90 degrees, or the bottom key 45 degrees to correct matters. This is a simplified example using the Zodiac's trademark phrase and the first word of that phrase, to produce an example of how a Pigpen Cipher may work. Of course it can be made as simple or as complex as the designer wishes. The next question would be how are the other symbols arranged within the Pigpen design, if indeed this is the answer at all?

Kevin Robert Brooks has recently released two videos on Youtube, outlining his case for Donald Lee Bujok as the man behind the mask, that we only know as the Zodiac Killer. The first was outlined in the previous article: Thirteen Holes in Time. The second will be described here.

On June 26th 1970, the Zodiac Killer mailed the Button letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, upset that the citizens of San Francisco had not complied with his wishes to wear his Zodiac buttons, claiming he had killed a man in a parked car with a .38 caliber weapon. He also designed a 32 symbol code - the fourth in a series of cryptic messages - of which only the first, the 408 cipher was ever solved. Also accompanying the letter, was a Phillips 66 road map of San Francisco and Vicinity. On this map the Zodiac Killer had emblazoned his crosshairs symbol, centered over the peak of Mount Diablo, along with a brief segment of writing, stating it was to be set to Magnetic North. The Zodiac Killer appeared a master of misdirection and false promises, placing the Bay Area into panic by proclaiming he would target a school bus and "pick off the kiddies as they came bouncing out".  A threat that fortunately never materialized. His threat to use a bomb in several letters, including the Button letter, also appeared to carry little weight other than to continue his campaign of terror using a pen, as opposed to a bullet.    

Kevin Robert Brooks and his team of investigators believe they have found the real reason behind the Button letter and Phillips 66 Petroleum map of June 26th 1970 - and it is another classic case of Zodiac misdirection. Donald Lee Bujok was born in Roundup, Musselshell County, Montana on July 6th 1936. Kevin Brooks believes the home address of the killer, namely Donald Lee Bujok, is the purpose behind the design of the Button letter and Phillips 66 Petroleum map.

Many serial killers collect trophies from their victims, often storing them for many years. Items were taken following the murder of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969 - and apart from the small sections of Paul Stine's shirt mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on October 13th 1969, November 9th 1969, and attorney Melvin Belli's residence on December 20th 1969, the rest are unaccounted for. The innate desire to reveal one's identity and take credit for the crimes, is often counterbalanced with an equal desire to remain at liberty and feed the compunction to murder. This is the fine line some serial killers appear to tread - and undoubtedly the Zodiac Killer was no different.

The key to this mystery lies hidden in plain sight. In this instance, the clue lies within the map itself - a 1969 version of the Phillips 66 road map. The Phillips Petroleum Company (1917) was founded in Bartlesville, Oklahoma by brothers Frank and Lee Eldas Phillips, becoming an iconic American brand, the name in part, derived from testing undertaken on US Highway 66 in Oklahoma.

Kevin Robert Brooks takes us to the county seat of Roundup, Musselshell County, Montana where Donald Lee Bujok was born. This area of personal significance is where the Zodiac Killer was directing us all along. All we have to do now, is place the center of the Zodiac crosshairs over the area of Roundup, Musselshell County and follow the arrow placed at the top of the Zodiac crosshairs (set to Mag. N) and see where it takes us.

The two immediate counties above Musselshell County, are Petroleum County (established in 1925) and Phillips County (established in 1915). If we take the crossed circle and superimpose it over the center of Roundup, Montana, the directional north marker points directly to two adjacent counties, that of Petroleum County and Phillips County, thereby giving us the reason behind his choice of map in the first place - and the birth place of America's most elusive serial killer. On the Phillips 66 Petroleum map, the Zodiac Killer added a notation that his design "is to be set to Mag.N" (meaning Magnetic North). In 1970, Magnetic North was approximately 16.5 degrees. If we adjust the crossed circle accordingly by 16.5 degrees clockwise, it becomes even more significant, with the directional marker passing exactly over both county seats of Winnett and Malta, shown on the map above. The county code numbers of Petroleum County and Phillips County are 55 and 11 respectively. These totaled up equal 66, to provide yet another interesting feature regarding the Phillips 66 map. Thanks again to Kevin Robert Brooks. ​

Saturday in the quiet town of Joplin, Montana seemed like any other day back in 1957, however, this was to turn out to be no ordinary day for the residents of Liberty County, when the lives of two men on a collision course were about to change forever, from which one was to emerge and possibly become the most notorious killer in American history. Hichhiking his way from Roundup, Montana in search of employment in Shelby, Donald Lee Bujok entered the town of Havre, situated just over 50 miles east of Joplin. Here he made a decision that was to turn out to be life changing, when he stole a Ford Monarch car outside of Buttrey's Department Store at approximately 8:15 am on the morning of October 5th 1957. Shortly afterwards, the owner of the car contacted the local deputy, who in turn relayed the facts to law enforcement in Chester, approximately one hour's drive west of Havre, that the suspect may possibly be heading in their direction - and indeed he was - approaching along Highway 2, towards Joplin.

Deputy Otto Fossen (65), a 30-year veteran of the Chester Sheriff's Department was sent to investigate, and located the stolen car just a short ten minute drive east of Chester in the small town of Joplin. The vehicle had a flat tire. Deputy Otto Fossen questioned a manager at the Farmers Union Elevator to see if he had noted anything suspicious in the area, whereupon he noticed some activity in the area of Highway 2, Joplin Road, spotting a man being led away from a car. He was now to make a decision that would forever leave its mark in Joplin - but unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. He approached the suspect in his car, but things soon turned sour. A man determined to reach his destination that day and a deputy simply performing his duty, had lit the touchpaper that exploded into a powder keg of tragic consequences, as a scuffle ensued between the two men while entering the patrol car of Deputy Otto Fossen. Five shots shattered the tranquil Montana air, followed by a man stumbling away from the vehicle and falling into the nearby ditch. Sadly it was Deputy Otto Fossen, struck five times in the neck and chest, resulting in injuries that would ultimately cost him his life shortly after reaching hospital.      

Donald Lee Bujok escaped the scene in Deputy Fossen's patrol car, but was now a marked man living on borrowed time, as an unprecedented two-hundred strong manhunt ensued, armed to the teeth with every weapon imaginable. Eventually he was cornered later that evening hiding in an outhouse, just north of Chester. But this was just the beginning, as the residents of Benicia, Northern California were about to find out, just over 11 years later in the lonely turnout of Lake Herman Road.

The Zodiac Killer gave signals that he was indeed driven by time and dates, forever noticeable in his murders and correspondence with authorities, even listing his crimes on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969.  

The senseless slaying of Undersheriff Otto S Fossen on October 5th 1957, occurred exactly 13 years prior to the 13 Hole postcard, mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. In this correspondence, if we believe it to be genuine, the Zodiac Killer clearly makes the date evident in the top right corner (Mon, Oct 5 1970), as if to signify its relevance, along with punching 13 holes through the face of the card. Kevin Robert Brooks, an avid Zodiac researcher and author of the upcoming book Zodiac-The Montana Connection, has noted the significant emphasis the author places on the date, the number 13 and the punch-holes accentuated within its design.

The Zodiac Killer was telling us that this particular date was personal to him, being the anniversary of the shooting of Deputy Otto Fossen back in 1957, stating on the card 'Its just one big thirteenth', alongside the number 13 itself. Donald Lee Bujok's version of events back in 1957 to people he knew, claimed self defense, in that Deputy Otto Fossen had pistol whipped him and he was acting to defend himself. On the 13 Hole postcard, a conductor's punch was used to forge the holes in the card. Kevin Robert Brooks believes that Donald Lee Bujok, a former army veteran and railroad worker, used these punch-holes to mark each year since the tragic events of 1957 and the day Donald Lee Bujok, by all accounts, first ventured into the world of first degree murder.      

The author also states on the card "Some of them fought it was horrible". Deputy Otto Fossen had fought hard for his life that day, as he attempted valiantly to apprehend a murderer in the making. The author also pastes the words "There are reports city police pig cops are closing in on me" and finishes with the phrase "I'm crackproof".. Kevin Robert Brooks has spent years investing his time and energy into his search for the identity of the Zodiac Killer and firmly believes the evidence is mounting, that the Zodiac Killer and Donald Lee Bujok are one and the same. 

The Zodiac Killer claimed he was crackproof, but was he? Kevin Robert Brooks believes not - and presents his case on the 13 Hole Punchcard in a 5 minute 30 second Youtube video. I have deliberately left out some key details in the description above, so to view the whole story on this particular topic, please visit Kevin's articulate Youtube presentation via the banner link on the right.

Other videos in the series include another latest addition, examining the Phillips Petroleum Map, sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on June 26th 1970, the Exorcist Letter sent on January 29th 1974 and the Halloween Card mailed on October 27th 1970.

For Kevin's Youtube Channel, follow this link. 

This article was written with express permission from Kevin Robert Brooks, author of the 'Zodiac The Montana Connection'. 

Nancy Patricia Gidley (24) was last seen alive on Thursday, July 12th 1973 leaving the Rodeway Inn at 895 Geary Street in San Francisco, forever synonymous with the area that Paul Stine collected his final taxicab passenger, before being callously gunned down in the Presidio Heights district, almost four years earlier on October 11th 1969. Her body was found on Sunday, July 15th 1973, nude and strangled in the grounds of George Washington High School in the Richmond area, although it was believed she was murdered elsewhere. Formerly stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base for four years, until the early months of 1972, Miss Gidley an X-ray technician, arrived in San Francisco in mysterious circumstances, supposedly invited to be the maid of honor at a wedding, which apparently nobody was able to verify. Before leaving her home in Idaho, she also told close friends her intention to work as a freelance writer at the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, but staff at the Chronicle, again, had never heard of her.  
 
This murder was only the tip of the iceberg, that began 47 days earlier, when the body of Rosa Vasquez (20) was discovered close to the Arguello Boulevard entrance to the Golden Gate Park on May 29th 1973. She had been strangled and thrown from the nearby road. Almost three years earlier, Donna Ann Lass disappeared from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel on September 6th 1970 after finishing her shift as a nurse. A few months earlier in June she had moved to South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, where she had previously been employed as a nurse at the Letterman General Hospital in the Presidio, near the Paul Stine murder scene. Curiously, Rosa Vasquez was also employed at the Letterman General Hospital as a keypunch operator. A keypunch is a device for delivering punch holes at specific locations on a card face, to carry information for a relevant task. This was apparent on two cards possibly mailed by the Zodiac Killer, when the 13-Hole postcard was received on October 5th 1970, along with the Pines card on March 22nd 1971, albeit prior to the murder of Rosa Vasquez. She had been a resident of 834 Bush Street, close to the collective of the Good Times newspaper at 2377 Bush Street, where Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski worked as an editor for the publication (although the Good Times had produced its last offering by the turn of 1973).

Twelve days later, a pregnant Yvonne Quilantang (15) from Delta Street in Visitacion Valley, San Francisco was found strangled in a Bayview district vacant lot on June 12th 1973. She had been out to buy groceries.

Finally, Angela Thomas (16), a resident of Belton, Texas had traveled to San Francisco for brief stay. After a day out in Hayward she visited friends in the Presidio district of San Francisco, but neither of her friends were home at the time and she was last seen walking away from the area at 9:00 pm on Sunday, July 1st 1973. She was found naked and smothered the following day in the grounds of the Benjamin Franklin Junior High School. 

All four had a military connection, a trait often associated with the Zodiac Killer due to a number of factors, which included the Wing Walker footprint impressions taken from the Lake Berryessa crime scene, the Riverside alleyway heel print at the site of Cheri Jo Bates' murder and the possible links to the Vandenberg Air Force Base, due to the lot number of the unspent ammunition at the scene of the Domingos/Edwards murders in 1963.

Nancy Gidley was stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, Marin County. Rosa Vasquez was a keypunch operator at Letterman Army Hospital. The father of Angela Thomas was an army sergeant, previously based at the Presidio. And finally, Yvonne Quilantang was having a relationship with a soldier from Missouri (albeit not a strong connection). There is no evidence to suggest that any of these four victims were Zodiac crimes, although there is reason enough to consider these four murders may have been committed by a single perpetrator, due to numerous similarities and occurring within such a short time frame. 

Some researchers believe that Lawrence Kane and the Zodiac Killer may be one and the same, trailing Donna Lass from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe, having lived at 217 Eddy Street, close to Mason and Geary Streets in San Francisco at the time of the Paul Stine murder. Latterly, working near the workstation of Donna Lass at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel according to former law enforcement officer Harvey Hines. Is it possible he returned in 1973?. Both Donna Lass and Rosa Vasquez murdered, having worked at the same hospital, inside of three years seems unusual, albeit probably coincidental. The identity of the Zodiac Killer may never be known, but did he continue his reign of terror beyond the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969?