We will take another look at the claim that both Armond Pelissetti and Donald Fouke received an initial radio broadcast of a negro male adult suspect, and question whether in fact this ever took place. There is a distinct possibility this was a later addition, boldly underlined in the November 12th 1969 Donald Fouke memorandum, to explain away why Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms supposedly bypassed a viable suspect walking along Jackson Street only three minutes after a reported assault and robbery on a taxicab driver. Later determined to be a murder, this 'oversight' had to be addressed. It is clear that this sighting was known within the police department, alluded to by Armond Pelissetti in the 2007 Zodiac documentary, when he stated "I spoke to Officer Fouke later that evening and I was unaware he'd stopped anybody, black, white or any other color, however, in subsequent conversations with him, he told me that he did stop somebody".
This visual of a potential suspect by two officers along Jackson Street was never reported in any newspapers up to November 9th 1969, so for the Zodiac Killer to be aware of these police officers in a patrol car near the intersection of Jackson and Maple, belatedly corroborated three days later in the Donald Fouke interdepartmental memorandum, confirmed the Zodiac claim of the 'meeting' on Jackson Street. This would prove unequivocally the letter writer had first hand information not known to the general public - and bearing in mind the Paul Stine blooded shirt piece, would place the Zodiac Killer in the location he claimed. If Donald Fouke stopped the suspect, then he stopped the Zodiac. The time Zodiac left the taxicab, and the time Donald Fouke received the first radio broadcast at Washington and Presidio Avenue, match up perfectly for a collision course near the intersection of Jackson and Maple.
This visual of a potential suspect by two officers along Jackson Street was never reported in any newspapers up to November 9th 1969, so for the Zodiac Killer to be aware of these police officers in a patrol car near the intersection of Jackson and Maple, belatedly corroborated three days later in the Donald Fouke interdepartmental memorandum, confirmed the Zodiac claim of the 'meeting' on Jackson Street. This would prove unequivocally the letter writer had first hand information not known to the general public - and bearing in mind the Paul Stine blooded shirt piece, would place the Zodiac Killer in the location he claimed. If Donald Fouke stopped the suspect, then he stopped the Zodiac. The time Zodiac left the taxicab, and the time Donald Fouke received the first radio broadcast at Washington and Presidio Avenue, match up perfectly for a collision course near the intersection of Jackson and Maple.
Click to enlarge We have heard plenty from two police dispatchers over the years, namely Dave Slaight and Nancy Slover, who both took calls from Zodiac, yet the police dispatcher who received the call from the three teenagers at Presidio Heights we have a noticeable silence in any documented material. The same can be said of the three teenagers. Therefore the widely reported notion of the radio dispatcher either receiving or hearing incorrect information, and incorrectly informing responding officers of a negro male adult suspect has gone widely unchallenged. The idea of a black male adult supposedly involved in the taxicab 'assault and robbery' could certainly be used as a reasonable excuse for bypassing a white man walking on Jackson Street only minutes after the attack. But there is every reason to believe this 'mistake' never happened.
The description given by the three teenagers was "A white male, 25-30 years old, 5'8" to 5'9", stocky build, reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut, heavy rimmed glasses and dark clothing". Are we to believe the description given to the police dispatcher was heavily redacted to "be on the lookout for a black male adult," when passed to responding officers, with no accompanying detail. The idea of a negro male adult in 1969 with a crew-cut and reddish-brown hair should have at least raised a question to its validity with both dispatcher and officers alike. Unless the dispatcher decided to ignore the full description and pass on the bare minimum.
Donald Fouke described his approach to the intersection of Jackson and Maple in the 2007 Zodiac documentary "I would like to say the Zodiac made eye contact with us, but I can't picture it. I remember seeing his eyes, but I couldn't tell you what color they were, it was dark enough that his eyes were concealed, but you could sort of say he looked down, perhaps this lumbering gait, stumbling along, like a semi-limp may have come up in my mind, because he was putting his head down when he spotted the police car". This was only three minutes after a perceived assault and robbery on a taxicab driver - so one would assume an officer spotting a man so soon after the attack, walking with a limp or lumbering gait, and avoiding eye contact by putting his head down, was certainly suspicion enough for a stop. If for nothing else, but to question the white male on whether he had spotted a black man in the area. Just simply bypassing him doesn't make sense, especially when you consider Donald Fouke described the white male in alarming detail, such as tan engineering boots, low-cut shoes, a jacket with elasticated waist and cuffs, pleated trousers and graying hair at the rear. All of which would have been unnecessary details to focus upon as you approached from say 50 feet away - because the man was white and therefore presumably not the suspect.
The fact that Donald Fouke claimed in a 1989 documentary, that he got a second radio broadcast approaching Arguello Boulevard, goes a long way to proving he stopped the Zodiac Killer. He stated "We proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search, as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult, believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect". Why would he be heading away from the taxicab crime scene, when he should have been heading towards it. The answer is self explanatory - the Zodiac Killer directed him there after they stopped him. This proves Armond Pelissetti correct, when he claimed that Donald Fouke admitted to him, that he had indeed stopped the white male adult. This was backed up by Zodiac in the November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter.
The description given by the three teenagers was "A white male, 25-30 years old, 5'8" to 5'9", stocky build, reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut, heavy rimmed glasses and dark clothing". Are we to believe the description given to the police dispatcher was heavily redacted to "be on the lookout for a black male adult," when passed to responding officers, with no accompanying detail. The idea of a negro male adult in 1969 with a crew-cut and reddish-brown hair should have at least raised a question to its validity with both dispatcher and officers alike. Unless the dispatcher decided to ignore the full description and pass on the bare minimum.
Donald Fouke described his approach to the intersection of Jackson and Maple in the 2007 Zodiac documentary "I would like to say the Zodiac made eye contact with us, but I can't picture it. I remember seeing his eyes, but I couldn't tell you what color they were, it was dark enough that his eyes were concealed, but you could sort of say he looked down, perhaps this lumbering gait, stumbling along, like a semi-limp may have come up in my mind, because he was putting his head down when he spotted the police car". This was only three minutes after a perceived assault and robbery on a taxicab driver - so one would assume an officer spotting a man so soon after the attack, walking with a limp or lumbering gait, and avoiding eye contact by putting his head down, was certainly suspicion enough for a stop. If for nothing else, but to question the white male on whether he had spotted a black man in the area. Just simply bypassing him doesn't make sense, especially when you consider Donald Fouke described the white male in alarming detail, such as tan engineering boots, low-cut shoes, a jacket with elasticated waist and cuffs, pleated trousers and graying hair at the rear. All of which would have been unnecessary details to focus upon as you approached from say 50 feet away - because the man was white and therefore presumably not the suspect.
The fact that Donald Fouke claimed in a 1989 documentary, that he got a second radio broadcast approaching Arguello Boulevard, goes a long way to proving he stopped the Zodiac Killer. He stated "We proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search, as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult, believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect". Why would he be heading away from the taxicab crime scene, when he should have been heading towards it. The answer is self explanatory - the Zodiac Killer directed him there after they stopped him. This proves Armond Pelissetti correct, when he claimed that Donald Fouke admitted to him, that he had indeed stopped the white male adult. This was backed up by Zodiac in the November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter.
Click to enlarge "2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up + one of them called me over + asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min + I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber + went around the corner as I directed them + I disappeared into the park a block + a half away never to be seen again".
When Donald Fouke stopped the white male subject, his next logical question would have been "have you seen a black male adult in the area". But the Zodiac Killer in his communication makes no mention of this fact.
Many observers have noted how the Zodiac Killer liked to taunt the police, as he did numerous times in the November 9th 1969 correspondence. Had he been stopped by Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms on Jackson Street, and asked if he had seen a black male in the area, this certainly would have been of great amusement to Zodiac, realizing the police were searching for a suspect with the wrong ethnicity or color, and without doubt would have been capitalized upon in his forthcoming correspondence - yet he mentions nothing. Only referring to the instruction as "I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber". The fact he doesn't mention this "booboo," is a strong indication that the police were not looking for a black male at any point in the night's proceedings, particularly one with a reddish-brown crewcut.
In the 2007 documentary Donald Fouke stated "The initial radio description of the suspect was that of a black male, 5'10" or something like that. Seeing that it was a white male in an affluent neighborhood walking along the street, we didn't think it was the suspect". Not withstanding the racial overtones in this statement - apparently the white male was evading eye contact, stumbling along, supposedly turning into a residence (omitted, and contradictory to the memorandum), as well as matching every indicator in the initial radio description of the suspect apart from color, yet the police car simply rolled on past, not even asking the man if he had seen anybody in the area. This is very difficult to believe.
BLACK MALE ADULT [PART ONE]
When Donald Fouke stopped the white male subject, his next logical question would have been "have you seen a black male adult in the area". But the Zodiac Killer in his communication makes no mention of this fact.
Many observers have noted how the Zodiac Killer liked to taunt the police, as he did numerous times in the November 9th 1969 correspondence. Had he been stopped by Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms on Jackson Street, and asked if he had seen a black male in the area, this certainly would have been of great amusement to Zodiac, realizing the police were searching for a suspect with the wrong ethnicity or color, and without doubt would have been capitalized upon in his forthcoming correspondence - yet he mentions nothing. Only referring to the instruction as "I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber". The fact he doesn't mention this "booboo," is a strong indication that the police were not looking for a black male at any point in the night's proceedings, particularly one with a reddish-brown crewcut.
In the 2007 documentary Donald Fouke stated "The initial radio description of the suspect was that of a black male, 5'10" or something like that. Seeing that it was a white male in an affluent neighborhood walking along the street, we didn't think it was the suspect". Not withstanding the racial overtones in this statement - apparently the white male was evading eye contact, stumbling along, supposedly turning into a residence (omitted, and contradictory to the memorandum), as well as matching every indicator in the initial radio description of the suspect apart from color, yet the police car simply rolled on past, not even asking the man if he had seen anybody in the area. This is very difficult to believe.
BLACK MALE ADULT [PART ONE]
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