The Zodiac Killer, who taunted the Bay Area over many years, was simply a contemporary product of his surroundings that bled into virtually every communication that he fashioned and mailed to the newspapers. On Thursday, May 15th 1969, violent and deadly clashes between police and protesters occurred in the People's Park in Berkeley, California, resulting in the death of James Rector (26) and the permanent blinding of Alan Blanchard. Reinforcements were called in from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, who arrived carrying shotguns and shells of buckshot. They wore pale blue jumpsuits and were quickly nicknamed the Blue Meanies by protesters.
On February 2nd 1970 a federal grand jury indicted 12 deputies for the shotgun death of James Rector and the reported beating of prisoners in the aftermath of the Berkeley riot. Soon after, came the murder of San Francisco police officer Brian McDonnell on February 16th 1970, who suffered devastating and sadly fatal injuries when a bomb packed with 1 1/2 inch fence staples exploded on an outside ledge of Park Police Station in the Upper Haight neighborhood. Despite police caution and subsequent denials, one proposed consideration for the Park Police Station bombing in the newspapers was laid at the door of Berkeley radicals, who harbored ongoing resentment towards the police.
The bombing of the Park Police Station and death of Brian McDonnell on February 16th 1970, and the People's Park protest in 1969 re-emerging on February 16th 1970 after the arraignment in a U.S. District Court of 12 deputies for violating civil rights in Berkeley, almost certainly inspired the Zodiac Killer to mail his April 20th 1970 letter and invoke the "blue meannie" phrase in accompaniment to his reference of the Park Police Station bombing The Zodiac Killer wrote on April 20th 1970 "I hope you do not think that I was the one who wiped out that blue meannie with a bomb at the cop station. Even though I talked about killing school children with one. It just wouldn't doo to move in on someone else's teritory. But there is more glory in killing a cop than a cid because a cop can shoot back". However, this wouldn't be the last time the Zodiac Killer used the term "blue meannies" - and it yet again had relevance to the court case of the 12 deputies regarding the People's Park protest in Berkeley.
On February 2nd 1970 a federal grand jury indicted 12 deputies for the shotgun death of James Rector and the reported beating of prisoners in the aftermath of the Berkeley riot. Soon after, came the murder of San Francisco police officer Brian McDonnell on February 16th 1970, who suffered devastating and sadly fatal injuries when a bomb packed with 1 1/2 inch fence staples exploded on an outside ledge of Park Police Station in the Upper Haight neighborhood. Despite police caution and subsequent denials, one proposed consideration for the Park Police Station bombing in the newspapers was laid at the door of Berkeley radicals, who harbored ongoing resentment towards the police.
The bombing of the Park Police Station and death of Brian McDonnell on February 16th 1970, and the People's Park protest in 1969 re-emerging on February 16th 1970 after the arraignment in a U.S. District Court of 12 deputies for violating civil rights in Berkeley, almost certainly inspired the Zodiac Killer to mail his April 20th 1970 letter and invoke the "blue meannie" phrase in accompaniment to his reference of the Park Police Station bombing The Zodiac Killer wrote on April 20th 1970 "I hope you do not think that I was the one who wiped out that blue meannie with a bomb at the cop station. Even though I talked about killing school children with one. It just wouldn't doo to move in on someone else's teritory. But there is more glory in killing a cop than a cid because a cop can shoot back". However, this wouldn't be the last time the Zodiac Killer used the term "blue meannies" - and it yet again had relevance to the court case of the 12 deputies regarding the People's Park protest in Berkeley.
12 SHERIFF'S AIDES ARRAIGNED TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT ON FEBRUARY 16TH 1970
RIVERSIDE INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE The following year, on March 13th 1971, the Zodiac Killer mailed a letter to the Los Angeles Times stating "This is the Zodiac speaking Like I have allways said, I am crack proof. If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life". Nine days earlier, on March 4th 1971, the government ended its efforts to convict 12 Alameda County deputy sheriffs of violating the civil rights of Berkeley protesters, and on March 10th 1971, just three days before this latest Zodiac letter, a Pleasanton Court dropped misdemeanor charges on Alameda County sheriff's deputies Gary R. Nelson (25) and Lawrence L. Riche (25). Pleasanton Judicial District Judge William Gale dismissed the charges after the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco announced it was to drop all charges against the 12 deputies because the government decided it couldn't rely on some of the witnesses.
Reported in the newspapers on March 11th 1971, it was only two days later that the Zodiac Killer would mail a letter from Pleasanton in Alameda County, mentioning the "blue meannies" once again. Was it the finalizing of the court proceedings regarding the twelve "blue meannies" that drove the Zodiac Killer to head to Pleasanton and mail his "Los Angeles" letter on Friday, March 12th 1971 or Saturday, March 13th 1971? Sightings of the Zodiac Killer in the adjoining city of Dublin, California were reported over that weekend, including numerous phone calls to the Alameda County sheriff's office. This flurry of phone calls came 4 1/2 months after the last reported Zodiac letter on October 27th 1970, from a city approximately 40 miles (and 50 minutes) from San Francisco by car. Phone calls that were placed days before the newspapers released information about the latest Zodiac letter. This letter was first publicly released on Tuesday, March 16th 1971.
Reported in the newspapers on March 11th 1971, it was only two days later that the Zodiac Killer would mail a letter from Pleasanton in Alameda County, mentioning the "blue meannies" once again. Was it the finalizing of the court proceedings regarding the twelve "blue meannies" that drove the Zodiac Killer to head to Pleasanton and mail his "Los Angeles" letter on Friday, March 12th 1971 or Saturday, March 13th 1971? Sightings of the Zodiac Killer in the adjoining city of Dublin, California were reported over that weekend, including numerous phone calls to the Alameda County sheriff's office. This flurry of phone calls came 4 1/2 months after the last reported Zodiac letter on October 27th 1970, from a city approximately 40 miles (and 50 minutes) from San Francisco by car. Phone calls that were placed days before the newspapers released information about the latest Zodiac letter. This letter was first publicly released on Tuesday, March 16th 1971.
OAKLAND TRIBUNE It begs the question that if numerous and separate individuals had reported sightings of the Zodiac Killer in Dublin (near Pleasanton) on the same weekend he mailed the "Los Angeles" letter, before its delivery and receipt had been mentioned in the newspapers, then how accurate was the Presidio Heights sketch of the Zodiac Killer? Numerous people were apparently claiming they saw the Zodiac Killer in close proximity to Pleasanton the very time he mailed a letter from this location. Does this somewhat validate the likeness of the sketch to the real Bay Area murderer?
There are four viable options. [1] The Zodiac Killer was visiting (or stayed in) the Dublin area (before heading to Pleasanton) and was spotted by numerous independent individuals who contacted police, [2] The individual in question was somebody who looked like the Zodiac Killer sketch and was noticed in the Dublin area by numerous independent individuals who contacted police. [3] The Zodiac Killer made the phone calls for self-publicity (negated if the calls were established as different people), or [4] The numerous individuals who rang the police were known to one another and manufactured a story that they saw the Zodiac Killer in town, while simultaneously mailing a letter from neighboring Pleasanton and fashioning a hoax. In other words, the Pleasanton letter has nothing to do with the Zodiac Killer. The last two options seem awfully contrived, and number [2] would be an amazing coincidence if the letter was actually mailed by the Zodiac Killer over the same weekend. Option [1] appears the likeliest answer, but still begs the question of whether the Zodiac Killer had ulterior motives in Pleasanton on or around March 13th 1971? The court case remains a distinct possibility.
There are four viable options. [1] The Zodiac Killer was visiting (or stayed in) the Dublin area (before heading to Pleasanton) and was spotted by numerous independent individuals who contacted police, [2] The individual in question was somebody who looked like the Zodiac Killer sketch and was noticed in the Dublin area by numerous independent individuals who contacted police. [3] The Zodiac Killer made the phone calls for self-publicity (negated if the calls were established as different people), or [4] The numerous individuals who rang the police were known to one another and manufactured a story that they saw the Zodiac Killer in town, while simultaneously mailing a letter from neighboring Pleasanton and fashioning a hoax. In other words, the Pleasanton letter has nothing to do with the Zodiac Killer. The last two options seem awfully contrived, and number [2] would be an amazing coincidence if the letter was actually mailed by the Zodiac Killer over the same weekend. Option [1] appears the likeliest answer, but still begs the question of whether the Zodiac Killer had ulterior motives in Pleasanton on or around March 13th 1971? The court case remains a distinct possibility.
CONTRA COSTA TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 18TH 1971
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