I have found a little bit more information on the April 22nd 1986 murders of Laotian couple Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40), who were gunned down by 15 rounds of small caliber fire on Highway 99, near downtown Sacramento. They were traveling back from a Merced County hospital, likely in the dark, early hours of Tuesday, when they were either ushered to the side of the freeway by a trailing motorist, or happened upon as they were parked up in their 4-door, light-blue 1983 Mercury. They had been mercilessly struck by a fusillade of shots through the driver side window of their vehicle and discovered upright in their seats by a person described as a "hitchhiker" in the Sacramento Bee and Santa Cruz Sentinel newspapers. He described finding the couple shortly after sunrise, at 6:30 am. Therefore, it is extremely likely the couple were murdered sometime during the early hours of April 22nd 1986. This crime bears the hallmarks of both the questioned Kathleen Johns abduction and the attack at Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969.

In two newspaper reports, the "hitchhiker" is described as notifying an East Nicolaus Highway Patrol officer of, what he described as an accident. There are further newspaper reports stating that the "hitchhiker" informed authorities in Marysville, Yuba County. However, we are led to believe this "hitchhiker" was never traced. These two accounts of a "hitchhiker" reporting the couple dead in their vehicle to an East Nicolaus officer and to authorities in Marysville, California, appears to suggest that this person was just a concerned citizen traveling from, or through Sacramento to Marysville on a direct route from south to north. The notion of a nefarious criminal (or Zodiac Killer) twice playing games with officialdom, appears the less likely narrative regarding the murders of  Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee.          

Assuming the "hitchhiker" reported his discovery of the couple at the 316 6th St, Marysville Police Department, then he would have reported their demise just 1.5 miles from their residence in Dorman Avenue, Yuba City. Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee would have been only 40 minutes from home.

The distance between the crime scene and East Nicolaus is approximately 22 miles. Had the "hitchhiker" continued north to Marysville Police Department, this would have been a further 15 miles. It appears that this person was just a helpful citizen, notifying authorities of his tragic discovery, rather than a Zodiac Killer playing "cat and mouse" games with the police. However, the newspaper reports may have been the inspiration behind the author of the May 6th 1986 "Zodiac" letter, claiming "The Blue Meannies almost caught me". This may exempt the "hitchhiker" being responsible for the crime, but doesn't necessarily preclude the Zodiac Killer being the orchestrator behind the double murder of the Laotian couple.

One can only speculate with such scant material on this case, that Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee had likely traveled back from the Merced County Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22nd 1986 after visiting their son, because he may have been receiving specialist care. Hence the 155 mile (2 1/2 hour) journey from Dorman Avenue to the Merced hospital. It would have been fairly dark on their return journey along Highway 99, when the killer struck. The exact time of their departure from the Merced hospital and time of their murder has not yet been nailed down, but it appears to be have been sometime before sunrise on Tuesday morning.

We have to weigh up the probability of the couple opting to take a rest by the side of Highway 99 just 40 minutes from home, with the likelihood they were flagged down by a trailing motorist, akin to the ruse supposedly orchestrated on Kathleen Johns near Modesto in 1970. This, allied to the style of the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969, is enough to pause for thought. Exactly two weeks after their murders, a letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle offices on May 6th 1986 claiming responsibilty for the crime, stating "I want you to know about my latest slaves I collected about two weeks ago up by Sacramento. They were killed by a freeway". 

This letter has been unequivocally linked to the author of the October 28th 1987 letter, which has been equally linked to the July 31st 1969 Vallejo Times-Herald letter, detailing the murders at Blue Rock Springs Park and Lake Herman Road in Vallejo and Benicia respectively. This indicates that the origin of the 1986 "Freeway" letter lies squarely at the hands of the Zodiac Killer. Whether he was the actual murderer of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee is an entirely different matter. But the crime itself, bearing in mind the limited publicity it received, appeared rather a fortuitous discovery by the Zodiac Killer had he not been present on Highway 99 in the early morning hours of April 22nd 1986.   

"A letter sent to a newspaper by someone who said he was the Zodiac serial killer of 19 years ago was declared a hoax Thursday by the state Department of Justice. The letter, in which the writer threatened to kill trick or treaters on Halloween, was similar to several mailed to area newspapers in the late 1960s and early 70s. It was received by the Vallejo Times-Herald Wednesday, but a handwriting analysis found it to be a phony, police reported. Vallejo police Capt. Roy Conway said the letter ″was not authored by the authentic Zodiac, but that it is a simulation of a hoax letter written in 1978". link. "In Sacramento, spokeswoman Melinda Stehr of the attorney general's office said handwriting experts confirmed the letter was a simulation of a letter sent to the San Francisco Chronicle a decade ago, which was also considered to be a hoax. 'Someone saw the letter and was using it as a copy,' Stehr said. 'It's a fake. It's a hoax". link.

The author of the October 1987 letter had a multitude of genuine Zodiac letters available to him from the 1960s and 1970s. but we are led to believe that the designer of the 1987 letter chose to mimic the only letter ever made public to be comprehensively questioned regarding its authenticity. Any author that is trying to convince the reader he is Zodiac would simply take a trip to the library, scroll through the microfilm and access a wealth of Zodiac writings, or buy Robert Graysmith's 1986 Zodiac book.  According to the excerpts from the articles above, the hoaxer got his hands on images of the 1978 letter from nine years ago. If he was capable of doing that, he was capable of accessing the Zodiac letters from 1969 through to 1971. Despite this, the author of the 1987 letter copycatted the copycat from nine years ago, to convince current investigators he was the real Zodiac and not a copycat. Also, why would a copycat determined to pass themselves off as Zodiac, deliberately choose to mimic the opening three lines of the 1978 letter and give the impression they are a copycat. The real Zodiac Killer would have no such concerns.

How did the handwriting experts conclude that the killer mimicked an envelope from 18 years ago so accurately, if he had no access to an image of the 1969 Vallejo Times-Herald envelope? They clearly made a comparison between the 1987 and 1978 letters, but could not have compared the two envelopes and arrived at the conclusion they made. The copycat managed to imitate the July 31st 1969 envelope down to the full address of Vallejo Times-Herald, which was never used in the 1969 letters themselves. Although blurry, the handwriting looks compatible, the "Please Rush to Editor" directive was added twice, no commas or full stops were used on both occasions and thirteen words comprised each envelope in both instances. This copycat certainly went to a lot of effort to apparently mimic an envelope he had no access to, while apparently copying the 1978 letter he did have access to and knew was regarded as a fake. This clearly makes no sense. Then we consider the letter mailed in 1986.    

The 1987 author was without doubt the designer of the 1986 letter. The May 6th 1986 letter wasn't published in the newspapers prior to October 28th 1987 (or thereafter), yet just one year later, the supposed hoaxer of the 1987 Zodiac letter just happened to fashion his letter with near identical opening lines, and referenced how "The Blue Meannies almost caught me" and how "The blue pigs can catch me". That is one hell of a coincidence if the authors are two separate and distinct individuals. This is either a determined hoaxer, writing Zodiac letters twelve and thirteen years adrift from the last confirmed Zodiac letter on January 29th 1974, or it is the real Zodiac Killer. What is the likelihood that the author of the 1986 and 1987 letters was a hoaxer, maintaining his interest over 1 1/2 years, who was also able to reproduce the July 31st 1969 Vallejo Times-Herald envelope to such accuracy when apparently he had no access to it?  

The 1990 Eureka Christmas card and 2001 Happy New Year card weren't enough to rule out candidates as the Zodiac Killer, but the 1986 and 1987 letters, in conjunction with the envelope comparison, leaves little doubt remaining that Ross Sullivan and Earl Van Best Jr were not the Zodiac Killer. Ross Sullivan died on September 29th 1977 and Earl Van Best Jr died on May 20th 1984, so could not be the author of either the 1986 or 1987 letter.

Of course, it goes without saying, that almost all staunch advocates of Ross Sullivan and Earl Van Best Jr will by default reject the 1978, 1986, 1987, 1990 and 2001 communications out of hand. The default setting will be turned to discredit rather than objectively analyze, irrespective of the strength of any presentation.

While some people have claimed that Robert Graysmith may be responsible for forging the 1986 and/or 1987 letter to ignite interest in his book, they have yet to offer any evidence to support such such a claim, other than just speculation. If Robert Graysmith had secured access to all the Zodiac envelopes, you could be assured they would have featured in his Zodiac book, as opposed to the just the Dripping Pen card and Los Angeles Times envelopes. The former of which was readily available in the San Francisco Chronicle article by Paul Avery on November 16th 1970.

A FRESH LOOK AT THE 1987 LETTER [PART ONE]

The biggest problem with authenticating Zodiac communications in the Zodiac community is disagreement regarding the handwriting. Some will say the handwriting looks like Zodiac, while others will take the opposite stance. That is why it is crucial to go beyond the handwriting and analyze the wording, composition and structure of a communication. Recently I have been attempting to validate the October 28th 1987 Vallejo Times-Herald correspondence, opening with the lines "This the Zodiac speaking. I am crack proof. Tell herb caen that I am still here. I have always been here. Tell the blue pigs if want me I will be out driving around on Halloween in my death machine looking for some kiddies to run over". To do this, the 1987 envelope was compared with the July 31st 1969 envelope, previously unreleased in the public domain (unless you know better).

In this analysis we will attempt to bind the May 6th 1986 and October 28th 1987 letters to one author. That way, if we can prove the validity of one correspondence as being authored by Zodiac (such as the 1987 letter), we automatically validate the other. In the 'Los Angeles' letter from March 13th 1971, the Zodiac wrote "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". In the 1986 letter, the Zodiac wrote "This is the Zodiac speaking. I am still out here an crack proof. I want you to know about my latest slaves that I have collected about two weeks ago up by Sacramento Ca". 

The author of the 1986 letter converted "I am crack proof" to "I am still out here an crack proof". In other words, he just plagiarized the words from the 1971 letter, which doesn't prove he is the Zodiac Killer. Many letters and cards have been mailed to the newspapers between March 13th 1971 and May 6th 1986. I have noted at least thirteen communications linked to the Zodiac Killer between these dates, and not one used the term "crack proof". The first time this term was used, was in the October 5th 1970 pasted postcard, but it was written as "crackproof" without the separation. That means the author of the 1986 communication selected the words "crack proof" for the first time since March 13th 1971 (15 years later). The author also used a  'Flag Over Capitol' US stamp.

The 1986 letter was never released to the newspapers, yet in the following year, the author of the 1987 letter, not only used the similar 'Flag Over Capitol' US stamp, but again began his correspondence using the words "crack proof" in the separated format. Therefore, we have two consecutively released 'Zodiac' communications with the term "crack proof". If the 1987 author was different to the 1986 author, then he got extremely lucky mimicking the stamp selection and the opening two sentences, including the words "crack proof". 

You will also notice that the author of both communications managed to prominently black out two words on each occasion. All four words prominently blacked out over both letters, almost certainly began with the letter T. What is certain, is that the prominently blacked out words were all followed by a word beginning with T. Those four words were They, The, Tell and Toschi. Three individual letters were blacked out over both communications also.

Additionally, the Los Angeles letter of March 13th 1971 stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something".  The 1986 letter author would mimic this narrative, by stating "The Blue Meannies almost caught me". But if the 1987 letter writer was not the author of the 1986 letter, he was again extremely fortunate to use wording similar to that contained in the 1986 letter: "Tell the blue pigs if want me I will be out driving around on Halloween in my death machine looking for some kiddies to run over. The pigs can catch me if they find me out there".

I think it is therefore reasonable to assert, that the 1986 and 1987 letters were written by the same hand, whether Zodiac or not.

The first edition release of Robert Graysmith's book Zodiac was unveiled on January 1st 1986 with respect to the infamous Bay Area murders. Just over 4 months later, a letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle claiming the murders of Laotian couple Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40) just three miles north of downtown Sacramento. These murders had all the hallmarks of the Zodiac Killer's first two attacks in Benicia and Vallejo, along with a sprinkling of the disputed Kathleen Johns abduction in early 1970.

The couple had been ambushed in their vehicle on the hard shoulder of Highway 99 by an unknown assailant, who fired off fifteen rounds from a small caliber weapon through the driver side window of their car in a seemingly motiveless crime. The question arises, as to whether this crime was the actual Zodiac Killer re-energized by the publicity surrounding the Robert Graysmith book, or whether the Zodiac Killer or a hoaxer had noticed the limited newspaper coverage this crime had generated, and by sheer opportunism decided to lay claim to the double murder. Of all the crimes linked to the Bay Area murderer, these murders are the closest to his Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs attacks (particularly the July 4th 1969 murder). The murders on April 22nd 1986 were exactly "two weeks" prior to the postmarked envelope of May 6th 1986, they occurred in "Sacramento" on a "freeway", and the murderer may very well have interacted with the "blue meannies" shortly after the crime.

The newspapers speculated that Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee may have pulled over onto the hard shoulder to take a rest, when they were possibly ambushed by another passing motorist. They were returning home from visiting their son in a Merced County hospital, an approximate journey of 3 hours from their residence in Dorman Avenue, Yuba City. However, their vehicle was discovered only 3 miles (and a handful of minutes) from downtown Sacramento, where it may have been a more logical place to pull over and seek rest from their journey. They were only 40-45 minutes from home, so passing a major city, where they could have sought comfort in food and a toilet break, only to continue for about 3 to 5 minutes and pull over onto a isolated and dark hard shoulder, seems an unusual choice. They may not have pulled over by their own volition at all - they may have been coerced to the highway edge in similar fashion to the Kathleen Johns abduction on March 22nd 1970 (a crime still not under the canonical Zodiac umbrella). Had Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee actually stopped at a diner in Sacramento and were followed the three miles to the site of their murder? Without knowing the time of their departure from Merced County and the estimated time of their murder, we cannot ascertain whether they had enough time for such a diversion into Sacramento. This timeline would be of crucial importance.  

Highway 99 and Merced County was in fact the route taken by Kathleen Johns some sixteen years earlier, before she broke free and headed west on Highway 132 from Modesto. This likely has no bearing on the 1986 double murder, but the possible ushering of the victims to the side of the road in both instances, is nonetheless noteworthy. Despite the usual hoaxer being touted for the 1986 letter, we have 15 small caliber bullet casings retrieved from this crime scene (along with the bullets) sitting in evidence. Was there any other contact in 1986 from the Zodiac Killer, hoaxer or the "hitchhiker" who flagged down an East Nicolaus Highway Patrol Officer and informed him of the accident (that turned into murders) at the said location. Not only did the 1986 double murder resemble the attack on Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin on July 4th 1969, the murders were also followed by immediate contact with the police. Was the "hitchhiker" toying with the police or giving assistance - and more importantly, was it the Zodiac Killer to whom the Highway Patrol Officer from East Nicolaus spoke to on April 22nd 1986.

Kristi Hawthorne unearthed a possible link to the Bay Area murders while searching through some old newspaper articles. Taxicab driver Ray Davis (29) on April 11th 1962 was discovered in an alley behind 1926 South Pacific Street in Oceanside, having been shot twice in his taxicab. The interesting part of the story lies in a telephone call to police two days before the murder, in which the anonymous male stated “I am going to pull something here in Oceanside and you will never be able to figure it out".  On April 16th 1962, it appears the same man rang the Oceanside Police Department once again, stating “Do you remember me calling you last week and telling you that I was going to pull a real baffling crime? I killed the cab driver and I am going to get me a bus driver next". This 1962 finding has understandably generated much interest in the Zodiac community and on television (and rightly so), yet here we have a potential Zodiac letter mailed twenty-four years later, in tandem with a crime bearing hallmarks to three previous Zodiac Killer cases, and likely thirty pieces of evidence still available for inspection. Despite having tried several times, getting a response from the Sacramento Police Department has proved fruitless - and these murders have been all but forgotten, apart from the family members of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee, who no doubt yearn for a resolution to this case. Unfortunately, I won't be trying anymore, so hopefully somebody else reads this and picks up the baton.  

April 22nd 2018
Today is the 32nd anniversary of the callous double murder of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee  just north of Sacramento.  
This is a follow up, looking in greater detail at the claimed Zodiac letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle and postmarked San Francisco on May 6th 1986. This letter may not be by the hand of the Zodiac Killer, or the murder of the two unfortunate victims described within it, but without doubt this letter is detailing the murders of Laotian couple Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40).

The couple had left their residence in Dorman Avenue, Yuba City (approximately 39 miles north of Sacramento) for the 195 mile (3 hour) journey to Merced County to visit their son in hospital. Later that day, April 22nd 1986, they would make the exhausting three hour journey back home - or so they thought. Somebody would change these plans as they approached the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento, just north of the city. For whatever reason, the pair decided to pull over onto the hard shoulder of the freeway - a decision that would ultimately prove deadly. A merciless killer approached their vehicle and unloaded 15 bullets into the driver side window of the car, blowing out both front side windows in a relentless barrage of gunfire. Small caliber shell casings were strewn beside the vehicle. ​Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee were left with no chance of survival at the hands of a brutal killer or killers.    

The couple were only 45-50 minutes away from their home location during their 3 hour 10 minute journey from Merced - which may indicate that they decided to take a rest momentarily - or were possibly signaled to the side of the freeway by a trailing motorist, not dissimilar to the tactic employed in the abduction of Kathleen Johns on March 22nd 1970. The killer/s may have approached from the rear of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee's vehicle in similar fashion to the Modesto attack, or in the case of Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau at Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969, where in identical fashion, the killer approached the passenger side of the vehicle and unleashed a deadly attack on the defenseless young couple, firing off nine shots from a 9mm Luger. The double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968 was also perpetrated by a killer approaching the victims vehicle.

A short time after the murders, a 'hitchhiker' flagged down an East Nicolaus Highway Patrol Officer and informed him of an accident at the said location.
If the killer was the 'hitchhiker', then this 'mystery man' likely drove his vehicle north to East Nicolaus and informed the Highway Patrol Officer of this crash in absence of his vehicle. Relaying this information to the officer with his vehicle in tow may not have been the desired option. The claim of being a hitchhiker separates him from his vehicle and distances himself from the yet to be discovered double murder, which he described as an accident to likely avoid being dragged in deeper. 

This was not unlike the phone call, possibly received after the Lake Herman Road double murder: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene".

Was the Zodiac Killer employing a similar tactic on April 22nd 1986, especially considering this time he is face-to-face with a Highway Patrol Officer and doesn't want to be detained? Whether this officer took any details from the hitchhiker, or gave a description is unknown, but the author of the 1986 letter may have referenced this encounter "two weeks" later.
The Zodiac Killer was certainly keen on informing the police of his murders, as demonstrated by his payphone calls after both the Blue Rock Springs and Lake Berryessa attacks, when on both occasions he directed the police to the scene of the crime. 
On April 24th 1986, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported on these crimes, stating "The man and woman found shot to death in a parked car just north of Sacramento have been identified as a refugee from Laos and a friend who lived in Yuba City. They were identified Wednesday as Choy Fow Saelee, 40, and Koy Ien Saechao, 48. Their bodies were found Tuesday at the junction of Interstate 5 and California Route 99 after a hitchhiker tipped a California Highway Patrol officer to what he called an accident. The victims' four children and 10-month-old grandchild have been placed with the Sutter County Children's Protective Services. They also had three grown children". Sacramento Police spokesman Bob Burns added "there is still no known motive for the slayings. They may have been the victims of a random killer. The hitchhiker is still being sought".

A letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle, postmarked May 6th 1986. It stated:​
"This is the Zodiac speaking. I am still out here an crackproof. I want you to know about my latest slaves that I have collected about two weeks ago up by Sacramento Ca. I will give you clue to help you with the mystry. They were killed by a freeway. The Blue Meannies almost caught me. The body count is growing now 100+ all over the state of Ca and Na". 

The murders occurred on April 22nd 1986, corroborating the claim in the letter of a murder "about two weeks ago". In fact, from the date of the postmark on this letter, the double murder of the couple was perpetrated exactly two weeks ago. The author's reference to "they" and "slaves" certainly indicated more than one victim in this brutal attack. The author's reference to a "freeway up by Sacramento" is more than adequate, to finally confirm that this letter was claiming responsibility for the murders of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee alongside Highway 99. No other murders in this timeframe or location even remotely parallel this communication. But whether the Zodiac Killer was responsible for the murders or the letter will no doubt rage on.
​       

Kathleen Johns was traveling along Highway 99 before turning west on Highway 132, shortly before she was abducted and returned close to Interstate 5. This is where her burnt out vehicle was located, just east of Bird Road. Did the assailant exit north on Interstate 5, heading toward Sacramento, before turning west and heading toward the Bay Area? Was this a tactic employed by the Zodiac Killer on Highway 99? 

The 1986 letter stated "the blue meannies almost caught me".
​The police confirmed that a Highway Patrol Officer was directed to the scene of the crime under the pretense of an accident by a hitchhiker. This letter may very well have been inferring as much, mocking the police once again for letting him on his way, not dissimilar to the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter and subsequent 'Bus Bomb' letter, in which the killer stated "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. The S.F. Police could have caught me last night if they had searched the park properly".

The quality of collection and storage of evidence in 1986 should have moved on from the late 1960s, with less degraded biological material hopefully still available in this case. With advancements in the retrieval of DNA from ever smaller samples - such as bullet casings - all hope is not necessarily lost. If this crime was committed by the Zodiac Killer, then there is an outside chance that the identity of the Bay Area murder may still be resting in fifteen crucial places. ​

Devon Stuart Olson confessed to the murder of the Yuba couple, apparently providing investigators with details of the crime, however, little connected him to the crime and he was never charged..Sergeant James Lewis in 2001 reiterated that none of Olson's statements matched to any of the crimes he claimed and he wasn't charged in these murders.

This is the Department of Justice ballistics report dated 3rd January 1969 regarding the Lake Herman Road shooting:

"We find that the exhibits correspond only with tests fired in J.C. Higgins Model 80, .22 automatic pistol. It should not be assumed the exhibits must have been fired in such a weapon, but this is the only type presently in our files that corresponds, therefore, it appears somewhat probable the weapon was of this type. In addition to subjecting to further tests any J.C. Higgins Model 80 automatic pistol recovered, further tests should be made on any weapon having the following characteristics; (A) Cartridge cases: Semi-circular firing pin impression at 12 o' clock position, small extractor markings at 3 o'clock position. Very faint ejector marking at 8 o' clock position (latter may not always be detectable). (B) Weapon barrel or test bullets: Six right hand grooves, land and groove ratio 1:1+. Bullet groove width approximately 0.056 inch. Bullet land width approximately 0.060 inch".

This report points out that although the offending weapon is likely a J.C. Higgins, it should not be regarded as certain. However, it does suggest that any weapon identified should be compared to the characteristics exhibited above regarding the bullets and cartridge cases. The next line of the DOJ report is significant, stating; "Intercomparison of the cartridge cases in items 4 and 5 indicates that all are probably fired in the same weapon and all are the same make and type of ammunition. Due to lack of sufficient unique structure it appears that considerable difficulty will be encountered in identifying the responsible weapon if it should be recovered".  The cartridge cases mentioned in items 4 and 5 are the nine cases tested from the Lake Herman Road crime scene. The problem is that ten cartridge cases were ejected and removed from Lake Herman Road that night. It is with a high degree of certainty that the bullet casing lying on the floorboard of the Rambler, towed away to a designated location, was ultimately separated from the other nine and never reached the DOJ for testing. In addition, the report stated ''All bullets submitted were Western copper coated .22 long rifle bullets, although some were damaged, it was possible to determine ALL but Item [1] had 6 right hand groove class characteristics".  Item [1] was the bullet recovered from David Faraday. The ballistics report could not rule that the bullet removed from David Faraday's head was different to the other bullets recovered, but nevertheless it couldn't rule it the same, as it didn't exhibit the same "6 right hand groove class characteristics" as the rest.  zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/lake-herman-road-the-ballistics-report         

Responding officers questioned many of the eyewitnesses that night, including Peggy Your. She stated in the police report "They did have a gun with them that night, it was a .38 special with a small barrel and it was lying in the rear seat of the car. It was unloaded and Mr Your had the shells in his pocket". 

Another eyewitness Robert Connelly was interviewed, being asked if he had a rifle. He stated "he had an automatic rifle. The RO advised him of his constitutional rights at this time. Due to the fact he was in the area and he did have a rifle which he claimed he didn't have with him that night".

Rangemaster George Parks tested several weapons on 28th December 1968. He test fired three rifles and made comparisons of shell casings with the casings in evidence. On the basis of his findings the following guns are eliminated as suspected weapons.
#1. Marlin automatic rifle; property of Robert Connelly.
#2. Remington automatic rifle, Model 550-1, property of James Owen.
#3. Ruger automatic rifle, SN 138577, property of James Owen.

The bullet that struck David Faraday's head was likely damaged, although it didn't exhibit "6 right hand groove class characteristics" as the rest. Bearing in mind David Faraday's body position in the Lake Herman Road turnout, he was likely facing west, standing next to the Rambler's right rear wheel when he was shot in the left side of his head. Therefore, it is plausible that the shell casing observed on the front passenger floorboard of the Rambler was inextricably linked to this bullet recovered from David Faraday. Without an accurate comparison of this bullet and without locating the missing shell casing, it cannot be ruled out that these two pieces of ballistic evidence were not the product of a second gun and second shooter on the night of December 20th 1968.
    
The comparison by George Parks above, used to eliminate suspected weapons, was done using the shell casings and not the bullets, as some of the bullets were disfigured. The shell casings were free from distortion with identifiable extractor and ejector marks. These were used to rule out the weapons of Robert Connelly and James Owen. The eyewitnesses interviewed in connection with Lake Herman Road were with near certainty were not involved in the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, however, countless people were interviewed in the following months - and no doubt innumerable other guns were eliminated using the shell casing comparisons.               

The problem we have, is that the tenth casing was never tested in the Department of Justice report - only nine of the ejected casings. Therefore, none of the guns tested for comparison can be ruled out as the source of this missing tenth casing, and quite possibly the bullet recovered from David Faraday at autopsy. If two shooters were involved that night, or even a second gun by the same shooter, the tested suspected firearm can never be eliminated from the double murder. At best it can likely be ruled out as the firearm used to murder Betty Lou Jensen. It is not impossible that a suspect has been ruled out of the murders at Lake Herman Road using shell casing comparisons, who owes the good fortune to one missing piece of ballistic evidence - the tenth casing.
 
Avid Zodiac researcher Mike Rodelli supplied some additional information regarding Lake Herman Road; "That missing casing is interesting. I remember being at Russ' home for several days in 2003 and he told me that he had one of the shell casings from LHR. We looked through several ashtrays of junk trying to find it but never did. I wonder if the one he had is the missing one, since the car would have been placed in possession of the SO after the shooting, as seen in several videos. Maybe he took it as a souvenir". If this is correct, then it may still be retrieved.  

Sixteen shell casings have the capacity to be linked to the Zodiac case, either by comparison or to a suspected firearm, if we include the fifteen shell casings found scattered around the car of murder victims Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40), a Laotian couple who were brutality gunned down on the hard shoulder of a Sacramento highway on April 22nd 1986. Although not necessarily Zodiac victims, they were certainly the subject of a possible Zodiac letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on May 6th 1986.

​My good friend Gregory Haugevik pointed out some of the similarities to the Dennis Rader case; "Zodiac, of course, was not a sexual sadist--not on the level of Rader anyhow, but when I see the similarities between them (the M.O. in specific incidents, the letters to the media, the cat-and-mouse games, even deluded notions about their victims in the afterlife) I honestly believe they were trapped within the same pathology. I am not a psychiatrist, but perhaps this pathology occurs in one out of every 100 million people and is brought to an extreme at an even lesser, infinitesimal rate. That these two killers lived in roughly the same era and culture, it should perhaps be less than surprising the manifestation of their illness resulted in the headline-grabbing terror carried out by each". Dennis Rader also ceased his activities for over two decades, so the 1986 letter should not be dismissed on time and handwriting analysis alone - as handwriting would obviously change over a possible 8-12 year hiatus.

There are sixteen tangible pieces of evidence that could be used to answer many questions in the Zodiac case, that are eminently retrievable if the will is there. Unfortunately it probably isn't. In addition to the aforementioned comparisons that could be made, the same could be said of Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights, where a total of ten shell casings were secured in evidence. 

The whole of the above premise, is based upon the belief that two people could have been involved in the first attack at Lake Herman Road, irrespective of whether the other crimes were committed by one person. It is not something to be pushed or promoted, just considered. But it relies heavily on the notion that one shooter fired at the Rambler as he approached it, then secured Betty Lou Jensen as she emerged from the passenger side of the vehicle. Then David Faraday exited the passenger side and was restrained by the second assailant. The order in which they were shot will never be known, but if the first shooter then releases Betty Lou Jensen and fires at her, he has effectively fired all nine shots thus far. David Faraday is then executed point blank by the second assailant, thereby generating a unique and separate casing to the other nine. It is ejected to his rear, into the front passenger side of the Rambler and is ultimately towed away by responding personnel, taking all the answers with it.           

I have recently contacted the Sacramento cold cases department regarding the 30 year old murder case of Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40), a Laotian couple brutality gunned down on the hard shoulder of a Sacramento highway on April 22nd 1986. This has been covered twice before, but I am attempting to find more information on this crime, including any police reports, as the information on the internet is scant to say the least. The crime was originally linked to Devon Stuart Olson, however Sergeant James Lewis in 2001 reiterated that none of Olson's statements matched to any of the crimes he claimed and he wasn't charged in these murders. 

Rewinding the clock back fifteen years, the Donna Lass case entered the Zodiac sphere with the mailing of the Pines Card on March 22nd 1971 inferring he may be the killer. Donna Lass disappeared from a South Lake Tahoe casino in the early hours of September 6th 1970 and has never been heard or seen of since.
Gian Quaser of the Quester Files ran a story indicating a possible link between Donna Lass, Judith Hakari, Nancy Bennalack and Carol Hilburn, the latter three of which were all murdered in Sacramento in 1970. A straight line from the Vallejo and San Francisco region to South Lake Tahoe takes you directly through Sacramento. The slaying of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee, although sixteen years later, took place within 10 miles of the murdered women in Sacramento, and furthermore the Zodiac Killer would possibly claim these murders in a 1986 letter.. What is most important, is what the Zodiac meant in the 1986 letter by "The Blue Meannies almost caught me." Is he talking about his interaction with the Highway Patrol officer in the article. 

The murders of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee had all the hallmarks of Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, a couple fired upon while inside their vehicle, just like Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau. The Laotian couple were shot multiple times from close range. Both front side windows were blown out, with 15 shell casings strewn around the vehicle. This was a merciless assault on the side of the highway. 

Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee were traveling back on the two and a half journey to their residence in Dorman Road, Yuba City after visiting their son in a Merced CA hospital, situated in the area of the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. They were only 45 minutes from home when it was believed they had opted to take a rest on the roadside edge, near the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento and unfortunately for them, a merciless killer was in the vicinity. However, without knowing the exact dynamics of the crime, it is equally plausible they were ushered to the side of the highway on a ruse similar to the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns.
The 1986 letter claimed to be from the Bay Area killer, but what catches the eye, is how close this letter is to the Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee murders.

​[1] The letter was postmarked 6th May 1986. The letter writer stated his victims were collected "about two weeks ago". Exactly 14 days prior to May 6th was April 22nd, the day the couple were murdered.
[2] The letter writer stated "up by Sacramento".  They were murdered close to the center of Sacramento.
[3] The letter writer stated "They were killed by a freeway" and "I want you to know about my latest slaves". Both statements indicative of more than one victim. The couple were also murdered right next to a two lane freeway. (Highway 99).
This Highway serves Modesto and was traveled by Kathleen Johns in March 1970. Wikipedia: 'From SR 99 to south of Tracy, I-5 skirts along the far more remote western edge of the great Central Valley, and thus here is removed from population centers such as Bakersfield and Fresno; other state highways provide these connections. I-580 splits from I-5 at a point south of Tracy, providing a loop-route connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. After passing Tracy, I-5 heads north through Stockton and Sacramento before turning west to Woodland.'
[4] The letter writer stated "The Blue Meannies almost caught me," indicating that he saw police that night, likely close to the scene. The mystery hitchhiker directed police to the scene, reminiscent of his two phone calls, but subsequently was never traced. Was this the Zodiac playing games with the police and hence his reference to "The Blue Meannies almost caught me". The hitchhiker flagged down a California Highway Patrol Officer in East Nicolaus and informed him of an automobile accident at the precise location the couple were eventually discovered.

The Zodiac could again be claiming murders for which he had no hand in, so it is imperative to find more detailed information on this crime and possibly elaborate on his claim of a near miss with police. It would also be interesting to discover the weapon used in this crime and compare the shell casings to ones retrieved in the Zodiac case.

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"I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track". Taunting words dragged from the 'Dear Boss' letter, presumably sent by Jack the Ripper and mailed on September 27th 1888, exactly 81 years prior to the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. In this letter he taunted the police by stating "The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good Luck. Yours truly. Jack the Ripper".

Bearing in mind the wording on the Ripper letter, the 'next job' the Zodiac Killer undertook after the Lake Berryessa attack, was the murder of Paul Stine in the wealthy district of Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. Despite the callousness of the crime, the Zodiac Killer did refrain from the unthinkable, despite removing several items from the crime scene and tearing off a section of Paul Stine's shirt and sending it to authorities. Two days after the murder, this letter, not dissimilar to the 'Dear Boss' letter, arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle on October 13th 1969. It said "The S.F. Police could have caught me last night if they had searched the park properly instead of holding road races with their motorcicles seeing who could make the most noise. The car drivers should have just parked their cars and sat there quietly waiting for me to come out of cover". He then backed this up in similar fashion one month later with the 'Bus Bomb' letter on November 9th 1969, stating "I gave the cops som bussy work to do to keep them happy. I enjoy needling the blue pigs. Hey blue pig I was in the park -- you were useing fire trucks to mask the sound of your cruzeing prowl cars".

Then, nine years later, another letter mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald on October 28th 1987 arrived with wording all too familiar. It again emphasized that the Zodiac Killer was "still here", almost reminding us of the fact he had never gone away. In many people's eyes this letter was deemed a poor imitation, crafted from the inspiration of previous correspondence. Nevertheless, this letter also signed off with the words 'yours truly' once again, in extremely similar fashion to the 1978 letter. See here. In the 1978 letter the author stated  "I am waiting for a good movie about me" and in the 1987 letter the author stated "Cars make nice weapons. The pigs can catch me if they can find me out there. Just like in the movie The Car". The Zodiac Killer, if we take these two letters as genuine, appeared to be reminding the American public that he was definitely far from dead, as some press speculation had considered - due mainly to the Zodiac Killer's lack of correspondence subsequent to the 'Exorcist' letter in early 1974. But now he was back..... in fact he had never gone away.

Yours Truly-Jack the Ripper was a short story by Robert Bloch, published in Weird Tales in July 1943 and was made for television on 11th April 1961, directed by Ray Milland and starring Boris Karloff, John Williams and Beverly Powers. See here.
In the story Sir Guy (John Williams) attempts to convince the police that Jack the Ripper is far from dead - in fact, he is very much alive and still claiming victims - this time in New York. (see Albany Letter). In one line he says "Now none of these Ripper murders received the notoriety of those in London, many went almost unnoticed, but they did occur" and went on to elaborate "I've studied everything about them, especially the dates and the pattern made by those dates, I've studied their rhythm, the solar and lunar rhythm". See here. The police thought these new murders were a copycat, attempting to replicate the murders of Jack the Ripper, and poured scorn on the idea he was still around. Could the Zodiac Killer have read the book or viewed this television episode and deliberately signed off these later letters with the phrase 'yours truly' to again ridicule the police and authorities, who thought that he was dead also.       

"This is the Zodiac Speaking. I am still out there and crackproof. I want you to know about my latest slaves that I have collected about two weeks ago up by Sacramento Ca. I will give you clue to help you with the Mystry. They were killed by a freeway. The Blue Meannies almost caught me. The Bodycount is growing now 100+ all over the state of Ca and Na".

The date was Tuesday, April 22nd 1986, when Laotian couple Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40) were traveling back on the two and a half journey to their residence in Dorman Road, Yuba City after visiting their son in a Merced, California hospital, situated in the area of the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. They were only 45 minutes from home, when it was believed they had opted to take a rest on the roadside edge near the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento, and their paths crossed with a merciless killer. How the killer approached is open to question, but the assailant unleashed a barrage of gunfire into their car, blowing in both front side windows, the testimony to which was the 15 small caliber shell casings scattered and retrieved from around their vehicle. The couple suffered multiple shots to the head.

Sacramento is situated approximately a one hour drive northeast of Vallejo, CA, and one hour and forty minute drive due east of Lake Berryessa - and mentioned in two letters by the Zodiac Killer. Firstly, in the dubious Fairfield Letter postmarked December 16th 1969, it was claimed by the author he would go on to kill at least 38 more people, including three in Fairfield, CA and nine in Sacramento. Fairfield is on a direct route from Vallejo through to Sacramento and within easy traveling distance for the Zodiac Killer, if indeed he was a resident of the Benicia, Vallejo or San Francisco area at the said time period. More crucially though, the 1986 Letter, mailed on Tuesday, May 6th, is relevant to the date and area where Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee were gunned down.

Furthermore - was his alluding to the "Blue Meannies almost caught me",  just another case of the Zodiac Killer toying with the long suffering police and authorities, that he seemingly enjoyed ridiculing during his campaign of terror in the Bay Area.
A relative of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee said "We don't want to get killed in the United States, we want to live here for freedom". Let us hope one day that they find a resolution to the answers they desperately yearn, and the killer, whomever they may be, finds that freedom will one day be no more.​

This is the correspondence purportedly mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle by the Zodiac Killer on May 6th 1986.
The author alluded to killing more than one person when he used the word "slaves" along with "They were killed by a freeway", suggesting his attack claimed at least two victims.

Previous confirmed Zodiac attacks had involved the killer approaching the victims cars at some point, either before or after the attack, and in particular during the Zodiac Killer's first two crimes at Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park. So, with the mention of 'freeway' in this letter, it obviously suggests we should be looking for a scene bearing these hallmarks.

As this letter was postmarked May 6th 1986, he would have almost certainly been referring to this crime, because he stated in the letter approximately "two weeks ago", hence​sometime in the latter third of April 1986. But what is interesting, is the author of the letter stated "The Blue Meannies almost caught me". Exactly two weeks prior to May 6th, on April 22nd 1986, Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40), a Laotian couple were brutally gunned down by the interchange of Highway 99 and Interstate 5 in Sacramento, California after they had pulled over to take a break. Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee were traveling back on the three-hour journey to their residence in Dorman Road, Yuba City after visiting their son in a Merced CA hospital, situated in the area of the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. They were only 45 to 50 minutes from home when it was believed they had opted to take a rest on the roadside edge, near the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento - and unfortunately for them a ruthless killer was in the vicinity. However, without knowing the exact dynamics of the crime, it is equally plausible they were ushered to the side of the highway on a ruse, similar to the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns. 

The victims were subjected to a barrage of 15 rounds of small caliber fire at close range, with casings strewn around the car. Both front side windows were blown out during the merciless assault. A short time later, a California Highway Patrol Officer was stopped by a hitchhiker in East Nicolaus, informing the officer that he had just witnessed an accident, which led police to the murder scene. The hitchhiker was never traced - but was he somehow involved?

In 2001 Devon Stuart Olson confessed to the murder of the Yuba couple, apparently attempting to provide investigators with details of the crime, however, little connected him to the crime and he was never charged. He also laid claim to another 10 murders, his connections to which were roundly discredited by law enforcement. Despite several terms in prison for other offences he was paroled in 1998 and has never been heard from again. This is a debatable Zodiac letter as it is a Zodiac crime, but it is without much doubt, the author of the 1986 letter is describing the senseless slaying of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Saelee on Highway 99.

FOLLOW UP ARTICLE - MURDER BY THE FREEWAY