Drew Beeson, host of the Zodcast YouTube channel, and Ross Geraci, creator of the Planet X Filmworks YouTube channel, had an excellent discussion on the Gaviota Beach murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963, briefly touching on the press release by Sheriff John Carpenter in November 1972. They were almost certainly correct when considering the reasoning behind the press release and who it was about. The conversation covered all aspects of the double murder in great depth, including a potential link to the Zodiac Killer crimes in the Bay Area of northern California. The YouTube video has a running time of 2 hours and five minutes. Please subscribe to their channels and click the bell for notifications of future releases.  

​There are two key statements within the press release that reveal why Sheriff John Carpenter believed Arthur Leigh Allen was probably responsible for the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards at Canada Del Molino in Santa Barbara. When referencing the double murder, the 1972 press release stated "Over a year ago, Sheriff's Detectives began a thorough study of the case, examining and re-evaluating all aspects of the crime". But why did they re-evaluate the Gaviota Beach murders just over a year ago? The press release was issued early November 1972, so just "over a year ago" could be interpreted as being August or September 1971, when on August 4th 1971 Sgt. Jack Mulanax, Inspector David Toschi and Inspector Bill Armstrong traveled to Pinole, California to interview Arthur Leigh Allen at his workplace. This was preceded by a July 19th 1971 report naming Arthur Leigh Allen as a possible Zodiac suspect, and a March 13th 1971 Zodiac letter implying he had committed more murders down south. 

​The second statement read "We have information, to be investigated further, which may place him in the Santa Barbara area in 1963". Without knowing who the Zodiac was in 1972, how could they possibly hope to place him in the Santa Barbara area in 1963? The simple answer is that they had received pertinent information from Bay Area investigators following their interview with Arthur Leigh Allen just "over a year ago". Arthur Leigh Allen was clearly under suspicion for the Zodiac murders, with the murder of a couple in Santa Barbara an obvious avenue of investigation, based upon Allen's proximity to the crime and his Lake Berryessa statements.

Gian Quasar, an avid Zodiac researcher, wrote "Native Lompoc son, Mike McVicar, remembers Leigh Allen well. Allen struck him as being really weird. But McVicar being a car aficionado, and Allen being quite a car buff, they did go to a few car shows together. McVicar, however, remembers that Leigh lived in Lompoc before 1963. McVicar, and so many others, were also used to seeing Leigh at the local public pool, where he was the lifeguard. McVicar recalls what so many others have recalled about Allen.that “For a fat guy, he was a really good diver". Tom Voigt's website details that from "1959-1962: Allen, attempting to gain his teaching credential, was hired by Santa Rosa Elementary in Atascadero, Calif". Santa Rosa Elementary is 58 miles north of Lompoc and 50 miles north of the Vandenberg Air Force Base Exchange where the ammunition may have been purchased that killed Robert and Linda. Gian Quasar has already concluded that Sheriff John Carpenter was referring to Allen in the press release, stating "It seems unquestionable that Carpenter was referring to Leigh Allen. It wouldn’t have been difficult for Carpenter to have established that Leigh Allen once lived in a trailer near Lompoc". Where exactly he was living is unknown, but its proximity to the Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is 30 miles (by crow) northwest of the Domingos & Edwards crime scene, may have peaked his interest. But there is more. 

If Mike McVicar knew Allen well enough to go to a few car shows together, it must be highlighted that Michael Lee McVicar (who died in 2020 aged 76) was a long time resident of Lompoc, who bought Jeffers Muffler Shop at 126 N F St in 1979, which he ran for 33 years. He had previously worked for Johns Manville in Lompoc from 1964 to 1978. His passion for racing cars overlapped with that of Allen's, and he liked roaming the hills of Miguelito Canyon, catching fish and frogs in the creeks, as well as surfing nearby beaches. Just 10 miles north of the Vandenberg Air Force Base was the Santa Maria drag racing strip, situated at West Foster and Mitchell roads.

It is doubtful investigators overlooked the possibility that if Allen was loosely acquainted with Michael McVicar, there was a good chance that Arthur Leigh Allen may have visited Lompoc many times prior to, and during 1963, relevant to the time period of the murders. The newspaper cutting on the left from the Lompoc Record on May 15th 1963 mentioned the Lompoc Sports Car Club, who not only sponsored a hare and hound rally in the city that same day, but ran other tours and motor events monthly, including a club meeting on the last Sunday of each month. That meeting in 1963 would have taken place on June 30th. Something such as this could have placed Allen in the Lompoc area in the days or weeks prior to the Gaviota Beach murders, had his common interest in car racing with McVicar extended to these functions.

​It is extremely likely that the interest shown in Allen by investigators in the Bay Area, coupled with his Santa Rosa Elementary and Lompoc connections, were the driving force behind the press release of Sheriff John Carpenter in 1972. Allen's admission in a 1971 interview to having bloody knives in his possession the day of the Lake Berryessa attack, when Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were bound and brutally stabbed on September 27th 1969, must also have peaked their interest with respect to the Domingos & Edwards murders.

​If there was a possibility that Allen, strongly suspected in 1971 to be the Zodiac Killer, could be placed in the Lompoc area, 30 miles northwest of a double murder in 1963, that bore similarities to the Lake Berryessa attack in the mind of investigators, it may explain the confidence expressed within the press release when they wrote "we have found that there appears to be a high degree of probability that this subject is responsible for the double murder in our county". That "subject" being Arthur Leigh Allen. This confidence may have been premature, and might explain why no follow up to this press release has ever seen the light of day.   

"Paul Avery and Kate Coleman who wrote the sizzling expose of Black Panther violence in the July 10th New Times 'have gone out of the area' after receiving the predictable threats", wrote Herb Caen. The bogus letter reopened old wounds, driving the populace to seek closure on the long-unsolved case. Zodiac tips quadrupled. "The Zodiac was shot to death by San Francisco police in March of 1976," a reader informed Caen, "about four months after he set the Gartland Hotel fire that killed thirteen people". Zodiac Unmasked. 
​
On July 19th 1978 a typewritten letter from Los Angeles arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle stating:
"I am the ZODIAC and I am in control of all things. I am going to tell you a secret. I like friction tape. I like to have it around in case I need to truss someone up in a hurry....I have my real name on a small metallic tape. You see, while you have it in your possession, I want you to know it belongs to me and you think I may have left it accidentally. I am athletic. It could be swim fins, or a piece of scuba gear. But maybe you play chess with me. I have several cheap sets in closets all over. I have my name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape....My tape is waiting for me all over California. Do you know me? I am the ZODIAC and I am in control". 

Sergeant John Lynch from the Vallejo Police Department interviewed Arthur Leigh Allen, with Allen stating that he traveled to Salt Point Ranch, located on the coast, due west of Napa on September 26th 1969 for a spot of scuba diving. Clearly, Arthur Leigh Allen was a prime suspect for Zodiac, so it must have been obvious to Allen that he would incriminate himself by inserting "swim fins" and "scuba gear" into the narrative of the 1978 letter, unless you believe a double bluff. 

This letter followed the "I am back with you" correspondence mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on April 24th 1978, just three months earlier. Arthur Leigh Allen had been released from the Atascadero State Hospital on August 31st 1977, and this letter is often touted as his return to the persona of the Zodiac Killer after a lengthy  absence. Or was it more likely that somebody known or unknown to Allen was attempting to implicate him in the murders by dropping subtle clues pointing in his direction? The author of the July 1978 letter seemingly wants to push us in the direction of tape: "I like friction tape", "I have my real name on a small metallic tape", "I have my name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape", and "My tape is waiting for me all over California". It appears like a selling job, trying to push the tape angle in connection with trussing people up, whereas the author may have had other intentions.

The Zodiac Killer mailed us a 'Bus Bomb' diagram on November 9th 1969 and April 20th 1970, employing the use of electrical circuits.
'Friction tape is a type of adhesive tape made from cloth impregnated with a rubber-based adhesive, mainly used to insulate splices in electric wires and cables. Because the adhesive is impregnated in the cloth, friction tape is sticky on both sides. The rubber-based adhesive makes it an electrical insulator and provides a degree of protection from liquids and corrosion. In the past, friction tape was widely used by electricians, but PVC electrical tape has replaced it in most applications today. The frictional properties of the tape come from the cloth material, which is usually made from cotton, while the fabric base protects electrical splices against punctures and abrasion. Wikipedia.' 

Was this the implication, with 'pipe bombs' having been discovered at Allen's residence, along with supposed bomb manuals. But more credible, is the emphasis on "swim fins" and "scuba gear," considering Allen's penchant for scuba diving, and the opportunities for such pursuits provided by Lake Berryessa, Lake Tahoe and Fisherman's Wharf near to the Presidio Park - in three Zodiac linked crimes. 
Permanent marker pens, in conjunction with water resistant tape or labels, are ideal for scuba divers and boat enthusiasts for personalizing your equipment. dolphindiveathens.com/marking-your-dive-gear/. "I have my name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape....My tape is waiting for me all over California".

With Arthur Leigh Allen the prime Zodiac candidate for many years, isn't it plausible that somebody was attempting to throw Allen under the proverbial 'school bus' in an attempt to keep him in the frame, while keeping an interest in the Zodiac case burning bright. These two letters could actually be from Zodiac (depending on the validity of DNA evidence), and is simply a game by the real killer to keep the spotlight firmly focused on his convenient "fall guy".

There is no hard and fast rule that connects the methodology of serial killers, particularly in regards to the areas they operate and the locations of murder they ultimately choose. But this does not preclude the investigator from forming an opinion on the killer based upon knowledge of the locality, along with geographic profiling, that has suggested a criminal has a comfort zone within which he operates, near to his home or workplace. Although a buffer zone will still exist in the mind of the killer, in that he does not wipe his feet too close to home. Can we apply anything we know about the four confirmed attack locations of Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and Presidio Heights, along with the two Zodiac phone calls placed at the corner of Springs Road and Tuolumne and 1231 Main Street, Napa to this so called buffer zone? It has been suggested that an offender will start their crimes close to home before extending outwards, so as not to draw unwanted attention to themselves, but not too far as to increase the risk of being apprehended on returning back to their comfort zone, to wash or stash away any incriminating evidence they may have unwittingly or deliberately removed from the crime scene.     

When asked whether he thought the Zodiac Killer lived in Vallejo, he responded, "Oh, I think so, he lived in the area, that's for sure, oh yeah, he knew the area".

The second attack, in another secluded area at Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969, was a four-mile journey northwest of Lake Herman Road, and a 15 minute drive from downtown Vallejo. On this occasion Michael Mageau survived, but unfortunately Darlene Ferrin became the Zodiac Killer's third fatality. This time though, the killer was more brazen, calling police dispatcher Nancy Slover from a phone booth at the gas station at Springs Road and Tuolumne, just a short 10 minute drive from the crime scene. The attack occurred around midnight, with the call logged at 12:40 am. This left 40 minutes of unaccounted time to be explained, leading to the notion of a killer who returned home first to dispose of any incriminating evidence, including his weapon and possibly clothes, before venturing back out with renewed confidence and placing the call. This unexplained time could lend greater weight to the theory that the killer was a local to the area of Vallejo, combined with his apparent knowledge of the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park areas.

The third attack at Lake Berryessa, with a driving time of approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, saw the killer venture further away from the Vallejo area, if indeed he resided there. The male victim, Bryan Hartnell, would again survive, however, the devastating ten knife injuries sustained by Cecelia Shepard would sadly claim her life just two days later at the Queen of the Valley Hospital. The attack took place early evening on September 27th 1969 at around 6:30 pm, with the killer leaving a message at the scene of the crime on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's vehicle. If we take the message written on Bryan Hartnell's Volkswagen Karmann Ghia door with near accuracy, then the 27 mile journey to the payphone at 1231 Main Street, Napa away from Lake Berryessa, would have taken approximately 50 minutes. The phone call was logged at 7:40 pm, leaving a shortfall of 20 minutes. http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/lake-berryessa-north-of-the-crime-scene-pt2. 
Napa County is a direct route between Vallejo and Lake Berryessa, so if the killer lived in, or very close to Vallejo, he would have left himself approximately 25-30 minutes to arrive home, after placing the phone call. 

The Zodiac Killer's last confirmed murder was that of Paul Stine, on October 11th 1969, leading people to consider the possibility the killer may have been a resident of San Francisco or the Presidio Heights area, bearing in mind his first 14 confirmed letters and cards were postmarked San Francisco, starting with the July 31st 1969 mailings and ending with the Halloween Card. But bearing in mind his apparent knowledge of the first two crime scene locations, that a resident of San Francisco would unlikely possess (unless a former resident), it is quite plausible he lived somewhere in the region of Vallejo and mailed his letters en route to his place of work in San Francisco. The third option being, he at one time had lived at both locations. 

The lost 40 minutes after the Blue Rock Springs attack is noteworthy though, in that, did the killer drive home first and remove any incriminating evidence, before driving back to the gas station at Springs Road and Tuolumne - or more logically as Mike Morford suggested on Zodiackillersite forum - walk back to the payphone to place the first phone call, thereby attracting less attention to himself? Quote "I personally think Zodiac lived close to that phonebooth on Springs & Tuolumne, went home, and stashed his gun and car, and walked to the phonebooth. With no car, he was less likely to be noticed". If indeed this was the case - and taking into account the time it took him to change, check for any transference from the crime scene, stash the gun and ready himself before venturing back to the payphone - this may have left him with about 15 minutes surplus traveling time, to walk back and make the phone call, thereby placing the Zodiac Killer's residence extremely close to the corner of Springs Road and Tuolumne (in distance terms, a one mile radius of the payphone).

In the August 4th 1969 Debut of Zodiac letter, the author wrote "The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car". This seemed to suggest he was still using his vehicle at that point, yet it could have been an employed diversion, so as not to expose the close proximity of his home address - with the apparent over emphasis on the wording "me + my car" used to sell us a story, when he quite simply could have said "When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me".
 
This takes into account the applying of logic to the mind of a serial killer, who may in time be found to have been responsible for 37 murders or more over a five-year period. Therefore, you can possibly disregard everything you have just read as sheer madness. 

Incidentally, Arthur Leigh Allen was living within this one mile radius at 32 Fresno Street during the first two confirmed attacks at Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park. His residence sits approximately 10 minutes north of the Springs Road and Tuolumne Street intersection.