I have just finished reading 'The Hunt for Zodiac: The Inconceivable Double Life of a Notorious Serial Killer' by Zodiac researcher Mike Rodelli. While I don't agree with everything in the book, it is an extremely well researched and informative addition to the Zodiac Killer story, even if you don't arrive at the same conclusions on the murderer's identity. For beginners and seasoned veterans alike, it will not disappoint as a comprehensive introduction to the case, as well as a complimentary addition to any existing knowledge you may already have. While fresh in my mind, I would like to explore one important feature of the book, regarding the topic of DNA, which is currently hanging over the case like a dose of skeptical optimism.. 

Mike tackles this problem in extensive detail, particularly with regards to the viability of the DNA tests conducted by Dr. Cydne Holt in the 2002 ABC Primetime documentary, in addition to his discussions with Alan Keel, Criminalist at the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco, California from 1996 to 1999.

The disputed results of the 2002 'showpiece' are now well documented, however, Mike delves further into the DNA analysis with respect to two later 'Zodiac' letters, namely the 1974 'Exorcist' letter and the subsequent 1978 'I Am Back With You' letter, both mailed after a lengthy silence from the Zodiac Killer - leading some to question their authenticity. 

Mike recalls information of his conversation with Alan Keel: "In contrast (to earlier communications), Keel analyzes two other letters, one of which is the 1978 forgery, and finds that this letter and one of the 1974 letters are loaded with saliva and cells. He then easily extracts DNA from both of these letters using the more primitive DNA technology of that time and finds that the DNA matches between those two letters, thus proving that one person sent both." 

This is a stunning revelation (if correct) when we consider the findings of the San Francisco Police Department laboratory in the 1990s, in which there was a notable absence of saliva/DNA present on the envelopes prior to the 1974 'Exorcist' letter. Would a killer who seemingly didn't lick any of his envelopes or stamps throughout the majority of his letter-writing campaign, now suddenly break that habit in the 1974 and 1978 communications? The SFPD report, shown here, references the April 24th 1978 letter, claiming that the "DNA SAMPLE OBTAINED - NOT AUTHENTIC ZODIAC LETTER".   

This lack of saliva or DNA on the earlier letters may have become more evident, as Dr..Cydne Holt struggled to generate any tangible results from the sealed sections of stamps and envelopes using more advanced forensic DNA testing in 2002, compared to the earlier and more primitive testing undertaken in the 1990s. This apparent dichotomy brings into stark reality the essence of Mike Rodelli's argument.     

The bold statement of "DNA  sample obtained- not authentic Zodiac letter" opens up the proverbial can of worms. On first reading, it gives the impression that they have something to compare it to. How would they know the DNA sample obtained from the 1978 letter was not from Zodiac, if they didn't have Zodiac's DNA? If they had Zodiac's DNA in the 1990's, this wasn't the impression given by the search for Zodiac DNA in the 2002 ABC Primetime documentary.

"DNA  sample obtained- not authentic Zodiac letter" could imply they know the sex of the DNA present on the 1978 letter, and therefore by extension, not the Zodiac Killer (as suggested on many forums). But, it could imply they know the identity of the individual who contributed the DNA to the 1978 letter, and having identified that individual, know they were not the Zodiac Killer. This lack of clarity has led Zodiac researchers to question the transparency of the San Francisco Police Department.     

We know that a partial DNA profile from a letter can exclude suspects, but not definitively identify an individual. Therefore, the apparent (but unconfirmed) revelation of Alan Keel that "DNA matches between" one of the 1974 letters (possibly the 'Exorcist' letter) and 1978 'I Am Back With You' letter, would suggest that full DNA profiles have been obtained for both letters.
​If only a partial DNA profile had been obtained from the 1978 letter (much like the exclusion of suspects) it can only be excluded as matching a profile from the 'Exorcist' letter (if this had a full DNA profile), but not definitively matched to it.
As such, the statement of "DNA matches between those two letters, thus proving that one person sent both", would be indicative of a full DNA profile obtained from both the 1974 and 1978 letters in the 1990s.. 

For those who believe the 'Exorcist' letter to be genuine Zodiac correspondence, then this could imply that a full DNA profile may exist for this letter (or one of the 'lesser' 1974 letters), and consequently the profile of the Zodiac Killer. However, the search for Zodiac's DNA in 2002 negates this premise - unless the San Francisco Police Department knew all along that both the 'Exorcist'/74 letter and 1978 letter were not mailed by the Zodiac Killer. In fact, the Exorcist and April 24th 1978 letters were the only two communications mentioned with regards to the controversy surrounding Inspector David Toschi, who led the investigation for many years. He came under suspicion for forging the 1978 letter, after the San Francisco Chronicle columnist and author, Armistead Maupin, discovered that David Toschi had mailed fictitious fan mail to a series he had written, with the inclusion of the detective.  ​

​Armistead Maupin had first met David Toschi in 1976 while he was writing the 'Tales of the City' series. Wanting to energize the series with a murder mystery element, he contacted San Francisco Chronicle reporter Bob Popp, who then introduced him to David Toschi. The police inspector would make a debut appearance in 'Tales of the City' on September 10th that year, with a character based on his attributes. Further episodes would follow under his real name, as a friend and confidant to Armistead Maupin's fictitious Detective Inspector Henry Tandy. 

Here is an excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle, published on July 14th 1978 "Police officials are investigating the possibility that Inspector David Toschi forged a Zodiac letter in The Chronicle in 1974 as well as a similar letter the newspaper received earlier this year. Toschi - who said he was interrogated officially last Friday about both letters - has denied writing any letters in the guise of Zodiac, the killer of six who eluded capture by Toschi for nearly nine years before the detective was transferred out of the homicide detail last week.
Deputy Clement DeAmicis, who had recommended the transfer to Chief Charles Gain, confirmed yesterday the probe was being extended".  

The fact that Inspector David Toschi was questioned regarding these two communications, only heightens the mystery surrounding Alan Keel's statement of "the DNA matches between those two letters, thus proving that one person sent both" and the San Francisco Police Department's report concerning the 1978 letter, in which it noted that a "DNA  sample was obtained, but indicated it was not an authentic Zodiac letter".

We don't know for certain that Alan Keel is referring to the 'Exorcist' letter when he stated "one of which is the 1978 forgery, and finds that this letter and one of the 1974 letters are loaded with saliva and cells".  However, since the 'Exorcist' letter for the large part has been widely regarded as the last confirmed correspondence mailed by the Zodiac Killer, as opposed to the other 1974 communications,  it would be the logical correspondence to test for Zodiac Killer DNA  when searching for the Bay Area murderer. Testing the other much more questionable 1974 mailings would not make as much sense - which is probably why the San Francisco Police Department report is blank or omitted next to these communications. 

The 'go to' mailing, when testing for Zodiac DNA from the 1974 letters, would undoubtedly be the 'Exorcist' letter rather than its dubious companions. So, if this was the case, and the statement of Alan Keel were true, then the 'Exorcist' mailing would not be an authentic Zodiac correspondence, and as a result, would quite possibly shrink the Zodiac reign by nearly three years.  

Here we will revisit an article published by the San Francisco Examiner on October 22nd 1969, in which Professor D.C.B. Marsh, president of the American Cryptogram Association laid down a challenge to Zodiac. The words he chose to use in this article may be the bedrock to much of the subsequent Zodiac communications, beginning with the 340 cipher, mailed only seventeen days after the San Francisco Examiner article. Here are the crucial extracts from that article.
'Dr Marsh told the Examiner today: "The killer wouldn't dare, as he claimed in letters to the newspapers, to reveal his name in the cipher to established cryptogram experts. He knows, to quote Edgar Allen Poe, that any cipher created by man can be solved by man. Zodiac has not told the truth in his cipher messages to the Examiner, the Chronicle and the Vallejo Times-Herald. Zodiac has not done this, because to tell the complete truth in relation to his name-in cipher code-would lead to his capture. I invite Zodiac to send The American Cryptogram Association a cipher code, which will truly and honestly include his name." It is difficult to believe that Zodiac, an avid reader of the newspapers, could resist such a challenge, particularly as he had promised to reveal his identity in the 408 cipher two months earlier, but failed to do so.  

The key section to note in the challenge by Professor D.C.B. Marsh is: "I invite Zodiac to send The American Cryptogram Association a cipher code, which will truly and honestly include his name."
Seventeen days later, the Zodiac Killer duly obliged with the November 8th 1969 340 cipher. Could this cipher have included the killer's name, but not in the format envisaged by Professor D.C.B. Marsh?
In a previous article entitled 'Zodiac Admitted 340 Not a Real Cipher' we examined the idea that the 340 cipher was inextricably linked to the Zodiac's 'Halloween' card, mailed on October 27th 1970. One can notice that the word "By" is located in each of the four quadrants of the 340 cipher. The author of the cipher also placed the letters F and K adjacent to one another no less than seven times (situated in each quadrant). But of particular interest was the corrected section on the sixth line of the 340 cipher, where the author chose to scrub out a forward facing K and replace it with a backwards K, elevated above the blacked out section.
The Zodiac Killer was known for numerous spelling errors in his communications, so why was it seemingly imperative to correct this one mistake? Was this correction crucial to the interpretation of the cipher, or was he drawing our attention to the letters in this section of the cipher? Are the F and K characters the initials of the Zodiac Killer?
This observation carries little merit on its own, so to bolster any argument for the initials of the Zodiac Killer being present in the 340 cipher, we have to explore the rest of his communications, particularly from around the time of the 'Halloween' card, in which we suggested was his admission that the 340 was unfortunately "no cipher". 
Linking the 'Halloween' card and 340 cipher through a Tim Holt comic book and explaining to us that the solution was "sorry no cipher." left us with the possibility that the 340 cipher was just a collection of puzzles, in which may have contained his name. The Zodiac Killer "wouldn't dare, as he claimed in letters to the newspapers, to reveal his name in the cipher to established cryptogram experts", but he may have given us the abridged version.
We now enter the crucial phase of Zodiac communications, from the '13 Hole' postcard mailed on October 5th 1970, to the 'Exorcist' letter mailed on January 29th 1974. This critical period of four consecutive communications, is probably key to understanding the message the Zodiac Killer was trying to push. That the 340 was "sorry no cipher."      

In the '13 Hole' postcard the Zodiac Killer stated "There are reports city police pig cops are closeing in on me. Fk I'm crackproof. What is the price tag now?"
This section of pasted letters was placed upside down. The question one should be asking is 'what is the purpose behind this'. If its significance had no relevance to the actual postcard, did it have relevance to another communication.
The wording "FK I'm crackproof" could indicate that the killer thought he was immune from capture, however, it could also be a reference to his 340 cipher once again. The word "crackproof" is something that is unable to be cracked.
The 340 cipher would certainly be impervious to cracking, and certainly resistant to the attempts of The American Cryptogram Association had the killer devised a cipher not of conventional understanding, of which Professor D.C.B. Marsh was hoping when he laid down the challenge. The F and K text being flipped on the '13 Hole' postcard reminds one of the flipped K (next to F) on the only corrected portion of the 340 cipher. If FK were the Zodiac Killer's initials, then he certainly could be declaring that he was crackproof. 
​Professor D.C.B. Marsh stated  "He knows, to quote Edgar Allen Poe, that any cipher created by man can be solved by man. Zodiac has not told the truth in his cipher messages to the Examiner, the Chronicle and the Vallejo Times-Herald. Zodiac has not done this, because to tell the complete truth in relation to his name-in cipher code-would lead to his capture." However, the Zodiac Killer could give his name in the form of initials without any fear of revealing his identity, and without risking his immediate capture. This may have manifested itself when he mailed his following cipher on April 20th 1970, when he opened with the gambit "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is...."  The code placed underneath was likely an immediate rebuttal to this question. 

All he is probably doing, is stating "My name is FK," and once again telling us he is crackproof, just like the '13 Hole' postcard, which would be mailed five and a half months later. The phrase "FK I'm crackproof" fits perfectly in circular formation within the '13 Symbol' cipher- which itself contains a series of circled 8's. Structured in this fashion, the F and K yet again align, as does the K and M in both the cipher and phrase. 
Continuing with our four consecutive communications from October 5th 1970 onward, we now have the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card promising to yet again reveal his name: "I feel it in my bones, You ache to know my name, And so I'll clue you in." Again we feel disappointed only to see the word "Boo" on the card inner- but we know the Zodiac Killer isn't going to make this a conventional and straightforward offering. He offers us the phrase "sorry no cipher," but can we find his name or initials within this communication. This is where it gets more difficult, nevertheless, we are aware that within the '13 Hole' postcard he reversed or flipped the text containing "FK I'm crackproof" and he flipped the K (next to the F) on the sixth line of the 340 cipher. So the obvious conclusion, is to look for flipped or reversed text within the 'Halloween' card.  

The only place that F and K exist within one word on the 'Halloween' card, is in the word "knife." either side of the reversed letter N.
If we flipped the reversed N back to its appropriate position, the F and K of "knife" would be reversed yet again.
Now let us turn our attention to the peculiar configuration at the foot of the card inner. It would be extremely satisfying for the 'Halloween' card to read "I feel it in my bones, You ache to know my name, And so I'll clue you in... FK,"- so that is what we will create, by manipulating this card to read whatever we want it to.
The strange symbol, reading it as true as possible, appears like a number 7, followed by four dots and the letter F.
7+4=11=K (followed by F).
Without further ado, we shall move on to the next confirmed Zodiac communication on March 13th 1971, in which the Zodiac stated "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. I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there. The reason I'm writing to the Times is this, They don't bury me on the back pages like some of the others."
You will notice that the Zodiac Killer refers to "crackproof" once again, parroting his October 5th 1970 communication five months earlier. However, he doesn't just state he is crackproof, he reminds us that he has always been telling us he is crackproof, and quite possibly we just haven't got the message.

Roll on the January 29th 1974 'Exorcist' letter, signed "yours truley," nearly three years later, giving us our final installment of FK contained within the array of symbols at the foot of the letter. 
On this occasion he mirrors the sixth line of the 340 cipher by elevating the K above the letter F, and to its left. In fact, five characters from the Exorcist letter can be found in and around the corrected sixth line of the 340 cipher, as shown here in a previous article. This was possibly the fourth consecutive communication inferring an FK link and the suggestion that the author was indeed "crackproof."  
Was this a persistent and deliberate attempt to be true to the challenge laid down by The American Cryptogram Association and Professor D.C.B Marsh, by inserting his name (albeit initials) into the 340 cipher and subsequent communications, or just a case that my mind is F@@Ked after six exhausting years of looking for patterns where none exist.

The Zodiac Killer quoted a portion from one of the three stanzas of The Mikado's Tit-Willow, when he mailed the 'Exorcist' letter on January 29th 1974. This may possibly have been the third correspondence, including the 'Halloween' card, where The Mikado was referenced. The Zodiac Killer began with the 'Little List' letter on July 26th 1970, in which he paraphrased 'As some day it may happen' featuring Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner. In the letter he was effectively quoting the search for future victims as paralleling his agenda throughout the state of California. If we break down the 'Exorcist' letter into its constituent parts, it becomes apparent the correspondence is a further threat towards the citizens of California rather than a declaration of his impending suicide.
If we take a look at the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card and compare it to his confirmed attacks, only one stands out. On September 27th 1969 Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell were relaxing by the shores of Lake Berryessa when a man spotted by Cecelia ducked behind a tree to don an executioner's mask and waistline bib. This theatrical entrance in the form of Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner has long been suggested as an influence on the Zodiac's actions and writings. Here is an extract from the San Francisco Chronicle on October 12th 1970, just 15 days prior to the mailing of the 'Halloween' card:
"It was immediately apparent that Zodiac had plagiarized several stanzas from an aria in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta 'The Mikado'. It is the entrance aria of Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. A quiet search of onetime Ko-Ko's has turned up none that could be Zodiac. Obvious differences in physical description and handwriting comparisons have cleared all Ko-Ko's tracked down since the arrival of the July 27 letters." 

The 'Halloween' card depicted an eye peering from the knothole of a tree, accompanied by the words 'peek-a-boo you are doomed', implying the impending threat of the Zodiac Killer hiding behind the tree at Lake Berryessa and his ultimate arrival bedecked in an executioner's outfit. If you look up the definition of peek-a-boo in Wikipedia, it quotes "Peekaboo (also spelled peek-a-boo) is a form of play primarily played with an infant. To play, one player hides their face, pops back into the view of the other, and says Peekaboo!, sometimes followed by I see you! There are many variations: for example, where trees are involved, "Hiding behind that tree!" is sometimes added." 
However, Peek-A- Boo was also a character in another version of The Mikado at around the same time as the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. "In 1888 Jack the Ripper terrorized the Whitechapel district of London. In the same year of somewhat less significance Ed J. Smith wrote a stage parody called The Capitalist; or, The City of Fort Worth. Designed to encourage capital investment in Fort Worth, Texas, and underwritten by local banks and railroad lines, the two act piece features characters named Yankee-Doo, Kokonut, By-Gum and Peek-A-Boo." Here is an image depicting this reference.     

Peep-bo is the English version of peek-a-boo, and has a curious, albeit likely unintentional connection to the Lake Berryessa murder of Cecelia Shepard, in the nursery rhyme Little Bo-Peep.
​"The earliest record of this rhyme is in a manuscript of around 1805, which contains only the first verse. There are references to a children's game called "bo-peep", from the 16th century, including one in Shakespeare's King Lear (Act I Scene iv), for which "bo-peep" is thought to refer to the children's game of peek-a-boo, but no evidence that the rhyme existed earlier than the 18th century. The additional verses are first recorded in the earliest printed version in a version of Gammer Gurton's Garland or The Nursery Parnassus in 1810". Wikipedia.
Peep-bo was one of the three little maids from The Mikado: "Three little maids from school are we, pert as a school-girl well can be, filled to the brim with girlish glee, three little maids from school." 

Three young girls from Pacific Union College would feature in the Zodiac story of Lake Berryessa that day, when describing a suspicious individual roaming the hillsides surrounding the lake- later providing a sketch of the individual. 
Little Bo-Peep was a shepherdess, so its significance to the name of Cecelia Shepard could not be ignored, although likely accidental. "She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye, and over the hillocks went rambling, and tried what she could, as a shepherdess should, to tack each again to its lambkin"
The Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966 and the subsequent 'Confession' letter held an odd precursor to the events of Lake Berryessa, when it stated "Miss Bates was stupid. She went to the slaughter like a lamb", along with the widely referenced "She squirmed and shook as I choked her, and her lips twitched" connection to the 'Little List' letter.  

​The Zodiac Killer, after mailing his response to the unearthed Riverside connection would then go into hibernation from March 13th 1971 until the arrival of the 'Exorcist' letter nearly three years later on January 29th 1974, leading many to believe the Zodiac Killer was likely incarcerated during this period. 
"Taken from the county jail
By a set of curious chances;
Liberated then on bail,
On my own recognizances;
Wafted by a favouring gale
As one sometimes is in trances,
To a height that few can scale."  Behold the Lord High Executioner Youtube
The Mikado/Act I/Part V
The Lord High Executioner was to return, berating the 1973 film 'The Exorcist,' yet curiously comparing it to the Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical operatic comedy, The Mikado, calling it "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen."  He then signed his name using the verse of Tit-Willow by Ko-Ko: "He plunged himself into the billowy wave and an echo arose from the suicides grave, titwillo, titwillo, titwillo."
The whole letter was effectively announcing the return of the Lord High Executioner after nearly three years. Here is the 'Exorcist' letter broken down into its constituent parts to reveal its likely meaning.
"I saw and think "The Exorcist" was the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen, even better than The Mikado. Signed, yours truley: The Lord High Executioner. If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing- To Kill."
Kevin Robert Brooks came up with possibly the best interpretation of the Japanese/Asian symbols at the foot of the letter, befitting of Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner. The "This is the Zodiac speaking" introduction was apparent by its absence, as well as the Zodiac crosshairs- but the Lord High Executioner was alive and well, and still making threats.  

The 'Exorcist' letter was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974 - to some a form of epitaph to his impending death by suicide. The final paragraph however warned "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing," seemingly contradictory to this notion. The letter opened in mocking fashion, describing the recently released Exorcist film as "the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen." 
Was he constructively criticizing the film, or had its content of exorcism hit closer to home from the point of homosexuality.
On October 18th 1969 Paul Avery ran a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle describing the Zodiac Killer as a 'latent homosexual'. Under the banner Zodiac-Portrait of the Killer  he stated "The killer of five who calls himself 'Zodiac' is a clumsy criminal, a liar and possibly a latent homosexual." This was covered extensively in two articles, Skeleton in the Closet and What a Drag, and we shall explore this possibility further in respect the October 11th 1969 murder of Paul Stine.
This was the late 1960s, a time when the gay community suffered unspeakable prejudice from the police, authorities and a seeping religious intolerance. Christian fundamentalists, cloaked in toxic reverence of themselves, believed incorrectly, by summoning the will of God upon the person with homosexual feelings, that the devil could be driven out of their body and thus cleanse their soul. It therefore wouldn't be a great leap of faith to believe that the Zodiac Killer had utter contempt for this form of religious piety and the practice of exorcism, hence the description of The Exorcist movie as the "the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen." ​This contempt for the police and newspapers may have been well founded, as arrested gay individuals had their names and addresses routinely published in the newspapers as a form of public shaming.​ 

The Zodiac Killer would reference the film Badlands on May 8th 1974 and the Red Phantom movie, also known as El Espectro Rojo on July 8th 1974, which had a showing at the Lyric Theater in Mill Valley at the end of April. The Zodiac Killer certainly appeared to have a penchant for the theatrical, with his references to The Mikado in his correspondence, and his 'grand curtain call' at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. However, did this extravagance for attention spill out into his personal life.
Did these 'attractions' for Zodiac have any bearing on his movements in the hours prior the murder of Paul Stine. 
Taking meter readings from the taxicab at the crime scene and information acquired by Robert Graysmith and Officer Harvey Hines, it was believed the Zodiac entered the taxicab of Paul Stine outside the Westin St Francis Hotel in Union Square. But where had he been in the hours preceding this fateful journey.
The 'Exorcist' letter was without doubt a response to the San Francisco Chronicle article entitled 'Weird Goings on at the Movies,' authored by Paul Avery and published on January 11th 1974, detailing the audience reaction to the recently released Exorcist movie in 1973. The news report was from the Northpoint Theatre, located at 2290 Powell Street, San Francisco. The theater was located 3.4 miles from Washington and Cherry Streets, the intersection where Paul Stine was murdered and only 1.3 miles from Union Square, where the taxicab driver picked up Zodiac.
The Exorcist movie opened its 26 week stint at the Northpoint Theatre on December 26th 1973 and had performances throughout the day. A typical schedule was 1.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm, for films two hours or longer.
The area where Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac Killer was the bustling theater district in San Francisco, so his perceived  leanings to the theatrical in his communications may have played a part in his choice of pick-up point. Had he just exited from an early evening performance? The arrival of the taxicab at the intersection of Washington and Cherry at 9.55 pm indicated a departure time of approximately 9.40 pm from Union Square, conducive to his exit from a nearby theater. The Westin St Francis Hotel may also have been familiar. Union Square borders the Nob Hill and Tenderloin districts, which combines both the LGBT and theater influences under one banner. Jose Sarria, a high profile San Francisco drag performer and gay activist  was arrested at the Westin St Francis public restrooms for solicitation, a location known to be frequented by homosexuals.

Had the Zodiac Killer been somewhere else that evening, rather than a stage performance. Could he have been viewing a movie at the Northpoint Theatre. A two hour film beginning at 7.00 pm and finishing at 9.00 pm, would leave a 25-30 minute walk back to Union Square, possibly with a quick takeaway, to enable the Zodiac Killer to enter Paul Stine's taxicab circa 9.40 pm. But what was playing at the Northpoint Theatre on October 11th 1969.
Midnight Cowboy ran from the 16th July 1969 to 17th December 1969.
The film, starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the first gay-related Best Picture winner. In addition, it was the only X-rated film ever to win Best Picture.
Ironically, the film that preceded Midnight Cowboy was The Great Bank Robbery with writer William Blatty accredited for screenplay. 
Here is a very relevant clip from Midnight Cowboy, where Dustin Hoffman has an altercation with a Yellow taxicab driver. The taxicab incident in Midnight Cowboy was apparently not scripted in the film- but likely Zodiac's impending murder of Paul Stine was conceived beforehand, a predetermined reel of murder for which there was only one end.

The following will not propose a solution to the '13 Symbol' cipher because the limited characters in the code make that simply impossible without a key, and the author of the letter must surely have known that, even if he had limited cipher experience. A search for the solution however, could be an unnecessary quest, as the Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer just five and a half months later. The Zodiac Killer vowed to give us his name in his earlier 408 cipher, only to renege on the promise. The idea therefore, that he would reveal his name in the April 20th 1970 correspondence is equally unlikely. But he may have given us something, useless in of itself from a standpoint of incrimination, on account of its brevity, but something nonetheless. 
The October 5th 1970 '13 Hole' postcard has links to the '13 Symbol' cipher for obvious reasons, but the author of the postcard does paste some unusual text, notably "Fk, I'm crackproof. What is the price tag now ?"   
Is there a correlation to the '13 Symbol' cipher?  Immediately after "Fk, I'm crackproof" the author asks about the price tag on his head. Immediately after the '13 Symbol' code on the April 20th 1970 correspondence the author writes "I am mildly cerous as to how much money you have on my head now."  So what is the likelihood "Fk, I'm crackproof" precedes this question also. It would make sense when the April 20th 1970 communication is read as a whole: "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is FK, I'm crackproof." 
The phrase itself is 14 characters, so would be infinitely circular in configuration, beginning and ending with the letter F, like so. 

The letters K and M line up nicely in the code, nevertheless on its own it is pretty worthless.
Could the killer's initials be FK or KF, on account of the upside-down text on the '13 Hole' postcard, or could the killer simply want us to believe this is the case.
The FK in close proximity occurs seven times on the '340' cipher, but much more significantly, the eye is drawn to the 'mistake' on line six, where the author of the cipher elevates the letter K in reverse, next to the letter F. The author of the '13 Hole' postcard effectively rotates both letters through 180 degrees, again reversing the letter K. 
The 'Exorcist' letter mailed on January 29th 1974 looks somewhat similar to the sixth line of the '340' cipher, in that the strange symbolism at the foot of the letter appears to marry up. It contains what looks like a letter F, and to its elevated left is an upside-down K. But there is much more correlation, in that five of the characters on the 'Exorcist' letter bear a striking resemblance to five of the characters by the FK on the '340' cipher. http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/340-cipher-and-exorcist-link            

The elevated and reversed letter K, is positioned to the left of the letter F in both the '340' sixth line, and the 'Exorcist' letter symbolism. It is again reversed and positioned to the left of the letter F in "Fk, I'm crackproof" on the '13 Hole' postcard.
If the Zodiac Killer lived within a 10 minute walking radius of the Springs and Tuolumne payphone, then by examining land registry records in 1969 for males with FK or KF initials and cross checking their vital statistics, including photographs, would go a long way to deciding whether this is just another pattern, in a rich tapestry of Zodiac imaginings.

​http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/the-fictitious-negro-male    

Here we are in 2016 and there are still huge question marks on which of the Zodiac correspondence are by the killer and which are from hoaxers. We have been told that a partial DNA fingerprint of the killer has been secured from testing various letters, stamps and envelopes. A full DNA profile is much more exact in definitively securing the identification of an actual offender, whereas a partial DNA sample may produce more than one hit on a particular database. This is explained on the 'Council of Responsible Genetics' "In cases I have reviewed over the past few years, evidentiary samples from crime scenes often produce incomplete or partial DNA profiles.  Limited quantities of DNA, degradation of the sample, or the presence of inhibitors (contaminants) can make it impossible to determine the genotype at every locus.  In some instances the test yields no information about the genotype at a particular locus; in some instances one of the two alleles at a locus will "drop out" (become undetectable).  Because partial profiles contain fewer genetic markers (alleles) than complete profiles, they are more likely to match someone by chance.  The probability of a coincidental match is higher for a partial profile than for a full profile.The risk of obtaining a match by coincidence is far higher when authorities search through thousands or millions of profiles looking for a match than when they compare the evidentiary profile to the profile of a single individual who has been identified as a suspect for other reasons." 
As stated, if you have identified a Zodiac suspect through other evidence and the partial DNA then provides a match, the significance of the match is more relevant than just a random match from the general population. A comparison between Zodiac letters, if all contained partial DNA profiles, would therefore be more conclusive if a match was secured, as you have a strong evidentiary reason for doing so.      

Dr Cydne Holt of the San Francisco DNA laboratory tested the Zodiac letters to compare to several Zodiac suspects in this case, including Arthur Leigh Allen, and in doing so these suspects were excluded as the contributors of the DNA recovered from the seal of the envelopes and stamps. It is crucial what she says in this documentary (shown below) and suggests almost without question the DNA profile held by law enforcement is that of the Zodiac Killer, as not only were matches secured between letters, but crucially from one of three envelopes mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald on July 31st 1969,- letters verified as Zodiac correspondence, due to details the author revealed only known to the murderer and police. It is also crucial that the letters were tested using the sealed sections, so as to avoid contamination from the many handlers of the envelopes throughout the intervening years.
Narrator in the documentary "However if Doctor Cydne Holt can find enough genetic material from Zodiac's stamps and letters, she can compare it to a wafer thin slice of brain tissue from Arthur Leigh Allen's autopsy." Dr Cydne Holt "This brain tissue from Arthur Leigh Allen is the reference sample that I would use for the comparison."  Narrator "Dr Holt has already detected the possible presence of Zodiac's DNA in the seal of the envelope that contained the greeting card (Dripping Pen Card and 340 cipher), and just in case that test fails to provide a full DNA profile, she also prepares to look for DNA beneath the stamps on two of these three letters (July 31st letters)." Dr Cydne Holt "Depending on whether those DNA's match each other, might allow me to include or exclude Arthur Leigh Allen as potentially contributing the DNA on the Zodiac letters."
As she states in the last line, she must match between letters to then be sure Zodiac is the contributor of the DNA. Ruling out a suspect to just one letter is meaningless, as that letter could be from the hand of a hoaxer. But by comparing the Dripping Pen Card envelope to the first three letters mailed by the killer, she can then corroborate the DNA as likely from Zodiac, before moving on and comparing it to any potential suspect. A DNA match between envelopes must have been secured, as she followed on to exclude the three subjects in the video. This with near certainty provides a link from the Dripping Pen Card to the July 31st 1969 letters and to the killer. Second Youtube video discussing the DNA here.

On 17th June 1996 a reddish-brown hair was discovered sealed beneath a stamp on the Stine envelope, particularly relevant due to eyewitness recollection in the aftermath of the Paul Stine murder on October 11th 1969, the killer described by the three teenagers overlooking the crime scene as having a reddish-brown crew cut. Unless a very clever Zodiac deliberately planted it there to throw investigators onto the wrong trail, knowing he indeed had used a disguise during the murder.
The hair failed to provide a DNA sample, as the root was missing, but advances over the last 20 years, particularly regarding mitochondrial DNA may yet provide useful information.
Here is a list of envelopes processed for DNA, minus the envelopes from July 31st 1969, as they had been misplaced at the time this list was compiled. It can be noticed that the 1978 'I am back with you' letter has yielded DNA material, but is attributed as not being an authentic Zodiac letter. Since authorities now have Zodiac's partial DNA profile, it is fairly certain that this letter has now been compared and effectively ruled out, laying to rest any debate about its authenticity.
What is apparent; is that although all the preceding material, including the July 31st 1969 letters, contained the evidence of cells, there is an evident departure of any recorded biological material up to 1974 on the Halloween Card, Los Angeles letter, Pines Card, Monticello Card, Citizen Card, Red Phantom letter, and possibly 13 Hole Postcard. Admittedly many of these are postcards, hence may not have been tested or attributed on this list due to the absence of an envelope, but what we are left with, is that subsequent to the 'Little List' letter mailed on July 26th 1970, we have to wait three and a half years to the 'Exorcist' letter on January 29th 1974 for any cells to be found on the envelope again (obviously dismissing the 1978 letter).
It is quite conceivable that the 'Little List' correspondence may have been Zodiac's last, unless he willfully attached himself to the Cheri Jo Bates murder by sending the 'Los Angeles' letter on March 13th 1971.        

One has to question the validity of all the correspondence in 1974 and beyond. The Zodiac Killer was an egotist, who craved attention, yet failed to capitalize on two films released in April and December of 1971, that of 'The Zodiac Killer' and 'Dirty Harry' respectively, but waited nearly three years to comment on a film that had nothing to do with him. Was he already dead or incarcerated.
Seasoned Zodiac researcher Mike Rodelli, featured in the ABC Primetime Investigation, stated on Zodiac Killer Site forum "The DNA on the 1978 letter is supposedly what proves that letter was NOT from Zodiac. Alan Keel, who did the early DNA testing on the SFPD evidence, told both me and LL that DNA matching the 1978 letter was found on one of the 1974 letters. We still can't find out which one, though! They are both considered forgeries. So you have to be careful, IMHO, if you make a case about a suspect that involves evidence from all four of those 1974 letters because one is the odd man out. However, one of the 1974 letters is considered a forgery AND the only letter with cells found on it from that year IS the Exorcist letter! Do I dare? It is blasphemy to suggest that the Exorcist letter is the "second forgery" because of the sacred palm print. Hey, Z never left a palm print on any other letter, so maybe that suggests that he did not write that one, either!" 
If this is true, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then one of the four 1974 letters is a fake. If we take the four correspondences; The 'Exorcist' letter, 'SLA' letter, 'Citizen' card and 'Red Phantom' letter, the most 'genuine' looking material is the 'Exorcist' letter. A hoaxer attempting to make the correspondence look like Zodiac, will attempt to copy known Zodiac letters, as shown by the 1978 letter, so in theory the 'Exorcist' letter could be considered the 'odd man out'.  
Mike Rodelli added "There is *one person* (Dave Toschi) whose name has come up time and again as possibly having forged the 1978 letter, and he suffered for those claims. The presumed goal of a forger sending a letter like the 1978 letter would have possibly been to reinvigorate a dying investigation. After all, Zodiac had not written a letter since either May or July 1974. That is three years and change. When the Exorcist letter arrived, although it was not written like a true "Zodiac" letter with the correct opening phrase, it did have the effect of reviving a dead investigation once it was revealed as a "Zodiac" letter. Zodiac had not written in nearly three years at that point, so the investigation had gone a bit cold.
So the Exorcist letter can at least be construed as having had the same goal as what Keel said is a known forgery in the 1978 letter."
In fact none of the letters in 1974 opened with the line "This is the Zodiac Speaking", none were adorned with the crosshairs symbol, only one featured a running victim total and all were rather tame, truth be told, signed "Yours truly", "a friend", "A citizen" and "the Red Phantom."   The final three letters in 1974 were also postmarked: unknown, Alameda County and San Rafael, along with the 1990 'American Greetings' card which was mailed from Eureka, a marked deviation from the geography of earlier correspondence.
The first letter to arrive, containing any DNA/cells, after the 'Little List' letter on July 26th 1970 was the 'Exorcist' letter on January 29th 1974 and both contained lines paraphrasing 'The Mikado', a satirical comedic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. Strange therefore that the Zodiac should refer to 'The Exorcist' as "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen," albeit introducing 'Tit Willow' into the letter, that this time appears to have little purpose or context. But does this validate the 'Exorcist' letter or does the three year Zodiac hiatus affect its apparent status, as the last confirmed Zodiac correspondence ever mailed by the killer. The fact it was confirmed as the final correspondence likely works in its favor.

THE ZODIAC KILLER'S DNA PART TWO

On Monday October 12th 1970 the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article entitled 'Gilbert and Sullivan Clue to Zodiac.' Just two weeks later the Zodiac Killer would respond, when he mailed the Halloween Card to Paul Avery, a prominent San Francisco Chronicle reporter. This card containing two skeletons, opened with the phrase 'I feel it in my bones, you ache to know my name. And so I'll clue you in..' This on the face of it seems a direct response to the Chronicle article, but what clue was the Zodiac prepared to give us in this card regarding his identity or name. Before we tackle this problem, we shall fast forward to the Exorcist Letter, mailed to the Chronicle on January 29th 1974 and investigate any possible clues within this correspondence. This first part has been covered previously, however, this will be expanded upon as we delve a little deeper.
The Exorcist Letter appeared a curious blend of two productions; The Mikado (1885), a satirical portrait of Victorian England, and the horror classic The Exorcist (1973), ironically labeled "the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen' by the Zodiac Killer. The Exorcist Letter appears a mismatch of genres, an unholy alliance of mixed messages, unless of course it was designed this way to provide us with a hidden clue to his identity or name.   

On the left is an excerpt from the Exorcist Letter. 
After a line such as 'Signed, yours truley,' one would expect the sender to provide us with a name, yet here the Zodiac Killer gives us a line from the Mikado's On a tree by a river, part of Act Two.
Is his name concealed within these lines?
In the article 'The Best Saterical Comidy,' this idea was explored. The name William can be abbreviated to Will, Bill, Billy, Willy, or Willie. It can be seen that these lines contain the names 'Bill and Will' several times. This of course is meaningless on its own, until you wrangle with the unusual alliance of The Exorcist and The Mikado. 
The Exorcist is an American horror film released in 1973, directed by William Friedkin and adapted for screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 book. The Mikado was created by Gilbert and Sullivan, however, one half of the duo was Sir William Schwenck Gilbert, to effectively give us the three William's in the excerpt above, and tempt us with the phrase 'Signed, yours truley, William.'  The inspiration for William Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist (1971) was the real life exorcism of Roland Doe, a 13 year old Maryland boy, in 1949. Father William S. Bowdern, S.J. was central to this exorcism, assisted by Walter Halloran and William Van Roo, a third Jesuit priest, bringing our total to five.
​In the San Francisco Chronicle article 'Gilbert and Sullivan Clue to Zodiac,' Paul Avery wrote 'Sheriff's detective sergeant Kenneth Narlow of Napa County has fruitlessly followed up another 900 tips to Zodiac's identity since September 27th 1969." Did the Zodiac take this line and incorporate it into the Halloween Card, using the pumpkin fruit to effectively reveal his identity, deliberately placing the pumpkin over the groin and then removing it, to expose his identity. The groin becomes fruitless, yet reveals a name. I'm afraid you've guessed it, Willy.
This is highly improbable, although, the Zodiac Killer did present a rather immature element in much of his correspondence. In an attempt to reinforce this identity, we shall proceed. The Halloween Card is obviously a reference to the Western Christian celebration of All Hallows Day on October 31st, hence the use of the spiders web, skeletons and pumpkin within the card. The most notable addition to the card was the pumpkin, so other than its deliberate positioning, has it any further significance to the Zodiac Killer's identity. The pumpkin itself, is carved out on Halloween to create a spooky or ghostly face and lit on the inside to create a menacing glowing effect. This is termed a 'Jack o' lantern' or 'Will o the wisp', an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night.    

The Zodiac Killer placed numerous eyes on the Halloween Card, accompanied by the words 'peek-a-boo you are doomed,' wrapped around the knothole in the tree. This, on the face of it, appeared a veiled threat towards San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery, but was it yet another clue to his identity.   
​'Blind Bat', a member on the Zodiac Killer Site forum displayed an interesting connection to the Halloween Card, involving the 'peek-a-boo' phrase the author added to the greeting card. The picture on the right demonstrates this perfectly with the Zodiac-like letter K and the eyes and eyelashes eerily similar to the depiction on the Halloween Card itself. 
​William V Peekaboo Pennington Senior was a San Francisco private detective, described as a cattle man, private investigator, theater owner, building contractor, oil man and member of the Eastern Star, a freemasonry related order established in 1850 by Rob Morris. He moved to San Francisco in 1924 and performed investigative duties for prominent lawyers and attorneys, including Melvin Belli, who became closely embroiled in the Zodiac Killer case. The Halloween Card provides us with two full, and two abbreviations of William, when we consider the following.

​The Halloween Card is the only time the Zodiac Killer used the letter Z on his correspondence, other than the Cheri Jo Bates letters of 1966, which has still not been definitively linked to the Northern California murderer.
He places the letter Z on the envelope and the inside of the card, but in addition to this, the Zodiac Killer places a Zorro style mask on the skeleton. Is this a further clue. Had the Zodiac spent his formative years in the 1950's, Zorro would have been a high profile television series, made into two Walt Disney films, The Sign of Zorro (1958) and Zorro, the Avenger (1959). The Disney television series ran from 1957 to 1959, and this, along with the two movies starred Guy Williams.     
Revisiting the subject of Melvin Belli, the Zodiac Killer wrote a personal correspondence to the prominent lawyer on December 20th 1969. In this correspondence he stated "I will loose all controol of myself and set the bomb up. Please help me I can not remain in control for much longer." This phrase is remarkably similar to a message scrawled on the wall of a murder victim.
Frances Brown was discovered on December 10th 1945 at her 3941 North Pine Grove apartment, in Edgewater, Chicago. She had multiple knife wounds, in fact a knife was found present in the victims neck, along with a bullet wound to the head. The killer had left a calling card, in the form of a message written in lipstick on the wall. See here.
It said: :For heavens Sake catch me Before I kill more. I cannot control myself. The Zodiac Killer wrote (edited) I will loose all controol of myself. Please help me. I can not remain in control for much longer. 
The killer William Heirens, known as the 'Lipstick Killer', was convicted of the murders of three females over a seven month period. Was the letter mailed to Melvin Belli a plea for help or just another subtle clue to his identity.

Paul Avery extensively covered the Patty Hearst affair, along with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Tim Findley, something the Zodiac was unlikely to miss. The killer mailed the 'SLA Letter' on February 14th 1974, only ten days after the kidnapping of Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army on February 4th 1974. There are two links here, in that Patty Hearst was the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who gained control of the San Francisco Examiner from his father. But more importantly, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) leaders were Donald De Freeze and William Harris. One of its founding members was Willie Wolfe. 
​In the article 'Gilbert and Sullivan Clue to Zodiac', Paul Avery wrote "Zodiac is still at large today. And he is now claiming he has murdered thirteen persons. Homicide detectives who've been hunting Zodiac for nearly two years frankly admit he is as much an enigma now as he was on December 20th 1968, when he chalked up his first two victims."
In chalk-like writing the Zodiac would now be claiming a potential fourteen victims in the Halloween Card, but was it revealing a lot more than initially thought. 
The Little List letter mailed on July 26th 1970 heavily featured two portions of The Mikado. The seventh line of Mikado Act One Part 5a  As some day it may happen reads "All children who are up in dates, and floor you with 'em flat." The Zodiac Killer paraphrases this verse to "All children who are up in dates and implore you with im platt." It could simply be, that he was attempting to write the letter F, and accidentally formed the letter P, but if not.........

The identity of the Zodiac Killer still remains a mystery after nearly five decades of searching, despite numerous suspects being thrust into the limelight, some with more merit than others. This often involves digging deep into the history of the suspect, their profession, acquaintances, social life, personality and movements in and around the Zodiac timeline, to get a better understanding on their viability as a serial killer. But in the following analysis we shall do the complete opposite and examine what the Zodiac Killer didn't do. The only tangible evidence we have to go on, are the crimes themselves and the correspondence he mailed, so we shall use these to search for any anomalies or departures from the expected, bearing in mind that the Zodiac Killer courted attention, with an insatiable appetite for baiting the newspapers for nigh on five years. However, two things stand out during the Zodiac timeline, one of which happened, or should I say didn't happen after the 'Los Angeles' letter mailed on March 13th 1971, that is particularly telling. Or quite possibly after the 'Pines' card mailed on March 22nd 1971, if you are inclined to believe this card to be genuine Zodiac material. The second is something that has been covered before in an article entitled 'Away for the Winter', and concerns the Zodiac Killer's notable absences during three consecutive years. For now though we will concentrate on the March of 1971.  

The Zodiac Killer remained silent for nearly three years until the Exorcist letter surfaced on January 29th 1974, widely regarded as his final correspondence - although a further three communications would be received in the February, May and July of that year. The S.L.A. letter was postmarked February 3rd 1974, the Citizen card was postmarked May 8th 1974 and the Red Phantom letter was postmarked July 8th 1974. Every other correspondence after this year has generally been received with widespread skepticism. Recently, an article on Zodiac Revisited sparked my interest detailing the Zodiac Killer movie released in the April of 1971, just one month after the 'Los Angeles' letter was mailed on March 13th 1971 and six months after the Halloween card mailed and addressed to Paul Avery on October 27th 1970. This article covers many aspects of the movie. Michael Cole, the author of this website and the Zodiac Revisited book due for release in 2019, highlights the involvement of Paul Avery as a consultant to the movie, and is credited as such on the Internet Movie Database.
​
​So, bearing in mind the Zodiac's insatiable ego and penchant for letter writing, one would have expected the Zodiac Killer to have found it extremely difficult to resist contacting the newspapers to give us his review of the movie, considering he had no hesitation in giving us his opinion on The Exorcist and Badlands movies. The Exorcist movie was released in the USA on December 26th 1973 and one month later the Zodiac Killer would give his appraisal of the movie, calling it "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen". The Badlands movie went on general release in the USA on March 24th 1974 and featured in his 'Citizen' card correspondence just over a month later, yet the Zodiac Killer failed to ever mention anything about a movie solely dedicated to his murderous rampage, when 'The Zodiac Killer' was released on April 7th 1971, directed by Tom Hanson. The Zodiac Killer replied to Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz in the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969, replied to Chief Martin Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle on November 9th 1969 and to journalist Paul Avery in a personalized Halloween card, yet in the instance, absolutely nothing. ​Eight months later, the Zodiac Killer would get a reprieve when the much higher profile movie 'Dirty Harry', starring Clint Eastwood, was released on December 23rd 1971 featuring aspects of the Zodiac case - a movie that wouldn't have escaped Zodiac's attention. Here was the perfect opportunity to bathe in his notoriety, but yet again, absolutely nothing. In fact, the Zodiac Killer would apparently keep up this silence for nearly three years until the Exorcist Letter in the January of 1974, commenting on a movie that has nothing to do with him. His moment in the sun had been lost. The Exorcist letter signed off with a threat: "P.S. If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing." I'm afraid he was three years too late.     

The three year hiatus was broken by the confirmed Exorcist letter, mailed on January 29th 1974, indicating he was still alive. So what interrupted his insatiable appetite for communication. It may be likely that he was incarcerated during this period for a lesser offence, curtailing his murderous exploits and communications with the newspapers. An inability to maintain his contact with the world surreptitiously from the confines of a cell, with constant vetting of correspondence, would certainly negate his literary prowess, thereby utterly refuting his exaggerated claim of 37 victims in the Exorcist letter. He may have massively increased his victim total by 20 since the 'Los Angeles' letter nearly three years ago, to give us the impression he was footloose and fancy free during this time period.
 
​One avenue to unearth the identity of the Zodiac Killer is to examine this three year period of 'absentia', which may ultimately prove more fruitful than examining the crimes and letters themselves. If we believe the Zodiac Killer to be a resident of the Bay Area, then it makes perfect sense to examine prison records of the locality and work outward - starting with San Quentin Prison, located in Marin County. The 'Los Angeles' letter was mailed on March 13th 1971 and the 'Exorcist' letter on January 29th 1974, so a prisoner jailed in late March of 1971 or possibly April or May, and released in late 1973 or early 1974, for a time period approximating two and a half years, may just give us the identity of the killer we have yearned. The answer may not lie in the crimes the Zodiac committed, but more in the crimes he didn't commit.

A special thanks to Michael Cole.- Zodiac Revisited.   

The final confirmed letter mailed by the infamous Zodiac Killer to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974, has been commonly referred to as the Exorcist Letter. This sixty one word correspondence appeared to mock the 1973 movie 'The Exorcist', directed by William Friedkin and based on a novel by William Peter Blatty published in 1971, chronicling the demonic possession of a twelve year old girl, Regan MacNeil. William Peter Blatty spent long nights in a secluded Lake Tahoe cabin, crafting images of good and evil, religion, faith and the afterlife, that would eventually go on to make movie history and court its fair share of controversy along the way. 
The letter is short, reminiscent of much of the Zodiac Killer's later contact with authorities, but as well as mentioning the Exorcist movie, the letter, in rather disjointed fashion, breaks into a Mikado recital once again, recalling memories of the Little List Letter mailed three and a half years previously on July 26th 1970. But this time the foreboding 'Tit Willow' seemed contemplatory in this context, possibly marking the end of the Zodiac reign, and to this day, is still often quoted as the murderer's epitaph. The third and final section issued the usual threat of more murders, capped off with Asian style symbols, in the form of a cryptic message. 
Like much of his later correspondence there is little substance here, but we will attempt to delve a little deeper into the Exorcist letter and find any links that may be relevant or otherwise, as to why he wrote the letter in the first place. This is not a theory, just an examination into the reasoning, whereby the Zodiac Killer may have been drawing his inspiration.       

rabbit or hare, apparently gazing up at the wintry scene. One cannot help thinking the Zodiac Killer chose his cards for a reason.
Another interesting connection was noted on viewing the Tom Hanson Zodiac movie from 1971, in that the killer wore a Groucho Marx style nose and glasses in one scene from the movie. View the scene and thread at ZodiacKiller.com.
But this was not the only possible film connection to the Groucho Marx disguise featured on the 1990 Eureka Card.  

But can we connect Groucho Marx to the Exorcist Letter. Not directly, but by association.
The Zodiac Killer described The Exorcist as, "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen". Well this may not be the case, however, the genesis of the movie may well have been born with the help of a comedy genius, that of Groucho Marx.
The Exorcist author William Peter Blatty was a close friend of Groucho Marx, indeed, there was an intention by Marx to dress as the priest Father Lankester Merrin from the movie and appear on the set of the Exorcist film, but due to scheduling matters, the comedic entrance never materialized. But in one episode of the popular 'You Bet Your Life' series, hosted by Groucho Marx, William Peter Blatty was a contestant and walked away with a prize of $10,000. When he was asked what he was going to do with the money, he stated he was to take some time off  to work on a novel. That novel was the acclaimed forerunner to the movie 'The Exorcist'. 

All that is left to do now is examine the strange symbol at the foot of the Exorcist Letter, but we will leave that for another time.

'Today, when I think about all the different types I met in that excuse for a penitentiary, this man remains my most uncomfortable memory'. Striking words from a convicted serial killer, who in 1961 became one of America's most wanted fugitives, appearing on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. That man was Edward Wayne Edwards, and the man he was talking about was Donald Lee Bujok, promulgated as a prime candidate for the murders of five people in Northern California in the late 1960s by Zodiac researcher Kevin Robert Brooks. This extract was taken from an Edward Edwards autobiography entitled 'Metamorphosis of a Criminal', and left you in no doubt that there was more to Donald Lee Bujok than could possibly be imagined.
The penitentiary Edward Edwards was referring to was Old Montana State Prison, approximately three and a half miles west of Deer Lodge. Donald Lee Bujok had spent eleven years at the prison, serving time for the brutal slaying of Deputy Otto Fossen, who was shot five times in the neck and chest in the small town of Joplin, Montana, on October 5th 1957.
Built in 1871, Old Montana State Prison suffered badly with overcrowding, and prisoners daily life mirrored the bleak walls that confined them. The only solace was sought through work related activities and occasional visits to the W.A. Clark Theater, built in 1919 under the governance of Warden Conley. It seated around 600 and hosted a variety of events, that included traveling theater groups, movies, concerts and religious services, providing temporary relief to inmates, who for the most part relied heavily on introspection to wile away the harsh realities that became an everyday occurrence.  
Donald Lee Bujok was no exception to this rule, performing many jobs within the prison, notably a kitchen clerk, upholsterer and garment maker, but in an attempt to escape his reality may have ascended to an altogether different level of existence, driven by a fascination for Egyptian literature and science fiction, apparent in the striking memoirs of Edward Wayne Edwards. Donald Lee Bujok, strangled by the rigors of daily life in prison sought his escape into the non material realm of fantasy, embracing an afterlife, that would eventually be realized a few years later in the very real world of Northern California, one dark December night in 1968.
The shadow of Old Montana Prison became the embodiment of all things evil, when the headlights of the car driven by Donald Lee Bujok flickered across the dark twisting road of Lake Herman on December 20th 1968 and his route to paradise, that he had sought for eleven years, was just moments away, Sadly it came at great cost and the paradise sought by the Zodiac Killer, was the paradise lost by so many, in the the wake of Northern California's most reviled and elusive killer. A chapter that has left its mark for over four decades and one that began in memories recalled within the writings of Edward Wayne Edwards autobiography, Metamorphosis of a Criminal.  
Kevin Robert Brooks has examined in depth the early life of Donald Lee Bujok, that may have seeded the very inception of the Zodiac Killer, through to the numerous letters and cards he mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, along with other associated publications, and believes his search for America's most notorious serial killer may be coming to an end.
One such letter he has analyzed may possibly have marked the final chapter of this story, sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974, that of the 'Exorcist' letter, believed by many to be the Zodiac Killer's final letter and impending epitaph.               

night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend".
In both examples the threat of non publication would result in further consequences. On July 31st 1969 the threat was murder, so why should it be any different here, thereby completing the phrase "PS if I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing. To Kill".
Another striking comparison can be found in authenticated correspondence Donald Lee Bujok mailed to the Billings Gazette in Montana on June 2nd 1974, just over four months after the receipt of this letter. 
It also ridiculed the idea of demonic possession stating "If his work was impressive enough, we could then extend his services to Deer Lodge. Just think of the money we could save by releasing de-possessed people who would no longer require confinement" and "Exorcism? Evil Spirits? Possession? I have a word to describe this so called phenomenon, but I'll use the initials BS, because I don't think the editor would print my expletive."

On October 5th 1970, exactly thirteen years after the murder of Deputy Otto Fossen in 1957, '13 bullet holes' punched through the 13 Hole Postcard arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle with the words "FK I'm Crackproof, What is the price tag now?". But this is another story.   http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/thirteen-holes-in-time
Thanks to Kevin Robert Brooks. 
Below is a sketch created by Kevin Robert Brooks, taken from a photograph of Donald Lee Bujok aged in his late 40's.

Although the last confirmed murder attributed to the Zodiac was the slaying of taxi driver Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, the killer continued his onslaught towards the citizens of Northern California and beyond in the form of threatening and taunting letters, the like of which authorities had never experienced previously, driven by an overwhelming desire to keep the fear factor well and truly alive in the psyche of everyday people.
Driven by the art of humiliation and misdirection he led the investigative bodies on a piece of string, complimented by an inordinate amount of good fortune, to elude capture throughout his manifesto of evil during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Although his correspondence to the newspapers eventually dwindled away, it may be that two of his later letters, despite being shorter by comparison, held the biggest key to unraveling, or at the very least guiding us into the very footprints of a killer.
The Exorcist Letter sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974 was closely followed just five days later by the SLA Letter, postmarked February 3rd 1974 - and both letters seemed to offer very little in the way of clues - that is unless you know where to look.
Kevin Robert Brooks steps into the mind of the Zodiac killer, believing he is slowly drawing his suspect out of the shadows and into the light, as one and the same.
On the face of it, little can be gleaned from these two short messages, that is, until you compare these two letters to others, and place them alongside articles sent by Donald Lee Bujok to the Billings Gazette in the 1970s.
In a previous post it was shown that Donald Lee Bujok had mailed numerous literary observations on various social issues of the day to the newspapers, giving us a tantalizing glimpse into the psyche of what drove him and possibly indicated that the author was luring us into a game of 'cat and mouse', thereby toying with authorities, seeing if they could connect the dots between the Billings Gazette articles and the Zodiac paraphernalia that had streamed from the pen of a killer for virtually half a decade.   

In the Billings Gazette he opened up with the statement "I have been reading and hearing all about the Exorcist in Billings", very similar to his superfluity of words in the Exorcist Letter.
On March 22nd 1974, in another letter to the Billings Gazette, he seemed irked by a Dick Tracy horror strip apparently promoting poor moral values, mirroring the Badlands/Citizen Letter, mailed by the supposed Zodiac on May 8th 1974 just one and a half months later, in which he chastised the running of advertisements for the Badlands movie in similar poor taste, as well as parallels to the attack on columnist Marco Spinelli in the Red Phantom Letter on July 8th 1974.
In another article he moralizes over the issues of hunting and the rights of landowners. 

A rival reporter Jane Plumb, who was also pursuing the story after receiving correspondence from the killer, felt she could arrange a meeting with 'The Ripper' for an exclusive.      
Two pilots were made in 1972 and 1973 based on an unpublished novel, called 'The Night Stalker'.
The series also included 'They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be' released on TV September 27th 1974, 'Firefall' released November 8th 1974,  'Horror in the Heights' released December 20th 1974, 'Legacy of Terror' released February 14th 1975,  and ended with 'The Sentry' after twenty episodes on March 28th 1975, just 11 days after Donald Lee Bujok's most recent correspondence with the Billings Gazette. 
The second interesting piece of the article is contained in only one word. Donald Lee Bujok signed the foot of the letter with the word 'Skoal', which is Danish Old Norse meaning cheers or good health, reminiscent of the SLA letter's unusual footnote, stating 'an old Norse word meaning "Kill". 
On the face of it, these articles to the Billings Gazette appear insignificant, until you bear in mind their close proximity to known Zodiac correspondence and the subject matter involved.
This article is courtesy of Kevin Robert Brooks and this is the 'Montana Connection'.

The following will examine a link between the 'corrected' sixth line of the 340 cipher and the 'Exorcist' letter symbols. The 'Dripping Pen' card and 340 cipher were mailed on November 8th 1969, with the 'Exorcist' letter, widely considered to be the final Zodiac correspondence, mailed just over four years later on January 29th 1974. Is it possible a link could have been generated by the killer over such a period of time.  

The Zodiac Killer mystery retains an unfaltering allure, that has managed to captivate a worldwide audience for more than four decades. When people become entranced with the case, there are many times upon reviewing the postcards, ciphers and wording, that the breath of the killer can almost be felt for a brief moment, when you spot something you think is significant, before it is cruelly snatched away. But it does not stop you trying, in essence to close the book on years of torment for the victims families and friends, which often has unfortunately become lost in the midst of this tragic affair.
Many suspects have been touted as the infamous Zodiac Killer, and most have been effectively eliminated from ongoing scrutiny. However, recently another name has emerged, that of Donald Lee Bujok, promoted from previous obscurity to the forefront of the discussion, by some detailed and extensive research by Zodiac enthusiast Kevin Robert Brooks, who can claim to have felt the breath of a killer more than most.

But can Kevin Robert Brooks convince us that Donald Lee Bujok is the killer. Well that is for you to decide.
As an introduction to this suspect, one must first acquaint themselves with the forerunner to this story, 'Donald Lee Bujok-Zodiac Suspect', which details the thought processes the killer used in the design of the Halloween card.
Bearing in mind the killer is approaching his writings from a rationale different from the norm, the key to cracking his codes, may lie in unconventional thinking, held naturally by very few individuals. 
Kevin Robert Brooks also dissects the Exorcist letter and subsequent S.L.A letter, which he believes are inextricably linked by the word "kill".
It is a widely held belief that the footnote of the Exorcist letter stating  "Me-37 SFPD-0", is a reference to his murder count so far. If we believe that his 'tally' was progressive, who and where are all his victims, and why the three year period of inactivity in correspondence. If the killer was incarcerated during this period, then murder on this magnitude is frankly implausible, if we are to believe the Exorcist letter as genuine Zodiac material.
​However, there is an alternative, in that the killer is revealing his age of 37 years, this time attributing it to Me, and not the Zodiac symbol as in previous writings. 

other schoolchildren, and ultimately becoming socially detached. 
Determined to lay claim to some meaning in life, Donald Lee Bujok joined the army, where in 1954 he was stationed at Fort Ord on Monterey Bay. This posting, according to Kevin Robert Brooks, effectively became pivotal in his later correspondence, manifesting itself  in the construction of The Halloween card and envelope, detailed by Kevin Robert Brooks in a Youtube video and previous article on this site.
But another tantalizing clue lay in something Donald Lee Bujok could have retained from his brief spell at Fort Ord, before his medical discharge - this being the writing paper used at the military base.
This may possibly be the same paper used to author the Zodiac letter, sent to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 31st 1969, described on page 446 of Robert Graysmith's 'Zodiac Unmasked'. That being, it was so thin, that the overleaf became visible, measuring exactly 7 and 1/8 inches by 10 and 1/2 inches, identical to the Fort Ord stationary Donald Lee Bujok would have had access to. But after his early contact to the newspapers, wisely switched materials, in order to protect his identity.
Kevin Robert Brooks, crafted by careful research, is steadfast in his belief that his suspect is the Bay Area murderer, and is now more confident than ever, that the breath of his killer, is the one that condensed in the chill of the Lake Herman Road air on December 20th 1968.