Using the words of Mike Oh from That Chapter, this old story involves a man who isn't the Zodiac Killer, but has probably more going for him than 99% of the suspects ever named. Those old coincidences just keep following this bloke around northern and southern California. He first came to the attention of the newspapers on October 21st 1969 regarding the Zodiac case, when he underwent six hours of questioning in Ukiah, California. Bruce Kenneth Swanson (30) was arrested by California Highway Patrol for speeding along Highway 101 (120 mph) just north of Ukiah, suspected of failing to pay a Ridgewood Motel bill. When his vehicle was searched they found a 14-inch knife, a blooded shirt and pair of shoes, and a woman's handbag. They also noted a resemblance to the infamous Zodiac Killer sketch (presumably from Lake Berryessa). However, after Napa law enforcement had traveled to Ukiah for a sit-down with Bruce Kenneth "Gift of the Gab" Swanson, the police allowed him on his merry way, satisfied with his explanations. Wouldn't you just loved to have been a fly on the wall in that interrogation room - but never mind - it probably went something like this: Bruce: "I was driving along the road like a maniac and hit a deer crossing the road, which I had to drag onto the verge, getting blood all over me. Fortunately, I happened to have a change of clothing with me because I was staying at the motel overnight. I bought the 14-inch kitchen knife and the woman's handbag for a female acquaintance of mine". Police Officer: "Ok, sounds reasonable, on your way lad".   

Bruce Kenneth Swanson grew up in San Bernardino County, was a 1957 graduate of Pacific High School, married his wife Barbara Ann Gaines at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, honeymooned in Santa Barbara and then moved into 1267 Mt. View Avenue, San Bernardino. If this is the correct location. it is 7.5 miles from the Redlands home of Elizabeth Lurene Ernstein (14), who went missing on March 19th 1968, heading back home from Moore Junior High School in Mentone. The home of Bruce Kenneth Swanson was also 11.6 miles from Terracina Drive, the location of Cheri Jo Bates murder. Map.

Tragedy then struck the family of Swanson, with his wife apparently committing suicide and killing their three children. "Mother, 28, Kills 3 Children, Self UPLAND (AP) A 28-year-old woman killed herself and her three small children Saturday by carbon monoxide poisoning, police reported. Officers said Mrs. Barbara Ann Swanson ran a hose from the exhaust pipe of her car into the vehicle and then closed the windows. The children were identified as Eric Edward, 4; Elisa Marie, 3; and Keith Kenneth, 1. Mrs. Swanson's husband, Bruce, 27, earlier had filed a missing person report and was apparently out looking for her the time the deaths occurred, police said." San Bernardino County Sun, December 19th 1966: "The tragedy which destroyed the family of Bruce K. Swanson, 27, occurred after an apparent happy ride in the car by the mother and her children. A service station attendant in La-Verne told Upland police Mrs. Swanson had asked directions to the nearest hamburger stand. The children were dressed in pajamas and bathrobes, the attendant said. In answer to his request that she 'come back soon,' Mrs. Swanson said that she would. But 12 hours later, Mrs. Swanson's husband, worried and tired after an all-night search for his family, walked into a lemon grove adjacent to the yard and found the station wagon".

Much of these details can be found online, but after a bit of brain-storming and endless sleepless nights, I have managed to make potential Zodiac communications and murders follow this man around like a proverbial shadow, turning him into one of those "good old Zodiac suspects" who never was - and will never be the Bay Area murderer in a million years. Off went Bruce Kenneth Swanson from southern California to northern California sometime in the late 1960s, just in time for the Zodiac murders and communications to begin, and nestled himself in Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, Despite the fact he wasn't the Zodiac Killer or a murderer, coincidence would seemingly follow him around.

On December 1st 1969 Elaine Davis (17), a Pleasant Hill High School senior disappeared from her 158 Pioneer Avenue home in Walnut Creek, believed to have been forcibly removed from the residence by one or more assailants, while in the presence of her three-year-old sister, Heidi. Her glasses and her purse containing four dollars were still in the home. Her parents described Elaine as shy, with no boyfriend or relationship problems at the time of her disappearance. Her mother had driven to nearby Concord at 10:30 pm to pick up her husband from work and was out of the residence for just 45 minutes - and it is during this period of time that Elaine Davis vanished.

On December 19th 1969 the body of a young woman (in 2000, eventually identified as Elaine Davis after an exhumation) was discovered floating off Light House Point near Santa Cruz, CA. The body was decomposed with extensive damage, described as a partial torso with arm-bones and parts of the legs. Santa Cruz's deputy county coroner, Luther Young stated "We'll work on this case until we run out of leads, but right now we have nothing that would indicate any identification. I wouldn't venture to say the body is that of Elaine Davis. We have never ruled on that possibility and we have never ruled it out".

On Wednesday December 10th 1969 Leona Roberts left her job at the White Front Discount Store in Pleasant Hill (560 Contra Costa Boulevard) at approximately 5:00 pm for the eleven mile journey to her friend's apartment (Greg V. Valo) at 749 Tormey Avenue, Rodeo. This location is only 8 miles from the Lake Herman Road murder site. At about 5:50 pm a neighbor, Susan Clark, heard the sound of a girl screaming, followed by somebody running from the rear of the apartment. A suspicious male was observed many times between the front door and a blue station wagon, before he eventually drove away. The man was described as 25 years old, 5'8", short blond hair and wearing brown trousers and a jacket. A while later her boyfriend arrived home to find a disturbance inside the apartment, scuff marks near the back door and her red Volkswagen parked outside. 

Here is an excerpt from Websleuths by Steph54 "On 28 December 1969, a man searching for driftwood on the beach at Bolinas Lagoon in Marin County found the nude body of Leona Roberts. It was later determined that a unique wristwatch was missing from the girl's wrist, but a Napa High School class ring given to her by a neighbor still remained on her finger. The tan dress she wore when last seen, along with two pairs of bell-bottomed pants, a blouse, a black purse and wallet, a key chain with car and house keys were also reported missing. There were marks on the wrists and ankles indicative of binding, but the coroner was unsure whether they occurred before or after death. The cause of death was reported as "due to viral infection of an unidentified species." It was also reported that there was "evidence of choking which could probably be linked to the virus". link.

Cosette Ellison (15) disappeared from her 423 Canyon Road, Moraga residence (near Walnut Creek) on Tuesday March 3rd 1970, believed to have been forcibly taken from outside her home after getting off the school bus from Campolinda High School. She was dropped off by bus driver, Eugene Yee, at 3:20 pm, who saw her cross the road and remove some letters from the mailbox before heading along the driveway. The bus driver noticed a man sitting in a truck near the residence. On his return journey 10 minutes later, the truck had edged closer to the driveway of the Ellison household but the occupant was no longer inside. Thirty minutes later, at approximately 4:00 pm, Mr and Mrs Richard Ellison returned to an empty house. Cosette's school books were not in their usual place and no mail had been brought into the house, suggesting something untoward had happened close to the time Eugene Yee passed the Ellison residence. On January 1st 1971, nearly a year after the disappearance of Cosette Ellison, her body was found in a ravine of the Mount Diablo foothills. The residences of 423 Canyon Road and North Gate Road are extremely rural and spread, with a reduced chance of being overseen in the commission of an abduction. This may have been a consideration for the perpetrator, who likely followed school buses to a more remote setting. The risky nature of forcibly removing somebody from outside their residence necessitates a lack of eyewitnesses.

Patricia King (20) was murdered while attending Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill on March 5th 1970. The college layout has altered over the last 48 years, but we can pinpoint the key locations based on the wording in the newspapers. Patricia King of 2200 Lisa Lane, Pleasant Hill had attended Diablo Valley College for her gym class at 7:00 pm on Thursday evening. Her classmates informed investigators that Patricia usually only stayed for the first hour of her gym class, which is what transpired that evening, when the young woman left the building at approximately 7:50 pm. Her boyfriend was expecting her back at her home and became concerned when she didn't return by 8:15 pm.

Patricia King's body was found by a workman, Ernest Ellington, at 7:20 am the following morning in the DVC Vikings football stadium. She was wearing a black blouse and three-quarter length coat and had been strangled with her own gym tights. The newspaper reports stated "A purse (handbag) with her identification was found on the front seat of her car, in a lot adjacent to the stadium. A pair of leather sandals were on the floorboard. Her car keys were found on the Pleasant Hill campus parking lot Friday afternoon". Detective Sergeant Sam Ginsburg said "it was impossible to tell at this time if the girl knew her slayer. There was no reason for her to go into the stadium area coming to or from the parking lot to the class".

I have placed the relevant locations of these young girls in respect to Pleasant Hill in the Google map above.

Returning back to the Vallejo News Chronicle article reporting on Swanson being quizzed for six hours the morning of October 21st 1969, it stated "He had been arrested by the California Highway Patrol Monday (20th) on US 101 north of Ukiah", obviously with "squealling tires and raceing engine" so as to attract everybody to his car in Mendocino County. The following morning, after his release by Ukiah law enforcement, somebody was driving on Lake Mendocino Drive at 3:00 pm that same day (October 21st 1969) just north of Ukiah and threw a note attached to a twig at an eight-year-old girl. The crudely printed note read "You're Next - Z". A few minutes later, a man asked another eight-year-old girl in Bargain Lane what color panties she was wearing. There had also been a spate of "Zodiac sightings" in nearby Anderson Valley.   

The San Francisco Chronicle ran an article on November 8th 1969, stating "The string of sadistic calls began on October 23rd 1969 (the day after the Jim Dunbar Show call). On one occasion, the caller told Williams he had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but had left when he found police there. Another time, the teacher said the caller, whose voice he described as muffled as if speaking through a handkerchief, said he was going to "kill the lady in the blue house". These calls began two days after the Ukiah incidents. 

Daniel Williams (24), a teacher at Salesian High School in Richmond, told police the caller talked of how he intended to kill several persons, then last; Sunday said: “You’re the dead duck.” Williams went out and when he returned home found someone had pried open the screen on a back door. However, a police search showed nothing was missing. But after the officers left and Williams took a drink from a bottle of opened soft drink in his refrigerator, he found it tasted “metallic” and immediately spat it out. Police reported Friday that the bottle contained more than enough arsenic to kill a human being. Williams said the caller identified himself as the still sought Zodiac Killer of five, but police discounted the idea. The caller would “sob and complain of headaches". Williams said, and on one occasion said he had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but left when he found police there. Williams said the caller told him: “I’m too smart for them".

If the caller had told Daniel Williams that "he had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims", then he didn't have far to travel if he lived in Pleasant Hill. The city of  Martinez is only 6 miles to the north, with the residence of Daniel Williams at 1234 Bush Street a mere 5 miles away.

Approximately eleven months later, a pasted card, mimicking the 13-Hole Postcard was mailed to the home address of Dr. Edward C. Adams at 102 Camino Don Miguel, Orinda, California, postmarked October 17th 1970 from Berkeley. Edward C. Adams was a psychiatrist. The card read "Mon Oct 12, 1970. Edward Adams. The Zodiac is going to change the way of committing murders. I shall announce when I shall commit my murders, The Adamses are Next. you taught me to mean it. ADAMS YOU ARE NEXT. Zodiac". The home address of Dr. Edward C. Adams is 8 miles from Pleasant Hill.

Seven-and-a-half months later, on June 1st 1971, a woman from South Dora Road, Ukiah complained she had received a series of threatening phone calls from an adult male, one of which stated "This is Zodiac - you're next". Her residence at South Dora Road is only 4 miles from where the threatening note of "You're Next - Z" was thrown to the eight-year-old girl walking on Lake Mendocino Drive. One man is relevant to all these locations, particularly on October 21st 1969. The city of Ukiah is 115 miles from San Francisco, yet here we have two reports of similar threats with extremely similar phraseology, separated by over a year-and-a-half, when the peak of Zodiac activity had subsided.

We have taken Bruce Kenneth Swanson from the Riverside area and the murder of Cheri Jo Bates and Elizabeth Ernstein in 1966 and 1968, through the sad demise of his wife and children, into the heart of northern California and the Pleasant Hill connected murders of Elaine Davis (12/01/69), Leona Roberts (12/10/69), Cosette Ellison (03/03/70) and Patricia King (03/05/70). We have shown the Ukiah connection through two threatening messages of "You're Next - Z" and "This is Zodiac - you're next", to the ominous communication and phone call to Dr. Edward C. Adams in Orinda and Daniel Williams in Martinez. However, Bruce Kenneth Swanson is not the Zodiac Killer, or likely the murderer of any of these young women. This presentation was put together to show how easy it is to create a series of events to paint a picture of perceived involvement in murder. The reason today we have hundreds of suspects in the Zodiac case, many of which are staunchly presented as the Zodiac Killer, is perfect testimony to the frailty of techniques such as this. If these coincidence building techniques were reliable in identifying the Zodiac Killer, everybody would have reached the same conclusion as to who the Bay Area murderer was. The fact we have hundreds of Zodiac Killer's today, is evidence that this approach to case building is wholly flawed. Of course, it goes without saying, that everybody has a better case for their suspect than the one I have presented here.  

Susan Marie Lynch (22) was discovered murdered on July 31st 1971, found buried alive in sand by "bottle hunters" near East Levee Road, one-half mile north of Del Paso Road and 0.6 miles southwest of the dump site of Carol Beth Hilburn. Carol (22) was last seen at Lloyd Hickey’s Forty Grand Club at 1819 Del Paso Boulevard in Sacramento and found later that day on Saturday, November 14th 1970, battered and naked only 30 feet south of West Ascot Avenue and West 4th Street near Rio Linda.

Betty Cloer (21) almost certainly crossed paths with her killer (Phillip Arthur Thompson) on Madison Avenue, Sacramento on June 18, 1971. She was found beaten and shot in Cameron Park, El Dorado County on June 19th 1971. Judith Hakari (23) was abducted from the Markston Apartments on March 7th 1970, discovered beaten and raped in a shallow grave on April 25th 1970 alongside Ponderosa Way, near Weimar. 

Nancy Darlene Feusi (23), a separated mother of five, was discovered by a fisherman at 6:30 am on July 22nd 1973 alongside Pleasant Grove Road and Steelhead Creek, approximately half a mile north of West Riego Road in Sutter County. Dressed in a miniskirt and bikini-style briefs, with a blouse discovered nearby, she had been brutally stabbed 29 times in the stomach, chest and arm in what appeared a sexually driven crime. Earlier that morning she had been dancing at Plumbers Hall, 5841 Newman Court in East Sacramento, with her last sighting alive at 43rd Street and 11th Avenue, about 2 miles southwest of Plumbers Hall. This sighting was only 3 1/2 hours prior to her body being discovered alongside Pleasant Grove Road, 15 miles north. Denise Kathleen Anderson (22) disappeared on April 13th 1971, having been last seen by one of her roommates at 5:30 am at their residence located on 925 16th Street in Sacramento. An extraordinary number of shocking crimes in such a small area - and this is just a snapshot. 

The bodies of Susan Marie Lynch and Carol Beth Hilburn were discovered on East Levee Road and West Ascot Avenue respectively, which both flanked the Dry Creek and 265 acre Hansen Ranch Park Site, often used by fishermen. The two roads pass within 230 meters of one another. Nancy Darlene Feusi's body was dumped 6 miles north of  West Ascot Avenue (where Carol Beth Hilburn was found). The bodies of Susan Marie Lynch and Nancy Darlene Feusi were both discovered next to Steelhead Creek.

It was thought that Susan Marie Lynch may have been unconscious before she was buried, leaving the possibility that she was transported to this location and buried (believing she was already dead). It is clear that Carol Beth Hilburn was not murdered where she was found, with a reasonable conclusion to be had, that both young women were transported to these locations by vehicle and dragged to where they were ultimately found. Susan Marie Lynch was found clothed in only a blouse, pulled up towards her neck, with one tennis shoe on her left foot. Carol Beth Hilburn was found naked with only one suede boot on her feet. It is fairly obvious from the state of undress of both women that a sexual component was the driving force behind both these crimes. The proximity of both dump sites, alongside roads separated by no more than 230 meters, could indicate that this area around the Hansen Park Ranch Site including Steelhead Creek and Dry Creek, was an area familiar to the perpetrator or perpetrators in each crime. But were they responsible for both or all these murders?

I would like to thank Shawn (a regular contributor to this site) for drawing my attention to this crime and providing the newspaper cutting.

Solve Crimes with Rick & Gavin is a new Youtube channel, website, True Crime podcast series and forum where you can get involved and help to find a resolution to the many unsolved murders and disappearances that have haunted so many people for far too long. In the words of Rick & Gavin "help us solve the mystery and provide the victim, the victim's family, community and law enforcement with justice and peace of mind".

They invite you to join their burgeoning venture by joining the forum, providing new information or tips, suggesting possible new cold cases for them to investigate and even the option of confessing to a crime (and hopefully remove all the murderers and criminals that visit my site). To date they have currently produced six extremely well-researched Youtube videos on the murder of Judith Hakari (4), the disappearance of Denise Anderson and an additional video entitled "Killer Wine" (I will leave you to work that one out). They welcome everybody with a keen interest in solving cold cases to cooperatively make this venture an ongoing success, which judging by the first few videos, I have no doubt it will be. To view each video shown below, click the images. 

Rick Tracewell and Gavin Fish present an introductory first episode regarding the abduction and murder of Judith Ann Hakari (23) on March 7th 1970 outside the Markston Apartments in Sacramento. This video presentation will include a mixture of crime scene imagery, newspaper cuttings, and a back and forth discussion between Rick and Gavin. They will also touch on the Nancy Bennallack, Carol Beth Hilburn and Donna Lass crimes, to be expanded upon in further episodes.   

The second episode explores in much more detail the abduction of Judith Hakari, along with the devastating impact this crime had on the family and community. The episode concentrates mainly on the crime scene outside of the Markston Apartments and the condition her vehicle was found by her boyfriend, Raymond Willis (24), at approximately 1:45 am. There would be no happy ending seven weeks later. As Gavin stated "The Placer County Sheriff's Offce were very swift to go and notify the Hakari's - and that is when the first chapter of their nightmare ended".

The third episode takes you on a journey between the two crime scenes and apartments of Judith Hakari and Nancy Bennallack. This young woman was brutally stabbed in the Tahitian Apartment complex on October 25th 1970, located just 830 feet from the Markston Apartments. No solid link has ever been forged between the two murders, but their close proximity within eight months of each other has led to much speculation of a single perpetrator. Offender DNA has been secured in the case of Nancy Bennallack.

The fourth episode explores the discovery of Judith Hakari's shallow grave alongside Ponderosa Way in Weimar and its implications regarding the possible perpetrator or perpetrators of the savage and brutal murder of the young nurse. Rick & Gavin detail the items found at the crime scene and an eyewitness to three men acting suspiciously in the area prior to the discovery of her body. Judith Hakari went missing on March 7th 1970, with her body discovered by two hikers on April 25th 1970. Episode five.

The sixth episode covers the rarely covered case of Denise Kathleen Anderson (22), who was last seen in her 925 16th Street apartment in Sacramento on April 13th 1971. Information on this crime is so lacking and threadbare, they have done an excellent job in airing this crime for 29 minutes. I say crime, because the body of Denise Anderson has never been found, but everything points to her abduction at or in close proximity to her residence. If you knew Denise Anderson, or have any information on her life and disappearance, please contact Rick & Gavin via the website link posted above.   

Denise Kathleen Anderson (22) disappeared on April 13th 1971, having been last seen by one of her roommates at 5:30 am at their residence located on 925 16th Street in Sacramento. One of the women who shared with Denise borrowed her car that fateful day, returning at 2:30 pm to find the residence empty. From that day forward Denise Anderson has never been seen or heard from again. It was reported in the Sacramento Bee newspaper that she had left behind all her personal belongings and her bank account remained dormant. She was an employee of the Wells Fargo Bank in Sacramento, but failed to appear on July 13th 1971.

Denise was also an avid performer in the Centerplayers theater group, which she also failed to attend for rehearsals that day. The group had recently performed in the Crossroads Shopping Center at 35th Avenue and Freeport Boulevard. 

In light of recent articles concerning the murders of Judith Hakari, Carol Beth Hilburn and Betty Cloer, the disappearance of Denise Anderson at or in the proximity of her residence at 925 16th Street, is rather pertinent. Her residence was only 1.28 miles from the home of convicted murderer, Phillip Arthur Thompson (2526 V Street}, and only 1.19 miles from Alhambra Boulevard where he worked with partner Mark Masterson. Betty Cloer was raped and murdered by Phillip Arthur Thompson on June 19th 1971, just two months after the disappearance of Denise Anderson.

Assuming she left her residence early that morning for work, it may be extremely useful to find out which branch of the Wells Fargo Bank she worked - and headed toward (on foot) that day. There is a branch of Wells Fargo at 1831 S Street in Midtown about 1km from the 2526 V Street residence of Thompson, but without knowing whether it was on that site in 1971 leaves only speculation. This journey would have certainly taken her into the hot zone of Thompson. The United States District Court transcripts stated that "Petitioner and a partner, Mark Masterson, operated a used car sales and service company located on Alhambra Boulevard", thereby providing a secure and private location out of business hours, distinct and separate from his home residence.

Under Distinguishing Characteristics on The Charley Project it details Denise Anderson as a Caucasian female with brown hair, brown eyes, 5'2" to 5'4" inches in height and 120lbs. Although her hair was long at the time of her disappearance, Anderson has been known to wear a wig which would give her a short hairstyle. This item was missing from her apartment after she disappeared.

Tying the disappearance of Denise Anderson to the murders of Betty Cloer, Carol Beth Hilburn and Judith Hakari is much more difficult without knowing exactly her fate and any injuries she may have sustained. If her body had been discovered shortly after her disappearance and exhibited the excessive trauma to the head and face as evident in the other three cases, then the location of her residence and her bank would certainly be much more significant with respect to the home and business addresses of Phillip Arthur Thompson. But one thing is for sure. The bodies of Betty Cloer, Carol Beth Hilburn and Judith Hakari were all found north or north easterly to their last known positions. The killer in each case sought to dispose of his victim in a rural setting - with all the dump sites north or north easterly from the residence and workplace of Thompson. 

The map above shows the pertinent addresses regarding the murders of Betty Cloer, Carol Beth Hilburn and Judith Hakari. At approximately 1:00 am on June 19th 1971, Betty Cloer left the club and traveled to the Texaco gas station on Madison Avenue (probably 4300 Madison Avenue). where they first encountered Phillip Arthur Thompson, who apparently trailed them to her apartment (located somewhere in North Sacramento). We can get an approximate position of the apartment because it was 6.5 miles north from the V Street residence of Thompson and Saylor. It was 5.5 miles from Thompson's used car sales and service company at Alhambra Boulevard. Thompson's home address and business were just 2 miles and 1.5 miles respectively, from the Sutter Memorial Hospital at F Street between 51st and 53rd Streets. If Thompson trailed Betty Cloer from a dance club around 1:00 am, is it possible he trailed Judith Hakari on March 7th 1970 from Sutter Memorial Hospital to the Markston Apartments? Did he also set his sights on Carol Beth Hilburn (22) as she exited Lloyd Hickey’s Forty Grand Club at 1819 Del Paso Boulevard at approximately 5:00 am on Saturday, November 14th 1970. The close proximity of all these locations could suggest a hunting ground extremely close to his residence on the northern and eastern side of downtown Sacramento.

Betty Cloer's body was discovered lying in Cameron Park, El Dorado County on June 19th 1971, located just 10 miles west of Placerville. Despite being shot in the head, chest and arm, Phillip Arthur Thompson felt the need (probably before) to inflict crushing blows to her head and face, leaving her unrecognizable. These same destructive blows to the face and head were evident in the murders of Judith Hakari and Carol Beth Hilburn. Investigators described the condition of Judith Hakari as "one of the most godawful assaults ever investigated", with her nose smashed to a pulp, several teeth knocked out, and her jaw broken in at least two places. Coroners in the murder of Carol Beth Hilburn stated that she "was so badly beaten that she was unrecognizable, suffering several skull and facial fractures, and her throat was cut". In all of the murders, the perpetrator went far beyond what was necessary to kill each woman - seemingly gaining pleasure in destroying the identity of Cloer, Hilburn and Hakari. All women were found in a state of near full or partial disrobing, with sexual degradation the overriding feature of each crime. The bodies of Betty Cloer and Judith Hakari were discovered in remote wilderness either side of Auburn, California, with just 24 miles (as the crow flies) separating each dump site. Both Hakari and Cloer were taken from their apartments (located just a few miles apart) and found 38 miles and 28 miles respectively, to the east of Sacramento - almost equidistant between South Lake Tahoe and Sacramento.         

In the case of Phillip Arthur Thompson, the prosecution presented evidence regarding two prior incidents in which petitioner had sexually assaulted young women, the first involving Sharon S. on December 2, 1970, and the second involving Melinda M. on March 9, 1972. Sharon S. and Melinda M. were both, like Cloer, young white females who appear to have been chosen by random encounter. Both Sharon S. and Melinda M. alleged that they had agreed to go somewhere with petitioner and another man, then were taken by car to a different location where they could be rendered helpless. Petitioner physically assaulted both women, and threated to kill them. He put a gun to Melissa M.’s head. Petitioner had sexual intercourse with both women. Petitioner and Mark Masterson (who operated the car sales and service company with Thompson) were tried for the Sharon S. assault in 1971.

Testimony from the preliminary hearing in that case, including the victim’s testimony, was read into the record of the instant case. The jury also heard live witness testimony regarding the Sharon S.case. Mark Masterson testified that he and petitioner had both raped Sharon S. and that petitioner had persuaded another employee, John Mays, to falsely testify at the 1971 trial that both men had been with him at the auto shop on the night of the rape. Petitioner and Masterson were both acquitted in the Sharon S. case. Petitioner had been charged in the Melinda M. matter and eventually entered a negotiated plea to assault, with the sex offense charges being dropped. Melinda M. testified at petitioner’s trial that he had raped her in 1972 after he and James Allen picked her up when she was hitchhiking.

This seems extremely pertinent information when we have the testimony of a landowner on Ponderosa Way, who described three men at the gravesite where Judith Hakari would ultimately be found, acting suspiciously. He described the trunk of their vehicle open while digging into the earth. When he approached they closed the trunk and stated they were looking for bottles. A vehicle description could be extremely important with respect to vehicles owned by each of the men in the above case.

Donna Ann Lass (25) disappeared from Stateline, Nevada on September 6th 1970, having finished her shift that day at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, (now the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino). where she was employed as a nurse. A few months earlier in June she had moved to South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, where she had previously worked as a nurse at the Letterman General Hospital in the Presidio, near the Paul Stine murder scene. She was scheduled to work her night shift at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am, but was logged out at 1:45 am that morning for the last time. She is considered murdered, but her remains have never been discovered.

The similarity between the Donna Lass and Judith Hakari cases, are the fact that both women had just finished their respective shifts as a nurse, either side of midnight and separated by just six months. One hopes that Donna Lass didn't receive the barbaric beatings suffered by Cloer, Hilburn and Hakari - but bearing in mind the above United States District Court transcript - it was mentioned that "Cloer told Ford she was going to Lake Tahoe and needed a coat". It is clear that Phillip Arthur Thompson was heading in that direction from Sacramento, but whether they reached South Lake Tahoe and Betty Cloer was murdered on the return journey is unclear. Whatever the case, Phillip Arthur Thompson must have mentioned Lake Tahoe to Betty Cloer - being somewhere he was undoubtedly familiar with. The question that has to be asked is, was he present near the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino on September 6th 1970, with the lifeless body of Donna Lass to be found somewhere near Auburn, California? I sincerely hope this is not the case.

According to Dr. Doogie on the Zodiac Killer message board, Phillip Arthur Thompson and his wife first lived in Kings Beach, CA (on Lake Tahoe) after June 1968, but quickly moved to various locations in the Bay Area and on to Sacramento. Kings Beach sits next to Incline Village, the area featured on the infamous Pines card of March 22nd 1971, purportedly mailed by the Zodiac Killer.

Under an FBI file marked "Zodiac Extortion", there was a "request to compare writing on demand note submitted previously in the case (redacted) Wells Fargo Bank, Sutter Street Office, San Francisco, California, 12/3/68; BR" with the specimens in captioned case". The FBI were comparing the handwriting on a bank robbery note with submitted handwriting from an individual or individuals. The bank robbery note (demand note) shown below, is the handwriting of such an individual. Regardless of this fact, the original bank robbery note read "This is Bank Rhobery IF you don't do as I say I will shot. Zodiac".  It isn't certain that the "Zodiac" element is part of the bank robbery note, but this threatening communication was considered relevant enough to be placed in the Zodiac FBI files under "Zodiac Extortion". The demand note also carried the date of December 3rd 1968, seventeen days before the Zodiac's first murders on Lake Herman Road.

The FBI files continued with "It was not determined whether the specimens in captioned case were prepared by the writer of the Q1 demand note in the case (redacted) Wells Fargo Bank, Sutter Street Office, San Francisco, California, 12/3/68; BR" because of distortion in the Q1 demand note and a lack of comparable material". Was a fledgling Zodiac hovering around San Francisco in the December of 1968? The Wells Fargo Bank in Sutter Street is a two minute walk from Union Square, where the Zodiac Killer likely entered the taxicab of murder victim, Paul Stine.

The story became a little more quirky when I read a post on the Zodiac Killer message board by BugsMoran regarding an outlaw called Black Bart, one of the most notorious stagecoach robbers in Northern California. BugsMoran wrote "Like the Zodiac, Black Bart would also send the police taunting letters (usually lousy poems about his capers). At times he even handed his victims these letters. It took years for the Pinkerton Detective Agencty to crack the case. I think his last robbery was foiled - and in his flight - he left behind a hankerchef with a laundry marking on it. The police had to go to every Chinese laundry in San Francisco before they were able to trace the hankerchef to Bart. Being from San Francisco the Zodiac would have known of the as local bandit". 

Black Bart (Charles Earl Boles) adopted the nickname "Black Bart" and proceeded to rob Wells Fargo stagecoaches at least 28 times across northern California between 1875 and 1883, Boles was invariably polite and used no foul language, despite its appearance in his poems. He dressed in a long linen duster coat and a bowler hat, using a flour sack with holes cut for his eyes as a mask. He brandished a shotgun, but never used it. These features became his trademarks. The idea of a robber, handing out poetic notes in northern California, wearing a head sack with eyeholes, sort of rang a bell for some reason. Especially with the Wells Fargo connection. 

Black Bart is a 1948 American western film directed by George Sherman and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea as the real-life cowboy bandit Charles Boles, and Jeffrey Lynn. It was distributed by Universal-International and produced by Leonard Goldstein. It was shot in Technicolor and was also known as Black Bart, Highwayman. The film was written by Luci Ward, Jack Natteford, and William Bowers and was released on March 3, 1948.

The results of the handwriting comparison were inconclusive "because of distortion in the Q1 demand note and a lack of comparable material". Despite the handwriting submitted being unable to be matched to the demand note because of "lack of material", it appears that this 15-worded note was enough to place it in the Zodiac files under "Zodiac Extortion". Was this because the author of the bank robbery note used the word "Zodiac" and/or investigators noticed a similarity of handwriting in the original note? The notion of a threatening bank robbery note containing the pseudonym Zodiac, seven months in advance of the Debut of Zodiac letter, in which the Bay Area killer introduced himself for the first time, is puzzling to say the least. The FBI report stated "It is noted that the Q1 demand note mentioned in the attached Laboratory report was submitted by San Francisco with an airtel dated 6/27/69". June 27th 1969 was still one week before the Blue Rock Springs attack on July 4th 1969, and just over a month before the Debut of Zodiac letter. Why would this threatening note be considered Zodiac material before the Zodiac pseudonym ever emerged in the San Francisco Examiner offices? I find it unusual that such a brief robbery note could be considered to have been penned by the Zodiac Killer without a signature underwriting the note itself.

Inspired by the savage knife murders of Kathy Snoozy (15) and Deborah Furlong (14) on August 3rd 1969, the Zodiac Killer drove away from the shores of Lake Berryessa to the corner of Clinton and Main Streets in Napa. By November 9th 1969, the Zodiac Killer had retrospectively added the San Jose murders of the two teenagers into his running victim count. Just twelve days later he was claiming an eighth victim, when a letter arrived at the San Jose Police Department on November 21st 1969 with the insertion of November = 8. Bearing in mind the Zodiac Killer had now switched to brutal knife attacks, whether he was claiming them or participating in them, there is a distinct possibility that victim number eight was along these lines. He had no involvement in the Snoozy and Furlong murders, but the ferocity of the attack which left both victims absolutely brutalized, was ideal for a killer intent on stoking fear in the psyche of the American people. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "the Snoozy youngster had 150 wounds on her back, 50 on the front and a "storm" of punctures on her neck. Deborah's body had about 100 wounds on her back and upper front and a dozen on her neck". The location of the attack was another advantageous feature for the Zodiac Killer, keen to bolster his burgeoning reputation as the most feared sociopath in the Bay Area. It was imperative that the Zodiac Killer chose his next victim wisely.

It is extremely unlikely that the Zodiac Killer was responsible for the murder of Reet Jurvetson (19) on November 14th 1969, found in dense undergrowth alongside Mulholland Drive two days later, but he was claiming victim number eight by November 21st 1969. Like the Snoozy and Furlong murders, Reet Jurvetson had been viciously stabbed 157 times in the neck, chest and torso, yet apparently transported to this location and thrown down the canyon from the roadside edge. Her body was discovered just north of Kimridge Avenue, only eight miles west of her last known address, at 5311 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. The journey would have been west on Melrose Avenue, before heading north on Loma Vista Drive to Mulholland Canyon.

This, coupled with the fact she had consumed a meal just two hours prior to her death, could have given police an indication of where that meal had been eaten, bearing in mind the journey time from 5311 Melrose Avenue to the location of her body is about 25 minutes, and her apartment (by all indications) wasn't the site of her murder. That leaves approximately 90 minutes for events to unfold. Accounting for the fact that somebody had to murder the young woman by way of 157 stab wounds, carry or drag her body to a waiting vehicle and drive to Mulholland Drive, it is very likely she was murdered not long after seemingly being at ease in taking a meal. The victim's body showed no evidence that this crime was the result of robbery, or driven by a sexual motive. Drag marks at the crime scene indicated Reet Jurvetson had been transported to the crime scene in an upright position within a car and rolled down the ravine where she snagged in the brush just a short distance down, resulting in her being discovered by a 15-year-old birdwatcher. Her identity remained unknown until 2016.

Had the Zodiac Killer read about the case of the woman alongside Mulholland Drive, noted the similarity in the ferocity of the attack to murders he had already claimed - and so insinuated his involvement by adding November = 8 in his November 21st 1969 communication? The last time he had written the months of his murders, he was also attempting to deceive.

The November 21st 1969 communication was postmarked five days after Reet Jurvetson's body was discovered, claiming an eighth victim, but was postmarked the exact day that Doreen Gaul and James Sharp's bodies were found on November 21st 1969 at around 11:00 PM in an alley behind the residence at 1138 South Magnolia, Los Angeles. They were murdered elsewhere and stabbed in excess of 50 times. This may not seem that unusual, until we consider that Doreen Gaul and James Sharp's bodies were found less than 3 miles (by crow) from the residence of Reet Jurvetson at 5311 Melrose Avenue. Even more curious that a typewritten letter from the supposed Zodiac Killer was discovered in the room of Doreen Gaul stating "You are too beautiful to live and I must kill you". And even more unusual that the Zodiac Killer purportedly mailed a threatening letter to the Albany Times Union newspaper on August 1st 1973 claiming his next victim would be from the Albany Medical Center, only 350 feet from 570 Myrtle Avenue, the street on which Doreen Gaul had previously lived. Then we have the May 2nd 1978 Channel 9 letter mailed to KHJ-TV Studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue - also purported to be from the Zodiac Killer - and located just 437 meters from the once residence of Reet Jurvetson (pointed out to me by Toots). The murders of Kathy Snoozy, Deborah Furlong, Reet Jurvetson, James Sharp and Doreen Gaul bound by the savagery of excessive knife wounds, with the Zodiac Killer never seemingly far away. Certainly not responsible for the murders of Kathy Snoozy and Deborah Furlong - and unlikely the murderer of Reet Jurvetson, James Sharp and Doreen Gaul - but the Bay Area murderer appears to have an uncanny sense of timing and location. 

Vallejo Times-Herald, July 31st 1969, 4 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
San Francisco Examiner, July 31st 1969, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
San Francisco Chronicle, July 31st 1969, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
San Francisco Examiner, August 4th 1969, hand delivered, no envelope.
Paul Stine Letter, October 13th 1969, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Dripping Pen Card, November 8th 1969, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Bus Bomb Letter November 9th 1969, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.

Issue Date: January 29, 1966.

Fairfield Letter, December 7th 1969, 1 X 5c George Washington stamp.
Fairfield Letter, December 16th 1969, 1 X 5c George Washington stamp.

Issue Date: November 17, 1967.

Melvin Belli Letter, December 20th 1969, 6 X 1c Thomas Jefferson stamps.

Issue Date: January 12, 1968.

My Name Is Letter, April 20th 1970, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Dragon Card, April 28th 1970, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Button Letter, June 26th 1970, 1 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Kathleen Johns Letter, July 24th 1970, 1 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.
Little List Letter, July 26th 1970, 1 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.

Issue Date: January 29, 1966.

Thirteen Hole Postcard, October 5th 1970, 1 X Apollo 8 Moon Orbit stamp.

Issue Date:  May 5, 1969.

'Zodiac Is Going To' Postcard, October 17th 1970, 2 X 3c Statue of Liberty stamp. 

Issue Date: June 24, 1954.

Halloween Card, October 27th 1970, 1 X Apollo 8 Moon Orbit stamp.

Issue Date:  May 5, 1969.

Los Angeles Times Letter, March 13th 1971, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.

Issue Date: January 29, 1966.

Pines Postcard, March 22nd 1971, Abraham Lincoln 4c Card.

U.S. Postcard rate from January 7th 1968 to May 16th 1971 = 5c.

Albany Medical Center Letter, August 1st 1973, 2 X 6c Franklin D. Roosevelt stamps.

Issue Date: January 29, 1966.

Exorcist Letter, January 29th 1974, 1 X 8c Dwight D. Eisenhower stamp.
SLA Letter, February 3rd 1974, 1 X 8c Dwight D. Eisenhower stamp.

Issue Date: May 10, 1971.

Citizen Postcard, May 8th 1974, Samuel Adams 8c Card.

U.S. Postcard rate from March 2nd 1974 to September 14th 1975 = 8c.

Red Phantom Letter, July 8th 1974, 1 X 10c Famous Works of Art: Goya stamp.

Issue Date: June 6, 1974.

Mary Pilker Christmas Card, December 27th 1974, 2 X 10c Contemporary Christmas: Currier and Ives "Winter Road" stamp.

Issue Date: October 23, 1974. 

1978 (I Am Back With You) Letter, April 24th 1978, 2 X 13c Americana Series: Liberty Bell stamp.

Issue Date: November 25, 1975.

Atlanta Letter, March 8th 1981, 1 X 15c 1980 Americana Series stamp.

The 1986 (Freeway) Letter, May 6th 1986, 1 X 22c Flag Over Capitol stamp.
The 1987 (Cars Make Nice Weapons) Letter, October 28th 1987, 2 X 22c Flag Over Capitol stamp.

Issue Date: March 29, 1985.

Celebrity Cypher Postcard, September 25th 1990, 1 X 25c Literary Arts: Marianne Moore stamp.

Issue Date: April 18, 1990.

Eureka Card, December 1990, 1 X 25c Contemporary Christmas: Tree and Greetings stamp. 

Issue Date: October 18, 1990.

Happy New Year Card, January 10th 2001, 1 X 34c Statue of Liberty stamp.

Issue Date: December 15, 2000.

After the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969, the Zodiac Killer drew the attention of investigators in the August 3rd 1969 knife slayings of Kathy Snoozy and Deborah Furlong in San Jose. This is the attention he likely courted in switching from gun to knife, after reading the extensive front page coverage received in the double homicide. However, because he knew he wasn't responsible for the murders in San Jose, he never came right out and said so, like he did in his previous four attacks. In the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs attack, he made a phone call 40 minutes after the second attack and provided details in three July 31st 1969 letters only the police and he knew. At Lake Berryessa he adorned the Zodiac symbol, wrote on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia and made a phone call about 70 minutes later from a Napa payphone. While at Presidio Heights he effectively attached the crime scene to his correspondence by including a piece of the murdered taxicab driver's shirt.

He never did anything of value to corroborate his involvement in the murder of Kathy Snoozy and Deborah Furlong. He merely insinuated he was their murderer by dropping "Aug" into his Dripping Pen card on November 8th 1969 and bumping up his total victims from five to seven. The Zodiac Killer, at this juncture, was effectively leaving himself an escape clause if these murders were ever attributed to the real killer. His vagueness was evidence of deception, unlike his four canonical attacks, which he backed up by near irrefutable proof of his involvement.

On June 26th 1970, the Zodiac Killer would repeat this tactic by insinuating his involvement in the shooting death of Sgt Richard P. Radetich (25) on June 19th at 5:25 am, who was gunned down by three shots from a .38 caliber revolver at point blank range through the driver side window of his vehicle while in the process of serving a parking ticket. He was sat in his police car near 643 Waller Street in San Francisco. The Zodiac Killer once again left himself an escape clause if Sgt Richard Radetich's real murderer was ever apprehended. Rather than write "I shot a cop sitting in a parked car with a .38" which is a little more specific, he merely stated "I shot a man sitting in a parked car with a .38". The Zodiac Killer avoided inextricably binding himself to the crime by leaving the door half open.  

The Kathleen Johns abduction he again laid claim to on July 24th 1970, by stating "So now I have a little list, starting with that woeman + her baby that I gave a rather intersting ride for a coupple howers one evening a few months back that ended in my burning her car where I found them". Yet again, the only information he ever gave was readily available in the newspapers. This newspaper story was a no-brainer for the Zodiac Killer, because Kathleen Johns had already identified her attacker as him, from the Presidio Heights sketch on the wall of Patterson Police Station. This night of terror for Kathleen Johns would extend Zodiac's portfolio well beyond the Bay Area. Now nobody was safe.

On September 26th 1970, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article about the missing (believed abducted) nurse Donna Lass in South Lake Tahoe on September 6th 1970, and the murder of nurse Judith Hakari, who was abducted on March 7th 1970 and discovered in a shallow grave aside Ponderosa Way in Weimar nearly two months later. But why did the Zodiac Killer latch onto this newspaper story? 

This newspaper publication had all the ingredients the Zodiac Killer could possibly have wished for. He didn't want to appear too eager to claim either of these crimes, not only because the immediacy of the claim would have looked forced, but Donna Lass had only been missing for twenty days at the time the San Francisco Chronicle article featured and she may have turned up unharmed. Investigators feared Donna Lass may have been abducted, just like the abduction and eventual murder of Judith Hakari six months earlier. The Zodiac Killer had just come off the back of being linked with the abduction of Kathleen Johns in Tracy, California, so the story of these two women was the perfect opportunity to spread his terror into Placer County and Nevada.

Lake Tahoe borders Placer County, so when the Zodiac Killer mailed his Pines card on March 22nd 1971 with the words "pass Lake Tahoe areas", he was effectively leaving the Pines card open to interpretation. He could be insinuating his involvement in the abduction of Donna Lass from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino, which bordered the lake, or he could be insinuating his involvement in the abduction and murder of Judith Hakari from the Sutter Hospital, who was ultimately discovered in a shallow grave in Placer County. "Pass lake Tahoe areas" could be referencing the burial site of Donna Lass or Judith Hakari - or both. By leaving the Pines card intentionally vague in description, the Zodiac Killer is effectively introducing to the observer the idea of three abductions into his portfolio of crime, all of whom were young women, of which, two were nurses with an unfortunate connection to the lake. The Zodiac Killer knew by mailing the Pines card in such an unspecific way, that investigators would make the connection between these crimes, but yet again, the Zodiac Killer had left the door ajar if any of these crimes by the lake were solved, and subsequently proven not to be the Bay Area murderer. The vagueness of the Dripping Pen card, Button letter and Pines card are telling. They are a complete departure from the specificity exhibited by the Zodiac Killer's actions during and after Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and Presidio Heights - and indicative of a man who was lying about Snoozy & Furlong, who also had no hand in any of these 1970 crimes.

The Zodiac Killer couldn't believe his luck, when on November 16th 1970 the San Francisco Chronicle published an article by Paul Avery, giving persuasive evidence of a link between the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966 and the Zodiac crimes. Cheri Jo Bates was brutally attacked by a knife-wielding psychopath in the alleyway bordering the Riverside City College library. She was discovered the following morning by Riverside City College caretaker, Cleophus Martin.

He would again bide his time, before begrudgingly uttering the words "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 Zodiac Killer seemed surprised that investigators had stumbled across his Riverside activity, but probably not half as surprised as when Paul Avery presented him with another murder to add to his growing portfolio. His acceptance speech in the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' letter, yet again replete with vaguness and a ready made get out clause. He could easily have stated "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside library murder, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there", but used the word "activity" as a less than full confession. I chose the word "confession" carefully, because the Zodiac Killer left the door open to being responsible for the Riverside letters on November 29th 1966 and April 30th 1967, and nothing more.

He then cements the notion of involvement by claiming "a hell of a lot more down there", when he hasn't given us one shred of evidence he was the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates. The Zodiac Killer didn't supply one piece of evidence in his 'Los Angeles' letter only known to him and Riverside police, just like the Confession letter author did 4 1/2 years earlier. Riverside activity doesn't equate to Riverside murder - and neither does boasting about more murders in Southern California as a way to validate the crime you haven't yet proven. There was a sea change in Zodiac activity after the October 11th 1969 Paul Stine murder, from a ruthless killer, to a killer who wanted to appear ruthless. But he did remain consistent subsequent to October 11th 1969, in that he always left the back door open, clutching his escape clauses firmly between his grubby hands. 

Detective Terry Poyser of the Vallejo Police told The Bee that DNA from saliva may be recovered from the envelopes. If that happens, and “we get a good profile, then you start tracking back,” Poyser said. “It really comes down to DNA. Without it, you have nothing. It’s a 50-years-old case". Results from the DNA analysis are expected back in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, the "coming weeks" has now extended to 2 1/2 years with limited hope of a resolution - but all is not lost. Searching for a killer in a pool of potentially millions of people, is like finding a needle in a field of haystacks. Identifying a person of interest and lego-building a case around them in the fashion displayed on the internet has spawned a growing list of suspects, cobbled together with weak circumstantial evidence and viewed through rose-tinted glasses by their promoter. Any inconvenient observation regarding that suspect, which pours huge doubt on their guilt, will be routinely dismissed - an essential prerequisite for anybody with a long-standing fixation or unfaltering conviction in their suspect as the Zodiac Killer. The healthy interest in a person as a likely candidate for the Bay Area murders often metamorphosizes into an unhealthy obsession, in which the author ends up creating something akin to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - a hideously manufactured humanlike creature that ultimately bears no resemblance to the Zodiac Killer or the facts of the case. The fact we have hundreds of Zodiac suspects in 2020, is testimony to how easy it is to manipulate the communications and crimes to fit our desired choice.

In a case stretching back 50 years, we have to play the odds and drain the ever-growing ocean of suspects by reducing the search field. We can do this by employing the useful tool of geographic profiling and creating a mental map of the killer. This is not a replacement for good old fashioned police work and forensics, but can prioritize where we begin our search, before extending outwards. Dr IPIP (Investigative Psychology for Investigative Practitioners) was created by Dr Susanne Knabe-Nicol, an investigative psychologist. She has created an excellent video playlist of investigative tools on Youtube, including a 53 minute interview with Kim Rossmo, a Canadian criminologist specializing in geographic profiling. This interview should give you an insight into all aspects of geographic profiling and its uses in a criminal investigation such as the Zodiac Killer. Dr Susanne Knabe-Nicol (Dr IPIP) can also be accessed via her website here.

On December 25th 1954 at approximately 8:40 pm, 39-year-old taxicab driver Conrad John Favreau of 1312 Hazel Street, Inglewood, picked up a fare at 7th Street and Union Avenue, Los Angeles for the short trip to Bonnie Brae. Five minutes later at 8:45 pm he was discovered lying in the street alongside his taxicab, shot once in the back of the head with a 25-caliber pistol. Blood spatter was evident on the right rear of the Yellow Cab near to the taillight, shown here in a crime scene photograph. It appeared that he had been subject to a violent assault just prior to the murder, with a tooth discovered on the front seat of the taxicab. Homicide Officer Joe La-Monica stated that his pockets had been gone through, but his watch remained on his wrist. Near to the body investigators found a single 25-caliber cartridge casing. 

An earwithness, Fred Perez of 557 N Bonnie Brae Street, described hearing "a sharp crack like a 22" rifle at about 8:45 pm and seeing the Yellow Cab parked on the street. A short time later the body of Conrad John Favreau lying face up was found by a passing motorist, David Lindsay (17) of 2941-A Los Flores Boulevard. The final entry on the trip sheet was detailed as 7th Street and Union Avenue to Bonnie Brae. An all-points bulletin was issued for "a man wearing white trousers and black shoes and possibly armed with a 25-caliber pistol".

Not nearly as relevant to the Zodiac case as the 2017 discovery by Kristi Hawthorne, who unearthed a possible link to the Bay Area murders while searching through some old newspaper articles. Taxicab driver Ray Davis (29) on April 11th 1962 was discovered in an alley behind 1926 South Pacific Street in Oceanside, having been shot twice in his taxicab. The vehicle was later discovered parked at the 400 block of South Pacific Street. The perpetrator had killed Ray Davis, dumped his body and driven the taxicab away from the crime scene. However, the interesting part of the story is a telephone call to police two days before the murder in which the anonymous male stated “I am going to pull something here in Oceanside and you will never be able to figure it out".  On April 16th 1962, it appears the same man rang the Oceanside Police Department once again, stating “Do you remember me calling you last week and telling you that I was going to pull a real baffling crime? I killed the cab driver and I am going to get me a bus driver next". Youtube.

The reason for this case being highlighted isn't just because of its location near a lake and the reference to a pumping station, or its proximity to several golf courses, but the striking appearance of both victims. Judy Gifford was of Asian descent, while Deana Hooper and Tonna Albright had been adopted at a young age from an orphanage in Hong Kong by their foster father. Some killers target a particular victim type, so the circumstances in both cases was noteworthy having been separated by just two years.  

Nikki Alexandra Benedict (14) had left her friend Kathie Gomski's house in Halper Road, Poway on May 1st 1967 shortly after 6:00 pm, to walk the 2 1/2 mile journey to her home at 13530 Olive Tree Lane, when approximately 25 minutes into her journey her life was cruelly snatched away. She was just passing the intersection of 12784 Poway and Carriage Road, traveling along a dirt pathway that straddled the Poway Road, when a man laying in wait leapt from a grassy depression and viciously attacked the young teenage girl with a short-bladed knife. She had a knife wound to her neck and bruises on her elbows and knees, but the fatal injuries were two stab wounds that penetrated her heart. The young girl did not succumb to her injuries immediately, with a trail of blood extending 200 yards to the west side of Carriage Road as she desperately sought help near a local shopping center. At approximately 6:30 pm, an 11-year-old boy, Ronald Fisk, discovered the critically injured girl and raced away on his bicycle to seek help from his father, who worked at a nearby market store. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of responding personnel, Nikki Benedict would be pronounced dead upon her arrival at Palomar Hospital.

Nikki Benedict would usually travel the 2.3 mile journey home from Meadowbrook Junior High School on the school bus, however, on this Monday she visited her friend Kathie in Halper Road to discuss an art project. Kathie was planning to escort Nikki along the initial part of her journey home, but was unable to accompany her friend because she had to stay home for her dinner. Nikki Benedict would have traveled south, before heading east alongside the Poway Road toward home, or traveled southeast from Halper Road to the intersection of Poway and Carriage Road, near to where her body was discovered. Whether she had been trailed by her attacker or had walked into his path has yet to be fully determined, but the attack was swift and deadly, with no robbery or sexual interference apparent. One eyewitness recalled a white man fleeing the scene, although no solid suspects have subsequently emerged from this sighting and the case has remained relatively trapped in time for just over 52 years.

Links have been forged to the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, some six months earlier. She too was savagely attacked with a short-bladed knife, with the Zodiac Killer belatedly laying claim to her murder on March 13th 1971 when he wrote to the Los Angeles Times, stating "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". Poway, San Diego is 83 miles south of Terracina Drive in Riverside, where Cheri Jo Bates body was ultimately discovered on Halloween morning by Riverside City College caretaker, Cleophus Martin.

I always find it helpful to provide a map regarding any crime scenes, so below I have identified the relevant locations in the murder of Nikki Benedict, despite the fact the topography has changed over the last half-century.  

On the map I have highlighted a second attack - that of Patricia Lee Kuzara (7), who was murdered while walking home on Saturday, September 28th 1974, with her badly beaten body discovered the following morning in a field just off Midland and Hilleary Road, Poway, just alongside the First Baptist Church. She was just a few blocks from her home in Putney Road when the attacker struck, inflicting numerous blows to her head with a blunt instrument. She had been staying with family friends/babysitters approximately 2 1/2 miles away and had left shortly before dusk (6:30 pm) according to the friends. Why on earth a babysitter would allow a seven-year-old girl to walk this distance unaccompanied I have no idea? Four days after her body was discovered, a 40-inch long angle iron with pieces of wood attached was found on Hilleary Road. It was believed to have been innocently moved from its original location in the field. 

Sergeant Doug Clements was of the opinion that the killer probably lived nearby, creating understandable apprehension in the local community. The killing of Patty Lee Kuzara was only a mile from the murder site of Nikki Benedict, and both were attacked alongside the Poway Road in a grassy area. Both young girls lived only 660 meters from one another. Investigators in a press release stated that the Patty Lee Kuzara murder appeared sexually motivated, so whether any connection exists to the murder of Nikki Benedict is sheer speculation. Had the murderer of Nikki Benedict failed to complete his objective that day because of the vigorous defence she displayed in countering his attack, and therefore had chosen easier prey in his subsequent attacks? (if any). Of course, the two may be totally unrelated.

The question for most Zodiac sleuths, is whether any credence can be placed in his Los Angeles Letter of March 13th 1971, of "a hell of a lot more down there". The Zodiac Killer certainly claimed or insinuated many more murders than the canonical five attributed to him, so whether his exploits took him to Poway on May 1st 1967 is wholly dependent on which side of the fence you sit. The timeline bridges the gap between Riverside and Lake Herman Road - and the April 30th 1967 Bates' letters were mailed only one day before the murder of  Nikki Benedict - and did promise "there will be more".

Here is a complimentary video venerating the memory Nikki Benedict. Zodiac Killer Insights.

A serial killer exhibiting the traits of a marauder will operate using a buffer zone from their residence but radiate from this base when committing their murders, whereas a commuter will operate outside their normal activity spaces, thereby shifting the focus of the investigation away from the offenders anchor point. A serial killer living in Vallejo and operating as a commuter, would in the examples below, travel to San Francisco or Pleasanton to commit their murders and so shift the focus of the investigation away from their home base or residence. Canter and Larkin (1993) proposed the Circle Theory of Environmental Range that suggested a circle drawn around the two furthest offences from each other, would likely reveal the offender's home base, at or near the circle center (as shown by the Zodiac map on the right of the illustration below). This is just a rough example, as the circle could be shifted slightly to the left. Regardless, the center point falls in the approximate area of Vallejo or American Canyon. The problem arises when we draw a circle around a commuter's known offences, in that it would reveal a home location for the killer completely unrelated to his true residence. Therefore, it is critical that we identify whether the Zodiac Killer was a marauder or commuter.

There have been several studies done that suggest the vast majority of serial killers are marauders, who venture out from their anchor point, with the distance chosen from their residence based upon a buffer zone, the least effort principle, distance decay and a mental map of the area. A serial killer will often commit his earlier crimes closer to home because of uncertainty and inexperience, but venture further afield as their confidence grows. From the perspective of a killer working Monday to Friday, one might expect their Friday crimes to be situated closer to their home location, governed by the least effort principle and time constraints. Whereas their Saturday crimes, free from time constraints and tiredness, would unburden their unwillingness to travel further afield. If the Zodiac Killer lived in Vallejo, then the Canter and Larkin model looks like a good fit. Once the Zodiac Killer had committed his first two attacks close to his residence, the natural inclination on a Saturday would be to shift the emphasis away from the Vallejo and Benicia areas. The third attack at Lake Berryessa swung the focus approximately 42 miles north, while the Presidio Heights murder veered the investigation 35 miles south, into a fourth jurisdiction. It could be argued that the Zodiac Killer was deliberately attempting to redirect investigators away from where he lived. 

Canter and Young noted from a geographical standpoint that a commuter's crimes will generally be grouped closer together, whereas a marauder's crimes will be more spread. If the Zodiac Killer was a commuter living in Vallejo, one could expect him to commit multiple attacks at a secondary location such as San Francisco, in an attempt to focus the investigation far from home. Grouping the attacks within San Francisco would achieve this objective, but spreading the attacks would effectively nullify this tactic. A killer living in Vallejo may attempt to spread his attacks in all directions with each subsequent attack, designed in such a fashion to confuse investigators trying to pinpoint the murderer's anchor point, but may in essence have the reverse effect to the one desired. However, there is one important dichotomy to unpick when we consider the Zodiac Killer compared to most serial murderers - and that is the copious communications he mailed primarily from San Francisco.        

The Zodiac Killer's attacks spread out as time went by, but apart from his Vallejo Times-Herald communication on July 31st 1969, his focus for letter writing centered squarely on San Francisco. The least effort principle argues that when an offender is presented with two or more options to commit a crime, with equal availability and outcome, they will usually opt for the one that takes the least effort to achieve the same objective. The Zodiac Killer only committed four attacks, but likely mailed in excess of 20 letters. Therefore, is he more likely to go out of his way to deceive investigators by shifting his murders around the map in two or three instances, or mail his letters from an array of different locations to achieve a similar objective? He could have mailed his letters from anywhere, but primarily focused on San Francisco. When you are applying the least effort principle to his letter writing, it is easy to understand why he would choose the path of least resistance. If he had lived in Vallejo and mailed them at various locations on his route to work in San Francisco, then investigators (in his mind) may have been able to piece together his route taken and thereby identify an approximate home location. But by mailing virtually everything in San Francisco it could be interpreted by investigators that he lived in San Francisco - which is something the Zodiac Killer probably realized early on when his communications to the Vallejo Times-Herald went no further.  

His attacks took on the appearance of a marauder, while his letter writing took on the appearance of a commuter - which is exactly what he would have been, had he worked in San Francisco and lived in Vallejo. When your letter writing count outweighs your murder sites five to one, it is far easier to use this in order to focus investigators into a belief that you live in San Francisco, when it requires no more effort than traveling to work each day. The final confirmed murder at Presidio Heights could have been a deliberate choice by a killer determined to divert the investigation down a path far from home, but by reverse psychology, may have achieved the complete opposite to the one intended. 

The Zodiac Killer showed his ability to be unconstrained by a method of operation or modus operandi, with the 'couple killings' more a result of circumstance than choice. Had a third person been present in either vehicle at Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, does anybody believe that the Zodiac Killer would have turned around and gone home? The same could be said for a single person. This was evident when the Zodiac Killer mailed his trinity of letters on July 31st 1969, stating "I will cruse around and pick of all stray people or coupples that are alone, then move on to kill some more untill I have killed over a dozen people". His other two letters made no mention of couples. The idea that this was a sexually frustrated hater of courting couples is not warranted by the limited number of attacks in the sample size, and the idea that he would have just skulked off home, disappointed that he didn't see any couple's making out, is a hard argument to sell. However, the notion of earlier attacks carrying less risk and distance in respect to a home residence, has statistically been proven in previous studies of serial killers, whether or not it is true in this instance.