On October 14th/15th 1969 the "Zodiac Killer" made a phone call to Santa Rosa claiming he was going to place bombs on school buses, thereby proving this was from the real killer of five people. This call came before the contents of the October 13th 1969 letter threatening schoolchildren was released into the public domain. In fact, this was the first mention of bombs, nearly a month before the Zodiac Killer's "Bus Bomb" letter was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 9th 1969. However, this probably wasn't the only time the Zodiac Killer threatened to blow up school buses prior to the arrival of the "Bus Bomb" letter. The second set of phone calls threatening school buses likely began in the latter days of October or early November, and continued for several weeks, before culminating on November 24th 1969.

These threats were made to the Lake Tahoe region and Incline Village, the location featured in the Zodiac Killer's "Pines" card on March 22nd 1971. It must be noted that these threats began seven months before Donna Lass relocated from the Letterman General Hospital in the Presidio to South Lake Tahoe. The newspaper article below is from the Sacramento Bee on November 24th 1969, describing a series of malicious calls "received during the last few weeks". If we take a "few weeks" to mean 3 or 4 weeks, it would suggest that these calls began on November 3rd 1969 at the latest, and continued throughout the duration the Zodiac Killer was composing his "Bus Bomb" letter. In other words, if you believe the Lake Tahoe school bus threats were made by a hoaxer (and don't believe the Zodiac Killer made the Santa Rosa phone calls in October), you are left with an individual mimicking the Zodiac Killer's bomb threats before the Zodiac Killer even made any bomb threats on school buses himself.    

We likely now have two instances of bus bomb threats being made upon schoolchildren from somebody claiming to be the "Zodiac Killer", prior to the first mention of bombs in the verified "Bus Bomb" letter on November 9th 1969. But don't expect this to sway the majority of the Zodiac community into deviating from the well worn narrative they have become accustomed to over the years. They are fixated and unflinching in the belief we have only four Zodiac ciphers, two Zodiac phone calls, and about twenty Zodiac letters. No amount of evidence will ever change this.

The "Bus Bomb" letter and Lake Tahoe phone calls coincided with a two week threat towards school teacher Daniel Williams in Martinez (from October 22nd to November 5th 1969), in which he endured malicious phone calls from the "Zodiac Killer" and an attempted poisoning by arsenic. The phone caller stated he "had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but left when he found police there", but they wouldn't catch him because, as he stated “I’m too smart for them". A few days later, the Zodiac Killer mailed the "Bus Bomb" letter bragging that "The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them". He also supplied crosshairs with five X's on its circumference, which when tilted close to magnetic north, landed over every crime he was claiming thus far, apart from the X on the 9 o' clock position. When a line was drawn through this position, it traveled directly over the Salesian High School where Daniel Williams worked as a teacher. We now have three occurrences in early November 1969 - all related to the targetting of school buses and/or schoolchildren. It's amazing how many of these hoaxers knew what the Zodiac Killer was going to do before he did. Quite amazing.    

On September 13th 1973, the San Jose Mercury reported on the September 10th 1973 murder of Yellow Cab driver Roland J. Canfield (41) of 551 Manor Drive, Pacifica, who was shot behind his right ear at 4:00 pm while parked at the intersection of 27th and Noe streets in San Francisco. The wallet of Roland J. Canfield, although empty, was still in his back pocket, with investigators concluding that robbery appeared not to be the motive. The taxicab strongbox was described as undisturbed. Homicide inspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong, investigatng the case, indicated a lack of evidence to form a Zodiac Killer connection to that of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. However, a lack of evidence to form a Zodiac link, doesn't mean there wasn't one.

​Somebody had phoned the Yellow Taxicab Company and requested a pick up at 27th and Noe streets in Noe Valley, a family-friendly, wealthy, upper-middle-class neighborhood in central San Francisco, known for its charming Victorian homes and vibrant 24th Street with local shops and restaurants. The caller had clearly given this location to the Yellow Cab Company operator, but had provided a non-existent address. When Roland Canfield arrived at the intersection he was immediately flagged down by a lone male walking on the street, who apparently entered the rear of the taxicab and shot the driver behind the right ear. Witnesses nearby heard the shot and saw a man enter a vehicle and leave the scene.   

It is virtually impossible to dismiss the notion that the phone caller and murderer were the same individual. On first look, it is safe to conclude that the taxicab driver was deliberately lured to this location for the sole purpose of murder. The fictitious address (likely a house number) probably designed to keep Roland Canfield at that location temporarily as he radioed back to headquarters to notify them that the address didn't exist and he was available for hire once again. This information was obviously given to police by the Yellow Cab Company, who were likely informed by Canfield shortly after his arrival at the intersection. This short window of time would have given the eventual murderer, who "just happened to be walking" in close proximity to the taxicab, the opportunity to wave down the taxicab driver, who was probably grateful he hadn't wasted a journey. If the phone call, fictitious address and murder happening within a few minutes of one another was just a coincidence, then it's an unlikely one. 

After the Zodiac Killer's "Monticello" postcard on July 13th 1971, over two years had elapsed before a mini revival in "Zodiac" activity, beginning on August 1st 1973 with the arrival of the Albany letter, mailed to the Albany Times Union newspaper in New York, with the Zodiac Killer threatening he was "going to start killing again". Just under six weeks later, Roland Canfield, a taxicab driver, was killed at an intersection in San Francisco by an unknown assailant - seemingly directed to a location for nothing more than murder. Eight days later, on September 18th 1973, the Zodiac Killer surfaced in San Jose, removing the tombstone (of likely Kathie Snoozy) from the Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery at 300 Curtner Avenue, where Kathie Snoozy (15) was buried. The tombstone being placed at the front gate of the cemetery with the pseudonym "Zodiac" written on it in crayon.

​A cemetery located in the Monticello neighborhood of San Jose, which the Zodiac Killer referenced in his "Monticello" postcard after claiming the murder of Kathy Bilek, who "in the woods died April" (stabbed on April 11th 1971). Less than four months would pass, when on January 11th 1974, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer phoned the police and newspapers stating he had killed a woman and placed her body in a Daly City church in San Mateo County. Only 18 days later, the Zodiac Killer mailed the "Exorcist" letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974, threatening that if his latest letter wasn't published in the newspaper he would "do something nasty" which everyone knew he was capable of. We have five actual events, three of which can be proven to be Zodiac activity, in the space of six months. Question marks obviously remain regarding September 10th 1973 and January 11th 1974. 

The Albany letter mailed on August 1st 1973 was the only communication since the Paul Stine letter on October 13th 1969 to carry small crosshairs on the address side of the envelope, despite the Paul Stine envelope not having been released to the public, so it's uncanny that the next event to be associated with the Zodiac Killer was the murder of Roland J. Canfield on September 10th 1973, the following month. There is limited information on the Roland Canfield murder in the newspapers to forge any substantial link to the Zodiac Killer, but the mere fsct he was mentioned in connection to the murder, may have been the catalyst that drove him to the Monticello neighborhood in San Jose on September 18th 1973.  

On December 20th 1968 the Zodiac Killer murdered David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in a lonely turnout in Benicia, waking up the following day to news about the slayings and the manned Apollo 8 mission to the moon, which launched on December 21st 1968. It would be 6 1/2 months before the return of the Zodiac Killer, when he attacked Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin at Blue Rock Springs on July 5th 1969, before mailing his first communications on July 31st 1969 and August 4th 1969.

​In later years there has been much debate on the origin of the pseudonym "Zodiac" and his "crosshairs" logo, with many believing the inspiration lay in the Zodiac watch brand, founded in Switzerland by Ariste Calame in 1882. The Zodiac watches contained both the pseudonym and crosshairs together on the watch face. This thought process featured heavily regarding the prime suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen, who owned this very watch.

In the run up to the Zodiac Killer's commuications on July 31st 1969 and August 4th 1969, a new Zodiac watch brand was about to hit the market, designed to coincide with the current Space Age and the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 21st 1969. A mission that began on July 16th 1969 and ended when the astronauts returned to Earth on July 24th 1969. A week later, the Zodiac Killer mailed three letters to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald, which all contained crosshairs. Four days further on, the Zodiac Killer mailed the "Debut" letter with his now infamous pseudonym "Zodiac". The watch brand was called the Zodiac Astrographic, and was designed with a "mystery dial" timepiece of floating hands. Whether the launch of Apollo 8 on December 21st 1968 had stuck in the Zodiac Killer's mind when he noticed the "space inspired" Zodiac Astrographic watch prior to his earliest communications, is anybody's guess. But it does bring forward the astrological connection.     

I have failed to find any mention of the watch connection to Zodiac in any of the early newspaper articles about this case, which is why I found the two pasted horoscope letters on December 10th 1969 and December 11th 1969 so very curious. The December 10th 1969 letter from Sacramento, called the Day-by-day forecast for Cancer, contained two prominent cuttings aligned with one another, giving us the words "Zodiac" and "Watch". Was this a clue to the origin of the Zodiac Killer's pseudonym? Had he read this as a suggestion somewhere in the newspapers or other media outlets and dropped us a clue? Postmarked the following day on December 11th 1969, there was a further horoscope page mailed from San Francisco, called the Day-by-day forecast for Leo. Two unusual cuttings were placed on this correspondence, that featured the wording "Run a Crooked Mile Mystery", a British crime thriller released on November 18th 1969. The second appeared to be a cross symbol. These two cuttings on December 11th 1969 made little sense whatsoever, compared to the use of "Zodiac" and "Watch" on December 10th 1969. Until we consider that this cross looks like the flag of Switzerland, the origin country of the Zodiac watch brand. But what on earth has the ​"Run a Crooked Mile Mystery" TV movie got to do with any of this?

The movie is described as follows: "A man witnesses a murder in a secluded mansion. When he reports it, there's no evidence of the murder, or that anyone was there. He finds a key on the floor and goes to his boss to get help when he's struck from behind. He wakes up in a hospital room after a polo accident to find he's had amnesia for two years, is now married, and living in Switzerland. He still has the key and the memories of the murder". We now have two connections to Switzerland on December 11th 1969, allied with "Zodiac" and "Watch" on December 10th 1969 (to give us four in total). The horoscope page entitled  Day-by-day forecast for Cancer, containing the words "Zodiac" and "Watch", had the star sign of "Cancer" circled as if to imply some significance to this sign. The horoscope date of the Cancer sign runs from approximately June 22nd to July 23nd and encompasses the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 21st 1969, thereby taking us back to the impending launch of the Zodiac Astrographic watch.

Ten months after the two horoscope pages the Zodiac Killer mailed the Halloween card on October 27th 1970, a partial response to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article "Gilbert and Sullivan Clue to Zodiac", which two weeks earlier mentioned the murders of teenagers David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen. The Zodiac Killer appeared to incorporate the young couple into the Halloween card by writing 4-TEEN above the skull of the skeleton, reminding us that four teenagers were part of his running victim total. As of October 27th 1970 the Zodiac Killer was claiming the murders of David Faraday (17), Betty Lou Jensen (16), Kathie Snoozy (15) and Debra Furlong (14). To accompany the Halloween card he used an Apollo 8 stamp on the envelope, which commemorated the launch of the manned mission on December 21st 1968, the day the first Zodiac murders broke in the news

Discovered by Tahoe27 many years ago, she noted the resemblance of By Fire, By Gun, By Rope and By Knife on the Halloween card, to the 30th issue of the Tim Holt comic book series, whose front page contained a "Death Wheel" of punishment By Fire, By Gun, By Rope and By Knife. However, if we turn to page 2 of the Tim Holt comic book we get an advertisement for Switzerland airlines (Swissair) mentioning a record flight (FLT) between New York and Geneva. Prominent front and center of this advertisement is the Swiss flag, which mirrors the cross image pasted onto the Day-by-day forecast for Leo horoscope page on December 11th 1969, which accompanied the TV movie ​"Run a Crooked Mile Mystery", partly filmed in Geneva, Switzerland. This horoscope page followed the Day-by-day forecast for Cancer communication on December 10th 1969, which featured the wording "Zodiac" and "Watch", synonymous with the Swiss watchmaker. A company that made the Zodiac Astrographic watch to commemorate the Space Age and the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 21st 1969. A watch that maybe inspired the Zodiac Killer's pseudonym and logo on July 31st 1969 and August 4th 1969.        

In a previous article I examined the mailing days of every confirmed Zodiac letter mailed in San Francisco (including the Pines card) and discovered that 12 of the 19 communications (63%) were postmarked on either a Monday or Tuesday. Below I have looked at every deemed outlier "Zodiac" communication from August 10th 1969 to September 25th 1990 mailed outside of San Francisco, with the exception of the Concerned Citizen card (August 10th 1969) and the Forecast for Leo horoscope page (December 11th 1969). The eight communications marked in red are genuine Zodiac communications, but at least 14 have some merit. The only three that are seriously questionable, are the June 18th 1970, April 15th 1971 and June 29th 1972 letters (marked in blue). The SLA letter (Sunday, February 3rd 1974), Badlands card (Wednesday, May 8th 1974) and Red Phantom letter (Monday, July 8th 1974) have not been included in this analysis because they are not genuine Zodiac communications. Of the 17 communications listed below, only 4 were mailed on either a Monday or Tuesday (none on a Monday). The percentage of 63% for confirmed Mon/Tue mailings in San Francisco has now fallen to just 24%, with not one single communication carrying a Monday postmark (falling from 5 previously)..   .   

If the Zodiac Killer had just visited these locations fleetingly or on vacation (unconstrained by the working week), one might expect a more random mailing day. And this is exactly what we see in the results. Of the 8 confirmed communications (marked in red), only the Second Fairfield letter (December 16th 1969) and Channel Nine letter (May 2nd 1978) mailed in Los Angeles were postmarked Tuesday. In the previous analysis, just one communication (5%) was postmarked either Wednesday or Thursday (none on Wednesday), rising to 6 out of 16 here (38%). The only communication postmarked Thursday previously, was the collective trinity of letters mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner on July 31st 1969, with the express directive that they be published on Friday, August 1st 1969 (so he could go on a kill rampage over the weekend if his demands were not met). Therefore, in this instance, the postmark day came with a purpose other than his working schedule. 

The idea put forward previously was a killer who prepared his communications in Vallejo over the weekend and delivered them on a Monday when traveling into work in San Francisco. Depending on what hour on Monday he mailed his communications (before, during or after work) could have resulted in a later collection time and Tuesday postmark. But if the Zodiac Killer was unconstrained by his work schedule through vacation time, he had the option to mail his communications anytime. In other words, when he traveled further afield he may not have been working. It must be noted that when the Zodiac Killer mailed his most distant exploits in communications from Atlanta and Albany, he drew attention to his letters by placing small crosshairs on the address side of his envelope, as he had done on the October 13th 1969 "Paul Stine" envelope, which of course, had not been released into the public domain by March 8th 1981. 

Recent articles, including "Thrashing About Very Violently", have strongly indicated that the Zodiac Killer had a home address or anchor point within a one mile radius of the payphone at Springs Road & Tuolumne Street in Vallejo in early July 1969 (probably much closer). Michael Mageau reported that the attacker had California license plates, so came within a whisker of identifying the vehicle driven by the Zodiac Killer. The idea that this killer, having parked his car in close proximity to Darlene Ferrin's brown Corvair (maybe twice) and exposed his vehicle's key features to any surviving witness, and then hovered around Vallejo (or the surrounding area) for upwards of 40 minutes before making the phone call to Nancy Slover, is counterintuitive to common sense. 

The two locations most commonly put forward for the home address of the Zodiac Killer during the crimes (and beyond) are Vallejo and San Francisco, with some researchers suggesting a killer who lived outside of San Francisco but commuted into the big city for work. So let us look at the postmark dates of every communication mailed in San Francisco by the Zodiac Killer from July 31st 1969 to October 27th 1987. We will assume that the majority of mailing dates coincide with their postmarks. In other words, the Zodiac Killer dropped off his communications and they were collected and franked on the same day (next day at the latest). I have included the Pines postcard in the below list of nineteen communications despite no postmark location being available.  

You will notice that 12 of the 19 communication were postmarked on a Monday or Tuesday (immediately after the weekend). Which is 63% of all communications from San Francisco. This switches to 100% of the time from October 6th 1970 to October 27th 1987 (over 17 years). So it's probably quite remarkable that a bunch of hoaxers (suggested by some) managed to mail 8 consecutive communications on either a Monday or Tuesday from San Francisco during this period. In fact, 6 of these 8 communications were postmarked on a Tuesday. Excluding the Pines card, this rises to 6 out of 7 (86% of the time). Every single card (other than the Dripping Pen card) was postmarked on either a Monday and Tuesday. Every single card we know for certain that was mailed from San Francisco after November 8th 1969 (excluding the Pines card), was postmarked exclusively on a Tuesday, which included the Dragon card, Punch card, Halloween card and Monticello card. Only 3 of the 19 communications were postmarked on either the weekday of Thursday or Friday (none on Wednesday). That is just 16% of the time. 

Bearing in mind that the vast majority of Zodiac communications were mailed on the first two days of the standard working week, one could argue that the Zodiac Killer dedicated the weekend to preparing his offerings, which he mailed as he made his way back to work on Monday (or late Monday in cases of a Tuesday postmark). If the Zodiac Killer worked a 9 to 5 profession from Monday to Friday (and lived and worked in San Francisco), then he had more of his time to prepare and design his communications on Saturday and Sunday, which he could have finished and mailed on either of these rest days from a San Francisco residence.
​
Every time he left his residence by car (or on foot) at the weekend to buy groceries, grab a takeaway, fuel his vehicle, visit the theater or friends, or any of the innumerable tasks a person has to undertake on a daily basis, he could have dropped these communications in a San Francisco mailbox for collection. Yet this only occurred 3 times between November 8th 1969 and December 20th 1969, and once on July 26th 1970 (four times in total). This means that in 17 years from April 20th 1970 to October 27th 1987, when the Zodiac Killer definitely mailed 12 communications from San Francisco, he would only have ventured outside his residence on one single Sunday to mail a communication in the locality, had he lived in San Francisco. That is just over 8% of the time. During this same time period, 9 of his 12 communications from San Francisco were postmarked on either Monday or Tuesday (75% of the time). This would indicate, that despite living in San Francisco for 17 years, he almost always waited until the start of a working week to deliver his communications. This may suggest a strong probability of a killer who commuted into San Francisco for work from an anchor point beyond the big city. He designed his communications primarily over the weekend and drove into San Francisco to mail them. 

Every single card after the November 8th 1969 "Dripping Pen" card was mailed in San Francisco on a Tuesday. Is there a reason why none were postmarked on a Monday, or is it just coincidence?  When the Zodiac Killer needed to write his letters he only needed to purchase his writing material such as paper and envelopes in block form, necessitating limited visits to a stationers or department store such as Woolworth's on Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, but it is almost certain his cards were individually chosen for purpose, requiring separate visits to buy a relevant card, suited to the message he wanted to convey.

​Although this is purely conjecture on my part, is it less risky to purchase a particular card at a large department store with massive foot traffic, than a local store in a city such as Vallejo or Benicia? If the Zodiac Killer formulated an idea over the weekend that he felt required a particular card, then it may have necessitated him waiting until Monday to purchase said card from a retailer he was familiar with, that had heavy foot traffic and a wide variety of cards, such as Woolworth's in San Francisco. A card he would buy on Monday traveling to or from work (or in his lunch break), to prepare on Monday evening or night, and deliver on Tuesday. Hence why all four cards between April 28th 1970 and July 13th 1971 have a Tuesday postmark (the Punch card may be the exception, but for the requirement of a punch from a stationers). Alternatively, he could have mailed them too late on Monday to receive a Monday postmark. . 

Only 4 of the 19 communications were postmarked on a Saturday or Sunday (21% of the time), despite the fact that the Zodiac Killer had more available time on these days if he was a San Francisco resident who worked a 9 to 5 job. Only one communiication was subsequent to December 20th 1969. The proclivity of the Zodiac Killer to mail his offerings on either a Monday or Tuesday, rather than any other day, points to a killer who has created his communications over the weekend and mailed them when traveling back into San Francisco to begin the working week. When we combine the reasoning outlined in this article with the analysis given in the upper linked article below, we have more than enough reason to suggest that the Zodiac Killer lived in Vallejo by the payphone. If the Zodiac Killer had lived in San Francisco during his four attacks, why was he still present in Vallejo on July 5th 1969, close to 40 minutes after the double shooting of Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin? The shooting of a 19-year-old man, who was very much alive when the Zodiac Killer exited the Blue Rock Springs parking lot in a vehicle very much recognizable.

ADDITIONAL READING: "THRASHING ABOUT VERY VIOLENTLY"  
THE MAILING DAY OF THE OUTLIER "ZODIAC" COMMUNICATIONS 

Although the Zodiac Killer has "only" been found responsible for the murder of five people in the Bay Area of California in late 1968 and 1969, he may be indirectly responsible for many other murders committed in his name. Outside of the canonical five, the Zodiac Killer has been widely linked to the abduction of Kathleen Johns (22) and her infant child near Modesto on March 22nd 1970, to which Zodiac claimed in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 24th 1970. It is believed that her abductor probably picked up her trail in downtown Modesto.

In 1974, Richard Alford (19), son of a former Modesto banker, began a series of phony confessions to police about fictitious killings he had committed, which coincided with a flurry of reported Zodiac activity between January 29th 1974 and July 8th 1974. On Sunday, December 8th 1974 he switched from fantasy to real murder, when he offered Vivian Elaine Loughlin (13) and her friend Lonnie Jean Merritt (13) a ride in his truck at a north Modesto bowling alley, claiming he would take them home to Oakdale. Instead he drove them to a remote location near the Stanislaus River by a peach loading dock and ordered the two girls out of the truck. Lonnie ran for her life and narrowly escaped through heavy fog into the field beyond, but Vivian wasn't so lucky, being struck in the upper right arm and back by a shotgun.  

Richard Alford then rang the ambulance service and told attendant Mike Phillips that he was the Zodiac Killer, stating "I am the Zodiac". He gave directions to the body of Vivian Loughlin and cautioned Mike not to inform the police because the area had been wired with explosives. Although this latter claim was false, police recovered the body of Vivian lying on her back where Alford had claimed. It is believed she was raped.

Bearing in mind Kathleen Johns reported that she had been offered a lift by the Zodiac Killer on Highway 132 exiting Modesto, it is relatively easy to see the similarities to this case. On a Sunday, Richard Alford offered a lift to two young girls in Modesto, abducted them and drove both to a remote location under duress, murdered one of the terrified girls, before making a phone call to authorities under the guise of the Zodiac Killer and directing them to the crime scene, while embellishing the story and adding explosives into the mix. if Richard Alford's admission wasn't enough, his actions appeared to derive inspiration from the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns in 1970, while driven by the publicity received by the Zodiac Killer in the first seven months of 1974.

The Zodiac Killer can only be confirmed responsible for the murders of five individuals, but it begs the question, would Vivian Loughlin be alive today had the Zodiac Killer not embarked on his murderous campaign of terror, including the newspaper coverage of Kathleen Johns alleged abduction near Modesto. Richard Alford may have killed anyway, but it appeared that Vivian Loughline became "collateral damage" of a story that went before.

There are many document examiners who had access to the original 3-part ransom note from the 1996 JonBenet Ramsey murder case in Boulder, Colorado, that concluded there was no evidence to suggest Patsy Ramsey wrote the threatening communication. Richard Dusak, a U.S. Secret Service document examiner, found no evidence linking Patsy to the note. Similarly, forensic document examiner Howard Rile believed it was unlikely Patsy wrote the note. Leonard Speckin, a private forensic document examiner, also concluded that differences existed between Patsy's writing and the ransom note.

However, there are other certified document examiners that wholeheartedly disagree, such as Gideon Epstein who stated he was "absolutely certain that she (Patsy) wrote the note, 100 percent certain". David Liebman, a certified document examiner, stated "There are far too many similarities and consistencies revealed in the handwriting of Patsy Ramsey and the ransom note for it to be coincidence. In light of the number of comparisons and similarities between Patsy Ramsey and the ransom note writer, the chances of a third party also sharing the same characteristics is astronomical. In my professional opinion Patsy Ramsey is the ransom note writer". Tom Miller, a court qualified expert witness in questioned documents, stated "Based upon available exemplars compared to the purported "ransom" note in the JonBenét Ramsey murder, the handwriting is probably that of Patsy Ramsey". I can find you dozens of "certified" experts that absolutely believe Patsy Ramsey wrote the ransom note, dozens of "certified" experts that absolutely believe Patsy Ramsey did not write the ransom note, and dozens of "certified" experts that fall somewhere in between, who don't fully commit one way or another.

This clearly demonstrates that handwriting analysis is not objective, it is subjective. It is a matter of opinion. Regardless of this undeniable fact, it doesn't stop misinformed individuals like Tom Voigt directing people to his list of authenticated letters on his website - that have obviously (in absence of DNA and fingerprints) been largely deemed authentic by certified document examiners like the ones above. In other words, this list is meaningless, because it's based, for the most part, on handwriting analysis. If certified document examiners subsequent to December 25th 1996 cannot determine whether a written communication is from Patsy Ramsey or not, despite multiple available exemplars of her handwriting, then it is obviously not possible to determine the authenticity of a Zodiac letter based predominantly on handwriting analysis. For some unknown reason, individuals like Tom Voigt appear not to grasp this simple concept. He seems to be augmenting the suspension of reality when dishing up this list of fiction. 

Unfortunately, Tom Voigt believes that "certified experts" in the Zodiac case are somehow different to the "certified experts" in the JonBenet Ramsey case - they can 100% authenticate letters when nobody else can. The one thing we do know for certain in the Zodiac case, is that Tom Voigt is no "certified expert" when it comes to compiling lists and applying reasoned thought. 

On March 13th 1971 the Zodiac Killer insinuated his involvement down south when declaring in his Los Angeles letter "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 question police asked themselves, was whether the Zodiac Killer was blowing hot air, or were there really other victims in Riverside - possibly close to the murder site of Cheri Jo Bates. The police reviewed a case 3.9 miles (by crow) from Terracina Drive and the Riverside City College library on May 13th 1961, mysteriously pointed in that direction by a dead man's finger. The finger of a possible murder victim resting on a bible verse that spoke of "things to come".

Revered Charles Williams (66) was last seen alive driving on Twelfth Street in Riverside on Saturday, May 13th 1961 at approximately 2:55pm. Thirty-five minutes later he was discovered by four Norton AFB airmen in his blood-spattered car at 3:30pm on Canyon Crest Drive, 3/10ths of a mile (1584 feet) north of Alessandro Boulevard in an extremely rural area popular with target shooters and hunters. Found behind the steering wheel of his vehicle with a bible in his lap, Rev. Charles Williams was thought to have been shot at close range by possibly two bullets that entered the left side of his head and burst out the other side. Two .32 caliber casings were found in the car which police hadn't yet determined were from the gun that killed him. There were no signs of robbery (with twenty-seven dollars found in his wallet), and no appearance of a struggle with a potential assailant. The bible on his lap was opened to "The Epistle to the Hebrews" from the New Testament, with his finger either deliberately placed, or accidentally pointing at Chapter 11, Verse 20 reading "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come". Investigators considered a possible murder.  

Police questioned whether this was an accidental shooting or murder, but unequivocally ruled out suicide. Investigators found a shattered bottle not far from the victim's car, so speculated that hunters may have been target shooting and accidentally shot Rev. Charles Williams, having not seen his vehicle because of the hilly terrain. An appeal for any hunters in the area at about 3:30pm to come forward failed to generate any response.

​Deputies found a .22 caliber rifle under the front seat of the vehicle and a .38 caliber pistol in the glove compartment, which tallied with information given by his wife, who told police he owned "a couple of guns". Fragments of the bullets found in Williams car were being checked to identify the gun they belonged to, but as of writing, I have been unable to find any results of this examination. If two shots struck the left side of the victim's head (that were connected to the two casings found in the vehicle), an accidental shooting because of errant shots aimed at a bottle, seems unlikely. Especially if the initial assessment by police of a bullet, or bullets entering from close range was correct.  

Had Rev. Charles Williams parked up in this remote area and was approached by somebody with murder on their mind, had he traveled to this area of Canyon Crest Drive with his eventual murderer in the passenger seat, or was this some freak accident from a stray bullet or two fired from the wilderness? Was his finger purposefully placed on this particular section of the bible to send a sinister message to police, or was he simply reading the bible when shot and his finger fell there accidentally?

The story of his hand being guided over a holy book by a murderer wanting to convey a biblical message to law enforcement, or the victim wanting to impart a final declaration before death, certainly makes for a more intriguing and compelling mystery, bearing in mind police briefly explored the possibility that the "cryptic" Zodiac Killer may have been involved. However, this may be a willingness on the part of investigators to fashion a layer of intrigue into an unexplained death where it isn't required. An eagerness to magnify an already puzzling mystery into divine murder through the guidance of a dead man's finger, so to speak.

Taking into account we have two .32 caliber shell casings in the car that were seemingly different to the two weapons owned by Rev. Charles Williams (according to newspaper reports), and early reports mentioned there may have been two shots to the left side of his head at close range, this is inconsistent with a murderer sitting in the passenger seat of the victim's car. On first look, it appears that Rev. Charles Williams was shot through the driver side window (based on the picture of a left hand drive in the top image).

​The location of his death is about a 6 to 10 minute drive from his last known location on Twelfth Street at 2:55pm (depending where on 12th Street he was last seen), so if he traveled directly to the remote location on Canyon Crest Drive, he would have likely been sitting in his vehicle for approximately 25 to 29 minutes before he was found dead by the four airmen. Detectives stated they had no particular reason to think that Zodiac was involved, but the above newspaper report from the Riverside Daily Enterprise on March 16th 1971 was published only three days after the Zodiac Killer's Los Angeles letter claiming more "riverside activity". 

There is little reason to forge a Zodiac connection to the murder of Rev. Charles Williams other than location. If the killer had deliberately placed the finger of the murder victim over the biblical passage of "things to come", a weak link could be created to the April 30th 1967 Bates' letters where the author wrote "there will be more", and the phrase "she went to the slaughter like a lamb" derived from Isaiah 53:7 and typed into the Confession letter on November 29th 1966. But this is undeniably stretching the bounds of reality and could never be proven without identifying the murderer, if indeed this was a wilful and deliberate act.

Murder victim Doreen Gaul (19) lived at 570 Myrtle Avenue in Albany, New York, before relocating to 1032 South Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles, California. Her former address on Myrtle Avenue was only 500 meters from the Albany Medical Center, that would become the target of the Zodiac Killer on August 1st 1973, when he mailed another malicious communication.

She was brutally murdered alongside James Sharp (15), their bodies found viciously stabbed and beaten in an alleyway between  Arapahoe Street and Magnolia Avenue in Los Angeles on November 21st 1969. Coinciding with her death, a typewritten note was found in her residence stating "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN FOOL THE OLD KILLER HA HA. I KNOW ALL YOUR MOVEMENTS AND THE TIME THEY ARE MADE. TIME IS SHORT, ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU CAN. YOU ARE TO BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE AND I MUST KILL YOU. THE ZODIAC KILLER". The phrase "you are too beautiful to live" from this typed communication stood out.

Like so many of the Zodiac Killer phrases such as "man is the most dangerous animal of all" from 1932 and possibly "it was about time for her to die" from 1888, he wasn't averse to sourcing distant newspaper archives to generate impact in his letters. As his July 31st 1969, March 13th 1971, January 29th 1974, April 24th 1978 and May 2nd 1978 letters proved, he was quite prepared to use the movie industry as a source for inspiration. So, if the Zodiac Killer was responsible for this letter to Doreen Gaul, I decided to source newspaper archives regarding Hollywood and Los Angeles, famous for its movie industry, because this is where Doreen Gaul lived at the time of her murder. Again, I didn't have to look far. 

Born Reatha Dale Watson (born July 28th 1896), Hollywood beauty Barbara La Marr, an American film actress and screewriter who appeared in twenty-seven films between 1920 and 1926, was at 17 years of age once branded by a judge in 1914 as "you are too beautiful to live in a large city", who banished her to her home in El Centro, Los Angeles. Over the next several years, La Marr acted frequently in films, and became known to the public as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful", after Adela Rogers St. Johns, a Hearst newspaper feature writer noticed the judge's comments. A book by Sherri Snyder was later released entitled "Barbara La Marr: The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful for Hollywood". 

Had the Zodiac Killer (or another) likened Los Angeles resident Doreen Gaul to Hollywood actress Barbara La Marr, and taken (or remembered) this quote from yesteryear to compose his communication. Not only can Doreen Gaul be closely linked to two potential Zodiac Killer communications in Albany and Los Angeles, but the phrase "you are too beautiful to live" can now be linked to two Los Angeles women, one of whom was heavily connected to the movie industry, that the Zodiac Killer so often referenced.

​So was this phrase another purposeful addition by the Bay Area murderer? An "old killer" who delved into the newspaper archives once again.         

Kim Rossmo stated: ​​"The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts".

This may have been the case with the white Chevrolet Impala spotted by Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser when they passed the gate #10 turnout at 9pm on their way to the Marshall Ranch to hunt raccoons in the area of the Benicia Pumping Station. Later, spotted by sheepherder Bingo Wesner at 10pm as he walked the field tending his sheep near the turnout. Or he noticed the Chevrolet Impala when driving into Gate #10 to check his sheep. The question has always been: was this the vehicle of the Zodiac Killer, armed with a sighting attachment to his gun or rifle? Shooting kids in or by a vehicle, aided by headlights, doesn't really necessitate the use of a pencil flaslight. However, if his intention that night was to park in the turnout by the pumping station and head off into the dark fields to hunt potential victims connected to the businesses and ranches in that area, a sighting implement may have been much more beneficial. 

​On at least two occasions (possibly more), the Chevrolet Impala was observed empty over a minimum of one hour. It was observed by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and George "Bingo" Wesner at 9pm and 10pm, parked facing the gate on an extremely cold night in December. What purpose could the owner of this vehicle have for being in this area over this protracted length of time? Undoubtedly, police should have interviewed local ranches and businesses in the area of that turnout to see whether anybody had any late night dealings with somebody who owned a white 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala. To this day, we have had no confirmation that this vehicle has been cleared from the investigation.

The Zodiac Killer could have parked his Chevrolet in the turnout sometime before 9pm and ventured into the area by the pumping station to search for victims, but was later disturbed by the arrival of Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser, armed with guns and dogs. He may have thought it wise to temporarily vacate the area and return to his vehicle. Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser reported that they "treed either a cat or raccoon in the area of the Dotta Ranch. While they were there they saw some sort of activity up there, all the lights were on, but they were a little distance away". The Zodiac Killer may have got back into his vehicle and cruised around the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs areas looking for alternative victims. The "extensive hunting activities" described by Kim Rossmo. Failing to find any victims he reverts back to his original plan and heads back to the gate #10 turnout, where he may have "encouraged" the decision by William Crow and his girlfriend to relinquish the turnout (Crow in a later account described the car that chased him as a four-door light-colored Chevy). The alternative is that Zodiac arrived after the William Crow incident. Parking back up sometime before 10pm, he once again ventures back into the field beyond the gate to resume his hunt. While he is scouting the area by the pumping station, Bingo Wesner notices his vehicle at 10pm in the turnout while walking the field tending his sheep. After seeing the vehicle has no occupants he resumes his duties. 

​Meanwhile, the Zodiac Killer has noticed Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser are still in the area, so once again returns to his vehicle at about 10:30pm. Helen Axe has previously passed the turnout heading to Benicia and possibly notices the Chevrolet facing the gate at 10:15pm, but just before she returns up the road at 10:30pm, the Zodiac Killer has changed the posiition of the Chevrolet in the process of leaving the turnout. This shift in position is noted by Helen Axe. The Zodiac Killer leaves the turnout once again, but is determined to begin collecting his slaves for the afterlife.

​After the Zodiac Killer leaves the turnout, Bingo Wesner, who has now finished tending his sheep, leaves through the vacant turnout sometime after 10:30pm. Approximately 45 minutes after Zodiac had left the turnout, he returns for a third time at about 11:15pm and notices the Faraday Ramber in the turnout. The rest is history. Later, he would recall in his August 4th 1969 letter, that "All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights". There may have been no need to use the "gun sights" because these murders were not his original plan.

There was some conflict in the statement of Helen Axe according to police, who noted that when Miss Axe first contacted them, she described a Rambler backed into the gate, and then changed her story to a Rambler facing the gate before turning around. Ray Grant may have a good case for arguing that Helen Axe saw the Chevrolet Impala, who ultimately convinced herself she had seen the Faraday Rambler after the story of the murders broke in the newspaper. The shifting position of a Chevrolet facing the gate, to turning around, would effectively describe a Zodiac Killer returning from his excursion into the field at approximately 10:30pm. Her first sighting of a vehicle at 10:15pm facing into the gate would have been only 15 minutes after the sighting of an unoccupied Chevrolet in the turnout by Bingo Wesner, facing into the gate. For her sighting to be the Faraday Rambler, the owner of the Chevrolet facing the gate, would have had to return to the vehicle shortly after 10pm, leave the turnout, to be replaced by the Faraday Rambler minutes later, which also parked facing the gate at 10:15pm. This seems less likely than it being the same Chevrolet in the turnout at 10pm, 10:15pm and 10:30pm. The final time being the Chevrolet after turning around to leave.

If this were true, we would now have a Chevrolet Impala being spotted in the gate #10 turnout from 9pm to 10:30pm, just 45 minutes before the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, by the occupant of a vehicle parked alongside their Rambler in the same turnout. It's quite amazing what can happen in one turnout over a 2 hour and 15 minute period. So is it likely that these were separate and coincidental events, or the dogged determination of a killer searching for his first victims before Christmas?

There is also the possibility that Helen Axe mistook the color of the vehicle she observed, because the factory color of some Chevrolet Impala's made in 1959 and 1960, were painted in ermine white, which in dark and subdued lighting can appear light brown. The very color that Michael Mageau described as the color of Zodiac's car on July 4th/5th 1969, viewed in less than favorable light. The reason that Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser described the vehicle as white, was that Frank Gasser, while hunting that night, later revealed he had approached the Chevrolet Impala and shone a flaslight at it (noticing it was unoccupied). Bingo Wesner, tending his sheep at night, also noticed the Chevrolet while walking in the field. Bingo Wesner absolutely required visibility to do his job, so it is quite reasonable to conclude he was in possession of a flashlight too. ​The following section is from a previous article, suggesting that there is a possibility Zodiac used the same vehicle during his second attack

Shortly before midnight on July 4th 1969, Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin pulled into the parking lot at Blue Rock Springs and sat there talking for a while. A vehicle, that most people believe was Zodiac, came from the direction of Springs Road according to Michael Mageau, entered the parking lot and parked alongside the left side of their Corvair for about one minute, about 6 to 8 feet away. The vehicle, that Michael thought was driven by a single male, then left the parking lot and headed back towards Springs Road. He estimated that 5 minutes later the vehicle returned from that direction, once again pulled into the parking lot, but this time positioned itself to the rear of Darlene Ferrin's Corvair.

After exiting his vehicle the Zodiac Killer approached the Corvair and began shooting the couple. Subsequent to the attack (at about 12:02am on July 5th 1969) he got back in his vehicle and then drove away towards Springs Road for a second time. Michael Mageau was able to recall the assailant's vehcle had a California license plate. The Zodiac Killer, without knowing the automobile proficiency of the couple in the Corvair, especially after parking his vehicle alongside theirs for about one minute - and entering and exiting the parking lot twice - must have been aware that there was a reasonable possibility the couple had recognised the make and color of his vehicle. He even drove away from the crime scene slowly according to his story.

The Zodiac Killer, if he was familiar with Blue Rock Springs, also knew that there was a reasonable possibility that the nine shots he fired that morning may have been heard by the caretaker and/or residents of the house approximately 800 feet from the parking lot. George Bryant stated that "he could hear laughing and a few firecrackers being set off. And at approximately midnight he heard what appeared to be a gunshot. This was much louder than any of the firecrackers. A short time later he heard what appeared to be another gunshot. After another short pause he heard rapid fire of what appeared to be gunshots. He then heard a car take off".

The Zodiac Killer's vehicle had been viewed by Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin for at least 2 minutes that night/ morning, and he had fired off 9 shots in total. If he had planned to make a phone call that morning, the obvious choice was to do this immediately before police were alerted and his vehicle description was sent out over the airwaves throughout Vallejo. But wait I hear you say; Zodiac probably thought the couple were dead. After all, his phone call to Nancy Slover stated ​"I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... On Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car". This gives the impression that he thought he had killed two people - but this claim was bullshit - and he knew there was a distinct possibility he had only killed one person that morning.​  

​He knew this because he gave himself away on August 4th 1969 when he sent a letter to the San Francisco Examiner newspaper. In it he wrote "The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time, thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; that's how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealling tires + raceing engine as described in the Vallejo paper. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car". 

Michael Mageau was last described by Zodiac as thrashing around violently in the back seat when he shot him in the knee. The Zodiac Killer must have known that a knee shot was not a terminal injury, knew that there was a strong possibility that Michael Mageau was still alive when he left the parking lot at Blue Rock Springs, knew that Michael Mageau had the ability to have seen his vehicle for at least two minutes, knew there was a possibility his 9 shots were heard in the vicinity of Blue Rock Springs, and understood that the crime scene may have been discovered fairly quickly,

​Understanding all this and knowing the make and color of his vehicle could be all over the Vallejo airwaves fairly quickly, is it reasonable to conclude he drove around Vallejo for approximately 40 minutes, before parking his vehicle adjacent to a payphone, only 830 meters from the Vallejo Police Department? He also leaned into the Corvair to target Michael Mageau in the back seat, leaving two spent casings on the rear floorboard of the vehicle, which had the potential to transfer blood to his shirt from the passenger seat.

Taking all these circumstances into account, it is far more reasonable to conclude he drove home, concealed his vehicle, ditched the smoking gun, changed his clothes, and then headed to the payphone on foot to make the call. This would explain why the phone call to Nancy Slover was logged at 12:40am, when the journey time to the payphone from the murder scene was only 9 minutes. If the Zodiac Killer had made these obvious assumptions described above, it would have been reckless to have been driving around or parked up on the streets of Vallejo for approximately 40 minutes after the attack. He would have been right to conclude this, because a limited description of him and his vehicle was given to officers by Michael Mageau at the crime scene, who broadcasted this information over the airwaves. But the Zodiac Killer couldn't have been sure how limited this description would be. He knew his face was shielded by the glare of the flashlight, but his vehicle was afforded no such protection.          

​In his August 4th 1969 letter the Zodiac was giving police details about the Blue Rock Springs crime scene to prove he was the killer. He immediately jumped into a detailed description of a "man who told police that my car was brown (and) was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed". This description could have easily been verified by police had the Zodiac been telling the truth, so it would have been pretty pointless the Zodiac Killer giving this information had it not been true. But if the Zodiac Killer saw police talking to a negro male, then it was likely by the payphone that Zodiac had earlier claimed he was walking by. Which Zodiac described by stating "I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn X@ thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car". 

We know that after the payphone call was traced, a responding officer was sent from Blue Rock Springs to the payphone to secure it for fingerprint testing, so it is logical to conclude that this is where the Zodiac saw police talking to the black man. If so, then the Zodiac Killer stil had eyes on that payphone at least 10 minutes after his call to Nancy Slover. Because if the payphone call was traced as early as 12:41am, it would have taken the responding officer from Blue Rock Springs about 9 minutes to reach that payphone, at approximately 12:50am. The longer the trace took, the longer the Zodiac Killer was hanging around the vicinity of that payphone. If the phone call was traced at 12:47am, the responding officer would arrive at the payphone at about 12:56am.

​The police may have suspected that a payphone call at 12:40am from Sptings & Tuolumne, when its journey time from the crime scene was only 9 minutes, opened up the possibility the Zodiac Killer could have lived nearby. The Zodiac Killer must also have realized this possibility, so he attributed the presence of his vehicle to the negro male, who Zodiac claimed saw it while walking by the payphone at 12:40am, and who at 12:50am (or later), Zodiac claimed he believed, had given the color of his vehicle to the police. By adding in the color of his vehicle as brown into his August 4th 1969 letter, the Zodiac can mischievously corroborate the testimony of Mageau, when in fact, it was an ermine white Chevrolet Impala.  Even if the police were not told by the negro male he had noticed the vehicle of the man in the payphone, the accuracy of the negro male's description by Zodiac (if true), would have added validity to the Zodiac Killer's claims his vehicle was present. Another reason why the Zodiac had to ensure his description of the black male was accurate, was because if this information couldn't be verified, the rest of his story loses validity. The Zodiac Killer, in his August 4th 1969 letter, was effectively telling police he was still present near that payphone when they responded to it. He was nearby, and had hung around the area after ending the call with Nancy Slover. By claiming he was still in his vehicle during and after the payphone call, he was suggesting to the police that he had the capability to travel anywhere. But everything described above, should tell you that this may very well have been a lie. His vehicle was never at that payphone (and it wasn't brown) - and the real negro male was the conduit for this deception.

On December 20th 1968 we had a Chevrolet Impala, as yet unidentified, present in the turnout on two separate occasions at 9pm and 10pm. If Helen Axe mistook the vehicle she saw and subconsciously attributed her sighting as the Faraday Rambler, then we have three sightings between 9pm and 10:30pm. When we consider what occurred about 40 to 45 minutes later, this 1959 or 1960 white Chevrolet Impala has to be strongly considered as the suspect vehicle viewed by James Owen as he passed the turnout sometime between 11:10pm and 11:15pm that night. Unfortunately, he was unable to give a satisfactory description of the vehicle parked alongside the Rambler. Had he described a Chevrolet Impala in the turnout, it could be argued that the Zodiac Killer's designs that night, bore closer resemblance to a man that thought killing people was more fun than "hunting wild game in the forest". He would have been hunting people on the hillsides of Benicia, armed with a pencil flashlight for that very purpose. What was the "activity" described by Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser at the Dotta Ranch on the south side of the lake? Was it at this point the Zodiac Killer abandoned his plans after noticing the flashlight carrying raccoon hunters in the distance?

At Presidio Heights three similar descriptions of the Zodiac Killer's clothing were given by three sets of eyewitness in a six minute window, during the time the killer left the taxicab and entered the Presidio park. But their description of his age were extremely significant. The teenagers described a man in his early forties. Officer Donald Fouke described a man between 35 and 45. The sighting of a man running into Julius Kahn playground was given an estimation of about forty. Bearing in mind the small window of time that these three descriptions were given, they have to be considered as the likeliest age of our killer. Coalescing the arguments above for Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights, there is a reasonable argument to be had, that we should prioritize our search for a man aged about 40, who drove a white 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala, who lived within a one mile radius of the Springs & Tuolumne payphone in Vallejo. Such a record search in 1969 may have had a fighting chance of identifying the Zodiac Killer. But was it done?

RAY GRANT'S ROAMING CHEVROLET IMPALA
THE CONNELLY AND GASSER SIGHTING OF THE CHEVROLET IMPALA WAS 9PM
CONNELLY AND GASSER NEVER SAW WESNER
WAS THE HELEN AXE SIGHTING WRONG?

Released on August 5th 2024, Ross Geraci, host of the YouTube channel *Planet X Filmworks" focused on the post canonical activities of the Zodiac Killer with Canadian filmmaker Andrew Gray from the "Citizen Detective Podcast". Both regular contributors to the Zodiac Killer community over many years, they discussed general Zodiac topics and then ventured beyond the four confirmed attacks at Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and Presidio Heights. To view this episode of the Zodiac files, please click the image below.    .

Identified murderer Joseph Stephen Holt, responsible for the murders of ​Brynn Rainey (27) in 1977 and Carol Andersen (16) in 1979, had a love of skiing (a passion he shared with Donna Lass). When murderers dispose of bodies they often choose locations they are familiar with, so I thought I would identify the four main ski resorts around Lake Tahoe in 1970. The four locations were the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort next to his 1390 Keller Road address, the Diamond Peak Ski Resort, the Pallisades Tahoe Ski Resort (formerly Squaw Valley) and Donner Ski Ranch (Northstar Ski Resort opened in 1972).

If Joseph Stephen Holt drove from his 1390 Keller Road home towards the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, he would pass by Van Sickle.Park where the body of Brynn Rainey was found on August 20th 1977. From here, heading northwards, he would pass the Diamond Peak Ski Resort and Incline Village (the advertisement that featured on the Pines card). Heading westwards he would reach the Northstar Ski Resort where a human skull was found in 1986, then he would have gone past the Donner Ski Ranch and Clair Tappaan Lodge (the Sierra Club on the Pines card), before continuing westwards and arriving at Yuba Gap, the location of Donna Lass' skull. Traveling to Yuba Gap from his home on the west side of Lake Tahoe, he passes the Pallisades Tahoe Ski Resort (formerly Squaw Valley), the Donner Ski Ranch and Clair Tappaan Lodge. The attempted double murder of Heidi Hoffman (16) and Lenny Parsons (19) on December 13th 1969 occurred on Saddle Road by Heavenly Valley Ski Resort. All of these "Lake Tahoe areas" are "around in the snow". 

Recently a few researchers have been looking into the murders of Brynn Rainey (27) in 1977 and Carol Andersen (16) in 1979, who were both victims of Joseph Stephen Holt in the South Lake Tahoe region. A recent contributor to this website, Joseph, pointed me in the direction of another murder in South Lake Tahoe approximately 11 months before the disappearance of Brynn Rainey. 

On September 2nd 1976 at about 6:30pm, Kathleen Keohane (17) was spending some time with her fiance Mike Warren at Carrows Restaurant, where he was working as a dishwasher. She had decided to leave the restaurant for a walk to pass some time, planning to meet him back at the restaurant when his shift ended at 10:00pm. She never made it back and was found face down and fully clothed in shallow water under the Upper Truckee River Bridge 12 hours later.(6:30am). Investigators determined that Kathleen Keohane had been struck in the back of the head several times with a heavy blunt instrument, causing a massive skull fracture.

When she left the restaurant she had told her fiance she was going to head to the "Y", which is the shape formed on a map by the intersecting Highway 50 and Interstate 89 at Tahoe Valley. Kathleen would have traveled along Lake Tahoe Boulevard. This was a 4.5 mile journey, so would have taken her at least 3 hours to walk there and return back to Carrows Restaurant at 9:30pm. Had she completed the outward journey, she would have been about 4,000 feet from where her body was found. 

The location of her body under the Upper Truckee River Bridge was 3,900 feet from where Carol Andersen's body was found on Sundown Trail in 1979. Both murdered teenagers were found fully clothed. The Sahara Tahoe Hotel, where both Brynn Rainey and Donna Lass worked, was 3,400 feet from Carrows Restaurant. Donna Lass would have walked along Lake Tahoe Boulevard in 1970 had she decided to walk to her 3893 Pioneer Trail Road apartments from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel in the early morning hours of September 6th. Brynn Rainey would have walked along Lake Tahoe Boulevard in 1977 had she decided to walk to the Sahara Tahoe Hotel from the Bittercreek Saloon shortly before her shift on July 25th. Carol Andersen would have joined Lake Tahoe Boulevard on June 30th 1979 had she decided to walk to her Lower Kingsbury residence after leaving a party on Regina Road. Kathleen Keohane would have been walking along Lake Tahoe Boulevard after leaving Carrows Restaurant. Four females, four murders, one road.   

Thanks to Joseph for highlighting this case.

Investigators believed that Joseph Stephen Holt was responsible for other acts of violence, aside from his two known murders of Brynn Rainey (1977) and Carol Andersen (1979), finding a newspaper clipping in his property with the date of January 30th 1975 written by Holt in the margin. The newspaper article entitled "Pair Grapple With Suspect, One Shot" was referencing an attempted vehicle burglary in Los Gatos where one of the victims suffered a gunshot wound. The composite of the suspect looked just like Joseph Stephen Holt, giving detectives the belief he was the likely responsible. His propensity to use firearms was brought into focus during a search of his belongings, with investigators finding numerous weapons, including a sawed-off shotgun, stun guns and handcuffs. 

On the night of June 30th 1979, Carol Andersen (16) had attended a party on Regina Road before leaving at approximately 11:30pm. Joseph Stephen Holt's residence when he murdered Brynn Rainey two years earlier was at 1390 Keller Road. This location is only 350 feet from Regina Road, so it's possible Joseph Stephen Holt attended this party, or had noticed Carol Andersen walking away from the residence and offered her a lift home. It's equally possible she could have been forced into his vehicle. All we do know for certain, is the close proximity of his 1390 Keller Road home to the last place Carol Andersen was seen alive. Through the diligent research of several individuals, it has been shown that his parents purchased the 1390 Keller Road residence in 1967. This would have given him access to this address had he visited the South Lake Tahoe region in the years prior to him moving there on a permanent basis in 1974.  

There is a distinct possibility he targeted Carol Anderson in 1979 when she left the party on Regina Road, Brynn Rainey was last seen on July 24th 1977 in the Bittercreek Saloon by Sandy Way and Takela Drive at approximately 10:00pm. Her route to the Sahara Tahoe Hotel from this establishment would have taken her past the northern tip of Ski Run Boulevard, extremely close to Regina Road. It's possible that both Brynn Rainey and Carol Andersen entered his vehicle either willingly or unwillingly in this area.

But could Joseph Stephen Holt have been responsible for any other serious crimes close to the 1390 Keller Road address between 1967 and 1979, possibly involving a pistol or shotgun? He would have been aged between 20 and 32 during these years. I have found the attempted murder of two individuals sitting next to their vehicle on Saddle Road by Heavenly Valley Ski Resort in 1969, just 20 minutes walking distance from the 1390 Keller Road home (4 minutes by car), and 13 minutes on foot from Regina Road where Carol Andersen left the party. Joseph Stephen Holt would have been 22 years of age at the time of these attempted murders. 

On Saturday, December 13th 1969 at 9:45pm, an unknown individual carrying a flashlight and shotgun approached a young couple, Heidi Hoffman (16) and Lenny Parsons (19), who had parked their vehicle at the end of Saddle Road by Heavenly Valley. They were sitting on nearby rocks close to their vehicle, when the gunman from about 25 yards away extinguished his flashlight and began shooting.In a completely unprovoked attack, Heidi Hoffman was struck by 40 pellets, with Lenny Parsons hit 7 times. Officers would later retrieve 12-guage shells from the road. Both victims would survive the attack, but were unable to offer a reason why they may have been targeted. The couple made no mention of hearing or seeing a vehicle belonging to the shooter, so had the assailant parked a distance away, or had he arrived to the location on foot with the shotgun concealed under his clothing. As stated above, the location of the shooting is only 20 minutes on foot from the 1390 Keller Road residence. The last 10 minutes of which can be traversed through the woods alongside Saddle Road to create cover and concealment. This would achieve an element of surprise when approaching the victims, who were sitting on rocks at the western edge of the road. Many of the properties located in this area had not been built in 1969, so the killer could have arrived by vehicle, parked up in a nearby clearing up the road and walked the remaining few hundred feet through the woods before re-emerging.  View newspaper article from the Sacramento Bee on December 15th 1969. 

Carol Ann Andersen (16) had left a party in Regina Road, South Lake Tahoe at approximately 11:30pm on June 30th 1979 and her body was discovered in the early morning hours of July 1st 1979 by a passing motorist on the edge of the road on Sundown Trail, 3.8 miles by road from the party. Carol was fully clothed, but her shoes were discovered 1/4 mile away on Golden Bear Trail (see map below). There was evidence of strangulation and ligature marks on her wrists, and her bra had been pulled up under her shirt, with scratch marks noted on the right breast. The murderer, Joseph Stephen Holt, lived at 1390 Keller Road at the time of the Brynn Rainey murder in 1977, which was located only 350 feet from Regina Road and a 4 mile drive to Sundown Trail.. However, another address linked to him in the US Index of Public Records from 1978 to 2015 (one year after Brynn's murder, and one year before the murder of Carol Andersen) was 1101 Sierra Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe. This location was just a 1.8 mile drive to Sundown Trail. 

After he had abducted Carol Andersen and did whatever he did, he drove to Sundown Trail and dragged the young girl's body to the side of the road and continued westwards. Because Sundown Trail was effectively a dead end, he must have traveled west and then turned south on Lodgepole Trail, before heading northeast on Golden Bear Trail. Carol's shoes were found on Golden Bear Trail about 1/4 mile from her body, so Joseph Stephen Holt realizing her shoes had likely come off inside his vehicle, probably tossed them out of the vehicle window at the southern edge of Golden Bear Trail before exiting the area.

Brynn Rainey (27) was abducted by Joseph Stephen Holt after leaving the Bittercreek Saloon at Sandy Way and Takela Drive at approximately 10:00pm on July 24th 1977​, who was due at work at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel at 2:00am for her shift. Her body was found a month later in a shallow grave at Stateline Stables at Van Sickle State Park, with her purse and casino identification found about 30 feet from the gravesite. It is thought she was strangled and sexually assaulted. Stateline Stables (at the time) was approximately 1.6 miles drive from 1390 Keller Road (the 1977 residence of Holt).

So if he used the 1101 Sierra Boulevard residence in 1979 when Carol was murdered, he would never have disposed of a victim more than 1.8 miles from either residence. Therefore, if he was responsible for the abduction of Donna Lass in 1970 from somewhere close to the Sahara Tahoe Hotel or her 3893 Pioneer Trail Road home, why did her dump her body 76 miles from 1390 Keller Road? Was this his first murder and he was being extremely cautious, or was he known to Donna Lass (unlike Rainey and Andersen), so took greater precautions to delay any resulting investigation into her murder?

​However, It does appear that greater effort was used in the body disposal of the two women who worked at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. Donna Lass was eventually found 74 miles from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, and Brynn Rainey was found in a 2 foot deep shallow grave. There may have also been delaying tactics with the two Sahara Tahoe Hotel employees, with the killer ringing the casino and excusing their absence in 1970 and 1977. Whereas Carol Andersen was just dumped on the side of the road in plain sight. A connection between Joseph Stephen Holt and the two Sahara Tahoe Hotel workers may have caused him to want to buy time and delay any investigation into their disappearances. If Donna Lass been discovered in a 2 foot shallow grave in 1970 we may have had our answer by now.  

​READ THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR'S REPORT INTO DONNA LASS