The following will be a further in depth examination of the area around the payphone at the intersection of Springs Road and Tuolumne Street, where the Zodiac Killer placed a phone call to police dispatcher Nancy Slover at 12.40 am on July 5th 1969.
Firstly, we will take a closer look into the possibility the Zodiac Killer placed three phone calls rather than the accepted two, beginning on December 20th 1968, shortly after the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on Lake Herman Road.
Pierre Bidou, one of the responding officers to the Lake Herman Road murders was interviewed by the Benicia Herald, in which was stated "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene." 
If true, somebody may have phoned the police to report a car accident- although it was perceived as a crank call.
​Clearly, something must have triggered this belief, as a car accident is not something to be taken lightly, yet it was perceived as suspect. This phone call (if placed) must have been received between the time of the murders and 11.25 pm, the earliest time that Captain Daniel Pitta received the disturbing account of Stella Medeiros and then radioed in to police headquarters. There should be no conceivable reason why a respected officer of the law, radioing in on police frequency the account of Stella Medeiros about bodies on the ground, should be construed as a crank call, unless shortly before or around the same time they had received another incoming call pertaining to a car accident on Lake Herman Road. If this phone call had been placed by an unknown party, they would have rang police literally minutes after the murders. 
The last person to pass the fateful turnout prior to the murders was James Owen, estimated between 11.09-11.14 pm. The phone call, if the murderer, would indicate the payphone used to have been approximately 10 to 15 minutes away from the Lake Herman Road turnout, had he traveled directly there. This is because Officer Pierre Bidou received the information about the crank call as he and his partner were "on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker," after which they immediately returned back to Lake Herman Road. We know his approximate time of arrival at the crime scene and therefore the approximate time he was dispatched to it. This ties nicely with a potential phone call from the Zodiac Killer, delivered from the exact payphone he used after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack on Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin. This payphone is 11-13 minutes traveling time from the Lake Herman Road turnout.     

If this call was the Zodiac Killer, why didn't he just lay claim to the murders as he had done in his two following attacks. He may simply have just gained pleasure by calling it in and describing it as a car accident, toying with police - or does his following two phone calls give us a clue.
If he had spotted a potential eyewitness near the payphone, he may have instinctively changed the message from a double murder to a car accident, thereby avoiding any future ramifications had he somehow been traced. He then would have only been a concerned citizen. Did this influence his method of operation on July 5th 1969.
In the August 4th 1969 'Debut of Zodiac' letter he stated "I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car. The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car."
There are several reasons to believe the Zodiac Killer invented this eyewitness, but not the ringing payphone. The way he constructed this passage of text may be extremely well thought out, to give the impression he was still in his vehicle, as opposed to on foot. Had he parked his vehicle at his residence and walked to the payphone, the last thing he wanted to do is reveal this to investigators, as reconstructing the timeline would place his residence in the very near vicinity.
The first section of the passage is effectively true-  he drove away from the scene of the crime in his car. He then immediately reinforces the idea to police that he is still in his vehicle, by offering up a potential eyewitness to the said vehicle and giving up unnecessary details about the eyewitness in an attempt to make him more real, such as his age range and mode of dress. Information that not only could be helpful to police in possibly tracking the eyewitness down, but also an eyewitness who potentially could reinforce the notion his vehicle was brown (knowing he would never be found, because he didn't exist). The Zodiac Killer, having read the newspaper reports of his vehicle being described as brown by Michael Mageau, is effectively using the negro male to corroborate the color of his vehicle- which may indicate his vehicle was anything but brown. A killer offering up useful information to investigators has to be viewed with suspicion. 
Finally, just in case the police hadn't got the message, he delivers his car into the passage for a third time: "When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car." The phone rang, but there was no vehicle. The ringing payphone could have drawn attention to him in the early morning hours, and may have been the reason he left the receiver off the hook at 1231 Main Street, Napa, after the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. The ringing payphone was the perfect opportunity to fictitiously place his brown car at the payphone and corroborate the 'fact' by an over-detailed description of an eyewitness. Using this hypothesis and the time of the shooting, would likely place the killer's residence within a 15-20 minute walking radius of the payphone. His experiences after the Lake Herman Road murders may have influenced his decision to place the phone call without his car in tow, and lessen the risk of his vehicle being connected to that location.    

After the Lake Berryessa attack, the Zodiac Killer was possibly heading along California State Route 29 towards Vallejo, where many observers believe he lived. The western edge of Tuolumne Street, by Flosden Acres, borders this route, so would take the killer to the area just north of the payphone. Whether he took this route is obviously unknown, but his directional movement after the first two crimes may possibly suggest this is a viable option. 
The Zodiac Killer in all likelihood didn't know any of his victims, but this cannot be totally ruled out. David Faraday was present on Sonoma Boulevard four hours prior to his murder. The 4th July 1969 annual parade in Vallejo began at 10.00 am and traveled south on Sonoma Boulevard. Darlene Ferrin went to the lighted boat parade the evening of her death.
Ricardo Gomez of MK Zodiac has written an excellent article on this topic, with a possible connection to the Zodiac 408 cipher and the Zodiac 'buttons'. 
On page 31 of the LHR police report it states "Joe was interviewed at the Faraday residence, 1930 Sereno Drive. He was a personal friend of David. He states David had no enemies to his knowledge. David met Betty Lou approximately a week ago at the Pythian Castle where they were decorating the hall for a social event." 
On page 53 it states "Mrs Faraday stated she did not know Betty Lou that she and David had only been going together for a short time, she had never met Betty Lou. She stated she did not know of any enemies David may have had. She stated that on Friday night at 7.10 pm David drove his sister Debbie to a meeting of the Rainbow Girls at the Pythian Castle on Sonoma Boulevard, and David came back home at 7.20 pm and left again at 7.30 pm. Responding officer talked to Debbie Faraday, WFJ 16 years, sister of David. She relates the following David told her on the afternoon of Friday 12/20/68 that he was going out to Lake Herman Road that night because a bunch of the kids were going out there that night." ​
What is the likelihood Zodiac resided close to the intersection of Springs Road and Tuolumne Street, and had crossed paths with some of his victims in this neighborhood. Did his profession give him intimate knowledge of the movements or plans of his young victims.  
A serial killer usually begins his crimes close to home, somewhere he is familiar with, before he eventually gains in confidence and ventures further afield. So, if the Zodiac Killer had lived in Vallejo near the payphone, he would use victim availability, least effort principle and a buffer zone to select his first attacks (both on Friday), particularly if he worked 9-5, Monday to Friday, in which time constraints would obviously have a bearing.
A recent survey in Germany studied the locations of serial killer victims in respect to the killer's home residence and found that 63% of the time the killer lived within a 6 mile traveling distance to the crime scene. So putting all these factors together, we could expect the Zodiac Killer's first murders at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968 and Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969 to be only a matter of a few miles from his house. The payphone is 6.2 miles from the turnout at Lake Herman Road and 3.6 miles from Blue Rock Springs Park.

We also have to consider that if the Zodiac Killer lived further away from the payphone area, such as American Canyon, Napa or San Francisco, why didn't he apply a greater buffer zone from the crime scene to his choice of payphone, as opposed to making the phone call only 3.6 miles (2.85 miles as the crow flies) from the crime scene and extremely close to the police station. Possibly because in his early crimes he chose to take less risk- his objective being to head home almost immediately to discard the weapon and secure his vehicle. His third and fourth crimes showed increased confidence, but crucially both were on a Saturday, therefore he was less constrained by time, had he worked during the week. 
The Zodiac Killer's first two attacks in remote areas may have indicated that he trolled Lake Herman Road and Columbus Parkway looking to find victims. This would suggest a prior knowledge of these areas being frequented by courting couples. 
​"David told Debbie on the afternoon of Friday 12/20/68 that he was going out to Lake Herman Road that night because a bunch of the kids were going out there that night." Was the killer aware of these plans? Did he track Darlene Ferrin after the parade? 
It may be unlikely, but these questions have to be asked. 
Additionally, would a killer who didn't live in the near vicinity of the crimes, have such a good grasp of his spatial awareness.
In the July 31st 1969 letters he stated the "Girl was lyeing on right side feet to west," and contrary to popular belief, his payphone directions were also fairly accurate, if taken from either the payphone or police station. He stated "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye"  When you insert a break or comma after "east", the directions are perfectly fine, other than "one mile east" should have been "two miles east."  Columbus Parkway is east of the payphone and police station. His compass directions were correct in both instances. He could of course (if unsure) have checked a map prior to the Blue Rock Springs attack, but that would rely on knowing in advance exactly where his attack was going to take place. He could have checked a map after the attack and before the payphone call. Or he could have known the area well.

A home location for the Zodiac Killer was previously examined based on his movements after the July 4th 1969 Blue Rock Springs Park shooting and his possible misdirection in the August 4th 1969 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, where he stated "The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car." It was argued, that by drawing our attention to the description of the male negro, and the fact he had spotted the Zodiac's brown car, the killer was in fact disguising the reality, that he had actually walked to the payphone at Springs and Tuolumne rather than driven, thereby safeguarding his identity.
Approximating the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park to midnight, had he lived in the vicinity of the payphone, then his journey time from the attack site would have been 10 minutes. Allowing for a further 10 minute turnaround to park his vehicle, ditch his weapon, change his clothes and prepare himself, we are left with a reasonable estimate of 15-20 minutes walking time to the payphone, affording him a reasonable buffer zone to his residence or base location. 
Many observers have speculated as to whether the Zodiac Killer knew any of his victims, or had crossed paths with them at any point in time. There is no solid evidence to believe such a relationship ever existed, but to even try to contend one existed, common ground must be sought. If our killer lived 15-20 minutes walking distance from the payphone, then it is reasonable to assert that he likely interacted with neighbors and the local community, by way of convenience stores, churches and community centers.
Although not fully established, the Zodiac Killer has been touted as having a military connection. It has also been suggested he may have belonged to a secret society, fraternal organization or satanic circle. So, in an attempt to give this notion a fair examination, we must first look at the locale in a 15-20 minute walking radius of the payphone, as well as any possible connections to the victims at Blue Rock Springs Park or Lake Herman Road, where his reign of terror began. To narrow down the search field further, the north side of the payphone was examined first, as it afforded separation from the police station nearby.              

First take a look at these three repeated symbols in the 340 character cipher, mailed on November 8th 1969. The following connection, pointed out on many Zodiac forums, is extremely tenuous, nevertheless it has relevance to the following segments in the Lake Herman Road police report.
On page 31 it states "Joe was interviewed at the Faraday residence, 1930 Sereno Drive. He was a personal friend of David. He states David had no enemies to his knowledge. David met Betty Lou approximately a week ago at the Pythian Castle where they were decorating the hall for a social event." 
On page 53 it states "Mrs Faraday stated she did not know Betty Lou that she and David had only been going together for a short time, she had never met Betty Lou. She stated she did not know of any enemies David may have had. She stated that on Friday night at 7.10 pm David drove his sister Debbie to a meeting of the Rainbow Girls at the Pythian Castle on Sonoma Boulevard, and David came back home at 7.20 pm and left again at 7.30 pm. Responding officer talked to Debbie Faraday, WFJ 16 years, sister of David. She relates the following David told her on the afternoon of Friday 12/20/68 that he was going out to Lake Herman Road that night because a bunch of the kids were going out there that night." 
Here is an extract from the Calvary Baptist Church: "Calvary Baptist Church held its first services on Sunday, January 13, 1959. Pastor Emmit Duckett and the Fairfield Baptist Church commissioned the beginning of Calvary Baptist Church on February 1, 1959. On that day, the 20 charter members unanimously called Patrick Everitt as their pastor. The first meeting place was the Pythian Castle Hall at 2618 Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo, California." link.
This following snippet is from the Vallejo Times-Herald newspaper on December 22nd 1968: "The Jensen girl, whose family resides at 123 Ridgewood Ct, was a native of Colorado. She was a junior and an honor student at Hogan High School. She was also grand royal guide of Prima Vera Council 32. Pythian Sunshine Girls."

On the left is the emblem of the Knights of Pythias, referring to  Friendship, Charity and Benevolence
The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias. This legend illustrates the ideals of loyalty, honor, and friendship that are the center of the order.The order has over 2,000 lodges in the United States and around the world, with a total membership of over 50,000 in 2003. The order is headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Some lodges meet in structures referred to as Pythian Castles. Extract from Wikipedia.
The Pythian Sisters have a youth affiliate, the Pythian Sunshine Girls, started in 1930. It is open to girls 8–20 and has local Councils in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Ohio, Virginia and Texas,.
Albeit one character is reversed, the 340 cipher contains the letters FBC from the Knights of Pythias emblem, on the ninth and thirteenth lines.
Had David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen come into contact with their killer through the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization- somebody who knew their plans on Friday night. 
The Pythian Castle Hall at 2618 Sonoma Boulevard is only 24 minutes walking distance from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone. However, there is somewhere that lies inside our 15 minute walking radius from the payphone, that may have some greater relevance regarding the Zodiac Killer and the Knights of Pythias. Listed in the 1969 Vallejo directory under 1020 Alabama Street is The Knights of Pythias Organization 643-6087 and The Navy City Elks Lodge No 1268 643-6087.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is a fraternal order founded in 1868, with veteran services provided by the society. The Elks pledge that "So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them." Wikipedia link.
1020 Alabama Street is approximately 14 minutes or 0.7 miles from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone, that may center the Zodiac Killer's location very close to Alabama Street and Sanoma Boulevard, or indeed The Knights of Pythias Organization and The Navy City Elks Lodge.  The Mare Island Naval Shipyard is also in close proximity. 
​However, If the Zodiac Killer did not live in this area, was he a staff member, or visitor of these organizations? And did he at any time cross paths with David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen? It's a slim possibility, but can it be ruled out 

James Owen was the only eyewitness at Lake Herman Road who saw two vehicles parked in the turnout on December 20th 1968. He recalled very little about the vehicle parked alongside the Faraday Rambler, but remembered them being 3-10 feet apart. His statement to police noted that "he did not see anyone in the cars or around them." This is probably the most puzzling aspect of the Lake Herman Road murders, and is often explained away in unsatisfactory terms. Raymond Grant, author of 'Zodiac Killer Solved' alerted me to this problem, in respect to how the Faraday Rambler was discovered by police in the turnout, with the front passenger side door open. Ray has tackled this 'anomaly' in his book and presented a comprehensive timeline of the eyewitnesses present that fateful night. The following however, will view the crime from a different angle.
It is possible that James Owen was mistaken and didn't notice David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in the Rambler, but for now we will take his account in good faith, and assume they were not present in the front seats. 
It is extremely unlikely David Faraday would have just remained in the pitch black turnout for any considerable time, if another vehicle had pulled up alongside them. So it is likely that the vehicle that James Owen saw alongside the Rambler had just pulled into the turnout before he arrived. Approximately 30 seconds after he had passed the turnout he "thought he heard a shot." Many observers have speculated that the Zodiac Killer had already forced the couple from the Rambler before James Owen arrived. He was about to murder the couple when he saw or heard James Owen's vehicle approaching, so improvised and forced the couple out of sight between the vehicles. But we have a major problem. James Owen does not mention the car doors on either vehicle open, particularly the Rambler. This can be simply explained away, in that the killer, keen to avoid drawing unwanted attention, closed the Rambler door before forcing the couple out of sight. 

Once James Owen had passed, the killer began his brutal execution of the couple, or initially David Faraday, just 30 seconds later. It was then assumed, he returned to his vehicle and left the turnout. If this version of events were true, why did the killer reopen the passenger side door of the Rambler before he left, as this is how it was found by investigators. Nothing was apparently taken from the victims by the perpetrator, or mailed by the killer thereafter.
It has been suggested that James Owen likely didn't see the couple in the vehicle because they were 'making out' with the seats reclined. This would be highly unlikely once a second vehicle had pulled alongside them, in extremely close proximity.
It was a dark, isolated turnout, late at night and anybody would be reasonably apprehensive at this point, and David Faraday, a conscientious young man, accompanying a girl on a first date, would certainly have been aware of the dangers.
If James Owen was correct, and the couple were not in the vehicle, and unlikely they were under duress between the vehicles, then where were they. Raymond Grant has presented his version of events in 'Zodiac Killer Solved', but here we will explore some alternatives. The simplest, is that the couple were in the vehicle, but James Owen simply failed to notice them.
If they were between the vehicles, then we have to believe that the killer pulled up alongside the Rambler, forced them out of the vehicle with warning shots, out of the audible range of James Owen's approaching vehicle, but didn't strike immediately. The assailant then noticed the vehicle of James Owen approaching, hiding the couple out of sight and closing his door, and the door of the Rambler. Once he believed James Owen had passed beyond audible range, he began his attack. Just before he left though, he reopened the Rambler door for no reason. Unless he decided he wanted a souvenir from the vehicle. But with nothing reported missing from the young couple, the murderer either didn't find anything of satisfaction within the Rambler, or this chain of events never occurred.  

Did James Owen see a vehicle parked alongside the Rambler at all. For this to be the case, we would have to believe the assailant arrived on foot, however the sighting of the empty white Chevrolet Impala earlier that night, along with the 'suspicious' vehicle reported by William Crow, would have to be put down as sheer coincidence in view of the events that ultimately unfolded later that night. This tips the scales, that likely verifies James Owen's sighting of a second vehicle as correct. He may have been unsure of the distance between the two vehicles, but in his statement to police he stressed that "he definitely saw two cars."
The final alternative, if we dismiss the above, has been presented by Raymond Grant, in that the couple were held captive, contained within the trunk of a vehicle, likely the Impala.
It is not a valid hypothesis to argue the killer entered the rear of the Rambler, forcing the couple out of sight as James Owen passed, because the rear doors were discovered locked by investigators. Either James Owen was mistaken and he failed to notice the couple in the Rambler, the killer opened the front passenger door after the murders to possibly collect a 'souvenir' or for some ulterior motive, or a third unexplored option exists,
one not dissimilar to that suggested by Raymond Grant. It's a question of whether the simplest answer is the correct one.        

This is a follow up article exploring the idea a phone call was placed approximately 10-12 minutes after the Lake Herman Road murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968, using the concept of a 'laughing killer' and the disputed 1986 'Zodiac' letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. Many magazine and newspaper articles are littered with basic errors regarding the Zodiac case, however some recurring themes not widely recognized as fact are present in many.
The Tuscaloosa News ran an article on October 17th 1969, just 20 days after the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. It stated 'Then the man said "I'm going to have to stab you people." Hartnell said "Please stab me first, I'm chicken. I couldn't stand to see her stabbed." The man told him "I'll do just that." He stabbed Hartnell until he passed out. The poor girl, she just had to watch. Then he knifed her until she fainted. When he stabbed Hartnell it was deliberate. When he stabbed the girl he laughed in a frenzy. Hartnell had been stabbed 10 times with a thin 12-inch blade. Miss Shepard, whose writhing provoked her attacker to laughter, had been stabbed 24 times.' 
One can see the embellishment in the fact the newspaper reported 34 stab wounds as opposed to 16, so did the killer really laugh in a frenzy during his attack on Cecelia Shepard.  
The second article involves the Argosy Magazine dated September 1970 and the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, two weeks after the Berryessa attack. The following is extremely unlikely, but was a section of the October 13th 1969 letter omitted from public consumption in similar fashion to the phrase 'by knife' written on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia, to provoke a reaction from the killer. It is highly doubtful, and likely sensationalized reporting, however this magazine article actually adds a phrase attributed to the killer, written in the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. The article read 'Four days after the murder of Paul Stine yet another scrawled letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle. With it was a bloodstained piece of cloth, later established by laboratory technicians as a small part of the missing swatch ripped from Stine's shirt. The rambling letter, signed with the crossed-circle symbol, began, as had the others, with "This is the Zodiac Speaking."  The writer went on to say that he was the killer of the cabbie-student, adding "and to prove it, here is a piece of his shirt." The letter also disclosed that the fugitive, from some nearby hiding place, had watched with uncontrollable amusement while police searched the area. He said "they could have caught me if they had done it right, instead of dashing around waiting for me to come out of cover. I like to died laughing."       

The Argosy Magazine article continued with reflections of the Lake Berryessa stabbing 'The mention of laughter at a murder scene struck a responsive chord in the minds of the manhunters. During his recovery, young Hartnell had told Napa sleuths that "the man in the hood" had laughed diabolically as he plunged his knife again and again into Miss Shepard beside the lake.' This would be repeated in the Coronet Magazine in October 1973 where it described the following 'He held an automatic pistol on them, tied them securely with plastic-coated clothesline, and then stabbed them repeatedly, laughing hysterically as they thrashed and rolled in pain.'  
The Front Page Detective Magazine article of February 1970 stated "He (the killer) dropped to his knees and slowly, deliberately, forcefully plunged a 12-inch, double edged knife into Bryan's back 10 times. When the youth fainted in pain, the killer turned on the girl. His demeanor changed, kneeling beside her, he laughed wildly as he plunged the dagger 20 times into her back in a frenzied assault."  
In April of 1974 Detective Cases Magazine covered the Berryessa stabbing: "He ordered Miss Shepard to tie up Hartnell, then he bound the girl, hands and ankles. The gun had been replaced with a knife and when both victims were securely trussed, the hooded monster began plunging the weapon repeatedly into first, the man, then, the girl, accompanying each thrust with a maniacal laugh. For what seemed an eternity to the horrified, screaming, helpless victims, the merciless butchery continued. Their torturer first slashed, then stabbed as his hideous laughter echoed along the banks of the lake."        

Officer Pierre Bidou remembered a 'crank call' after the Lake Herman Road murders. He described this to the Benicia Herald newspaper ""Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene." 
Officer Pierre Bidou also recalled this 'car accident' to Zodiac investigator Michael Butterfield. “…we got the call from the dispatcher that an accident, or something, had occurred on Lake Herman Road, so we turned around and came by.” Source.
This is from a previous article: 'When Stella Medeiros observed the crime scene at 11.20 pm, she raced off to seek help in Benicia, eventually locating Captain Daniel Pitta at the Enco Gas Station on East 2nd Street. This is 3.4 miles from the turnout, an estimated journey time of 5 minutes on Google Maps. She is obviously driving faster than normal and flags down Captain Daniel Pitta probably slightly shy of 11.25 pm, allowing her to give her account and for Captain Daniel Pitta to head to the crime scene by 11.28 pm. In the course of this, the information would have been relayed to Benicia Police Department.
So where did the supposition of a crank call or a car accident originate from. The description given by Stella Medeiros may have been interpreted as a car crash originally and relayed this way, but why would a radio message from a respected officer of the law be interpreted as a crank call. He was a captain reporting an incident on official police channels. Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday are lying prostrate in the turnout, whether a crash or not, why would Pierre Bidou be under any illusion of a crank call, unless a payphone call had come in slightly earlier than the radio message from Captain Daniel Pitta. The Zodiac Killer made phone calls after both his subsequent attacks, so why not this one. The only difference being, he called it in as a car accident, unwilling to show his hand as the murderer.

​Had James Owen passed the turnout around 11.08-11.09 pm, and the Zodiac Killer had exited the turnout somewhere between 11.12-11.14 pm and headed to Vallejo via Springs Road, his journey time to the payphone at the intersection of Springs and Tuolumne would be approximately 10-12 minutes, placing the 'crank call' at 11.22-11.24 pm, just prior to Stella Borges' meeting with Captain Daniel Pitta at 11.25 pm. The 'crank call' and the radio message from Captain Daniel Pitta would have been received in close proximity, leading to the confusion. The crank call being received slightly before the official police radio message.
This is where the 'laughing killer' and the phone call intersect in the aftermath of the Lake Herman Road murders. The Argosy Magazine wasn't finished yet. It continued on further '"The man in the hood" had laughed diabolically as he plunged his knife again and again into Miss Shepard beside the lake. He had also laughed in his phone call to Vallejo Police in December 1968.'  Does this validate the claim by Pierre Bidou. If the Zodiac Killer had laughed down the phone, could this be why the dispatcher had interpreted it as a crank call. Additionally, the article stated the phone call was made to Vallejo Police, exactly as the phone call would be 6 1/2 months later, after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack on July 4th 1969.
Russell Butterbach of the Solano County Sheriff's Department and his partner Wayne Waterman were just heading onto Lake Herman Road, when they received a call from the sergeant to go to the Hells Angels pad on Warren Avenue, Vallejo. After approximately 30 minutes they then received a double 187 on Lake Herman Road. 
If a crank phone call from the killer was received after the Lake Herman Road double shooting, then the time of this call, likely just before 11.25 pm, ties in perfectly with a 10-12 minute journey from the turnout to the Springs and Tuolumne payphone.
This wasn't the only time that the Zodiac Killer may have directed police to the scene of an accident.

http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/sacramento-cold-case-contact

Here we will tackle the Lake Herman Road timeline for the umpteenth occasion, but examine it in relation to the movements of Officer Pierre Bidou. This is not the first article looking at the timeline of Pierre Bidou, but the previous have predominantly used the statements given by him in the 2007 Zodiac documentary, in which he said "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960's was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by, we did not see or observe anyone in that area, because it's a turn there and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road, and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call. We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened and for the best of my recollection we did not pass any other vehicle or traffic. I'm pretty sure of that because that is one of the things we told the sheriff's office, that we did not see any other vehicles coming our way. What could have happened, depending on where a vehicle turned onto Lake Herman Road, if it came from behind us, from Vallejo, we would not have seen them."​

However, just like Donald Fouke at Presidio Heights, it depends on which version of Pierre Bidou's account you believe when constructing your timeline. Pierre Bidou passing the turnout prior to 11.00 pm, has him arriving at Benicia Police Department (10 minute journey) far too early to simply "pull into the lot in the police department, and hear the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road." It hadn't been reported until 11.25 pm, when Stella Medeiros flagged down Captain Daniel Pitta.
It has been suggested that Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta likely stopped en route back to Benicia PD to grab something to eat, something police officers have been known to do. But this seems unlikely, the reasons for which will be explained shortly. 
The following explores the idea that Pierre Bidou did actually pass the turnout likely minutes before the murders, as he alluded to in the 2007 documentary: "We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened." In fact he may have been the final person to pass the turnout before the murders and not James Owen. 
Multiple versions of the Lake Herman Road timeline can be created. There are so many conflicting versions of the same story, it becomes a matter of where you source your material and/or law enforcement quotes. This is not a character assassination of Pierre Bidou, who was a long standing and by all accounts a very good police officer, but with the passage of time memories become tainted, and recollections become blurred. Pierre Bidou on no less than four occasions described finding David Faraday in the front passenger seat of the Rambler, yet in the 2007 documentary stated David Faraday was found lying outside the Rambler on the turnout floor. These are discrepancies compounded by ones recollection of a distant event, and totally understandable. It is from this confliction we shall create a new timeline for Pierre Bidou.

In an interview with the Benicia Herald Pierre Bidou is consistent in his claim about arriving at Benicia Police Department, when they are informed of an incident on Lake Herman Road "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Bidou and his partner had been in the vicinity a short time before, but they hadn’t seen any traffic, let alone Faraday’s car parked in the turnout." Source.
In another Benicia Herald article the version differed. Although not a direct quote from Bidou, it could be argued that the interviewer simply didn't pluck this account out of thin air. It stated "The timing was remarkable. The officers had just participated in a narcotics raid at a building at the Lake Herman parking area and had driven back to town with suspects in the back of their cruiser. Perhaps, they thought, they had seen a car at the turnout. Maybe there were two. They couldn’t be completely sure." Source.
Here lies the problem. If more than one version can be given for the position David Faraday was discovered in the turnout, it is not unreasonable to consider their differing accounts on whether any vehicles were present in the turnout- "They couldn’t be completely sure." The two officers had just secured a big drugs bust of the day and apparently had suspects in the back of their cruiser. Not likely then, that they would stop off for a bite to eat on the way back to Benicia PD. Combine this with the fact that Pierre Bidou throughout the years has never mentioned any detour on the way back to the police department, yet has consistently reaffirmed that he had just arrived at the parking lot of the police department when he was dispatched back to Lake Herman Road, believing he had passed the turnout literally "minutes from the crime scene."   

Stella Medeiros raced for help after discovering the bodies in the turnout and located Captain Daniel Pitta, according to his police report account, at 11.25 pm. He then radioed Benicia Police Department somewhere between 11.25-11.30 pm approximately. Pierre Bidou's journey time from the turnout to Benicia PD is a maximum of 10 minutes. When he pulled into the parking lot the call came in:
"I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road." This had to be around 11.25-11.30 pm, radioed in by Captain Daniel Pitta. Therefore deducting this 10 minute journey by Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta, has the officers passing the Lake Herman Road turnout at 11.15-11.20 pm, where "they had seen a car at the turnout. Maybe there were two. They couldn’t be completely sure."
If you believe that James Owen passed the turnout at 11.14 pm, then Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta passed the turnout after James Owen, and they were the last witnesses before the murder. This however would negate the idea that the shot James Owen thought he heard 30 seconds after passing the turnout, was the shot that began the murders of the young couple. If James Owen was mistaken about the gunshot, then Pierre Bidou could easily have passed after the Humble Oil worker, and before the arrival of Stella Medeiros, widely recognized as 11.20 pm.  
This timeline has Pierre Bidou passing the turnout at 11.15-11.20 pm, and fits nicely with reaching Benicia PD around 11.25-11.30 pm. They likely dropped off the suspects and drugs before returning to the Lake Herman Road turnout, This, bearing in mind they are traveling at increased speed on the return journey, places them back at the turnout shortly after 11.30 pm, just after Captain Daniel Pitta, whose police report has him at the turnout at 11.28 pm. This seems consistent, as both officers recall David Faraday still breathing at the scene. 
It is very difficult to be specific fifty years after the crime, however if Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta had passed off the suspects to fellow officers and secured the drugs seizure, then received the dispatch of an incident on Lake Herman Road, it can easily be seen how five minutes could be added to the timeline. In this case the two officers would have passed the turnout sometime between 11.10-11.15 pm, the earlier of which (11.10-11.13 pm) would allow James Owen to pass the turnout after the officers, at 11.14 pm, and still hear the shot, yet the gunfire would be inaudible to Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta, who were further away towards Benicia. If James Owen passed the turnout circa 11.08-11.09 pm, then the earlier time of Pierre Bidou passing the turnout at 11.10-11.15 pm, or the later time of 11.15-11.20 pm, would in both instances have the officers passing after James Owen and likely negating the premise a gunshot had been heard.
If we believe the two officers took no detours that night, then they did literally pass the turnout minutes before the murders.

The following is nothing new, but is a further re-examination of the critical period after the Blue Rock Springs Park and Lake Herman Road attacks, focusing in on 'two phone calls' made shortly after each crime. It will place particular emphasis on the area around the Springs/Tuolumne payphone, and the possibility the killer's residence on foot, was mere minutes away. We shall also look again at the wording of the Zodiac Killer in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter received by the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969. Here is what we noted in a previous article:
'In the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter received by the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969, the Zodiac Killer stated; 
"The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car." This negro male was never traced and did not feature in the police report. The details of his age range and what he was wearing, on the face of it appear unnecessary, unless of course the Zodiac Killer was deliberately creating a fictional character who just so happened to observe his brown car. Bearing in mind Zodiac had likely read newspaper reports of Michael Mageau detailing a brown car in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs, what better way to corroborate his sighting by further implanting the seed of a brown car into the minds of investigators, by the hand of this fictional eyewitness. If Zodiac's vehicle was 'Ermine White' then clearly this is to his advantage. Voluntarily offering the color of his vehicle as brown, if in fact it was brown, must be viewed with suspicion'.      

Two other things strike you about this section of correspondence. The Zodiac's willingness to accept he made an error of judgment when he hung up the phone, unless of course he had an ulterior motive for it.
In his communications to police the Zodiac would never refer to his victims by name, calling them boy, girl, teenagers or taxicab driver. He only expanded on their descriptions when attempting to verify he was the killer, or in this case to verify he was spotted in his "brown car", by a "40-45 year old shabbily dressed negro male." Indeed, very helpful descriptions by the murderer, yet somewhat unnecessary. What had the killer to gain by adding this superfluous information, other than to benefit himself. He made specific reference to "that drew his attention to me + my car", when he could simply have said "that drew his attention to me". The killer appeared to be emphasizing that not only was he in his car, but it was also brown, just like Mageau had described. By placing himself at the payphone in his vehicle approximately 40 minutes after the attack, when it was only 10 minutes from the Blue Rock Springs parking lot, may have suggested to police that he drove to the payphone and could live almost anywhere. Or was that what he wanted them to believe, by being so utterly unselfish and extremely forthright, in adding in the detailed eyewitness and his brown car parked nearby. When in fact he was on foot, and had placed the phone call after returning home, ditching his weapon, vehicle and clothing (which may have received blood transfer from the shooting).  
The downside of a killer resident in downtown Vallejo, American Canyon or Benicia, is that, had he driven home to these locations to ditch his clothing and weapon, he would effectively be driving back towards or nearer to the crime scene to place the phone call. What killer would make a phone call after a murder extremely close to his residence? A killer who was implanting the seed of a brown car, when in fact it was white and not there.
The content of the phone call may also be telling. The directions he gave were correct, apart from the distance. He stated "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye"
This appears incorrect on first reading, whether from the payphone or the police station, but by inserting one break or comma, the directions make perfect sense. "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east..... on Columbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye"  Or by changing one word regarding the recollection of Nancy Slover. "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east..... on Columbus Parkway by a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye" 
However, is the killer playing down his familiarity with this particular payphone by placing it one mile west of Columbus Parkway, when its true distance is 2 miles.  

Let us consider the Zodiac Killer lived in a residence extremely close to the payphone, but how close? If he drove to a residence ten minutes from Blue Rock Springs, would he be prepared to walk 20-30 minutes to the payphone, and place the call, knowing he had the equivalent journey back home. In distance terms, one mile from the payphone. Or would he more likely venture 5 or 10 minutes. Could the 'crank call' made after the Lake Herman Road double murder help us, and did the Zodiac Killer place this phone call on foot, from the exact same payphone. This much shallower timeline may place his residence yards from Springs and Tuolumne.
The timeline of Lake Herman Road is debatable, but it is fairly certain that James Owen passed the turnout at 11.08-11.10 pm and heard a shot 30 seconds later. This being the case puts the killer in the turnout at around 11.10 pm.
Stella Medeiros spotting the bodies in the turnout, raced off to Benicia and flagged down Officer Daniel Pitta. This has been argued between 11.19-11.25 pm (Officer Daniel Pitta's police report states 11.25 pm). The dispatch to Benicia Police Department was shortly after. It is widely believed to be around 11.28-11.30 pm.
"Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene." 
But why, in the plural, had "police at first suspected it was a crank call." What gave them this idea, after all this incident was radioed in by an experienced officer. Was the supposition of a crank call, which police "first suspected," allayed when the radio message arrived moments later from Officer Daniel Pitta. ​Had this been called in by Zodiac? Had this been called in from the payphone at Springs and Tuolumne, just as it was to be some six and a half months later? If police first suspected this was a crank call, then it was likely called in before Officer Daniel Pitta radioed in, whose confirmation would effectively quash the idea it was a hoax, as police first suspected.
The journey time from the Gate #10 turnout to Springs and Tuolumne is 12 minutes. Had the Zodiac Killer left the turnout at approximately 11.10 pm or shortly thereafter, let us say 11.11-11.12 pm, then the killer was able to place the phone call 12 minutes later at 11.23-11.24 pm, before Daniel Pitta radioed in, leading to the initial confusion experienced by police officers and the assumption it was a crank call. The Zodiac Killer may even have had a extra 3-5 minute window to travel home, ditch his vehicle and weapon, and walk to the payphone. Whatever the case, the author of the 'Debut Letter' was seemingly eager to sell us a narrative.   

Although we disagree on the mechanics of the crime, Raymond Grant does raise some interesting issues regarding the Lake Herman Road timeline and discrepancies in certain eyewitness testimony, particularly that of Robert Connelly and Helen Axe.
With just a cursory glance at the police report, it becomes immediately apparent that if we take it at face value, either the eyewitness recollections are incorrect, or a strange sequence of events occurred that night, heaping more suspicion onto the white Chevrolet Impala than ever before. Raymond Grant has emphasized these points in his book 'Zodiac Killer Solved,' and whether you agree or disagree with his overall take on the Zodiac murders, he does make some incredibly insightful and valuable points. Firstly we will focus on the white Chevrolet Impala and take the initial eyewitness testimony at face value.

This is what Robert Connelly stated in the police report "They said that when they arrived there (LHR turnout) at 9.00 pm a white 4-door hardtop, a '59 or '60 Impala, was parked there, and also, a truck coming out of the gate. This coincides with information from Bingo Wesner that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by."
Bingo Wesner, a local sheepherder, also stated in the police report "he was checking his sheep at approximately 10.00 pm and he observed a white Chevrolet Impala Sedan parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station. He also observed a red Ford pick-up truck with wood side boards in the area."
Instantly we see, that despite the police report stating these two coincide, there is a one hour discrepancy. Raymond Grant believes that Robert Connelly's estimate of 9.00 pm is out by one hour, it should be 10.00 pm, and the facts bear this out. 
If the white Chevrolet Impala had parked in the turnout just prior to 9.00 pm, and had remained there throughout until 10.00 pm, then the account of William Crow is patently false. He stated in the police report that "He and his girlfriend were in the Lake Herman Road area between 9.30 pm and 10.00 pm on 12/20/68. He was driving his girlfriend's sports car and he was testing it out and adjusting the motor. He was parked in the open area by the pump station and he observed a blue car, possibly a Valiant coming down the road from Benicia towards Vallejo. They passed his location, stopped in the middle of the road and he saw the white lights of the reverse come on and the car started backing up towards them. Mr Crow put the car in gear and took off at a high rate of speed and the car followed him at a high rate of speed. They did not attempt to gain on him, but when they got to the turn off towards Benicia, William Crow turned towards Benicia and the other car went straight ahead. The subjects were both Caucasians and there is no further identification on the car or the subjects." If the white Chevrolet Impala was there, then clearly William Crow based on this account failed to notice it for upwards of 30 minutes, and considering he was parked in the turnout, that doesn't seem likely.   

However, William Crow would later dispute this statement to police "I never told the sheriff who interviewed me that the car I encountered was a Valiant. As I recall, as I was attempting to describe the car, the sheriff came up with a “Valiant”. In the years that have passed, when I have shared the events of that night, I have described the car as a four-door light-colored Chevy. I could not see the passenger seat, but the driver was a man with short hair and glasses. I did not see his specific facial features".
This being the case, it highlights the significance of a white Chevrolet Impala circulating the area in and around the turnout that night. If Robert Connelly's recollection of a white Chevrolet Impala being present in the turnout at 9.00 pm was correct, which appears unlikely, then the Chevrolet Impala would have parked in the turnout sometime prior to 9.00 pm, leaving at some point before William Crow arrived at 9.30 pm. It would then return, spot William Crow and his girlfriend just before 10.00 pm, chase them down the road, before returning to the turnout and being spotted by Bingo Wesner at 10.00 pm. But on both occasions, just prior to 9.00 pm and 10.00 pm, the occupants of the white Chevrolet Impala would had to have vacated their vehicle, because Robert Connelly and Bingo Wesner implicitly stated the vehicle was unoccupied.  
If the Chevrolet Impala contained our killer or killers, then it could be argued they were coasting the area by foot and by car, searching for victims by whatever means. Raymond Grant highlights this important period of time in 'Zodiac Killer Solved', involving a 'holding area'. I won't elaborate on his explanation, as it wouldn't be fair to reveal potent sections of his book without permission. If he chooses, he can outline his ideas in the comments section below. However it does address this critical timeline of events.
This above example of the timeline appears extremely convoluted, and the police report "information from Bingo Wesner that when he came out of the gate at 10.00 pm he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by,"  makes much more sense, bearing in mind William Crow's testimony of a light colored Chevrolet chasing him down the road just before 10.00 pm. The three recollections coalesce around 10.00 pm that night. This critical period would suggest that the occupants of the white Chevrolet Impala spot William Crow, chase him along the road, return to the turnout and vacate their vehicle just prior to 10.00 pm. At which point Robert Connelly and Bingo Wesner spot each other and the unoccupied Chevrolet. ​  

Raymond Grant also questions the account of Helen Axe at 10.15 pm and 10.30 pm. Her account is detailed in the police report: "Miss Axe reports that she and her boyfriend, a sailor, were driving on Lake Herman Road. They passed the area of the pumping station, she recognized the Rambler and the victims, Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Stated that when she went by about 10.15 pm, the car was facing in towards the gate and when she returned about 15 minutes later after having gone to the end of the road and then came back, the car was turned around and the front was facing the field, a little to the side. There is some conflict in this statement and Miss Axe has consented to bring her boyfriend to the office to clarify the actual position of the car. The first time she stated when she called, that the car was backed in. Nothing this discrepancy the RO contacted her by telephone."
Her account raises questions. For her account to be correct, the white Chevrolet Impala driver would had to have returned to the turnout just prior to 10.00 pm, after chasing William Crow, the occupants would then have to vacate their vehicle so that Robert Connelly and Bingo Wesner saw it unoccupied. They would then had to have returned to their vehicle minutes later, driven away, without passing Helen Axe's vehicle, to be replaced in the turnout by the Faraday Rambler by 10.15 pm. 
Raymond Grant, understandably takes the position that Helen Axe likely saw the white Chevrolet Impala, not the Faraday Rambler. It returned to the turnout just shy of 10.00 pm, the occupants vacated the vehicle, and according to Bingo Wesner was 'parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station'. A short time later, circa 10.15 pm, Helen Axe passed the turnout and viewed the Chevrolet Impala in the same position as viewed by Bingo Wesner, also 'facing in towards the gate.' Unless of course we contend that the Faraday Rambler arrived just before 10.15 pm and parked in the identical position as the Chevrolet Impala previously, as viewed by Bingo Wesner.
Fifteen minutes later, at approximately 10.30 pm, Helen Axe had returned up Lake Herman Road, by which time the occupants had returned to the Chevrolet Impala and repositioned it facing the road. It is a plausible line of investigation and is merited by the details of the case. The scenario presented by Raymond Grant would indicate that the white Chevrolet Impala had a much more pivotal role in the proceedings on December 20th 1968 than first imagined, and place this vehicle in the turnout much closer to the murders than ever before. The question is, how long did it remain in the area.
This presentation just scratches the surface of Raymond Grant's Lake Herman Road timeline, and I have attempted to skirt around the issues presented in 'Zodiac Killer Solved', without giving too much away. To read the full story...
​
ZODIAC KILLER SOLVED ON AMAZON​          

Some proponents of a lone Zodiac have a killer who knew the area of Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park fairly well, enough to know the area was frequented by courting couples, and a rich hunting ground in rural territory. 
The white Chevrolet Impala, if it contained the assailant or assailants, may have been observed by not only Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner, but also William Crow and Helen Axe, in what can only be described as suspicious behavior, in an isolated, cold and dark turnout for at least 30 minutes. Bearing in mind the murders happened as little as 40 minutes later, and the last person to drive past the turnout before the murders occurred was James Owen, his testimony is crucial. In the police report dated 12/21/68 he was unable to furnish a description of the vehicle alongside the Rambler, so ruling out the Chevrolet Impala is not possible. He stated "he saw two cars parked near the entrance to the pumping station. He stated the car parked nearest was a 1955 or 1956 station wagon, boxy type, neutral in color. The other was parked to the right and abreast of the station wagon. The cars were about ten feet apart. He stated he could not give a description of the make or color of the other car."  But he added an extra crucial detail in his 12/24/68 interview: "He did not see anyone in the cars or around them".  Earlier in the night Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner all observed an unoccupied white Chevrolet Impala parked in the turnout. Fast forward 75 minutes, and the same scenario, but this time two unoccupied vehicles and apparently nobody in the turnout. If this was the Chevrolet Impala, then its owners certainly appeared to have a habit of exiting their vehicle in a desolate turnout, on an extremely cold and dark night. But does this indicate a connection. 

​Raymond Grant makes a good point about vehicle recollection, particularly regarding color. It was pitch black that night and vehicle colors can easily be misinterpreted. This takes us to page 52 of the police report and Stan's identification of a blue Chevrolet Impala at 10.30 pm: "Stan, a 14 year old described a 1963 Chevrolet Impala, blue in color, with two persons, driving from Lake Herman Road on to Columbus Parkway, heading towards Blue Rock Springs." Raymond Grant highlights this in 'Zodiac Killer Solved', but here I will deviate from his version, to a killer or killers roaming Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park for potential targets.
If Helen Axe and her boyfriend had passed the Lake Herman Road turnout and Chevrolet Impala at 10.30 pm, heading towards Vallejo, this vehicle may have pulled out and tracked the couple along the road, in not identical but similar fashion to William Crow and his girlfriend. If the occupants were searching for courting couples, they may have been waiting for the couple to possibly park up, but it failed to materialize. Traveling from the turnout to Columbus Parkway takes about 4 minutes. This would place the Chevrolet Impala at the intersection of Lake Herman Road and Columbus Parkway at approximately 10.34 pm, aligning perfectly with Stan, who observed the same make and model of vehicle "at approximately 10.30 pm."
Three courting couples may have been targeted that night, with David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen the unlucky victims. The attack at Blue Rock Springs Park and Lake Berryessa may have employed similar tactics.
The Chevrolet Impala with two persons, according to Stan, was last seen "driving from Lake Herman Road on to Columbus Parkway, heading towards Blue Rock Springs." Had the occupants traveled to the Blue Rock Springs parking lot to lie in wait for unsuspecting couples, seemingly unsuccessfully, before heading back towards Lake Herman Road sometime around 11.00 pm. An approximate journey time of six minutes would have the Chevrolet Impala returning to the ill fated turnout just after the Yours and raccoon hunters had left the Marshall Ranch and just prior to James Owen passing, on his way to the Humble Oil graveyard shift. The rest is well documented.
Raymond Grant's has highlighted some important overlapping timelines in the Lake Herman Road eyewitness recollections. His book 'Zodiac Killer Solved' covers all the 'Zodiac' crimes, with a different slant to the conventional understanding perceived by most, but without doubt punches holes in many widely held misconceptions.

In a recent article from the Vallejo Times-Herald, a native Vallejoan, Lorraine Osuna DeGroat, who knew Betty Lou Jensen from school, described her encounter with a man on Lake Herman Road, she believed could have been the infamous Zodiac Killer. Sometime in March or April of 1969 according to DeGroat, a few months shy of the Blue Rock Springs Park attack (but more likely subsequent to 09/27/69), approximately two miles into Lake Herman Road, she recalled this "a man wearing a big, bulky trench coat or army jacket that reached to his knees, and he’s in the middle of the road, waving his arms, trying to get us to stop. She describes the man as in his middle 30's to early 40's, with blondish, short-cropped hair and horn-rimmed glasses. His pants were dark, and his shoes may also have been dark army boots." http://www.timesheraldonline.com/general-news/20170710/vallejo.
​He apparently claimed he was out looking for his girlfriend, but they drove off in haste. 
The description of the man is reminiscent of the details given by Donald Fouke as he patrolled in Jackson Street, Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969, although how much significance can be attributed to this latest news article and recollection is debatable.
It is not unreasonable to consider the possibility Zodiac cruised the lonely stretch of Lake Herman Road and the Blue Rock Springs Park area, before and after December 20th 1968, and subsequent to July 4th 1969. One widely held belief, is he was likely native to the area of Vallejo, Benicia or American Canyon, and had intimate knowledge of the area, specifically regarding areas frequented by courting couples. This tactic of trying to flag down a vehicle, bringing it to a halt on Lake Herman Road, is similar to a story in the Benicia Herald, where the nephew of Stella Medeiros, Albert Losado, stated that in the fall of 1969 he and his brother were prevented from traveling along Lake Herman Road near gate 10 by a log stretched across the road. The brothers minutes earlier had traveled the opposite way unhindered, from which they suspected a sinister motive. In his words "That’s why we didn’t get out of the car.” They backed up and got out of the area. It is possible this was an intentional act by a third party, and if the Zodiac Killer, a deviation in tactics. However both of the above stories may have perfectly innocent explanations.    

One curious statement in the Vallejo Times-Herald article reminded me of Pierre Bidou. It stated "She was found in a runaway position, as if she’d been running, and was shot in the back multiple times,” said DeGroat, a retired forensic psych nurse at the Napa State Hospital. “He was found still in the car.”
It is fairly unanimous in Zodiac circles that David Faraday was discovered by responding police lying perpendicular to the right rear wheel of the Rambler. That is, until you watch two Zodiac Killer videos and read an excerpt from the above Benicia Herald. It reports "On a dark turnout along the side of the road, the officers, wearing heavy winter coats, followed the path of their flashlights and their unmarked police car’s headlight. They found the body of a girl face-down on the ground between a bank slope and a parked Rambler station wagon pointing east toward Vallejo. “It was obvious she was trying to run,” Bidou said of the girl, who had five entry wounds in a tight grouping to her right upper back. Inside the car, the officers found a boy in the passenger’s seat who appeared as if “he was trying to get out” of the car. Bidou remembers seeing the shattered glass of the car window, pierced by a bullet. More poignantly, he also remembers that the boy was still breathing."
The article clearly suggests that David Faraday was in the passenger seat, as though he was half way out when he was shot.
This is backed up on three other occasions, starting twice in a 2010 interview with Aphrodite Jones, an American author, reporter, and television producer. At 11:17 and 11:45 into the video Bidou states "The young man was still in the car" and "you see the male in the car still breathing." Then in the 'Richard Gaikowski-The Case of the Zodiac Killer' video at 13.25 he states "The male was still halfway in the vehicle and he was showing signs of breathing." 

The two statements "found a boy in the passenger’s seat who appeared as if he was trying to get out of the car," and "the male was still halfway in the vehicle and he was showing signs of breathing," are definitely comparable.
This is the actual statement taken from Stella Medeiros in the police report of the day: "When she arrived at the scene, headlights picked up the car (Rambler) and she observed a boy and he looked like he had fallen out of the open door. The girl was lying on her side facing the road." 
The question is, how do you interpret "he looked like he had fallen out of the open door." Had he fallen 'halfway out', and was still 'halfway in' as Pierre Bidou stated several times. In responding officer Daniel Pitta's police statement it recalled "A white male (Victim #2) was lying to the southside of a 1960 Rambler 4-door station wagon. Victim #2 was lying face up with a large amount of blood at the base of his skull." If  we take all the above statements and recollections as true, then the only logical conclusion to draw would be David Faraday was discovered slumped in the passenger side of the Rambler and subsequently laid out on the turnout floor for medical intervention by the initial responders to the scene, before Daniel Pitta arrived. But this would throw doubt on the perceived timeline of several officers that night. It would certainly negate the chalk outline of having any consequence in the murder of David Faraday on December 20th 1968. On the other hand, it may be the case that Pierre Bidou was just mistaken four times. 

The police report from a friend of Betty Lou follows on nicely. Sharon Henslin recalled that 'Betty Lou and David came to her house at approximately 8.20 pm on Friday. They remained there until 9.00 pm. She stated she walked to the car with them. They did not state to her where they were going.' 
David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were clearly not in a rush to get to the concert by 8.30 pm, as they had gone to Sharon's. But where did they go after leaving 926 Brentwood Avenue at 9.00 pm. 
It is here we will go with the preponderance of evidence, as opposed to the Robert Graysmith account in his first Zodiac book. In it he described the couple 'having a Coke at Mr Ed's, a local drive-in,' before immediately heading off towards the Lake Herman Road turnout. In 'Zodiac Unmasked' Robert Graysmith wrote 'Betty Lou and David had stopped at Mr Ed's too (referring to Mageau/Ferrin) just before being shot. The teenagers had visited their friend Sharon on Brentwood Avenue at 8.20 pm, and remained until 9.00 pm. At 10.30 pm their Christmas concert was over and they went from there to Mr Ed's, then Lake Herman Road.' Well, if they had left the concert at 10.30 pm, traveled to Mr Ed's, bought a couple of drinks, then traveled to the Lake Herman Road turnout, which took approximately 15 minutes, the couple couldn't have been spotted by Helen Axe and her boyfriend in the turnout at 10.15 pm. In Robert Graysmith's original book he contradicts himself saying 'just before 10.15 pm, David pulled off the road to the right, and parked 15 feet off it, facing south, in the graveled area outside gate #10. At 10.15 pm a woman and her boyfriend, a sailor, drove by. When they reached the end of the road and came back past fifteen minutes later, the car (Faraday Rambler) was still there.' 
​You cannot have it both ways. Robert Graysmith additionally inferred it was a coincidence that Mageau and Ferrin had stopped at Mr Ed's also, which they didn't.  
Unfortunately there is no corroborating evidence from any reports or eyewitnesses that place the couple at Mr Ed's diner that evening, however there are many other alleged sightings and reports that place them at the Hogan High School concert. One such sighting would indicate that they left Hogan High School and traveled directly to Lake Herman Road, a journey that took approximately 15 minutes by car.  
#1 'During his many hours of investigation (Les Lunblad), the graying veteran detective sergeant learned the terrible murders on Lake Herman were the tragic end of a first date for the young couple. They had attended a pre-Christmas concert and chorale at Vallejo's Hogan High School, where pretty Betty Lou had been a student. The couple had left the school auditorium at 10.00 pm, bidding goodnight to their school chums.' The next sighting of the couple was approximately 10.15 pm by Helen Axe and her boyfriend in the Lake Herman Road turnout, which is a 13-15 minute car drive from Hogan High. The time given when they left the auditorium indicates their decision to head straight to the lovers lane turnout. This being the case, they couldn't have left Mr Ed's and headed straight to the turnout, as stated in Robert Graysmith's book.      

They may have gone to Mr Ed's diner, then Hogan High School, but the concert was at 8.30 pm, so it's likely they traveled directly there from Sharon Henslin's house at 9.00 pm, arrived circa 9.10 pm and spent 50 minutes at the school before leaving for some extra privacy. Doing both is not impossible, but would seem a little rushed. In addition they were spotted by several people at Hogan High School, but by nobody at Mr Ed's.
#2 'At the concert, classmates of Betty Lou noticed the couple sitting side by side in the gymnasium bleachers (retractable seats), holding hands. Nobody remembers seeing them after they left the concert.'  
#3 Les Lunblad in the December 22nd 1968 Sunday Examiner and Chronicle: 'Detective Sgt Les Lunblad, the graying, husky officer in charge of the investigation said there was a distinct possibility the young couple had been trailed to the murder scene from the pre-Christmas concert in Vallejo.' 
#4 Sunday Times Herald: 'Authorities said the couple, David Faraday (17) and Miss Betty Lou Jensen (16), had driven to the reservoir after attending a Friday night concert at Hogan High School here, where Miss Jensen was a junior.'
It is therefore extremely likely that Les Lunblad would have checked on their whereabouts prior to the murder, discovering they had attended the concert that evening, and somewhere the couple had expressly said they were going to, while at Betty Lou's parents house. 
In the police report we have William Crow in and around the Lake Herman Road turnout between 9.30 pm and 10.00 pm and no mention of the Faraday Rambler, but by 10.15 pm it is spotted by Helen Axe and boyfriend. This ties in perfectly with David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen leaving the school auditorium at 10.00 pm in pursuit of a romantic trip to the scenic Lake Herman Road setting.     

When David Faraday left his house that evening at 7.30 pm, his mother gave him 1 dollar 55 cents. At the hospital later, it was discovered David Faraday had 85 cents remaining.
He had therefore spent 70 cents from 7.30 pm to 10.15 pm. This is important to consider when we postulate his movements during the relevant time. Did he buy any food or drink at Mr Ed's or Hogan High School, or en route to either. There are two viable alternatives.
This was David Faraday's first date with Betty Lou Jensen and no doubt was keen to impress. He had borrowed his parents vehicle, so he may have filled up with gas out of courtesy or instruction, or he may have popped into a local store to make a purchase prior to his meeting with Betty Lou. The police report on page 2 details that a bottle of Binaca breath drops were found on David Faraday. Something you may buy especially for such an occasion. A cursory search of 1968/69 advertisements shows Binaca breath drops came in varying sizes, with the price in general varying from 60 cents to 1 dollar.
These two options may account for the 'missing' 70 cents, as opposed to a trip to Mr Ed's diner, for which we have no corroborating eyewitness testimony.
However, it is extremely likely through several eyewitnesses of 'classmates of Betty Lou noticing the couple sitting side by side in the gymnasium bleachers' and 'leaving the school auditorium at 10.00 pm', that indeed the couple had attended the concert and had driven directly to the Lake Herman Road turnout, where they were spotted by Helen Axe at 10.15 pm. But being trailed there, as Les Lunblad had initially conjectured remains unlikely, as the murders were still an hour in the making.
In the aftermath of the second Zodiac attack Michael Mageau stated in the police report 'they drove west on Springs Road and as they were driving down Springs Road to go get something to eat, Dea stated to him that she wanted to talk to him about something. Michael stated that approximately at the location of Mr Ed's on Springs Road they turned around and headed east at his suggestion to go to Blue Rock Springs Park.'
It appears that neither couple, on December 20th 1968 or July 4th 1969, went to Mr Ed's. Had they done so, things may have turned out very differently, but we will never know.           

Dave Oranchak unearthed some new videos of the Lake Herman Road crime scene from the San Francisco Bay Area news archives. Below are some relevant new images of the crime scene, showing the positions of the stricken couple within the turnout. The fourth image has been manufactured from two independent still frames, but nevertheless is a totally accurate representation, showing the position of David Faraday and the Rambler in the foreground, to Betty Lou Jensen at the western edge of the turnout. Some have been colorized to add clarity.
Here is the link to the video https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/231064 and to the thread on Zodiac Killer Site forum, where another new video featuring Paul Avery can be viewed.  
Credits to Broadcasting of San Francisco, Inc and Alex Cherian.  

To assess the distance from the right rear taillight of the Rambler to Betty Lou Jensen's head, two still frames have been used, capturing two white dots on the turnout floor. We know the approximate position of the rear of the Rambler next to David Faraday's outline, shown by the green dot in the below left image. Therefore when the camera pans to the right, shown in the below right image, the rear of the Rambler can still be estimated to a high degree. The orange line now gives us an unbroken image, showing the distance of the widely quoted 28 feet, from the Rambler to Betty Lou Jensen. The car in the distance is approximately 14 feet in length. The man approximately 5'8". This gives us a comparison of distances, despite the foreshortening of the camera angle.        

Although this topic has been covered before, here it shall be expanded in a little more detail, concerning the timeline of Pierre Bidou and his thoughts that he must have just passed the Lake Herman Road turnout literally minutes before the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968. This however may not be the case, and his statements of not seeing any vehicles in the turnout or passing any vehicles on Lake Herman Road after his seizure of marijuana at The Cottage, may be not relevant to the minutes before the murders. Here are a collection of statements by Pierre Bidou:
[1] 2007 documentary: "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960's was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by, we did not see or observe anyone in that area, because it's a turn there and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road, and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call. We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened and for the best of my recollection we did not pass any other vehicle or traffic. I'm pretty sure of that because that is one of the things we told the sheriff's office, that we did not see any other vehicles coming our way. What could have happened, depending on where a vehicle turned onto Lake Herman Road, if it came from behind us, from Vallejo, we would not have seen them." 
[2] Benicia Herald: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec 20 1968, and were on the way to deposit some marijuana in the police department's evidence locker, when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road." 
[3] True Crime video with Aphrodite Jones (2010): "We had just passed here (Lake Herman Road turnout) and there was no one here. Patrols would always look here, because this was kind of known as a lovers point."   

The impression that we have come to believe, is that Pierre Bidou and his partner Steve Armenta passed the turnout shortly before the murders, and on arriving at the Benicia Police Department were almost immediately dispatched back out to the double homicide. This order of events could never have happened.
The Cottage, where Pierre Bidou seized the marijuana, was not far past the turnout on the Vallejo side, with the journey time to Benicia Police Department from this location approximately 8-10 minutes.
For Pierre Bidou to have seen no vehicles in the turnout just minutes before the murders, he would at the very least had to have passed before Peggy and Homer Your, who recalled seeing the Rambler on two occasions at around 11.00 pm. Not to mention Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly, James Owen and finally Stella Borges, who passed the turnout at approximately 11.20 pm and saw the stricken couple on the turnout floor. Stella Borges raced off to Benicia to inform Officer Daniel Pitta at 11.25 pm, or thereabouts. He would then radio Benicia Police Department of a possible 187 on Lake Herman Road.
Had Pierre Bidou just literally arrived at the police department and after "pulling into the lot in the police department, had heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road," then this would be around 11.25-11.30 pm. We know the journey time from The Cottage to Benicia Police Department is around 10 minutes. This means Pierre Bidou must have passed the Lake Herman Road turnout at 11.15-11.20 pm according to his recollection of events. But we know this is not possible, he had to have passed the turnout prior to the Rambler first being spotted by the Your's at around 11.00 pm. Let us say he passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, he then would have arrived at Benicia Police Department at 11.05 pm, but couldn't have literally swung the car around and returned to the crime scene. The call from Officer Daniel Pitta was still at least 20 minutes in the making.     

We have a further problem if we believe the police report and the testimony of Helen Axe. She claimed the earliest sighting of the Rambler in the turnout that night. The police report stated "Miss Axe reports that she and her boyfriend, a sailor, were driving on Lake Herman Road. They passed the area of the pumping station, she recognized the Rambler and the victims, Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Stated that when she went by about 10.15 pm, the car was facing in towards the gate and when she returned about 15 minutes later after having gone to the end of the road and then came back, the car was turned around and the front was facing the field, a little to the side."
She stated she saw the Rambler at 10.15 pm, and then 15 minutes later at 10.30 pm. Assuming that David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen remained in the turnout until the Rambler was next spotted at around 11.00 pm, then Pierre Bidou would had to have passed the turnout prior to 10.15 pm to actually view no vehicles present. Let us say David Faraday parked up at 10.10 pm and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.09 pm. He then would have arrived at the Benicia Police Department at 10.19 pm, over an hour prior to the reporting of the murders by Officer Daniel Pitta, dispelling the claim that he and his partner Steve Armenta "were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened."
If Helen Axe is mistaken, and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 20 minutes too long. If Helen Axe is not mistaken, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 66 minutes too long. Either way the timeline requires an alternative. So where did Pierre Bidou go after the drugs bust that night. His statements to either his superiors or to any documentary, with regards to the movement of vehicles on Lake Herman Road that night, are irrelevant to the immediate timeline around the murders if this discrepancy is not resolved.

This time we will take a trip to the shores of Lake Berryessa and take a closer look at whether the mystery man spotted by the three young women from Pacific Union College was the same man that would later go on to attack Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard just a couple of hours later. A rudimentary sketch of the man, compiled using the descriptions of the three women was generated, an overall description that bore similarities to statements by Bryan Hartnell. On first look, the sketch appears inconsistent with the drawing of the suspect generated from eyewitness testimony at Presidio Heights, just two weeks later on October 11th 1969, however, they may be a lot closer than first thought. 
Many people have questioned Lake Berryessa as a Zodiac crime, citing the different style of the attack and his failure to detail this crime in any of his subsequent correspondence with newspapers. The writing on the car door, his phone call and the mention of 'sept' on the 'Dripping Pen' card mailed on November 8th 1969, have seemingly failed to convince everyone. So later we will take a closer look at the sketch, bearing in mind the Zodiac could easily have cut and dyed his hair in the two weeks prior to the murder of Paul Stine.
The Zodiac Killer also stated in the November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter "I look like the description passed out only when I do my thing, the rest of the time I look entirle different. I shall not tell you what my descise consists of when I kill."

Firstly let us take a look at the overall details submitted by the three women.
Earlier on in the day three young women, students of Pacific Union College parked their vehicle at the A & W in St Helena. Within seconds of leaving their vehicle, a white male driving a silver or light blue Chevrolet, 2-door sedan with California plates pulled up to the rear of their car, bumper to bumper, yet remained inside his vehicle. This man would come into play later, once the girls had headed off to Lake Berryessa and parked up. The time was approximately 3.30 pm. They again noticed the same man approximately 50 feet away observing them sunbathing, and each time they looked at him he evaded eye contact, thus drawing suspicion. He was described as being between 28 and 40 years, 200 - 225 pounds, 6 feet tall, styled black hair, with rounded eyes and thin lips, he was good looking, with a muscular or stocky build, wearing dark pants and a dark pullover shirt. He remained observing them, by their accounts, for between 30 - 45 minutes.
Here are the separate descriptions they submitted;
#1. "A subject driving a late model silver-blue Chevrolet, 2-door sedan. This subject was described as 6' tall, weighing 200/210 pounds, muscular build, rather nice looking."  
#2. "Vehicle described as a 1966 or 1967 light blue Chevrolet with California plates. Witness believes the vehicle was a 2-door sedan and described the headlights as long rather than round." 
#3. "Subject was described as approximately 28 years of age, 6'1" to 6'2" tall, 200/225 lbs, black hair possibly styled, with a part on the left, rounded eyes, thin lips, medium nose, straight eyebrows, small ears, well built, rather nice looking."  
#4. "Vehicle was described as a late model Chevrolet, sky blue in color. The rear taillights appeared to be long rather than round. She described the subject as 6' tall, stocky build, about 200 lbs, black short-sleeved sweater shirt, dark blue slacks, and straight dark hair neatly combed. She guessed his age at approximately 30 years."
When the three young women returned to their vehicle at 4.30 pm, the man and his vehicle had left.

Bryan Hartnell thought the attacker to be 20-30 years, with dark brown hair visible through the hood, wearing dark blue or black pleated slacks, 5' 8" to 6' 0" tall and 225 - 250 pounds. He also noticed a knife in a case on the right side of his belt, near the front of his trousers and cut up rope in the suspects rear pocket. It was the type similar to white plastic clothesline.
Certain key aspects given by Bryan Hartnell and the three women match up. The dark hair, observed by both Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard by the eyelets of the mask worn by the assailant, may indicate his hair was drawn downwards when he pulled on the mask. The sketch by the three women indicates longer hair, probably swept back on top. The description of a heavyset man, 200-225 pounds is identical in both instances, in line with the description of a heavyset man at Presidio Heights. The age is also consistent.
The three women described what they thought was a white belt around his back, thinking it could possibly have been a tee shirt hanging out. Another girl stated he was wearing a black short sleeved sweater shirt bunched up at the front, again describing a white tee shirt hanging out the back. Did the bunched up sweater shirt hide anything sinister? 
Could the descriptions given by the women, describing a white belt around his back or white tee shirt 'hanging out', actually have been the cut lengths of plastic clothesline trailing from his rear pocket in anticipation of a prepared attack on the women, but for whatever reason got cold feet, changed his mind and turned to Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard approximately two hours later. 
In an interview with Sgt John Robertson, Bryan Hartnell mentioned the windbreaker worn by the assailant stating "That was dark blue. And I don't know. Maybe he had something in his pouch." The three women would describe the man as he approached the beach within 20 feet of them, noticing "a black short-sleeved sweater shirt, bunched up in front". Was the knife or gun concealed under his shirt, described by Bryan Hartnell as "a knife in a case on the right side of his belt, near the front of his trousers." Bryan Hartnell in the police report, stated the assailant was wearing "sloppy clothes. And he had on this old pair of pleated pants. Well like I say, he was dressed kind of sloppily, you know. His pants real tight up here and his stomach kind of pouched a bit." These style of pants would be later detailed by Donald Fouke, one of the responding officers at Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. Bryan Hartnell would also describe the clothing worn by the assailant as old fashioned. One of the women would describe the vehicle driven by the mystery man, stating the car "as appearing very conservative and did not appear to belong to any young person, such as a teenager." ​ 

Just prior to the attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard, the assailant ducked behind some trees, before he reappeared wearing his costume. The three women mentioned in the police report "the male subject watching them from the edge of the trees" at the top of the hill. Was the "black short-sleeved sweater shirt, bunched up in front", possibly the executioner's hood, concealed beneath his clothing in preparation, along with the gun and knife. 
The three women described his vehicle as a 'late model, 1966 or 1967 light blue Chevrolet, the rear taillights appeared to be long rather than round.'
Below is a picture of the rear end of a 1967 Chevrolet Nova II, with long taillights, rather than round. What was actually meant by the description of 'long' can be interpreted in two ways - either 'long' vertically or horizontally. However, after much searching of vehicle specifications, this car has been chosen for a reason. Its track width is almost identical to the tire impressions found next to Bryan Hartnell's 1956 White Karmann Ghia, shortly after the Lake Berryessa attack. This was examined in much greater detail here.

Ninety minutes precedent to the Lake Herman Road murders on December 20th 1968, William Crow and his girlfriend were parked up in the fateful turnout. 'He was parked in the open area by the pump station and he observed a blue car, possibly a Valiant coming down the road from Benicia towards Vallejo. They passed his location, stopped in the middle of the road and he saw the white lights of the reverse come on and the car started backing up towards them. Mr Crow put the car in gear and took off at a high rate of speed and the car followed him at a high rate of speed.'  
William Crow described the vehicle as possibly a blue Valiant in the original police report, and bearing in mind the vehicle momentarily stopped just past the turnout, before reversing, this would undoubtedly be the best view he had of the vehicle that night, before being chased down Lake Herman Road. The rear of a 1967 Plymouth Valiant is shown in the above right photograph, with the characteristics of the rear end and taillights bearing a passing similarity to the 1967 Chevrolet Nova II. So is it possible William Crow was pursued by a 1967 Chevrolet Nova II on December 20th 1968, the same vehicle that would be viewed by the three women at Lake Berryessa nine months later. A vehicle that would further match the track width, measured by detectives alongside Bryan Hartnell's 1956 White Karmann Ghia.  
Finally, we shall return to the sketch attributed to the three women and compare it to the sketch generated at Presidio Heights.
The first image on the left is the original sketch (colored, without glasses) from the three teenagers overlooking 3898 Washington Street. The middle image shows the Lake Berryessa sketch with the haircut from Presidio Heights. The right image changes one further characteristic from Lake Berryessa;- the lips of the assailant. Taking into consideration the eyewitnesses at Presidio Heights were hindered by distance and poor lighting, was the Lake Berryessa sketch more accurate. Or indeed, was the man observed by the three women actually the Zodiac Killer. It depends on whether the images below could be mistaken for the same person. I will let you decide. 

In the middle image below, the eyes on the Lake Berryessa sketch have been widened to match the Presidio Heights sketch. In the right image below the eyes on the Presidio Heights sketch have been narrowed to match the Lake Berryessa sketch. This has been done to  compensate for any possible changes to the appearance by wearing glasses.

In a previous article we highlighted a missing casing from the Lake Herman Road police report. It detailed nine shell casings retrieved from the crime scene and sent off for ballistics testing, despite the fact that ten shots were fired that night. Not only did the police sketches depict ten shots within the turnout (9 on the turnout floor and one on the front passenger floorboard of the Rambler), but so did the police report on page six, where it stated '10-shots (2 in car, 5 in back of female victim, 1 in male victim, 2 unaccounted)'. However, on page 9 of the police report it clearly states under #4 and #5 that only nine casings were turned over to responding officers. We know this to be true, because when the shell casings were tested and detailed in the Department of Justice ballistics report, only nine were submitted for examination.

The conclusion, was that coroner Dan Horan and Sergeant Silva only recovered the shell casings from the turnout floor (totaling 9), inadvertently leaving the tenth casing on the front passenger floorboard of the Rambler. This ultimately became separated from the other nine casings and was never sent for ballistics analysis. Therefore, we cannot know with any certainty that this shell casing can be linked to the other nine. It may have been fired from a second weapon or a second shooter. The Department of Justice report also stated that 'All bullets submitted were Western copper coated .22 long rifle bullets, although some were damaged, it was possible to determine ALL but Item [1] had 6 right hand groove class characteristics.' Bearing in mind item [1] was the bullet recovered from David Faraday's head, it therefore cannot be inextricably linked to the other bullets tested. When we consider the position of David Faraday when he was shot in the left side of his head (possibly by a right-handed shooter), it is not inconceivable that the shell casing ejected to the right and rear, into the open passenger side of the Rambler and onto the floorboard. We have an unmatched bullet and a missing shell casing that may be linked, both of which could be attributed to a second shooter. A murderer who may have secured the main threat that night, David Faraday.              

How is it possible that during a double homicide investigation, a shell casing pivotal to the case, can 'vanish' between evidence retrieval and the ballistics testing? In addition, wasn't this questioned by either the police or the forensic investigators? To make matters worse, the shell casing wasn't the only crucial piece of evidence to go missing, and raises further questions on the validity of any conclusions drawn from the Lake Herman Road crime scene.

Betty Lou Jensen was shot five times in the back, which is not under dispute. The post mortem revealed that there were three exit wounds, while two bullets remained inside her body. The three exit wounds were described:  
​[1] The first is over the left interior chest laterally and left margin of the breast, in the 4th intercostal space and 5 and 1/2 inches from the sternum.
[2] The second is in the anterior abdominal wall, below the xyphoid process and 1/2 an inch from the midline.
[3] The third is laterally and 3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus.

If there were three exit wounds, why were only two of these bullets described in the police report on page 9, and only two detailed in the Department of Justice report? On page 9 of the police report it clearly states under #2, #3 and #8, the following findings;
#2 Two pellets removed from victim, Betty Lou Jensen, during autopsy.
#3 Pellet found in pants of victim Betty Lou Jensen, at mortuary, during examination of the deceased. The pellet had entered the lower back, coursed through her body, emerging under the waist band elastic of her panties, where it was found.
#8 Pellet recovered near victim Betty Lou Jensen in blood spattered path on her attempted escape route. Pellet entered her body in the back and emerged from the center of her stomach and dropped to the ground without penetrating the front of her dress.

This describes only four of the five bullets fired into Betty Lou Jensen. Two were recovered from her body at autopsy, one bullet was found in her panties and one bullet was found along her flight path on the gravel turnout. So where is the fifth bullet?
The investigation described ten shell casings apparent in the Lake Herman Road turnout, and the police report on page six accepted ten shots were fired, but again, only seven of the eight bullets accounted for reached the ballistics laboratory for testing.

Below are the items submitted for testing, as reported by the Department of Justice. As one can see, only seven bullets were submitted, whereas above we clearly have eight. 

The police report states that two bullets were unaccounted for (presumably the missed shots that night) - but now we have three unaccounted for, including the one that exited Betty Lou Jensen. That is two key pieces of ballistic evidence currently missing in relation to the crime scene at Lake Herman Road.

The Department of Justice report has two important pieces of information. Firstly, it states 'Intercomparison of the cartridge cases in items 4 and 5 indicates that all are probably fired in the same weapon and all are the same make and type of ammunition. Due to lack of sufficient unique structure it appears that considerable difficulty will be encountered in identifying the responsible weapon if it should be recovered.' The cartridge cases, in essence, could be used to rule out a particular gun, which they did many times, including the weapons of  Robert Connelly and James Owen, but could not be used to definitively rule a gun into the murders 'due to lack of sufficient unique structure'. This means that more than one gun may have been used in the Lake Herman Road murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, or possibly several. Secondly, the ballistics report states 'All bullets submitted were Western copper coated .22 Long Rifle bullets. Each of these was microscopically compared with the others, but in no case was an absolutely positive identification possible. This is apparently due to the condition of the rifle barrel, which does not leave coarse structures on bullets fired therein, as well as the effect of the copper coating on the bullet. From our examination it appears that a conclusive identification of the responsible weapon, will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, even if it should be recovered.' Therefore, in theory, there could be two or more weapons involved, concerning multiple shooters, and any suspect weapon recovered could not be fired and provide 'a conclusive identification.' In fact, it 'will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.' This coupled with the 'lack of sufficient unique structure' of the cartridge cases, means that all of the bullets and cartridge cases could have been the product of one person or many people. All that a ballistics comparison can do in respect to the Lake Herman Road murders, is simply rule out a particular weapon. There may well have been one assailant at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968, but all other possibilities cannot be ruled out on the basis of the evidence presented.  

Betty Lou Jensen Autopsy:
There are five bullet wounds of entry on the right side of the back: three on the posterior chest cage and two over the right lower posterior lumbar areas. From up downwards:
[1] The first is located in the 5th intercostal space, 3 and 3/4 inches right of the midline.
[2] The second is in the 8th intercostal space, 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[3] The third is in the 9th intercostal space, 1 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[4] The fourth in the tip of the right 12th rib, 3 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[5] The fifth is over the crest of the posterior right iliac bone and 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
​There are three exit wounds:
​[1] The first is over the left interior chest laterally and left margin of the breast, in the 4th intercostal space and 5 and 1/2 inches from the sternum.
[2] The second is in the anterior abdominal wall, below the xyphoid process and 1/2 an inch from the midline.
[3] The third is laterally and 3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus.

Heart: A bullet wound penetrates from right to left through both atrium.
Lungs: There are three through and through bullet wounds, corresponding to the three bullet wounds of entry on the right posterior chest cage and one bullet wound through the left lung, in line with the wound through the heart. They are associated with extensive hemorrhage of both lungs.
Abdominal Cavity: A bullet wound penetrates the liver. A bullet wound penetrates the right kidney, the left is normal.
Head: No injuries or skull fractures.
The bullet wound over the posterior iliac crest penetrates the deep muscles and exits to the right of the umbilicus. One bullet is recovered in the subcutaneous tissue of the base of the anterior neck (left side) and the other bullet in the subcutaneous tissue anterior to the right 7th rib, which it penetrated of the sternum. The entry wounds aperture 3/16 inch in diameter. The exit wounds are larger.

On the right the three exit wounds are marked with the letter E on Betty Lou Jensen's back. These exit wounds obviously exited the front of her body relative to the positions shown, but have been placed on the back to highlight the difference between the entry wounds and exit wounds. The other two red dots show the resting position of the remaining bullets within the body.
One can see that four of the bullets that exited or remained in the body, are all situated to the left of the entry wounds, the fifth bullet traveled from right to left also. Bullets do not necessarily follow a linear trajectory when they enter the body, they can be deflected by the body's structures, but here the pattern of all five bullets show a distinct right to left trajectory. The chances that all five bullets deflected to the left from a shooter standing directly behind Betty Lou Jensen is slim, indicating her body position was oriented on her right side in relation to the shooter for many, if not all.
'The bullet wound over the posterior iliac crest penetrates the deep muscles and exits to the right of the umbilicus'. This is bullet [5], which literally enters and exits her body one and a half inches offline. It entered her lower back (dark mark) and exited the front of her body '3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus', indicating she was likely running away from the shooter at this point, in an upright position.  
Every bullet that entered Betty Lou Jensen traveled from right to left. 
Four wounds, marked in red (2 exit wounds from the front of her body and 2 bullets that remained in the body) can be seen marked on the upper portion of Betty Lou Jensen's back, yet two bullets entered low down on her right side. We know the trajectory of bullet [5], so bullet [4] clearly traveled from her lower back to upper back, strongly indicating that Betty Lou Jensen was likely hunched over at this point, struggling to escape the relentless onslaught. The likelihood therefore is that bullets [1], [2] and [3] effectively traveled directly across from the right shoulder area to the mid and left side, as stated here; 'Lungs: There are three through and through bullet wounds, corresponding to the three bullet wounds of entry on the right posterior chest cage and one bullet wound through the left lung, in line with the wound through the heart. They are associated with extensive hemorrhage of both lungs.' 
It is difficult to ascertain the exact order of the wounds inflicted that night, but if the uppermost hole in Betty Lou Jensen's dress contained the gunshot residue, then it could be argued that bullet hole [1] was the first shot fired, and likely bullet hole [3] may have been the fatal or final shot that night, as the autopsy stated 'Heart: A bullet wound penetrates from right to left through both atrium.'  The trajectory of bullet wound [3] is consistent with injury to the heart.
The following diagram illustrates one possibility of the order of events that night.

The Zodiac Killer shoots David Faraday by the right green circle and he falls close to where Betty Lou Jensen is standing (yellow circle). The Zodiac Killer steps to the left green circle, as Betty Lou Jensen turns to flee westwards. The Zodiac Killer fires the first shot into her upper right shoulder, depositing the gun shot residue onto her dress. This is a non fatal wound and she continues along the flight path shown. The Zodiac Killer is always angled on her right side, in accordance with the bullet trajectories found at autopsy. The first two shots would have been fired at Betty Lou Jensen when she was more side on to the shooter, possibly bullet wound [1] and [2]. The next shot may have been bullet hole [5] near the mid point of her flight path, striking her 'posterior iliac crest penetrating the deep muscles and exiting to the right of the umbilicus'. That is because this bullet deviated only 1 1/2 inches from front to back, suggesting she was further away from the shooter, slightly more straight on to him. Confirmation of this bullet wound can be found on page 9 of the police report.
It states 'Pellet found in pants of victim Betty Lou Jensen, at mortuary, during examination of the deceased. The pellet had entered the lower back, coursed through her body, emerging under the waist band elastic of her panties, where it was found.'

​The previous shot into her lower back may have caused Betty Lou Jensen to hunch forward in pain, then bullet [4] struck, entering low on her back and traveling upwards to the center of her upper back, and exiting from her stomach. The direction of this bullet is shown by the blue line in the left image.
This bullet was also described in the police report; 'Pellet recovered near victim Betty Lou Jensen in blood spattered path on her attempted escape route. Pellet entered her body in the back and emerged from the center of her stomach and dropped to the ground without penetrating the front of her dress.' The stomach is situated beneath the heart, so was likely not the fatal shot that night.
The police report stated it was found along her escape route, not necessarily where she was finally discovered. Betty Lou Jensen likely staggered a few more feet, twisting to her right side, possibly falling to her knees. The final shot was likely bullet [3], striking 'the 9th intercostal space, 1 and 1/2 inches from the midline', traveling 'right to left through both atrium.'
Now angled to her right side as the final deadly shot is delivered, she falls to her right side, as viewed by Stella Medeiros. The woman who spotted the stricken couple as she passed the turnout stated "The girl was lying on her right side facing the road."  Betty Lou Jensen would finally collapse onto her front side, her body aligned on the east/west axis to the rear of the Rambler. 
The image below shows the order the wounds may have been inflicted (white numbers). The further Betty Lou travels away from Zodiac, the narrower the angle tends to become in the bullet path. Depicted by the green arrows, bullet paths 1 and 2 are quite extreme, whereas bullet paths 3 and 4 have narrowed between the entrance and exit wounds, to 1 3/4 inches and 3 inches from right to left. Please remember the red circles are either showing the exit wounds (E) on Betty Lou Jensen's front side, or the bullets resting positions within the body. Bullet path 5 could possibly be determined by Betty Lou Jensen having collapsed on to the turnout floor, her right side facing Zodiac, when the final shot is discharged, ending her flight for freedom. 
This analysis requires heavily on little bullet deviation from the internal structures of the body, nevertheless it attempts to give a rudimentary explanation of the right to left trajectory of all five bullets that night, that was unlikely to have happened just by chance.  

I was revisiting the Lake Herman Road crime scene pictures and realized that one of the images widely available on the internet is a composite posted by a contributor on the zodiackiller.com message board, constructed using 3 different crime scene photos. This image is in fact totally wrong and has been the basis on which I have argued that Betty Lou Jensen was discovered 8-10 feet from the rear of the Rambler. In addition this composite gives the impression that Betty Lou Jensen was lying at a virtual right angle to the Rambler, which is also false. Betty Lou Jensen was found 28 feet from the rear of the Rambler, her feet facing west. The Rambler was facing southeast. Using original black and white photographs of the crime scene, the true picture can be revealed. Below I have placed two red dots on the lower blood trail from David Faraday. When joined together it gives us a directional marker (blue line) pointing directly to the front wheel of the Rambler.          

Next I will take the widely available composite image from the forum post and perform the identical task. It can be clearly seen that the blue line is pointing nowhere near the front wheel of the Rambler, indicating it has been constructed incorrectly. 
The author of the forum post was justifiably trying to create a better feel of the scene at Lake Herman Road, which he did. The error was on my part for not realizing it was a composite or reconstruction, believing it to be a real crime scene photograph.   

Below is a real photograph of the crime scene from the back of the turnout. The policeman in the distance is pointing his flashlight at the bloodstains of Betty Lou Jensen, at the northwest side of the turnout. The fence posts can be seen on the left of the image. The yellow line shows the relationship of her body to the lower blood trail from David Faraday. It is at an approximate right angle of 90 degrees. Betty Lou Jensen is only marginally off line to the axis of the Rambler.  
In the composite photograph above, the lower blood trail from David Faraday is directed towards Betty Lou Jensen's head. One can see in the photograph below, it is pointing nowhere near Betty Lou Jensen. 

How do we know that the policeman is directing his flashlight at the bloodstains of Betty Lou Jensen? Here is the image (below) taken from the newspaper of the day. Detective Sergeant Les Lunblad is pointing at the blooded area where David Faraday was felled by one gunshot to his head. In the distance Russ Butterbach is looking at the bloodstains from Betty Lou Jensen. 

It can be seen that the position of Betty Lou Jensen is approximately 90 degrees from the lower blood trail of David Faraday, in complete unison with the wide angled photograph taken from the rear of the turnout. Below I have enlarged the policeman holding the torch and placed it next to the Russ Butterbach photograph (above) from the newspaper. Although a marginally different angle, you can see the first two fence posts in both images. Both men are standing in a virtually identical position in the turnout, looking at the same patch of ground. In the foreground we can see the lower blood trail from David Faraday's head in both instances. Both men are surveying the scene where Betty Lou Jensen was found. The Rambler would have been situated to the right of David Faraday's bloodstains   

Although a slightly different camera angle, I have superimposed the Russ Butterbach and policeman image, using the first fence post as the guide. The yellow line depicts the shift in the photograph due to the angle. But the shift of the two men and the relative bloodstains is identical. Both men are standing in the Vallejo side of the turnout and both are examining the exact same piece of ground,
​Using the newspaper image of Russ Butterbach and the wide angled view of the turnout, we can now reconstruct the composite image to how it should really look.
Betty Lou Jensen is now aligned roughly on the same axis as the Rambler. I have positioned her body approximately 28 feet from the rear bumper of the Rambler. The view across the blood trail of David Faraday in the left photograph and all the above photographs is identical to the perspective you would see if positioned by the red circle, at ground level in the picture below

The final piece in the jigsaw is to show an overhead view of the turnout, using an image from Google maps. Although the turnout has changed over the intervening years, the following are the relative positions of the Rambler, David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, that now tally almost identically to the police sketch shown here. The Rambler is facing southeast. 

If a line is drawn through the bloodstains of David Faraday to Betty Lou Jensen's head, the white arrow above heads north northwest, offline to the direction of the road (following the path of the green line below left). The Rambler is virtually parallel to the white line. This too can be seen here in the photograph below right.

The Rambler's back wheel would be by the red circle above virtually parallel to the green line.
Hopefully this finally sets the record straight.

​View from inside the turnout facing Vallejo.
View from inside the turnout facing Benicia.