Beach Street runs from Pier 39 to the Maritime Museum, but despite what Google maps indicates, there is no 56 Beach Street present today. Thanks to 'Nobody':"56 Beach St is the old block numbering from the original planning maps, which comes out as 1654/1656 on the street numbering. 1654/56 Beach St, San Francisco, CA is a condo home that contains 2,141 sq ft and was built in 1938." 

"During the 1960s, California was the site of many outdoor art fairs, which nurtured a culture of independent artists and craftspersons. At this time there was an effort to sell crafts on the sidewalks of the liberal Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. Artists and street performers who illegally set up in public areas were frequently harassed and arrested by the police. In the 700 block of Beach Street adjacent to Victorian Park and near Fisherman's Wharf, between 15 and 25 artists would set up their displays and use lookouts to alert them to the arrival of the police." Wikipedia.

Sergeant Lynch couldn't locate a 56 Beach Street in 1969, so considered Beechwood Street starting in the 700 block. This location was actually Beechwood Drive, Daly City, CA 94015. It is 8.6 miles from Beach Street, San Francisco.
This clearly indicates that Sergeant Lynch was considering the letter from the standpoint of San Francisco, due to its proximity to San Mateo. 

The question that arises from this letter, is were the "concerned citizen" and "good citizen" communications designed by the same author, or linked in any way? The first supplied a code key relating to the 408 cipher, solved by Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden of Salinas, California. The second referred to "code letters". Both correspondences were mailed to Sergeant John Lynch. Bearing in mind the "concerned citizen" card wasn't mentioned in any newspapers, does this increase the significance of the October 7th 1969 mailing?
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 links Salinas, San Mateo and Beach Street.​ Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac in the proximity of Union Square on October 11th 1969. The "good citizen" letter, mailed only four days earlier, mentioned ESP and Beach Street - this location is only 1.4 miles from Union Square.   

Without knowing more about this communication and its exact contents, this analysis must be treated with caution. 

# "Zener cards are cards used to conduct experiments for extrasensory perception (ESP) or clairvoyance. Perceptual psychologist Karl Zener (1903–1964) designed the cards in the early 1930s for experiments conducted with his colleague, parapsychologist J. B. Rhine (1895–1980). The original series of experiments have been discredited and replication has proved elusive. The Zener cards are a deck of twenty five cards, five of each symbol. The five symbols are: a hollow circle, a plus sign, three vertical wavy lines, a hollow square, and a hollow five-pointed star. They are used to test for ESP." Wikipedia.

As explained in the previous article, there appears little doubt that the author of the "concerned citizen" card had read the August 9th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle article entitled 'A Murder Code is Broken'. The article clearly stated that Donald Harden's worksheets had been forwarded from the Chronicle to the Vallejo Police Department (which would obviously contain the cipher key and method of decryption). It stated "Vallejo Police Sergeant John Lynch, in charge of the investigation of the murders and of the cipher letter writer, asked The Chronicle to send Harden's code breaking worksheets to him for further checking; which was done." The wording "cipher letter writer" is an unusual combination of words, that apparently didn't go unnoticed by the "concerned citizen" author, who used the same sequence in his opening gambit: "I hope the enclosed "key" will prove to be beneficial to you in connection with the cipher letter writer."  
This should be proof enough that the "concerned citizen" had read the Chronicle article, knew the code had been broken, and knew Donald Harden's worksheets had already been sent to the Vallejo Police Department and Sergeant John Lynch. Therefore, do you have to question the integrity of the "concerned citizen" regarding the motivation behind his August 10th 1969 mailing?    

​The Vallejo Times-Herald also broke the story on August 9th 1969, stating "Lynch talked to Harden and said, "I'm convinced he has it solved". He said he would talk to him again today. Meanwhile Lynch has Harden's worksheets and is studying and comparing them with the three-part cryptogram and the translation." 

So, having presumably read all this, was the "concerned citizen" just a helpful member of the public attempting to corroborate the Harden's solution, or did the Zodiac Killer, knowing his cipher had been broken quickly, begin playing a game of 'cat and mouse'. The author of the "concerned citizen" card didn't want to give the Vallejo Police Department his name for fear it would be published in the newspapers, just like Zodiac stated in the 408 - but did the anonymous card reveal his identity? 

The "concerned citizen" card only contained 69 words, so why did the sender bother to type the message rather than write a handwritten message or simply capitalize the text.
When he wrote the cipher key he capitalized the alphabetical letters to mirror the 408, so what purpose was behind him choosing not to do this in his message?

The sender would certainly not have given away his identity by using upper case lettering in the message (as he had already done it in the key), nevertheless, he chose to type it anyway. If the author was the Zodiac Killer, did he believe, that by using capitals in his message rather than handwriting it may have been construed as suspicious, so opted to use a typewriter for a more professional approach and give the card a level of credibility. Opting to write the message in his normal handwriting would obviously have given the game away. He also may have thought it easier to type the message rather than make the effort to disguise his handwriting. The cipher key was obviously written rather than typed because of the unusual characters present within the 408 cipher not being available on a standard typewriter. 

This is all very speculative, however, with very little to indicate one way or another as to the identity of the "concerned citizen", feeding on scraps may be the only avenue. Was the sender of the August 10th correspondence simply being a helpful citizen wanting to corroborate the Harden's solution, or Zodiac attempting to regain a semblance of lost pride by surreptitiously offering a lending hand to the Vallejo Police Department, declaring "I do not wish to have my name in the papers".
This may have been the Zodiac Killer's idea of a joke, after having previously stated "I want you to print this cipher on the front page of your paper. In this cipher is my idenity."
This contradiction certainly wouldn't have been lost on a killer who craved attention at every turn.
A killer who was prepared to confuse with "name" and "identity" in his first communications with the newspapers, would not be averse to creating similar parallels with "signature" or "name" in the "concerned citizen" card just ten days later. 

THE CONCERNED CITIZEN CARD [PT1]

Having not covered this topic previously, I thought I would add the "Concerned Citizen' card to this site, mailed from San Francisco and postmarked August 10th 1969, one day after the article 'A Murder Code is Broken' featured in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper. In this article "Vallejo Police Sergeant John Lynch, in charge of the investigation of the murders and of the cipher letter writer, asked The Chronicle to send Harden's code breaking worksheets to him for further checking; which was done." (see foot of article for newspaper cutting).     

Many have asked the identity of the "concerned citizen."  Was it Donald Harden, the Zodiac Killer or a third party who broke the code independently? The latter having not been aware of the code being broken, as published in the newspaper.
The Chronicle, according to the August 9th 1969 newspaper article had "already done" sending Sergeant John Lynch the worksheets, so why would Donald Harden be mailing the cipher key through the mail, when clearly he was already in contact with police. Therefore, this option can be summarily dismissed as the least likely option. 

The Bay Area murderer, as of August 4th 1969, had already given us his pseudonym with the dramatic introduction of "This is the Zodiac Speaking", so why would he now be acting coy in giving us the cipher key under the guise of a "concerned citizen". This tactic may have surfaced during the 1974 communications, but to implement it so early, just after threatening to "cruse around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend", seemed an immediate backpedal. From "ruthless killer" to "concerned citizen" in a matter of days.
On the other hand, this may have been the start of his game with both the newspapers and law enforcement alike. 

The card reads:
Dear Sergeant Lynch.
   I hope the enclosed "key" will prove to be beneficial to you in connection with the cipher letter writer.
  Working puzzles criptograms and word puzzles is one of my pleasures. Please forgive the absence of my signature or name as I do not wish to have my name in the papers and it could be mentiond by a slip of the tongue.
      With best wishes.
                                     concerned citizen.

Although it has been stated on many forums that the author of the "concerned citizen" card may have mailed it, unaware of the code being broken and published in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 9th 1969, this seems highly unlikely. The author used the wording "cipher letter writer", exactly as published in the newspaper. This, from a grammatical standpoint, is highly likely to have been copied from the newspaper, indicating that the person who mailed in the cipher key already knew it had been broken. This could indicate it was Zodiac after all.

Zodiac researcher David Oranchak has comprehensively covered all aspects of the Zodiac ciphers on his excellent ZodiacKillerCiphers website, including two articles on the topic covered in this article. The first is a 'Detailed Analysis of the 408 Solution'  and the second is entitled 'Who is the Concerned Citizen'. The latter will show you the code key mailed by the "concerned citizen" for handwriting comparison purposes. 
​
THE CONCERNED CITIZEN CARD [PT2]

Vallejo Times-Herald - Cryptogram Deciphered by Teacher August 9th 1969 

Tom Voigt, creator of the hugely successful ZodiacKiller.com website has been striving to secure Zodiac material previously withheld from the public for many years. Authenticated by a state document examiner, the DMV letter was mailed to the chairman of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, yet its delivery date and contents have remained elusive to this day. It appears the overriding consensus, is that the closer this correspondence was mailed to the four canonical crimes, the more likely it is to be genuine Zodiac material. Having read the limited forum threads on this topic, the murder of taxicab driver Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969 comes to the fore.
Tom Voigt stated "While I don't yet have as many details as I would like, at some point the Zodiac wrote a letter to the chairman of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in California. The letter was authenticated, apparently via handwriting, and was kept quiet for reasons unknown. The reason I have only lately been attempting to get permission from my source is because I just recently learned from victim Paul Stine's sister that Paul's wife at the time of his murder worked for the DMV". 
There is a California Department of Motor Vehicles at 1377 Fell Street, San Francisco, the same street that Paul Stine resided (1842 Fell Street) and just 700 meters away- but whether the suspect letter was mailed to the San Francisco offices and forwarded to the Department of Justice in Sacramento, or mailed directly to Sacramento, maybe Tom can elaborate.       
The Paul Stine police report suggested that the "suspect may also be in possession of the keys to the Yellow Cab, and possibly has the wallet belonging to the victim," so whether the Zodiac Killer mailed any possessions of Paul Stine with his communication to the DMV  chairman is uncertain. Having no idea the date this letter was mailed, opens up the possibility it may be connected to the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969, the only confirmed Zodiac crime in which the killer seemingly failed to document in letter form.

Having left his message on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's 1956 White Karmann Ghia, it is not unrealistic to consider that any correspondence following this crime may have been automobile related, hence the connections being drawn to the California Department of Motor Vehicles letter. Tom Voigt stated that "Paul's wife at the time of his murder worked for the DMV," but can we connect a possible Zodiac victim to the California Department of Motor Vehicles in or around the five murders attributed to Zodiac.

​On Saturday February 21st 1970, five months after the Paul Stine murder, John Franklin Hood (24) and Sandra Garcia (20) had traveled to East Beach, Santa Barbara, near East Cabrillo Boulevard- with John telling his parents he was to spend the day with his fiancee. Sandra had informed her parents that they "wouldn't be gone long," however, when they didn't return home that night the families became understandably concerned.
Their bodies were discovered early Sunday morning by beachgoers, fully clothed underneath a blanket. They had been brutally beaten and stabbed, predominantly in the back and face.
​John Hood had been stabbed eleven times, but it appears Sandra Garcia suffered the brunt of the attack, not dissimilar to the senseless attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. Had the Zodiac Killer returned to a familiar method of execution after his venture into the heart of San Francisco, and was the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969 the foreboding of a man who was about to murder once again, stating he may "lose control again and take his ninth or possibly tenth victim." Were John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia those victims. 
"The eldest of six children, Hood was born in Seattle. He came to California with his family in 1950. He attended El Rio Elementary School and graduated from Camarillo High School in June, 1965. After graduation, he worked at Wimpy's Drive-In in Oxnard and then joined the Army in January 1966. He spent two years in Germany with the 64th Armored Division after boot training in Ft. Bliss, Texas, and then returned home for leave before being sent to Vietnam. While on leave, Hood met Sandra while they were both vacationing in Tijuana, Mexico. An expert marksman, Hood was sent to Vietnam on January 6, 1969 with the 64th Armored Division. Hood was closed-mouthed about the combat-filled year he spent there and about the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other medals he had received for valor. After returning to Oxnard, he went back to work for the drive-in eatery. Although Hood and Sandra were planning to be married, they had not set a wedding date." Oxnard Press Courier, February 23, 1970. Sandra Garcia worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles in Oxnard, Santa Barbara.
​Was the DMV letter claiming this double murder, but was withheld from publication by police, who were unsure of a connection to the Zodiac Killer, or because of the sensitive details contained within the communication. We may have to wait a little longer to find out. 

FOOTNOTE: On September 12th 1987, Jose Santo Bugarin (26) and Rodolfo Alvaro (31) were traveling on King Road, San Jose, California when their car slammed into four children playing on the front lawn of a residence, killing three and injuring one. The driver then backed over the bodies and left the scene. Both were apprehended a short time later. "Bugarin was arrested on three counts of second-degree murder. Alvaro also was arrested on murder charges." Chicago Tribune.  
This was covered extensively in the newspapers. Just over six weeks later a letter claiming to be from the Zodiac Killer was mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald on October 28th 1987​.
Update: "SAN JOSE (AP) A man who ran over and killed three children entered a plea bargain on Wednesday, pleading no contest to second degree murder and two vehicular manslaughter charges. Jose Santos Bugarin, 26, of San Jose, had two of the original murder charges filed against him changed to manslaughter. He will be sentenced to 21 years and eight months in state prison. Bugarin was the driver of a car that plowed through a front yard on King Road in San Jose on Sept. 12, killing three children." San Bernardino Sun- December 3rd 1987.
​Did the Zodiac Killer or the author of the 1987 letter read the news stories of this senseless crime and callously draw inspiration from this tragedy (Cars make nice weapons), compelling him to write the above correspondence, piggybacking off newspaper articles, in not dissimilar fashion to his early communications. 
The Car movie featured a satanic driverless car running people over in the fictional desert town of Santa Ynez in Utah. IMDB.
However, Santa Ynez is not so fictional in California. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara.  It is situated just 20 minutes or 12 miles (as the crow flies) from the site of the Robert Domingos (18) and Linda Edwards (17) murders on June 4th 1963, widely touted as an early Zodiac crime. See article 'Death on Four Wheels'. 

Thanks to Tom Voigt at ZodiacKiller.com

The following is based on a very interesting post by Mike Morford on the Zodiac Killer Site forum.
Just past midnight on Sunday November 2nd 1975 a man walked up to a couple's vehicle on Monte Cresta Drive, Belmont, California and shot 17 year-old Carlmont High School student Anthony Vincent Bruno Jr to death. "According to Police Captain George Stephenson, Bruno and his girlfriend (16 years) had been parked on Monte Cresta Drive, above Barclay Way in an isolated area of western hills when a man opened the driver's side door and apparently without saying anything fired the shotgun. The girl, who was not identified by police, pushed Bruno's body aside and drove the car to her home from where police were notified. She described the assailant as white, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 140 pounds and wearing an Army green parka with hood, according to police. Stephenson said also that a late model brown pick-up truck, possibly a Dodge or Chevrolet, had been seen in the area at about the time of the shooting."
San Mateo Times.
Anthony Vincent Bruno was shot in the mouth from close range while the couple were parked on the rise of a hill, described as a lovers lane area. The weapon (believed to be 25+ years old and not made now) malfunctioned when the cut-down stock of the shotgun broke free from the weapon and was found 10 feet from the scene of the crime. The police said it had been taped to the barrel. "The killer then ran south on Monte Cresta from the dark hillside area, past a streetlight 50 yards away, and then possibly to a late model Dodge or Chevrolet pick-up truck." The area of isolated hillside continued for several hundred feet, ending in a dirt road. Here is a newspaper cutting from the actual crime scene and its modern day equivalent on Google maps.

A follow up San Mateo Times article dated December 11th 1975 stated 'The youth, Anthony Vincent Bruno of 213 Bayview Drive, San Carlos, died instantly, his body sprawled on the seat of the parked car beside his terrified 16 year-old girlfriend. The killer then turned, dropped the sawed-off stock of his weapon on the ground, perhaps by accident, and fled. It was disclosed Wednesday that about an hour and a half before the brutal slaying, a man was seen struggling to drag a box about two feet long and 18 inches wide up a steep rise about 100 feet from the slaying site. A rod, or perhaps a rope, protruded from the box, according to police, and the dragging was being done by a man in mechanic's overalls with longish, dark brown hair. Stephenson also confirmed that police are searching for the driver of a maroon pick-up truck, equipped with blackwall tires and white wheels; a vehicle which they have information to believe may have approached the parked couple 15 minutes before the slaying, stopped a distance away, made a u-turn, and apparently drove off.' The girl gave a follow up description "She saw a face but couldn't identify him. She couldn't see whether he was black or white, or anything other than he was 5'5", 140 pounds and wearing a green army-type parka."        

"We've never had a case like this before. This is the bloodiest, most brutal killing I've ever seen", Belmont Police Chief William R Singer said as he surveyed the scene of Belmont's first potential murder case in over two years. "It could be another Zodiac", he added. '
Whether the description of the killer is accurate or not, it is an interesting addition from Mike Morford. The couple were attacked on an isolated lovers lane area while parked up in their vehicle at around midnight, the killer may have approached their vehicle, left and returned 15 minutes later, not unlike the Blue Rock Springs Park attack on Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau, the attack appeared motiveless, and probably the most important thing of all, we shall come to at the foot of this article.
'Wednesday afternoon, Juvenile Division Detective Gary Sickman drove this reporter to the scene of the slaying and replayed what police have linked together about it so far. "This is a little-known lovers' lane", Sickman said. "Many of the kids I've talked with at Carlmont were unaware of it." 
Sickman drove the patrol car down a narrow dirt road connecting with Monte Cresta Drive; a chuckhole-pocked stretch traversing a ridge high above Belmont Canyon. At the end of the road, a half-mile from the slaying site, a teenaged couple embraced in a parked car. Sickman checked their identification and jotted their names in his notebook after giving them a little fatherly advice.'
This murder was the first in Belmont in over two years. The Zodiac Killer's last confirmed communication was on January 29th 1974, although there were possible Zodiac communications up to July 8th 1974 with the 'Red Phantom' letter. There would have been hoax letters purporting to be the Zodiac Killer subsequent to this, but one would assume the 'novelty' of Zodiac would have worn off in time and the hoax letters would have dropped off in frequency by the November of 1975. That is what makes a letter purporting to be from the Zodiac Killer, found in a phone booth likely on the day of the murder, all the more interesting. 
​Mike Morford stated, in reference to a San Mateo news article dated November 14th 1975 "The reporter, a man named Bob Foster, mentions that on the night of November 3, 1975, the 11 pm TV news on channel KGO, ran a story about a Zodiac letter being found in a phone booth. This is pretty interesting to me for a couple reasons regarding the timing.
First of all because, the night before, on 11/2/75, a young man and his girlfriend were attacked on a lovers lane by a gun wielding man. The male victim, Vincent Bruno was killed, but his girlfriend survived. If I recall correctly, there may have been a letter & cassette tape found the same night in a phone booth not far from the attack site, from someone claiming to be Zodiac."
I would like to thank Mike Morford for the information regarding this story. All images are courtesy of the Zodiac Killer Site forum and the San Mateo Times. Here is a link to the thread on Mike Morford's site.  

Here we will take a further look at the two letters mailed from Fairfield to the San Francisco Chronicle on December 7th 1969 and the San Francisco Examiner on December 16th 1969. Many have dismissed these two communications as having been penned by the Zodiac Killer, but either way, they were almost certainly written by the same individual. The most important question to ask - is were these letters ever publicized in the newspapers during the December of 1969. They seemingly got no coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle or Examiner newspapers, but did they appear in any other publication? If not, then there can be little doubt these two Fairfield letters were mailed by the Zodiac Killer. 

The article on the left appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on December 28th 1969, regarding the letter mailed to attorney Melvin Belli on December 20th 1969. It states "The Zodiac Killer-unheard of in recent weeks-is back in operation and pleading for help before he takes his ninth and tenth victims."
The Melvin Belli letter was mailed only 13 days after the December 7th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle 'Fairfield' letter, so it appeared as though the Chronicle had dismissed the Fairfield letter claiming they had not heard from Zodiac "in recent weeks." They apparently never published the Fairfield letter (unless anybody knows otherwise), and the follow up letter on December 16th 1969, mailed to the San Francisco Examiner equally appeared to make little impact. Why were these communications apparently overlooked? 
Many Zodiac researchers and enthusiasts regard the two Fairfield letters to have been penned by a hoaxer- but if the letters were created by a hoaxer why did he do such a poor job as to negate the purpose of sending them.
The Zodiac Killer created two organized and structured ciphers of 408 and 340 characters. Both were designed with care, using seventeen characters in each row, and a form of 'filler' on the 408 code to keep the cipher symmetrical. The December 7th 1969 Fairfield letter contained a 38 character code, much of which was 'stolen' from the 340 cipher and formed into scruffy disorganized rows. If the letter writer was attempting to disguise himself as Zodiac, then why didn't he simply create a few lines of symbols in an organized fashion like the 408 and 340 cipher.
The fact he didn't do this could suggest that he wasn't trying to pass himself off as Zodiac- because he was Zodiac. 
The argument, is that the December 7th 1969 letter is a poor Zodiac imitation and therefore not the Zodiac. However, it isn't very difficult to copy any of the characters from the first two ciphers and create a new and realistic looking cipher that mimics its predecessors. This is not a difficult task- and neither is the handwriting.
The following image (December 7th 1969 Fairfield letter and 38 character code) was inspired by a forum thread on Zodiac Killer Site.

The December 7th 1969 letter stated "I just need help. I will kill again so expect it any time now. The will be a cop. Then I will Turn myself in  OK." 
If this letter was by a hoaxer and not published in any newspapers, then how was the Zodiac Killer able to know its contents.
The December 20th 1969 'Melvin Belli' letter was confirmed Zodiac correspondence, as it contained a piece of Paul Stine's bloodied shirt. The Melvin Belli letter pleaded for assistance "Dear Melvin. This is the Zodiac speaking. I wish you a happy Christmass. The one thing I ask of you is this, please help me. I cannot reach out for help because of this thing in me won't let me. I am finding it extreamly dificult to hold it in check I am afraid I will loose control again and take my nineth & posibly tenth victom. Please help me I am drownding. At the moment the children are safe from the bomb because it is so massive to dig in & the triger mech requires much work to get it adjusted just right. But if I hold back too long from no nine I will loose complet all controol of my self & set the bomb up. Please help me. I can not remain in control for much longer." Can it be argued that the Fairfield letter stating "I just need help" and the Melvin Belli letter thrice urging "please help me" just 13 days later, was just simple coincidence, or is it more likely the Zodiac Killer had written the earlier Fairfield letter and was just continuing the theme. In addition, the second part of the December 7th Fairfield letter is threatening to kill a cop just like the communication following the Belli letter on April 20th 1970, in which Zodiac suggested "there is more glory in killing a cop than a cid because a cop can shoot back." 
Additionally. the Fairfield letter after stating he "needs help," intimates he "will kill again," as does the Melvin Belli letter when warning he "will lose control again." 

Now let us approach this from a different angle and consider the possibility that the December 7th 1969 letter was featured in the Fairfield Daily Republic newspaper, or some other publication prior to the Zodiac Killer composing the Melvin Belli letter.
The Zodiac Killer certainly appeared to design his ciphers in a carefully structured way- so imagine- that when saw this poorly designed and crude 38 character code plagiarizing his 340 cipher in a newspaper- why on earth would he then validate the hoaxer by mimicking the December 7th 1969 letter by stating "please help me" in the Melvin Belli letter later that month. One would think he'd have wanted to disassociate himself from it. 
Whichever approach you pursue, tends to validate the December 7th 1969 letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, and by association, the December 16th 1969 letter mailed to the San Francisco Examiner, which was almost certainly penned by the same author. The latter Fairfield letter could also have links to the 'Halloween' card, with the code reading Death By Fire, By Gun, By Rope and By Knife. link    

Much has been made of the single postage on both the Fairfield envelopes, the writing paper used by the author and the crudeness of the two short codes. However, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all these anomalies.
The Zodiac Killer thought he had sent proof of his connection to the first two crimes when he mailed the trinity of July 31st 1969 letters. Vallejo Police Chief Jack Stiltz urged the author for more details to prove he was the killer, and the Zodiac duly obliged on August 4th 1969. The Zodiac then mailed a piece of taxicab driver Paul Stine's shirt in his next three consecutive and 'confirmed' communications. Firstly, in the October 13th letter, secondly, with the November 8/9 card and letter, and finally with the Melvin Belli letter.
All these communications were mailed from San Francisco, likely during his normal routine- but the December 7th & 16th letters were mailed from Fairfield. If he was away from his usual residence during this span of 10 days (possibly having broken up for Christmas) and was on holiday, or visiting family, or simply away from his home location on business, then it is conceivable that he had to improvise with writing paper and stamps. He most certainly would have stored the bloodied shirt piece in a secure location (possibly at home), to which he likely had no access during the mailing of the two Fairfield letters. These letters have all the hallmarks of 'spur of the moment' communications while away from his home location. 
This may explain their deviation from what had come before or after. It is, nevertheless, crucial to find out if these two Fairfield letters were published by any newspapers prior to December 20th 1969. If they weren't published, then the two Fairfield letters are almost certainly penned by the Zodiac Killer. 

This correspondence dated December 15th 1971 was mailed from Scottsville, New York and addressed to Mr J Edgar Hoover, first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
​In respect to the Zodiac timeline, it was sent 15 months after the disappearance of Donna Lass from Stateline, Nevada on September 6th 1970.
The communication claims to have evidence that with proper investigation would disclose the name and identity of the infamous 'Zodiac Killer of California.' 
The author of this letter would receive a reply dated December 23rd 1971, informing him that the matter was not within the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI and he should advise the San Francisco, California Police Department of any information which pertains to the Zodiac Killer. Signed by Director, John Edgar Hoover. 
The identity or signature of this individual is redacted, with a return address of some description- therefore determining its sincerity or otherwise is difficult to determine. One would like to think this was an extremely concerned citizen or somebody from an official agency, frustrated enough to mail a letter to the FBI offices (handwritten letter below). 

Tracers wrote this on the Zodiac Killer Tapatalk forum: "I did find this old reference to a letter: In a letter from J.Edgar Hoover dated 11/30/70 to Senator Karl E. Mundt concerning his interest in finding Donna A. Lass, he says, "In an effort to be of assistance, a search of our Identification Division files was conducted but I regret to tell you no indication of the whereabouts was disclosed. A missing person notice was previously placed in file in behalf of Senator George McGovern. In view of your interest I am having a notification added to the effect that any information we may receive will also be forwarded to you. We do not, of course, have the authority to conduct an active investigation in the absence of a violation of a federal statute within our jurisdiction."
​
Senator George Stanley McGovern was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator born in Avon, South Dakota, approximately 100 miles from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which may reflect his interest in the case. 
 
Another communication in the form of a Christmas card was mailed to the sister of Donna Lass, Mary Pilker, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on December 27th 1974. The Christmas card read 'Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year', followed by the handwriting "Best Wishes, St Donna & Guardian of the Pines." 
It is unknown whether this card had sinister connotations in respect to where Donna Lass may be buried (somewhere in between the pines), or whether it is just misguided support. There are, however, some similarities in the handwriting of the John Edgar Hoover letter and the Christmas card mailed to Mary Pilker (shown below).
Handwriting comparisons in the Zodiac case are the topic of much debate, as they are extremely subjective, and should always be used in conjunction with other evidence. 

John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American detective and the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. He was appointed as the director of the Bureau of Investigation — the FBI's predecessor — in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972 at the age of 77. Hoover has been credited with building the FBI into a larger crime-fighting agency than it was at its inception and with instituting a number of modernizations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.
Wikipedia.

On November 21st 1969 a suspected Zodiac letter was received.
The FBI file read: 'Re Butte tel to Bureau 11/21/69.
Enclosed herewith for the FBI laboratory are two copies of the letter received by (redacted) San Jose PD, San Jose, California on this date.
As noted, the message reads (redacted). 
The laboratory is requested to have the Cryptogram Section attempt to immediately decipher the message and furnish the results to the San Francisco Office.
For the information of the Bureau and Sacramento, after a cursory analysis, officers of the San Jose, California PD, believe widow in message may be Mrs (redacted), San Jose, California. San Jose PD instituting 24 hour surveillance on Mrs (redacted).'
A further page read:
11/24/69 - 'Copy of handprinted note beginning "There's no doubt I will do my Thing!" and ending with the symbol (drawn crosshairs). Results of examination:
The ciphertext portion of Qc33 is not readable using previously recovered key. Its brevity precludes further cryptanalytic examination at this time. The furnished interpretation of  "- + 62 + -" as representing "1620" can be neither proved nor disproved analytically. The = between "November" and "8" could represent the number "2". Such interpretation would be based on inferences drawn from the date of the postmark, not from cryptanalytic examination.'  (see below for FBI files).​ 

The FBI files ponder the idea of "November" and "8" being bridged by the number 2, possibly giving us November 28th, and therefore tying in with a presumed threat on a widow from San Jose. Here are some thoughts on Zodiac Killer Site forum. 
However, there may be a much simpler explanation, bearing in mind the Zodiac Killer's last two communications on November 8th and 9th of 1969- in particular the 'Dripping Pen' card.

That "November = 8" means exactly what it states- that the author or Zodiac is threatening, or has already claimed victim number 8 sometime in November.
​Bearing in mind the 'Bus Bomb' letter mailed on November 9th 1969 claiming 7 kills, then had an 8th victim already been claimed (presumably a male victim, if the mention of a widow was relevant), we would be looking for a victim between November 9th and November 21st. A future victim in November would likely have been murdered between November 21st and November 30th (the claimed target possibly being the woman in San Jose).
The phrase "There's no doubt I will do my Thing!" seemed to suggest an impending threat- hence the urgency of 24 hour surveillance on the woman. Thereby, the use of the term "widow" in the FBI file may likely not carry a sinister connotation of a prior murder.  
The Zodiac Killer was certainly looking for a ninth and tenth victim on December 20th 1969, when he mailed a further correspondence to Melvin Belli's residence.
​The reference to "- + 62 + -" appears to represent six characters rather than four, so is open to interpretation. 
Here is an aerial view of 2162 Ringwood Avenue, San Jose, Ca.  A code such as 2162SJ, coupled with a specific name would be enough. This is just a crude example, so any suggestions would be welcome.   

In 1975, an FBI document detailed a possible Zodiac correspondence, which has become known as the 'Equinox' letter.
The slip of paper was yellow in color and the message was largely handwritten in blue felt tip pen. The style of the writing has more in common with the Zodiac 'Red Phantom' letter rather than his copious other earlier communications, nevertheless it is interesting for a number of reasons, other than the obvious astrology connection.
A man from Fresno, California, handed it in to law enforcement and stated that 'over the July 4th 1975 weekend he had visited his brother-in-law at his residence in Oakland, California. During the visit his brother-in-law had showed him a 1968 Datsun 1600 sports car bearing California license plates, which he said had been given to him a week before by a co-employee. The car had not been driven for some time and had no 1975 registration tags. In the front floorboard of the vehicle he found the enclosed note among some newspapers and other discarded papers. He said he read a good deal about the Zodiac murder case and feels this note may have been written by Zodiac. He advised he further suspects that his brother-in-law may be involved because of his hippy-type life style and because his brother-in-law once told him he was at the scene of the taxicab driver murder in San Francisco the night it occurred and made very discouraging remarks about the police investigation into the matter. He advised he reported this to the Fresno Police Department but did not feel that anything was done with the information, and he, therefore, contacted the FBI with his present information.'       

The note began with EQUINOX 3:33 pm.
The note appeared to be almost three years old, based on the date September 22nd 1972, offered on the next line.
A quick check of the September 22nd Equinox in 1972 for Oakland, gives us a Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) of 15:32 or 3:32 pm, almost the exact time displayed on the 'Equinox' letter.
At the foot of the note the author has highlighted in bold capitals 'FULL ARIES MOON.' September 22nd 1972 was a full moon. September 22nd is the final day of Virgo in the horoscope calendar. 
The 14th April (4/14/41) falls under the ARIES sign, but there was no full moon in 1941 for this date. It was a full moon on April 11th 1941 in Aries.
It was a new moon on October 11th 1969 when Paul Stine was murdered in San Francisco. 
Seemingly Phil G was an Aries and September 22nd 1972 was a full moon.
The note began with "Equinox 3:33 pm. Can't make it Sat. Nite but the spell is broken & I hope I'll see you more than ever?"
Just under three months prior to this letter Edward J Salmina, sports editor of the Novato Advance received a hand-printed 'death note' signed Zodiac. The newspaper article of June 30th 1972 read 'The hand-printed letter said: "If you leave your house past 3:13:47 on the next ten Saturdays, you will be killed." In the lower left corner under the heading "message" were a series of symbols. Salmina of 25 Crescent Lane told police he didn't know who or why anyone would send him such a letter.'  Crescent Lane is situated in Novato, Marin County, approximately thirty miles from Oakland (where the brother-in-law lived).
The two similarities between the 'Equinox' note and the 'Death' note sent to Edward J Salmina were firstly, the time presented on each correspondence. The first note, sent just prior to June 30th 1972 stated a time of 3:13:47, the second note on September 22nd 1972, a time of 3:33 pm. only 19 minutes difference. The second similarity was the mention of Saturday in both notes. Incidentally, ten Saturdays from the date of the 'Death' note would have been September 2nd 1972, twenty days before the 'Equinox' note. 

The third event in this 30 mile radius was the attempted murder of Isobel Watson. 
Isobel Watson (33) had just got off the bus on the evening of April 7th 1972, and was walking home along Pine Hill Road, Tamalpais Valley, Marin County at 9.00 pm, when a light colored vehicle veered towards her, knocking her to the ground. [view on google maps]. The driver exited his vehicle offering to take her home, but after she had refused his offer of apparent help a second time, the concerned citizen suddenly became enraged, pulling out a knife and stabbing the woman in the neck and shoulder. ​Her screams alerted the neighborhood, forcing the assailant into a hasty retreat from the scene.
She was treated at Marin General Hospital and fortunately survived the brutal attack.
Her description of the man alerted investigators to a possible Zodiac connection, that of a man with heavy rimmed black glasses, in his early 40's, 5' 9" in height and short brown hair. It was not overlooked by police that the killer had attempted to lure the woman into his vehicle, not dissimilar to the method employed in the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns. 
These are three unlikely Zodiac connections, however all three occurred in relatively close proximity to one another within a six month period. 

www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=169
http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1969
http://www.historyofnovato.com/s-vips

Two letters were mailed from Stamford, Connecticut. One on April 13th 1988, followed by another on April 21st 1988. A cryptogram was contained in each,  believed to be from the same author. The first letter contained six pages in total, laden with text. The date of April 13th 1988 is the seventeen year anniversary of the disappearance of Denise Kathleen Anderson (22), from Sacramento, California, who may have been the subject of a possible Zodiac correspondence, the 'Monticello' card, mailed on July 13th 1971. http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/in-the-woods-dies-april. Page three of the first 1988 letter began with the wording "Eat pepper-mint and puff it in your face". Page five began with "You the other night"  Here is a section from the  Mikado Act One Part 5a  'As Some Day it May Happen', performed by Ko-Ko: "And the people who eat peppermint and puff it in your face. They never would be missed — they never would be missed". The two pages that contained cryptograms used familiar Zodiac characters, 54 in total. Both cryptograms contained 13 characters per row, however one didn't form a complete rectangle, the last line consisting of only three characters.
94 CHARACTER CIPHER: (REDACTED) MUST DIE FOR HER FIFTY MEGAHERTZ SCREECH AND HER FLIRTATIOUSNESS. SHE IS SO IMPOSSIBLY SHALLOW AND STUCK UP. 
Assuming the redacted section is a name, the deciphered text is reminiscent of the 'Confession' letter and 'Bates Had to Die' letters, mailed after the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside on October 30th 1966. This cipher has the three character line.
It contains 89 visible characters. Seven rows of 13 characters = 91. Adding the 3 characters over = 94. Therefore the redacted text it would seem, should contain 5 letters, although 'megahertz screech' is written as 'megahertscreech' by the author, to allow the redacted name to become 6 letters in length. The redacted name is SHAUNA. (see forum thread below).
169 CHARACTER CIPHER: (REDACTED) IF YOU WISH TO KNOW MY IDENTITY, YOU WILL HAVE TO PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT, NOT FIDDLE AND FART AROUND. HERE IS A CLUE AS MISSUS (REDACTED) IF SHE REMEMBERS WHO DRAWS THE SYMBOL. THEN YOU WILL HAVE ME. GOOD LUCK. 
This cipher draws from much of the known Zodiac correspondence, and has no incomplete lines. 
It contains 154 visible characters. Thirteen rows of 13 characters = 169. Therefore the redacted text should be 15 letters in total.
However, the author again makes errors in the cipher composition and the redacted text is only 12 letters. The redacted text is SHAUNA and TAYLOR (see forum thread below). 
We have a 263 character cipher in total (20 rows of 13 characters, and three over), from either Zodiac or a hoaxer.
The author began with Dear (redacted). "This is the Zodiac Speaking". One sheet of paper was the brand 'Conqueror' from the Sloan Paper Company, Doraville, Georgia. Four sheets of paper bore the watermark of Sheaffer Eaton, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The remaining sheet contained no watermark.  
http://www.zodiacciphers.com/uploads/4/9/7/1/4971630/zodiac5  Page 5 onwards. 

Cryptogram images below courtesy of Zodiac Killer Site Forum.
​To view the six pages of text and the forum thread visit ​http://zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=2326

The Albany letter decoding from the FBI files and Dave Oranchak.
http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?p=52742#p52748 

On April 30th 1967 the supposed killer of Cheri Jo Bates mailed three handwritten letters to Joseph Bates, the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Riverside Police Department. All effectively carried the same message "Bates had to die there will be more." These letters bore resemblance to the Zodiac Killer's first three letters, mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, Vallejo Times-Herald and San Francisco Examiner.on July 31st 1969. Not only did both sets contain three constituent parts, they exhibited double postage and both carried the threat of more victims. In the July 31st 1969 mailings, the threat was to "cruse around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend." 
The two sets of letters were also accompanied by a symbol at the foot of the correspondence. The crosshairs of the Zodiac Killer are all too familiar, but what were the strange symbols at the foot of the Riverside Police Department and Riverside Press-Enterprise correspondence. They do not appear to be a regular letter Z, as both have an elaborate tail off the left side, as shown in the above image.  
The Zodiac Killer was not averse to placing his running total of victims at the foot of each letter, and this may be the case in the Bates letters. In one of Zodiac's mailings he sent us the 'Halloween' card addressed to Paul Avery, but possibly replaced the victim count with an elaborate symbol on the inside of the card. We know he was inferring 14 victims over the entire card, so why should the symbol be any different. Below is a depiction of one possible interpretation.         

The four dots are harder to interpret, but by joining three alphabetical letters together 'Zodiac Victims Fourteen' is realized. Was this a 'modern' twist on his earlier, yet more rudimentary version on the Bates letters.
On first glance the Bates symbol could be interpreted as a joined 3 and V, indicating three victims. After all, the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates was claiming previous victims, apparent in the 'Confession' letter he mailed one month after her murder. It stated "She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay awake at night thinking about my next victim." The question is, were his next victims that of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968, just two years later.
The Zodiac Killer first gave us a running total of seven on the 'Dripping Pen' card, mailed on November 8th 1969. The Zodiac claimed "Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct = 7" at the foot of the card. At this point in time we knew of five Zodiac murders, that included David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in December, Darlene Ferrin in July, Cecelia Shepard in September, and Paul Stine in October. We were missing two.
If we also included Cheri Jo Bates into October, then we would be missing only one victim in August. If the Zodiac Killer was the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, then was his first victim just two months earlier in August 1966 and Cheri was "not the first and was not to be the last." This would give us the total of seven victims the Zodiac was referring to in the 'Dripping Pen' card. Is it possible the Zodiac Killer had already adopted his pseudonym as early as 1967, bearing in mind the symbol on the Bates letters does not conform fully. 
One interpretation of the Bates symbols could have inspired his design on the 'Halloween' card, shown below. The number 2 (or possibly 3) tagged onto the left side of the arrangement, as opposed to 'fourteen' on the 'Halloween' card, tagged onto the right side.  However it may be a little convoluted, and would presuppose his use of the pseudonym Zodiac in 1967, which could not be backed up with anything tangible.          

​Assuming the Bay Area and Riverside killer are the same person, it is conceivable that the murder of Cheri Jo Bates was one of his earliest crimes, possibly the second. The 'Confession' letter stated "She is not the first and she will not be the last," and the 'Dripping Pen' card total, if to be believed, left only one victim in August.

Had the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates killed a second victim, only two months earlier in August. His murders may have displayed much less organization back in 1966, exemplified by the brutal stabbing in the grounds of the Riverside City College, only yards from the library annex. His letter writing may equally have looked amateurish, after all, he was in the infancy of his terror.
On the right may be an early example of the Zodiac Killer's running victim total, inferring '2 victims' (or possibly '3 victims').
However, we were two murders short on the 'Dripping Pen' card, so this coupled with the five murders in the Bay Area brings us to the correct total of seven, by November 8th 1969. The total on the 'Dripping Pen' card may only be crimes under the Zodiac umbrella, which he adopted in 1969, which do not include any of the Riverside attacks. Nevertheless, the Bates symbols may still be an early example of a running victim count, which he refreshed when he became Zodiac. If this is the case, then the hunt for victims six and seven will have to start again, maybe somewhere other than Riverside. 

Many crimes have been suggested as possible Zodiac attacks, too numerous to mention, so sometimes the only course of action is to analyze murders and disappearances with commonalities, employing geographical profiling and possible routes or thoroughfares used by the killer. In a previous article we noticed several such events that occurred along two main travel routes, extending all the way from the Highway 132 abduction of Kathleen Johns on March 22nd 1970 to the disappearance of Donna Lass from South Lake Tahoe on September 6th 1970. One direct route encompassing Interstate 5 and Interstate 80 passes Sacramento, the scene of three murders in 1970, often mentioned in Zodiac circles.

Judith Hakari was a nurse at Sutter Hospital, who disappeared heading back to the Markston Apartments on March 7th 1970, her body eventually discovered just off Interstate 80. Nancy Bennallack was murdered on October 25th 1970 in her apartment, a residence close to Interstate 80. Carol Beth Hilburn was murdered on November 14th 1970, again extremely close to Interstate 80. This thoroughfare has strong connections with the Bay Area, passing straight through the heart of Vallejo.
To examine these connections in greater detail visit: 
​http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/cruising-the-interstate.

Two years ago, a link was forged between the 30 year old murder case of Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Salee (40) and the possible 1986 Zodiac letter, and here we will attempt to do the same with another suspected Zodiac correspondence, regarding the case of missing Denise Kathleen Anderson, although unfortunately here we have very little information to work with.
Denise Kathleen Anderson (22), who resided in Sacramento, was last seen on April 13th 1971 by her roommates at approximately 05.30 am- and as of writing her disappearance still remains a mystery- although foul play is suspected. Bearing in mind the Interstate 80 route from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe, we have disappearances and murders on March 7th 1970, September 6th 1970, October 25th 1970 and November 14th 1970, of Hakari, Lass, Bennallack and Hilburn respectively. Three of which occurred very close to their apartments. What occurred with Denise Kathleen Anderson after last being seen by her roommates is unknown, but her disappearance (and possible murder) again took place in Sacramento, near Interstate 80, only five months after the murder of Carol Beth Hilburn and exactly one month after the Zodiac 'Los Angeles' letter mailed on March 13th 1971, claiming 17+ victims. In this correspondence Zodiac stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life."
The question is, was Denise Kathleen Anderson one of them. With so little to go on, we may never know, but exactly three months later on July 13th 1971 a potential Zodiac correspondence, listed in the FBI files, was received by the San Francisco Chronicle, described as a picture with pasted letters. The wording read: 
'Near Monticello Shought Victims 21 ...... In The Woods Dies April'
The first thing that needed answering was whether April was the name of the victim or the month of the murder.
Using the age range Zodiac was known to have targeted, no woman bearing the name April could be unearthed and the April 11th 1971 murder of Kathy Bilek was attributed to Karl Francis Werner, who was responsible for the double murder of Kathy Snoozy and Deborah Furlong. However the disappearance of Denise Kathleen Anderson has yet to be resolved.

The next thing to determine was 'near Monticello'.
The southern section of Monticello Road is only 16 miles from Vallejo and 2.4 miles from the Main Street payphone, where the Zodiac Killer placed his second phone call to police after the double stabbing and murder at Lake Berryessa. Interstate 80 travels from Sacramento towards Vallejo, and skirts past Monticello Road only 13 miles to the southeast.  
Had the Zodiac headed from Sacramento to Vallejo after abducting Denise Kathleen Anderson and exited Interstate 80 at the closest point to Monticello Road, it would be a mere 6 miles to a notable section of Wooden Valley Road. This area is surrounded by dense woods, the perfect attack/disposal site for a serial killer, and being only 7 miles shy of Monticello Road would certainly fit the criteria of being  'near Monticello'.  
Monticello Road heads northwards to Lake Berryessa, now covering the land mass once known as the town of Monticello, flooded over by the damming of Putah Creek in 1957. Any reference to Monticello by the Zodiac Killer would not be surprising, based on his previous historical references within his correspondence, namely The Mikado, and bearing in mind his third attack on Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell at Lake Berryessa.   
This connection may not be as strong as the Sacramento double murder of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee on April 22nd 1986 and the 1986 Zodiac correspondence, however we have a dense wooded area just off Interstate 80, en route from Sacramento to Vallejo, near Monticello, and a woman's disappearance in April, in accordance with the noted timeline of three previous murders in 1970.
Regardless of whether this is a Zodiac crime, it is another tragedy for the family and friends of Denise Kathleen Anderson, who badly need answers in this long overdue cold case. If you can help please contact the Sacramento Police Department.

​http://www.nampn.org/cases/anderson_denise.html 
​http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/anderson_denise.html
​http://zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1353  

I have recently contacted the Sacramento cold cases department regarding the 30 year old murder case of Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Salee (40), a Laotian couple brutality gunned down on the hard shoulder of a Sacramento highway on April 22nd 1986. This has been covered twice before, but I am attempting to find more information on this crime, including any police reports, as the information on the internet is scant to say the least. The crime was originally linked to Devon Stuart Olson, however Sergeant James Lewis in 2001 reiterated that none of Olson's statements matched to any of the crimes he claimed and he wasn't charged in these murders. 
Rewinding the clock back fifteen years, the Donna Lass case entered the Zodiac sphere with the mailing of the Pines Card on March 22nd 1971 inferring he may be the killer. Donna Lass disappeared from a South Lake Tahoe casino in the early hours of September 6th 1970 and has never been heard or seen of since.
Gian Quaser of the Quester Files ran a story indicating a possible link between Donna Lass, Judith Hakari, Nancy Bennalack and Carol Hilburn, the latter three of which were all murdered in Sacramento in 1970. A straight line from the Vallejo and San Francisco region to South Lake Tahoe takes you directly through Sacramento. The slaying of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee, although sixteen years later, took place within 10 miles of the murdered women in Sacramento, and furthermore the Zodiac Killer would possibly claim these murders in a 1986 letter.. What is most important, is what the Zodiac meant in the 1986 letter by "The Blue Meannies almost caught me." Is he talking about his interaction with the Highway Patrol officer in the article. 

The murders of Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee had all the hallmarks of Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, a couple fired upon while inside their vehicle, just like Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau. The Laotian couple were shot multiple times from close range. Both front side windows were blown out, with 15 shell casings strewn around the vehicle. This was a merciless assault on the side of the highway. Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee were traveling back on the two and a half journey to their residence in Dorman Road, Yuba City after visiting their son in a Merced CA hospital, situated in the area of the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California.
They were only 45 minutes from home when it was believed they had opted to take a rest on the roadside edge, near the interchange of Highway 99 and I-5 Sacramento and unfortunately for them, a merciless killer was in the vicinity. However without knowing the exact dynamics of the crime, it is equally plausible they were ushered to the side of the highway on a ruse, similar to the Modesto abduction of Kathleen Johns.
The 1986 letter claimed to be from the Bay Area killer, but what catches the eye, is how close this letter is to the Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee murders.
​[1] The letter was postmarked 6th May 1986. The letter writer stated his victims were collected "about two weeks ago." Exactly 14 days prior to May 6th was April 22nd, the day the couple were murdered.
[2] The letter writer stated "up by Sacramento."  They were murdered close to the center of Sacramento.
[3] The letter writer stated "They were killed by a freeway" and "I want you to know about my latest slaves." Both statements indicative of more than one victim. The couple were also murdered right next to a two lane freeway. (Highway 99).
This Highway serves Modesto and was traveled by Kathleen Johns in March 1970. Wikipedia: 'From SR 99 to south of Tracy, I-5 skirts along the far more remote western edge of the great Central Valley, and thus here is removed from population centers such as Bakersfield and Fresno; other state highways provide these connections. I-580 splits from I-5 at a point south of Tracy, providing a loop-route connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. After passing Tracy, I-5 heads north through Stockton and Sacramento before turning west to Woodland.'
[4] The letter writer stated "The Blue Meannies almost caught me," indicating that he saw police that night, likely close to the scene. The mystery hitchhiker directed police to the scene, reminiscent of his two phone calls, but subsequently was never traced. Was this the Zodiac playing games with the police and hence his reference to "The Blue Meannies almost caught me." The hitchhiker flagged down a California Highway Patrol Officer in East Nicolaus and informed him of an automobile accident at the precise location the couple were eventually discovered.
The Zodiac could again be claiming murders for which he had no hand in, so it is imperative to find more detailed information on this crime and possibly elaborate on his claim of a near miss with police. It would also be interesting to discover the weapon used in this crime and compare the shell casings to ones retrieved in the Zodiac case.

This website contains no advertisements. To help keep it running, any donations, however small, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Richard.

The murder of Cheri Jo Bates outside the Riverside City College Library on October 30th 1966, may have been the day the Zodiac Killer under this moniker, started his campaign of terror. Although it would be at least one month before his typed 'Confession' letter surfaced with the threat of more to come. Five months later, on April 30th 1967, a further three letters sent to the Riverside Police, Riverside Press Enterprise and more chillingly Cheri Jo Bates father, suggested that this killer was not going to stop anytime soon.
His letters were signed off with what looked like a Z symbol, but as yet authorities were a long way from finding out, this may have been the very inception of the Zodiac, the 'calm' before the storm of Lake Herman Road and beyond.
What, if anything, lies within the Confession Letter to suggest this declaration of murder was in any way related to the other crimes that began on December 20th 1968, just over two years later.
It has been previously pointed out that the author of the 'Confession' letter used the wording "She squirmed and shook as I choaked her. And her lips twiched". This having striking similarities to the 'Little List' letter the Zodiac Killer mailed on July 26th 1970, in which he stated "Some I shall tie over ant hills and watch them scream + twich and squirm."
But more apparent is the egocentric nature displayed in the 'Confession' letter, that he maintains throughout his correspondence to the authorities, right through to the Exorcist Letter mailed on January 29th 1974, revealing character patterns of his own unique writing style. His extreme use of the word 'I' appears no less than 19 times, along with his use of 'me', 'my' or 'mine', a further 12 times in this short letter comprising of 423 words. So in total, a reference to himself appears 31 times. That is 7.33% or once every 14 words, and something we were going to get accustomed to over the following eight years.
The 'Bus Bomb' letter, 'Little List' letter and 'Melvin Belli' letter are further examples of the Zodiac Killer's compunction to constantly refer to himself as the focus of attention within his writings. In the Melvin Belli Letter this occurs 16 times, within the body of text containing 134 words, that is 11.94%. The Little List Letter contains 12 in 178 words, at 10.07% and the Bus Bomb Letter is equally high in frequency.   

In a previous article http://www.zodiacciphers.com/1/post/2013/10/the-phantom-murders.html , it was suggested that if the diagram at the foot of the Bus Bomb Letter, received one day after the Dripping Pen Card on November 9th 1969 was indicating murder sites. then by elimination there must have been two individual murders in August along the remaining lines shown  If so, then the Zodiac Killer was not claiming the Riverside attack on Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, despite part indicating its inclusion under the Zodiac banner, by signing off his Bates Letters on April 30th 1967 with a Z.  
However, if the Bus Bomb diagram was not referring to murder zones, then that leaves us another option for the months of December, July, August, September and October, indicated on the Dripping Pen Card.
The murders of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday in December, Darlene Ferrin in July, Cecelia Shepard in September and the murders of Paul Stine and Cheri Jo Bates, both in October, would now leave six murders of the seven accounted for and cementing the Riverside attack as a Zodiac crime. The seventh victim would still be, as yet undetermined. The Hood and Garcia murders would still remain a possibility, since they occurred on February 21st 1970, with the Domingos and Edwards murders on June 4th 1963 falling into the 'Pre-Zodiac' timeline, but not completely ruled out on this basis.
The Zodiac Killer in the 'Los Angeles' letter on March 13th 1971 claimed "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there."
This may or may not be the case, but the murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966 is one crime, that in many respects has the hallmark of the Zodiac Killer stamped all over it.