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

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

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

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

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

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

Inspector William Hamlet of the San Francisco Police Department crime laboratory observed that there was a similarity between a bloody fingerprint retrieved from the door of Paul Stine's taxicab and the left ring finger latent taken from the Zodiac Killer's "Little List" letter. Please visit Dion Walker's YouTube channel for more information. 

• ​Minutiae Points: The primary basis for comparison in traditional forensic science are minutiae, which are specific points along the friction ridges, such as bifurcations (where a ridge splits), ridge endings, and dots. Similarity is measured by comparing the type, position, and angle of these corresponding points. A specific number of matching minutiae points are generally required for a positive identification in legal contexts. In other words, William Hamlet must have noticed some corresponding points, but not enough to absolutely declare a match.

In the FBI document below, it specifically mentions a similarity of the left ring finger latent from the letter to the door of the taxicab, not the door handle. There are bloody fingerprints on the outside front passenger door handle and the outside rear post of the left front door (driver's door). Therefore, the similarity observed between the letter and taxicab prints, almost certainly involved the driver side door post (circled in white below). One of these bloody prints was considerably larger than the others, so it's reasonable to conclude that this was the fingerprint compared to the left ring finger latent noted on the "Little List" letter. The bloody print (shown below) was not only the one with most detail on the driver's door, but it had more distinguishing features than either of the two bloody prints noticeable on the front passenger door handle 

Whether this bloody fingerprint was deposited on the taxicab door by grabbing or pushing it shut is obviously difficult to say, but the location of this print corroborates the testimony of the Robbins teenagers, who saw the Zodiac Killer open the driver door from the outside and attempt to pull Paul Stine into an upright position, before closing it and departing the scene. For a moment in time, the Zodiac Killer was observed at the driver's door just seconds after removing a large section of bloody shirt. The fact that William Hamlet noted a similarity between (likely) this print and one retrieved from the "Little List" letter, should carry more weight than comparing two random prints at two locations,

These prints can be linked to two surfaces the Zodiac Killer had every reason to touch. One being the open driver's door of the taxicab, and the other being a confirmed Zodiac letter. Even four points of a print matching in these circumstances is therefore highly significant. I suspect William Hamlet had more than four points in declaring a similarity between the two prints. In fingerprint analysis, similarity refers to the measurable likeness between two prints, assessed by comparing their unique ridge patterns, minutiae (ridge endings/bifurcations), angles, and density, with high similarity suggesting they might be from the same finger. 

Partial fingerprints exclude a suspect by showing distinct features (minutiae) that don't match the suspect's known prints, even if the print is small. Forensic experts look for specific ridge endings, bifurcations, and patterns, and if the available detail in the partial print isn't enough to form a positive match or clearly contradicts a match, the suspect can be eliminated from the investigation, often requiring less information for exclusion than for positive identification. 

​If, for example, we examine the 10-digit prints of Arthur Leigh Allen and none match the detail shown above, then he isn't the Zodiac Killer, assuming the bloody prints were deposited by the killer on October 11th 1969. In fact, every single suspect whose fingerprints are on file can be excluded using the bloody fingerprint detail present on the taxicab of Paul Stine. This is an uncomfortable truth for people with suspects in the Zodiac community, who have to resort to discrediting the evidence to keep their story alive, or falsely posit the notion that no elimination prints were taken from individuals subsequent to the Presidio Heights murder. Below are the two observable bloody prints fron the front passenger door handle, shown in more detail thanks to Zodiac researcher, Cragle. 

Below are some high magnification images of the bloody fingerprints retrieved from the "OUTSIDE REAR POST OF LEFT FRONT DOOR" of Paul Stine's taxicab, showing the minutiae (island and bifurcation detail) of one fingerprint. The fingerprints on the taxicab are unlikely to identify a particular individual, but they do contain enough ridge detail to exclude suspects from the investigation. In one of the images I have traced (in white) just four points of interest on a fingerprint in close proximity to one another. However, I could have added several more. If none of an individual's ten digits carry the pattern shown below (the more points the better), then he wasn't the person who deposited the bloody fingerprints on October 11th 1969. In other words, he wasn't the Zodiac Killer. Researchers with a pet suspect's fingerprints on file should embrace this detail, because it could keep them in the frame and possibly bolster their credibility. Unfortunately, this won't happen.   

On November 7th 2025, respected Zodiac researcher Cragle, sent me close-up images of the dividing panel (B-pillar) from the taxicab of Paul Stine, showing bloody prints in the image below. The B-pillar is located between a vehicle's front and rear side glass, where it serves as a structural support of its roof. The average male hand width (across the widest part of the palm) is about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm). The distance between the extreme prints on the dividing panel measure about 3 1/4 inches or 8.3 cm, approximating that of closed fingers from the hand (excluding the thumb). We can't learn a great deal from this, but we can assert that these were almost certainly the fingerprints of the Zodiac Killer, who was witnessed by the teenagers across the road to have opened the driver side door from the outside. 

The extended recollection of the teenagers read "At this time, Lindsey went downstairs to get a better look at what was happening, while one of the kids upstairs called the police. Downstairs, the lights were off, so Lindsey knew he could not be seen from the outside. He got close to the window and watched his actions. He was shortly joined by Rebecca. They both watched and observed in silence as Zodiac pushed the driver to an upright position behind the steering wheel, exited the car and walked around the rear of the car and opened the driver's door. Stine had fallen over onto the seat and Zodiac pulled him back up into the seated position and had some difficulty keeping him upright. Once upright, he was seen to have a rag, or something like a handkerchief and began to wipe down the door area and leaning over the driver, part of the dashboard. When he was finished, Zodiac calmly walked to Cherry St. and walked north".

The only way the Zodiac Killer can create the leverage to pull Paul Stine from his fallen position to upright, was to either (A) brace his right hand upon the central fixed dividing panel of the taxicab, and use his left hand to lever the body of Paul Stine back into the seated position, or (B) grip the upright post of the left driver door frame and use his right hand to upright Paul Stine. The location of the bloody fingerprints are consistent with the actions of Zodiac as observed by the eyewitnesses that night. These were the prints that Officer Armond Pelissetti claimed he saw as he approached the taxicab, once he had escorted the kids back to the alcove of their house. Of course, Zodiac researchers with suspects will do anything to claim these are not the bloody fingerprints of the killer, because any evidence that has the power to rule out their suspect has to be vigorously rubbished. They will fight tooth and nail to dismiss any fingerprints and DNA found in the Zodiac case. 

​The bloody fingerprints shown above are not on the central (middle section) of the pillar, and are listed as "OUTSIDE REAR POST OF LEFT FRONT DOOR". It is with certainty that these bloody fingerprints were noted on the upright post of the driver side door. In other words, the right side of the glass on the driver's door (as shown below). This being the case, suggests that these fingerprints should be from the left hand of the Zodiac Killer. With his left hand pulling the door into his body, he can acquire the leverage and use his dominant right hand to pull up the body of Paul Stine. It would have been easier to brace the right hand on the fixed central pillar and use the left hand to upright the stricken taxicab driver, but this apparently wasn't the methodology used by the Zodiac Killer. The only other plausible option for the location of these fingerprints, is that he used the fingertips of his right (or left) hand to push the driver door shut by using this upright post of the left door. However, this would have been totally unnecessary, with multiple other more sensible ways to achieve the same task. 

The Robbins kids may have observed the Zodiac Killer wiping down the taxicab driver door area, but this doesn't necessarily mean he managed to erase all of the fingerprints he deposited that night. He may have wiped the taxicab inadequately, or failed to wipe this section of the door post. This was an extremely dynamic situation in reduced lighting, with the pressure of time and the impending arrival of law enforcement - so it really isn't that surprising that the Zodiac Killer wasn't able to remove every fingerprint he left at the scene of the murder.  

HOW THE SHIRT PIECE WAS REMOVED: PART ONE PART TWO

To determine the specific digit (finger) a print came from, no set minimum amount of the fingerprint is universally required; rather, examiners need a sufficient quantity and quality of unique features, known as minutiae, to make a reliable determination. These fine details or minutiae include ridge endings, bifurcations (where a ridge splits), short ridges, and enclosures. The location and relationship of these points help determine the digit. There are as many as 150 ridge characteristics (points) in the average fingerprint.

​However, there is no universally set minimum number to qualify as a match, and it is up to the examiner to make the decision.​ The term used in forensic science when comparing fingerprints to determine a match is identification, dactyloscopy, or ridgeology. The process involves looking for "points of similarity" or "points of identification" in the unique ridge details, formally known as minutiae. In fingerprint comparison, similarity refers to the level of agreement in features between two impressions, while dissimilarity refers to observable differences. The core process, known as friction ridge identification, involves assessing and comparing these features to determine if the prints originated from the same source. 

In other words, for William J. Hamlet to declare a "similarity" in the fingerprints retrieved from the "Little List" letter and the outside front passenger door handle of Paul Stine's taxicab, he had to observe "sufficient quantity AND quality of unique features, known as minutiae", not "sufficient quantity OR quality of unique features, known as minutiae​". What is important here, is that William J. Hamlet wasn't comparing fingerprints from two random crime scenes to determine if one perpetrator was responsible for both, he was announcing a "similarity" between two "crime scenes" we know for certain that the Zodiac Killer was responsible for. We absolutely know that the Zodiac Killer touched the outside front passenger door handle of the taxicab where a bloody fingerprint was found, and we know he touched the pages of the writing pad he used when writing and mailing the "Little List" letter.

​If the left ring fingerprint from the "Little List" letter was observed on any of the inner pages (2, 3, 4 and 5), who else would have deposited this fingerprint other than the Zodiac Killer, who presumably wrote this communication using five consecutive pages of a machine-produced writing pad, which should realistically be fingerprint free on its inner pages? Especially when we know that elimination prints were taken from San Francisco Chronicle employees and law enforcement. In fact, once San Francisco Chronicle staff realised it was a potential Zodiac Killer letter after reading "This is the Zodiac speaking" on page one, they should have proceeded no further. Law enforcement, at this point in time (July 27th 1970 when the letter was received), almost certainly would have had the common sense not to touch any part of a possible Zodiac communication with ungloved hands.

Imagine that the "Little List" letter and taxicab fingerprints exhibited overall "similarity" and only had five recognisable corresponding minutiae points such as the ones shown above (one of which was determined to be from the left ring finger). For example, one from the taxicab door handle of the murdered Paul Stine, and one from page 4 of the "Little List" letter. This number wouldn't be regarded as conclusive for a certain match, but when we factor in that both of the fingerprints were lifted from surfaces that we know were handled by the Zodiac Killer, how does this affect our evaluation? If William J. Hamlet had pointed out five minutiae points that corresponded between the fingerprints lifted from the "Little List" letter and taxicab door handle, it may not identify the Zodiac Killer, but it could certainly rule "suspects" out.

If none of Arthur Leigh Allen's 10 digit impressions (or any other individual investigated) had any of these five corresponding minutiae on any of their fingers relative to one another, from two surfaces we know the Zodiac Killer touched (one with blood from the victim), then what are the chances that Arthur Leigh Allen murdered Paul Stine, or any of the other four victims for that matter? The answer is practically zero. Particularly when we have additional bloody fingerprints on the left side dividing panel (B-pillar) of the taxicab, that correspond to the eyewitness testimony of the Robbins children who placed Zodiac at the driver side door that night. A body part of the taxicab where responding personnel had no reason to touch..

The key thing to remember here, is that it's not just about a "similarity" noted between two fingerprints plucked from anywhere - it's about a "similarity" between two fingerprints being lifted from two surfaces that the Zodiac Killer had every reason to touch. If our killer lived within a mile radius of the Springs & Tuolumne payphone in July 1969 in a permanent residence -  and the basic characteristics of the murderer had been used to narrow the search - it shouldn't have been too difficult to check the fingerprints of the limited pool of individuals, to either implicate or eliminate the said person to the murders in the Bay Area.

You can tell if a fingerprint is from a left or right hand by analyzing specific patterns like the whorl axis slant, which shows a statistically significant tendency to slant one way or the other depending on the hand. Other methods involve analyzing multiple parameters within the fingerprint's ridges, such as the slope of the ridges, the positions of the core and deltas, and ridge counting. For loops, the direction of the flow can also be a key indicator: ulnar loops, which flow toward the pinky finger, are more common on the right hand, while radial loops (flowing toward the thumb) are more common on the left. ​

A Zodiac Killer without gloves (and minus effective airplane fingertip guards, or none at all) would inevitably have deposited fingerprints on the outside front right passenger door handle when entering the front of the taxicab. When the Zodiac Killer was seen leaving this door by the Robbins teenagers, they described a suspect who then "exited the cab by the passenger side front door, also wiping with a white rag, possibly a handkerchief. The suspect then walked around the cab to the driver's side and proceeded to wipe the exterior of the left door area". The white rag was most probably the cut section of Paul Stine's shirt. But how would a right-handed killer, who might be expected to use this hand when wiping down the taxicab, possibly manage to leave a left ring fingerprint on the outside front passenger door handle? There are multiple possibilities.

If the Zodiac Killer had used scissors or a knife to cut the shirt of Paul Stine, he would have used his right hand, leaving his left hand free to secure the freed shirt piece. If he had immediately left the taxicab after performing this task, his left hand would have still been in possession of the shirt piece, which he could have then used to quickly wipe the door handle as he exited. Alternatively, he may have put the scissors/knife away while inside the taxicab and subsequently grabbed Paul Stine's wallet and Yellow Cab keys using his right hand, while still clutching the shirt piece with his left. As he departed the front passenger side of the taxicab he may have then pocketed the wallet and keys, obviously keeping the shirt piece in his left hand to wipe down the door handle. This would explain why a right-handed individual attempted to remove fingerprints with his left hand. So how would a bloody left ring fingerprint of Zodiac inadvertently deposited on the door handle?

The above image shows the door handle of a Ford Galaxie 500 taxicab. If the Zodiac Killer was clutching a portion of the shirt piece with his little finger and thumb, and wiping up and down and/or horizontally across the inside of the door handle with the three longest fingers (digits 7, 8 and 9) by positioning his hand at either the top or bottom of the door handle, it is easy to see how the side (or front) of his left index or left ring finger could accidentally make contact with the inner edges of the door handle. That is why it would be important to know the exact location and orientation the bloody left ring fingerprint was positioned on the door handle. 

Elimination prints were taken of responding personnel who attended the Presidio Heights crime scene, as they were of San Francisco Chronicle staff and members of the police department who touched the "Little List" letter mailed on .July 26th 1970. Therefore, the bloody fingerprint found on the taxicab and the latent left ring fingerprint retrieved from the "Little List" letter exhibiting similarities to one another, have a strong possibility of originating from the hand of our killer. Any fingerprints found on the inner pages of the five-page "Little List" letter (protected by the front of page 1 and the rear of page 5), one might expect to be the fingerprints of the author, had the San Francisco Chronicle staff ceased further examination once they read the introduction of "This is the Zodiac speaking". This, of course, assumes that the Zodiac Killer folded pages 1 to 5 in order. There should be very little to no reason why a machine produced writing pad should contain any fingerprints on its inner pages, other than that of the Zodiac Killer. Especially when using five consecutive pages over a constrained time period to author this letter.

It is clear that the similarity between the left ring fingerprint from the "Little List" letter and Presidio Heights crime scene did not extend to any database search results, that included subjects such as Arthur Leigh Allen, who quite frankly should have been removed from the suspect list decades ago. All of the eight latent fingerprints retrieved from the "Little List" letter were compared to "suspects" in the Zodiac case and no match was effected. 

Dion Walker summed everything up nicely, stating "Is it really so much of a stretch - so hard to believe - that it's probable for two latent fingerprints from two different surfaces, that had both been checked against elimination prints - and were almost certainly touched by the exact same man - were similar because they were left by the same man. I think it makes sense looking at the whole picture". If the left ring fingerprint of a "suspect" exhibited similarity to the left ring fingerprint from the "Little List" letter, which itself showed a similarity to the one retrieved from the tacicab of Paul Stine, this would be our starting point. The remaining seven latent fingerprints from the same letter could then be used to compare to other digits from the "suspect", which should reasonably effect an identification (or not) of the man who masqueraded as the elusive Zodiac Killer.
​I would like to again thank Dion and Cragle for tackling this extremely labor intensive subject, and for three of the images used in the above presentation. Update: The Driver side door fingerprints.  

SEARCHING FOR THE PRINTS OF ZODIAC 
AN INITIAL CUT TO THE LEFT SIDE [PART ONE]
AN INITIAL CUT TO THE LEFT SIDE [PART TWO]

It may be possible to track the Zodiac Killer's movements through Presidio Park on October 11th 1969 by using his wording in the "Bus Bomb" letter mailed on November 9th 1969. This communication, one month after the murder of Paul Stine in San Francisco, stated "Hey blue pig I was in the park -- you were useing fire trucks to mask the sound of your cruzeing prowl cars. The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west + there was only 2 groups of barking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west".

The Zodiac Killer claimed he entered the park at Spruce Street, that was earlier corroborated by a San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article on October 12th 1969, which mentioned a man matching the killer's description running into Julius Kahn playground. The Zodiac Killer by writing "the dogs never came with in 2 blocks + they were to the west", indicated that once he entered the park he walked in an easterly direction (likely taking path B in the map below). This wording is open to interpretation because he is walking in the wooded park away from Pacific Avenue - and therefore can only reasonably estimate that he is more than two blocks east of the dogs (located at Julius Kahn playground).

​Approaching the blue circle on the map, the Zodiac Killer would be in excess of two blocks from the search dogs mentioned in the October 15th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, which stated "A large contingent of police with dogs and searchlights scoured the area around Cherry Street, which includes the wooded south boundary of the Presidio and Julius Kahn playground". If the Zodiac Killer was somewhere near this location, he would have been about three blocks from the searchlights and dogs - and probably would have heard the dogs barking from the approximate location he entered the park. This was the obvious place for the police to instigate their search, based upon the eyewitness (or eyewitnesses) testimony at Spruce Street, who saw somebody running into Julius Kahn playground shortly after the murder. 

​His following statement of "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west" suggested he was walking through the trees beyond the blue circle, heading towards Presidio Boulevard, where motorcycles would have been circling the park, traveling from the south to northwest (shown by the orange circle on the map). If the Zodiac Killer was watching the motorcycles from this location (and he walked at a moderate pace), the time would be about 10:15 pm (19 minutes after he left the crime scene). It was at this approximate time and location that the Zodiac Killer mentioned "there was only 2 groups of barking about 10 min apart". But what did he mean by this statement?   

The October 12th 1969 police report stated that "The military police headquarters of the Presidio of S.F. was notified and an intense search of the Julius Kahn area was made by seven dog units, other Richmond and C.P. units - to no avail". It is evident the dog units were deployed from the military police headquarters in Presidio Park - and as previously noted - a contingent of police and dogs were grouped by Julius Kahn playground. These two locations were about 11 minutes walking distance apart in Presidio Park. Therefore, a large grouping of tracker dogs assembled at both the military headquarters and Julius Kahn playground, may explain the wording adopted by the Zodiac Killer, who wrote "there was only 2 groups of barking about 10 min apart" (see below). If he was present by the orange circle on the map, he would have been capable of hearing dogs barking from the southwest and northwest. Was the information about the dogs being deployed from military headquarters available in the newspapers?    

Although Chief Martin Lee dismissed the idea that the Zodiac entered the Presidio Park, it appeared that Inspectors David Toschi and Bill Armstrong were not of the same opinion according to Robert Graysmith, who wrote "The detectives heard from neighbors that a stocky figure was seen dashing across Julius Kahn playground and into the dense undergrowth of the Presidio. The dog patrol units, seven of the best search dogs in the country, gathered at the front entrance of the Presidio and were deployed one at a time in various directions. Armstrong and Toschi considered the possibilities. Had the killer gone quickly through the dark woods and emerged from the Presidio at Richardson Avenue, and taken Highway 101 past Fort Point onto the Golden Gate Bridge and vanished into Marin County". 

It is not very likely that the murderer of Paul Stine would have parked a getaway vehicle by Richardson Avenue on the north-eastern edge of Presidio Park. This location was nine blocks north of Presidio Avenue and would have effectively negated the purpose of having a vehicle for a quick escape. There were many better options along Lyon Street much closer to the entrance at Julius Kahn playground. If the Zodiac Killer was watching the motorcycles go by on Presidio Boulevard (by the orange circle), then a vehicle parked at Green Street or Union Street would have been a wiser choice. However, there were far more favorable options to park a getaway vehicle around Presidio Park that day, by a killer who originally planned his murder at the intersection of Washington & Maple streets. His apparent decision to ignore these more obvious (and nearer) choices, could suggest that the Zodiac Killer opted to escape without the use of a vehicle that night by accessing the wooded protection of the park. Especially if he currently lived, or had access to a business on the eastern side of Presidio Park that nullified the need for transport. Leaving a vehicle unattended for a long period of time around the park still carried an element of risk.  

The Zodiac Killed seemed extremely irritated by the claims of Chief Martin Lee, firing off a seven page communication to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 9th 1969, in large part berating and mocking the police for telling lies about him. He even highlighted a section of text about his encounter with "two cops who pulled a goof". This turned out to be true. I tend to believe that his description of navigating the park was also true. If the Zodiac Killer walked through the park on October 11th 1969 and made his way to the section of Presidio Boulevard traveling from "south to northwest", then I highly doubt he was heading towards his vehicle that night. There is a good argument to be had that he was heading to his residence (or anchor point) somewhere beyond the eastern wall of Presidio Park. Possibly located in Cow Hollow or the Marina District.  

​EXTRA READING: 
WALKING TOWARDS THE MARINA DISTRICT
DID ZODIAC USE A CAR AT PRESIDIO HEIGHTS?

Many people have questioned why the Zodiac Killer had latched onto the murder of Donna Lass (25) in South Lake Tahoe after she was abducted from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino on September 6th 1970, when he authored the Pines postcard on March 22nd 1971. Most of his threats centered around San Francisco and the Bay Area, so why did he infer his involvement in the disappearance of Donna Lass, who lived 165 miles away from Vallejo in Stateline, Nevada? Had the Zodiac Killer any previous and/or current connections to this area, that either drew his attention to her case in the newspapers, or did he abduct and murder the young nurse because he had a specific reason to be at that location in September 1970?

​The Zodiac Killer may have chosen Donna Lass as a victim because it was an area he frequently/occasionally visited for business, or had spent some of his time vacationing at Lake Tahoe. As previously mentioned, the Pines postcard mailed on March 22nd 1971 may not have been the first time the Zodiac Killer targeted South Lake Tahoe, when for several weeks in November 1969, during the height of his "bombing campaign" in San Francisco, several telephoned threats to school bus routes in Lake Tahoe were issued to Reno authorities, including Incline Village which became the centerpiece of his Pines card over a year later. The Zodiac Killer used a Forest Pines at Incline Village advertisement from the newspapers to attach to his postcard on March 22nd 1971. So what are the options?​

​Were the November 1969 threats to Lake Tahoe a hoaxer, who decided that the best way to convince law enforcement and the newspapers he was the genuine Bay Area murderer, was to target school buses around Incline Village, 207 miles from San Francisco? The obvious choice for a hoaxer aiming to convince police he was the genuine article, was to continue the threats in San Francisco or the Bay Area.

​However, if the threats were from the Zodiac Killer himself, then branching his terror beyond the Bay Area to spread fear into the wider community (especially somewhere he was familiar with), appears to be something that would satisfy his ego. If these threatening calls to Lake Tahoe occurred in the weeks before the above published newspaper article, then the calls were likely placed between November 3rd 1969 and November 23rd 1969 (if few weeks was a maximum of three). The Zodiac Killer's "Bus Bomb" letter was mailed on November 9th 1969.

​Is it possible that a hoaxer local to the Lake Tahoe area made the threatening calls to generate some "excitement" in the location they lived, which then featured in a Sacramento newspaper on November 24th 1969 and was stumbled across by Zodiac in March 1971, who decided to mail the Pines card with an Incline Village advertisement so as to capitalize on the threats to school buses from 16 months earlier? Is that a realistic scenario, bearing in mind that Donna Lass lived in San Francisco and worked at the Letterman General Hospital in Presidio Park (that Zodiac escaped into), before moving to South Lake Tahoe where she was abducted and murdered. The common thread being the Zodiac Killer.

​Isn't it more likely that the Zodiac Killer made the school bus threats to Lake Tahoe in 1969 because he had some connection to that area, which is why the disappearance of Donna Lass just over nine months later, on September 6th 1970, triggered his interest? He may have decided to claim his involvement in her disappearance (and murder) to continue the theme of Lake Tahoe, and thereby bolster his earlier threats as genuine. If his connection to the Lake Tahoe area was a viable one in 1969, then it is not without merit that he could be responsible for the young 25-year-old nurse's murder, Especially if the Zodiac Killer was familiar with Donna Lass (either directly) or through her friend, Jo Anne Goettsche, whom she lived with at 4122 Balboa Street in San Francisco during the Paul Stine murder (10/11/69). Jo Anne Goettsche had moved to 225 Mallorca Way in the Marina District in 1970 - an area Zodiac appeared to be heading towards as he traveled through Presidio Park on October 11th 1969. Could the Zodiac Killer have known (or become aware) of Jo Anne Goettsche's plans to travel from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe to visit Donna Lass late on the evening of September 6th 1970? The timing of her disappearance less than 24 hours earlier may be significant. It's extremely unlikely that the Zodiac Killer got wind of Jo Anne Goettsche's intentions, but stranger things have happened.     

Officers in Lake Tahoe discounted the caller's claim that he was the Zodiac slayer, but I wonder what the same officers thought sixteen months later, on March 22nd 1971? 

EXTRA READING: WALKING TOWARDS THE MARINA DISTRICT  

In the previous article it was considered whether the Zodiac Killer traveled through the park in a north-easterly direction to a home (or business) in the Marina District of San Francisco. I took a closer look at the statement of Zodiac in the November 9th 1969 letter, when he claimed that while in the park "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west". Bearing in mind he was likely walking east, there was only one satisfactory location that matched this description. It was Presidio Boulevard which began in the south by Pacific Avenue and headed north for 333 meters, before turning to the northwest for approximately 275 meters. in other words, any vehicle coming from Pacific Avenue into Presidio Boulevard was traveling from the south before turning to the northwest.

If the Zodiac Killer had parked a vehicle on the eastern side of the park along Lyon Street, the quickest route with complete cover from trees and shrubbery the entire distance, is path A shown in the map diagram below. The distance from Spruce Street to the intersection of Lyon Street & Broadway taking this route is 766 meters. Path B, also affording cover the entire route, from Spruce Street to Union Street is 871 meters..Both routes avoid residential areas. If the Zodiac Killer wanted to escape the park to the eastern edge and enter a vehicle, path A appears the quickest and most obvious choice. Lyon Street also seems like the perfect place to park, with its western side largely absent of houses. However, the Zodiac Killer may not have had a vehicle parked anywhere that night. It all depends on whether the Zodiac Killer was recalling his details in the November 9th 1969 letter purely from memory, or he aided his recollections by using a map.

If he was physically watching the motorcycles go by from about 150 feet away and recalling from his memory of that night, stating "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west", then the Zodiac Killer is describing the motorcycles passing him as he is watching from a close distance. Therefore, this may rule out the Zodiac Killer taking path A to Presidio Boulevard, because the motorcycles wouldn't have been going from south to northwest at this point (as they passed by). But if he had taken path B, he could have been on either side of Presidio Boulevard, watching "first hand" the motorcycles turn from the south side of the road and head in a north-westerly direction (shown by the orange circle on the map). If we look at this section of Presidio Boulevard on its eastern edge, we see a distinct clearing through the trees. If you switch between 2D and 3D on the map it becomes more apparent. This clearing, with adequate coverage from the road, would allow the Zodiac Killer to see the motorcycles turning from the south to the northwest. This clearing is about 150 feet from Presidio Boulevard. 

The phrase by the Zodiac Killer is difficult to interpret. If we alter the phrase of "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west" to "the motor cicles went by me going from south to north west, about 150 ft away", does it become any clearer? Could the Zodiac Killer have been on path A, 150 feet from Presidio Boulevard, watching the motorcycles enter the south end from Pacific Avenue and pass by him, knowing the layout of the road and reasoning that they would eventually have to turn northwest after traveling a short distance? Or was the Zodiac Killer physically watching the motorcycles turn from the south to the northwest in real time? This ambiguous phrase would be important to clarify.

If the Zodiac Killer had chosen Lyon Street to park his getaway vehicle, then path A is the logical choice (being the shortest distance). If the Zodiac Killer had taken path B and physically saw the motorcycles change course from the south to northwest, then it is unlikely he had a vehicle parked anywhere that night. Why would you park a vehicle further than necessary from your entry point by Julius Kahn playground? If path B was the route he took, it's probably because this was the most direct route to his residence (or business) in the Marina District on foot, just beyond the eastern edge of Presidio Park. Why not use the concealment that the park offered as you headed home?

​To get to the bottom of the phrase "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west", we can remove "about 150 feet away". We now have "the motor cicles went by, going from south to north west". If the Zodiac Killer had taken path A to Presidio Boulevard, isn't it more likely he would have written "the motor cicles went by, going from south to north", because he would have seen the motorcycles passing by his location and heading north into the distance (unable to see the northwest turn). But he didn't. He wrote "the motor cicles went by, going from south to north west", which suggests that from memory he last saw the motorcycles heading south to northwest. The phrase used by Zodiac appears moment oriented and could indicate his likely route of travel was path B that night.

​This being the case, a vehicle positioned here (somewhere by Union Street), seems an extremely distant location to facilitate a hasty retreat, when the Zodiac Killer had the better option of path A with cover, or other much closer alternatives such as Pacific Avenue or Jackson Street to park his getaway vehicle, In fact, the Zodiac Killer had innumerable locations to park a vehicle closer to the crime scene (or intended crime scene) that night. If he really had taken path B and was watching from 150 feet away in the trees at motorcycles heading from the south to the northwest, then I highly doubt any vehicle was involved in proceedings on October 11th 1969. He was simply walking home using the shortest route possible. 

EXTRA READING: WALKING TOWARDS THE MARINA DISTRICT?  

Recently I have been re-examining the likelihood that the Zodiac Killer lived in close proximity to the Springs & Tuolumne payphone in Vallejo at the time he committed the Blue Rock Springs shooting on July 5th 1969, but this doesn't necessarily mean he resided at this location for the remainder of his attacks. Is there any evidence that he may have moved from Vallejo to San Francisco after the Blue Rock Springs or Lake Berryessa attacks, or possibly had a residence and/or business at both locations simultaneously?

​Michael Morford, a dedicated and long time Zodiac researcher, has put forward an interesting case for William "Mac" Andrew, who had access to a residence at 623 Tuolumne Street in Vallejo, only 420 feet from the Springs & Tuolumne payphone where Zodiac made the call to Nancy Slover, a dispatcher at the Vallejo Police Department. This suspect and Arthur Leigh Allen are the only two individuals that align with my thoughts of a killer living within a 0.5 mile radius of that payphone. Although Michael Morford has put together a reasonable case for his suspect - and has definitely taken, in my opinion, the correct approach by implementing a search for the Zodiac Killer in proximity to the payphone - I believe he has focused in on the wrong person.

The Zodiac Killer's first three attacks were likely selected because of the remoteness of the locations, but his fourth attack at Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969 was a significant uptick in risk. The chances of being apprehended after the murder of Paul Stine was significantly greater. One of the most widely pushed narratives about this crime, is the notion of a killer who parked his vehicle somewhere in the proximity of Presidio Park for his later escape, before making his way to Union Square (or thereabouts) by either walking, using public transport, or summoning a taxicab - and after an indeterminate period of time - hailed the taxicab of Paul Stine to bring him back to Presidio Heights, commit the murder, and then make inroads to his waiting vehicle and facilitate a quick departure from the area. While this is perfectly feasible, it can also be argued as an unnecessary sequence of events with little corroborating evidence any such thing happened. Let us examine the possibility of a killer who made his escape to a nearby residence or business. Somewhere close to Presidio Park, requiring limited walking time.

The trip sheet of Paul Stine gave a destination of Washington & Maple, but for whatever reason the deceased taxicab driver was found pulled up at the intersection of Washington & Cherry, one block further west. It is clear that the Zodiac Killer intended to exit the taxicab at Washington & Maple because he backtracked east along Jackson Street in the compass direction he had just come from. This likely tells us that the Zodiac Killer's original plan that night was to leave the taxicab at Washington & Maple, head north up Maple, and turn east along Jackson Street, before traveling north up Spruce Street into the Julius Kahn playground, where he was ultimately spotted by an eyewitness running into the park (as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper). This route makes logical sense, because turning east on Jackson after heading up Maple from your intended murder site, would remove you from the eyeline of the crime. His immediate requirement to evade capture was to access the cover of the park and the next available point of entry would have been Spruce Street.

​The directional movement of the Zodiac Killer thus far virtually eliminates the notion he would travel in any other direction than east. Police motorcycles would ultimately circle Presidio Park, attempting to find a killer who had possibly sought refuge and needed to escape the attention of the resulting search. If the Zodiac Killer lived in Cow Hollow or the Marina District of San Francisco (on the north-eastern edge of Presidio Park), it would make sense for him to take the shortest route through the park and use cover as much as possible, while heading in a north-easterly direction. This tallies with what the Zodiac Killer stated in his November 9th 1969 letter, when he claimed that "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west". Presidio Boulevard on the eastern edge of the park and skirted by a wooded area, would have provided the perfect cover for a killer about to escape the park. There is a section of Presidio Boulevard that shifts from south to northwest, exactly as described by the Zodiac Killer. As shown below, if we draw a straight line from Julius Kahn playground through Presidio Boulevard where it switches from south to northwest - and continue that trajectory onwards - we arrive at 225 Mallorca Way, the once home of Jo Anne Goettsche, who previously shared a residence with Donna Lass at 4122 Balboa Street in San Francisco.   

At the time of the Paul Stine murder on October 11th 1969 Donna Lass worked at the Letterman General Hospital in Presidio Park and lived at 4122 Balboa Street, San Francisco. However, according to Robert Graysmith she moved from this address a few months later and relocated to 225 Mallorca Way in the Marina District. If a few months was three or four, Donna Lass could have moved to 225 Mallorca Way in January or February 1970  Either way, it is possible she moved into an area where the Zodiac Killer was currently living (in 1970), and living when he murdered Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 - and why he may have latched onto the young nurse (who he probably referred to in the March 22nd 1971 "Pines Card").

In an interview with Michael Morford on the Zodiac Speaking podcast, Jo Anne Goettsche gave the impression she moved to 225 Mallorca Way without Donna Lass. If this was the case, it was still evident that the two young women remained friends during their time in San Francisco, and likely visited each others homes before Donna eventually moved to South Lake Tahoe in early June 1970. She would go missing from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino in Nevada just three months later, on September 6th 1970. The Zodiac Killer may have become aware of Donna Lass through Jo Anne Goettsche. 

​If the Zodiac Killer had walked through the park to the area of Presidio Boulevard where "the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west", he would likely exit the park by the intersection of Lyon and Union streets. This location would leave 15 to 20 minutes (just under a mile) to reach 225 Mallorca Way. That is if the Zodiac Killer lived somewhere in the vicinity of this address, which afforded him the opportunity to have crossed paths with Jo Anne Goettsche and Donna Lass.  

Interestingly, on October 7th 1969, just four days before the Paul murder, somebody mailed a letter to Sergeant John Lynch of the Vallejo Police Department, mentioning Beach Street in the correspondence and claiming to be the Zodiac Killer (this was the same person who mailed the Concerned Citizen card on August 10th 1969). In San Francisco, Beach Street is joined to Malloca Way, with the once residence of Jo Anne Goettsche only 450 feet away.

Of course, I have no way of knowing for certain that the Zodiac Killer lived within a 0.5 mile radius of the Springs & Tuolumne payphone, before moving to San Francisco prior to the Paul Stine murder. But he may have remained on foot after leaving both the payphone and Paul Stine crime scene. However, if the Zodiac Killer was walking towards a home or business in the Marina District on October 11th 1969, and walking towards a home or business by the Springs & Tuolumne payphone on July 5th 1969, then by checking a city directory such as the one published by R.L. Polk & Company, it may be possible to find a common name or business to both locations. If we find such a person or place, then we may be in business. It would be great if the members of the Zodiac Discord forum could find a directory that covers both the Marina District from 1969 to 1972 and the 0.5 mile radius around the Vallejo payphone in 1969. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

EXTRA READING: OUR KILLER LIVES HERE

On September 18th 1973 the Zodiac Killer, either deliberately or inadvertently, revealed the location of "Monticello" in the July 13th 1971 Monticello card by (probably) removing the tombstone of Kathie Snoozy from the Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery in the Monticello neighborhood of San Jose. The tombstone had "Zodiac" written on it in crayon. This was almost certainly the Zodiac Killer, because a hoaxer in 1973 would have had no way of knowing that this cemetery had been featured in an unreleased communication nearly two years previously. But what triggered the Zodiac Killer to perform such an act in the third quarter of 1973? Had something about the Zodiac Killer appeared in a San Jose newspaper in the last week or so?

On September 13th 1973, the San Jose Mercury reported on the September 10th 1973 murder of Yellow Cab driver Roland J. Canfield (41) of 551 Manor Drive, Pacifica, who was shot behind his right ear at 4:00pm while parked at the intersection of 27th and Noe streets in San Francisco. The wallet of Roland J. Canfield, still in his back pocket, was empty of money. The taxicab strongbox was described as undisturbed. Homicide inspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong, investigatng the case, indicated a lack of evidence to form a Zodiac Killer connection to that of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. 

In the middle of the afternoon Roland J. Canfield received a dispatch to an address at 27th and Noe streets, but when he arrived at the intersection he would have discovered that the address he was given didn't exist. Reports from police, who interviewed the dispatcher, stated that upon discovering the non-existent address the taxicab driver was hailed by a man walking on the opposite side of the street. The fact that this man shot Roland J. Canfield and escaped to a nearby automobile, strongly suggests that the taxicab driver was lured to this location for the purpose of murder (and maybe robbery). A fictitious address followed shortly by murder could be argued as related. The Zodiac Killer has long been believed to have parked his vehicle close to the crime scene at Presidio Heights - although this comparison - would be rightly described as clutching at straws when attempting to forge a link from this crime to the murder at Washington and Cherry in 1969, just over 3 miles north.

Three days after the murder of Roland J. Canfield, on Thursday, September 13th 1973, homicide inspectors David Toschi arrested James A. Montano (20) at his 380 Tompkins Street home. No weapon was retrieved from the crime scene or suspect. The arrest was detailed in the accompanying newspaper article from the San Jose Mercury on September 14th 1973. Four days later, on September 18th 1973, the Zodiac Killer wrote on the tombstone removed from the Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery in San Jose. Had the connection between the murder of Roland J. Canfield and Paul Stine to Zodiac, reported in the San Jose newspaper only days earlier, stirred the Zodiac Killer into visiting the San Jose cemetery and placing his pseudonym firmly in the public gaze once again? Clearly telling us he was still around. 

On January 12th 1974, after two court proceedings, the second jury in the trial of James A. Montano again failed to reach a verdict, with Superior Judge S. Lee Vavuris declaring a mistrial. The murder of Roland J. Canfield remains unsolved to this day. This Yellow Cab shooting is extremely unlikely to have any connection to the 1969 murder of Paul Stine and the Zodiac Killer, but the mere mention of his pseudonym in the newspapers often created an immediate response from the Bay Area murderer in the form of a letter. On September 18th 1973, it seems he deviated from this pattern and left his message on a tombstone. 

The murder of Paul Stine occurred at the intersection of Washington and Cherry streets on October 11th 1969, despite the trip sheet indicating that the Zodiac Killer had given a destination one block earlier at Washington and Maple. Many people have speculated that the Zodiac Killer may have intended to kill Paul Stine at this less residential location, but his plans were thwarted because of possible pedestrian traffic. Therefore he chose to instruct the driver to proceed one block further.

However, what if an incident took place at Washington and Maple that necessitated this change of plan? We assume the widely portrayed version of events of a killer who simply pulled a gun on an unsuspecting Paul Stine as he parked up outside 3898 Washington Street and then shot him dead. This version has two problems, in that it doesn't explain the intraparenchymal tissue hemorrhages in both lungs of Paul Stine noted at autopsy, and it doesn't reconcile the conflict between the trip sheet destination and the eventual murder site. Unless of course, the Washington and Maple intersection and the autopsy results are inextricably linked. 

We have no way of knowing if and what verbal exchanges took place in the taxicab that night, or when the gun was pulled on Paul Stine, but three things we do know. [1] The autopsy of Paul Stine indicates that the bleeding occurred in the lung tissue itself and not as a result of blood draining from the head to the lung spaces. Parenchymal relates to, or affecting the functional tissue of an organ. Parenchyma is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ such as the brain or lungs. With no pre-existing conditions attributed to Paul Stine in this regard, it strongly suggests his lungs received trauma due to an external injury to his chest on October 11th 1969. These types of injury can be caused by impact with the steering wheel or dashboard, and noted in many car accidents. [2] We know that the interdepartmental memorandum of Officer Donald Fouke on November 12th 1969 described the Zodiac Killer as having a "shuffling lope", which in dictionary form is detailed as "a way of walking or moving using long, relaxed steps" and "a way of walking (dragging feet instead of lifting them)". Either way, Officer Donald Fouke found it necessary to highlight the Zodiac Killer's "unusual" walking style. And [3], We know that the trip sheet destination did not correlate with the location of the murder. Is it possible that all three are connected?  

If the Zodiac Killer had readied his gun on the approach to Washington and Maple, could Paul Stine have noticed this, or was the gun actually presented to the driver on the pretense of a robbery? In a situation such as this, Paul Stine has two options. He can comply and wish for the best, or he can slam on his brakes as he approaches the intersection causing the rapid deceleration of the taxicab and hopefully catapult his passenger forward into the rear seats, giving him a momentary advantage to escape or disarm his assailant.

​If this rapid braking had occurred in the middle of the road (with accompanied screeching of tires), but had failed to achieve the desired result, the Zodiac Killer could still have easily received injuries to his knees and/or upper legs. The action of the driver, although unsuccessful, had the potential to draw unwanted attention to the taxicab. Wanting to mitigate this risk, the Zodiac Killer may have ordered Paul Stine to drive one block further west, where the taxicab was located askew from the kerb. A killer who was described by Officer Donald Fouke three minutes later as a white male with a "shuffling lope". An injury to the quadriceps can affect the ability to raise your legs off the ground, yet the desire of the Zodiac Killer to leave the area quickly and elude capture could have ameliorated this setback through longer strides. Although this is just supposition, the observations of Officer Donald Fouke cannot be ignored.

The injuries to Paul Stine's lungs and the walking style of the Zodiac Killer, in combination with the discrepancy of trip sheet and murder site, can be argued to have had one root cause at the intersection of Washington and Maple. If Paul Stine damaged his lungs by slamming on his brakes and impacting the steering wheel, then it follows that the Zodiac Killer would have been propelled forwards into the rear seat of the taxicab and also potentially sustained injuries. Possibly noted by Officer Donald Fouke a few minutes later on Jackson Street. Of course, none of this is provable, but we shouldn't ignore the autopsy report because it doesn't align with the story we've been fed since 1969.   

Further analysis of Paul Stine's shirt shows that the left rear side is relatively free of blood staining apart from the patch I've highlighted in green (see below). This cannot have been deposited there from blood descending from above. However, with Paul Stine's "upper torso in the passenger side, head resting on the floorboard, facing north", his left side and back was accessible to the killer. The highlighted patch of blood is just above where the cut was initiated. Where the shirt on the left side may have been pulled upwards to create tension in the shirt and allow the killer to make his initial cut through the front and back of the shirt simultaneously.

​If the killer had manhandled Paul Stine's upright body around the shoulders, from the driver seat to the right side of the taxicab, with his head falling into the passenger footwell, he probably received some blood transfer to his hands. So when he gripped the left side of the shirt with his left hand to create tension, he very likely transferred this patch of blood just above the cut line. There is very little reason why this blood staining should be present on this area of the shirt, other than from the hand of a killer. Medical personnel would have arrived at the crime scene with clean hands and pulled Paul Stine around his shoulder area to extricate him from the passenger footwell (to his position shown in the below crime scene photographs). There would have been no need to grab the lower half of Paul Stine's shirt to lever him from the footwell.

The claim by some, arguing that the removed section of shirt piece could have occurred in the morgue at a later time doesn't withstand scrutiny. A person sneaking into the morgue for the express purpose of removing a section of Paul Stine's shirt, not only wouldn't have made a simultaneous cut through two layers of fabric on the left side of the shirt, they would have arrived at the morgue with clean hands and not deposited this patch of blood just above the cut line, had they even began cutting at this location.

The autopsy of Paul Stine began on Sunday, October 12th 1969 at approximately 9:30am, when photographs would have been taken of the fully clothed body, before they were removed for a more thorough examination. The clothing was then dried, given an identification tag, photographed, and then turned over to the property clerk's office to be secured. Unless some unauthorized person gained access to the body in the eleven hour window before the autopsy, or knew the location of where the property clerk had secured the clothing, there is practically no way a nefarious actor could have gained access to the shirt, to have mailed it within the next 24 hours or so. The practice of making up a story without evidence or justification, to then somehow attribute validity to it because nobody can disprove the story, is common and flawed reasoning in the Zodiac community.  

AN INITIAL CUT TO THE LEFT SIDE [PT1]

The following is a preliminary look at the Paul Stine shirt piece, either removed from the crime scene with the aid of a knife or pair of scissors on October 11th 1969. When Paul Stine was found in the taxicab by Armond Pelissetti he "immediately checked the interior of the cab and found the victim to be slumped over the front seat with his upper torso in the passenger side, head resting on the floorboard, facing north". This meant that the left side and back of Paul Stine was facing upwards. Paul Stine was in this position when the Zodiac Killer started cutting his shirt (I believe with a pair of scissors). If this was the case, it would show premeditation on behalf of the killer, who knew in advance of the murder he wanted to remove a piece of clothing to mail to the newspapers, to ultimately prove that the letter postmarked October 13th 1969 was mailed by the killer.

If you take a close look at the shirt below (the red rectangle), you will see the likely point that the Zodiac Killer began his cut that night - on the left side of Paul Stine's body and shirt (which was his nearest accessible point). The killer likely pinched the shirt and pulled it upwards with his fingers on the left side to began his cut through the front and back of the shirt at the same time. In other words, he cut through two layers of fabric simultaneously. Why else would there be a cut on the front right side? (as viewed in the below left image) Once he had made this initial cut, he probably repositioned his left hand (pulling the back side of the shirt upwards to create tension) and then cut out a rectangular piece of the shirt from the back left side towards the right side of the shirt rear, In the image below the man's left hand is not positioned next to the back of the shirt, because this part of the shirt was removed by the Zodiac Killer. His hand is positioned by the left inner front portion of the shirt. In the black and white image below, it would be the backside of the right front as we view (the section with the label on). I have placed green arrows showing two matching areas of blood staining from the inner and outer lining of the shirt front. Their size slightly altered because of how the shirt is layed out  The blue circle and blue square both show the same front section of the shirt.

Some individuals have claimed that Paul Stine's shirt was intact at the time the Zodiac Killer left the crime scene, and a portion of his shirt was removed at a later time in either the ambulance or morgue. If this was the case, there would have been no need to cut through two layers of fabric at the same time on the left side of the shirt. A body positioned on its front or back would make the shirt perfectly accessible from its front or back side. If the shirt was off the body, there would again be no need to cut through two layers of fabric to retrieve one rectangular piece of shirt. The "delayed shirt piece removal", one of the central arguments of the Zodiac Killer hoax theory, has gained little traction over the years because it's a theory conjured from the mind and not of evidence. Hopefully the analysis presented above finally relegates this claim to the cobwebs of history. 

AN INITIAL CUT TO THE LEFT SIDE [PART TWO] 

The Zodiac Killer rode in the front of Paul Stine's cab is once again doing the rounds, despite the evidence pointing completely the opposite way. This claim was instigated by individuals who believed there was some sort of connection between their suspect and Paul Stine. The police report below clearly demonstrates that the police believed the latent prints that showed traces of blood were from the killer. If the police believed the prints from the outside right front door handle were from the killer, they must have shown traces of blood. Which is why they were circled with a red pen. Traces of blood were present on the dividing panel between the outside driver side door and left rear passenger door, and on the outside front passenger door handle. This means that the Zodiac touched both of these surfaces with bloody hands. 

A killer riding in the back of the taxicab upon shooting Paul Stine would have received some back spatter to his fingers. Even if he was wearing gloves, blood would have deposited onto the fingers of the gloves. Still holding the gun in say his right hand, he opens the right rear passenger door with his left hand (gloved or not) and exits the rear passenger door, pushing it shut with his left hand, arm, body or leg. The Zodiac Killer then puts the gun away and naturally opens the front right passenger door with his right hand, depositing blood from his hands or gloves onto the outside door handle. This is how blood got onto the outside front passenger door handle.

A killer riding in the front seat from the outset would have opened the front passenger door with clean hands (gloved or not). Therefore no blood would have been deposited on the door handle when the Zodiac Killer entered the taxicab. After shooting Paul Stine at the end of the journey and removing a section of Paul Stine's shirt, the Zodiac Killer would now have blood on both hands, whether wearing gloves or not.

He now has to use the inner front passenger door handle to exit the taxicab, thereby depositing blood onto the handle. But there is no mention of blood being found on the inner handle. If he used a handkerchief over bare hands to avoid putting bloody fingerprints on the inner door handle (which he wouldn't have done if he was wearing gloves), then how would he have deposited bloody fingerprints to the outside door handle when supposedly wiping it down using a handkerchief over his fingers? In wiping away his fingerprints deposited when entering the front passenger door, we would have to believe he accidentally deposited bloody fingerprints in a wiping motion through a handkerchief as he departed.. It simply isn't realistic.

​However, if he had deposited bloody prints on the front passenger door handle when exiting the rear of the taxicab and entering the front, it is possible that when he finally exited the taxicab for the final time, he attempted to wipe the outside front passenger door handle but inadvertently left a small print behind (or he didn't wipe it down at all). If gloves were used throughout (which is unlikely), there was never any need for a front passenger Zodiac Killer to touch the outside front door handle when he exited.. You would just push the door shut. Also, a back seat passenger entering the front of the taxicab would have no need to close the front passenger door when removing a section of Paul Stine's shirt, and therefore wouldn't need to touch the inner passenger door handle to leave the taxicab, which is why no traces of blood were mentioned as being present on the inner handle. There is a scenario for a back seat passenger to leave bloody prints on the outside front passenger door handle, whether he wiped it down later or not. For a front seat passenger, there were two options. [1] Leave the taxicab and simply push the door shut, thereby leaving no blood on the outer handle, or [2] Place a handkerchief over your fingers and hand and wipe the outer handle to remove the bloodless prints deposited when entering the taxicab. Either way, recognizable fingerprints deposited with a bloody hand is impossible in the first scenario, and extremely unlikely in the second.