Investigators discovered two sets of bloody fingerprints on the taxicab of Paul Stine, murdered at the intersection of Washington and Cherry Streets in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. The first set of prints were discovered on the dividing panel between the driver side of the taxicab and left rear passenger door. The second set of prints were discovered on the outside handle of the right front passenger door of the taxicab. Both these sets of prints were circled in red in the police report. The following excerpt from the FBI files details the findings. It clearly states that "The latent prints that show traces of blood are believed to be prints of the suspect". Since the prints from the right front door handle were believed to be prints from the killer, it's fairly obvious that they showed traces of blood. This is why they were circled with a red pen.

If the Zodiac Killer rode in the front passenger seat of the taxicab that night and executed Paul Stine, he most certainly would have received some back spatter to his hand and gun. He may also have transferred blood to his hands in the process of removing a piece of Paul Stine's shirt. If this was the case, why was no blood found on the inner door handle, yet was discovered on the outer door handle? The killer had every reason to touch the inner door handle to leave, so may have used a handkerchief to avoid getting fingerprints on this handle. However, upon exiting the front passenger door, there was absolutely no need to ever touch the outer door handle with your fingertips to close it. Just close it by pushing the door with any other part of your body (leg, foot, lower arm, elbow, shoulder, or using the handkerchief). Despite the three teenagers having described the Zodiac Killer wiping down the front passenger door with a handkerchief, it is apparent that he still left bloody prints. 

A killer traveling in the back seat would also have received back spatter on his hand and gun, but no blood was recorded being found on the inner back passenger door handle. The murderer would then have exited the right rear door and entered the front passenger door. The question would now be: did the killer successfully avoid (or even attempt to avoid) placing his fingerprints on the front outer door handle as he entered the front compartment? Bloody fingerprints were retrieved from this handle, so it's possible the answer was no (he could always attempt to clean the handle upon leaving, as noticed by the three teenagers). The killer managed to avoid depositing bloody fingerprints on the inner and outer door handle at the rear. He also avoided depositing bloody fingerprints on the front inner door handle. The only door handle to contain the killer's bloody fingerprints was the outside of the front passenger side. A handle that a front passenger never needed to close with a bloody hand, but a handle that a back passenger certainly needed to open when entering the front of the taxicab.

If the Zodiac Killer entered the front passenger door at the beginning of the journey, then it's possible he deposited a normal fingerprint on the outer door handle that required wiping away after the murder. However, a wiping motion with your fingerprints protected by a handkerchief, would be extremely unlikely to deposit any bloody prints. But if bloody prints were already on the handle, caused by a back seat passenger entering the front compartment, wiping them down upon leaving could fail to remove all of them. There will always be the claim that these fingerprints were deposited by responding personnel, despite the fact that this was a managed crime scene, with the option of elimination prints at a later date. This claim is usually trotted out by researchers with a vested interest in a particular suspect, who they don't want ruled out by bloody fingerprints. Rather than rip up years of research, it is much easier to rip up the evidence. The balance of probability in the Paul Stine murder leans toward a Zodiac Killer who rode in the back of the taxicab that night, although like most things in the Zodiac case, there is always room for doubt. 

There is an extremely credible argument that the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 in Presidio Heights, took place at the intersection of Washington and Maple Streets, with the killer effectively driving the taxicab one block further west. The Zodiac Killer, with little doubt, planned the taxicab murder in advance with the express intention of removing a piece of Paul Stine's shirt and mailing it to the San Francisco Chronicle.

On October 12th 1969, the Chronicle ran an article clearly stating that the "three younsters saw a scuffle near the cab, which was stopped on Washington Street near Cherry Street, about 10 pm". Despite this statement, the author of the October 13th 1969 letter claimed "This is the Zodiac speaking. I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St + Maple St last night, to prove this here is a blood stained piece of his shirt". The decision to contradict the newspaper and use the words "over by", could be argued as a correction by the Zodiac Killer, especially in light of the three teenagers testifying that they heard no gunshot that night. Had they been drawn to the window by the sound of a gunshot (that they possibly didn't recognize as one), a killer traveling in the back seat of the taxicab would have been visible in the rear of the taxicab when they arrived at the window. At best, the killer would have been exiting the rear of the taxicab and approaching the front passenger side door.

The Robbins children explicitly relayed the following information: "The first kid at the window said the driver looked "sick, or something". Lindsey and Rebecca went to the window and saw the driver laying across the front seat, head toward the passenger door. His head was in the lap of another man (passenger). Rebecca saw blood and said out loud, "he's stabbing that man." She was seeing blood on the victim and saw the glint of a knife, so she assumed a stabbing was taking place". This backs up their contention of not hearing a gunshot, because the Zodiac Killer could not have achieved this position on the front seat, in the time between the fatal shot and the kids responding to it. The murderer was already in the front seat with the victim's head lying across his lap (their interpretation). Their claim of a seeing the "glint of a knife" would be bolstered by the arrival of the removed piece of shirt just two days later. Many claim that the shirt was torn, but a Zodiac Killer who had planned this murder in advance, surely would have used a knife to facilitate the speedy removal of a section of Paul Stine's shirt. The "glint of a knife" seemingly corroborates this assertion.             

But is it possible the three teenagers heard no gunshot because the killer used a suppressor? The claim by the Zodiac Killer to have murdered Paul Stine "over by Washington St + Maple St" would obviously have been an explanation for no gunshot being heard at Washington and Cherry, but was the author of the October 13th 1969 letter telling the truth? I believe he was.

The author of the October 13th 1969 letter would reference Washington and Maple Streets, despite the fact that, nobody but the police knew the taxicab trip sheet contained the destination of Washington and Maple, other than the killer. The killer chose the Washington & Maple intersection as his destination (logged in the trip sheet by Paul Stine) - and mentioned it in the October 13th 1969 letter - because this was the designated location to murder Paul Stine. This clearly shows that the author of the Chronicle letter, not only inserted the shirt piece as proof he was the murderer of Paul Stine, but knew the contents of the trip sheet and its destination. There was nothing to gain from the killer's perspective by claiming the murder at a different location to the one reported in the newspapers. In fact, a murder at Washington and Maple ticks so many boxes from the perspective of a killer who meticulously planned this murder, and was intent on securing a shirt piece from the victim to prove his involvement in this crime. Especially because this crime would never have been believed to be the work of Zodiac without such proof. The Washington and Maple mention on October 13th 1969, just another layer of proof in view of the taxicab trip sheet.    

It is believed that the killer parked his vehicle somewhere close to Presidio Park to facilitate his escape. The first thing the killer has to do then, is select a location for the murder in close proximity, but not too close. If you look at the previous four intersections, east of Washington and Cherry, it becomes apparent that Washington and Maple is the ideal location in a built-up city. As with Washington & Cherry, the residences at Washington & Spruce, Washington & Locust and Washington & Walnut are in extremely close proximity to the street - and obviously pose great danger if you are firing an unsuppressed 9mm weapon in any of those locations. In a population dense section of the city, it becomes apparent that a murder at Washington & Maple is the ideal location. Or to be more exact, the location at, or slightly west of the Le Petit Trianon, a historical landmark in San Francisco at 3800 Washington Street, based upon the Chateau at the Versailles Palace in France. A gunshot within a taxicab located here, isn't impervious to detection, but it is much less likely to draw unwanted ears and eyes, when you compare it to the corner of Washington & Cherry. A killer committing a murder at the location where the taxicab was found, would be doing so just 20 feet from the front door of 3898 Washington Street, with numerous other residences in close proximity. Now compare that intersection with Washington & Maple. Where would you commit the murder?              

By committing a murder here, the Zodiac Killer can afford himself two layers of protection. He knows he needs time to wipe down the taxicab and secure a piece of Paul Stine's shirt, so is firing a weapon just 20 feet from the front door of 3898 Washington Street, or 50 feet from the house occupied by the three teenagers the ideal choice?, when you are going to spend one to two minutes inside a taxicab removing a piece of the victim's shirt and wiping away incriminating evidence. The more sensible option would be to commit the murder at Washington & Maple in a much more secure location, then as an insurance policy (just in case somebody overheard a shot), relocate one block further west, where no shot would have been heard. Then you would feel much more comfortable just pulling up to the sidewalk in the taxicab and claiming the shirt piece without fear the gunshot has drawn unwanted attention. The only action the killer had to perform, was to shoot Paul Stine at Washington & Maple before he switched off the meter, push Paul Stine to the right, then access the pedals of the taxicab and leave. If somebody had heard what they believed to be a shot near the intersection of Washington & Maple, within a matter of seconds the killer would have been gone.  

I see no tangible benefit of a killer offering up a second location to police and providing the opportunity for police to investigate the possibility of a second set of eyewitnesses at Washington & Maple. I have little doubt that the police would have searched for eyewitnesses at this second location offered by the killer, but it appears that they found none. Testimony that the Zodiac Killer's choice of committing the murder at Washington & Maple was the correct one. Unfortunately, he hadn't banked on the three curious and lively teenagers at Washington & Cherry, who just so happened to look out of the window at an inopportune moment with respect to the Zodiac's activities. Despite this, the delay of responding officers to the crime scene gave him just enough time to escape capture. 

When determining the usefulness of the partial bloody fingerprint on Paul Stine's taxicab, located on the dividing panel between the driver side and rear passenger door, it is important to bear in mind whether the opinion is objective or subjective. Is the analysis of the blooded fingerprint, its location and origin based purely on grounded reasoning, or does the person giving their views on the fingerprint have an ulterior motive for arriving at the conclusion they did? In other words, had they already reached their conclusion beforehand and just worked backwards.

Let us assume for a moment that the partial bloody fingerprint was the Zodiac Killer's, and was of sufficient ridge detail to eliminate suspects. How many people with an unwavering belief in a particular suspect, or who had written a book naming a suspect, would want this assumption to be correct? If your suspect is Kjell Qvale, then the idea that this fingerprint was Zodiac's and had enough ridge detail to eliminate your suspect, is simply too unsettling to consider. Therefore, it's in your best interests to discredit the fingerprint as originating from Zodiac at all costs. Never could you declare it was a genuine Zodiac Killer print, because your book has the potential to go up in flames. Effectively your position is cemented from the get-go. If the bloody print doesn't eliminate your suspect, then that is the ideal scenario and everything is great. However, why risk the possibility that it could eliminate your suspect, when it is far easier to discredit or question the fingerprint and keep your suspect in the frame for murder (hopefully indefinitely). Whichever scenario unfolds doesn't matter, because you have crafted for yourself a no lose strategy. You have essentially created your own firewall of protection.

The teenagers across the street from the crime scene stated that nobody approached the taxicab in the time between Zodiac leaving the scene and the arrival of Officer Armond Pelissetti. When Pelissetti arrived, he claimed he saw the bloody fingerprints on the left side of the taxicab, stating "I seen the bloody prints as I approached the cab - I mean, it was totally visible". This was before the arrival of any other people, such as emergency personnel, additional police units, reporters and bystanders. However, if you choose to discredit the bloody fingerprints, then you have to consider the possibility that Officer Armond Pelissetti was mistaken or lying, police had no protocol for securing a crime scene, ambulance crews had reason to attend to the stricken Paul Stine - and then having done so - travel around the taxicab and check what size shoes he was wearing, depositing their bloody fingerprints on the taxicab exterior in absence of any gloves (that one would assume was imperative at a crime scene). If you fear these partial fingerprints ruling out your suspect, then it is probably circumspect to believe that the whole crime scene was a circus of wandering individuals following no rules whatsoever. If you believe these fingerprints were left by the killer and were to find they subsequently ruled out your suspect, then it is very difficult to employ a sprinkling of revisionism later, and now disingenuously declare the fingerprints invalid rather than your suspect. The bitter pill of being wrong is usually too hard to swallow, so it's probably best to hedge your bets and discredit them first.  

The question has to be asked, as to why Arthur Leigh Allen was pursued right up to his death in 1992 for the Zodiac killings, if law enforcement believed the bloody taxicab fingerprints were deposited by the Zodiac Killer and had enough ridge detail to eliminate suspects in the case? One possibility, is that certain individuals in law enforcement were so blinkered in their belief that Arthur Leigh Allen was Zodiac, they themselves started questioning the origin of the fingerprints - unable to accept the fingerprints were that of the killer, having excluded Allen.

The real question is, if the fingerprints have enough ridge detail to be declared partial, or were deposited by the Zodiac Killer, would this possibility become too unpalatable to consider for certain people, when it could conceivably bring about the downfall of the suspect you have so carefully crafted over many years? Isn't it better to discredit the fingerprints first, then in the unlikely event the fingerprints don't eliminate your suspect, you can claim the spoils either way. The progression of crime fighting tools with the advent of DNA testing has made little impact in the Zodiac case. They are the new and improved fingerprint, but the same rules apply. Make sure you get your excuses in early - and if by some miracle a DNA fingerprint is procured from a stamp or envelope seal and rules out your charge - claim your suspect knew that biological material could be incriminating (or one day more so), or claim he didn't like the taste of glue from the stamps or envelopes, thereby recruiting random (can't remember) acquaintances to do the task for him - but above all - never accept a result will ever prove anything. 

If a piece of Paul Stine's shirt was mailed, along with his driver's license in a letter postmarked 1990, then you would expect that the majority of individuals would relinquish or question their indefatigable belief that Ross Sullivan and Earl Van Best Jr were the Zodiac Killer (and other suspects depending on the date of the communication). That would be a mistake. Their first thought would not be, let's examine the mailing and side with the preponderance of evidence. Their first thought would be, let us do everything humanly possible to discredit the mailing at all costs. An admission of being wrong, simply a step too far for some individuals. The inability to accept we may be wrong has become an inescapable feature of the Zodiac case, whereas it should be viewed as a strength. Whether it be fingerprints, DNA or hard circumstantial evidence, for some the case will never be closed. Unless of course, it points to their suspect and no other.    

"The individual I saw that night was a white male adult approximately 35 to 45 years of age, 5'10" tall, 180 to 210 pounds. Since we were looking for a negro male adult, we proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search. As we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult, and believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect". This is the account of Officer Donald Fouke in the 1989 Crimes of the Century documentary that most people choose to ignore, in favor of the account of Officer Donald Fouke in the 2007 documentary, some 18 years later. Notice that Officer Donald Fouke got the updated white male description as he arrived at Arguello. But who initiated the update to a white male? Officer Armond Pelissetti did.

In the 2007 This is the Zodiac Speaking documentary, Officer Armond Pelissetti stated "I was the first officer that responded on the scene. We responded to a radio call which told us that a cab driver was being robbed and/or possibly assaulted at the corner of Cherry and Washington. We fortunately were very close and responded to that corner, and were able to do so red light and siren at 9:55 at night and got there very quickly. I parked the car in the middle of the intersection facing the Yellow Cab, that was sitting a little bit back from the corner. There were three children that were heading over to that car about 15 or 16 feet away. I made the assumption they were coming from the home on the corner and I herded them immediately back to that alcove. The description that came out over the air was a negro male adult at the time. Went over to the cab, I could see Mr. Paul Stine, who was slumped over the front seat with his head into the well on the passenger side. There was blood all over the cab, on him, and I was 99.9% certain he was dead - and it was at that point I retook the description of the suspect and it was then I was told it was a white male - I couldn't get to the radio fast enough at that point to let everybody else know. The kids had told me whoever had done this crime had left the cab, went out the door and seemed to be wiping the cab down and reaching into the cab and ambling or walking down Cherry Street in a northerly direction, kind of towards the Presidio. I walked that way myself, I did not run because there are innumerable alcoves and parked cars, so I went down following every technique I knew so I didn't get my head blown off".  

Officer Armond Pelissetti got on the police radio at the crime scene and updated the new description of a white male to all other units. This is when Officer Donald Fouke would have been updated to the new description of a white male adult. At this point Officer Donald Fouke was at Arguello. In other words, Officer Donald Fouke was at Arguello Boulevard while Officer Armond Pelissetti was at the crime scene. They didn't meet directly from the first radio broadcast (APB) that night. Officer Donald Fouke's journey to the intersection of Jackson and Cherry from his position when receiving the first APB, can take no longer than 90 seconds (allowing for intersections). Officer Armond Pelissetti can't possibly reach the top of Cherry in 90 seconds from the first APB. That should be plainly evident. You can see from the map below, that had Officer Donald Fouke turned into Cherry Street instead of carrying on to Arguello Boulevard, he would have received the updated description of a white male at the crime scene, alongside Officer Armond Pelissetti.   

The overarching question has always been, was the Zodiac Killer stopped and spoken to by Officers Fouke & Zelms that night? If the officers didn't stop the Zodiac Killer, then why didn't they just simply turn south into Cherry and head to the crime scene alongside Officers Pelissetti & Peda? Why did they continue west towards Arguello Boulevard. Consider this possibility.

Officer Donald Fouke is just passing Washington Street on Presidio Avenue when he gets the first APB, informing him of an assault and robbery on a taxicab driver at the intersection of Washington & Cherry. He is given the additional information to be on the lookout for a negro male adult, along with the suspect last seen heading north on Cherry towards Jackson Steet. Therefore, when Officer Donald Fouke is heading towards the crime scene on Jackson Street, he is obviously scanning the sidewalks for a black male. He spots a white man approaching the intersection of Jackson & Maple, so uses his common sense and pulls over to ask the white man "has he seen a black man in the vicinity acting suspiciously". The Zodiac Killer, not wanting the police to head to the crime scene, where he knew he had been spotted by some teenagers, who would obviously inform Officer Fouke that the suspect was a white male, said "yes officer, I have just seen a black man heading round the corner by Arguello. I think he may have a gun". Officer Donald Fouke (knowing other officers would have been dispatched to the crime scene also), had to make a split decision of heading to the assault and robbery - or continuing west on Jackson Street to intercept the black man identified by Zodiac - who is likely the perpetrator in his mind and somebody who presents an imminent danger to public safety, carrying a gun.

Officer Donald Fouke made the correct choice. The one he was clearly describing in the 1989 documentary. Officer Donald Fouke when arriving at Arguello Boulevard, gets the second APB from Officer Armond Pelissetti (who is at the crime scene updating everyone else to the revised white male description). It is at this point the alarm bells go off in Donald Fouke's head - that the white male he just passed 30 seconds earlier, last seen heading north on Maple - has just duped him big time. Knowing he had last seen the white male heading north on Maple, he assumed the man had likely traveled over the retaining wall towards Presidio Park, so he swings his patrol car into West Pacific Avenue and heads east towards Julius Khan playground. He does a cursory search of the area before heading back to the crime scene via Cherry Street. This diversion into West Pacific Avenue and back likely taking 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. It is then he bumps into Officer Armond Pelissetti, who has now been afforded the necessary time to reach the top of Cherry, which would have been impossible directly from the initial APB. 

Officer Donald Fouke made it appear in the 2007 documentary that he got the update to a white male off Armond Pelissetti at the top of Cherry Street. He stated "He (Armond Pelissetti) stopped us and said he was looking for a white male that had just gone down the street. There was a little conversation about what the initial description was, and he said "no he was a white male". I then used a slang term and said "oh, that was the suspect". The suggestion being, that Donald Fouke had cursed after being informed the suspect was white not black. However, in the 1989 documentary he stated "as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult". This was before he had bumped into Armond Pelissetti that night at Cherry. Two completely different stories.

Let us use the statement of Armond Pelissetti of "we fortunately were very close and responded to that corner, and were able to do so red light and siren at 9:55 at night and got there very quickly". If he responded to the first APB at 9:55 pm, then so did Donald Fouke. It was shown that Donald Fouke could not have taken longer than 90 seconds to arrive at Jackson & Cherry from the first APB (likely less). That would be 9:56:30, where according to the 2007 documentary, he bumped into Officer Pelissetti. That means Officer Pelissetti is at the top of Cherry at 9:56:30 pm. How does Officer Pelissetti possibly arrive at the corner of Jackson & Cherry in 90 seconds, if you have read his complete statement above? This is why the version of events presented in the 2007 documentary is fiction. Officer Donald Fouke did not turn into Cherry on his approach to the crime scene - he headed to Arguello Boulevard, reacted to the updated APB, swung into West Pacific Avenue and traveled to Julius Khan playground, before heading back to Cherry Street. He then bumped into Officer Armond Pelissetti, already knowing of the updated white male description. Because he had received it via Armond Pelissetti on the radio, approximately 2 to 2 1/2 minutes earlier at Arguello Boulevard.

Michael Butterfield has extensively covered the Zodiac case in a series of excellent podcasts, but it his coverage of Presidio Heights I would like to delve into.

Michael Butterfield stated "Officer Pelissetti stated he was nearby when he heard the radio call and responded at 9:58 pm. In several interviews with many individuals, including myself, Pelissetti stated he arrived on the scene, saw the body in the cab, then proceeded north on Jackson Street. Officer Fouke said he and Officer Zelms were also nearby when they heard the radio broadcast. Fouke claimed he saw the suspect as he was driving west on Jackson Street. The narrow margin of time leaves little room for the encounter described by the Zodiac. In the Zodiac's version of the story, the patrol car pulled up and one of the officers called him over to ask him if he had seen anyone acting suspicious or strange. The Zodiac responded that he saw a man running and waving a gun. The police officers then sped off around the corner as the killer directed. This exchange must have lasted at least 10 seconds, if not longer. This exchange would be much longer in any scenario where the officers actually climbed out of the patrol car, walked to the killer, talked, ran back to the car, then sped off. The Zodiac himself claimed this exchange took place approximately 3 minutes after he had left the crime scene. A video of the Zodiac's possible escape route, shows that an individual can walk at a slow and casual pace from the intersection of Washington & Cherry Streets to the intersection of Jackson & Maple in less than 3 minutes. One of the witnesses saw Zodiac walk to the intersection of Jackson & Cherry Streets. The witness told Pelissetti that the Zodiac was walking north on Cherry Street, so Pelissetti followed. Pelissetti claimed he encountered Fouke and Zelms by the time he reached Jackson Street. The witness account and Pelissetti's statements leave virtually no time for any significant encounter between Fouke, Zelms and the Zodiac. The timing indicated that the story of the Zodiac stop was not compatible with the known facts, common sense, or logic".

Michael Butterfield provided a less than complete version in this passage, namely that [1] Pelissetti stated he arrived on the scene, saw the body in the cab, then proceeded north on Jackson Street, and [2] The witness told Pelissetti that the Zodiac was walking north on Cherry Street, so Pelissetti followed. Neither of these versions happened, because Pelissetti stated in his own words that he saw the kids about 15 or 16 feet from the taxicab and herded them back to the alcove of their residence. He then stated he went over to the taxicab to check on Paul Stine and was 99.9 % certain he was dead. He then retook the description off the teenagers, before updating everybody else to the updated white male description. He then went back to the intersection to begin his journey up Cherry, "following every technique he knew so he didn't get his head blown off". This now leaves plenty of time for Donald Fouke's encounter with Zodiac, and his excursion to Arguello Boulevard and West Pacific Avenue, before heading back to Cherry to meet with Officer Pelissetti. In Michael Butterfield's version, even if Pelissetti arrived quickly to the crime scene (say 30 seconds), then immediately traveled cautiously up Cherry to meet Donald Fouke, 2 minutes would already have elapsed. How on earth does Donald Fouke require 2 minutes to travel from Washington St/Presidio Avenue to the intersection of Jackson & Cherry. And this is omitting everything Pelissetti claimed he did at the crime scene.

From first APB, Armond Pelissetti requires at least 4 minutes to reach the top of Cherry Street. Donald Fouke requires 4 minutes to head west on Jackson Street, have a brief 10 or 20 second exchange with Zodiac, travel to Arguello Boulevard, West Pacific Avenue and Julius Khan playground, before returning back to Cherry. From the initial APB to the intersection of Jackson & Cherry for Donald Fouke is no longer than 90 seconds (even with a brief exchange with Zodiac). Donald Fouke then has at least 2 1/2 minutes for a rudimentary search alongside Presidio Park, before his meeting at the top of Cherry with Officer Pelissetti. Michael Butterfield's timeline gives the impression of Officer Pelissetti getting the initial APB, and arriving at the top of Cherry in 90 seconds or less, which is impossible. The claim of "virtually no time for any significant encounter between Fouke, Zelms and the Zodiac" is therefore a false one.              

In the podcast Shadows & Fog, Michael stated "The crime scene was well preserved and police checked the fingerprints of various individuals who were there that night. Armond Pelissetti, the first responding officer at the scene, stated that he saw the traces of blood on the cab, where the fingerprints were found. More importantly, according to the available timeline of events, the witnesses watched as the killer walked away from the cab, and then watched as Pelissetti and his partner arrived at the scene. Nobody made contact with the cab between the killer's time of departure and Pelissetti's arrival". The podcast then switches to Pelissetti stating he was the "first one to be close to that cab, the kids were walking over to it - nobody else has been there. I saw the bloody prints as I approached the cab".  

This is another thing Officer Pelissetti did at the crime scene that night, again negating the version of him parking his patrol car at the intersection of Washington & Cherry and immediately heading north on Cherry. The notion of a narrow margin of time required for Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms to encounter Zodiac is way wide of the mark. The two officers had 4 minutes available to them, before arriving at the top of Cherry to meet Officer Pelissetti. They had plenty of time, to not only talk with Zodiac, but be directed away from the crime scene by him, towards Arguello Boulevard.  

Not only did a shell casing go missing from the crime scene to the submitted items at the Department of Justice, but one bullet was also missing from both the police report and the Department of Justice records. Ten shots were fired that night - 5 shots to the back of Betty Lou Jensen (recorded at autopsy), 1 shot into David Faraday, 2 shots into the Rambler and 2 were unaccounted for, believed to have missed their intended target. Betty Lou Jensen had five entry wounds and three exit wounds, however, only two bullets were ever recovered from outside the body of Betty Lou Jensen. These were noted in the Supplemental Investigation Report and Department of Justice files (shown below). In total, only seven bullets were ever retrieved. One bullet is missing from the record. At autopsy it was determined that 6 bullets were fired into both victims - and with the two bullets retrieved from the Rambler it was determined 8 bullets had been fired in total - yet only 4 of the bullets related to Betty Lou Jensen were noted in the DOJ Report below.

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

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

Here is the new approach I shall adopt (for the most part) in presenting the Zodiac case, using a mixture of visual aids and dialogue. The presentation below is regarding the 2007 Zodiac documentary, and the movements of Officer Armond Pelissetti and Donald Fouke on the night of October 11th 1969. All the videos will be done on the fly, so expect some mistakes and hesitations along the way. When viewing the following video place it in full screen mode, as I will be using the mouse pointer as a directional aid. Hopefully things will get better as I learn to use the Bandicam tool. 

The Zodiac Killer story is full of strange coincidences, so here is another one. Alex Lewis managed to secure a redacted document from the FBI in 2016 regarding the murder of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. The redacted document read "Xenophon Lusby Anthony, WMA, DOB 28th February 1931, Resides at 3218 Jackson Street, San Francisco. For Info Ident Division, San Francisco Police Department advised; eight year old witness in murder of cab driver identified Anthony as possible subject in this matter". Just ten days after the Paul Stine murder, on Tuesday October 21st 1969, an 8-year-old girl was walking along Lake Mendocino Drive with her parents when a passing motorist flung a note attached to a twig at her feet, stating "You're next..Z".

The Zodiac Killer had threatened schoolchildren when his October 13th 1969 letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle. The letter had promised that "School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning. Just shoot out the front tire + then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out". The day before this note was thrown towards the young girl from the car, a newspaper article featured in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 20th 1969 entitled Bus Precautions-A Seminar Here on Zodiac Killer, mentioning protection for schoolchildren in many areas. Obviously there is no way to validate if this was the Zodiac Killer responding to this article or just another copycat buying into the Zodiac story.

There is quite a distance from San Francisco to Lake Mendocino Drive in Ukiah, but it is a direct journey along Highway 101 from the Bay Area that can be accomplished in two hours - and from the standpoint of the Zodiac Killer - likely outside the target zone of the police. The wording on the note would eventually become familiar, when a pasted card (mimicking the 13 Hole postcard) was mailed to the home address of Dr. Edward C. Adams at 102 Camino Don Miguel, Orinda, California, postmarked October 17th 1970 from Berkeley. Edward C. Adams was a psychiatrist. The card read: "Mon Oct 12, 1970. Edward Adams. The Zodiac is going to change the way of committing murders. I shall announce when I shall commit my murders, The Adamses are next. you taught me to mean it. Adams you are next. Zodiac".

This communication arrived almost one year after the note in Ukiah with very similar phraseology. The October 21st 1969 note read "You're next..Z" and the October 17th 1970 communication read "You are next. Zodiac". On August 26th 1976, an advertisement ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for one week, beginning "Zodiac, Your partner is in deep real estate. You're next". Three communications bridging a span of seven years.

The two sketches of the suspect in the Paul Stine murder were released on October 13th and October 18th 1969, so it was probably unsurprising that many people in the subsequent days believed they had spotted the Zodiac Killer. However, five residents of Anderson Valley (15 miles southwest of Lake Mendocino Drive} did make claims of seeing the "killer" in the area and reported it to police on Sunday October 19th 1969. Two days later, the incident involving the 8-year-old girl transpired. The sightings of Boonville residents in Anderson Valley were reported in the Ukiah Daily Journal on October 20th 1969.

Bus patrols were widespread after the Zodiac threat on schoolchildren, with newspaper reports detailing the vigilance of authorities as far as the Napa Valley and Santa Rosa. Had the Zodiac Killer ventured just beyond the perceived safety net to fulfil his promise to target schoolchildren, or was this just another sick individual cashing in on the terror experienced in the Bay Area and beyond? 

Captain Hays Hickey of the California Highway Patrol had met with authorities on October 20th 1969 to finalize plans for a CHP-Sheriff's Unit Protection on half a dozen or more school buses in the outlying districts of Mendocino County in the wake of Zodiac's threats. Operation Zodiac initially began with three outlying areas covered on October 20th 1969, believing the killer was more likely to threaten areas of a more rural nature.  

Mike Rodelli stated in his book The Hunt For Zodiac:The Inconceivable Double Life of a Notorious Serial Killer that the "All points bulletin (APB} went out over three police radio channels and was heard by all units". The closest police unit were Officers Armond Pelissetti and Frank Peda, who (in Armond Pelissetti's own words) arrived very quickly at 9:55 pm. The exact time doesn't really matter for the following observations, because Officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms in a second police unit also got the APB at the same time, as they were traveling northbound on Presidio Avenue, just past Washington Street, One of the three teenagers who observed Zodiac in and around the taxicab that night had ventured to the intersection of Washington and Cherry, where he pleaded with Officer Armond Pelissetti "He's getting away, He's getting away. He's right there", gesturing toward Zodiac as he approached the corner of Jackson and Cherry Street.

We will afford Officer Armond Pelissetti a very quick arrival time (let us say 30 seconds). If he arrived at 9:55 pm, then he must have received the APB at 9:54:30 - and so must Officer Donald Fouke. Officer Armond Pelissetti is now at the corner of Washington and Cherry at 9:55 pm, with Lindsey Robbins yelling at him and pointing out Zodiac approaching to north end of Cherry Street. Therefore, the Zodiac Killer is approximately 10 seconds shy of vanishing from Cherry Street, at 9:55 pm. If Officer Donald Fouke also got the APB at 9:54:30, his 819 meter journey to Jackson and Maple Street, at a modest 35 mph (allowing for intersections), is a journey time of 60 seconds. He stated he saw a man (believed to be Zodiac} approaching the intersection of Jackson and Maple, before this man headed north on Maple. This sighting was at 9:55:30 - meaning Zodiac was approaching the intersection of Jackson and Cherry at 9:55 pm at the very earliest, while also present near the intersection of Jackson and Maple.at 9:55:30, separated by at least 450 feet.(a journey time of at least 1 minute 37 seconds at normal walking speed}.   

Let us flip this scenario on its head and show how the timeline simply isn't possible. Officer Donald Fouke would be viewing Zodiac approaching the intersection of Jackson and Maple at 9:55:30. The Zodiac Killer's jouney time from Washington and Cherry to Jackson and Maple is approximately 2 minutes 37 seconds (p.s. 2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab}. Officer Donald Fouke spotted Zodiac at 9:55:30. Therefore, the Zodiac Killer began his journey just shy of 2 minutes and 37 seconds earlier from the intersection of Washington and Cherry. This means Zodiac would have been beginning his journey from the intersection of Washington and Cherry (by the taxicab} at about 9:52:53 (before the time of the reported attack). But Armond Pelissetti arrived at 9:55 pm at the earliest. So how did Zodiac take 2 minutes and 7 seconds to not even reach the intersection of Jackson and Cherry? Imagine Officer Armond Pelissetti taking a more reasonable one minute to arrive at the crime scene  - Zodiac would then have taken 2 minutes 37 seconds to travel up Cherry and still be in view to both officer and teenager. 

If the Zodiac Killer was spotted by Officer Donald Fouke at 9:55:30, having left the intersection of Washington and Cherry at 9:52:53, then he must reasonably be at the north end of Cherry by 9:53:53 at the latest. But for Officer Armond Pelissetti to see Zodiac there at 9:53:53, he must have received the initial radio dispatch 30 seconds earlier, at 9:53:23, which happens to be 1 minute 37 seconds before the reported time of the attack at 9:55 pm. I have been very generous with the timeline regarding Officer Armond Pelissetti and the Lindsey Robbins sighting of Zodiac, but whichever way you cut it, the timeline doesn't make sense. Even if we say that both Officer Armond Pelissetti and Lindsey were correct, and saw Zodiac approaching the intersection of Jackson and Cherry at 9:55 pm. Then we have to add a minimum of 1 minute and 37 seconds for Zodiac to be spotted by Officer Donald Fouke approaching Jackson and Maple. That would be 9:56:37, thereby making Officer Donald Fouke's journey time from Washington Street and Presidio Avenue to Jackson and Maple, a 2 minute and 7 second journey, traveling at 14.4 mph. The longer Officer Armond Pelissetti took to arrive at the crime scene, the more unbelievable the timeline becomes. If he arrived at the intersection of Washington and Cherry at 9:55 pm and it took him only one minute, he must have got the APB at 9:54 pm, which Officer Donald Fouke received also. Now Officer Armond Pelissetti is observing Zodiac at the top of Cherry at 9:55 pm, while Officer Donald Fouke would be observing Zodiac at 9:55 pm at Jackson and Maple, which is obviously not possible.  

Mike Rodelli stated in his book that as Officer Donald Fouke passed the intersection of Jackson and Maple they saw the "man about 100 feet west of the corner of Maple. The man was in no hurry and kept his head down as he walked. When he got to a residence just west of Maple (3712 Jackson Street) he casually turned left and began to ascend a flight of stairs to that residence". Although, Donald Fouke in his November 12th 1969 memorandum, recalled no such story - stating a man was "walking in an easterly direction on Jackson Street and then turned north on Maple Street". Mike Rodelli then stated Officer Donald Fouke (having a description of a Negro Male Adult from the initial dispartch) continued onward toward Cherry Street and the crime scene. The distance from 3712 Jackson Street to the corner of Cherry Street is 340 feet (traveling at 30 mph, would take approximately 8-10 seconds). 

"Meanwhile, Officer Armond Pelissetti had been examining the cab", and once he got the amended description to a white male he got on the radio to update everybody. He then traveled up Cherry Street cautiously, using his police training to make sure he "did not get his head blown off". Mike Rodelli described that "as Pelissetti carefully made his way up the block, the patrol car carrying Officers Fouke and Zelms rounded the corner (Fouke having spotted the man near Maple Street seconds earlier) and they stopped and spoke". They had a brief conversation about the updated description, "as finally the corrected APB description from SFPD Dispatch came over the air on the channel Fouke was monitoring that evening, which was different from the channel over which it had initially been broadcast by Pelissetti". 

Officer Armond Pelissetti received the amended description to a white male at the crime scene by the kids. which according to Mike was eventually aired by SFPD Dispatch as Pelissetti spoke to Fouke nearing the top of Cherry. But if Officer Donald Fouke had only spotted "the man near Maple Street seconds earlier", then he had passed the Zodiac Killer just over a minute into his journey from the initial dispatch at Washington Street and Presidio Avenue. That means Officer Donald Fouke met Officer Armond Pelissetti at the top of Cherry no longer than 90 seconds after he received the initial dispatch. Therefore, Armond Pelissetti had to travel to the crime scene after receiving the initial dispatch (at least 30 seconds), have his interactions with the teenagers, check on Paul Stine in the taxicab, update everybody on the radio to the amended description, and then travel up Cherry Street in a cautious fashion so he "did not get his head blown off" in a grand total of just 90 seconds in order to meet Donald Fouke at the top of Cherry. The journey up Cherry Street in cautious fashion, on its own, would take 90 seconds. Again showing the massive discrepancy in the timeline offered up by this order of events.

Mike quoted Bryan Hartnell in the 1989 Crimes of the Century TV show regarding the height and weight of the suspect at Lake Berryessa, suggesting that Zodiac may have skewed his appearance at Presidio Heights using "lifts in his shoes" and possibly "three sweaters" under a loose fitting jacket - obviously to create a different body shape to that of Kjell Qvale, and so disguise his appearance. 

What Mike does not tell you, is the quote by Officer Donald Fouke in the 1989 Crimes of the Century show, in which he stated "We proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search. As we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult - believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect." Here he gets the updated description to the white male adult on Arguello Boulevard, not at the top of Cherry Street as mentioned earlier. If we are going to use quotes from the 1989 TV show (or even the 2007 documentary), then why was this omitted from the storyline? Cherry picking certain quotes, while failing to mention others, can be used to guide the reader towards your particular narrative. The question that has to be asked, is what was Officer Donald Fouke doing traveling away from the crime scene he is supposed to be responding to, when supposedly he is still under the impression he is searching for a black male adult - unless Zodiac directed him that way. We can of course just conveniently ignore this statement by Officer Donald Fouke if it's not very helpful.

After the brief meeting with Officer Armond Pelissetti in the upper reaches of Cherry Street, in which Officer Donald Fouke had seconds earlier spotted the Zodiac Killer just past Maple Street, Donald Fouke made a three-point turn and headed off north on Cherry and west on Jackson. Armond Pelissetti then traveled up to the corner and headed east on Jackson to the intersection of Jackson and Maple, where he spotted a dog walker (Kjell Qvale/Zodiac) as he turned to go back toward Washington Street.
The 100 foot journey that the Zodiac Killer has from 3712 Jackson Street to the corner of Jackson and Maple, is approximately 22 seconds traveling at normal walking speed. This gives Donald Fouke ample time to travel to the corner of Jackson and Cherry and bump into Armond Pelissetti. The Zodiac Killer would now be roughly at the intersection of Jackson and Maple, while the two officers began their brief exchange. In the time it now takes for Officer Armond Pelissetti to travel the short distance to the top of Cherry Street and negotiate the journey east to the intersection of Jackson and Maple (approximately 500 feet in total distance) to spot Kjell Qvale, would mean that the Zodiac Killer (if Kjell Qvale) has to do the following.

Kjell Qvale would have to travel 370 feet to reach the front door of his residence (80 seconds}, possibly change his clothes (including the "three sweaters" and "lifts in his shoes" maybe), ditch the weapon, put his dog on the leach and immediately travel back to the intersection of Jackson and Maple (another 80 seconds) to be spotted by Officer Armond Pelissetti in Maple Street. This is a bare minimum of four minutes (longer if he entered the rear of his residence}. I shall let you decide if it took Armond Pelissetti four minutes to negotiate this journey east - and whether Kjell Qvale could reasonably manage everything he did at home, as well as traveling away from the Jackson and Maple intersection, and back again, before Armond Pelissetti arrived.  

If we conclude that both Officer Donald Fouke and Lindsey Robbins saw Zodiac, then something about the story isn't correct. This has been covered several times before - but until I get a different answer to "your quibbling about minutes" (which is not an answer), the story remains impossible in its current form. Begin the video below at 1 minute.    

Before the advent of the Rigel software system, utilizing the geographic profiling techniques of criminologist Dr. Kim Rossmo, a rudimentary form of geographic profiling was used by Stuart Kine before the capture of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe. This is mentioned by Dr. Kim Rossmo in a 1998 NCIS Conference, stating "I’m sure people in this room are familiar with this case. This is an example of an investigation going awry because of geography. The tape that was sent to the investigators from someone claiming to be the Yorkshire Ripper led to analysis of the accents, they felt there was a Geordie accent, the person was from the Sunderland area, and they focused on that part of England which was about a hundred miles away from where the crimes were occurring. That was wrong. Sutcliffe lived close to the area. Interesting, and I’m not sure how many people are aware of it, but shortly before Sutcliffe’s arrest through work by some patrol officers, a Home Office scientist by the name of Stuart Kine did a sort of basic geographic analysis of the crimes and was quite successful as it turned out in his predictions".  He was in fact very accurate, bearing in mind the size of the killing field - and by literally sticking pins in a map - highlighted an area somewhere by Shipley, only 6 miles from the 6 Garden Lane, Bradford address of Peter Sutcliffe. View geoprofile.

Covered extensively in previous articles, had the Zodiac Killer worked a conventional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 profession and had lived in the Vallejo area at the time of his murders, we would expect to see his first two Friday attacks relatively close to his home base. Unconstrained by time on Saturday, the Zodiac Killer would be able to venture further afield for his attacks - which is exactly what happened. However, we now have another tool in our arsenal, highlighted in this short but informative video by BCU professor Craig Jackson. Here is a small extract: "Wherever the Yorkshire Ripper was based, the time of his murders would be a vital clue to where he lived. So, if one of the Yorkshire Ripper's victims was murdered in the early evening, 8 o' clock or 9 o' clock at night, that individual could be based very far away from where the Yorkshire Ripper's base was. But if the victim was murdered in the very small hours, midnight, or one or two in the morning, that victim would probably be very close to where the Ripper's base was, assuming that the Ripper would have to be home at a reasonable time to be with their partner or families, or friends who they lived with". The type of victim targeted, the areas they frequented and their availability also has to be factored into the target backcloth. Therefore, we will use the Zodiac Killer's four attacks and see if they conform to a home base in Vallejo.

If the Zodiac had left his house to search for victims on a Friday in the area of Columbus Parkway and Lake Herman Road, then he likely had a knowledge that young courting couples or lone individuals may be found in these remote locations. He has a mental map of the area and an optimal time he would like to return to his residence - but he knows that this sort of victim targeting is unreliable. Sometimes the opportunity may present itself immediately, while other times he may have to do several passes before a suitable target or targets appear. He has to factor this into his thinking when leaving his residence. In other words, if he wants to arrive home no later than 12:15 am, he has to allow for this when leaving his residence. In respect to Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, he could have left his residence at 10:00 pm to allow for this "hit and miss" technique of trawling the eastern edge of Vallejo. This may have accounted for the earlier suspicious sightings on December 20th 1968, prior to the eventual double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen.

If we apply the model of professor Craig Jackson to our killer, then an attack at approximately 11:15 pm at Lake Herman Road and midnight at Blue Rock Springs Park, would suggest a killer who lived close by and was aiming to return home sometime in the late evening to early morning hours. If the Zodiac Killer had lived near to the Springs Road and Tuolumne Street payphone, he would have arrived home at around 11:30 pm on 12/20/68, and 12:15 am on 07/04/69. The Zodiac Killer's attack at Presidio Heights would not have been affected by a "hit and miss" targeting technique. Had the murder of taxicab driver Paul Stine been planned ahead of time, he would know where he was to find his victim, where he was going to murder the taxicab driver and where his escape route lay before him - including his journey time back to Vallejo. Paul Stine was murdered shortly before 10:00 pm on 10/11/69. The Zodiac Killer (had he parked his vehicle near the Presidio Park) would have about 5-15 minutes of walk time, followed by a 50 to 60 minute journey home via the Golden Gate Bridge. At the latest, he would arrive home at approximately 11:15 pm. Therefore, his window of time to arrive back at his residence after three of his attacks, would fall within one hour of each other (between 11:15 pm and 12:15am) - although it may be slightly more.     

The Lake Berrryessa crime is altogether different. If we believe that the Zodiac Killer targeted areas he was familiar with, then he knew that the outskirts of eastern Vallejo, in the secluded areas of Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs during the weekend or holiday season, was likely rich pickings for courting "couples" or "stray people" in the night. The sheer fact he wrote about killing "over a dozen people" at the weekend, showed an element of confidence in these surroundings, despite the obvious braggadocio displayed.

The Presidio Heights area must also have been familiar to him, to risk such an audacious attack in a built-up area of San Francisco. Dr. Kim Rossmo summed it up perfectly: ​​"The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts. In San Francisco, however, the Zodiac controlled the situation through his selection of victim type. The need for such control could be indicative of the distance the Zodiac had to travel to the crime site. Criminals who travel longer distances to offend are less likely to use uncertain target selection techniques".

His familiarity with Lake Berryessa (09/27/69) was also obvious. The Zodiac Killer knew on this occasion that a targeted attack in the late evening hours (close to midnight), similar to Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, was wholly uncertain with respect to finding a suitable victim or victims in this location. But he knew that a late afternoon or early evening attack within the expanse of Lake Berryessa, would be the safest bet, The location, on this occasion, effectively governed the earlier attack time. When this constraint was unburdened during his first, second and fourth attacks (assuming he lived in Vallejo and went directly home), his arrival time to his residence would have always fell within a 60-75 minute window of time. If the Zodiac Killer had a preconceived time he wanted to return home by, then Vallejo by the payphone was a perfect fit for a good night's sleep - as well as not arousing suspicion - had he been married (with children).     

This is an extension to the Washington Street Sketch article, further examining the age of the Zodiac Killer in 1969. Many people have argued that the Zodiac Killer, through four attacks, wasn't one individual because of the varying age estimations, differing from 26-30 by Michael Mageau, 20-30 by Bryan Hartnell (voice concept) and 25-30 by the three teenagers at Presidio Heights, up to 35-45 by Officer Donald Fouke and about 40 by the Julius Khan playground eyewitnesses. However, this really isn't the case when we consider that Michael Mageau's testimony cannot be relied upon, bearing in mind he was blinded by the light from the assailant's vehicle and flashlight, while being shot in the head. His recollection of the events are unclear, with probably less than a second to make a visual on the suspect's face. In the following attack at Lake Berryessa, Bryan Hartnell never saw the suspect's face at all, so we only have a recollection of "voice concept", which in essence means very little. The only attack where the Zodiac Killer's face was seen for any reasonable length of time was on October 11th 1969. At Presidio Heights there were three sets of eyewitnesses who saw the Zodiac Killer from the taxicab to the park - and all gave the same age. The three teenagers described a man in his early forties, Officer Donald Fouke described the man as 35-45 (therefore a median age of 40) and the Julius Khan playground eyewitnesses described the man running into the park as about 40. Three sets of eyewitnesses pinpointing the Zodiac Killer as 40 years of age or slightly above, within a five minute window.

We can of course throw away or disregard the last sighting of a man running into the park and matching the other two descriptions, if our theory revolves around the Zodiac Killer never entering the park or getting into a vehicle along Jackson Street, but this again relies on cherry-picking the evidence to suit our theory, rather than let the evidence or eyewitness testimony become the driver.

The three teenagers never described the suspect as 25-30 years - only the October 13th 1969 police sketch did. Their account was comprehensively detailed in the police report countersigned by Officer Armond Pelissetti on October 12th 1969. Their viewing of the suspect "last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street" was the only eyewitness testimony in the police report, and therefore the suspect description on page 2 could only have been derived from them. It stated the man was in his early forties. It couldn't have been from the other two sets of eyewitnesses because the police report clearly states that the suspect was "last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street". The other eyewitnesses viewed the suspect after Cherry Street.

The three teenagers sat down with a sketch artist who interpreted their description of the man - and it's extremely likely that because the sketch was interpreted and drawn looking younger, the police attributed the age range of 25-30 years to it - likely believing this was the correct course of action based on the appearance of the sketch. In other words, the contradiction of the three teenagers early forties description in the police report to the appearance of the sketch, likely played a part in the revision of the age range placed on the wanted poster. However, it is apparent that the three teenagers were not happy with the first sketch, forcing the police to create an amended sketch more in line with their original early forties description. The police then released the amended sketch on October 18th 1969 with a compromise age range of 35-45 years, which allowed for any slight error either way.      

If we factor in Officer Donald Fouke's description of a man "older and heavier" with a "lumbering gait", possibly "graying in the rear" with a "widows peak", we could be looking at a much more mature Zodiac Killer. A killer who described David Faraday (17), Betty Lou Jensen (16), Michael Mageau (19) and Darlene Ferrin (22) as boy, girl and kids in his initial correspondence. Our suspect is unlikely to be a young man aged between 25-30 years, addressing a 19 and 22-year-old as a boy, girl or kid. The way the Zodiac Killer addressed the couple at Blue Rock Springs Park suggests more of a generational divide.

Here is an excerpt by Donn Devine: "But just how long is a generation? Don’t we all know as a matter of common knowledge that it generally averages about 25 years from the birth of a parent to the birth of a child, even though it varies case by case? And wasn’t it closer to 20 years in earlier times when humans mated younger and life expectancies were shorter? Where did those numbers come from? Several recent studies by a sociologist-demographer and groups of population geneticists and biological anthropologists show that male-line generations, from father to son, are always longer on average than female-line generations, from mother to daughter. They show, too, that both are longer than the 25-year interval that conventional wisdom has assigned to a generation. The male generation is at least a third longer, the female generation is longer by perhaps half that amount".

Most people affix around 20-25 years to a generation, so if we took the average of the four victim's ages from the first two attacks, we would arrive at 19 years. Add the generational divide of 20-25 years and we have a suspect between 39-44 years of age - a man in his early forties or about 40. We know the attack at Presidio Heights was a Zodiac crime because of the blooded piece of taxicab driver Paul Stine's shirt being mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, therefore these three sets of eyewitnesses, in a time window of just five minutes, all describing a man about 40 years of age should carry great value. But does this argument have any sway with the long-held convictions of people regarding suspects in the Zodiac case, or will no amount of eyewitness testimony cloud the lens through which they view the Zodiac case?

In 1969, the ages of the most widely touted suspects were: Theodore Kaczynski (27), Bruce Davis (27), Gareth Penn (28), Ross Sullivan (28), Richard Gaikowski (33), Arthur Leigh Allen (35), Richard Marshall (41), Lawrence Kane (45) and Kjell Qvale (50). Based on the eyewitness testimony at Presidio Heights, only two candidates fit the age description of the Zodiac Killer and these are poor suspects at best. The farther we travel to either end of the suspect age-scale spectrum, the weaker the argument becomes for these men to be the infamous Zodiac Killer. People often defy their years, but the argument still stands.
We have multiple eyewitnesses at Presidio Heights, all of whom were able to give fairly detailed descriptions of a killer emerging from the taxicab, heading up Cherry Street, turning into Jackson Street, before seeking refuge in the Presidio Park just after 10:00 pm. The question is, what faith do you have in three corroborating sets of eyewitnesses?   

Many questions have been asked about the Presidio Heights sketch of the Zodiac Killer, in particular, why was the drawing amended in the wanted poster from October 13th 1969 to October 18th 1969 - and did Officer Donald Fouke have any involvement in the amended sketch? If he didn't, many people have asked, why then did the three teenagers change their description so radically from a 25-30 year old male in the first sketch, to a man described as 35-45 years of age in the second sketch? The short answer, is that they didn't. They had always described an older male in the descriptions they furnished. The assumption that the second sketch was a result of the teenagers unsure of their initial description, are unfounded. The description of a 25-30 year old male exiting the taxicab and walking up Cherry Street was never uttered from the lips of the three teenagers, and the proof lies in the Armond Pelissetti two page police report. 

The police report was dated 10/12/69 12:30 am on page one, and countersigned by Armond Pelissetti on page two, with a time and date stamp of Oct 12 6:29 am '69. In effect, the report was completed and ratified by the following morning. Obviously, this is before the first wanted poster was released on October 13th 1969. This report at no point mentions Officer Donald Fouke - and his signature is nowhere to be found on the report. That is because he never contributed to it whatsoever. How can we be sure?

The police report clearly states on page 2 that the "suspect was last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street". There is no mention of the Zodiac Killer's  movements after this sighting. In other words, by 6:29 am on October 12th 1969, the sighting of a man by Officer Donald Fouke walking along Jackson Street was immaterial to this report. Otherwise, the report would have stated "suspect was last seen walking east on Jackson Street" - which it didn't. Here is the full statement on page 2:: "#2 SUSPECT: WMA, in his early forties, 5'8", heavy build, reddish-blond, crew cut hair. wearing eyeglasses, dark brown trousers, dark (navy blue or black) "Parka" jacket, dark shoes. Suspect should have many blood stains on his person and clothing, suspect may also be in possession of the keys to the Yellow Cab, possibly has wallet belonging to the victim. Last seen walking north on Cherry Street, from Washington Street". The only eyewitnesses that could possibly have viewed the suspect to our knowledge, before he exited Cherry Street were the three teenagers. Officer Donald Fouke hadn't even entered the picture yet.

​The above description of a white male in his early forties was given by the three teenagers before 6:29 am on the 12th October 1969, dispelling the notion they initially described him as aged between 25 and 30 years. Their description of a man in his early forties actually tallies with Officer Donald Fouke's memorandum submitted one month later, on November 12th 1969. In the memorandum he describes the suspect as a "WMA, 35-45 yrs, about 5'10", 180-200 lbs, medium heavy build, barrel chested, medium complexion, light colored hair possibly graying in rear, crew cut, wearing glasses. Dressed in dark blue waist length zipper type jacket (Navy or royal blue). Elastic cuffs and waist band zipped part way up. Brown wool pants pleated type baggy in rear (Rust brown)". The two descriptions near corroborate one another, totally debunking the conspiracy theories that depend on these two sightings being two different people.​

So why does the sketch, compiled from the recollections of the three teenagers say the suspect was 25-30 years? One could ask why does the description now say reddish-brown hair, when the police report states reddish-blond? Why does the wanted poster say the suspect sat in the front seat and directed Paul Stine to Washington and Laurel, when the trip sheet supposedly gave a destination of Washington and Maple? Why does the wanted poster invent the notion of a passenger who pulls a gun out and orders Paul Stine several blocks further? If we accept the credibility of 25-30 years, then why don't we accept the rest of this garbage on the wanted poster? The three teenagers certainly helped in the creation of the suspect composite, but that doesn't mean they played any part in the fantasy accompanying it - and that includes the age range. They had clearly contributed to the police report a day earlier, describing the suspect as somebody in his early forties, which not only is corroborated by Officer Donald Fouke, but a third party sighting by Spruce Street, near the Julius Khan playground. This was detailed in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle below. This sighting described the suspect as "about 40". 

In summary, we have three independent sightings describing the features of the suspect as somebody in his "early forties, with a reddish-blond crewcut", followed by "35-45 years, with light colored hair in a crewcut" and finally "about 40, with a blond crewcut". There is a distinct possibility that the Zodiac Killer had light hair and was aged around 40.

The teenagers certainly helped compile the sketch, but because of its rather youthful appearance appearing to contradict their police report of a suspect in his early forties, law enforcement likely used some artistic license to reduce the age of the suspect in the wanted poster, more in line with the sketch created. It is also important to consider that Michael Mageau estimated his attacker as 26-30 years on page 10 of the Blue Rock Springs police report, Michael stated "Subject was not blubbery fat, but real beefy, possibly 195-200, or maybe even larger. Stated he had short curly hair, light brown, almost blond. States he just saw subject's face from the profile, side view, and does not recall seeing a front view. Michael reemphasized that he really did not get a good look at subject other than his profile. Stated subject was a white male, approximately 26-30 years". Bryan Hartnell's recollections were stated on page 23 of the Lake Berryessa police report "Victim thought suspect was possibly 20 to 30 years of age by voice concept". It is not unrealistic to conclude, that based on previous estimations of the suspect's age and the youthful depiction generated by the sketch artist from the recollections of the teenagers, law enforcement took it upon themselves to guesstimate the age range of 25-30 years for the purpose of the first wanted poster. It is apparent that the teenagers were dissatisfied with the quality of the initial sketch and the age range attributed to it, so a second sketch qualifying their statements in the police report was generated.       

Officer Donald Fouke had no input into either of the two wanted posters, which is absolutely astonishing, if you believe his superiors were aware that he had crossed paths with a man on Jackson Street, who he described almost identically to the suspect described in the police report. The fact that his description in the memorandum was extremely detailed, yet he wasn't asked to independently sit down with a sketch artist sometime between October 11th 1969 and November 12th 1969, beggars belief. How do we know he had no input?

In the 2007 Zodiac documentary he stated "One month later, when the composite drawing came out at Richmond Station and was posted on the wall, he looked similar to the man I had seen on October 11th. I then wrote a scratch, interdepartmental memorandum, to my lieutenant to forward to homicide division, so that they would have the additional information about the appearance of the suspect. I never spoke to Toschi that I personally know of or remember. He may have been the inspector that came out and asked me about the composite drawing and I told them the suspect was older and heavier".  Not the words of a man who played any part in the composite drawings released on October 13th and October 18th of 1969. For the life of me, I cannot understand why.

Rex Bolt, author and avid Zodiac researcher, has made an excellent video on Youtube about his thoughts on the October 11th 1969 murder of Paul Stine, detailing with the use of a comprehensive slideshow the possible escape route of the Zodiac Killer.
It is a fantastic analysis of the area of Presidio Heights, with respect to the options Zodiac faced that night as he walked away from the intersection of Washington and Cherry. Of course, it was around 10:00 pm at night when the Zodiac Killer departed the crime scene, and the route ahead of him was far more claustrophobic.      

Rex, from the perspective of a native of San Francisco,  takes you on a journey from Mason and Geary, bordering Union Square  (where Paul Stine picked up Zodiac) through to the crime scene and beyond.
​
With photographs showing the layout of Presidio park, Rex comes to the conclusion that Zodiac most likely headed east from Julius Khan playground to the dense wooded area by Presidio Boulevard.
The Zodiac Killer, now waiting for an opportune moment, had just a few hundred feet to escape the Presidio to his waiting vehicle.

The killer would now reach his vehicle, parked somewhere close to Broadway and the Lyon Street Steps. A relatively remote area for residential San Francisco and an ideal location to escape to Highway 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge in a matter of minutes. 
You are now out of San Francisco and away.

The following is a brief explanation of the crime scene photographs regarding the murder of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. It is designed to address the correct sequence of events that night for anyone new to the case.

The Robbins children observed the murderer wipe down the taxicab that night, as detailed in the police report: "The suspect appeared to be searching the victim's pockets. (Witnesses never heard a gun shot). The suspect then appeared to be wiping (fingerprints) on the interior of the cab, leaning over the victim to the driver's compartment. The suspect 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."
This being the case, it would be very unusual for a killer to be wiping away fingerprints from the taxicab, had he used guards on his fingertips as claimed in the 'Bus Bomb' letter mailed on November 9th 1969: "As of yet I have left no fingerprints behind me contrary to what the police say in my killings I wear transparent fingertip guards. All it is is 2 coats of airplane cement coated on my fingertips -- quite unnoticible + very efective."

In a follow up statement the Robbins children went into more detail: "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."

When the Zodiac Killer left the crime scene Paul Stine's body must have slumped back across the passenger seat, because when Officer Armond Pelissetti arrived shortly thereafter, he stated "When I went over to the cab I could see Mr Paul Stine, who was slumped over the front seat with his head into the well on the passenger side in the front." 
There was extensive blood pooling in the footwell (shown in photograph 1 below).  

This photograph can be estimated at approximately 10:11 pm.

​When the ambulance crew arrived shortly before 10.10 pm, they pulled Paul Stine from the passenger footwell into the position shown on the left.
They pronounced him dead at 10:10 pm.
 
It can be seen that there is a complete absence of blood on the tarmac below Paul Stine's head. This indicates that once they pulled him into this position to check for signs of life (causing the splashing of blood from his hands - shown by the white arrow), the photograph must have been taken almost immediately after they vacated the passenger side door. Otherwise there would have been blood present on the roadside beneath Paul Stine's head, as was evident in photograph 2 below.

This indicated that once the medical personnel had arrived at the taxicab and pulled Paul Stine into the position shown, their evaluation must have been brief. It was immediately determined that Paul Stine showed no signs of life and certainly negated any need to circle the taxicab depositing bloody fingerprints on the dividing panel by the driver side door. 

In photograph 2 on the right, it can be seen the devastating impact of the murder, as the blood on the roadside continues to accumulate.
This is the reason why photograph 1 must have been taken almost immediately after the ambulance crew retreated.

One unusual feature is the door position. Did the ambulance crew pull Paul Stine into this position without fully opening the door? Were they mindful of preserving the crime scene by their own volition, or under instruction?   
Their priority was clearly the welfare of Paul Stine and determining signs of life - but if they had opened the passenger door fully, then it must have either fell back to the position shown on the right or been manually placed back in this position.   

The reasoning for this is shown in photograph 3. 

The door in the photograph on the left is now fully open. This is the position one would have expected the door to be located when the medical personnel were attending to Paul Stine, thereby giving them ample room to pull Paul Stine from the footwell and examine for signs of life. But the door only allowed for restricted access in photographs 1 and 2.

When the medical personnel extricated Paul Stine from the taxicab, a street guide was dragged out onto the roadside. This indicated that it was probably located under the body of Paul Stine on the passenger seat of the vehicle. This sheds doubt on the premise of a front seat passenger, although it cannot rule it out entirely.  

The photograph on the right shows the passenger door in the same position as photograph 3.
The relationship between the inner door handle (in brown on photograph 4) and the blood on the roadside can be seen as markedly different from photograph 2 (and therefore photograph 1).

The similar wider door positions in photograph 3 and photograph 4, indicate that the door was pulled open to acquire better pictures of the inside of the taxicab, before they eventually removed the body of Paul Stine.

This brief timeline takes us from the moment the Zodiac Killer left the front passenger seat of the taxicab, to the time the street guide was photographed on the roadside.

The poignant reminder of a journey that has now lasted 49 years - but a murder that should never be forgotten.

Just over a year ago we ran an article outlining the missing evidence at Lake Herman Road. Not only did a shell casing go missing from the crime scene to the submitted items at the Department of Justice, but a bullet was also missing from both the police report and the Department of Justice records. Ten shots were fired that night - 5 shots to the back of Betty Lou Jensen, 1 shot into David Faraday, 2 shots into the Rambler and 2 were unaccounted for, believed to have missed their intended target. Betty Lou Jensen had five entry wounds and three exit wounds, however, only two bullets were ever recovered from outside the body of Betty Lou Jensen. These were noted in the police report and Department of Justice files below. In total, only seven bullets were ever retrieved. One bullet is missing from the record. 

​"But any doubts about the killer's identity were dispelled the next day when a letter from Zodiac arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle. With it was a bloodstained piece of the driver's shirt and a bullet from the same pistol that had killed Jensen and Faraday". Had the Zodiac Killer walked towards the stricken Betty Lou Jensen to check on her status and retrieved a bullet from the turnout floor for 'future use"? This may explain why only two of the three exit wound bullets were recovered from Betty Lou Jensen at the crime scene. The police reporting of Presidio Heights was less than transparent in the aftermath of the Paul Stine murder. It wasn't too difficult to confirm that the bloodstained piece of shirt came from the corpse of the taxicab driver, but if a bullet had also been mailed with the letter, this would require interdepartmental cooperation from police involved with the murder of Jensen and Faraday to run a ballistics check. This may be the reason the details of the bullet were withheld from the newspapers until confirmation was acquired, or left out altogether. The police have openly admitted some evidence has been withheld from the public domain. 

The October 13th 1969 letter was only the second time the killer had announced himself as the 'Zodiac', so despite linking himself with the Stine murder using the swatch of shirt, he may have wanted to leave no doubt in the mind of investigators that he was also the "same man who did in the people in the north bay area". In effect, bringing all four crimes under the banner of the Zodiac Killer.

Tom Voigt made a good point regarding the Lake Berryessa attack on the Zodiackiller.com message board, stating "I've always felt that Zodiac might have written a letter regarding the Berryessa attack, perhaps to the Napa newspaper, and since it wasn't printed (for whatever reason) he decided to include physical evidence in future letters".

When Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz asked the Zodiac Killer for more proof that the letter writer and killer were the same person in the August 3rd 1969 Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, the Zodiac Killer could have supplied the bullet at this juncture, but as we know, the Zodiac Killer didn't always play by the rules. This may point to the fact that the killer had a broader agenda and always intended to kill in San Francisco. There had been a spate of taxicab robberies in San Francisco in the months prior to the Paul Stine murder, so by inserting a bullet from the murder of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday into the October 13th 1969 letter, this notion or connection would be completely dispelled. The narrator in the 1995 'Great Crimes and Trials' documentary may have made a gross error in statement, but to add to the Stine letter "a bullet from the same pistol that had killed Jensen and Faraday" from thin air, considering the missing bullet at Lake Herman Road, begs the question nonetheless.       

Using the Zodiac Killer's own words in the November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter, we can track his alleged movements that night like a form of global positioning system. After the meeting with Officer Donald Fouke on Jackson Street, he stated
"2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up + one of them called me over + asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min + I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber + went around the corner as I directed them + I disappeared into the park a block + a half away never to be seen again." According to the Zodiac, this placed him entering the park adjacent to Spruce Street (detailed in the October 12th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle article). Dog units were pressed into the search at this location, again described by Zodiac, apparently hiding in the dense foliage adjacent to Laurel Street, just two blocks east of Julius Khan playground. This is where the story will change from previous articles on this site. 

Had the Zodiac Killer traveled via the safety of the park to reach his vehicle parked somewhere along Pacific Avenue or West Pacific Avenue? He probably hadn't banked on the three teenagers spotting him, or the encounter with Officer Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms, as well as the early response of motorcycles and dog units bearing down on his position. He escaped into the park and by his account, traveled approximately two blocks east to the area of the park opposite Laurel Street: "The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west + there was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away." This, according to the 'Bus Bomb' letter claims, was his last known location. Was he waiting for an opportune moment to dash out of cover and across the road, to enter his vehicle parked yards away. How do we know his vehicle was parked here? Because this location may have had relevance to the entry on the taxicab trip sheet.

This location, by the intersection of Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue, is the area being described by Zodiac in the letter, when he stated "The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west." They were congregated by Julius Khan playground. Why though, would a killer park his vehicle four blocks east and two blocks north of the crime scene, greatly increasing the risk of being stopped and questioned. His journey from the crime scene to this location would be 0.4 miles - at least 8 or 9 minutes walking time. This doesn't make a lot of sense. But a murder, at or close to the intersection of Washington and Laurel, would leave just 620 feet to reach his vehicle, parked close to his last known location. If we marry up the details given by the October 13th 1969 police sketch with his last known location, then his escape route from this intended destination of Washington and Laurel would make far more sense. It is a direct route towards the park.​   

It has been long believed the Paul Stine taxicab trip sheet gave a destination of Washington and Maple, and for whatever reason Zodiac traveled a block further. Yet, the details on the police sketch clearly state 'Washington and Laurel'. Are we to believe the police cannot read the trip sheet correctly and made such a glaring error, or are we to believe the trip sheet actually gave the destination of Washington and Laurel, and the details accompanying the Zodiac sketch are correct?

The taxicab rule book stated that "Drivers of taxicabs and sedans shall keep an accurate waybill specifically setting forth the time of hire and discharge, the number of passengers, the origin and destination and the charges authorized and made for each trip."
Since nobody, including investigators, appear certain of exactly where the taxicab picked up Zodiac, we can probably conclude that Paul Stine didn't write down the origin of the fare - only the destination. In the History Channel docudrama 'Hunting the Zodiac,' Lieutenant Tom Bruton, an SFPD homicide investigator, recalled that the destination given in the trip sheet was Washington and Laurel, not Washington and Maple. So, why have we come to believe over the years that the trip sheet stated such a destination?

Keith Power authored an article entitled 'Astrologer Joins Hunt for Killer' in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 17th 1969, just six days after the murder, quoting "When he was picked up by the cab driver about 9:30 pm Saturday at Geary and Mason Streets, Stine noted the destination on his way bill (trip sheet) as Washington and Maple Streets."
How did Keith Power seemingly get hold of this information, to which no one else has been able to ascertain. It appears he may have been told this information by somebody connected to law enforcement, or just assumed the trip sheet noted Washington and Maple.

Somebody, using the taxicab meter-reading at 10:46 pm, backtracked to calculate the origin of the taxicab, and this, coupled with the statement by Zodiac of "I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St and Maple St last night," may be the reason it was concluded that this was Zodiac's intended destination, and what was written on the trip sheet. Keith Power stated "he was picked up by the cab driver about 9:30 pm Saturday at Geary and Mason Streets", despite the fact this has not been definitively proven. If this isn't fact, then we can argue, neither is the Washington and Maple destination. If Keith Power had seen the trip sheet and it stated Mason and Geary, why have police been attempting to discover the origin of the taxicab journey down the years. Furthermore, and one must reiterate this fact - why would the Zodiac Killer travel to either Washington and Maple or Washington and Cherry, many blocks away from his final claimed location, two blocks east of Julius Khan playground? This fact alone, must shed doubt on whether the trip sheet ever read Washington and Maple, and the Zodiac Killer at the last minute changed his plans to travel one block further. If this were true, its never been made public.
However, this still doesn't answer the question of why a killer who intended to murder a taxicab driver by Washington and Laurel, ended up four blocks west of his original destination. 

Officers Donald Fouke and Armond Pelissetti (and probably more police) were patrolling the Richmond District area the night of October 11th 1969. Donald Fouke stated in the 2007 Zodiac documentary "My regular partner was off. I don't recall the reason why he was not working that night. However, Eric Zelms was assigned as my partner that night. We were patrolling the eastern side of the Richmond district, going northbound on Presidio Avenue. We had passed Washington Street when a broadcast came in of a shooting at Cherry and Washington Street." Could it be as simple as Zodiac, who was determined to follow through on murder that night, was approaching the intersection of Washington and Laurel in the taxicab of Paul Stine, when he saw a police vehicle in the vicinity, and decided to travel several blocks further in order to reach a safe distance or buffer zone to commit his murderous plan. This would ultimately leave him detached from his vehicle, necessitating the need to backtrack along Jackson Street, past Donald Fouke's approaching police vehicle and toward Laurel Street. The taxicab traveled four blocks east past Laurel Street, and Zodiac walked back four blocks west to Laurel Street. In effect, a complete waste of time. This lends credence to a Zodiac Killer, whose initial intended destination was the intersection of Washington and Laurel, corroborated by the 'Wanted Poster' and Lieutenant Tom Bruton of the San Francisco Police Department.

The Zodiac stated "There was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west" and "The car drivers should have just parked their cars and sat there quietly waiting for me to come out of cover." But they didn't - and Zodiac was away into the night.