Sometime in the autumn months of 1968, approximately two years after the brutal slaying of Cheri Josephine Bates close to the Riverside City College library annex on October 30th 1966, a strange incident occurred at Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California, that was reminiscent of the Riverside murder. Although this encounter seemed eerily similar the story told in the Confession letter about the Bates murder, one has to keep in mind that the Zodiac Killer has never been definitively linked to the stabbing of Cheri Jo Bates or the accompanying communications of November 29th 1966 or April 30th 1967.
According to the Confession letter, the distributor of Cheri Jo Bates' green Volkswagen Beetle had been tampered with in the pretext to offering her assistance, when apparently the only objective of the good Samaritan was to lure the young girl to her death.
According to the Confession letter, the distributor of Cheri Jo Bates' green Volkswagen Beetle had been tampered with in the pretext to offering her assistance, when apparently the only objective of the good Samaritan was to lure the young girl to her death.
The Confession letter was typed and mailed to the Riverside Homicide Detail and Riverside Press Enterprise on November 29th 1966, stating "Miss Bates was stupid. She went to the slaghter like a lamb. She did not put up a struggle. But I did. It was a ball. I first pulled the middle wire from the distributor. Then I waited for her in the library and followed her out after about two minutes. The battery must have been about dead by then. I then offered to help. She was then very willing to talk to me. I told her that my car was down the street and that I would give her a lift home. When we were away from the library walking, I said it was about time. She asked me "about time for what". I said it was about time for her to die".
In the latter half of 1968 in Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, two girls were offered a lift by a brown-haired man, estimated to be about 30 to 40 years of age. Despite the young women politely declining his offer, indicating their Volkswagen was parked up on the nearby avenue, it appeared he was more than determined to lure the girls into his vehicle. After declining his offer they proceeded to a local snack bar, where they remained chatting for approximately 45 minutes. After leaving the snack bar they headed back to their vehicle only to discover they were unable to start the Volkswagen, when the man they had encountered earlier promptly reappeared to offer his assistance once more. The man helped the girls push their vehicle along the road, when a second man came along to assist in their plight, however, this only seemed to infuriate the initial 'good Samaritan', who then, apparently annoyed by a perceived intrusion from the other gentleman, got back in his car and made a hasty exit from the scene. Some time later it was discovered that their car had been tampered with - the distributor cap having been torn from the engine, similar in fashion to Cheri Jo Bates' Volkswagen Beetle.
The Zodiac Killer seemed annoyed and frustrated when his letters never received front page coverage, or the attention he so clearly craved as an individual, often surfacing throughout his correspondence with the newspapers in the Bay Area. Did this apparent frustration surface again four years after the Telegraph Avenue incident, on April 7th 1972, when a further offer of assistance was once again spurned? Isobel Watson (33) had just got off the bus on the evening of April 7th 1972, and was walking home along Pine Hill Road, Tamalpais Valley, Marin County at 9:00 pm, when a light-colored vehicle veered towards her, knocking her to the ground. [view on google maps] The driver exited his vehicle offering her assistance and his willingness to take her home, but after she had refused his offer of apparent help a second time, the concerned citizen suddenly became enraged, pulling out a knife and stabbing the woman in the neck and shoulder. Her screams alerted the neighborhood, forcing the assailant into a hasty retreat from the scene. See Tamalpais Valley Attack.
In the latter half of 1968 in Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, two girls were offered a lift by a brown-haired man, estimated to be about 30 to 40 years of age. Despite the young women politely declining his offer, indicating their Volkswagen was parked up on the nearby avenue, it appeared he was more than determined to lure the girls into his vehicle. After declining his offer they proceeded to a local snack bar, where they remained chatting for approximately 45 minutes. After leaving the snack bar they headed back to their vehicle only to discover they were unable to start the Volkswagen, when the man they had encountered earlier promptly reappeared to offer his assistance once more. The man helped the girls push their vehicle along the road, when a second man came along to assist in their plight, however, this only seemed to infuriate the initial 'good Samaritan', who then, apparently annoyed by a perceived intrusion from the other gentleman, got back in his car and made a hasty exit from the scene. Some time later it was discovered that their car had been tampered with - the distributor cap having been torn from the engine, similar in fashion to Cheri Jo Bates' Volkswagen Beetle.
The Zodiac Killer seemed annoyed and frustrated when his letters never received front page coverage, or the attention he so clearly craved as an individual, often surfacing throughout his correspondence with the newspapers in the Bay Area. Did this apparent frustration surface again four years after the Telegraph Avenue incident, on April 7th 1972, when a further offer of assistance was once again spurned? Isobel Watson (33) had just got off the bus on the evening of April 7th 1972, and was walking home along Pine Hill Road, Tamalpais Valley, Marin County at 9:00 pm, when a light-colored vehicle veered towards her, knocking her to the ground. [view on google maps] The driver exited his vehicle offering her assistance and his willingness to take her home, but after she had refused his offer of apparent help a second time, the concerned citizen suddenly became enraged, pulling out a knife and stabbing the woman in the neck and shoulder. Her screams alerted the neighborhood, forcing the assailant into a hasty retreat from the scene. See Tamalpais Valley Attack.
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