ZODIAC CIPHERS
RICHARD GRINELL, COVENTRY, ENGLAND
  • Home
    • Search This Site With Google
    • The Mount Diablo Map and Code Solution
  • Zodiac News
    • Zodiac News Archive
    • Santa Barbara Attack
    • Cheri Jo Bates
    • The Confession
    • Riverside Desktop Poem
    • Bates Letter
    • The Forgotten Victims
    • Welsh Chappie - Zodiac News
  • Lake Herman Murders
    • Blue Rock Springs Attack
    • Vallejo Times Letter
    • Examiner Letter
    • Chronicle Letter
    • Complete 408 Cipher
    • Vallejo and Benicia Map
    • Kathie Snoozy and Debra Furlong Murders
    • Debut of Zodiac Letter
  • Lake Berryessa Attack
    • Presidio Heights Attack
    • Call to Chat Show
  • 340 Cipher
    • Bus Bomb Letter
    • Betsy Aardsma Murder
    • The Fairfield Letter
    • Melvin Belli Letter
    • Santa Barbara Murders 1970
    • Modesto Attack
    • My Name is Cipher
    • Dragon Card and Button Letter >
      • Phillips Road Map
    • The Sleeping Bag Murders
    • The Little List Letter
  • The Halloween Card
    • Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    • Los Angeles Times Letter
    • The Monticello Card
    • The Exorcist Letter
  • SLA Letter
    • Red Phantom Letter/American Greetings Card
    • The 1978 Letter
    • Los Angeles Times Newspaper Articles
    • Zodiac Letters Real or Fake
    • Zodiac Documentary
    • Unsolved Mysteries
    • The Colonial Parkway Murders
  • Suspects
    • Arthur Leigh Allen
    • Rick Marshall
    • Lawrence Kane
    • Theodore Kaczynski
    • Richard Gaikowski
    • Gareth Penn
    • Jack Tarrance

AT THE WATER'S EDGE

4/30/2014

 
One of the earliest crimes to be connected to the Zodiac Killer was that of Johnny and Joyce Swindle (both 19 years), a newlywed couple brutally gunned down on Wednesday, February 5th 1964 as they were enjoying an evening out alongside Ocean Beach, San Diego, near Narragansett Avenue. It appeared the killer had shot them from distance first - perched near a retaining wall overlooking the sea - before approaching the couple for the final coup de grâce. Five shots from a .22 caliber weapon had been discharged from his sniper position by the rocks, with the last two directed at the heads of the young couple from very close range. Google Map location. 
Picture
This crime was committed eight months after the Domingos/Edwards double murder near Gaviota State Park, Santa Barbara, with the obvious and inevitable comparisons being drawn between both crimes. Both involved young couples in areas overlooking the sea, with the crime scenes in both cases strewn with .22 caliber shells - although it is not believed they originated from the same weapon.

These early crimes have always drawn interest from a Zodiac Killer perspective, as the Bay Area murderer's first three attacks involved lone couples in isolated retreats, thereby drawing the obvious interest from amateur sleuths. Here we will take a look at these early attacks, as well as the later crimes at Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and the final confirmed murder of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969, and see if they tell us anything about the Zodiac Killer.

The two double murders of 1963 and 1964 may or may not have been the work of the Zodiac Killer, but there still may be a pattern at work. The murder site of Johnny and Joyce Swindle was a matter of yards from the seafront, as were the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963. The first confirmed attack by the Zodiac Killer at the Lake Herman Road turnout was only a 9 minute walk to the edge of Lake Herman, approximately 0.4 miles. 
Picture
..................................Click the image to view on Google Maps.....................................
It has been suggested that the Zodiac Killer must have been familiar with the location due to its remoteness, being an area of Benicia/Vallejo unlikely to have been known by a stranger to the area, particularly in regards to it being used by courting couples late at night - and the exact reason the Zodiac Killer may have targeted this location. He knew it was secluded and he knew the possibility that victims could be found here but was there a closer connection? When the Zodiac Killer delivered a letter to the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969 he made reference to the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, stating "Last Christmass In that epasode the police were wondering how I could shoot + hit my victims in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night + I could see silowets on the horizon. Bullshit that area is srounded by high hills + trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun".

The Zodiac Killer's next attack was at Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969, only 3.5 miles northwest of Lake Herman. with both crime scenes a relatively short distance from San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait. His final attack on a couple was on the shoreline of Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969, yet exhibited a marked deviation from the method he employed during his first two crimes. Nevertheless, it was again very close to a lake or large body of water. Lake Berryessa is situated approximately 50 miles north of Lake Herman Road, passing numerous areas on the way, including the region of Napa where he would eventually place his call at 1231 Main Street after the attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. It is for this reason, it appeared he had specifically earmarked this area as his preferred choice of attack site.     
Picture
.................................Lake Berryessa..................................
The early crimes of a serial killer are usually close to home before they venture outwards with growing confidence, but almost always they choose areas they are familiar with. It is with near certainty that the Zodiac Killer had previously frequented Lake Berryessa because the location suited him perfectly due to its remoteness and seclusion, particularly advantageous during the early evening hours in September when the majority of visitors would have packed up for the day, yet still enough light to make his grand entrance, adorned in the splendour of his executioner's costume. The point being, that if the Zodiac Killer had lived south of Riverside in the region of San Diego or Santa Barbara, before moving north to the area of San Francisco, Benicia or Vallejo, then one thing tied all five crime scenes together - the close proximity of water. Of course, this means little on its own unless we delve a little deeper and examine the recreation angle. What hobbies or types of leisure activity did the Zodiac Killer engage in that may have brought him close to these areas?
The possibility exists that a close connection between the Zodiac Killer and water always existed, not because of the actual names of the crime scenes, but because of what he did there when he wasn't murdering people. The Zodiac Killer may have been an avid fisherman and hunter, not only because he used a different gun at all of the murders, implying an easy access and interest in weaponry, but because of certain hints contained in many of his letters and diagrams to the newspapers.
 
It is well known that 10.5 size Wing Walker impressions were found at the Lake Berryessa crime scene - a variant of the Jump Boot, used by military personnel - but ideal for hiking in rough and slippery terrain, with good ankle support. The Zodiac Killer also used a crossed circle logo, employed to maximum effect when he mailed us his Button letter and Phillips 66 Petroleum Map on June 26th 1970 stating the crosshairs were to 'be set to Mag N'. His directional knowledge was actually correct in both his two phone calls to police (despite what people claim on the internet), and seemed very precise when he talked about radians and inches along the radians, as well as stating the compass dial on the Phillips Map was to be set to Magnetic North. He seemed very familiar with this concept, despite the fact radians would have meant very little to the majority of the general public, unless of course you were a very keen fisherman, hiker or hunter - or all three.    
The Silva Sweden AB designed their first compass in 1928, popular for outdoor navigation with many useful features.
In 1950 Silva introduced the 'The Silva Ranger' to North America, and in 1964 'The Silva Ranger Type 15' deluxe compass, with adjustable declination, clinometer and quadrant scale became available. This was a popular well constructed compass, albeit, other variations and manufacturers were widely available from hunting, hiking and army surplus stores.
Often, good compasses were fitted with a sighting mirror for plotting locations, gradation scales in inches and millimeters, a magnifying glass, a rotating dial, and more importantly, in conjunction with a map the compass could be used to locate magnetic declination points (the difference between True North and Magnetic North), believed to be approximately 16.5 degrees in 1970 when the Zodiac Killer sent us his Button letter and Phillips 66 Map.
Picture
The compass he may have used could have been set with a directional arrow facing north, designated at zero degrees, similar in fashion to the compass marker he placed on the Phillips Map, complete with Magnetic North instructions. The planning or plotting of radians - and indeed murder sites - would have been easy for somebody who was familiar with the use of such a compass. 

The Zodiac Killer also stated on August 4th 1969 when he mailed the Debut of Zodiac letter, "What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or ceiling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights". A pencil flashlight was a useful tool, not only as the Zodiac claimed, to use as a sighting implement to focus his aim, but a tool that may already have been readily available to him, as it is often used in pursuits such as fishing and hiking. It is ideal to read maps and to manage small fishing tackle because it could be used hands free, held in the mouth - and in addition - it also had the advantage of being lightweight and compact. The proximity of water to all these locations had the added benefit in the disposal of his weapon in the immediate aftermath of each crime, if indeed, this is what he did.

The Ocean Beach location, the Santa Barbara coastline (particularly in view of the area of the Domingos/Edwards murders, that would barely have been known by somebody unfamiliar with the area), the Lake Herman and Lake Berryessa locations, all frequented by hikers and fishermen suggested the Zodiac Killer (if responsible for all these crimes) had extensive knowledge of these areas and had good reason to have visited them all in advance of each murderous attack. They were his comfort zones. They were his areas of familiarity.  
Picture
Of course, the Paul Stine murder on October 11th 1969 was the biggest deviation of all, but with Presidio Heights being on the northern extremity of San Francisco, water was never far away. Washington and Cherry Streets were no more than one mile away from the coastline of Marina Boulevard. 

The famous Fisherman's Wharf is situated roughly 3 miles east of the Julius Khan playground, developed as a tourist attraction in the 1970s and 1980s, but prior to this was a fishing magnet for Italian migrants. It provided good fishing, that included the now famous Dungeness crab. See on Wikipedia.  

It is arguable that the Zodiac Killer may have had a profession that took him close to all these areas. A connection could be forged from Humble Oil in Benicia to the Santa Barbara oil fields, as well as the military angle pursued from the standpoint of the Vandenberg Air Force Base, nine miles northwest of Lompoc, California to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo. However, the possibility also exists that either of these occupations can stand alongside his recreational pursuits, with the military angle spiking the most interest as it can be intertwined with all of the above. The use of Wing Walkers, access to weaponry and a firm knowledge of map reading and co-ordinates could have meshed his profession with his pastimes and pursuits - that kept the hunter within him burning bright.
water damage pinecrest link
3/17/2017 10:43:06 pm

Very nice article, I enjoyed reading your post, very nice share, I want to twit this to my followers. Thanks!.


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    All
    13 Hole Postcard
    148 Character Cipher
    1978 Letter
    1986 Letter
    1987 Letter
    2001 Happy New Year Card
    Albany Letter
    Allan/Peyton Murders
    Arthur Leigh Allen
    Atlanta Letter
    Betsy Aardsma
    Blue Rock Springs Attack
    Bus Bomb Letter
    Button Letter
    Call To Chat Show
    Carol Beth Hilburn
    Channel 9 Letter
    Cheri Jo Bates
    Cipher Theories
    Citizen Card
    Concerned Citizen Card
    Confession Letter
    Daniel Williams Poisoning
    Debut Of Zodiac Letter
    Deep Real Estate Ad
    DMV Letter
    Domingos/Edwards Murders
    Donald Lee Bujok
    Donna Lass
    Dragon Card
    Earl Van Best Jr
    Eureka Card
    Exorcist Letter
    Fairfield Letter
    Fingerprint Evidence
    Forecast For Cancer
    Forecast For Leo
    Gareth Penn
    General News Articles
    Gilbert And Sullivan
    Good Citizen Letter
    Halloween Card
    Hood/Garcia Murders
    Internet Articles
    Joan Webster
    Johnny & Joyce Swindle
    Judith Hakari
    Kevin Robert Brooks
    Lake Berryessa Attack
    Lake Herman Road Murders
    Lake Tahoe Disappearance
    Larry Kane
    Leona Roberts Murder
    Los Angeles Letter
    Melvin Belli Letter
    Mike Morford (Morf13)
    Modesto Attack
    Molina/Rodriguez Murders
    Monticello Card
    My Name Is Letter
    Nancy Bennallack
    New Canaan Letters
    Novato Letter
    Oakland A's Letter
    Pines Card
    Possible Zodiac Attacks
    Possible Zodiac Letters
    Presidio Heights Murder
    Radians
    Red Phantom Letter
    Richard Gaikowski
    Riverside Desktop Poem
    Robert Salem Murder
    Ross Sullivan
    Saechao/Saelee Murders
    San Jose Code Letter
    Santa Claus Card
    Scorpion Ciphers
    Scotch Tape Letter
    Sla Letter
    Tamalpais Valley Attack
    Ted Kaczynski
    Telegraph Avenue Incident
    The 340 Cipher
    The 408 Cipher
    The Celebrity Cypher
    The Little List
    The Mikado
    Thomas Horan
    You Are Next Letter
    Zodiac Letters Poll
    Zodiac Postage
    Zodiac Theories

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer almost word-for-word when he wrote PS. The Mt. Diablo Code concerns Radians & # inches along the radians. The code solution identified was Estimate: Four Radians and Five Inches To read more, click the image.
    Picture
    Picture
    The Zodiac Atlas: The Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for details.
    Picture
    The Zodiac Killer Map: Part of the Zodiac Killer Enigma by Randall Scott Clemons. Click image for color version
    For black and white issue..
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    January 2012

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photos from Marcin Wichary, zAppledot, vyusseem, Alex Barth, Alan Cleaver, jocelynsart, Richard Perry, taberandrew, eschipul, MrJamesAckerley