GUARDIAN OF THE PINES

5/14/2019

The Symbionese Liberation Army enjoyed thumbing their nose at the FBI, law enforcement, Hearst Corporation and newspapers, in a general attack on the capitalist society they believed harmed the everyday lives of the American people. Their propensity for imitating Zodiac communications, I believe, just another avenue to obfuscate the investigation into the Zodiac murders and surreptitiously irritate any law enforcement agency. I have argued they were the agents in the design of at least three (if not all) of the 1974 communications widely attributed to Zodiac. Evidence in the form of documented Symbionese Liberation Army correspondence was used to discredit the February 3rd 1974 S.L.A letter, mailed to the Hearst family through the Burlingame, California, U.S. Postal Annex on February 10th 1974. For a full list of Symbionese Liberation Army articles visit here. It has been argued they were responsible for the Exorcist letter, S.L.A letter, Badlands card, Red Phantom letter, Albany letter and Channel Nine letter. In fact, none of the 1974 letters made any reference to the Zodiac Killer whatsoever and never utilized the infamous crossed-circle symbol.

On December 27th 1974, a Christmas card was mailed to Mary Pilker, Donna Lass' sister, portraying trees covered in snow. Once opened it revealed a message that was part of the card itself- 'Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year', followed by the handwriting "Best Wishes, St Donna & Guardian of the Pines". The envelope was addressed to Mrs Mary Pilker, 1609 South Grange, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was postmarked 940, either from San Mateo or Santa Clara County.

If my contention is correct, and the four purported Zodiac communications from 1974 were actually mailed by the Symbionese Liberation Army, then there is a reasonable argument to be made, that this is the fifth - and may explain the four year delay between the disappearance of Donna Lass from the Sahara Tahoe Casino and the mailing of this cryptic communication. The height of Symbionese Liberation Army activity was in 1974.

We also have to question why this card was mailed from San Mateo or Santa Clara County to South Dakota rather than the Chronicle newspaper. It could be perceived as a sick ploy to upset the family of Donna Lass - although this could have just as easily been achieved by directing the correspondence through a newspaper outlet with greater publicity. After four years since the disappearance, one can't help thinking that the area the card was mailed to, had some significance regarding the Symbionese Liberation Army. The Symbionese Liberation Army targeted individuals in their communications, something the Zodiac Killer never did through his four confirmed canonical attacks. So let us take a look at three of the four alleged 1974 Zodiac correspondence to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Prior to the March 13th 1971 Los Angeles letter, every Zodiac communication was mailed from San Francisco. The January 29th 1974 Exorcist letter was postmarked 940 from either San Mateo County or Santa Clara County. The December 27th 1974 Mary Pilker Christmas card was postmarked 940 from either San Mateo County or Santa Clara County. William Peter Blatty, allegedly retired to a remote and rented chalet in woodland off Lake Tahoe, and wrote The Exorcist, a story about a twelve-year-old girl being possessed by a powerful demon.

Kathleen Ann Soliah

One possible author of the S.L.A letter (and possibly the Exorcist letter) was Sara Jane Olson (born Kathleen Ann Soliah on January 16, 1947). She was a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army in the 1970s. She grew up in Palmdale, California, the daughter of Norwegian-American parents, Elsie Soliah (née Engstrom) and Palmdale High School English teacher and coach Martin Soliah. Engström, Engstrøm and Engstrom are surnames of Swedish and Norwegian origin. Was she responsible for authoring the S.L.A letter on February 3rd 1974, one or two days before the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst? To examine this possibility we have to examine her background. The S.L.A letter was postmarked "U.S. Postal Service, CA 913 PM 3 FEB 1974". Kathleen Ann Soliah was brought up in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, California, often frequenting the nearby census-designated area of Agua Dulce. In fact, Agua Dulce was the commuter route from Palmdale to 1466 East 54th Street, Los Angeles - the site of the deadly shootout between Symbionese Liberation Army members and law enforcement on May 17th 1974, resulting in the deaths of six urban militants. The Symbionese Liberation Army had its main headquarters in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Agua Dulce had a postal zip code of 91390, tying in nicely with the postmark on the February 3rd 1974 S.L.A letter. It is less than five miles from Palmdale. Kathleen Ann Soliah was brought up in Palmdale, California but was born in Fargo, North Dakota. This obviously borders the state of South Dakota (the address on the Christmas card), possibly giving us three links to Soliah through three 1974 communications. But this isn't the only link to South Dakota regarding the Symbionese Liberation Army. Something began in South Dakota in 1973 and continued through the mailing of the Mary Pilker Christmas card.

Click letter to enlarge

Let us move on to the Badlands card, I have argued, was written by the Symbionese Liberation Army as an attack on the capitalist agenda and yellow journalism of the Hearst Corporation - and why Patricia Campbell Hearst was kidnapped in the first place. Here is the introduction of a two-part article outlining this concept.

The Badlands card was postmarked Alameda County and mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on May 8th 1974. It stated "Sirs -- I would like to expression myconsternt (crossed out) consternation concerning your poor taste + lack of sympathy for the public, as evidenced by your running of the ads for the movie "Badlands", featuring the blurb: "In 1959 most people were killing time. Kit + Holly were killing people." In light of recent events, this kind of murder-glorification can only be deplorable at best (not that glorification of violence was ever justifiable) why don't you show some concern for public sensibilities + cut the ad? A citizen".

But why would the Symbionese Liberation Army choose this particular movie to highlight their consternation at the running of advertisements? Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia detailing the plot of the Badlands movie:

South Dakota; 1959. 15-year-old Holly Sargis is a teenage girl living in a dead-end town called Fort Dupree. She lives with her sign painter father, although their relationship has been strained since her mother died of pneumonia some years earlier. One day Holly meets a 25-year-old garbage collector named Kit Carruthers. Kit is a young, troubled greaser and Korean War veteran, who resembles James Dean, an actor Holly admires. Kit charms Holly, and she slowly falls in love with him. As Holly falls deeper in love for Kit, his violent and anti-social tendencies start to slowly reveal themselves. Holly's father disapproves of Holly and Kit's relationship, and shoots her dog as a punishment for spending time with him. Kit then comes to Holly's house and shoots her father dead. The couple fakes suicide by burning down the house and go on the run together, making their way towards the badlands of Montana.

The movie was based upon the real life events of Charles Raymond Starkweather (20) and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (14). They were a pair of spree killers who embarked on a two month rampage, killing 10 people in total, including her entire family in the area of Nebraska and Wyoming back in 1958, before they were finally captured. Charles Raymond Starkweather was sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair at Nebraska State Penitentiary on June 25th 1959, while Caril Ann Fugate received a life sentence but was ultimately paroled after seventeen years,.in the June of 1976. Caril Ann Fugate lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, with her mother and stepfather. In 1956, at age 13, she formed a relationship with Charles Starkweather, a high school dropout five years her senior. However, the film was mentioned in the purported "Zodiac" card (not the real events), which featured an impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend, who embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands. IMDB.

South Dakota

So, were the Symbionese Liberation Army responsible for the Mary Pilker Christmas card in the December of 1974, hinting at the Donna Lass disappearance through their connections to this area of Dakota? So far, there is only a weak connection through Kathleen Ann Soliah (possibly being the 1974 S.L.A author) and the South Dakota Badlands card. The Mary Pilker Christmas card used the almost spiritual or symbolic phrase of "Guardian of the Pines", as though somebody was protecting a region of Pine trees. So that is exactly what we will look for in the area of South Dakota, spanning the time period in question. But crucially, we must find a link to a Symbionese Liberation Army member who was effectively a "guardian of the Pines".

On November 6, 1973, in Oakland, California, two members of the SLA killed school superintendent Marcus Foster and badly wounded his deputy, Robert Blackburn, as the two men left an Oakland school board meeting. The hollow-point bullets used to kill Foster had been packed with cyanide. The SLA had condemned Foster for his plan to introduce identification cards into Oakland schools, calling him "fascist". In fact, Foster had opposed the use of identification cards in his schools, and his plan was a watered-down version of other similar proposals. On January 10, 1974, Joseph Remiro and Russell Little were arrested and charged with Foster's murder, and initially both men were convicted of murder. Both men received sentences of life imprisonment. Seven years later, on June 5, 1981, Little's conviction was overturned by the California Court of Appeal, and he was later acquitted in a retrial in Monterey County. Remiro remains incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison serving his life sentence. Wikipedia. Joseph Remiro's commitment to fighting the United States government led him to the Wounded Knee, South Dakota battleground on the Sioux reservation in April 1973. While there he assisted by running ammunition from bunker to bunker during firefights. He also became a member of Venceremos, a Maoist action oriented Bay Area organization which had a tremendous influence upon the future SLA. link.

We can now link a Symbionese Liberation Army member to South Dakota from April 1973 with a link to the word Sioux (both present on the Mary Pilker envelope). This however, is not enough on its own.

The image on the right is seven-headed SLA hydra-like cobra symbol based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa, each head representing a principle. The Swahili words for these seven principles are: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). The appearance of the symbol of the seven-headed cobra on SLA publications indicates that it was copied from the ancient Sri Lankan and Indian seven-headed nāga; carved stones depicting a seven-headed cobra are commonly found near the sluices of the ancient irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka and are believed to have been placed there as guardians of the water. The particular graphic of the seven-headed cobra used by the SLA may have been copied from an illustration in The Lost Continent of Mu by James Churchward. Wikipedia. Had the Symbionese Liberation Army shifted guardians of the water to guardian of the Pines?

Wounded Knee Creek is a tribunal of the White River, approximately 100 miles (160 km) long, in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota in the United States. Its Lakota name is Čhaŋkpé Ópi Wakpála..The creek's name recalls an incident when an American sustained an injury to his knee during a fight. The creek rises in the southwestern corner of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, along the state line with Nebraska, and flows northwest. It borders the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, in which the 7th US Cavalry under Colonel James W. Forsyth massacred approximately 300 Sioux, mostly women and children, many unarmed. Towns in this region include Wounded Knee and Manderson. The Wounded Knee Creek flows NNW across the reservation and joins the White south of Badlands National Park. But as already stated, the Wounded Knee incident began on February 27, 1973, when approximately 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM) seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The protest followed the failure of an effort of the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO) to impeach tribal president Richard Wilson, whom they accused of corruption and abuse of opponents. Additionally, protesters criticized the United States government's failure to fulfill treaties with Native American people and demanded the reopening of treaty negotiations. Oglala and AIM activists controlled the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals Service, FBI agents, and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area. The activists chose the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre for its symbolic value. Wilson stayed in office and in 1974 was re-elected amid charges of intimidation, voter fraud, and other abuses. The rate of violence climbed on the reservation as conflict opened between political factions in the following three years; residents accused Wilson's private militia, Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOONs), of much of it. More than 60 opponents of the tribal government died violently during those years, including Pedro Bissonette, director of the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization (OSCRO). Wikipedia.

Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, who is also of Lakota and Dakota descent. He is a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). In 1977, he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first-degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In the early 1970s, he learned about the factional tensions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota between supporters of Richard Wilson, elected tribal chairman in 1972, and traditionalist members of the tribe. Consequently, Peltier became an official member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1972. Wilson had created a private militia, known as the Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOON), whose members were reputed to have attacked political opponents. Protests over a failed impeachment hearing of Wilson contributed to the AIM and Lakota armed takeover of Wounded Knee in February 1973, which resulted in a 71-day siege by federal forces, known as the Wounded Knee incident. In 1975, Peltier traveled to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as a member of AIM to try to help reduce the continuing violence among political opponents. Wikipedia.

The links are there to South Dakota, Sioux, Pines, guardians, Joseph Remiro and the Symbionese Liberation Army, but where is the connection to Donna Lass? We already have St. Donna, however, we don't have the surname Lass. Leonard Peltier is known in his native country of Great Turtle Island as Gwarth-ee-lass - "He Leads the People." Also known among his Sioux brethren as Tate Wikuwa - "Wind Chases the Sun." Also known as U.S. Prisoner #89637-132. Worldcat.org.

Through the actions of Joseph Remiro, the author of the Mary Pilker Christmas card may have been alluding to the defense of Wounded Knee by a Symbionese Liberation Army member, from the "guardian of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation" to the "guardian of the Pines" - and concealing lass within its obscure meaning. However, the connections made in this article are an example of the lengths we can go to in the Zodiac community to forge a link that in all likelihood doesn't exist.

Sigmund

5/14/2019 04:43:30 pm

There are a lot of very interesting, and at times mind-blowing coincidences that can be found in this case. There would be enough material there for someone to write a book on that subject alone! Sadly I generally forget them as fast as I notice them.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/14/2019 08:03:22 pm

Yes Richard....I ''buy in'' to the Mary Piker Christmas card,now....seeing more possible evidence of the Zodiac's probable knack,of employing about 5 distinctly different styles of handwriting ''for the employment of'' his extortion.

I think that there was a ''cheeky'' side to the Zodiac....and a downright nasty side....and Mary Piker ''caught'' the latter.As did Joseph Bates and George Webster.One could argue that Kathleen Johns ''might'' have received ''poetic justice'',if,as reported,she received a Halloween card,from the Zodiac....since she probably made up her kidnapping account up [?].I believe ''hers'' was one of a rendez-vous with a lover,that went wrong....and the senior cops bought in to her account,for their own purposes.

But,as an overall look at the Zodiac's correspondences,I believe there was,at times,a bit of ''hanky-panky'' going on,with the FBI,who held jurisdiction over forensics and documents pertaining to extortion.

''They'' would have had to look at ''strategy'',in trying to expose the Zodiac....and generally go along,with your notion that,for example,the SLA letter and Count Marco letter,''might'' have been bogus.For 1974,I still feel confident about the ''Excorcist'' and ''A Citizen'' ones,though.

In reading the March 1971 letter,again....this ''stumbling across my Riverside activity'',and ''...there are plenty more down there.''...I believe now,refers to his letters of extortion.It was always ''ambiguous'' phraseology anyway [?].And,even if the Zodiac was being 100% truthful...if it had been actual murders,for which he was referring....then ''some'' would have surely,subsequently come to light.

I feel now,that the 2001 New Years Card,was more ''telling'' than we realize,up to this point.

The Zodiac's ''exent'' of extortion...could turn out,to be ''mindblowingly'' prolific.

But...when do the FBI ''stop'' investigating him...and simply settle for an arrest,on what they have found,to date [?].

Richard

5/15/2019 02:23:04 am

The ambiguous phraseology is apparent throughout, such as "Aug", "I shot a man in a parked car", "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there". His claims are either vague, or in the case of Riverside, a crime 5 years old and unlikely to be solved. Just like he claimed the San Jose murders, he likely was claiming the Riverside murder - by knife. The August 6th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle article on the murders of Snoozy and Furlong, the "front page" driver for his decision to employ a knife at Berryessa.

I really cannot say with any certainty on who authored the Pilker Christmas card, but clearly "guardian of the Pines" has some meaning to the author. Although not impossible, it's very unlikely the phrase has just been plucked out of thin air with no meaning whatsoever. I placed the caveat at the base of the article because I don't like the mindset of people who unequivocally claim they have solved something with similar reasoning, and often far less. The benefit of introspection doesn't exist in certain quarters - the very idea they could be wrong a non-starter. We don't even know for certain the Pilker card was malicious - it may have been a misguided card designed as a remembrance to the lost soul of Donna Lass. I don't believe that to be the case, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out. I know we differ on certain 1974 letters, but I see little reason for the Zodiac Killer to reappear after three years and basically say nothing. His only compelling reason to come out of hibernation after 3 years was to say the Exorcist was "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen" and parrot old Zodiac communications. Zodiac broke cover for that?

In terms of the FBI and law enforcement - when they require help they plead for the public's assistance. However, if somebody did have extremely pertinent and genuine information that could break the case, you can be rest assured you will be ignored.

Sigmund

5/15/2019 02:54:08 am

I agree Richard. The FBI and LE have made it very clear that they do not require any help from the public in solving the Zodiac case. They are happy to entertain the public by giving it one last shot re the DNA angle, but if there are no clear results the case will be just filed away like any other cold case. I would go so far as to suggest that even if the costume the Zodiac wore at Lake Berryessa turned up in an attic some place and had blood stains on it, the person finding it would have a lot of trouble convincing the authorities to take it seriously. Alerting the media could prick their interest sufficiently to investigate such a discovery, but really, the whole Zodiac case got swept under the carpet a very long time ago, due mostly to the high media profile it was given in the initial stages which led to popularization of the case which in turn led to an unprecedented number of hoaxes. To suggest the FBI still treat the case as being of immense importance today would be a massive overstatement verging on outright exaggeration. I am sure the FBI and LE would like to bask in the spotlight of media attention if ever the case is solved, but that in all likelihood will come about due to a chance discovery made by someone working in an indirect capacity in a lab some place. As for the FBI still dedicating a budget of time and money and resources on this cold case, that is never going to happen. To suggest otherwise would be like suggesting the American Government is still funding UFO investigations and spending millions on solving the mystery of Bigfoot.

Richard

5/15/2019 04:24:13 am

Yes, the entire concept that FBI and law enforcement are as interested in this case as we are is a misguided one. I (and a lot of people) are interested in unsolved cases because we enjoy the 'amateur sleuthing' aspect of each case. The attachment to the particular victims in the Zodiac case is an understandable one, but also a disturbing facet of the Zodiac case. They really shouldn't gain precedence over every other disturbing murder that has ever taken place - and law enforcement do not attribute a higher value to the Zodiac case because we demand it to be so. For many Zodiac sleuths the Zodiac case is all-consuming, clearly not a position held by past or current investigators (if any) on the case. I, probably like you, contacted law enforcement a handful of times without reply or acknowledgment, even though the information was well researched and pertinent - I don't bother now. I simply wouldn't waste my time. The swamp has got so big, that any credible leads will inevitably hit the garbage dump. I have always said that there are credible investigators out there who would willingly investigate the Zodiac case for nothing if given access to viable and withheld police reports (Cheri Jo Bates a case in point). All you need is a binding contract in law not to reveal pertinent information to the public. Whatever the case, the police are underfunded - so simply employ people who are prepared to work on cases without payment. I have no doubt there will be no shortage of takers. If DNA is the last hope, I fear there is little hope.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/14/2019 08:35:23 pm

Indeed,The Mueller Report is ''98%'' about the ''premise'' that there may have been Russian intervention,in the 2016 Presidential Election.

But,at the end of the report,are a series of redacted ''HOM's'' - Harm to Ongoing Matters.

I am confident that one of the ''HOM's'' refers to the Zodiac case.And,puts into perspective that ''this'',the case of the Zodiac,is ''98%'' in the hands of the FBI,coming up with enough evidence,to warrant a prosecution...of ''some'' description.

I also conveyed this,to the assistant of Senator Feinstein.But,there is really nothing much,that anyone outside Law Enforcement can do,to speed up the process.

The ''Judiciary'',as ever....have us all,by the ''Short and Curlies''.

Only a public enquiry can rectify this sort of situation,taking place again.For,as time goes on,''peripheral'' cases,such as the Diablo Valley College victimization....may well be hindered,in finding a resolution...with a ''now'' found ''Zodiac angle'' to it [?].

We become involved,as slueths,at our own volition.....it does though,become a form of torture.....but I think that some of us believe that,we are owed something in return....for the ''authorities'' are,undoubtedly,pinching some of our work...if only,to serve as an ''alternative opinion''.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/15/2019 07:47:07 am

There will be times of pessimism,with regard to some sort of resolution,to the Zodiac case.

But I think we shouldn't ''do ourselves in'' so much,and ''underplay'' the case's importance.Circa 1980-2000,it probably did go through a ''Rip Van Winkel'' period.And that the internet has,probably,played its part,in a revival of interest.

The case certainly stands as a phenomenon of ''failure'',that nevertheless,ties so many cultural and political aspects of the supposedly ''peace time'' post war ''honeymoon'',in America,and the Western world,in general.

By solving ''it'',I believe that we can open up another portal to the past,and put to bed a few ghosts.

There is no question that,the CA DOJ could have held off,the arrest of the GSK.They would have known that he was no longer offending,and could have bought more time,to put together ''necessary tools'',to start prosecuting him,as soon as an apprehension.

What do we have now ? Fast becoming an embarrassment,I would argue.One year on,and nothing on the horizon,with ''forward'' law courts processing.

This is all fodder,for Defence Councils.How long more can the GSK's period of remand,be justified ?

It seems to me,that the case of the GSK,has been ''gambled on''....to keep the public,in California,feeling content that Law Enforcement is ''getting on with it'',and succeeding.

On purely human grounds,one should not compare ''like for like'',but the case of the Zodiac is ''The main event'',and the GSK case has been ''used'' to an extent.For the GSK case serves importance,to California specifically.

Whereas the Zodiac case has seeped into the heart of American culture,and belief that ''all'' can be achieved.

Its failure ''belies'' expectation,and needs to be rectified,for faith inthe justice system,to be restored.

Even if ''GSK'' becomes the ''fall guy'' to hold back the tidal wave of expectation...for which the ''authorities'' are all too aware.....''so be it''.

The case of the Zodiac is ''The big one'' that everone is waiting on.

Richard

5/15/2019 09:06:29 am

The main thing that separates GSK and Zodiac, other than the amount of crimes each committed, is the communications. Without these, this website, other websites and all the forums, I am confident wouldn't exist in the multitude they do. Having said that, I was, and am still not, interested in the GSK case one iota, but I find the JonBenet Ramsey case and Madeline McCann case fascinating from the standpoint of whodunits. The Ramsey, McCann and Zodiac cases are compact, however, the GSK case was 50 + rapes and 12 known murders - and with the Zodiac case already under my belt, was just too daunting a challenge to get involved in, in any meaningful capacity. The Zodiac case is without doubt the most publicized case behind Jack the Ripper, and without the letters, ciphers and cards, I doubt I would ever have heard of it. I actually hadn't heard of it until 2012.

Sigmund

5/15/2019 04:29:53 pm

I agree Richard. Without the cryptic and taunting communications, Zodiac would have been little more than some nasty psycho who drove about killing people for a few years and he would have been quickly forgotten. To all intents and purposes this is probably in fact an accurate assessment of the man who was the Zodiac killer. I am sure that there were plenty more just like him lurking about in California at the time, who never did get any "fame" (= infamy) attached to their persona for decades after the fact. From what I have read, California was a veritable "killer's paradise" during that period of time, and probably still is to this day, only difference being it is probably a lot harder for such killers to operate without detection these days, due to "Big Brother" (security cameras and the like). Nevertheless the killers still exist there in numbers that are far too many.

The Zodiac seemed to do a lot more letter writing than killing in point of fact, and the internet has provided an opportunity for allowing his "attributed works" to be extended out of all proportion. For some people he has become almost as voluminous as Shakespeare, and there is now very little chance of shutting him up! Zodiac has taken on a virtual life of his own.

Tom1

5/17/2019 06:23:45 am

Nothing at all unusual about this. Cali is referred to as La La Land for good reason. It takes forever and a day to bring a murder case to trial in the state in question. Here is a further comment on the post of Sigmund below. 5 murders pale in comparison to the staggering number of unsolved murders in Cali dated from the era of Mr Z. going forward. Sigmund makes a very clear and accurate analysis of this situation in his post.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/15/2019 09:23:40 am

Well put,Richard....one could argue that the Zodiac,during his Bay Area reign of terror,still had ''stiff competition'' at that time...for nefarious deeds.

If anyone asks me about the case,I always fist refer to ''Dirty Harry''....and even then,they are often perplexed.

If we ever arrive at an arrest,then the proof of the ''pudding'' will be,in the media's ''eating'',I suppose [?].

But ''America's Jack the Ripper'' does probably sum up the case,well.

i.e....''Unsolved''.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/15/2019 08:27:08 pm

Just to register,news,Richard,of more Firearms and Racist threats.

This time,California High School,San Ramon....rest rooms,for last Thursday,May 9th.

'' Tomorrow the library will be shot up first,then courtyard and then myself.''

[...plus ''undisclosed'' African American racist threat...]

''library'',''courtyard'' [ richt hofen,in german],''myself'' [?].

Smacks of ''The Desk Top Poem'',if I didn't know better.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/15/2019 09:00:56 pm

....well,I did mention Manfred von Richthofen [The Red Baron],in your recent ''Date with Death'' topic,Richard.

If the library doesn't actually have a ''courtyard'',it could be worrying [?].

I see now that,the threats were discovered,the day before,on Wednesday May 8th....for the Thursday May 9th ''shooting''.

Similarities with Wednesday December 12th threat....for the Thursday December 13th ''shooting''.....at Diablo Valley College.

ABC news reported that,on Thursday May 9th,FBI agents joined local police,to surround California High School.

So,''proof positive'' that the FBI are now involved in this recent spate of hate threats.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/19/2019 09:10:24 pm

....an update,on threats at California High School,San Ramon.

The Message for a shooting,on May 9th,has been published :

Tommorrow
Library will be shot up first
Then Courtyard
Then Myself
Get ready ------

So...the ''Get ready ----'' is extra,we didn't know about before.

And,of course,''copies'' the ''Get ready'',which started the December 12th/13th note,at Diablo Valley College,signed by '' - Z ''.

Another shooting threat,at California High School,San Ramon,has been received,for Memorial Day,May 27th.Although a Monday,this is a school holiday,and students will not be in attendence at school,anyway.

Three students of the school,have been caught for a racist threat message,earlier this month.

The police have assured the school,of their presence,every day,now,for the rest of the school term.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/19/2019 09:18:42 pm

.....thinking about '' Get ready ----- ''.

What might it be ?

'' Get ready imbeciles '' [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/20/2019 02:36:19 am

An ''interesting'' misspelling of ''To-morrow'' [?].

'' Tom-morrow '' [?].

A good thing that the FBI are now involved .

Rubislaw 32 link

5/16/2019 06:17:51 pm

Further recent trouble,includes another Bay Area school,El Cerrito High School,who received the threat of a bomb,on May 1st,posted online.

Also,Locke High School,L.A.,who received a telephoned bomb threat,on May 3rd.

With confirmation that the FBI are now ''on board'',it may facilitate investigations,with their ''reach'' and access to past offender's information....like the Zodiac,for instance [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/17/2019 04:56:51 am

Zodiac internet quote of the week :

'' I no longer believe that Kane could be Zodiac,but that the real Zodiac looks a lot like him [ My suspect was mistaken for Kane ].''

By whom [?],one might enquire,was ''My suspect'' mistaken for Kane.

Police [?],assorted members of the public [?],newspaper people [?].

No...only Ms.Betts,herself.

If anyone is interested,I have enquired,as politely as is possible,if Ms.Betts knows any more about the origins of the ''Greetings from Ireland'' card....''since'' March 26th,than apparent ''no knowledge'' of its origins,before March 26th.

Ms.Betts has declined to answer.

Should this be taken,as a ''Yes'' ?

Rubislaw 32 link

5/17/2019 09:06:30 pm

Well,well,well...

As far as I am aware,I am the first person to give news of details,regarding the firearms and racist threats,on May 9th,at California High School,San Ramon....on the main Zodiac internet websites.

Certainly,the first person,to draw any comparisons,with this threat,and the one,on December 12th,at Diablo Valley College.

Lo and behold,in the last few hours,Ms.Betts has informed zodiackillersite that,on December 12th,she received a phone call,from ''Honcho,a.k.a Tony''.

And that,concidence of coincidences,she then,on May 9th,received another phone call,from ''Honcho,a.k.a Tony''.

Ms.Betts seems to be tripping over herself,to tell everyone...even though,the May 9th threats,were over 8 days ago.

Perhaps,with the FBI,now involved in recent college and school threats,they will not only be examining possible ''hoaxing links'',of note [?].

But,also claims,from the ''Mad Hatter's Brigade''.

Richard

5/18/2019 05:29:04 am

According to what the reports have said it's just a bunch of stupid kids with no brains. Another bunch of half-witted idiots copying the school shooting craze sweeping America.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/18/2019 06:01:37 am

I concur Richard....and the bomb threats,now,seem to confirm a ''runaway'' pattern.....just like the Zodiac appeared to exercise [?].

''Up the impact'',by turning bullets,into ''bombs''.

It is difficult ''not'' to mention aspects noted,as observation of events,unfold.It just didn't occur to me that,a certain ''someone'' might actually see these events,as an opportunity,yet again,for ''self promotion''....of themselves.''and'' their ''My suspect''.

There must be seasoned contributors,to the main Zodiac sites.....who have been ''around the block'' a lot longer,than me,who are all too used to this ''behaviour'' [?].

Sigmund

5/18/2019 06:27:11 am

Hahaha! The nefarious Honcho strikes again!

Rubislaw 32 link

5/18/2019 07:23:16 am

'' Miss Marple investigates ''.....ways and means,of keeping her suspect,in the spotlight.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/18/2019 02:04:45 pm

It would be nice to think that,the ''Greetings from Ireland'' card,has become a watershed,for a ''We are not going to take it,anymore'' attitude to those that believe they can pull the wool over ''hard working'' slueth's eyes [?].

I have recently felt forced to watch ''genuine'' psychologists,in order to try to understand,what is going on,on these ''small minded'' people's heads.Time and again....the diagnosis rings true....they are ''narcissists'' through and through.No point remonstrating with them,for,as informed,they have a ''seven year old'' 's way of thinking.

The only way to deal with them,as all psychologists are agreed is,to ''cut off their supply''....i.e.ignore them,as much as one is able.

The bold,forthright and often ''merciless'' Tahoe 27,says it very well,in a comment today :

'' All those a**holes who sent in fake crap,deserve to have pine splinters placed under their fingernails. ''

The ''narcissists'' will be difficult to shift,and probably won't go away.Their ''neediness'' is all too apparent....and they have nowhere else,to go.But at least there is a greater awareness of ''who'' they are,now.

And,one of them,in particular,might yet be arrested,on justice perversion and incitement charges,to come.

Hopefully,a new chapter,turned [?].

Richard

5/18/2019 02:55:11 pm

What amazes me about the hoax or copycat theories, particularly regarding people stating the shirt pieces mailed with the letters aren't proof he was the killer - somebody could have broke into the morgue, or an ambulance/medical crew member or a reporter could have surreptitiously cut the shirt piece after the murder and pretended to be Zodiac in the letter. Why would anybody choose a murder, that thus far, looked nothing like a Zodiac murder, to imitate,

Sigmund

5/18/2019 04:27:56 pm

Yes, ludicrous in the extreme, but sadly this kind of blatant "revisionism" seems to be the way this case is now heading. If it gets in the way of "my theory" or "my suspect", well just tweak the details to suit or gloss over some of the evidence. So we end up with some guy on YouTube who tells us "The meaning of Zodiac is the number 184", or another who claims "Hey, I know, the Zodiac had to have been Liberace!"

Haha @ my "mock theory" that Zodiac was Liberace. I intended it entirely as a joke of course. Richard, I am sure if I posted up the material I emailed to you on YouTube, I would discover that some people would actually believe it and I would end up with my own eccentric little clique. I was tempted to do just that, but came to the conclusion there is enough rampant stupidity in this era of Zodiac research already without me adding more irrelevance to it. But it could be a good one to reserve for April Fools Day perhaps.

In case anybody missed it, there was a very good Zodiac hoax this year, but it took almost a month for it to show up on my Google searches, so I was late to notice it. The "Zode" April Fool's Hoax of 2019 :-

https://murderincorp.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/attn-editor/

It is funny when some of the hoaxes actually seem to make more sense than the theories that many people take seriously.

Richard

5/19/2019 12:38:50 am

Yes, revisionism or circumnavigating facts is gripping the Zodiac scene in 2019, which is probably why law enforcement and FBI give it a wide berth. This case will unlikely be solved by we the internet sleuths, but we obviously enjoy the 'detective' angle of searching for new ideas or theories. The unsolved mysteries are captivating for this reason. On certain forums I have noticed the new breed of Zodiac poster, who never posts anything to push the case forward, or attempts to try (however incrementally small), their entire purpose is to put a spanner in the works at every opportunity. The shirt piece is one, the facts only I and the police know is another (courtesy of Thomas Horan), Zodiac didn't write on the car door, hoaxers made the phone calls, all the crimes were random people who designed the Zodiac by rolling with the narrative and Zodiac disguised himself wearing a rubber fat suit and some far more extreme. The fake news brigade who believe no facts exist anymore. I could say 10 shots were fired at LHR because 10 casings were found, but I'm sure it won't be long before somebody says no, Zodiac only shot 8 and planted 2 casings he had brought with him. He then rearranged the casings on the turnout floor to paint a different picture, etc, etc. These people, as far as I'm concerned, are not attempting to push the case forward, just regress it by attempting to challenge every reasonable know almost certainty. Detectives in any case, will attempt to narrow down the suspect field by drawing on known facts, such as the overwhelming majority of murders are committed by somebody the person knew, such is the old adage "check the inlaws before the outlaws", serial killings make up about 1% of the murders at any given time, and therefore in a cases decades old with slim pickings we have to draw on these statistics to focus the investigation. Is it impossible that the shirt piece was cut by some intruder to the morgue, who also switched the bullet casing after killing Stine, mimicked a Zodiac letter and wore stilts, a fat suit and rubber mask. No, but these unlikely angles don't do anything for the case, just regress it backwards. Alternative hypotheses are fine when examining the letters and crimes themselves, but there is a big difference between doing this and just putting a spanner into every crime just for the sake of doing so. Some posters on Reddit make a career of simply never agreeing with any known facts ever. They attempt to regress the case at every opportunity by placing a monkey wrench in everything, but never attempt to constructively push the case forward. In terms of suspects, circumstantial evidence is often used as a layering technique to build up a suspect's viability as Zodiac. But I have noticed that circumstantial evidence equally as strong against the same suspect, is much more vigorously attacked than anything that favours the suspect, and examined with a greater degree of scrutiny.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/19/2019 04:15:43 am

Some good and telling examples given,Richard,and it is truly amazing that some will be in denial of ''99%'' facts,that can be confirmed,from more than one ''angle'',or viewpoint.

Documentation isn't always ''fact'' when,for example,two different reports,contradict.But,in those circumstances,the true slueth will make it a project,to ascertain,which of the two,reveals the more likely ''truth''.

As you have touched on,we shouldn't be too ''faint hearted'' to tread unchartered waters,either.We can always come back,to the starting point,again.And,if there is anything gained by experience,it should be to encourage the newer slueths,to develope interesting ideas and fresh interpretations.''Not'',as some,knock them off their pedestals,as soon as they are started,or dismiss,out of hand,''that'' which we have yet to fully examine,ourselves.

General good manners and courtesy,is important...but there is a particuler site [large],that has peddled the false notion,that courtesy equates to ''nice''....and that anything that smacks of being ''not nice'',must be ''nasty''.And further,that anything that smacks of being critical,must be ''trolling''.

Yes...I think we can all guess the site,to which I refer....where ''sycophancy'' has been turned into an ''art form'',over the years...and one does wonder now,in light of its site owner having been exposed as having created ''imaginary friends'',whether some of the sychophantic ''fawning'',hasn't simply been made up,to give the owner ''god like'' imagery [?].

As a general desire,for the future of Zodiac sites,I just want to see as many ''pictures'',as possible.And,if you could put in a word to Mr.Morford,to reveal more to the general public [?].

Some of us don't join the larger sites,for perfectly valid reasons.

Thanks.

Richard

5/19/2019 05:07:26 am

I can't speak of Michael Morford's mindset, but I think he is extremely occupied with other things than Zodiac at the moment, primarily his podcast venture with Mike Ferguson covering other crimes. He has been into the Zodiac Killer a lot longer than me and no doubt he needs a break from covering the same old ground endlessly. In terms of the 'certain' facts of the Zodiac case, it is a never ending battle to keep even these as actual facts, in a world where seemingly truth and facts don't matter any more. As Michael Butterfield said facts can be boring, but sensationalism sells. You don't have to look far to see this in many of the Zodiac documentaries, as the History Channel docudrama so ably demonstrated. At least the Monster podcast was for the most part refreshingly accurate, albeit a retelling of everything we already knew. But that is great, and something I would have loved to have listened to when I started out in 2012.

Sigmund

5/19/2019 06:34:16 am

Yes, as I see it, Zodiac research can only continue to take two divergent paths in future: the purists who will want to stick to the known facts and ruminate on them, versus the revisionists/sensationalists who will seek to tack on various imaginings of their own. Hypothetical thought and the discussion of alternative scenarios can bring positive outcomes of course, but problems always seem to begin whenever people run away with a singular idea and send it in a revised direction. It only gets worse when people start arguing against the original evidence in order to support their runaway idea.

I always wondered how some people could possibly agree with some of the more "far out" theories on the internet, but the word "sensationalist" seems to provide the most likely reason. As Richard said, the facts can become too boring and repetitive for many people. Newbies will come to the case thinking they may be the one to solve it. They think that the reason why it has not been solved is people in the past must have failed to see that special "something" concealed in the evidence. Hunting for this elusive "something" is like a treasure hunt or a crusade - both interesting and exciting, and maybe even rewarding or lucrative. People can become extremely wrapped up in a case like this to the point of obsession. I guess it is just human nature to look for new and interesting things beyond what is known, and I am sure many researchers come to the case thinking they will be the lucky or insightful person to finally blow the case wide open. So I think this may be what drives some people to begin with. They start off with a hunch or idea and over time develop that into a more complex and integrated theory, and it is just human nature to be selective and view things from their own experiences and perspectives. Given enough time such people can begin to see themselves as some kind of professional or expert on the case, when actually they are just "experts" of their own ideas, which may in fact be very selective or exaggerated. And of course such people can even end up gaining followers on places like YouTube if the ideas are considered new, exciting and interesting, and sadly that is often the case regardless of their actual merits.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/19/2019 06:08:06 am

Yes,I certainly agree that Mr.Morford is a very capable and engaging documentor.I would suggest that he has found his strengths,and plays to them.

Unlike ''another'' site owner/manager who was never cut out for sluething,in the first place....which might account for his inability to settle,and inclination to ''lurch'' from one crisis,to another [?].

If we are in it,for the long run,then it is important,I believe,to have the humility,to identify one's weakness,and ''steer clear'',leaving those areas to others,with more specialist ''gifts''.

''Communication'' was always a forte,of the person,to whom I refer...but it has rather become ''sullied'' by ''propaganda'',harmful to the ''cause'' and goal,of what the ''community'' generally stands for.

And,the more usually ''unmentionable'',perhaps [?].

Just plain ''envy'' or even jealousy,of gifted contributors,such as yourself,Richard.

What I have always tried to push,is the celebration of ''Passion of Purpose''.We can all contribute ''something'' worthwhile....and hard work will usually be the most important factor.

It is those that are forever looking over their shouders,to see what others are up to...with an envious eye.

Such wastefulness....and they shouldn't really be ''here'',in the first place.

Notions of ''pettiness'' aside....the ''job in hand'' is all about accumulating enough information,to ''afford'' reasoning,and hence ''understanding'' of the Zodiac.

My personal confidence is based,almost entirely on belief that I know and understand ''core motive'',of the Zodiac....and with it,the identity of this ''singular'' extortionist and serial killer.

I could be wrong,of course....but that confidence ''frees'' me up,to just concentrate on the Zodiac.as if he was,and is,an unidentified criminal.

This ''knowledge'' liberates me....and I find it extraordinary,that those that are ''suspect lead'',constantly find themselves in ''hot water''.

It seems to me,that,beneath the surface,their confidence in ''that suspect'' isn't really ''whole''....and often they simply hope that,given a good chance that the case won't be solved...that ''their'' suspect,will forever exist within the ''lore'' of an unsolved crime.

''Suspended Belief''.....in perpetuity.

Sigmund

5/19/2019 04:38:36 pm

For the most part I agree with Rubislaw, but would just like to add that the same problems can often arise for those who claim to possess an intimate understanding or knowledge of the guilty person based entirely on the written communications to police and media. I would argue that it is largely impossible to understand a killer intimately based on their communications in isolation from the person who originally wrote them. At the best of times this would be like reading the novels of a writer and then claiming that I now possess an intimate understanding of the author. In reality, if I got to know the author, I may find he is exactly the opposite of what I had expected. I often listened to a local radio personality in my youth and had a clear picture in my mind about what he must look like and what his personality must be like. Some years later I got the chance to meet the radio announcer and was left almost speechless, because his appearance, mannerisms and behavior were nothing like what I had expected. I was expecting to see a young and very energetic, well dressed man. Instead I was presented with a pale, stooped, obese, bald, elderly, heavily bearded man wearing sandals and very disheveled clothes. The other big problem with communications from serial killers is they often contain ruses and red herrings and truths intermingled with untruths or half-truths, so it becomes a game of chance determining which aspects we think may actually relate to the person and which things are merely part of a nefarious intention to mislead, and which parts are due more to insanity than reason. We can also add in the possibility that the writer may have been fantasizing about things at the time of writing and it becomes plain to see that his communications could be simply leading us anywhere, everywhere, or nowhere. How can we find rationality and reason with something some man wrote, when he may have been largely unreasonable, mentally disturbed, erratic in his thinking, and so profoundly egotistical that stretching the truth was just a part of who he was? We also do not know if the person was taking mind-altering drugs often, occasionally, or not at all.

As far as suspect theories go, I have always wondered about those people who are "suspect led". What was the initial thought or idea that started them on the path towards naming an individual suspect? With Penn, we can clearly see that his radian theory led him to the conclusion that Berkeley professor, Michael O'Hare had to be the Zodiac. He was completely wrong because he underestimated the logical fallacies and flaws in his own reasoning that led him to make that conclusion. Moreover he trusted that the Zodiac was telling the truth, even though the Zodiac was never clear about exactly what he meant with the whole road map and radian idea. Basically the Zodiac presented us with ideas akin to those expressed in an abstract painting and told us to make sense of it. I believe this was more to do with his erratic state of mind, which was perhaps losing touch with reality, or he may have simply been creating an elaborate goose chase, or a bit of both. The whole radians thing may have been intended to lead detectives everywhere and nowhere.

With other suspects the initial idea seems to be motivated by a suspicion or hunch. This is especially true of those Zodiac suspects who have been "outed" by former wives or children of a conveniently deceased relative. We also see this jumping to conclusions "hunch" phenomenon at play with the guy who was renting a place and allegedly found knives concealed in the wall of a room and also allegedly found pornography on a computer, and somehow this lead him to suspect his landlord must be the Zodiac. Well perhaps this one was a failed attempt at creating a hoax, but if the guy was serious about it, I still wonder how he came to the conclusion that his landlord must be a Zodiac suspect based on evidence that should realistically be pointing him in any of a million other possible scenarios.

The reasons why researchers frequently latch on to a particular suspect are not always clear. Perhaps they are just obsessive compulsive people by nature who became so fixated on a belief that they end up refusing to trust in any other possible conclusion? Others of course have named a suspect for far less ethical reasons, i.e. they think they may get fame or money out of the allegation, if it sticks. In other words their original idea and core motivation was little more than greed or a desire to achieve their "5 seconds of fame". Others do the old photo matching thing, looking through photos of celebrities, high profile businessmen, or old school class photos, trying to find individuals who look a bit like the Zodiac sketches. If the person has any connection at all with one of the victims (e.g. went to the same school), they latch on to that individual and try to gather or manufacture evidence to turn him into the Zodiac. This has happened numer

Rubislaw 32 link

5/20/2019 07:35:53 am

For any contributors at zodiackiller.com :

In the words of Bill Clinton :

''I feel your pain.''

And,it's not all doom and gloom.

Now,here's a ''bright spark'' in Newbie,''Winterleia''...who has just cottoned on to the idea,that all the D.B.Cooper letters,are by the hand of the person,believed to be The Zodiac.

It seems that the FBI may well be thinking along the same lines,now.

Could a member [...Toots,KayElleSF,Drew [?]...] give ''Winterleia'',the reference,'' Spiro Agnew FBI Files,File 8,Pages 4 - 7 ''.

I think that she would find them interesting.

[..Unless you,Richard,would like to make use of them,first [?]...]

Rubislaw 32 link

5/20/2019 07:53:46 pm

Me - 37 explained [?].

As you have alluded to,Richard....The Zodiac seems to have disappeared,after his March 1971 letter [....apart from ''unconfirmed'' Z148...].

Part of the reason,may have been down,to the exposing of Karl Werner,as the murderer of Kathy Bilek,in April 1971....and subsequently,culpable for the Furlong/Snoozy murders [August 1969],for which the Zodiac had,in all probability,claimed as his 6th and 7th victims.

Now Werner was no longer a Zodiac suspect,and the ''Real Zodiac'' had been exposed as a liar....as sure as at any time,prior.

In terms of confirmed Zodiac correspondences,the authorities were not to hear from ''The Zodiac'' again,until January 1974,with the Exorcist letter.In this letter,the Zodiac signed off,with :

Me - 37
SFPD - 0

D.B.Cooper's hijacking took place on November 9th 1971.

The FBI have,so far,published 6 official correspondences,attributed to one letter writer,whom they ''officially'' believe to be D.B.Cooper.

The first of these letters,December 11th 1971.

The re-emergence of the Zodiac,in his Exorcist letter,''officially'' does not show,anything other than '' Me - 37 '',as his signature.

Had the Zodiac ''become'' D.B.Cooper,while he had been away ?

[...apart from other possible monikers,employed...]

The Zodiac contributor,''WinterLeia'' gives a possible hint that he may have.

D.B.Cooper's hijacked plane,contained a total of 37 passengers.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/21/2019 03:05:42 am

As you have mentioned also,Richard....that it is very possible that,with the ''total'' solution to ''Z148'',the Zodiac had referred to ''...stop listening to phonys...'',and,''..I will skin 3 little kids...''.

Perhaps,the Zodiac's last ''throw of the dice'',to claim responsibility for Werner's 3 murders.

We know that Armstrong and Toschi,had had a particular interest in Snoozy and Furlong,believing them to have been ''probable'' Zodiac victims.And,it is likely that,after Werner's arrest for Bilek,those two SFPD detectives,were very much onboard with Werner's eventual confession,and subsequent ''guilty plea'' trial.

The Zodiac would,more than likely,have been following ''events'',after Werner's arrest....and would have realised that,it was time to wrap up,on the Zodiac ''persona'',and depart ''stage left''.

Hence a ''return'',with the Exorcist letter,with '' SFPD - 0'',as a nod to that police force,who had exposed him as a liar [?].

How can I ''not'' refer,again,to one interpretation of the ''duplicitous'' Exorcist doodle,was a ''bird's eye'' view of a submarine,in ''the bay'',being attended to,by tugs and support vessels [?].

Two perspectives....''aerial'' and maritime,at ''ground level''.The ''floating spore'' in the air,and the ''tadpole'' in the water.

Allusions to D.B.Cooper's ''escapade'' of jumping out of an airliner [?].

'' Me - 37 ''....37 passengers successfully subjected to a hijacking.

''The Zodiac''...''Billy Liar'' all over again.

Richard

5/21/2019 03:19:50 pm

And we have the comic connection: Dan Cooper (also known as Les Aventures de Dan Cooper) is a Franco-Belgian comics series about a fictional Canadian military flying ace and rocketship pilot.

The comics series was conceived in 1954 as Tintin magazine's answer to the Buck Danny series published in the rival Spirou magazine. It was written and drawn by the Franco-Belgian Albert Weinberg (1922–2011); however, a handful of the stories were written by Jean-Michel Charlier instead. As per the Franco-Belgian comics tradition, after being serialized in a weekly comic book magazine, each completed storyline would appear as a published album.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/21/2019 03:24:19 am

....and the ''Tom-Tit'' hovering in the air [ Tit Willow ],and the Billowy wave on the water.

....as the Zodiac was ''exorcising'' his past.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/21/2019 06:27:47 pm

Intersting on the ''Dan Cooper'' comic hero influence,Richard.

''The Red Baron'' a possibility,for the Zodiac,also [?].

Perhaps we are getting close,for ''topicality'' also,with ''someone's'' decision,to employ ''Balloon Captain'',for the purposes of hoaxing,more recently [?].''Someone'' that might have been born in 1966 [?].

On recent observation,the slueths that are still trying to expose D.B.Cooper,tend to believe that he,and the letter writer,were one and the same.''Wrongly'' I believe...with ''Mr.Zodiac'' a favoured hoaxing ''penman''.

When author Patricia Cornwell claimed that Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper,the London Met ''diplomatically'' dismissed her claim,giving ''vaigue'' messaging that Ms.Cornwell had been,mistakenly,chasing the writer of ''Jack's'' letters....who was ''not'' actually the real Whitechapel serial killer.

With The Zodiac.I think that we could be looking at a criminal,that was both a killer,and a penman....but lied about both,as the Zodiac,also.

With the additional possibility,that he was both a killer and a penman,for other crimes...that he never claimed for,by any particular name...if he felt it ''too close for comfort'',in probability of him getting caught.

I think that his biggest kick,was to read about himself.

With the rest of the world ''clueless''.And,''engagement'' with the rest of the world;a ''bonus'' for him,provided a confidence in real anonymity.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/22/2019 12:09:15 pm

Just to add figurative qualification,on the D.B.Cooper case.

Three years ago,under the instructions of then Director of the FBI,James Comey,the D.B.Cooper case was officially closed down.

And yet,only 8 months ago,the FBI published a sixth letter,officially,from the hand of the same person,as the previous 5 published,from the FBI.Now known as the ''I knew'' letter.

Those few D.B.Cooper sleuths,still ''keen as mustard'',were of course,generally delighted.

But,no one seems to have asked questions,of how it is,that there is still ''some'' activity,of some description,going on,with the FBI,over the D.B.Cooper case....even though the FBI have officially closed the case down.

It would appear that the FBI,are still interested in documentaion,pertaining to the case,despite ''officially'',nothing else [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/22/2019 06:28:28 am

With the recent news of genealogy sites,beginning to ''re-appraise'' their ''terms and conditions'',this might represent a set back for Law Enforcement,in finding new and facilitating means,of catching serious offenders.

Perhaps a ''reality check'',that was on the cards,anyway [?].Legislation has been falling behind,this ''brave new world'' in genetic technology,and appears obvious,that a period,to ''take stock'' is necessary,

As I referred to,earlier in this comments section,the case of The Golden State Killer,may already be lying in ''judicial tatters'',through an imprudent decision,over the timing of a decision to arrest a suspect.

But equally,there is evidence that Departments of Justice have a habit of smoothing over perceived legal problems,and acting in the best interests of the ''spirit of the law'',when necessary.

So,all may not be lost,in the GSK case.

But,the new terms,from the genealogy sites,is a ''wake up call'',of a sort.

With regard to the case of the Zodiac,I note that it has already prompted some debate and discussion,on how these new terms might affect the case.

It just seems strange to me,that already,some are simply buying back,into the notion that the VPD and SFPD hold any relevance,in the future of the case,with regard to forensics.

They undoubted and most assuredly do not.And,I can only re-iterate,whether anyone chooses to listen or not,that pathetic efforts by the likes of Detective Terry Poyser and Cindy Holt to puff themselves up,as if selling the idea that the VPD and SFPD still have meaningful contributions to make to the case..is simply pulling the wool,over the public's eyes.

Forensics related to the case,is ''all'' about Quantico and the FBI's decisions,whether to carry out laboratory work,''in house'',or,on occasion,farm it out,for very particular reasons,at a given time.

More relevance to the debate is,what the FBI are up to,in their service of the CA DOJ and other justice departments.And it is all too obvious,up to now,that the FBI intend to tell us,as little as is possible.

''Them's the brakes''.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/26/2019 06:21:33 pm

Yea.....''He plunged himself into the billowy wave and an echo arose from the suicides grave.''

That's ''Zodiac's'' [shared] rumination on D.B.Cooper's ''fate''....me thinks [?].

Cooper jumping into the black of the night,and a storm at 10,000 feet,with ''gear'' including $200,000 and reserve parachute.If he hit water,on landing,he didn't stand much chance,of surviving [?].

But ''here'',with the Exorcist letter,''Billy Liar'',the Zodiac,was informing us,that he ''D.B.Cooper'',had survived to tell the tale,And,that ''Me - 37'' was his ''new'' victim count,of another kind.

And that,those ''beastly'' detectives,from the SFPD,who were cruel enough to expose Zodiac,for lying over the Werner murders....would now be ''accredited'' with ''SFPD - 0''.....for,after all,they,the SFPD hadn't actually apprended him,the Zodiac.

Thoughts apart on a Exorcist letter/D.B.Cooper link....this has as much to do with Zodiac's lying over the Snoozy/Furlong murders,and its ''tangled web unwound'',with Kathy Bilek's April 1971 murder,as anything [?].

''That'' which sent the Zodiac ''Spirtually away'',with his tail between his legs,in 1971....exposed as a lying ''sham''.[...some similarities to be noted,with the ''imprudent'' idea of creating the ''Greetings from Ireland'' card [?]....].

The ''Zodiac'' tangled web,is understood more fully....down to your hard work on the ''Werner factor'',Richard.All credit to you.And,may I say,the FBI rewarding us,with the July 13th 1971 Monticello Card,would be the ''icing on the cake'',for confirmation [?].

''Des July Aug Sept Oct = 7'' is the lie that the Zodiac,would live to regret....and further gives plausibility to the autthenticity of the San Jose cryptogram,both Fairfield letters...and,both Day-by-Day Forecasts.

A lot of ''jig saw'' pieces,originally ''pulled'',that can be put back,now [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/27/2019 06:02:28 pm

Des July Aug Sept Oct = 7

The lie that was the Zodiac's ''credibility'' undoing :

On November 12th 1969,journalist Paul Avery wrote an article,in the SF Chronicle,called :

'' I've Killed Seven '' The Zodiac claims

In this article.Avery refers to the SFPD's suspicion that,the San Jose girls,Deborah Furlong and Kathleen Snoozy,slain on August 3rd 1969,were the ''extra two'' victims,beyond the five victims of the Zodiac....already conceded by the police department,to the Bay Area serial killer.

Barton Collins,Chief of Detectives,with the San Jose Police,disputed the SFPD's claims,that Furlong and Snoozy were victims of the Zodiac.Barton argued that,since the Zodiac had shown himself to be an egomaniac,that he would have immediately made it plainly obvious,that the ''extra two'' were Furlong and Snoozy.

The SFPD ''countered'' with the notion that,since the Zodiac had sent a cipher [...the 340...],accompanying his claim of '' 7 '' then,the identities of the ''extra two'' would be found,within the solution,to the 340 cipher.

Since the Zodiac's 480 cipher had been solved swiftly,it was anticipated that the FBI,would solve the 340 equally as fast,and answers to the identities of the ''extra two'',would soon be apparent.

As history shows,the FBI were unable to solve the 340.

And,the identity of Debra Furlong and Kathleen Snoozy's killer,didn't materialise,until April 1971,with the arrest of Karl Werner,for the murder of Kathy Bilek.

Footnote :

Were Furlong and Snoozy's identities contained within the solution to the 340 cipher ?

I do not believe so.It is my claim,to the FBI,in June 2017 that,the only victims of crime referred to,in the 340 cipher were :

i] Darlene Ferrin

ii] Bunchy Carter

iii] John Huggins

Rubislaw 32 link

5/28/2019 11:32:57 am

....yes,well,just because the SFPD's suspicions proved unfounded,and those of Barton Collins,correct....doesn't mean that the SFPD weren't right to have those suspicions,initially....for,as was to be proven,beyond doubt....that the Zodiac ''did'' intend that murders claimed,in the month of August 1969,were to be interpreted as those of Snoozy and Furlong.

As well as the contents of Z148 and presumed contents of the Monticello Card,in claiming for Werner's ''third'' victim [Bilek]....there are the shenanigans surrounding the San Jose cryptogram,plus phone call shenanigans to the San Jose Highway cops,on December 22nd 1969,also.

On that day,December 22nd 1969,Melvin Belli's housekeeper took receipt of the Zodiac's letter to Belli.

In addiion,the''unknown man'' who was impersonating WJGrant,as a library user,at the JFK Library,Vallejo....checked in his borrowed double LP of ''The Mikado'',in order to retain it,for a further period of time.

If I didn't know better,in a ''figure of speech'' manner....it seems that December 22nd 1969,was the day that the Zodiac had decided to leave Vallejo,for Christmas.

To where,for Christmas ?

Well...somewhere south of Vallejo,where passing through San Jose,to create a bit of ''mischief'' with the San Jose cops,as he departed....seems to have been part of ''the order of the day'',for the Zodiac.

Ultimate destination....Greater L.A.,perhaps [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/28/2019 07:25:22 pm

While touching on the possibility of a D.B.Cooper/Zodiac link to correspondence,a few examples to sample :

December 1st 1971

'' Am alive and doing well...'' - D.B.Cooper

March 28th 1972

'' I am not dead but really alive..'' , '' D.B.Cooper is not my real name.'' - A Rich Man

August 1973

'' You are wrong I am not dead or in hospital.I am alive and well...'' - [Zodiac symbol]

January 10th 2001

'' You thought I was dead ? No way ! '' - [ no signature available,but thought to be the Zodiac ].....thanks to Kevin Fagan.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/30/2019 11:55:04 am

Examining aspects to media presentation and reportage,fifty years ago,often presents novelty,when compared to to-day.

Law enforcement,as well as the public,were no less used to violent crime.But there can be found hints that they had yet to fully study that crime,as a science.And,there were less people about,with what might be termed as,''A complete education''.

''Mass murderers'' was the term,now referred to,as ''Serial killers''.And,it seems that these ''Mass murderers'',that were simply accorded the adjective ''Psychotic'',as if to explain away the criminal's state of mind,as a mental illness or derangement.

Some senior police,then,were not known for a ''complete education'',though adequately intelligent,and struggled a little,sometimes,in front of camera.

Captain Don Townsend,of the Napa Sheriff's Office,was certainly a case,in point,and came up with a few ''pearls of wisdom'',in interviews,about the Zodiac :

'' He is a mental person....that is sick ! ''

and :

'' This guy is a pathological psycho......killer ! ''.

Coping as best as he could,it seems that Townsend hadn't quite familiarised himself,with the adjective ''Psychopathic'',meaning abnormally anti-social behaviour,impaired of personal responsibility.

Returning to possible comparisons,between correspondence attributed to D.B.Cooper,and the Zodiac....it is of interest,in focusing on the most recent letter,published by the FBI.

In it,''D.B.Cooper'' writes : ''....neither am I a psycho-pathic killer...''.Strictly speaking,''Psychopathic'' has never been written as ''Psycho-pathic''....and,one does wonder,whether the writer [...D.B.Cooper or Zodiac [?]..],wasn't sarcastically referring to imperfect sociological terminology,as expressed,by the likes of Don Townsend [?].

In this ''sixth'' letter,officially dated December 7th 1971,''D.B.Cooper'' completes the letter,by saying :

'' As a matter of fact,I've never even received a speeding ticket.''.

Well now....if that letter ''is'' actually by the hand of the man,known as the Zodiac,then....

I think that we can safely say that....

''That'' is the most patent lie,that the Zodiac ever told [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

5/31/2019 07:29:28 am

Sometimes,there is too much,at one time....up in the air [?].

''Greetings from Ireland'' card [?].Top left shield,is equally about Joan Webster's family home,in New Jersey....as it is,about Santa Rosa/Napa....as an example.At least the FBI are on top of it.

Same goes for the Zodiac/D.B.Cooper ''dilemma''....hopefully,the FBI are ''on top of it''.

I think I'll go back to events at UCLA,January 17th 1969.The assumption is that Hoover was behind it,which would make it embarrassing for the FBI,to investigate.But,Hoover could well have been entirely innocent.''This'',in effect,the missing bit of Zodiac's ''Black Power'' reference....as a distinct possibility.

All these ''things'',and more besides [....Stanley Kubrick death threats [?]...].

What are the FBI up to ? And,how far have they progressed ?

July 4th/5th,this year,with Ms.Ferrin's 50th anniversary,can't come soon enough.

Is ''something'' big in the case,going to break ?

At least we ''know'' that LE will be considering,giving us a scrap of something,to keep us interested [?].One presumes that,the SF Chronicle will insist that they do,in order that the Hearst Corporation remains,in ''subterfuge'' partnership,with the CA DOJ....happily waiting for a day....that may still never come.....but,''preferential'' treatment,if it does.

With we,the sleuths,loitering outside,grateful for a meal of any sort.

Happy Days....ahead.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/31/2019 07:48:46 am

....and,if anyone is interested [...since it appears to be a topic,of discussion,at present..],there never was an official postal strike...late 1969,into early 1970,emanating fro L.A.,''outwards''.

The postal Union ''did'' want to voice their dissent at was going on,generally,with ''hard line'' tactics,from the establishment.

But,the Union,and related unions,didn't want to actually break the law,since it might have made matters worse.

The sort of tactics that postal workers got up to,was to,for example,organise 100 workers,to all be able to produce a doctor's note,for sickness,on one specific day....causing inevitable disruption.

5/31/2019 07:00:27 pm

What do you think about about DNA facial reconstruction?
Is it a real thing? Or just Sci-fiction?
Could it show us the face of the Zodiac?

Rubislaw 32 link

6/1/2019 05:03:00 am

I think it is feasible,BB.

Someone else might like to butt in here...but,as far as I'm aware,the idea is being developed,for accuracy,at a laboratory,in Holland.

With the Zodiac case,I just don't believe,even the consideration of using it,is required.

Three individuals,in particular,at zodiackiller.com,have been misleading everyone,that there is no Zodiac DNA....for a year now.And a certain detective,from the VPD,has used his position ''ingloriously''....and I presume,''his'' retirement can't come,a day too soon.

I have already mentioned,publicly,that I have no personal sources.But I do have references,and dealing with these individuals,leads me to believe that a DNA match has already been made....and quite legitimately,though the victim of a crime,related to the Zodiac.

Beyond this belief,it is anyone's guess,what the ''inner sanctum'' of Law Enforcement,involved in the case....are actually up to.When or if,they decide to make an arrest.....and,on what precise grounds.

But,I do understand,the need for debate,with some,given that nothing seems to be a ''certainty'',at present.

Rubislaw 32 link

5/31/2019 08:57:02 pm

Well,well...for anyone with a keen and wicked sense of humour :

Refer Page 1,FBI Files : ''COINTELPRO Black Extremist'',Part 12 of 23.

A ''cartoon'' for our times [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

6/1/2019 12:07:19 pm

For those that might take a further interest,in events at UCLA,January 17th 1969 :

On that day,Black Panther leaders of the South L.A. Chapter,Bunchy Carter and John Huggins,were assassinated by Claude Hubert,of Ron Kenenga's ''Organization US'' Party.

Because Claude Hubert was an ex-FBI agent,there were those,including Herb Caen...and I suggest,''The Zodiac'',who believe that J.Edgar Hoover,was the orchestrator of this crime.

If one accesses the FBI Files ''COINTELPRO Black Extremist'',Part 7 of 23,Page 35....there is a section,entitled ''Operations under Consideration'',where the FBI,themselves,outline ways of undermining ''Black Power'',by plotting distrust,between the Black Panther Party,and Organization US.[11/29/68].

Two months later,Bunchy Carter and John Huggins lay dead,following an altercation,between members of the Black Panther Party,and Organization US,at Campbell Hall,UCLA.

Then access,a cartoon,for FBI Files ''COINTELPRO Black Extremist'',Part 13 of 23,Page 194.

This cartoon depicts Ron Kerenga crossing off Carter and Huggins,on a death list.

So....who is to blame ?

Ron Kerenga...or,J Edgar Hoover [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

6/1/2019 12:21:40 pm

....as I claimed to the FBI,themselves,in June 2017,The Zodiac wrote :

'' Caen accuses ''Neo Fascist Cops'',one ''Student Race Assist'',at UCLA toilets.''

Claude Hubert emerged,guns blazing,from an adjoining rest room to Campbell Hall,following a [...decoy [?]...] altercation,between members of Organisation US,and The Black Panther Party.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/1/2019 01:28:17 pm

If it is of interest,a reference I gave to Al Pizzano,Chief of Police for Pleasant Hill PD,over the recent Graffiti hate threats....was the FBI,themselves.

So....given the '' - Z '' signature,alone....I reckon Mr.Pizzano was on to that Federal agency,pretty quick [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

6/2/2019 10:24:59 pm

It may be of interest....and to you particularly,Richard,bearing in mind you reservations,with regard to apparent Zodiac confirmed correspondences,in 1974,that....

There are a number of examples of letters ''constructed'' by the FBI's Counter-Intelligence Program,against organizations,under the umbrella of ''Black Power''.

In File 21 of the FBI's ''COINTELPRO Black Extremists'' Files,I read three,that were signed ''variously'',as '' A Friend '','' A Concerned Sister '',and '' A Citizen ''.

These letters were designed,with counter-intelligence techniques,as tools to create disruption and distrust,among leaders and prominent members,of organizations,such as The Black Panther Party.

So it would seem that,it might take a leap of very short distance,or limited extra imagination,for the FBI,to do something similar,in their fight against ''one man'',such as the Zodiac [?].

Richard

6/3/2019 02:00:38 am

Thanks Rubislaw, I shall take a look. It may be extremely significant.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/3/2019 06:34:30 am

References for access :

File 21

Page 164 - ''Citizens of the Republic'' - signed ''A Citizen''

Pages 174/175 - ''Dear Rabbi Kahane'' - signed ''A Friend''

Pages 217/218 - ''Dear Brothers and Sisters'' - signed ''A Concerned Sister''

Rubislaw 32 link

6/3/2019 05:33:52 am

Perhaps when ''The Portland Ventriloquist'' first embarked on hoaxing,he should have realized that counter-intelligence wings of Fedral agencies,are polished exponents,in this particular art of fraud [?].

I have often thought that,one of the reasons why the Zodiac,referred to Paul Avery as his ''Secret Pal'',was....

A shared knowledge that both he,the Zodiac,and Avery,had both been subjected to manipulation and misrepresentation,by counter-intelligence branches of LE.

An ''exclusive'' and ''secret'' club of victims of humiliation,and damaged egos [?].

Individuals,who thought they knew better.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/5/2019 04:42:28 am

As a general overview,Richard,and examining some of the tactics that ''Counter-Intelligence'' wings of LE were up to,in the past.....it does seem as if those correspondences,we attribute to the Zodiac,were ''played around with'',more than we might previously have thought [?].

The ''SLA'' and ''A Citizen'' letters,from 1974...may still be ''in part'',by the hand of the Zodiac.But,clearly,matters such as signatures left [...'' A Friend'',and '' A Citizen''...] behind,are probably ''not'' belonging,to the Zodiac.

And,I would have thought that,the ''SLA'' letter,if any of it is by the hand of the Zodiac....we are just seeing a ''sample'' of a longer letter.In its form,at present...it is no more than ''a note'' [?].

For me,anyway,thoughts start directing back,to this recent ''presentation'',from the SF Chronicle,of the 2001 New Years Card.

Indications are,that there was a letter,included in that card....and,of course,''most'' telling of all...is the [...deliberate [?]..] omission of a ''signature'',from what Mr.Fagan,was willing to offer the public.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/5/2019 09:22:33 am

Odds for the signature on the "2001 New Years Card'' [?].

The following,would be my interpretation :

1/2 - '' Z '' or Zodiac symbol

6/4 - Scorpion

4/1 - A Friend

10/1 - Red Admiral

25/1 - Bar

Mr.Fagan is just ''not'' going to be allowed to get away this conundrum.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/5/2019 05:38:02 pm

....of course,'' A Friend '' would be,to get back at the FBI,for meddling,over the 1974 ''SLA'' letter.

'' Scorpion '' would be a ''reveal'',on the Scorpion identity,circa 1991-1995.With possibly,another [S6] cipher,accompanying,the New Years Card.

And,'' Red Admiral '',an effective admission,that '' Zodiac '' was the typing hoaxer,from North Hollywood....more in keeping,with the Randolph Apperson Hearst connection,1973-1974.

I would be interested,in further suggestions from your readers,Richard.

'' Jack D Ripper '' [?].Or,is that too obvious,with the 2001/Kubrick link.One should,bear in mind perhaps,that authenticity on the ''Benicia High School Note'' [circa Autumn 1972],would be a big ''Kubrick'' pointer.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/6/2019 07:51:36 am

Well,well,well....to-day,Zodiac contributor ''Buyerninety'' confirmed that the ''Sandy Beach'' depicted,on the picture postcard,employed for the 1990 Celebrity Cypher....is at Carmel,CA.

Carmel [?]....rings a bell,as the name of a ''theatrical'' piece of gadgetry,masquerading as a computer,in a Zodiac TV show,financed by The Hearst Corporation.

Perhaps I judge Kevin Fagan unfairly....but given my personal dealings with him,in the past...piece by piece,his credibility rating,seems to be nosediving.

I'd say that ''long term'',Mr.Fagan's integrity,is not looking ''solid''....which would be a shame for him,as a potential ''spearheading'' journalist,for the ''occasion'' of a ''Zodiac'' solution.

Coming ''clean'' over the full contents of the 2001 New Years Card,could be a step in the right direction,for transparency.

But,somehow I think Mr.Fagan has always secretly felt that,keeping the sleuths at arms distance,and obeying the instructions,of his Editor,would reap greater rewards,long term.

Whatever Paul Avery's faults,Mr.Avery would never have agreed these terms,and fought for the truth,however much trouble,it got him in.

Selling one's soul to the devil,seems to be becoming,all too much a common occurrence,these days [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

6/6/2019 09:28:15 pm

Just to be sure,about the existence of CARMEL,the computer referred,I found an article,at the ''Interesting Engineering'' site,written only six months ago,by Donovan Alexander.

In this article,called ''The Poetic Supercomputer'',Professor Kevin Knight,its claimed creator,explained the essence of its capabilities.

'' Think of CARMEL as the ultimate slam poet,or freestyling rapper,who also thinks like a psychopath.''

If that concept isn't difficult enough to take in,Professor Knight went further :

'' CARMEL expresses itself,from the perspective of a serial killer.''

To learn more about this ''curious beast'',a web page was offered as a reference to access.....but proved to no longer exist.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/7/2019 05:41:08 am

On a slightly lighter note,we are back ''on topic'',with the ''Guardian of the Pines'' title,and the 1990 Celebrity Cypher picture postcard.

The ''tree'' in focus,is a Cypress Pine....and as informed,by the Zodiac contributor,''Zamantha'',is known locally,as a ''Monterey Cypress''.

There are 15 species of Cypress Pines,and all are native to Australasia.

The more recent photograph posted,and available to view at various Zodiac sites,now,was taken,just a few yards from where John Hinde captured the shot,for his ''Sandy Beaches'' postcard,circa 1988.

Interesting,then,to see how this particular Cypress Pine has matured,in 30 years.

In the ''West Country'' of England,where Hinde originated,locals have been planting pine trees,along coastlines,for the last 200 years,as a means of assisting the combat of coastal erosion.

So,''Pines'' as ''Guardians'',in themselves.

On a more serious note....yes,the inference is,that Kevin Fagan,along with others,as employees of The Hearst Corporation,has known ''full facts'' surrounding the 1990 Celebrity Cypher.....all along.

On principle alone,is it fair that some individuals,outside Law Enforcement,know information about a criminal case,of this magnitude,by ''mere virtue'' of links to ''commerce''....when the bereaved of victims,remain ignorant [?].

Another example,perhaps,of Departments of Justice...not being held to account,by politicians.....acting unfairly,unwisely....and a law unto themselves.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/8/2019 01:17:52 am

I note that with a sudden flurry of interest,over the Celebrity Cypher,Richard,your name appears to have been omitted from acknowledgement.

If we hadn't discussed the postcard,here,at your site,then it probably wouldn't have been unearthed,in the first place....and I have already placed credit to you,elsewhere.

I see that you have posted the ''Monte Crawford'' solution,at zodiackillersite.....a good thing to have the significant candidate solutions,prominently placed....since the evidence is becoming more compelling,that the Celebrity Cypher is authentic Zodiac.

Benicia and Vallejo PD's were really up for helping ''local lad'' Lyndon Lafferty,as much as they could.....and I doubt that they would have fed him '' a couple of duds '',in the cypher and High School Note.Particularly,as the CA DOJ and FBI would have been aware of this.

I see that Ms,Betts has recently made a point,that she regularly meets her ''friend'',Jerry Johnson,for lunch.Ms.Betts has also expressed an interest to know the precise name,that the ''WJGrant imposter'' left behind,at both the JFK and Civic Libraries.

Lyndon Lafferty was an honest investigator,and dutifully handed all Library information,over to the FBI.His confident,Jerry Johnson,may be the only person left,in the public domain,that holds information,pertaining to the ''WJGrant imposter''.

I think that everyone would be agreed that,asking of Mr.Johnson,would be a generous gesture that Ms.Betts could make,on behalf of the whole Zodiac community [?].

A ''positive'' contribution,to the case.

Richard

6/9/2019 05:24:11 am

I didn't begin the celebrity cipher discussion or end it. The topic we discussed Rubislaw certainly helped in you discovering what you did, and where the discussion now lies on the Zodiac Killer Site forum, which is great. I am thankful that you gave me a shout out on Ricardo's forum, but I don't lose any sleep whether I'm credited or not. I doubt the Monty Williams name is the answer, but that wasn't necessarily the point. The creator of the celebrity cipher card (whether or not it was Zodiac) has a history that led them to author the card. It is whether that history has any sinister elements, or the card creator is just another time wasting individual who is dissatisfied with who they are - an anonymous attention seeking waster, if you will. There is absolutely no way of knowing definitively who created this 1990 card, and anybody who claims they do is fooling themselves. I highly doubt any Zodiac involvement, although I am not closed to the idea. Trying to extrapolate any meaning from "Sandy Beaches" or the area displayed on the postcard is tenuous at best. So tenuous, that had the mailer of this postcard intended such a meaning, they should have been wise to the fact that an incalculable number of answers are possible from such a vague offering - and therefore deeming it pointless.

Richard

6/9/2019 05:26:43 am

Sorry, meant Monte Crawford.

Sigmund

6/9/2019 04:33:05 pm

I'm not sure who came up with the Monte Crawford solution but to my mind the coding is just dreadful. Apologies if you were its author Richard! Then again, as you clearly state above, your intention was never to claim this as "a final solution". The first time I saw the Monte solution I chuckled and thought the author must be trying to enlighten us about the dangers of extreme variability in small ciphers like this one. In this case the cipher may have one or more symbols obscured, resulting in sheer guesswork. Apologies if I was mistaken in my presumption.

Beatnik Brain Fart

6/8/2019 04:51:41 pm

Is there such a word as "Phud"?

Rubislaw 32 link

6/9/2019 06:59:40 am

Yes,it's an advanced research qualification,in the study of men's magazines.

Sigmund

6/9/2019 04:23:07 pm

It is urban slang. See: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=phud

Rhymes with "dud" for a good reason. ;-)

Rubislaw 32 link

6/9/2019 07:05:28 pm

How strange ?

Regardless of what is depicted on the picture side,of the Celebrity Cypher postcard,the card that was employed,shows an ''exact match'',in small print to the plain side of the one,recently unearthed.

This includes the ''specific product'' code : '' 2CG 66 B ''.

It just so happens then,and is technically incidental that,the picture side is a photograph of Carmel Beach,Monterey County,CA.

And yet,now.....Ms.Betts believes that the wrong postcard has been found.Ms.Betts' denial seems to be,because she believes that the Celebrity Cypher postcard should depict ''Ocean Beach'',San Diego.

There is no evidence that,and Lyndon Lafferty has never claimed that,he was shown the picture side of the postcard referred.Mr.Lafferty was allowed to take a photocopy of a copy of the plain side of the postcard,away with him,on a visit to the Vallejo Police.He was merely informed that the picture,on the original postcard,depicted,quote : ''Driftwood on a beach''.

''Driftwood on a beach'' is ''second-hand'' information,then,and would seem to hold nothing suspicious,in the phrasing employed [?].

With this postcard,Ms.Betts seems to be on her ''own journey'',going somewhere else [?].

Ms.Betts also informs the Zodiac community,that Detective Terry Poyser,is on extended leave,through sickness and,cannot be contacted.

Now,that's a piece of ''rotten luck'' for Detective Poyser and,I'm sure that the whole Zodiac community wishes him well,in his efforts to claim back good health.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/11/2019 10:58:15 am

One can't help wondering if,this ''extended leave'',for Detective Poyser,isn't a euphamism,for '' Gardening leave,until such time,as the official date of his retirement.'' [?].

One does sincerely hope that Detective Poyser is not too poorly,and might redress his current status of ''Suspension of Duties''.

Tom1

6/9/2019 07:32:27 pm

Hate to be a party pooper but sometimes reality gets in the way. Lafferty goes Eye ball to eyeball with someone driving Grant’s car. The suspect turns out to be someone impersonating Grant. So CHP doesn’t pull over a vehicle operator playing games with one of their officers. Try that the next time you are bored one night. Lafferty writes a book even though he is aware that some one is impersonating Grant. Ms Betts has a friend that knows who it is. Sleep well, good nite.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/10/2019 11:13:27 am

With the recent emergence of the picture,related to,what has become known as the ''1990 Celebity Cypher''....as a '' 99% Fact '',then,I suggest that,if anything can be concluded....it is that '' Carmel '' has become an '' operative word '',for debate and discussion.

The FBI will not be changing the card's ''unconfirmed'' status,but we do,at least,have something extra,with which to focus.

So,I find your ''very recent'' post,related to a possible ''Clint Eastwood influence'',Richard,of interest.

The ex-mayor of Carmel,the SF Inspector attempting to expose ''Scorpio'',the ''Man with no name'' in spaghetti westerns,the ''Stranger'' in ''High Plain Drifter'' who deemed that the town of Lago should be painted red.

Ms.Betts has had her eye,on this card revealing clues about the Swindels.as victims of the Zodiac.I think most of us are open to the possibility,that the young couple concerned,may have been such victims.

But the photograph of Carmel Beach....is not going to reveal any conclusive clues,to that particular crime.

Possibilities of ''influence''....is all,really,that the photograph can further offer [?].

Rubislaw 32 link

6/10/2019 08:41:41 pm

In assessing ''Carmel'',we are looking at an exclusive residence,to less than 4,000 inhabitants.With day visitors,from the San Francisco vicinity,for use of beach,picturesque walks,and Arts and Crafts.

Notable residents have included Clint Eastwood,Doris Day,Joan Fontaine,and Nobel prize scientist,Marie Curie.Also,writers,Jack London,Robert Louis Stevenson and James Ellroy.

Right up the Zodiac's ''alley'',one might think,for attraction...and therefore ''recognition'',if it was the Zodiac that bought and sent the postcard [?].

A case of sending it from Oakland,visiting ''old haunts'',in the Bay Area....and giving the ''pretence'',of living in ''paradise''....''not'' that far away [?].

The ''proof'' perhaps,for the FBI,in the composition of the cipher's solution....and/or if any ''positive'' forensics links,gleaned from the card.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/11/2019 12:30:30 pm

That's a great spot from you,Richard,with the envelope,dated July 31st 1969.

Was it Vallejo Times Herald,or Vallejo Times Herold ?

Was it smudging from the Zodiac,or ''intervention'' from the ''presumed'' authorities,the FBI ?

If the ''doubtful'' claim of ''two envelopes and a secret lab'',from Detective Poyser....ever materialised into a ''needed'' public display,at a later date....I wonder if it would have been the ''Vallejo Times Herald'' envelope....as the ''one of the three'',claimed to have gone missing [?].

Certainly,food for further thought,there.

Richard

6/11/2019 01:02:41 pm

I know there is hot debate on whether this is Zodiac or not. The fact it was mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald containing Zodiac style characters the main argument, despite the fact this is easy to replicate. Does the Eureka card (also hotly disputed) add any credence to its validity. It's such a shame "Herald" or "Herold" is distorted, because it may add another point of interest. I have my doubts on this correspondence, and certainly don't believe the Sandy or Swindle connection, which I have never believed was a younger Zodiac. Sending a card with Sandy Beaches to imply a double murder 27 years ago is so vague, as to render the idea that the observer could make the connection with any confidence, as a pointless exercise by its sender. The choice of postcard could just as very well been a postcard he bought on the fly, or had lying around the house. As I have already stated, my Monte Crawford suggestion was offered because it presented itself on Google - although the likelihood he was the author is extremely remote, to effectively dismiss it. There is a tendency to over-read or over examine into every Zodiac communication (and I include myself in this), thinking there is much more meaning in these communications than was probably intended. I suppose that is half the fun, attempting to make sense of something that garners overwhelming consensus. I do believe the San Jose influence from as early as August 6th 1969 runs from start to finish throughout the Zodiac reign, but whether these two 1990 communications have any Zodiac involvement is tenuous at best. Regardless, it is these outlier correspondences that interest me the most, because the others have been covered more than adequately. For me however, I doubt the celebrity cipher can convince me it was Zodiac. There is so little to go on. Interesting nonetheless.

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