MORE ON THE "SCOTCH TAPE LETTER"

4/26/2024

When the author of the July 19th 1978 letter typed their cryptic communication they used the word "tape" four times, including "I like friction tape", "I have my name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape", "My tape is waiting for me all over California" and "I have my real name on a small metallic tape". The fourth phrase is different from the rest because it singularises the object by using "a small metallic tape" rather than "I have my name on metallic tape". It also makes a point of distinction in this instance by describing the tape as small, which the author fails to do in the three other examples. The author continued by stating "I have my real name on a small metallic tape. You see, while you have it in your possession, I want you to know it belongs to me and you think I may have left it accidentally". This wording implies that law enforcement have in their possession "a small metallic tape" that was left deliberately by the author and was secured by investigators.

Metallic mini-cassettes (Phillips) and micro-cassettes (Olympus) were introduced in 1967 and 1969 respectively, so the wording of somebody claiming to be Zodiac, who stated "I have my real name on a small metallic tape", could conceivably have left police a message on "a small metallic tape" with his name written on the casing. The author used the wording "a small metallic tape" instead of "a small tape", suggestive that the word "metallic" was to distinguish this tape from the others. The same reasoning can apply to the use of the word "small", which wasn't used in the three other phrases. This descriptor may have been important if the author of the letter had left a micro or mini-cassette at a crime scene with a message.

On Sunday November 2nd 1975, a man walked up to a couple parked in a lovers' lane in Belmont, California (Monte Cresta Drive) and opened fire with a shotgun, killing Anthony Vincent Bruno instantly.

Zodiac researcher, Mike Morford, highlighted a San Mateo newspaper article dated November 14th 1975 (shown below) and stated "The reporter, a man named Bob Foster, mentions that on the night of November 3, 1975, the 11 pm TV news on channel KGO ran a story about a Zodiac letter being found in a phone booth. This is pretty interesting to me for a couple reasons regarding the timing. First of all because, the night before, on 11/2/75, a young man and his girlfriend were attacked on a lovers' lane by a gun wielding man. The male victim, Vincent Bruno was killed, but his girlfriend survived. If I recall correctly, there may have been a letter & cassette tape found the same night in a phone booth not far from the attack site, from someone claiming to be Zodiac".

If Mike Morford's recollection is correct, then a potential message may have been left in Belmont by the Zodiac Killer in the form of a cassette tape, irrespective of whether he committed the crime or not. He may have heard the news of the murder and mischievously left a letter and cassette tape in a nearby phone booth, yet again claiming a murder he didn't commit. But, if this were true, why would the Zodiac Killer have revisited Belmont in his mind on July 19th 1978, nearly three years later? The act of leaving "a small metallic tape" in Belmont may have been triggered by recent activity.

One month before the mailing of the typed July 19th 1978 letter, on June 11th 1978, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer telephoned the Redwood City and Belmont police announcing that "I'm still around". The newspaper article (June 12th 1978) stated "Copies of three tape-recorded calls, received one right after the other starting at about 3:20am, have been sent to San Francisco Police Department homicide investigator James Tedesco. He had not received the tapes yet but was told that the caller identified himself as the Zodiac Killer". Therefore, we have the possibility of the Zodiac Killer making several threats to Belmont police on June 11th 1978, which they recorded on tape, followed one month later by somebody mailing a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 19th 1978, stating "I am the Zodiac" and using the word "tape" four times, including "I have my name on a small metallic tape" and "you have it in your possession". Did the Zodiac Killer suggest that he was "still around" in Belmont, having previously left a cassette tape there three years earlier, which was also forwarded to the San Francisco Police Department and remained in their possession?

FURTHER READING: A PAWN IN A GAME OF DEATH

Rishard

4/26/2024 12:16:20 pm

Comments will be opened up periodically to catch up with old friends.

Steve Johnson

3/17/2025 06:26:24 am

Consider this. The 4 dots. Maybe hunting at a 4 letter word. He's in control of all things as us a king in control of his kingdom. He jeris it around in case he needs to trust someone up. A truss has a king post. King was a brand of athletic gear and swim fins at the time. Kings are used in chess. Scotch made cassette tapes at the time and if zodiac left cassette tapes around that a lot of people had in their closets at the time then maybe at least one of those tapes was placed in a cassette holder that originally contained a Carole King tape.

Rubislaw32 link

4/27/2024 09:32:00 am

Nice to see this section opened up again, Richard.

The clues dangled by the Zodiac in his Scotch Tape letter are cryptic in nature. The ''tape'' more often than not, is seen as either ''adhesive'' or ''audio''. But, a third could be ''measuring tape '' (?) - with metallic tape often fitting that category.

Richard

4/27/2024 11:11:01 am

Hi Rubislaw. The comments will be opened up from time to time, just not all the time, but nice to hear from you again. I thought about measuring tape but the only thing that prevented me from saying it,was my inability to find its connection to a previous crime.. But as you pointed out, the whole letter is extremely cryptic in nature, so claiming any interpretation with confidence is extremely difficult. I just worked backwards, identifying the only previous time the words "tape" and "Zodiac" were connected to a crime - that of Belmont if Mike Morford's recollection is accurate. The recent phone calls in Belmont also peaking my interest. The only thing I am confident about regarding the communication is the connection of the use of the word "chess" in regards tp Toschi being demoted the "pawn" detail on July 11th 1978 and the opening game in the World Chess Championship between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi on July 18th 1978. Previously I was undecided on this letter, but now that has elevated to 99% because of the linked wording of this letter to the April 24th 1978 and May 2nd 1978 letters. Regardless whether the connection I've argued above exists, I do enjoy the challenge of these outlier letters, especially when the available information is limited. Jibberjabber helped me immensely by giving me access to his newspapers.com account, which has been a goldmine of information I never previously had access to - and enabled me to carry on a little longer. Unfortunately, even that has dried up now, so it's going to be very difficult to keep this site productive. I have searched top and bottom for any mention of a tape being left in a phone booth in the newspapers and have failed to find anything. I suspect this (if true) was reported through KGO-TV and therefore not documented in print. Anyway, nice to catch up. Richard.

Rubislaw32 link

4/27/2024 02:55:18 pm

Thanks Richard. I have always been persuaded that this July 19th 1978 letter is authentic. As indeed is the May 2nd 1978 letter. Both are so rich in content for the Zodiac purist. For the April 24th 1978 one - I think ''the jury is out''. Even if the April 1978 letter isn't genuine, it could have inspired Zodiac back to letter-writing again. Its content too sparse, to really be confident.one way or the other.

Drew

4/27/2024 03:12:39 pm

Richard my man! My main man! Hope all is well with you my friend! We were discussing this letter the other day and the great Antisquid42 proposed that a known SF hoaxer whom Toschi referred to as "Old Tom" as a potential sender. This fella must have written several such but I think the only one we have info on is one sent to Dianne Feinstein. What is notable is that this fella typed his letters. Anywho great to see comments open, if temporarily!
Cheers Mate, link to Old Tom article below:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/996952376894292018/1229630906961235968/image0.jpg?ex=662e67c5&is=662d1645&hm=c6c1a5d4be2d6ddbfac01cfe96414db38d4a5d681b26d4f737d6a28690ad0dbe&

Richard

4/27/2024 03:57:30 pm

Hi Drew. Yes, "Old Tom" has come up a few times, and was deemed responsible for several letters to the authorities. The thing that has always struck me about this letter is it is mostly nonsensical, whereas Zodiac letters (not cards) are easy to interpret. I would expect a hoaxer to at least attempt to mimic this legibility, so that we can understand the message being delivered. Creating text that fails to conform to previous Zodiac letters, one could argue, is not the preferred choice of somebody attempting to mimic Zodiac.

[1] APRIL 24TH 1978: "I am waiting for a good movie about me. Who will play me".
[2] MAY 2ND 1978: "Whoever plays me has his work cut out for him". (unpublished)
[3] JULY 19TH 1978: "Maybe you play chess with me". (unpublished)

Three can mimic one, two can mimic one, but [3] kept up the mimicry of [2] by using "play" and "me" in the same sentence. There appears a running theme through all three letters. Maybe? .

Drew

4/27/2024 06:58:45 pm

The authenticity of the Apr 24 letter had been questioned publicly at this point and the press had revealed about a week earlier July 12 that Toschi had been sent to the pawn shop so it wasn't a surprising time for a hoax (or a followup from the Apr 24 sender) but I agree that mimicking this particular content would be (or was) an odd choice for a hoaxer, especially before the Graysmith book gave it renewed consideration nearly a decade later. Damn, was that one sentence? Sorry about that!

I can't decide whether it's a riddle or just incoherent. My impression of the story was that he had written his name on a piece of tape to label some item that the police had secured from a crime scene or an investigation of his property - vague but specific enough that if truthful investigators could figure out.

I suppose the motivation was to get published no matter who the sender was but curiously little effort seems to have been put forth to that end. The mysterious DMV letter notwithstanding, Zodiac generally included either a threat or a demand for publication and while the narrative here is clearly a zodiac-toned taunt the other elements are absent. If it was from the author of the letter it mimics why switch to a typewritten presentation? I think a handwriting match to the Apr 24 would have got it in the paper.

Do we have any commentary on the envelope? Apparently Zodiac used standard sized envelopes 69-74 but the first 78 came in a legal size envelope. I'd be interested to know how the others of this era were packaged.

Richard

4/28/2024 12:11:03 am

I have no information on the July 19th envelope because no information has been released. As for the May 2nd envelope, we have it to view but I am unaware of its size or origin Drew. Obviously it would be extremely helpful to have the July 19th envelope because like others it could go a long way to proving its authenticity or otherwise.

I did notice there was heavy reporting on the Hillside Strangler case and some regarding BTK during the early months of 1978, in which victims were restrained in both cases, so it probably isn't unusual that the July 19th author stated "I like friction tape. I like to have it around in case I need to truss someone up in a hurry". That is why I found the mayor Bradley 6-page letter on January 19th 1978 so interesting (the capitalized PLEASE and its link to the Hillside Strangler case). I have tried in vain to find the other 5 pages of this correspondence with no luck.

Rubislaw32 link

4/27/2024 03:16:38 pm

Just to add, I recommend that readers check out the ''typewriting art'' of minimalist artist Carl Andre - also responsible for the ''grid-system art'', which inspired the Zodiac with cipher layouts.

I believe also, that this Scotch Tape letter is presented as a work of typewriting art, in similar fashion to Carl Andre's work. And on an ''ad infinitum loop'' with '' I am the Zodiac and I am in control''.

Richard

4/28/2024 12:45:35 am

If Graysmith was given access to this letter, it seems it was withheld from the public, in similar fashion to the 148 character cipher and letter (until the Examiner released the code on December 21st 1986), the Monticello card and the 1986 letter. Other than the 1974 letters/cards, it appears the Chronicle had a policy of not covering communications from March 1971 onwards. The Examiner published their 1987 "Halloween" letter but the Chronicle didn't publish their version. The 1987 Examier letter was reported in the newspapers throughout America but the 1986 letter to the Chronicle, which was obviously written by the same author cannot be found in newspapers.com. anywhere. I have never seen any newspaper article about the 1986 letter. Yet the Chronicle decided in their infinite wisdom to publish all the 1974 letters at the time (with the exception of the SLA letter). It seems the Chronicle got tired of publishing "Zodiac" letters without murders to back them up, but made an exception in 1974. Obviously Toschi being mentioned in 1978 dragged them out of their slumber. I have no doubt whatsoever that had the Zodiac Killer continued murdering for two more decades all these letters would have been published. If the July 19th 1978 letter was typewritten as claimed we could make a comparison to the letter "a" malfunction on the August 10th 1969 "Concerned Citizen" card had he used the same typewriter. Its layout would also be helpful Rubislaw.

Rubislaw32 link

4/28/2024 05:21:59 am

I certainly agree that the typewriter used for the Concerned Citizen card in August 1969, Richard, was the same used for the Santa Claus postcard sent to Joan Webster's family in early 1982.

However, I think that was a ''one-off '' mistake in Zodiac's behaviour. That faulty typewriter was one he had ditched with associates, like his family. Zodiac was on the move at the time, without a typewriter and, having access to that old typewriter - decided to use it for the few words he wanted, on the Santa Claus postcard.

I have been quite open about one of my leanings to Scotch Tape letter authenticity is that his reading about the brutal murder of Brenda Page in Aberdeen, Scotland, five days before the Scotch Tape letter - inspired Zodiac to type the letter, although taking pot shots at Toschi's professional humiliation was Zodiac's main reason.

Further to this, that Brenda's case was re-opened in February 2015, in part, on the basis of becoming a Zodiac outlier case. The inference (probably) that the Zodiac had work-residency associations with Aberdeen - and was reading about Brenda's murder, as a Los Angels resident, on vacation from the Aberdeen Scotland vicinity..

My sanctioned liaison officer (a Det Sgt) was seconded to the Brenda Page murder re-investigation, and I asked him about Zodiac's Scotch Tape letter on at least two occasions, I seem to remember. Naturally he didn't comment - under orders from Scottish Crown Office.

Retrospectively, LE always thought Brenda's ex-husband murdered her - and took them 8 years to prove it., starting February 2015. But, one could argue, it was ''Zodiac money'' from the UK Govt. that assisted LE, to finally bring Brenda's real killer to justice.

Was the Scotch Tape letter a ''pointer'' ? I believe so.

Rubislaw32 link

4/28/2024 08:11:36 am

Yes Richard - I believe Graysmith was given the text of the Scotch Tape letter by the FBI, for his 2002 Zodiac Unmasked book. Graysmith just ''fashioned'' the text given, to look like Graysmith had witnessed the arrival of the Scotch Tape letter at SF Chronicle offices, in July 1978. Simply artistic licence. I believe Graysmith was also pointed out the ''Deep Real Estate'' Ad., by the FBI, for his same Zodiac Unmasked book.

In simplistic terms, Graysmith was in bed with the FBI - just as Lyndon Lafferty was in bed with CA DOJ. FBI & CA DOJ - the Zodiac case Intelligence processors & the Zodiac case custodians, respectively.

In 2006, Lyndon Lafferty was, effectively, given photocopies of the 1990 Celebrity Cipher postcard ''plain side'', and ''Benicia High School Note'' - by CA DOJ. It's just that he picked them up, as ''leaks'' from Desk Sgts at Vallejo and Benicia PD's.

Rubislaw32 link

4/28/2024 02:58:28 pm

As a matter of sideline historical interest, Robert Graysmith and Lyndon Lafferty were in competition with each other, as private Zodiac investigators. But, they only ever ''locked horns'' once. This was over school teacher (on Cordelia Rd, Fairfield) Kimberly Lawrence's stalking by an unknown man suspected of being the Zodiac.

Both Graysmith and Lafferty made representations to Kimberly's mother. Both acquired handwriting samples from her mother. Lafferty features his sample in his ''Silenced Badge'' book. Graysmith gives mention of Kimberly in his bestseller Zodiac - but elected not to feature his handwriting sample in the book.

Only a personal opinion, but I rate Lafferty's library finds (Mikado LP + Code book + evidence of someone impersonating W J Grant as a library user) as the best single piece of Zodiac evidence, found by an ''amateur'' investigator ( Lafferty).

Lafferty handed all the physical evidence over to CA DOJ special agents. It remains unclear whether CA DOJ shared any extra info gleaned from the library finds with FBI.

One should bear in mind that, as Zodiac case custodians, CA DOJ are the case's ''bosses'' - and not obligated to share anything with anyone.

Rubislaw32 link

4/29/2024 04:58:00 pm

Zodiac Unmasked (2002) by Robert Graysmith.

Page 152:

Next day, an anonymous typewritten letter from Los Angeles also arrived at the Chronicle:

''I am the ZODIAC and I am in control of all things.''. It read. ''I am going to tell you a secret.....''.

Understated (?). As if this sort of thing happened on a regular basis.

Rubislaw32 link

4/30/2024 03:47:45 am

Be in no doubt (with appropriate self-deprecation):

''I have my name at the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape.''.

1) Home of scotch tape: St Paul, Minnesota.

2) St Paul's most famous son: F Scott Fitzgerald, whose 1st published work was: ''This side of Paradise''.

F Scott Fitzgerald's full name : Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.

''Scott Key'' was the Zodiac's ''lie'' referring to murder victim Brenda Page.

But - did the Zodiac give away where he was work-residing at that July 19th 1978 time ? (Aberdeen, Scotland).

Rubislaw32 link

4/30/2024 04:59:21 am

A poetic portent ?

On March 26th of this year, a ship called ''Dali'' collided with the ''Frances Scott Key'' Bridge at Baltimore - as good as destroying the bridge.

Two days later, ex-US President Obama was invited to Downing St for a ''Bad Matters'' Tea Party with UK Prime Minister Sunak.

The beginning of the end for the Zodiac ?

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