Robert Connelly (27), one of the eyewitnesses at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968, traveled from his home in Napa along California State Route 12, through Jameson Canyon, before turning south approaching Cordelia and heading to the Gasser Ranch on Highway 21. He arrived at the Gasser Ranch, just north of the Goodyear Station, at 6pm. Robert Connelly stated that he and Frank Gasser (69) left the residence and headed to the Marshall Ranch along Lake Herman Road, passing the gate #10 turnout at approximately 9pm, when they spotted Bingo George Wesner (33) exiting the gate.
Admittedly, the police report is poorly written, and can be interpreted as 10pm if we rely solely on the "time testimony" given by Bingo Wesner (a Rancher at the Old Borges Ranch by Humble Oil, Benicia). He was quoted by police as saying "last night he was checking his sheep at approximately 10:00pm (east of the Benicia Pumping Station) and he observed a white Chevrolet Impala Sedan, parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station. He also observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area (the pick-up was later identified as the one Frank Gasser and Robert Connelly were riding in)". Bingo Wesner was also quoted as saying "that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by". It is whether his sighting of the red pick-up truck "go by" and "in the area" is one event or two. Zodiac researcher, Ray Grant, staunchly argues that Robert Connelly's timing was off by one hour, and he passed the gate #10 turnout at 10pm. It's fair to say that sizeable portions of the Lake Herman Road section of his book, "Zodiac Killer Solved", relies on Connelly & Gasser heading to the Marshall Ranch and passing the turnout at approximately 10pm. The Marshall Ranch entrance was 960 feet west of gate #10. So let us examine the validity of Ray Grant's assertions.
Admittedly, the police report is poorly written, and can be interpreted as 10pm if we rely solely on the "time testimony" given by Bingo Wesner (a Rancher at the Old Borges Ranch by Humble Oil, Benicia). He was quoted by police as saying "last night he was checking his sheep at approximately 10:00pm (east of the Benicia Pumping Station) and he observed a white Chevrolet Impala Sedan, parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station. He also observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area (the pick-up was later identified as the one Frank Gasser and Robert Connelly were riding in)". Bingo Wesner was also quoted as saying "that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by". It is whether his sighting of the red pick-up truck "go by" and "in the area" is one event or two. Zodiac researcher, Ray Grant, staunchly argues that Robert Connelly's timing was off by one hour, and he passed the gate #10 turnout at 10pm. It's fair to say that sizeable portions of the Lake Herman Road section of his book, "Zodiac Killer Solved", relies on Connelly & Gasser heading to the Marshall Ranch and passing the turnout at approximately 10pm. The Marshall Ranch entrance was 960 feet west of gate #10. So let us examine the validity of Ray Grant's assertions.
Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser, after passing the turnout and parking 25 yards into the Marshall Ranch, would have secured their guns, leashed the dogs and began their journey to the area around the Benicia Pumping Station and the Dotta Ranch (just below Lake Herman) at about 10:03pm. They had to cross Lake Herman Road to do so. They were partaking in a spot of raccoon hunting.
Let us now jump forward to the time when they had concluded their night's hunting and were heading back to the driveway of the Marshall Ranch. Robert Connelly stated in the police report that after they had finished hunting that night "it took them about 10 minutes to walk back to the truck". Bearing in mind it was a cold dark night, Frank Gasser was 69 years old, with two dogs in tow, walking on uneven terrain and carrying weapons, a generous estimate of their walking speed would be 3 feet per second. Therefore, we can approximate a position on the hillside to 1800 feet from the Marshall Ranch entrance (a 10 minute walk back}. From this we can calculate the distance to this point from the gate #10 turnout of 1022 feet (see below). They may have started hunting raccoons by the trees in that area. The police report said they "treed either a cat or raccoon in the area of the Dotta Ranch", which was situated south of the treeline, underneath Lake Herman. So they probably began their hunting from the eastern edge of the treeline and headed west.
Let us now jump forward to the time when they had concluded their night's hunting and were heading back to the driveway of the Marshall Ranch. Robert Connelly stated in the police report that after they had finished hunting that night "it took them about 10 minutes to walk back to the truck". Bearing in mind it was a cold dark night, Frank Gasser was 69 years old, with two dogs in tow, walking on uneven terrain and carrying weapons, a generous estimate of their walking speed would be 3 feet per second. Therefore, we can approximate a position on the hillside to 1800 feet from the Marshall Ranch entrance (a 10 minute walk back}. From this we can calculate the distance to this point from the gate #10 turnout of 1022 feet (see below). They may have started hunting raccoons by the trees in that area. The police report said they "treed either a cat or raccoon in the area of the Dotta Ranch", which was situated south of the treeline, underneath Lake Herman. So they probably began their hunting from the eastern edge of the treeline and headed west.
Ray Grant has stated in his book that "Frank Gasser, on his way up through the brush of the hillside, would then step through Gate #10 and walk over to the white Chevy Impala circa 10:20pm, and shine his flashlight into it, wondering what the car was doing there with no one inside it". Attributing zero minutes to his inspection of the Chevy (maybe 20 seconds), it would now take approximately 6 minutes for him and Connelly to reach the arbitrary point of 1800 feet from the Marshall Ranch entrance (which was 10 minutes away). This would have been a total walking time of 16 minutes subsequent to Frank Gasser shining his flashlight at the Chevy on the outward bound journey. Their raccoon hunting would have been by the treeline shown on the map above. The police report stated that they "treed either a cat or raccoon in the area of the Dotta Ranch. While they were there they saw some sort of activity up there, all the lights were on, but they were a little distance away". To notice this activity and lights on at the Dotta Ranch, Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser were probably situated by the blue circle on the above map.
They arrived back at their red pick-up truck at approximately 10:50pm according to Ray Grant. If we add the 16 minutes calculated above to 10:20pm, we get 10:36pm. This would have left only 14 minutes available hunting time for Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser that night, if they were to make it back to their truck by 10:50pm. If Frank Gasser (along with Connelly) had walked directly from the gate #10 turnout after observing the Chevy at 10:20pm, to the area of the Dotta Ranch to begin hunting (by the blue circle}, then their available hunting time becomes less. However, when they left gate #10, they may have started hunting at the arbitary point 1,022 feel from the turnout and walked along the treeline in a westerly direction, hunting as they went. The blue circle is still approximately 10 minutes walking time back to the Marshall Ranch entrance.
They arrived back at their red pick-up truck at approximately 10:50pm according to Ray Grant. If we add the 16 minutes calculated above to 10:20pm, we get 10:36pm. This would have left only 14 minutes available hunting time for Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser that night, if they were to make it back to their truck by 10:50pm. If Frank Gasser (along with Connelly) had walked directly from the gate #10 turnout after observing the Chevy at 10:20pm, to the area of the Dotta Ranch to begin hunting (by the blue circle}, then their available hunting time becomes less. However, when they left gate #10, they may have started hunting at the arbitary point 1,022 feel from the turnout and walked along the treeline in a westerly direction, hunting as they went. The blue circle is still approximately 10 minutes walking time back to the Marshall Ranch entrance.
The police report (page 23) stated that when they first arrived at the entrance to the Marshall Ranch, they walked the creek (Sulphur Springs Creek) towards the pump station, near the Dotta Ranch. There was no mention of viewing the Chevrolet Impala. See their likely route. If they had taken this direct route to the creek, having left the Marshall Ranch entrance at 10:03pm, Connelly & Gasser would have had more hunting time available to them once they reached the main body of trees (possibly 34 minutes)..This amount of time would not include the initial 3 minutes walking time to the main body of trees from the Marshall Ranch entrance, and the 10 minutes that is required to travel back from the area by the Dotta Ranch (blue circle) to their red pick-up truck (a total of 13 minutes). This amount of traveling time and the 34 minutes hunting time, would total 47 minutes, and allow Connelly & Gasser to return to their vehicle at 10:50pm. .
On the other hand, if we go with the observations of Ray Grant, Robert Connelly would have traveled 20 miles to the Gasser Ranch on Highway 21, arriving there at 6pm and spending about 3 hours and 45 minutes with Frank Gasser, before they both headed towards the gate #10 turnout, passing this location at 10pm. Once they had arrived at the Marshall Ranch and had eventually (after viewing the Chevy) made their way to the eastern edge of the tree-lined area near the Benicia Pumping Station, they would only have had about 14 minutes hunting time before needing to walk back to their vehicle. Had Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser passed the gate #10 turnout earlier that night at 9pm (and visited the Chevy), this would have given them a maximum of 74 minutes for their raccoon hunting. Which is more realistic?
On the other hand, if we go with the observations of Ray Grant, Robert Connelly would have traveled 20 miles to the Gasser Ranch on Highway 21, arriving there at 6pm and spending about 3 hours and 45 minutes with Frank Gasser, before they both headed towards the gate #10 turnout, passing this location at 10pm. Once they had arrived at the Marshall Ranch and had eventually (after viewing the Chevy) made their way to the eastern edge of the tree-lined area near the Benicia Pumping Station, they would only have had about 14 minutes hunting time before needing to walk back to their vehicle. Had Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser passed the gate #10 turnout earlier that night at 9pm (and visited the Chevy), this would have given them a maximum of 74 minutes for their raccoon hunting. Which is more realistic?
Ray Grant also questions why William Crow didn't hear any gunshots from the area behind gate #10 while he and his girlfriend were parked in the turnout between 9:30pm and 10pm, if Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser were hunting at this time. The answer is: the police report didn't state that William Crow was parked in the turnout between 9:30pm and 10pm. It read "Mr. Crow saw an article in the newspaper requesting assistance and he phoned the office to report that he and his girlfriend were in the Lake Herman area between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM on 12/20/68. He stated he was driving his girlfriend's sports car and he was testing it out and adjusting the motor. He was parked in the open area by the pump station and he observed a blue car, possibly a Valiant, coming down the road from Vallejo to Benicia".
The police report clearly states that William Crow was in the "Lake Herman area" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM, not in the "turnout" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM. He was "driving his girlfriend's sports car and he was testing it out and adjusting the motor". So if he was "driving" it during this time, he couldn't have been in the turnout for the whole 30 minutes. He only referred to the one instance he was in the turnout - and that was when he noticed the Valiant coming from Vallejo. This is when he was "adjusting the motor". The rest of the time he was probably "driving around", checking if the adjustments had worked. He and his girlfriend could have been in the turnout a matter of minutes between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM - and this would easily explain why he heard no gunshots that night. Because he wasn't near the area of the pumping station for the vast majority of the 30 minutes.
RAY GRANT'S ROAMING CHEVROLET IMPALA
THE CONNELLY AND GASSER SIGHTING OF THE CHEVROLET IMPALA WAS 9PM
HUNTING BY THE BENICIA PUMPING STATION
CONNELLY AND GASSER NEVER SAW WESNER
WAS THE HELEN AXE SIGHTING WRONG?
The police report clearly states that William Crow was in the "Lake Herman area" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM, not in the "turnout" between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM. He was "driving his girlfriend's sports car and he was testing it out and adjusting the motor". So if he was "driving" it during this time, he couldn't have been in the turnout for the whole 30 minutes. He only referred to the one instance he was in the turnout - and that was when he noticed the Valiant coming from Vallejo. This is when he was "adjusting the motor". The rest of the time he was probably "driving around", checking if the adjustments had worked. He and his girlfriend could have been in the turnout a matter of minutes between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM - and this would easily explain why he heard no gunshots that night. Because he wasn't near the area of the pumping station for the vast majority of the 30 minutes.
RAY GRANT'S ROAMING CHEVROLET IMPALA
THE CONNELLY AND GASSER SIGHTING OF THE CHEVROLET IMPALA WAS 9PM
HUNTING BY THE BENICIA PUMPING STATION
CONNELLY AND GASSER NEVER SAW WESNER
WAS THE HELEN AXE SIGHTING WRONG?
1915 BENICIA MAP SUPPLIED BY ZODIAC RESEARCHER, SOZE. THE OLD BORGES RANCH SITS ON TOP OF HUMBLE OIL. PAGE 26 OF THE LAKE HERMAN ROAD POLICE REPORT STATES THAT BINGO WESNER WAS A RANCHER AT THE OLD BORGES RANCH BY HUMBLE OIL.
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