The murder of Paul Stine occurred at the intersection of Washington and Cherry streets on October 11th 1969, despite the trip sheet indicating that the Zodiac Killer had given a destination one block earlier at Washington and Maple. Many people have speculated that the Zodiac Killer may have intended to kill Paul Stine at this less residential location, but his plans were thwarted because of possible pedestrian traffic. Therefore he chose to instruct the driver to proceed one block further.
However, what if an incident took place at Washington and Maple that necessitated this change of plan? We assume the widely portrayed version of events of a killer who simply pulled a gun on an unsuspecting Paul Stine as he parked up outside 3898 Washington Street and then shot him dead. This version has two problems, in that it doesn't explain the intraparenchymal tissue hemorrhages in both lungs of Paul Stine noted at autopsy, and it doesn't reconcile the conflict between the trip sheet destination and the eventual murder site. Unless of course, the Washington and Maple intersection and the autopsy results are inextricably linked.
We have no way of knowing if and what verbal exchanges took place in the taxicab that night, or when the gun was pulled on Paul Stine, but three things we do know. [1] The autopsy of Paul Stine indicates that the bleeding occurred in the lung tissue itself and not as a result of blood draining from the head to the lung spaces. Parenchymal relates to, or affecting the functional tissue of an organ. Parenchyma is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ such as the brain or lungs. With no pre-existing conditions attributed to Paul Stine in this regard, it strongly suggests his lungs received trauma due to an external injury to his chest on October 11th 1969. These types of injury can be caused by impact with the steering wheel or dashboard, and noted in many car accidents. [2] We know that the interdepartmental memorandum of Officer Donald Fouke on November 12th 1969 described the Zodiac Killer as having a "shuffling lope", which in dictionary form is detailed as "a way of walking or moving using long, relaxed steps" and "a way of walking (dragging feet instead of lifting them)". Either way, Officer Donald Fouke found it necessary to highlight the Zodiac Killer's "unusual" walking style. And [3], We know that the trip sheet destination did not correlate with the location of the murder. Is it possible that all three are connected?
However, what if an incident took place at Washington and Maple that necessitated this change of plan? We assume the widely portrayed version of events of a killer who simply pulled a gun on an unsuspecting Paul Stine as he parked up outside 3898 Washington Street and then shot him dead. This version has two problems, in that it doesn't explain the intraparenchymal tissue hemorrhages in both lungs of Paul Stine noted at autopsy, and it doesn't reconcile the conflict between the trip sheet destination and the eventual murder site. Unless of course, the Washington and Maple intersection and the autopsy results are inextricably linked.
We have no way of knowing if and what verbal exchanges took place in the taxicab that night, or when the gun was pulled on Paul Stine, but three things we do know. [1] The autopsy of Paul Stine indicates that the bleeding occurred in the lung tissue itself and not as a result of blood draining from the head to the lung spaces. Parenchymal relates to, or affecting the functional tissue of an organ. Parenchyma is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ such as the brain or lungs. With no pre-existing conditions attributed to Paul Stine in this regard, it strongly suggests his lungs received trauma due to an external injury to his chest on October 11th 1969. These types of injury can be caused by impact with the steering wheel or dashboard, and noted in many car accidents. [2] We know that the interdepartmental memorandum of Officer Donald Fouke on November 12th 1969 described the Zodiac Killer as having a "shuffling lope", which in dictionary form is detailed as "a way of walking or moving using long, relaxed steps" and "a way of walking (dragging feet instead of lifting them)". Either way, Officer Donald Fouke found it necessary to highlight the Zodiac Killer's "unusual" walking style. And [3], We know that the trip sheet destination did not correlate with the location of the murder. Is it possible that all three are connected?
If the Zodiac Killer had readied his gun on the approach to Washington and Maple, could Paul Stine have noticed this, or was the gun actually presented to the driver on the pretense of a robbery? In a situation such as this, Paul Stine has two options. He can comply and wish for the best, or he can slam on his brakes as he approaches the intersection causing the rapid deceleration of the taxicab and hopefully catapult his passenger forward into the rear seats, giving him a momentary advantage to escape or disarm his assailant.
If this rapid braking had occurred in the middle of the road (with accompanied screeching of tires), but had failed to achieve the desired result, the Zodiac Killer could still have easily received injuries to his knees and/or upper legs. The action of the driver, although unsuccessful, had the potential to draw unwanted attention to the taxicab. Wanting to mitigate this risk, the Zodiac Killer may have ordered Paul Stine to drive one block further west, where the taxicab was located askew from the kerb. A killer who was described by Officer Donald Fouke three minutes later as a white male with a "shuffling lope". An injury to the quadriceps can affect the ability to raise your legs off the ground, yet the desire of the Zodiac Killer to leave the area quickly and elude capture could have ameliorated this setback through longer strides. Although this is just supposition, the observations of Officer Donald Fouke cannot be ignored.
The injuries to Paul Stine's lungs and the walking style of the Zodiac Killer, in combination with the discrepancy of trip sheet and murder site, can be argued to have had one root cause at the intersection of Washington and Maple. If Paul Stine damaged his lungs by slamming on his brakes and impacting the steering wheel, then it follows that the Zodiac Killer would have been propelled forwards into the rear seat of the taxicab and also potentially sustained injuries. Possibly noted by Officer Donald Fouke a few minutes later on Jackson Street. Of course, none of this is provable, but we shouldn't ignore the autopsy report because it doesn't align with the story we've been fed since 1969.
If this rapid braking had occurred in the middle of the road (with accompanied screeching of tires), but had failed to achieve the desired result, the Zodiac Killer could still have easily received injuries to his knees and/or upper legs. The action of the driver, although unsuccessful, had the potential to draw unwanted attention to the taxicab. Wanting to mitigate this risk, the Zodiac Killer may have ordered Paul Stine to drive one block further west, where the taxicab was located askew from the kerb. A killer who was described by Officer Donald Fouke three minutes later as a white male with a "shuffling lope". An injury to the quadriceps can affect the ability to raise your legs off the ground, yet the desire of the Zodiac Killer to leave the area quickly and elude capture could have ameliorated this setback through longer strides. Although this is just supposition, the observations of Officer Donald Fouke cannot be ignored.
The injuries to Paul Stine's lungs and the walking style of the Zodiac Killer, in combination with the discrepancy of trip sheet and murder site, can be argued to have had one root cause at the intersection of Washington and Maple. If Paul Stine damaged his lungs by slamming on his brakes and impacting the steering wheel, then it follows that the Zodiac Killer would have been propelled forwards into the rear seat of the taxicab and also potentially sustained injuries. Possibly noted by Officer Donald Fouke a few minutes later on Jackson Street. Of course, none of this is provable, but we shouldn't ignore the autopsy report because it doesn't align with the story we've been fed since 1969.
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