THE 01.30 AM PHONE CALLS

4/10/2018

Darlene Ferrin

Many have questioned whether or not Darlene Ferrin was stalked by an unwanted admirer in the run up to her murder during the late night hours of July 4th 1969 or early minutes of July 5th 1969, with little, if any verifiable evidence to support such a claim. This however, doesn't rule out the contention that she may have been murdered by somebody who knew her. Much has been discussed regarding the mysterious phone calls received at the 1300 Virginia Street residence of Darlene Ferrin, and the 930 Monterey Street residence of Mr Arthur J Ferrin and Mrs Mildred Ferrin at approximately 01:30 am on the morning of July 5th 1969, just one-and-a-half hours after the murder of Darlene Ferrin and attempted murder of Michael Mageau at Blue Rock Springs. It must be stressed that Darlene Ferrin had been alternatively listed as living at 930 Monterey, Vallejo on page 5 of the police report.

But how much of this makes sense and is it totally accurate. Here are the extracts regarding the phone calls that morning: Page 19 of the police report "Stated that Darlene and her sister Christina Suennen WFJ 15 years. had been at Mr Ferrin's (Dean) place of employment Caesar's in the 300 Block of Tennessee Street at approximately 10:30 pm and at this time Darlene left, stating that she was going to take Christina home, then go home herself to 1300 Virginia Street. Take her babysitter home, and return home herself. Stated that at approximately 11:30 pm Bill Lee (Dean's employer at Caesar's) called Darlene to ask her if she would try to find a fireworks booth open, and to purchase some as they were going to have a party at 1300 Virginia Street after they closed Caesar's and had decided to have some fireworks at that time. She stated she would try to find one and hung up. Stated that this was the last any of them heard from her. Stated that after they arrived at 1300 Virginia Street and waiting for Darlene that there was two phone calls where there was no answer on the other end".

There is no reference here to the time these two phone calls were received. These statements were given in the immediate aftermath of the murder, in the early hours of July 5th 1969: Page 23 of the police report " Mr Arthur J Ferrin and Mrs Mildred Ferrin 930 Monterey Street came to the station and reported that shortly after 01:30 am on 07/05/69 their telephone rang and the party on the other end of the line said nothing but they could hear deep breathing and they were sure someone was there". There are two things to note about this statement. The statement was given at 3:35 pm on July 7th 1969, two-and-a-half days after they had received the mysterious phone call, and it appears as if the time of the phone call on the police report has been amended. So, were all the phone calls delivered at approximately 01:30 am, or were they all made at a completely different time during the morning hours.

Blue Rock Springs parking lot

It was considered in this article that the Zodiac Killer drove home after the Blue Rock Springs attack, to somewhere around the location of the Springs Road and Tuolumne Street payphone and walked to the intersection to make the 12:40 am phone call to police dispatcher Nancy Slover. If the attack culminated shortly after midnight, the killer's journey has him entering his residence at approximately 12:15 am. He parks his vehicle, changes his clothes, ditches his weapon and prepares himself for the short walk to the payphone at around 12:25-12:30 am. This gives him a walking time of approximately 10-15 minutes to the payphone and a reasonable 'buffer zone'.

If the Zodiac Killer lived on the south side of the payphone, knew or lived close to Darlene Ferrin on Virginia Street, then his walking time to the payphone would be exactly 10 minutes. Once he had finished his call with Nancy Slover he would then likely have returned home at approximately 12:50-12:55 am. We don't know if the mysterious phone calls to the Ferrin family were from the Zodiac Killer, but had he returned from the public payphone at just before 01:00 am, he now has the opportunity to make these calls from the comfort of his own home. Did the Zodiac Killer make the phone call to police from a payphone fearing he could have been traced, but made the calls to the Ferrin family with no such reservations. It would seem rather foolhardy even by Zodiac's standards to reel off multiple calls that evening from payphones, with the police now in full investigative mode. If he did call the Ferrin family, one could argue he placed these additional calls shortly after arriving back at his residence, sometime between 12:50-01:00 am.

1300 Virginia Street

Here is an extract from the Vallejo Times-Herald interview with Carmela Piccolo-Coakley, who part owned Caesar's Italian Restaurant with her husband in 1969. She described arriving at 1300 Virginia Street on July 4th/5th 1969 "We were surprised when we all arrived at the house to find a babysitter. Darlene hadn't gotten home yet. It was midnight and we were a little worried. An hour or so later the phone rang but there was only breathing on the other end. Later we heard a knock on the door. It was two police officers informing us that Darlene had been shot, and someone calling himself the Zodiac had called the Vallejo Police Department informing them of the killings. We told the officers it was that same time that we had received the call at Darlene's house. Whoever it was would not respond to our questions. They just breathed into the phone. The officer warned us not to open the door for anyone while my husband and Dean went down to the station. They warned that the person calling himself the Zodiac may be watching the house. It was a warm night and all the windows were open. We locked the door and windows and pulled the blinds closed". full article.

She stated they arrived at 1300 Virginia Street at around midnight and the mysterious calls came in "an hour or so later." This is an approximation, so a reasonable estimate could be anywhere from 12:50 am to 01:10 am (with a 10 minute leeway either side), tying in with the Zodiac Killer after returning from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone, sometime around 12:55 am. More telling is the assertion that they "told the officers it was that same time (that of Zodiac's call) that we had received the call at Darlene's house." Does this actually open up the possibility that the Zodiac Killer made the call to police dispatcher Nancy Slover and the Ferrin family from the same payphone at around 12:40 am, and "an hour or so later" was really 40 minutes. Or did they arrive at 1300 Virginia Street shortly before midnight, bringing this statement somewhat back into line.

The only argument in favor of the 01:30 am phone calls in the above two pages of the police report, are the recollections of Mr Arthur J. Ferrin and Mrs Mildred Ferrin, two-and-a-half days after the fact. Did they really clock the time correctly when the call came in, or was it just another estimation that may be slightly incorrect?

Footnote: In the interest of fairness, although the origin of Robert Graysmith's information is unknown, in his book Zodiac Unmasked he stated "Fifty minutes later, four phone calls were placed through the operator from a booth at Broadway and Nebraska." Arthur Leigh Allen had worked at a gas station at Tuolumne and Nebraska 3 months before Blue Rock Springs attack. Broadway and Nebraska is an approximate walking distance of 20-25 minutes from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone. A murderer living somewhere between or equidistant to these locations has the opportunity to make the phone calls to police dispatcher Nancy Slover and the Ferrin family. However, verifying the Broadway and Nebraska site as the origin of the calls to the Ferrin family, or that the Zodiac Killer made any of them on July 5th 1969, is an altogether more difficult task.

31 Comments

Drew

4/10/2018 08:38:47 am

Hi Richard, the fireworks task seems a lot more believable reading that it was at least acknowledged that Darlene trying to get to an open stand at this hour was going to be a tricky feat... if I basically just reiterate what you have written above here it is just me trying to suss it all out... The individuals attesting to the calls were reputable in so far as they cared about the victim and have not attempted to capitalize on the case, so we can be pretty sure breathy calls truly really were made and that they spoke to the police in good faith and (unless I have misinterpreted something) without prior knowledge that the Zodiac had also placed a call. Considering the late hour it seems like the calls must have been about the murder. It's too big of a coincidence that both Ferrrin associated residences received unrelated calls within an hour on this night.

With detail errors in Coakley's report and the time elapse before the elder Ferrins' interview there is reason to allow adjustments to both statements and look for the most probable time for the calls and the most likely to have made them. If they came after 1:00 the list of people who could have known about the murder and who was killed could have grown a little, but unless it was a very cruel prank with little payoff or a concerned friend who twice lost the nerve to speak I think it was most likely the killer. That said I have been looking into an unrelated cold case about a murdered 18 year old in the late 70s where kids from her school would torture her parents for years by calling and asking for her on her birthday and giggling and hang up, so there are sick individuals who do this kind of thing.

I have heard that Darlene's little brother has claimed he made the calls looking for pot but hung up rather than make an excuse when someone other than Darlene answered. Leo apparently turned into a hard criminal who was arrested years later with knives and guns and a kind of home invasion kit years later... but I have a lot of trouble believing this narrative.

It makes sense to me that the Zodiac if he wasn't intending on having long conversations would make all of his calls at once from the same payphone that he had deemed safe at 12:40. Who knows though he may well have spontaneously decided to make the calls later at home in the glow of the aftermath.

I'd love to think more about this today but I have to get to work!

Phillips66

4/11/2018 10:08:24 am

A few thoughts come to mind here after reading this very interesting article.
1.) It seems likely to me that the killer was indeed the one calling and that the intended target of the call was likely Dean Ferrin to sort of rub it in. Surely it was not the in-laws he was interested in. That makes me think that the killer may have been some one who was a jilted x-lover of Darleen's that held a grudge against Dean.
2.) The fact that he called Arthur Ferrin's house, the same address listed on Darlene's drivers license makes me wonder, at what point did Darleen live with Dean's parents at 930 Monterey st? Could this be a clue as to when the possible jilted lover was involved with Darlene? (thinking she still lived there).
3.) It's possible he looked at there drivers license after shooting her, I believe Mageau said they took out their ID thinking the killer was an approaching police officer, but then why call 1300 Virginia as well?
4.) If the real reason they were at BRS was to buy pot for Leo, and then they get shot - then Leo claims to be the one who made the calls to the Ferrin residences doesn't that make Leo look rather suspicious? just saying...

Richard

4/11/2018 10:45:14 am

These are excellent points, particularly no 2. The Vallejo Times-Herald ran an article on July 5th stating "Police Lieutenant Raymond Allbritton joined the investigation a short time later. He said a car in which the two victims had apparently been riding had been found and was registered to J Ferrin, 930 Monterey Street. The 1968-69 City Directory lists a Mr and Mrs Arthur J Ferrin at that address."
Darlene Ferrin supposedly dated a policeman. The assailant's vehicle approached from the rear and the killer bore a flashlight, which are procedures followed by the police. The flashlight may suggest the killer had prepared in advance or carried a flashlight as part of his regular profession. If the spurned suitor was a policeman then he doesn't need the driving license, although he could of, he can take the vehicle's registration and using a police database cross check the vehicle with the registered owner-in this case J Ferrin, 930 Monterey Street. Like you said, depending on when he dated her or had a tryst with her, may have thought since she was driving the vehicle registered to someone at 930 Monterey Street, concluded she lived there with Dean and rang up at 01.30 am to taunt him, like you said. When answered by Arthur J Ferrin, he hesitated, then hung up. He then located her true address and rang twice in an effort to taunt Dean. If he rang the Monterey residence first, it may indicate a connection to Darlene before she moved. The time of her move could be valuable information. Great points Phillips 66.

Phillips66

4/11/2018 03:41:36 pm

Huh. So the Corvair was actually Dean's father's car? I had never heard that.

Do you know where they lived prior to 1300 Virginia st.?

According to Graysmith they lived at 560 Wallace when they first got together and then moved to 1300 Virginia in May 1969. No mention of anywhere else.

In the her address book it lists Dean at 560 Wallace, and Paul Ferrin at 930 Monterey. Was Paul Dean's brother?
http://www.zodiackiller.com/DeeBook7.html

The police officer she "dated" Buzz - according to this she lived only 2 blocks away from him at 1300 Virginia st. So he knew where she lived.
http://www.zodiackiller.com/Buzz1.html

Then there was her x-husband who she left for Dean in 1967. Not sure when there last known contact was.

Hmmm interesting stuff.

Richard

4/11/2018 04:03:16 pm

"So the Corvair was actually Dean's father's car?" I'd never heard of it either, but that is what the newspaper said.
Because the police report on page 5 had her down as 930 Monterey, I assumed that was her previous address. I will check these details out soon.

Rubislaw 32 link

4/11/2018 04:23:30 pm

Reading comments,with interest.

I recently read that Pam had claimed that Darlene had only just acquired her driving licence,at the time of her death.

So,this might explain that she did not own the car,that she was using.

Phillips66

4/11/2018 04:58:53 pm

I know a lot of young people use their parents address on things like drivers licenses because they move from apartment to apartment so often. Maybe because the car was her father in-laws she used his address. Still, it's strange that the killer called both houses. Maybe there were only two Ferrin's in the phone book and he called them both?

Richard

4/12/2018 05:49:09 am

Bobby Ramos said in the Zodiac book "She Drove. She drove without a license. She was very capable. A lot of times she'd have a friend's car, Dean's boss' car."
May 9th 1969 Dean and Darlene purchased house at 1300 Virginia St, and previously lived at Wallace St, as you stated. Clearly here on page 5 of the police report it states Darlene Ferrin residing at 930 Monterey. http://www.zodiackiller.com/DFR5.html
If you read the context of the page from Hoffman's report, typed on the 5th July, it is clear this assumption of address has be gleaned from the vehicle's registration, tag number or vehicle identification number. This is his report. Clearly other officers visited 1300 Virginia Street in the early hours of the 5th July to inform Dean, so they knew where she lived. Obviously not every officer was on the same page.
This apparently was Hoffman's version from his interaction at the crime scene drafted at 5.15 am on the 5th July, only 5 hours after the crime. Then we get Allbritton "Police Lieutenant Raymond Allbritton joined the investigation a short time later. He said a car in which the two victims had apparently been riding had been found and was registered to J Ferrin, 930 Monterey Street. The 1968-69 City Directory lists a Mr and Mrs Arthur J Ferrin at that address."
Allbritton and Hoffman likely both knew the identity of Darlene Ferrin as the murdered woman, but both likely used the vehicle identification or the license to make the false assumption she lived at 930 Monterey, or at the very least Richard Hoffman did. If police can make this error, then so could the murderer, whether a policeman or not. This could explain why the residence at Monterey was dialed at 01.30 am. When Dean (who is obviously connected to Darlene) doesn't answer, he tries the second address. The exact mechanics of this error in ringing 930 Monterey, may have been corrected through the use of the directory as you suggested or by some other means. If the first of the three calls to the residences was to 930 Monterey, then this is far more pertinent than the other way round.

Richard

4/12/2018 06:26:03 am

I don't particularly believe Darlene Ferrin was necessarily a targeted victim, but it certainly doesn't pay to be a closed book on any Zodiac issues. This avenue is worth looking at further, although I doubt much can be gleaned 50 years after the fact that hasn't already been done. I still find the alleged visit to Mr Ed's visit very curious. You both decide to get something to eat because you're hungry, then just before you get there, Darlene suddenly decides to go to a rural parking lot nearing midnight. Did she spot somebody at the drive-in and more importantly did they spot here. Was this the first car in the Blue Rock Springs parking lot that night who parked alongside? Then went off to report his findings to a second person. Why did she say she would look for fireworks for a party at 1300 Virginia Street, the do the complete opposite and drive to Mageau's, the the drive-in, before changing her mind and heading off to Blue Rock Springs. There has to be a reason-was she trying to avoid somebody? It's a strange one, that must have a reasonable answer.

Richard

4/12/2018 06:46:14 am

Leo making the calls doesn't sound plausible, unless he was stoned out of his face and made a mistake. When somebody answers the phone just ask "is Darlene there". It's not that difficult. Besides, if he was ringing up about drugs at 01.30 pm, why would he ring 930 Monterey. He must have known she lived at 1300 Virginia Street.

Richard

4/12/2018 06:54:09 am

Leo Jnr was only 15. How likely is it that Darlene Ferrin would drive around at nearing midnight to purchase drugs for her kid brother, risking the wrath of her parents, and Leo rang 930 Monterey at 01.30 am. If it doesn't ring true, it usually isn't.

Phillips66

4/12/2018 07:44:20 am

Hmm. Interesting. Certainly the license plate would lead to Art Ferrin's address, but the way it is written in the police report gives Dee's date of birth, full name and Art Ferrin's address so that must be coming from her drivers license or some other form of ID. The license plate fo the car would not identify her. So the killer, as you said, made the same mistake as LE thinking she lived at 930 Monterey. The question it seems is did she ever actually live there? If she did at some point in the past it suggests that the killer knew her in the past. If she didn't ever live at 930 Monterey then it suggests that the killer probably didn't actually know her very well but may have at least know her name.

The fireworks story would be more believable if she actually had any money to buy fire works, but she only had .15 cents in her purse (unless Z took her money). I think one of the problems with the story around that night is that the story just doesn't make sense and there is a lie in it. Maybe it's that she went out to buy drugs at Mr. Ed's and then either the person she was looking for was not there or they were there and then went to meet at BRS. But I guess the thing is if she went out to buy drugs, why would the family lie about it? Clearly who ever she went to get drugs from would be the main suspect in the murder.

Of course I think it is possible that she did not know her killer but that requires writing off a lot of things as coincidence and writing off a lot of people as liars or dramatists. It seems far more likely to me that she did actually know her killer. To me this is the best lead in an attempt to solve the case.

Who wanted her dead? Who had the skill set to do it and what came afterwords? Perhaps the simplest answer is right there in the police reports. Some one the police interviewed early on but was cleared, like in so many other serial killer cases.

Drew

4/12/2018 08:33:40 am

If a drug deal was in the works it could be that Dee and Mike were on the selling end, made their commitment to the first car that pulled in to BRS along side them, and that car went to 'go get the money' and returned with violent intentions. I can certainly imagine why Mageau would be reluctant to lay out that entire narrative.

Richard

4/12/2018 10:23:13 am

Another possibility certainly. Michael Mageau stated her wore multiple layers because he was skinny. Not saying this was the case, but criminals are known to wear layers of clothing and after the crime ditch the top layer, or wear reversible clothing in some instances.

Rubislaw 32 link

4/11/2018 05:29:28 pm

Yes,Phillips66....this is certainly something to ponder.

What gnaws at me,in considering Zodiac's choice of actions,is that,time and again,he has displayed the behaviour of a sadist.

This presents difficulties in assessing him,in terms if a logical choice or decision.

Rubbery_Coleslaw

4/12/2018 05:33:22 am

The thing about serial killers is they can sometimes behave in ways that make them seem like a jilted ex-lover or boyfriend. You see, a serial killer may imagine that they are in a relationship with the victim that will last an eternity, even though they may have targeted the victim just minutes before.

Rubislaw 32 link

4/12/2018 06:05:03 am

That's an interesting observation,''Rubbery_Coleslaw''.

I have no hang ups on chosen names,and will take it ''on spec'',from Richard,that your's is a genuine comment [?].

The underlying nub of what we are discussing is,really,if there is evidence to suggest that Darlene had personal familiarity with Zodiac.

If so,investigating police should have had,statistically,about nine times greater chance of catching Darlene's killer.

We know that they haven't,to date....so any clues that might seem to suggest familiarity,between the two,appears to take on particular significance.....not least,in light of Darlene holding ''status'',of being a confirmed Zodiac victim.

I would say,that on general opinion,those that take an interest,are split three ways...no,yes,and maybe.

I was a ''maybe'',who has moved to a ''yes''.But mostly on further evidence in Zodiac's ciphers and Halloween Card.But,even if I am correct about the so called ''evidence'',Zodiac could have still been playing with us,over this possibility.

There appears to have been a lot of confusion,shock,and understandable grief,in the wake of Darlene's murder.She came from a large family,had many more acquaintances than most people.And,appears to have had a number of fingers in a number of pies.

Many ''players'' involved,in subsequent investigations.And,many claims.

I would still wager on Darlene and Zodiac's familiarity,but I am not entirely convinced,that they were actually lovers.This,I believe,comes down to confused messages between the two,with Zodiac's patience,worn to a frazzle.

Phillips66

4/12/2018 07:47:15 am

I agree Rubislaw 32.

Rubislaw 32 link

4/12/2018 10:29:47 am

You have put some good and thought provoking ideas forward,Phillips 66.

I just can't see there not being a knowing connection,between Darlene and Zodiac.This was an operetta within the wider Bay Area Opera,that represents Zodiac's reign of terror.

It could just be that because it isn't actually related to Zodiac's prime motive for his overall behaviour,that its solving has proved difficult.

The irony being that the solving of it,Darlene's case,would expose the rest of Zodiac's misdeeds.

Rubbery_Coleslaw

4/12/2018 04:55:11 pm

There is not much there to agree or disagree on. Lots of "ifs" and "maybes".

"I would still wager on Darlene and Zodiac's familiarity." Just idle speculation.

Drew

4/12/2018 08:24:12 am

The other day I thought it likely that all of the calls, if from the killer, would likely have been made at the same time from the same payphone unless the plan to make the Ferrin calls was a spontaneous afterthought. I feel differently about it today. Zodiac may have chosen to call the cops from the phone booth to avoid a potential trace but he could have realized that calling the victim's residence at this time would be impossible to trace.

The earlier the calls to the two Ferrin residences were placed (the closer they align with the Zodiac's 12:40 call) the more likely they appear to be from the killer, but if we choice to favour the estimation of 1:30 for the call to Dean's parents this would seem to be strong evidence that Zodiac was residing in the area at least on this night.

I like the suggestion made in an earlier article that the BRS shooter could have easily got blood on his elbow while leaning into the Corvair to shoot into the backseat necessitating that he retreat to his local residence to change or cleanup (or just dispense with his weapon) before venturing out to the payphone to make at least the call to the police station, but if not a local, why would Zodiac still be in town almost an hour later?

We can't know when or how close to Vallejo the calls were placed from, but if they were made between 1:10-1:20, around 30 or 40 minutes after Zodiac left the phone booth, approximately the same amount of time that elapsed between the crime and the first call, the parallel could further suggest the distance of the Zodiac's current residence and the location where these possibly spontaneous subsequent calls were made.

Phillps66

4/12/2018 09:08:52 am

If the calls did come at 1:30 and no reason to believe they didn't, It's a 50 minute drive to the Haight from the phone booth. So the killer could well be in San Francisco.

As for what the killer may have been doing between the murder and the call to police. Sexual self gratification is a reasonable possibility based on what I have read about other serial killers.

Of course the killer could be from Vallejo, just saying he could also be from San Fran

Richard

4/12/2018 10:14:19 am

"We can't know when or how close to Vallejo the calls were placed from, but if they were made between 1:10-1:20, around 30 or 40 minutes after Zodiac left the phone booth, approximately the same amount of time that elapsed between the crime and the first call, the parallel could further suggest the distance of the Zodiac's current residence and the location where these possibly spontaneous subsequent calls were made."
Absolutely, and excellent points. Why would Zodiac be hovering around the area not once, but possibly twice if he had no connection to the area. The inevitable blood transfer leaning into the vehicle to shoot Mageau in the back seat, wearing only a t shirt. I don't know which direction the shells ejected, but both were on the rear floorboard. Yes, he could have put on a jacket or changed his shirt before the 12.40 pm call without going home, but he would be taking a risk, not withstanding he has a gun on him and there is the possibility of his vehicle being recognized from the scene, particularly if he viewed Mageau falling out of the door. There is minimal to no risk going home and walking to the payphone with no blood on him, different clothes, no vehicle and no gun. He is just another pedestrian three miles from.a crime scene. Add this to the language used in the July 31st letters, for me, places him squarely in Vallejo somewhere near this payphone. If he lived near 1300 Virginia Street, what fun he could have watching the police activity at the Ferrin household, placing the secondary calls, and additionally he is a stone's throw from the Vallejo Times-Herald at Curtola Parkway. As you said Drew, if he lived in San Francisco, he could have split the 408 cipher into 2 parts of 12 lines. Or he could have written to any third newspaper, but chose the relatively small Herald. Probably because it was right on his doorstep and wanted to read his exploits locally, while still targeting the larger publications. He likely didn't keep writing to the Herald to take the focus away from his residence, somewhere he only worked like San Francisco.

Phillips66

4/12/2018 10:34:55 am

Following this line of plausible logic, wouldn't that make ALA a good candidate? At least geographically.

Richard

4/12/2018 10:55:21 am

Imagine Drew you lived where you do, and drove to another town to commit a random murder, then just 40 minutes later you ring police from a random payphone, how do you know that the road your on is travelling east to Columbus Parkway, and the route police would likely take from the Armador St police station to Columbus Parkway, is likely along Springs Road and has a bearing east. The police from the station would immediately be travelling east en route to the scene. This is why I believe the phone call directions (if not the distance) are entirely correct. "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot by a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year."
If you take a look at the expanded police report about the phone call and Nancy Slover's recollection, it refers to her version of the phone call as "substance of statement", not a verbatim transcription. She also stated that when he began talking she talked over him in an attempt to get his details, so we cannot be certain that the "one mile" he said is 100% accurate, because this was early on in the call when she was talking over him. Even early newspaper reports told a slightly different abbreviated message like " I shot them with a 9mm automatic". How anybody can claim the Zodiac's message was incorrect, while simultaneously claiming that Nancy Slover's recollection was word for word perfect. This to me is focusing on whether the content of the message is correct, while never contemplating the possibility of her hearing or recalling the message correctly.

Richard

4/12/2018 10:57:19 am

"Following this line of plausible logic, wouldn't that make ALA a good candidate? At least geographically."
Yes, geographically perfect, but little else.

KayElleSF

4/13/2018 04:07:40 pm

Sorry if I'm missing something but how could the cops be saying (on the night of Darlene's murder) "someone calling himself the Zodiac may be watching the house" when he wasn't known as Zodiac yet?

4/13/2018 10:59:30 pm

The brother has a facebook...it was 49 years ago and not sure if it would be polite but we could ask him about it.

Charles P link

6/28/2018 02:00:22 pm

When this Carmela Piccolo-Coakley makes this statement the police said 'someone calling himself the Zodiac' I wonder if this verbal exchange actually happened(?) Had the Zodiac referred to himself as 'the Zodiac' before his letter to the SF Examiner on August 4, 1969? From what the police have said in regards to those connected with the whole Ferrin/Suennen family--and perhaps, also, this Carmela lady by association--they've continually altered their accounts of that night's events. I wonder/doubt the 1:30 a.m. phone calls even happened.

Richard

6/28/2018 02:56:23 pm

The statement of the "police said 'someone calling himself the Zodiac' had rang VPD is just a case of hindsight by Carmela Piccolo-Coakley. The pseudonym Zodiac wasn't known until August 4th 1969.
Their statements have elaborated over the years, but since these statements were taken just hours after the murder, to send the police on a wild goose chase and detract from the real events (ie the phone call) would have been rather foolhardy. I believe the phone calls occurred, but whether they were Zodiac or not, who knows. It's a slim possibility, but not likely.

Sigmund

6/28/2018 07:05:15 pm

This reminds me of people who see a bright flash in the sky. A few days later a UFO researcher gets wind of the story and arranges to visit the people to interview them about their sighting. On his arrival the people immediately start calling the bright flash "a UFO".

The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing.

THE 01.30 AM PHONE CALLS

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