THE AUDIO CHALLENGE

7/3/2018

If anybody would like to mail me their thoughts on any or all of the following questions in the form of a podcast or recording, I will place your audible contributions on this site. There is no restriction on the length of the recording. If you would like to contribute, place a comment below and enter your email in the appropriate box and I will send my email to you for submission. Alternatively, comment in the usual manner.

1] Of all the possible locations in San Francisco, why did the Zodiac Killer choose to murder Paul Stine in the region of Presidio Heights. Whether his initial intention was Laurel or Maple Street, why did he choose this specific part of San Francisco rather than a more remote location- and why did he remove a section of Paul Stine's shirt in arguably the most risky of all his four settings (or did he)?

2] On November 16th 1970 Paul Avery wrote an article about a persuasive link between Riverside and the Zodiac Killer. Four months later the murderer mailed the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' letter and then 'disappeared' for nearly three years. What, if anything, does this say about the killer. One month after the Los Angeles letter, a Zodiac film was released on April 7th directed by Tom Hansen, and later that year the blockbuster 'Dirty Harry' movie based on the Zodiac Killer was released on December 23rd 1971, directed by Don Siegel- but still nothing from the killer.

3] Zodiac basked in the attention of writing to the newspapers. So why did he wait just over seven months after the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen to put pen to paper?

4] The mailing of letters to police from killers is not commonplace. The Bates letters and July 31st 1969 letters were both mailed as a trinity of communications. This is extremely rare, if not unheard of. Bearing in mind the suggestion of a Zodiac link to Riverside, does this rare occurrence indicate that a trinity of consecutive communications is compelling evidence for such a link? If not the Bates murder, then certainly the Bates letters.

5] If the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald had refused to print any of the Zodiac Killer's communications and given him limited publicity, do you believe Zodiac would have committed the Lake Berryessa attack and Presidio Heights murder. Would the path of the Zodiac Killer have changed course. Did the publicity fuel the fire?

6] A vehicle pulled up beside Darlene Ferrin's brown Corvair approximately 5-10 minutes before the shooting. Was this the Zodiac Killer, and if so, why did he pull away and return?

7] If the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates disabled her vehicle shortly after she entered the library at 6 pm, why were greasy palm and fingerprints reported by detectives as being found on her car door, when it was totally unnecessary for the killer to ever have touched her car door while disabling the vehicle or offering her assistance- also bearing in mind the murder likely occurred 4 hours after the disabling of the vehicle. How did these greasy prints end up here?

8] A vehicle was spotted by James Owen heading toward Vallejo as he passed the Borges Ranch on his approach to the turnout at Lake Herman Road. The occupant of this vehicle never came forward. If we make the assumption this was the killer, how can we reconcile this with what James Owen said in his statements to police?

9] Why did the Zodiac Killer separate his 408 cipher into three parts, but left the 340 whole. Did his choice of Dripping Pen have any significance. And what is his Thing?

10] Why did the Zodiac Killer (if not the hoaxer/s) flip the text on the 13 Hole postcard and Pines card. Does either have any significance or any correlation to one another?

Tam

7/3/2018 02:54:58 am

I think he may have been on his way home and decided to kill Stine at the last minute but didn’t want to do it right outside his house.

Richard

7/3/2018 03:12:14 am

Let us say he lived nearby. We have a possible white Chevrolet Impala hovering around LHR, a vehicle described as a 1966 or 1967 light blue Chevrolet at Berryessa and a vehicle (probably a Corvair) at BRS, We have two police sketches, an age range of 25-45, heavyset, rimmed glasses, crew cut, handwriting, and a bloodied fingerprint. Cross checking the nearby male population for any or some of these characteristics should have been relatively easy, even back in 1969. If we assume his direction of walk was an effort to reach home, his residence would have been nearby. I personally don't believe he lived nearby, but would never rule it out blindly.

Shawn

7/3/2018 06:03:43 am

SF had 500,000 white people in 1970. 48 percent of all races was male. Approx 246,000 was white male. Let's say 1/4 of the white male population fell in the 20 to 45 range. That would be 61,000 white males in 20 to 45 range.

SF is 8 miles from bay to sea. Wash and Cherry is approx in the middle. A 4 mile walk East West South would cover much of the 61,000 suspect living range.

Walking east a walkable 4 miles to bay... let's say 1/4 of men in the age range lived in that direction. That still is approx 15,000 men in the age range to investigate which would have been overwhelming in that time.

Tom

7/5/2018 05:31:27 am

So you murder a cab driver and are observed walking away from the scene. A couple of minutes later you claim to have encountered SFPD and misdirect them, and further incriminate your self by including a piece of the victum’s shirt in the communication. You do state however that you have a disgise that prevents you from being identified. Added to the mix are reports that SFPD had contact with Mr. X in the vacinity shortly after the murder. If I was known to the authorities would I incriminate myself by revealing my identity in a communication that related the events that evening?

Shawn

7/3/2018 06:54:45 am

I extrapolated my numbers from the below website. Looking at other statistic websites my numbers are probably conservative for the 25 to 45 age white male range at 61,000 in SF.

I would say once Zodiac is about 1 mile from the crime scene (15 minute walk) the suspect is probably out of danger from being caught since the police are bogged down searching in the Julius Kahn Park area.

http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/counties/SanFranciscoCounty70.htm

Drew

7/3/2018 08:34:09 am

Good stuff Richard, I shall begin preparing my pontification forthwith!

Rubislaw 32 link

7/4/2018 03:02:30 am

A good idea,Richard.

Unfortunately,I am technologically,''backward'' .

Some great questions,though.

If I might have a ''stab'' at "9" and ''10'' :

With the "408'' cipher,Zodiac was looking for maximum local exposure,and therefore split the cipher into three,giving a third each,to the three newspapers,with the largest readership.

In Zodiac's July 31st 1969 letter to the S.F. Examiner,Zodiac wrote :

''If you do not print this cipher,I will go on a kill rampage Fry night.''

I believe that we can say,with confidence,that Zodiac's ''Thing'' was a ''Kill Rampage''.

Placing text,upside down,in relation to other text,is often performed as a subliminal telegraphing of affiliations with Satan or simply anti-Christian.

Probably one of Zodiac's silly red herring ''clews'' [?].

Zodiac,in reality,was more about the Sun and the Moon and the Stars,in the real world.

And,of course,himself.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/4/2018 11:51:08 am

If I could,perhaps,''pipe up'' on question ''8'',Richard,as a general viewpoint.

Hopefully to see a few more of your readers,enter the debate [?].

From reports,both documented and generally observed,it would appear that Zodiac,in all probability,was stalking the actual Lake Herman Road,in his mobile motorcar,as opposed to specifically stalking the car park.

Reports from motorists using the road,that evening,indicate a number of cases of being followed briefly....then overtaken at high speed.

It's as if Zodiac realised that he could make a greater assessment of potential victims,by this sort of activity....with the confidence of stealing a minute or so of time,to set himself up nearby the car park,if a favoured victim or victims,happened to turn in to use it.

As David and Betty Lou,happened to do.

It is indeed possible,that Zodiac had sussed them out already,a mile or so,before their use of the car park.

Their number was already up,before they had reached their desired destination.

Sully link

7/4/2018 06:00:42 pm

Happy 4th Richard..Q 1: Presidio was a stones' throw away from the Stine hit, AND Presidio was 5 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge. So once inside the Military base, Zodiac was no longer in SFPDs radar. A no brainer here really.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/5/2018 06:19:57 am

I agree Sully....as close to a ''no brainer'',as appears,from observation.

With that murder,it seems that Zodiac targeted a collection of taxis,that congregated,in ''theatreland'',at a certain time.....as opposed,to Paul Stine,himself.

At Lake Berryessa,Zodiac targeted a specific beach headland.....as opposed to Bryan and Ceciia,themselves.

At LHR,Zodiac targeted the actual road users,as opposed to David and Betty Lou,themselves.

At BRS,Zodiac's target was Darlene Ferrin.

That one was personal

Sully link

7/9/2018 02:01:18 pm

Had a Family reunion in SF recently. So being a Z nut, slipped away and walked from Cherry St crime scene to 3712 Jackson St and then to the perimeter fence now surrounding the defunct Presidio property. Took a little longer than expected as knee gives me the 'gimp limp' too. But ALL DOWNHILL past expensive homes to Maple Street.

Parking on Jackson St clearly wud've been a risk for Z that night also, as spaces were few on this busy street. Why he chose the Cherry St. 'kill spot' far enuf from his getaway car, intrigues me now, as I'll definitely walk it again soon...

Rubislaw 32 link

7/6/2018 02:22:49 am

Hi Richard.

You will have noticed that I recently posted,in relation to the strange ''Z like'' symbols,that were written in correspondences to the Riverside Police and Enterprise newsaper,circa April 1967.

My interpretation was,that they resembled lower case ''m's'' with fancy tails.This holds closest familiarity with the symbol for ''Scorpion''.

It appears that Zodiac's final documented correspondences,were the Eureka Card and Celebrity Cypher,in 1990.

Both are officially unauthenticated,and we are aware that neither surfaced in the public domain,at that time.Lyndon Lafferty started to dispense a copy of the Celebrity Cypher,circa 2006,and the Eureka Card was allegedly unearthed,by the SF Chronicle,in 2007.

So,if it is the case that the two 1990 correspondences were from Zodiac,he would have been aware that they were not made public,close to the time that he sent them.

Perhaps more than a coincidence,that ciphers and letters started to emerge,after 1990,mostly to the NYPD,by someone referring to themselves as ''The Scorpion''.

Clearly,an inference should not be overlooked,that Zodiac may have renamed and repackaged himself,as ''The Scorpion''....frustrated at the lack of exposure,that the authorities were giving him [?].

Are you aware of the last correspondence,either authenticated or unauthenticated,that was published,shortly after it was written ?

Perhaps in the 80's ?

If only to judge,at what point Zodiac may have become frustrated that the authorities may have elected to ''blank'' him.

Naturally,I will started looking into the ciphers,post 1990,from ''The Scorpion''.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/6/2018 02:40:03 am

....sorry,my typing and long sight,is not at its best,this morning.

Appreciate any information.

Richard

7/6/2018 05:46:57 am

Sorry, never heard of the "Scorpion" or heard of any ciphers or letters post 1990 or before Rubislaw. You may have to provide some links.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/6/2018 07:08:17 am

Roger on that one Richard....one good reference is zodiackillersite.com

The thread : Scorpion=Zodiac ?

We should not confuse this work,with Herberto Seda,the New York Zodiac Killer [1990-1996].

A few years ago,the FBI published two of the ciphers,and letters.There are believed to be,at least six ciphers,from ''Scorpion''.

The card with the ''flag like'' symbols,is believed to be linked,and is actually claimed,in writing,to be from the [SF] Zodiac.

Richard

7/6/2018 09:42:52 am

I will have a read of the thread. At first glance it looks like somebody passing themselves off as Zodiac by dropping hints, but certainly, if the Zodiac was responsible for the Eureka card, he was definitely capable of reinvigorating himself for one last hurrah. Apparently the FBI weren't convinced.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/6/2018 11:57:57 am

Thanks....particularly if you find out,which of [SF] Zodiac's attributed correspondences,confirmed or unconfirmed,was published,closely after it was mailed.

It could even be,as early as the April 1978 one [?].

Seda,as far as I am aware,never sent any ciphers....but a number of letters.Naturally,by the content of his moniker,he was inspired by the Zodiac,and accompanying literature by authors,like Graysmith.

Seda ended up in a siege with the cops,eventually lowering his weapons,from his apartment,and walking out,wearing a saucepan,for a hat.

The FBI have never revealed,why they published the two ciphers,plus some letters.Nor indeed,why they still keep hold of,probably,another four ciphers.

Only one thing for it.....I will have to make the time,to try to solve the ciphers.More possible information,can then be revealed.

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