Cheri Jo Bates On October 30th 1966, Cheri Jo Bates was brutally murdered alongside the Riverside City College library by a knife-wielding Caucasian male, whose identity remains heavily clouded in mystery to this day. Numerous individuals have been investigated by law enforcement and suspected by amateur sleuths, but there is one man, known only by the alias "Bob Barnett", who has received more attention than anyone. A student at the Riverside City College, "Bob Barnett" came under the spotlight for the murder of Cheri Jo Bates because of his "close friendship" with the 18-year-old college girl, and whisperings that he had admitted to killing her. Hair and skin cells were retrieved from the fingernails and right thumb of Cheri Jo Bates and later tested for DNA, which proved negative in a comparison to the Riverside Police Department's prime suspect, "Bob Barnett". Despite this evidence appearing to rule him out of the murder, it seems to have done little to extinguish or dampen the belief of some police officers to the guilt of their long-time suspect.
The Zodiac Killer has long been thought to be the killer of Cheri Jo Bates by many researchers, who threatened the Bay Area and once promised to "pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out" of a school bus in a letter, mailed just two days after the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. The Zodiac connection to Riverside hit the newspapers on November 16th 1970 in an article by Paul Avery. Three days later, on November 19th 1970, a sniper (believed to have fired from across the street, behind a wall) took one shot at "Bob Barnett" as he left his home in Riverside and prepared to enter his vehicle. Fortunately for "Bob Barnett", the sniper missed their target and he managed to race inside his home and call the police. The Riverside Daily Press newspaper reported that the driver side window of his car was shattered, with police retrieving a .22 slug from the garage door. Although the timing of this shooting is unusual, it is very unlikely to have anything to do with the Zodiac Killer, and may be connected to his activities of a more current nature. I have obscured the real name and address of the prime suspect in the murder of Cheri Jo Bates from the newspaper article below. This information, along with the newspaper cuttings, were supplied to me by Zodiac researcher "NickDotterbart", who has done extensive work on this subject.
The Zodiac Killer has long been thought to be the killer of Cheri Jo Bates by many researchers, who threatened the Bay Area and once promised to "pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out" of a school bus in a letter, mailed just two days after the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. The Zodiac connection to Riverside hit the newspapers on November 16th 1970 in an article by Paul Avery. Three days later, on November 19th 1970, a sniper (believed to have fired from across the street, behind a wall) took one shot at "Bob Barnett" as he left his home in Riverside and prepared to enter his vehicle. Fortunately for "Bob Barnett", the sniper missed their target and he managed to race inside his home and call the police. The Riverside Daily Press newspaper reported that the driver side window of his car was shattered, with police retrieving a .22 slug from the garage door. Although the timing of this shooting is unusual, it is very unlikely to have anything to do with the Zodiac Killer, and may be connected to his activities of a more current nature. I have obscured the real name and address of the prime suspect in the murder of Cheri Jo Bates from the newspaper article below. This information, along with the newspaper cuttings, were supplied to me by Zodiac researcher "NickDotterbart", who has done extensive work on this subject.
"Bob Barnett" was currently awaiting trial on burglary charges, connected to a burglary ring masterminded by Riverside restauranter, Harold Fine. Owner of The Green Turtle restaurant just a short walk from the home of "Bob Barnett", Harold Fine made the unusual claim he got involved with stolen goods because it would enable him to identify the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, who he had known as a patron of The Green Turtle. The restaurant address was 9356 Magnolia Ave, approximately 2 1/2 miles from the home of Cheri Jo Bates at 4195 Via San Jose.
In a transcript from the Inland Empire magazine in 2008 (see below), Harold Fine revealed that "Bob Barnett" had admitted to him that he had killed Cheri Jo Bates. The reasoning being rejection, and the recent news that Cheri Jo Bates had become engaged to Dennis Highland. However, this obviously cannot be substantiated, and must be taken with a large pinch of salt from The Green Turtle owner.
The validity of "Bob Barnett" as a suspect in the murder of Cheri Jo Bates depends on many factors. We have to weigh up the DNA evidence ruling him out as being the donor of the hairs clutched in the blood-soaked hand of Cheri Jo Bates, with the murderous claims of friends and informants whose utterances cannot possibly be corroborated, and the notion of the Zodiac Killer being responsible, who is distinct and separate from the individual known as "Bob Barnett".
Recently Dion Walker, a diligent Zodiac researcher, acquired 55 FBI files concerning the fingerprint evidence in the case of Cheri Jo Bates, including documents pertaining to the Riverside Police Department's prime suspect, "Bob Barnett". With the permission of Dion Walker, I have placed a link to all the 55 FBI files below, which you are free to share. Also, a big thanks to "NickDotterbart" for his contribution to this article. .
ACCESS TO THE 55 FBI FILES OF CHERI JO BATES
In a transcript from the Inland Empire magazine in 2008 (see below), Harold Fine revealed that "Bob Barnett" had admitted to him that he had killed Cheri Jo Bates. The reasoning being rejection, and the recent news that Cheri Jo Bates had become engaged to Dennis Highland. However, this obviously cannot be substantiated, and must be taken with a large pinch of salt from The Green Turtle owner.
The validity of "Bob Barnett" as a suspect in the murder of Cheri Jo Bates depends on many factors. We have to weigh up the DNA evidence ruling him out as being the donor of the hairs clutched in the blood-soaked hand of Cheri Jo Bates, with the murderous claims of friends and informants whose utterances cannot possibly be corroborated, and the notion of the Zodiac Killer being responsible, who is distinct and separate from the individual known as "Bob Barnett".
Recently Dion Walker, a diligent Zodiac researcher, acquired 55 FBI files concerning the fingerprint evidence in the case of Cheri Jo Bates, including documents pertaining to the Riverside Police Department's prime suspect, "Bob Barnett". With the permission of Dion Walker, I have placed a link to all the 55 FBI files below, which you are free to share. Also, a big thanks to "NickDotterbart" for his contribution to this article. .
ACCESS TO THE 55 FBI FILES OF CHERI JO BATES
Transcript from the Inland Empire magazine in 2008
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