THE BULLET IN THE MAIL

3/22/2020

Not only did a shell casing go missing from the crime scene to the submitted items at the Department of Justice, but one bullet was also missing from both the police report and the Department of Justice records. Ten shots were fired that night - 5 shots to the back of Betty Lou Jensen (recorded at autopsy), 1 shot into David Faraday, 2 shots into the Rambler and 2 were unaccounted for, believed to have missed their intended target. Betty Lou Jensen had five entry wounds and three exit wounds, however, only two bullets were ever recovered from outside the body of Betty Lou Jensen. These were noted in the Supplemental Investigation Report and Department of Justice files (shown below). In total, only seven bullets were ever retrieved. One bullet is missing from the record. At autopsy it was determined that 6 bullets were fired into both victims - and with the two bullets retrieved from the Rambler it was determined 8 bullets had been fired in total - yet only 4 of the bullets related to Betty Lou Jensen were noted in the DOJ Report below.

Betty Lou Jensen Autopsy:
There are five bullet wounds of entry on the right side of the back: three on the posterior chest cage and two over the right lower posterior lumbar areas. From up downwards:
[1] The first is located in the 5th intercostal space, 3 and 3/4 inches right of the midline.
[2] The second is in the 8th intercostal space, 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[3] The third is in the 9th intercostal space, 1 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[4] The fourth in the tip of the right 12th rib, 3 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[5] The fifth is over the crest of the posterior right iliac bone and 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
There are three exit wounds:
[1] The first is over the left interior chest laterally and left margin of the breast, in the 4th intercostal space and 5 and 1/2 inches from the sternum.
[2] The second is in the anterior abdominal wall, below the xyphoid process and 1/2 an inch from the midline.
[3] The third is laterally and 3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus.

Heart: A bullet wound penetrates from right to left through both atrium.
Lungs: There are three through and through bullet wounds, corresponding to the three bullet wounds of entry on the right posterior chest cage and one bullet wound through the left lung, in line with the wound through the heart. They are associated with extensive hemorrhage of both lungs.
Abdominal Cavity: A bullet wound penetrates the liver. A bullet wound penetrates the right kidney, the left is normal.
Head: No injuries or skull fractures.
The bullet wound over the posterior iliac crest penetrates the deep muscles and exits to the right of the umbilicus. One bullet is recovered in the subcutaneous tissue of the base of the anterior neck (left side) and the other bullet in the subcutaneous tissue anterior to the right 7th rib, which it penetrated of the sternum. The entry wounds aperture 3/16 inch in diameter. The exit wounds are larger.

3/22/2020 02:44:43 pm

It stands to reason that since there were spent rounds available at the scene. Then he probably grabbed one. Although the other routes are possible they are not plausible. Tomas Horan's hypothesis is gradually losing credibility. As for his saying that Hal Snook killed Paul Stine. That is close to impossible. And officer Denise Land Stabbing a couple at the Napa Lake is only possible if you have real proof he was in the COS. But even then what would be the reason? Because GraySmith and Snook need to sell smack to the Hell's Angles? Who does Horan think he's fooling? I have explored every one of those angles. Literally living each one for a period of ten, twenty, or more days. But, I did not sell my soul by ruining my credibility in the process. My word, or my name - that is all I got. That is my soul. I don't want to flush it forever - based on making money. If I do have to sacrifice my soul for something let it be for the truth. In speculating you have to go out there - to the brink of madness. But gradually as you pull back from the edge - maybe you can catch a glimpse of the truth. That thing we mortals are not permitted.

Tom1

3/22/2020 07:12:23 pm

I know I am somewhat old and a little slow but this is absolutely the most confusing article I have ever tried to read in my life on this earth.

Richard

3/23/2020 01:32:18 am

Please expand Tom and I'll see if I can help.

Tom1

3/23/2020 05:57:29 am

Starting to feel better. It was the number of bullets. As if one of the found bullets was missing from the report. So two bullets missed all together and one of the eight that struck something is missing. Well not surprising when one considers an outdoor shooting scene next to vast empty fields. It seems every crime scene from simple to complex ends up with contradictions in eyewitness accounts and evidentiary discrepancy. Mr Z’s escapades are no different. Thanks for the reply and all that you do
TM

Richard

3/23/2020 07:43:06 am

The investigators/police noted 10 spent casings at the crime scene, so they knew 10 shots had been fired. They knew (from autopsy) that both victims had a total of 6 entry wounds. They knew that 2 bullets were recovered from the Rambler. So they could account for 8 bullets that either struck a victim or struck the vehicle. They knew that a total of 10 shots were fired that night because of the 10 casings, so couldn't account for 2 bullets.

But in actuality, they only listed 4 of the 5 bullets that struck Betty Lou Jensen.
[1] 2 bullets recovered from her body at autopsy .
[2] 1 bullet found in her panties
[3] 1 bullet recovered from the turnout floor

Where is the 5th bullet that struck her?
It was an exit wound bullet, but only 2 of the 3 exit wound bullets were recovered. Numbers [2] and [3].

The mistake could have been adding the 6 entry wounds to both victims, to the 2 bullets recovered from the Rambler, to total 8. Rather than add the 5 bullets related to the victims, to the 2 from the Rambler, to make 7.

6 entry wounds to both victims + 2 from Rambler = 8.
2 bullets from inside BLJ + 1 bullet from her panties + 1 bullet on turnout floor near her body + 1 bullet from David Faraday + 2 from Rambler = 7.

There is a difference between totalling up the bullets retrieved that night, by using the actual bullets related to BLJ (4), rather than counting the entry wounds on BLJ (5). This may have led to the error.

Chaucer1

3/23/2020 11:10:13 am

I believe Mike Morford has gone on record stating that he knows one of the responding officers kept the missing shell as a souvenir. I won't reveal the name of the officer here, but a search of Morf's site should provide and answer.

Richard

3/23/2020 02:58:43 pm

It was Russell Butterbach according to Mike Rodelli.

3/23/2020 01:10:16 pm

Chaucer1 - The shells only matter in the count and placement at the crime scene. It was a spent round that was sent-in with the swatch.

Carl Karas link

5/5/2020 03:52:55 am

Hey Richard I tried to post a comment on the Evan in Texas post but it won't accept any typing. Check it out. Looking at some of the comments here this might even be a better spot.

Evans's video is excellent and well worth the time. It led me back to the long 2007 doc to check something. Detective Pierre Bidou of Vallejo imho gives one of the most moving and intelligent interviews in Zodiac case history. He was there at LHR of course. And in direct contradiction to what Evan states, Bidou emphasizes the Lover's Lane use of the Road and the turn-out. "All the kids knew..." he states.

The analysis of handwriting in Evan's video is superb, and absolutely convincing, as he notes the insertions, gaps, upside down letters. However there's nothing much to connect it to Snook. Except a similar handwriting and a single letter correction. In general though I'm not convince a war hero and a man with such a brilliant career would feel the need to stoop to faking evidence.

Then continuing to look at the treatment of LzHR in the long 07 video, I noted 2 details I'd passed over before. Gave me a new scenario for the crimes. One is the 'ring'. The other is the pattern of gunshots which can be seen in Betty Lou's back. What I now think happened shows an incredible level of deception only a psychotic killer would be interested in putting out there.

David and Betty Lou were standing outside the car. David was presenting the ring to Betty Lou, which would have meant they were going steady. Zodiac was not parked in the turn out. His vehicle was parked a little away down the road and hidden. He'd been watching the couple hidden in the dark. As the ring ceremony commenced he snuck up on them from behind. Killed David at close rang. He never let go of the ring. Betty Lou was shot immediately as she turned to run. She ran 20+ feet before she fell. Zodiac, with flashlight, finishes her off while she's on the ground immobile, from a few feet away. Check out the pattern of shot to see if you agree. Deception here, and more deception when finally he shoots into the car to make it look like possibly there's another perp.

Later he writes in the letter the bs about the flashlight gun, which I've never find convincing. He's trying to make himself look like a scary good marksman with a diabolical strategy. He's deceiving and trying to terrify in the letter. Evil, psychotic, a portent of things to come. Not something Snook would do. Sorry, Evan, the Zodiac is real.

Carl from Texas

Richard

5/5/2020 04:46:18 am

I've checked the other page Carl and cannot find any problems. Irrespective of that, I have recently had my questions about James Owen's version of events, notably the viewing of two vehicles with nobody in or around them. Of course, your idea would rely heavily on this second vehicle not existing, or having been there moments before the murders, but totally unrelated to them.I know Alex Lewis proposed the idea of a perpetrator on foot rather than in a vehicle - and while not impossible - it isn't evidenced by what James Owen stated. So we would likely have to disregard his statements entirely to make the "walking assailant" a reality. Could he have added "I will cruse around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again" in his July 31st 1969 letter to give the impression he was targeting people in his vehicle - sure - but no advantage is really gained by this. He apparently never targeted Benicia or Vallejo again. With nothing but eyewitnesses around the LHR murders, we effectively have to fill in the blanks. The murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen could in theory have been attacked by a lone assailant on foot, but I believe the odds favour somebody in a vehicle. Once shots rang out in that area, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be making my escape on foot, rather vacate the area as quick as possible. If Benicia PD really did receive a crank call reporting an accident circa 11:25 pm, then this may bolster the notion of a murderer who drove away from the turnout. So, while the assailant on foot angle cannot be summarily disproved, I favour the alternative. Especially because of the 2 bullets casings found 14 feet and 20 feet to the right of the Faraday Rambler. These marry up with an assailant firing off 2 shots into the Rambler as soon as he exited his vehicle, which bounced off the vehicle to their respective positions. If he snuck up on the couple and executed David Faraday at close range, then turned towards the fleeing Jensen and fired 5 or 6 times, you would expect all the casings to be grouped (as most were), but this wouldn't explain the two distant casings at 14 and 20 feet.

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THE BULLET IN THE MAIL

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