THE DMV LETTER

6/29/2018

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS SINCE BEEN SUPERSEDED BY 'THE SACRAMENTO DMV' ARTICLE.

Tom Voigt, creator of the hugely successful ZodiacKiller.com website has been striving to secure Zodiac material previously withheld from the public for many years. Authenticated by a state document examiner, the DMV letter was mailed to the chairman of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, yet its delivery date and contents have remained elusive to this day. It appears the overriding consensus, that the closer this correspondence was mailed to the four canonical crimes, the more likely it is to be genuine Zodiac material. Having read the limited forum threads on this topic, the murder of taxicab driver Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969 comes to the fore.
Tom Voigt stated "While I don't yet have as many details as I would like, at some point the Zodiac wrote a letter to the chairman of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in California. The letter was authenticated, apparently via handwriting, and was kept quiet for reasons unknown. The reason I have only lately been attempting to get permission from my source is because I just recently learned from victim Paul Stine's sister that Paul's wife at the time of his murder worked for the DMV".
There is a California Department of Motor Vehicles at 1377 Fell Street, San Francisco, the same street that Paul Stine resided (1842 Fell Street) and just 700 meters away- but whether the suspect letter was mailed to the San Francisco offices and forwarded to the Department of Justice in Sacramento, or mailed directly to Sacramento, maybe Tom can elaborate.
The Paul Stine police report suggested that the "suspect may also be in possession of the keys to the Yellow Cab, and possibly has the wallet belonging to the victim," so whether the Zodiac Killer mailed any possessions of Paul Stine with his communication to the DMV chairman is uncertain. Having no idea the date this letter was mailed, opens up the possibility it may be connected to the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969, the only confirmed Zodiac crime in which the killer seemingly failed to document in letter form.

Having left his message on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's 1956 White Karmann Ghia, it is not unrealistic to consider that any correspondence following this crime may have been automobile related, hence the connections being drawn to the California Department of Motor Vehicles letter. Tom Voigt stated that "Paul's wife at the time of his murder worked for the DMV," but can we connect a possible Zodiac victim to the California Department of Motor Vehicles in or around the five murders attributed to Zodiac.

Sandra Garcia (20)

On Saturday February 21st 1970, five months after the Paul Stine murder, John Franklin Hood (24) and Sandra Garcia (20) had traveled to East Beach, Santa Barbara, near East Cabrillo Boulevard- with John telling his parents he was to spend the day with his fiancee. Sandra had informed her parents that they "wouldn't be gone long," however, when they didn't return home that night the families became understandably concerned.
Their bodies were discovered early Sunday morning by beachgoers, fully clothed underneath a blanket. They had been brutally beaten and stabbed, predominantly in the back and face.
John Hood had been stabbed eleven times, but it appears Sandra Garcia suffered the brunt of the attack, not dissimilar to the senseless attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. Had the Zodiac Killer returned to a familiar method of execution after his venture into the heart of San Francisco, and was the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969 the foreboding of a man who was about to murder once again, stating he may "lose control again and take his ninth or possibly tenth victim." Were John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia those victims.
"The eldest of six children, Hood was born in Seattle. He came to California with his family in 1950. He attended El Rio Elementary School and graduated from Camarillo High School in June, 1965. After graduation, he worked at Wimpy's Drive-In in Oxnard and then joined the Army in January 1966. He spent two years in Germany with the 64th Armored Division after boot training in Ft. Bliss, Texas, and then returned home for leave before being sent to Vietnam. While on leave, Hood met Sandra while they were both vacationing in Tijuana, Mexico. An expert marksman, Hood was sent to Vietnam on January 6, 1969 with the 64th Armored Division. Hood was closed-mouthed about the combat-filled year he spent there and about the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other medals he had received for valor. After returning to Oxnard, he went back to work for the drive-in eatery. Although Hood and Sandra were planning to be married, they had not set a wedding date." Oxnard Press Courier, February 23, 1970. Sandra Garcia worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles in Oxnard, Santa Barbara.
Was the DMV letter claiming this double murder, but was withheld from publication by police, who were unsure of a connection to the Zodiac Killer, or because of the sensitive details contained within the communication. We may have to wait a little longer to find out.

FOOTNOTE: On September 12th 1987, Jose Santo Bugarin (26) and Rodolfo Alvaro (31) were traveling on King Road, San Jose, California when their car slammed into four children playing on the front lawn of a residence, killing three and injuring one. The driver then backed over the bodies and left the scene. Both were apprehended a short time later. "Bugarin was arrested on three counts of second-degree murder. Alvaro also was arrested on murder charges." Chicago Tribune.
This was covered extensively in the newspapers. Just over six weeks later a letter claiming to be from the Zodiac Killer was mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald on October 28th 1987.
Update: "SAN JOSE (AP) A man who ran over and killed three children entered a plea bargain on Wednesday, pleading no contest to second degree murder and two vehicular manslaughter charges. Jose Santos Bugarin, 26, of San Jose, had two of the original murder charges filed against him changed to manslaughter. He will be sentenced to 21 years and eight months in state prison. Bugarin was the driver of a car that plowed through a front yard on King Road in San Jose on Sept. 12, killing three children." San Bernardino Sun- December 3rd 1987.
Did the Zodiac Killer or the author of the 1987 letter read the news stories of this senseless crime and callously draw inspiration from this tragedy (Cars make nice weapons), compelling him to write the above correspondence, piggybacking off newspaper articles, in not dissimilar fashion to his early communications.
The Car movie featured a satanic driverless car running people over in the fictional desert town of Santa Ynez in Utah. IMDB.
However, Santa Ynez is not so fictional in California. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara. It is situated just 20 minutes or 12 miles (as the crow flies) from the site of the Robert Domingos (18) and Linda Edwards (17) murders on June 4th 1963, widely touted as an early Zodiac crime. See article 'Death on Four Wheels'.

Thanks to Tom Voigt at ZodiacKiller.com

FORUM THREAD 1

FORUM THREAD 2

20 Comments

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 02:29:16 pm

Still taking your very interesting article,all in,Richard.

But,on a matter of immediate notice,are you able to shed any light on this inference,that Zodiac may have used a ''bayonet'',at Lake Berryessa ?

Do you think this was a specifically accurate description of the knife employed.

Or,was this perhaps,just a general description for a ''long knife'',then ?

It does raise questions,regarding whether investigating police,were thinking in terms of a military man as the perpetrator,for more reasons,than just ''wing walkers'' [?].

Richard

6/29/2018 02:35:35 pm

'Dr DE Petris stated that after examining the wounds inflicted on Miss Shepard it was his opinion that the weapon used would be from 9 to 11 inches in length and one inch in width and possibly sharpened on both sides on the top of the blade similar to a bayonet type weapon. In addition the wounds indicated it would be a heavy or sturdy type blade'.
So similar to a bayonet I suspect, rather than a bayonet literally.

Shawn

6/30/2018 08:39:26 am

Does the DMV Letter really exist?

Is there wordage in the FBI files that hint to a DMV Letter?

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 03:02:58 pm

Thanks.I had overlooked the ''possibly sharpened on both sides'' description,before.

So,from expert surmise of the knife,it could well have been a bayonet,with Zodiac fashioning a handle,with duct tape,for instance [?].

Naturally,we shouldn't jump to conclusions on the perpetrator being a military man.He may have found an old bayonet,in an antiques shop.

But,the likelihood from analysis of wounds sustained,seems quite high....that it was a bayonet.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 03:56:24 pm

Hi Richard - it's not my intention to detract too much from your article's intentions....but,from the wound inspections of Dr.Petris,it seems like an actual bayonet ''all over''.

We move forward to Presidio,and it appears ''all over'' that Zodiac employed a pen knife,with a retractable blade [...like a switch...],to remove Stine's shirt part.

The inference is that,for convenience and personal choice,and firearms apart,Zodiac liked a weapon that was ''slick and tidy''.

I have Zodiac down,as committing murder,by bludgeoning to the head,in 1978 and 1981.Both murders are generally believed to involved a motorcar tool,like a monkey wrench.

But recently,I have ''concluded'',and informed the ''authorities'',that the weapon,in both cases,was a brass desk ruler.

Again,''slick and tidy''.

Drew

6/29/2018 04:30:20 pm

A connection between this crime and the DMV letter is certainly an intriguing proposition, perhaps more so than a Stine connection, considering Zodiac had already proven his involvement in that crime. I wonder how many investigators are aware of the details about this DMV letter. The fact that even the date it was sent is unknown could be very telling. If the letter did take credit for victims 9 and 10 (and it wasn't published so he repeated the total in his next letter) I'm surprised the information has not been leaked. It would virtually certify a Zodiac connection and this Santa Barbara murder could have garnered more attention and perhaps a solution.

It would be an incredible secret to keep if shirt or dress portions were taken from the victims at the Lake Berryessa or any of the Santa Barbara attacks. Maybe a zodiac symbol was drawn somewhere and they decided not to give Zodiac the credit he desired. I didn't see a description of the weapon used. Perhaps it matched the characteristics of the one used at Lake Berryessa or in the Domingos and Edwards attack.

The "good reason" for keeping details back could be anything of course and may point away from Zodiac. The only thing that strikes me as an odd element if it was Zodiac is the beating of the victims. Although it does match the Domingos and Edwards attack in many ways, to me the beating in both situations implies that the killer(s) was not fully in control of the situation whereas Zodiac's strategies always ensured his position of power and he gained even more control over his victims after each crime.

If the couple were fully clothed under the blanket when he began his attack it would foreshadow and surely relate to the one that would occur several months later on the Santa Barbara teenagers in July 5 1970. If Zodiac was known to the public as being more than an empty threat publicity hound through 1970, that he in fact was matching his taunting death count in reality, that could have caused a lot of panic, especially with the bomb threat looming. The other bayonet style Zodiac affiliated murder of Robert Salem April 1970 was also quickly dismissed publicly as being related to Zodiac. It sure would be interesting to hear what investigators who have all of this info at the ready think about these outliers.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 04:58:06 pm

Interesting what you have to say,Drew.

I am just catching up with this article,and of course the possible ''bludgeoning aspect'' to Zodiac.

Just initially,I note that the Hood/Garcia murders,involved a blanket,left to cover them.More than likely,that the blanket was originally used,as the couple's groundsheet,but ended up,at their perpetrator's choice,as a cover.

Another murder that I have Zodiac down for,involved strangulation of a young woman,forced to strip first.Her clothes were later found strewn about a housing estate,a few miles away....as if the perpetrator had chucked them out of his car window,while still mobile.

However,when the body of the young woman was found,there remained a wooly jumper,that had been neatly placed over her upper body,as if to keep the cold of the night,at bay.

A little bit of conscience there,perhaps [?].As in how infants are inclined to tuck up their teddy bears and dolls,at night.

Drew

6/29/2018 05:27:11 pm

I too think the couple were awake and that the blanket could have been between them and their attacker during the incident. Unless we learn that Zodiac did attempt to take credit for the murders in some way I will likely remain unconvinced but it is certainly worthy of more investigation than it has received.

Zodiac could have been more prolific than we know, absolutely, but it still seems very possible to me that the Santa Barbara murders are all related to another serial killer stalking beaches. Ultimately I don't know enough to develop a particularly keen perspective on the big picture of criminals around there at that time or crimes committed in that area. If the DMV letter was sent to Garcia's place of work in 1970 or if anything was left at (or taken from) the crime scene indicating Zodiac involvement in any way I would definitely believe that there was a real connection. Proving any of the outlier crimes would completely alter my view of what Zodiac claimed in his letters.

Where and when was the crime committed with the strangled young woman? Are there any compelling Zodiac connections that you could share? Did the strangulation involve rope?

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 06:30:02 pm

Yea....I'm holding back a bit,on complete transparency,since I don't want to appear to be too sensationalist.But.there are certainly aspects to these other crimes,that indeed compliment Zodiac crimes that are ''confirmed'' and ''possible''.

I certainly take your point,Drew,about the possibility that there was a separate Santa Barbara killer.

The ones I am focusing on,post Bay Area,amount to 5,between 1978 and 1981.Three are strangulation,all garottings,with the three all forced to strip first.The other two are blunt force trauma,by budgeoning to the head.

Then,a final murder in 2005....another strangulation of a naked young woman.

Hopefully,the one which will collapse the ''house of cards''.

Drew

6/29/2018 06:45:38 pm

Fair enough Rubislaw. It's very disturbing to think that Zodiac continued his criminality in the fashion you have described but I certainly wouldn't discount the possibility. I wish you luck in your pursuits good sir.

Tom

6/30/2018 06:15:44 am

Have you looked at the double murder of two young women in Fremont, Calif in the 1980’s?

Rubislaw 32 link

6/29/2018 07:06:20 pm

Thanks Drew.I would ordinarily like to post,under my real name...but I just feel comfortable with an ''edge'' of anonymity.

I spent three years on one of the murders....then suddenly fell into the Zodiac case,by accident.

It's nine tenths about genuine motive,really.The one thing I can't give away,for L.E.'s sake.

But,it still doesn't necessarily make me right.

[....Operation Bynum is the tip,and time will only tell...]

Rubislaw 32 link

6/30/2018 07:07:42 am

Thanks Tom....I'll check that out, I'm sure Drew will do,also.

I think by now,few would be prepared to deny the possibility,that Zodiac was a ''travellin' man''.

It's really a case of to what extent that he travelled.

If we accept this premise then,we should accept also,that the main reason for him regularly travelling....was because of his work.

Another point that I would like to make is,to take into account,how Zodiac evolved as a real person,beyond the Bay Area ''reign''.

Granted that we accept that he did not die,but simply moved away.

His M.O. might have changed,for instance.

Though core motive may have continued to underpin his ''plays'' at murder,he may have started to kill,simply to satisfy a thirst for it,in itself.

Hence,''variety'' might have started to enter his thoughts.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/30/2018 08:08:49 am

Tom,isn't that the double murder,solved a few months ago ?

Michelle Xavier and Jennifer Duey,in February 1986.

A DNA profile,from skin samples under one of the victim's fingernails,was found to match a profile of David Emery Misch,currently serving a life term,for the murder of Margaret Ball,in 1989.

Tom

7/1/2018 07:42:14 pm

I missed that. I lived in Fremont at the time of the murders, and their abandoned auto was found about a mile from my residence.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/30/2018 12:27:50 pm

I have just done some research on bayonets.

There are three main types :

Spike
Knife
Sword

From the Dr.Petris report,on wounds sustained by Bryan Hartnell and Cecilia Sheperd,it would appear that a Sword Bayonet,was used in the attack.

What other familiar implement,apart from a sword itself,is sharp on both sides of the blade ?

Naturally,there are a variety of makes,often manufactured by the rifle makers,themselves.

From the description,9-11 inches in length and one inch in width,it appears that the most likely candidate would be U.S. Army issue,for combat in Germany,during WWII.

So,a possible scenario is that Zodiac acquired the weapon from an uncle or father....or bought it from an antiques or junk shop.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/30/2018 12:45:13 pm

...These Sword Bayonets tended to have handles,and resembled small swords...and were designed for alternative use,as fighting weapons,in themselves.

Also,''minor'' hand guards.

But,Zodiac may have added some tape on the handle,for greater confidence,in manual purchase.

Judith

6/30/2018 08:49:21 pm

Peter would wrap the handles of his knives with a cotton tape. He was in construction and had a bucket with all of his tools. There were many knives sometimes he would take a knife from my kitchen and use it in his trade as an industrial insulator. He also kept a large quantity of black plastic garbage bags, zip ties, gloves, and duct tape.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/1/2018 04:08:08 am

To Shawn specifically,and everyone else,regarding the ''DMV letter'' :

Yes,I'm confident that,at least one ''vehicle'' letter does exist,but it is speculative,with regards to its true content,and whom it was meant to be addressed to.

It is probably to do with a re-application or complaint,that an original application,wasn't dealt with,satisfactorily.

Lyndon Lafferty refers to ''something similar'',in his book.But he seems to believe that it has more to do with a driver's licence,than a vehicle registration.

We remain,largely in ignorance,as to its precise content.

Rubislaw 32 link

7/1/2018 11:18:56 am

It does seem,Richard,from what you have reported,that Mr.Voigt doesn't actually know much,that can be confirmed,over this DMV letter [?].

1377 Fell Street,SF may fit an intriguing coincidence,with Claudia Stine's place of work,and she and her husband's residence,but that's about the end of it,even if true.

I am not posting,with an intention of knocking anyone,here.

But,the tantalising fact,remains on the table.

That being,that the small town of ''Willows'' [...formerly ''Willow''...],lies 90 miles north north-east of Sacramento.

This town's chief livelihood,is represented by State government offices of the California Highway Patrol ....and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.In addition,the U.S.Bureau of Reclamation.

Even if only,the envelope of this letter,or letters,contained the place,Willows,CA,it would have a few tongues wagging,in relation to ''ironic poetry'',with Zodiac's correspondences [?].

[...should read north north-west...]

THE DMV LETTER

Leave a Reply.