Inspector William Hamlet of the San Francisco Police Department crime laboratory observed that there was a similarity between a bloody fingerprint retrieved from the door of Paul Stine's taxicab and the left ring finger latent taken from the Zodiac Killer's "Little List" letter. Please visit Dion Walker's YouTube channel for more information.
- Minutiae Points: The primary basis for comparison in traditional forensic science are minutiae, which are specific points along the friction ridges, such as bifurcations (where a ridge splits), ridge endings, and dots. Similarity is measured by comparing the type, position, and angle of these corresponding points. A specific number of matching minutiae points are generally required for a positive identification in legal contexts. In other words, William Hamlet must have noticed some corresponding points, but not enough to absolutely declare a match.
In the FBI document below, it specifically mentions a similarity of the left ring finger latent from the letter to the door of the taxicab, not the door handle. There are bloody fingerprints on the outside front passenger door handle and the outside rear post of the left front door (driver's door). Therefore, the similarity observed between the letter and taxicab prints, almost certainly involved the driver side door post (circled in white below). One of these bloody prints was considerably larger than the others, so it's reasonable to conclude that this was the fingerprint compared to the left ring finger latent noted on the "Little List" letter. The bloody print (shown below) was not only the one with most detail on the driver's door, but it had more distinguishing features than either of the two bloody prints noticeable on the front passenger door handle
Whether this bloody fingerprint was deposited on the taxicab door by grabbing or pushing it shut is obviously difficult to say, but the location of this print corroborates the testimony of the Robbins teenagers, who saw the Zodiac Killer open the driver door from the outside and attempt to pull Paul Stine into an upright position, before closing it and departing the scene. For a moment in time, the Zodiac Killer was observed at the driver's door just seconds after removing a large section of bloody shirt. The fact that William Hamlet noted a similarity between (likely) this print and one retrieved from the "Little List" letter, should carry more weight than comparing two random prints at two locations,
These prints can be linked to two surfaces the Zodiac Killer had every reason to touch. One being the open driver's door of the taxicab, and the other being a confirmed Zodiac letter. Even four points of a print matching in these circumstances is therefore highly significant. I suspect William Hamlet had more than four points in declaring a similarity between the two prints. In fingerprint analysis, similarity refers to the measurable likeness between two prints, assessed by comparing their unique ridge patterns, minutiae (ridge endings/bifurcations), angles, and density, with high similarity suggesting they might be from the same finger.
These prints can be linked to two surfaces the Zodiac Killer had every reason to touch. One being the open driver's door of the taxicab, and the other being a confirmed Zodiac letter. Even four points of a print matching in these circumstances is therefore highly significant. I suspect William Hamlet had more than four points in declaring a similarity between the two prints. In fingerprint analysis, similarity refers to the measurable likeness between two prints, assessed by comparing their unique ridge patterns, minutiae (ridge endings/bifurcations), angles, and density, with high similarity suggesting they might be from the same finger.
MAGNIFIED FINGERPRINT FROM OUTSIDE REAR POST OF LEFT FRONT DOOR
FOUR HIGHLIGHTED POINTS OF INTEREST ON THE TAXICAB FINGERPRINT. THERE ARE OTHERS.
Partial fingerprints exclude a suspect by showing distinct features (minutiae) that don't match the suspect's known prints, even if the print is small. Forensic experts look for specific ridge endings, bifurcations, and patterns, and if the available detail in the partial print isn't enough to form a positive match or clearly contradicts a match, the suspect can be eliminated from the investigation, often requiring less information for exclusion than for positive identification.
If, for example, we examine the 10-digit prints of Arthur Leigh Allen and none match the detail shown above, then he isn't the Zodiac Killer, assuming the bloody prints were deposited by the killer on October 11th 1969. In fact, every single suspect whose fingerprints are on file can be excluded using the bloody fingerprint detail present on the taxicab of Paul Stine. This is an uncomfortable truth for people with suspects in the Zodiac community, who have to resort to discrediting the evidence to keep their story alive, or falsely posit the notion that no elimination prints were taken from individuals subsequent to the Presidio Heights murder. Below are the two observable bloody prints fron the front passenger door handle, shown in more detail thanks to Zodiac researcher, Cragle.
If, for example, we examine the 10-digit prints of Arthur Leigh Allen and none match the detail shown above, then he isn't the Zodiac Killer, assuming the bloody prints were deposited by the killer on October 11th 1969. In fact, every single suspect whose fingerprints are on file can be excluded using the bloody fingerprint detail present on the taxicab of Paul Stine. This is an uncomfortable truth for people with suspects in the Zodiac community, who have to resort to discrediting the evidence to keep their story alive, or falsely posit the notion that no elimination prints were taken from individuals subsequent to the Presidio Heights murder. Below are the two observable bloody prints fron the front passenger door handle, shown in more detail thanks to Zodiac researcher, Cragle.
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