THE READABILITY OF THE CONFESSION LETTER

11/17/2017

Click to enlarge

It has long been debated whether the Confession letter sent on November 29th 1966 was the work of the Zodiac Killer. In a recent History Channel docudrama about the Zodiac Killer, the typed Confession letter was analyzed, looking for words that may connect the author of the Riverside correspondence with the infamous Zodiac Killer, focusing on words such as "twich" and "squirm". Here, we will go much further and analyze the readability level of the Confession letter, and compare it with known Zodiac correspondence. The idea, is that even if the author of each correspondence was deliberately misspelling words or dumbing down the intellectual content in each letter, he should be consistently achieving the same readability level. If there is some degree of correlation between the Confession letter and the Zodiac correspondence, it may bolster the argument that the two cases are related - including the stabbing of Cheri Jo Bates and the Bay Area murders.

The readability level of the above text of this article has an average grade level of 17.04 and a median grade level of 16.40. The November 29th 1966 Confession letter has average grade level of 3.80 and a median grade level of 3.97. These results were calculated using five tools: the Gunning fog index, the Flesch-Kincaid readability tests, the SMOG grade, the Coleman-Liau index and the Automated readability index. Here is a brief run down of each from Wikipedia and their respective link.

Gunning fog index: In linguistics, the Gunning fog index is a readability test for English writing. The index estimates the years of formal education a person needs to understand the text on the first reading. A fog index of 12 requires the reading level of a U.S. high school senior (around 18 years old). The test was developed by Robert Gunning, an American businessman, in 1952. The fog index is commonly used to confirm that text can be read easily by the intended audience. Texts for a wide audience generally need a fog index less than 12. Texts requiring near-universal understanding generally need an index less than 8.
Flesch-Kincaid readability tests: The Flesch–Kincaid readability tests are readability tests designed to indicate how difficult a passage in English is to understand. There are two tests, the Flesch Reading Ease, and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level. Although they use the same core measures (word length and sentence length), they have different weighting factors. The results of the two tests correlate approximately inversely: a text with a comparatively high score on the Reading Ease test should have a lower score on the Grade-Level test. Rudolf Flesch devised the Reading Ease evaluation; somewhat later, he and J. Peter Kincaid developed the Grade Level evaluation for the United States Navy.
SMOG grade: The SMOG grade is a measure of readability that estimates the years of education needed to understand a piece of writing. SMOG is an acronym for Simple Measure of Gobbledygook. SMOG is widely used, particularly for checking health messages. The SMOG grade yields a 0.985 correlation with a standard error of 1.5159 grades with the grades of readers who had 100% comprehension of test materials. The formula for calculating the SMOG grade was developed by G. Harry McLaughlin as a more accurate and more easily calculated substitute for the Gunning fog index and published in 1969. To make calculating a text's readability as simple as possible an approximate formula was also given — count the words of three or more syllables in three 10-sentence samples, estimate the count's square root (from the nearest perfect square), and add 3.
Coleman-Liau index: The Coleman–Liau index is a readability test designed by Meri Coleman and T. L. Liau to gauge the understandability of a text. Like the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning fog index, SMOG index, and Automated Readability Index, its output approximates the U.S. grade level thought necessary to comprehend the text. Like the ARI but unlike most of the other indices, Coleman–Liau relies on characters instead of syllables per word. Although opinion varies on its accuracy as compared to the syllable/word and complex word indices, characters are more readily and accurately counted by computer programs than are syllables.
Automated readability index: The automated readability index (ARI) is a readability test for English texts, designed to gauge the understandability of a text. Like the Flesch–Kincaid grade level, Gunning fog index, SMOG index, Fry readability formula, and Coleman–Liau index, it produces an approximate representation of the US grade level needed to comprehend the text.

As another guide, I used the written text from the Coleman–Liau index above to generate an average grade level of 15.69 and a median grade level of 15.72. To check any section of text or the given examples, visit here. Here are the results:

The Confession letter 11/29/66 has average grade level of 3.80 and a median grade level of 3.97.
The Riverside Desktop poem 1966 has average grade level of 3.89 and a median grade level of 4.00.
The San Francisco Chronicle 7/31/69 has average grade level of 8.15 and a median grade level of 8.12.
The Debut of Zodiac letter 8/4/69 has average grade level of 6.73 and a median grade level of 5.96.
The Paul Stine letter 10/13/69 has average grade level of 7.71 and a median grade level of 7.83.
The Bus Bomb letter 11/9/69 has average grade level of 8.56 and a median grade level of 8.69.
The Melvin Belli letter 12/20/69 has average grade level of 6.25 and a median grade level of 5.66.

The readability levels of the 1966 correspondence is notably lower than the initial Zodiac correspondence, although one has to factor in the near three-year maturation of the subject, if indeed they are the same individual. But both are extremely low on the scale, indicating the Zodiac Killer and author of the Confession letter were either extremely uneducated, or extremely accomplished at pretending to be uneducated. Whatever the case, there is a notable shift from 1966 to 1969.
The above enlarged text has average grade level of 16.50 and a median grade level of 16.27, which highlights the difference in readability level the author in Riverside and northern California was operating at, either by intention or not.

https://charactercounttool.com/

Ray Jenkins

11/17/2017 05:33:52 pm

Hi Richard, I have looked at this letter in the past using a straight linguistic comparison. Basically I came to the conclusion that it is not out of character for something the Zodiac might have sent, particularly if we consider that this may have been one of his first "communications" with the authorities. He may have been experimenting with typed media as a method and was a bit uncertain and inexperienced, and therefore lacking confidence.

Throughout his writings, the Zodiac had a tendency to be theatrical, pretentious or pompous in his writing style. He also often used an anachronistic or - what could now be considered - a rather "old-fashioned" use of grammar. It also seems a bit dated and at odds with the style of language that was coming into use by the late 1960s. I guess this is not unusual as a lot depends on his schooling, when and where he was educated, and the individual grammatical style of the teacher who taught him to read and write at school. Perhaps the Zodiac was just an old "fuddy-duddy", or maybe he was putting on airs in an attempt to mimic Jack the Ripper or he was alluding to some kind of James Bond fantasy... who could know for sure?

Regardless of those factors, I find it very interesting that when he is not writing about the act of killing people, the Zodiac frequently reverts to this very traditional English writing style, which in some contexts comes across as sounding rather effeminate. His consistent use of the word “shall” instead of “will” is just one example. His writing style also seemed to become more “fruity” as time progressed, perhaps reflecting his overall mental deterioration? Again, who could know for sure?

All I can add to the debate is that we can see the beginnings of this rather pretentious and pompous grammatical correctness in the Confession letter, through the use of words like:

“shapely”
“deposit them”
“I first pulled”
“I then offered”
“very willing to talk to me”
“She went very willingly”
"like a lamb to the slaughter"

It is entirely plausible that the Zodiac thought he could gain greater anonymity through a typed message. Then he may have read somewhere about how easy it is to trace typed messages back to a particular brand of typewriter, and that could jeopardize his anonymity. So from then on he chose to hand write everything, perhaps by attempting to disguise his handwriting. Again, it is impossible to make too much out of this without jumping to conclusions and speculating.

The one thing that bothers me is Cheri Jo's murder was a long way from Lake Berryessa. But then again Lake Berryessa is a long way from The Presidio. The other thing that bothers me is the Zodiac never mentioned Cheri Jo in any of his later communications, and his tally varied so wildly from reality that there is no way of knowing if he had included her in his "count".

The police must have had some sound reasons for suspecting Cheri Jo Bates may have been a Zodiac victim. I would not doubt that they are sitting on information relating to this connection that has never been released to the public.

I do have a theory about what happened to Cheri Jo, but I am sure many would consider it far fetched, even though the same scenario occurred to a relative of mine many years ago. My cousin had attended a party and when she was leaving she was approached by a little old lady who sad she had no way of getting home and asked my cousin if she could take her. It was fairly dark outside. My cousin thought she was just a poor little old lady in distress and agreed to give her a lift home. Then another car drove by and momentarily flicked its lights on high beam. Much to my cousin's horror, she could tell that the "little old lady" was actually a young man wearing a disguise. She pretended she had left something behind and went back inside to call the police. When she went back outside with some friends, the mystery woman had obviously fled and was nowhere to be seen.

So my theory is that Cheri Jo was approached by a man disguised as a woman, who may have asked her to help find something she had lost, such as her car keys. The disguised man thus lured the unsuspecting Cheri Jo away from her own car and far from any public lighting.

For those who may think this is a ridiculous theory, may I remind everyone to consider that Robert Durst allegedly disguised himself as a deaf, mute woman prior to the time that his next door neighbour in Texas was killed and later found decapitated.

Richard

11/18/2017 02:36:45 am

All extremely valid points Ray. Of course the variables are massive and simply using this one tool is extremely limiting. I did compare his use of each alphabetical letter in both the Confession and 'Debut' letter and the correlation was extremely close, but again, not conclusive. I noticed in the docudrama they focused on the twich, squirm and game, despite game already pre-written on the card. He used the word 'plunged' of course in the Exorcist letter and Confession letter. A more useful tool I found was comparing words he strung together in two or three groupings, as often we do when constructing text.
I am sure Ray, they are sitting on information in this crime. If we consider the nature of this attack, the small knife, the defensive wounds on CJB, I find it highly unlikely the killer in this case, or the Lake Berryessa attack did not cause injury to his striking hand on either occasion.
His writings certainly exhibited an 'old-fashioned' element to them, almost indicative of somebody beyond their years. I suppose we have to remember, as you mentioned above, he may have had a connection to the theatre, and was part influenced by productions steeped in history, such as the Mikado. Many ties have been attributed as influences in his correspondence, from the 'The Most Dangerous Game', Charlie Chan, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack the Ripper and Gilbert &Sullivan, so it's probably unsurprising his grammar reflects these movies, books, shows etc Most of which likely predated his existence.

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 04:15:00 am

Yes, we see this even today. People who tend to prefer classic literature, old time movies and books, frequently have a tendency to replicate that language in their own writing. When they speak, however, they may be more inclined to use the language of the day. A person connected to theatre or who studies theory as a part of their career, may tend to stay in character. Bryan Hartnell said their attacker had a drawl or accent but he couldn't seem to pin it down to any specific location. Unfortunately he has never elaborated on this, so nobody knows what kind of accent it could have been.

The other interesting thing about the Zodiac is of course the discrepancies in the sketches from Lake Berryessa and The Presidio. The ones from Lake Berryessa of a man seen loitering suspiciously by three girls show a young man, probably in his late teens or early 20s. The police composite from the cops who saw the man leaving the scene of Paul Stine's murder shows a much older man, possibly mid 30s to 40s, who has a widow's peak and is wearing glasses. So either the Zodiac has changed his appearance significantly in the intervening period, or he has gone to considerably lengths to disguise himself, or the two individuals are not the same.

Richard

11/18/2017 04:32:14 am

I tend to believe the individual the girls saw was the man in the Presidio. Given the unreliability of eyewitness recollection, but bearing in mind the three kids contributed to the original sketch and described him as 25-30, we have two of the girls describing the man as approximately 28 years of age, while the other at approximately 30 years. It wouldn't be unreasonable to out by a few years. Donald Fouke's bottom estimation was 35, slightly greying-not unusual for somebody in their early 30's. When we change the haircut of the sketch from the three girls, it certainly isn't dissimilar to the sketch derived from the three kids at Presidio Heights. Here is an example.
http://www.zodiacciphers.com/uploads/4/9/7/1/4971630/editor/sketchberryessa1.jpg?1489169486

Rubislaw 32 link

11/18/2017 08:22:40 am

Yea...I can only read the confession,with my best attempt at a Vincent Price impersonation.

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 03:30:58 pm

I agree with you Richard. The thing I like about the Lake Berryessa sketch is the three girls were not under any kind of duress nor were they afraid for the lives. So emotion did not influence their perception, AND most importantly they had plenty of time to see the suspect in broad daylight. One of my own "pet" suspects fits those composites perfectly. Take off his glasses and change his hairstyle a bit. He looks just like the Lake Berryessa sketches. Add glasses and a couple of years and a close haircut, and he would look just like the Presidio suspect. In fact I have photos of my suspect from the two respective time periods, in which he looks to have the same styles as the composites. He evidently changed his hair styles about as regularly as most people change their underwear. He would also wear glasses at times, but at other time wore contacts. Right age. And he liked to dress up and disguise himself as different personas. He was in fact a true to life chameleon.

Rubislaw 32 link

11/18/2017 07:36:49 am

Everyone,who takes an interest,is aware by now that it was Sacramento based Documents Examiner,Sherwood Morrill,who first professionally authenticated all the correspondence,relating to the Bates case,as Zodiac related.

A liaison between Irv Cross,then Captain of Riverside Police,and investigative journalist,Paul Avery,had Avery scurrying back to San Francisco,with Bates correspondence copies,and Sacramento,as his next port of call.

Morrill,then working for the California DOJ,would take receipt of the copies,to ascertain a possible link.Within two days,Morrill was in no doubt,and Avery was able to post an article in the SF Chronicle,entitled ''Zodiac link is definite'',on Tuesday Nov.17th 1969.

So,we know that Morrill made his own professional judgement,examining copies.But it may be of interest,that within the Zodiac Files,published by the FBI,there is a newspaper cut out,of an interview with Morrill,discussing his conclusions.What is apparent is,that he was later to benefit,with an examination of the original correspondences....and arrived at exactly the same opinion.

Since we know that the Bates correspondences were never officially authenticated,then it is apparent that the FBI were in Morrill's corner on authentication.....but clearly,the Riverside Police,who held jurisdiction on the case,would not permit an official Zodiac link.

Rubislaw 32 link

11/18/2017 07:53:36 am

From my last comment,I would suggest that,if only in a historical context,then the burden of proof,with respect to all Bates correspondence,including the letter of confession,is actually on the RIverside Police to refute its authenticity [?].

And,further to this,as has been already suggested,that there are good reasons to surmise that LE agencies,connected to the Zodiac case,had more documentation,than has been made public,to compare the Bates correspondences with,and arrive at positive,albeit ''unofficial'' authentication.

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 03:36:28 pm

I've always had a lot of faith in the work of Sherwood Morrill.

Rubislaw, I remember reading somewhere that LE had a set of fingerprints from the Bate's crime scene. Perhaps I have been mislead by internet gossip? I've been unable to find out for sure if they really have these alleged prints. I tend to be skeptical about their existence, but am always willing to stand corrected.

Alex Lewis

11/18/2017 03:20:23 pm

Well I know this much, despite My own involvement in this mini-series, I have a confession of My own to make & it's this:

With all the places the History Chnl could have gone, with so much evidence available to be tested the first thing the Channel opted to investigate is A crime that is not, and never has been, Officially considered to have been committed by Bay Area's Infamous 'Zodiac.'

Hmmm Maybe we can overlook this if the next investigation is one that Zodiac is known to have actually been responsible for committing and then if th......... Oh, The next investigation will focus on the breaking of the 340 Cipher. Well I suppose that makes sense that they have fixed their investigative eye over this unsolved cipher simple because they looked at the one which is solved, the 408, and saw how absolutely useful that one was in terms of it ranting babbling bull shit message it was found to contain!

I mean I am really disappointed because the budget this channel has at it's disposal run in the multi-million's over a 5 Episode Series which could be used so many way to help crack not another rant of utter shit but, the case itself.

I seriously have no idea why their approach seems to have been: "How can we have the best chance of solving such an aged case. . . I know, lets start by throwing a load of resources and time into a crime never linked by official agencies and to this day many are sceptical as to if Zodiac was responsible. The cold case Det. stated CJB "Fits the (Zodiac's) MO, disabling a vehicle and stalking his victim...." When did Zodiac do this please? Is it just Me and I simply missed all references to A Zodiac running all over The Bay Area Stalking victim after victims? He disabled Kathy Johns car yes after She pulled over and let Him, this being K.J who, like CJB, is not & never has been a confirmed Z 'Victom.'

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 03:53:18 pm

Well it is pretty clear to me that the Zodiac planned his attack at Lake Berryessa in great detail, and it seems likely that this involved an element of stalking. It seems very unlikely to me that he just happened to be driving about looking for victims, thought he should throw the old Zodiac outfit in the trunk just in case he "gets lucky", then decided to pull up for no reason and carry everything a long way down through the oak woods to the lake shore where he just happened to come across two hapless young people, who he then decided to attack. I just don't buy the entirely "random" acts of killing. The Zodiac was clearly an opportunist at times, but other times he was more meticulous. He very writing style and the details he goes into suggest a very meticulous personality. He was clearly someone who liked to dwell on details, which tends to align with the kind of personality who would actively stalk his prey. Clearly he really did view himself as a hunter who liked to find and hunt down prey in the woods - a most apt metaphor if ever there was one - and something about his personality that only the 408 solution provided.

I am also extremely puzzled that you say the 408 solution is a "ranting babbling bull shit message". Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but this tends to imply that you do not agree that it is a viable solution, which of course it is, and it is very easy to prove this using the most sophisticated decryption software available today. Most of this software can solve it accurately within a couple of seconds, unlike the 340, on which the software returns only random nonsense as a substitution. It is clear to me that if the 340 is a legitimate cipher, the Zodiac has obfuscated it in some way. He could have easily done this by changing the order of rows and columns, turning some parts backwards, and the like, this means there could be any number of billions of possible sequences to try to crack this cipher. In my opinion, unless someone just happens to "get lucky" some day, this cipher will remain a mystery - lost in its own sea of variability. Whether it contains any worthwhile information after it is cracked will remain to be seen (if it is ever cracked!).

Alex Lewis

11/18/2017 04:11:02 pm

"Well it is pretty clear to me that the Zodiac planned his attack at Lake Berryessa in great detail, and it seems likely that this involved an element of stalking"

If the requirements for stalking are 'Man ducks behind tree to put hood on' then yes, it would. However I think you are confusing stalking of, with trolling for, victims. How can Zodiac plan this Berryessa event when He can't know whether anyone will be at a certain location at a specific time for any plan to be put into action. Witnesses describe seeing a White Male walking along the banks and shores of Berryessa for at least an hour prior to Z's actual approaching Cecelia & Brian. The fact that He seemed to be wandering up and down the shore and grassy banks around the General Lake area that day clearly suggests He is not stalking Bryan & Cecelia because they are 45 minutes away from arriving at the Island yet and if He is stalking the Girls sunbathing there on that Island then He is a terrible stalker because He standing out in the open at the top of a hill where the girls can clearly see & keep an eye on Him, rite adjacent to a road!

He could be said to be stalking Berryessa itself possibly, but not anyone found in or around it. When Cecelia spots Him He's He's coming down the off of the bank and disappears behind a tree. 4or5 seconds later He emerges He's pulling the hood and overlay down over his chest and head.

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 05:51:00 pm

Agreed, all of this is rather speculative, as there are so many variable scenarios to consider. Taking just one, what if the Zodiac had his eye on Cecelia Shephard for some time? He attended a party he knew she would be attending. While there he overheard Cecelia or Bryan say that they were going to the lake this weekend, but did not specify which day. The Zodiac goes there on the Friday and generally loiters about, awaiting their arrival, but trying to keep a low profile which makes him look suspicious to the three young girls. He generally "trolls" the area. Finally he spots their car coming, watches them from afar, and then proceeds to put his nefarious plan into action. This to my mind is trolling, yes, but also goes one step further. In such a scenario the act would be considered stalking.
But as Rubislaw has reminded us, this is getting way off the topic.

Rubislaw 32 link

11/18/2017 04:29:26 pm

Just to get back on topic,with the Cheri Jo case...

Looking back,it is patently clear that their was an almighty Law Enforcement row,over her case [?].

In one corner,there was the FBI,who now held jurisdiction over any case relating to the Zodiac Killer....and in the other corner,the provincial police force from Riverside,who refused to give way,on their jurisdiction,with the Bates Case.

Who were in effect,the arbiters and referees ?

Answer : Quite obviously the California Department of Justice.

Despite Sherwood Morrill being an employee,of the DOJ,it was still a tough political decision to have to make.

As is apparent the DOJ decided to examine,what they were presumed to do best....The Law.

And hence,they presumably decided that by not attempting to remove jurisdiction from the Riverside Police,they were minimising controversial ''pro-action''.

On reflection,some might say a ''weak'' decision [?].

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 06:07:01 pm

The Zodiac case was mired down in the sticky goo of bureaucratic bungling and non-co-operation between jurisdictions from the very beginning, AND somewhat surprisingly this is still largely the case to this day. We may find one Sheriff's office is still vaguely interested, but the next has no time at all for the Zodiac case to the point of being hostile to anyone who may try to impart information on the case. I have experienced this lack of co-operation myself and it has left me wondering how any high profile, cross-jurisdictional crimes are ever solved in California.

We see the same jurisdictional failings when it came to the Friendly Murders in Palm Springs. The poor Friendly's never received any justice whatsoever for the crime perpetrated against them and probably never will. LE has basically swept their murders under the carpet. The main suspect was apprehended in Europe on a robbery charge. They had him and could have got him extradited, but various bungling and an apparent lack of funds and general apathy and procrastination led to the suspect being released.

What hope is there for any of the Zodiac victims to receive justice out of such a horrendously broken system? And now LE are all too conveniently attempting to make the Zodiac case a "cold case" so that it can be put to bed once and for all. For that matter, many members of LE have been using the words "verging on a cold case" for the past 15 years or more. It is as if "verging" is the next best thing to actually "being".

Ray Jenkins

11/18/2017 06:22:17 pm

Okay so you've got me all fired up now. LOL!

I was thinking one day, compare the Friendly Murders to the "crimes" of Julian Assange.

Julian's crime was to release sensitive Government information relating to the Iraq War, and apparently, to face trial over a spurious rape allegation which has since been dropped by the Swedish authorities. Well as we now know, everything that Assange brought to light was true. In fact he helped to blow the whistle which shamed the Bush administration enormously. But even now, two presidents later, it is almost a certainty that if he sets one foot outside the front gates of the Equadorian Embassy, some FBI agent will be waiting there to swoop on him.

I guess it is a matter of priorities. What kind of Government would allow a murderer to escape justice, but go to the ends of the earth to persecute and arrest someone for stealing and releasing documents as a matter of conscience?

Alex Lewis

11/19/2017 01:17:59 am

Ray, I agree with You 100% in what you say above. America, or it's Government I should say, will decide to overthrow a foreign Government in the Middle East because Bush made sure He let everyone in the West know that America will not have the Freedom of it's people under threat from all enemies, domestic and Foreign because The Evil Dictator will be removed & The U.S and Democracy will prevail! The U.S & The Bush Administration flew that flag and sang that song repeatedly!

Democracy is, after all, defined as 'Government of the People, for the people, by the people' and so the people are of that Democratic Country have the real authority and power. . . or so You'd think , anyway?

In reality the US Government will talk the talk expertly but walking the walk to practise what it is that it itself continually preaches? Well the answer to that question is Ed Snowden. The preaching with fire & brimstone Defending the Freedom of The People and Ensuring The National Security is preserved that came from The Gospel according to St. George Bush would be admirable had that same Administration done everything in it's power to try and convince the citizens of America that because of Edward and His thievery of shitloads of Classified Top Secret Government files which He released via Julian's Wikileaks site (the real reason the FBI, CIA, NSA, DOJ DOD & partridge in the pair tree too want to get hold of Julian Assange) He had put every one of their lives at riskfor He had compramized the National Security of The United States of America!

Meanwhile, back in that place called 'reality' Ed Snowden had done nothing of the sort nor given away secrets to US enemies thus leaving The American People's lives at risk from another attack blah blah blah yeah yeah yeah, the crime Ed Snowden committed was to call The US Government out on it's hypocritical double standards and tell the American people the rtruth about The NSA & CIA's non need of a Court and/or Judge to issue a warrant before they can legally start tapping Phones listening in to private calls. CIA never was and still isn't legally allowed to carry out missions in The United States against The American People. And yet here they were doing whatever it seemed they pleased & Ed Snowden did what a true patrearch would & let the American People know the truth.

See The Government responded by trying to have Snowden extradited back to the States to stand trial with the State letting the World know.... It would seek the Death Penalty. That is the dumbest thing to do cosidering US Allies like Britain have and continue to refuse to extradite wanted fugatives back to America if The British Gvmnt knows the US Gvmnt plans to seek the death penalty for that fugative & that's even if their wanted by The US for Multiple Homicides! So to ask Every Civilized Country on Earth to extradite a wanted US Citizen bk to tjhe States to face execution fpr crime of truth telling to people who deserve to know it, good luck with that Bush, Obama, Trump and any and all other President who requests the extradition of Truth Telling Criminal fiend!

If that there, the rage of an infuriated Egotistical Government with it's 'How dare He! Who the hell does He think He is! Nobody will out us for the two-faced lying hypocrites we really are, not when we have to work so hard to pretend that We are freedom loving, democratic functioning Government!

Look, there is Bazerk Obama giving a Press Statement starting: "My Fellow Americans. .. . Nobody is listening to our calls." And those who claim we are are all Conspiracy Theorist's and George, I said George 'Dubbya' Bush Himself did tell the People of America, Quote, I said I quote... "Let us not tolerate outrageous Conspiracy Theories...!"

Alex Lewis

11/19/2017 01:53:49 am

This here,that is absolutely the private response from the Government to Edward outrageous arrogance inbelieving He can some sort of FBI Informant informing on the Government to His handlers called 'Citizens of United States'.....

Classic this and a personal favorite of mine for a long time for both the humor and accuracy of the impersonation! Link Below:

https://youtu.be/3kFB03xyU7I?t=40s

Rubislaw 32 link

11/19/2017 01:32:25 am

Yes,Ray,I certainly take on board your sobering comments.If the implications of moral principles,with respect to Julian Assange,weren't so serious,what has taken place would be considered ''high farce''.And to think that those FBI agents,waiting to arrest him,are his neighbours,residing in the US Embassy,virtually next door .They can probably pull faces at each other,off camera [!].

Indeed,with the Bates case,and cases related to the Zodiac Killer,when one looks back,there again,is almost a picture of ''high farce''.Some individuals may be in denial,but I think it is patently obvious that Sherwood Morrill came to the correct conclusion.

One can only imagine if the California DOJ had taken jurisdiction away from the Riverside Police,and awarded it to the FBI [?].

The Riverside Police could,for example,have taken the FBI to the Supreme Court.We could have been witnessing a battle between a large LE agency [FBI],with 2 years of failure,verses a small LE agency [Riverside Police],with 4 years of failure.High farce,indeed !

Poor,poor Joseph Bates,in all this [?].What a terrible remainder to his life,he must have had.

Yes,unfortunately,with the Zodiac case,as a whole,one can't help thinking,sometimes,that it represents a case of ''Too many Chiefs,and not enough Indians.''

Alex Lewis link

11/19/2017 04:41:42 am

"Some individuals may be in denial,but I think it is patently obvious that Sherwood Morrill came to the correct conclusion." That's Logical Brilliance!

Possibility Your spot on, yes.

However. . . I would also make the point in response to that though that Some Individuals are extremely hesitant to be anywhere close to being person specific. For a completely random 'of top of my head' example I will suggest that some people may use the vague & general term 'Some Individuals' which leaves a fairly open field of just who it is that may One may be referring to here.

While I admire all new radical idea's & a new approach to how We may do things,I none the less must be honest and say I don't think this idea of Yours is going to catch on & be adopted as an accepted method. It won't be too long before "Some Individuals" spot a flaw in the exciting Theory of how best to identify Person or Persons of specific reference with a: Narrow list of potential people to the Present Population of Planet Earth' Idea.

I mean if You are going to speak of behalf of, or directly for, some other individuals then I find it does Your own Credibility no favors to refuse to Name who you claim to speak on behalf of.

",but I think it is patently obvious that Sherwood Morrill came to the correct conclusion."

Lol. . . . Really! Is this the same Sherwood Morrill that was and remained absolutely convinced that the 1978 Zodiac 'I am back with You' letter was unquestionable genuine and the assertion that it's a possible fairly decent attempt at tracing Z's handwriting to produce a forgery is absurd and to suggest it was a forgery penned by San Fran's real life inspiration for The Fictional 'Dirty Harry', The Rt. Honorable.Inspector Gadget.... or 'Dave' as 'some individuals' are suspected to address Him in Off-Duty Hours.

. . . . Go-Go Gadget, Ummmmm..... Find-A-Z!

'Dave' wishes to know does anyone have a Telephone Directory for 68-69 for all San Fran resident's:

R. Zimmerman - Tel. No: 555 - * * * *
M. Zachery - Tel ....
S. Zanderberg - Tel: ....
I. B. ZoZo - Tel 666 1800-Crack-Proof! << A potential to appear somewhat Suspicious!

There are reports Credible Pighead Colleagues of Shurebet D. Immoral did then and do now completely disagreed with Sure-Bet Immoral & Come to dramatically different Conclusion to Shoebut.

"I can tell you without any hesitation that this latest communication is Genuine and from the same hand that wrote all of the previous Zodiac Letters. . . I'm telling You that if Toschi wrote this latest letter then He wrote all of the Zodiac letters and is Himself the Zodiac!" - SureBert Morrpills

Alex Lewis

11/19/2017 05:36:16 am

Another Serial Killer wrote to the Press and/or Police Dpt declaring that The Wicked Wichita of the West is certainly not deceased as the speculative press were suggesting.

A Letter to the Editor sent by One Bill Thomas Killman' suggests to the investigating Authorities that they are dealing with a genuine communication from The Green River(side) Killer, said Chief of Homicide Inspector's Marty 'Wa-cha Bruce' Lee.

Paul Adrunkusee, Crime Reporter for The San Fran's ChronicHal wrote praising His colleague in agreement but cannot remember doing it.

Rubislaw 32 link

11/19/2017 07:35:45 am

OK,Alex,your point taken..[...in good humour,I might add....].

So I will rephrase the statement :

''Those people,whose chosen suspect were nowhere near Riverside,when Ms,Bates was murdered may be in denial,but I think that it is patently obvious that Sherwood Morrill came to the correct conclusion.''

And,further more,''those people'',whose chosen suspects were put through a fine hair comb,by Law Enforcement,and dismissed as being viable Zodiac suspects,a long time ago.

The high profile zodiac websites post ''past suspects'',as if it a list,for ''newbies'',to make a choice.When actually the website managers,and their moderators,are just screening their favoured ''bad guys'',and one or two other morons,that found themselves on the wrong side of the law,at some time or other.

As amateurs,with restricted access to information,that LE hold,we are supposed to be smart enough to take this handicap,into account.

There isn't one person on a usual list of 8-10 proposed ''website'' suspects,that could tell their arse from their elbow,in comparison to Zodiac's cunning.That includes the ''unibomber'',who was simply a charmless intellectual.

Zodiac held a gift of awareness,and commitment to cause mayhem,that set him above the usual con artist ,''tea leaf'',and butcher.

The tooth comb has already been applied to the ''usual suspects'',and LE have been there,done that,and got the T-Shirt,a long time ago.

These lists of suspects are ''historical''.Much talk,recently of DNA samples to clear already dead suspects.....is ''tripe''.

LE are actually garnering as much DNA results for the ''now'',and possibly future suspects,that come into the picture,in their current investigations.

''Zodiac'' will be someone that few,or indeed no one outside the offices of D.A.'s and prosecution services,know.

What has happened,this time around is,that LE ''in the field'' messed up so often,and for so long,that the ''Judiciary'' has taken over.

And,is calling the shots.

The reality is that those with Law degrees,are actually smarter,than senior policemen,with the equivalent of 4 '' O Levels ''.

Richard

11/19/2017 03:42:16 am

Here you go Ray.
Detective Sergeant Jack Reid said there were greasy fingerprints and palm prints on the door of the vehicle.
The prints are also on an FBI file: Kinkead Memorandum-
Kinkead detailed the similarities between the cases and intimated that the information may assist investigators in the Bay Area.
"It might be worthwhile to note that just outside the city limits of Riverside is located March Air Force Base, a SAC base. Physical evidence found at the scene of our crime indicated that heel prints found near the body were made by a heel that was manufactured for military and other government agencies, including prisons.
We were able to lift some latent fingerprints from the victim's vehicle. These prints were not identified. Our unidentified prints are on file with the FBI under the FBI file No 32-27195, Latent case No 73096. Copies of the latent lifts from your homicide were obtained from CII and sent to the FBI for comparison with the latent lifts in our investigation."
http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=1054&fullsize=1

Ray Jenkins

11/19/2017 02:54:04 pm

Thanks Richard. As always you are a fountain of knowledge on all matters Zodiac. That is very good information, and I have to admit is, for the most part, entirely new to me. Reading between the lines it also clears up a great many doubts for me and I can now understand why the authorities considered the Zodiac as a suspect. We hear all the time about the latent prints from the Paul Stine crime scene, but never hear much about these other sources of fingerprints.

I have also read somewhere that a few prints were taken from one of the letters or ciphers(?). After suffering potentially severe contamination via the post and at the SF Chronicle desk, I should imagine such evidence could be equally contaminated. And we've all heard various stories about DNA having been collected off the back of stamps, presuming of course he was the one who licked them. I also read some place that a hair was found attached to either a stamp or the glue on the back of an envelope, which, I believe, was said to be ginger in colour, causing a huge amount of forum traffic relating to the possible hair colour of the Zodiac. Many of these posts kept me very amused. Evidently the Zodiac had never heard of hair dye! *scoff*

I am sure some of the fingerprint and DNA rumours are indeed true, others spurious, but it does at least give me some confidence that the combined evidence has resulted in a fairly useful set of prints that may be good enough to compare against those of potential suspects. At least this confirms what I have already been told by the Riverside D.A.'s office. I once asked them kindly if they could humour me by comparing John Leonard Orr's fingerprints to the Zodiac's. Much to my surprise they did, and emailed me back the next day to say the fingerprints did not match. They also added that they did some extra research and found that Orr was not a resident of California during the Zodiac era, which rules him out.

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