In the last three articles entitled "When The Black Man Was Walking By" [1], [2], [3], I examined the possibility that the Zodiac Killer lived near the payphone at Springs & Tuolumne and walked there (absent of his vehicle), which I will examine further here.
One reason often given why it was unlikely that the Zodiac Killer lived close to the payphone, is he would not want to draw attention to the neighborhood in which he lived. Many people argue they would opt for a payphone distant to where they lived. If the Zodiac Killer thought the police had the same mindset, then choosing a payphone close to his residence is the perfect bluff. However, when I am claiming there is a strong possibility that Zodiac lived close to the payphone, I am talking about a considerable area approximating 4 square miles. That would be one mile north, east, south and west of the payphone, and anywhere in between. The Zodiac could live one mile, or as little as 160 feet from the payphone. The image below uses a residence at the intersection of Tuolumne Street and Valle Vista Avenue as an example, which is nearly one mile from the payphone.
One reason often given why it was unlikely that the Zodiac Killer lived close to the payphone, is he would not want to draw attention to the neighborhood in which he lived. Many people argue they would opt for a payphone distant to where they lived. If the Zodiac Killer thought the police had the same mindset, then choosing a payphone close to his residence is the perfect bluff. However, when I am claiming there is a strong possibility that Zodiac lived close to the payphone, I am talking about a considerable area approximating 4 square miles. That would be one mile north, east, south and west of the payphone, and anywhere in between. The Zodiac could live one mile, or as little as 160 feet from the payphone. The image below uses a residence at the intersection of Tuolumne Street and Valle Vista Avenue as an example, which is nearly one mile from the payphone.
A journey from the parking lot at Blue Rock Springs to this address would be 9 minutes, so if the Zodiac Killer lived here and left the crime scene at the estimated time of 12:02am, he would arrive home at about 12:11am. If he took 10 minutes to conceal/park his vehicle, change his clothes, wash his hands/arms, and hide the smoking gun, it would now be 12:21am and leave him 19 minutes to walk to the payphone and make the call to Nancy Slover (which is the journey time on foot shown by Google maps).
Obviously, a car journey from Blue Rock Springs to different addresses within the red square will marginally affect the available time somebody has remaining to spend at home and walk to the payphone, so the area highlighted above must be viewed as a rough guide, representing an approximate area of 4 square miles. We are not talking about a small area to search, but it's a lot better than placing a dragnet over the entire Bay Area or northern California to identify the Zodiac Killer. All I am suggesting, is that there is good reason to prioritize this location - and if the search for potential suspects doesn't unearth any likely candidates, we can move on to alternative locations. For reference, Arthur Leigh Allen's residence at 32 Fresno Street was 9 minutes walking distance to the payphone.
If the Zodiac Killer did live in this area, one other thing we have to consider, that we can only ponder, is how far was the Zodiac Killer prepared to walk from his residence to the payphone and back? The Tuolumne Street and Valle Vista Avenue address would take 38 minutes walking time, whereas an address such as Arthur Leigh Allen's would take 18 minutes. Did the slayer of three factor in a buffer zone from his residence to the chosen payphone, or did he play the bluffing game, that nobody would ever believe he would be so daft to make an admission of murder so close to home? The insertion of his "brown car" into the letter on August 4th 1969, described by the negro male walking by the payphone, may have been an attempt to shift the focus away from the area surrounding the payphone. A killer still in his vehicle while making the phone call can literally travel anywhere.
At the Lake Herman Road turnout Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser stated "that when they arrived there at 9:00 pm a white 4-door hardtop, a '59 or '60 Impala, was parked there, and also, a truck coming out of the gate. This coincides with information from Bingo Wesner that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by". This make of Chevrolet Impala was manufactured in "ermine white", often described as cream colored, sometimes with a tinge of very mild browm. Many vehicles online described as "ermine white" just look white, while some have this slight hint of brown. Illuminated by the vehicle headlights driven by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner, could this 1959/1960 Chevrolet Impala (in ermine white) at Lake Herman Road have appeared white, but not illuminated by the headlights of Darlene Ferrin's Corvair at Blue Rock Springs, appeared light brown in color when in the dark parking lot? The below images show how an "ermine white" Chevrolet Impala changes to light brown in dark conditions. On page one of the police report Michael Mageau describes the assailant's vehicle as medium light brown, but It was clear by his further statements that he wasn't sure what type of vehicle was driven by the Zodiac Killer, who was perfectly happy to confirm his vehicle was brown when he sent his August 4th 1969 letter. The question being, was he in an "ermine white" Chevrolet Impala at Blue Rock Springs. The vehicle parked in the Lake Herman Road turnout as early as 9pm or 10pm (or both). The police report is ambiguous.
Obviously, a car journey from Blue Rock Springs to different addresses within the red square will marginally affect the available time somebody has remaining to spend at home and walk to the payphone, so the area highlighted above must be viewed as a rough guide, representing an approximate area of 4 square miles. We are not talking about a small area to search, but it's a lot better than placing a dragnet over the entire Bay Area or northern California to identify the Zodiac Killer. All I am suggesting, is that there is good reason to prioritize this location - and if the search for potential suspects doesn't unearth any likely candidates, we can move on to alternative locations. For reference, Arthur Leigh Allen's residence at 32 Fresno Street was 9 minutes walking distance to the payphone.
If the Zodiac Killer did live in this area, one other thing we have to consider, that we can only ponder, is how far was the Zodiac Killer prepared to walk from his residence to the payphone and back? The Tuolumne Street and Valle Vista Avenue address would take 38 minutes walking time, whereas an address such as Arthur Leigh Allen's would take 18 minutes. Did the slayer of three factor in a buffer zone from his residence to the chosen payphone, or did he play the bluffing game, that nobody would ever believe he would be so daft to make an admission of murder so close to home? The insertion of his "brown car" into the letter on August 4th 1969, described by the negro male walking by the payphone, may have been an attempt to shift the focus away from the area surrounding the payphone. A killer still in his vehicle while making the phone call can literally travel anywhere.
At the Lake Herman Road turnout Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser stated "that when they arrived there at 9:00 pm a white 4-door hardtop, a '59 or '60 Impala, was parked there, and also, a truck coming out of the gate. This coincides with information from Bingo Wesner that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by". This make of Chevrolet Impala was manufactured in "ermine white", often described as cream colored, sometimes with a tinge of very mild browm. Many vehicles online described as "ermine white" just look white, while some have this slight hint of brown. Illuminated by the vehicle headlights driven by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner, could this 1959/1960 Chevrolet Impala (in ermine white) at Lake Herman Road have appeared white, but not illuminated by the headlights of Darlene Ferrin's Corvair at Blue Rock Springs, appeared light brown in color when in the dark parking lot? The below images show how an "ermine white" Chevrolet Impala changes to light brown in dark conditions. On page one of the police report Michael Mageau describes the assailant's vehicle as medium light brown, but It was clear by his further statements that he wasn't sure what type of vehicle was driven by the Zodiac Killer, who was perfectly happy to confirm his vehicle was brown when he sent his August 4th 1969 letter. The question being, was he in an "ermine white" Chevrolet Impala at Blue Rock Springs. The vehicle parked in the Lake Herman Road turnout as early as 9pm or 10pm (or both). The police report is ambiguous.
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