THE SECOND BIGGEST PAYOFF IN US HISTORY

3/5/2025

Previously it has been shown how the Zodiac Killer drew inspiration from current and historical newspaper coverage to fashion any recently prepared communications he was about to mail. Two possible examples were the phrases "man is the most dangerous animal of all" and "it was about time for her to die". Another simpler example was the January 29th 1974 letter, which was a reaction to "The Exorcist" film winning four awards at the Golden Globe ceremony at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 26th 1974, for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Screenplay". Which is probably why the Zodiac Killer.began his letter with a snarky rebuttal of the Exorcist film, by writing "I saw + think "The Exorcist" was the best saterical comidy". The following presentation shows some similarities to the kidnapping of Donna Lass and the resulting "Pines Card" mailed on March 22nd 1971, with the overlapping use of phraseology such as "around in the snow".

On December 8th 1963, an individual was kidnapped from Harrah's Casino in Stateline, Nevada, situated just a few hundred feet from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino where Donna Lass was last seen on September 6th 1970. This person was blindfolded and bundled into the boot of a car, with the abductors making a phone call subsequent to the kidnapping. At the time, this news story was plastered all over American newspapers and heavily featured on television - and in 1963 - was the second largest ransom payoff in US history of $240,000, which ultimately secured this person's release after days of negotiations. That person was Frank Sinatra Jr. (19). In a conversation with the kidnappers and his son, Frank Sinatra Sr. (48) relayed the message he had on the phone (shown below), stating "They took him out of the motel without socks and let him wander around in the snow with just a T-shirt on". The "around in the snow" phrase was featured in dozens of newspapers throughout the country.

The kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. and Donna Lass both occurred on a Sunday in South Lake Tahoe by the California-Nevada border, both possibly taken from two casinos separated by no more than a few hundred feet, in which a kidnapper (in both instances) rang authorities making reference to the absent person. Frank Sinatra Jr. relayed a message to his father how he was made to walk "around in the snow", and the Zodiac Killer pasted the same message in the Pines Card on March 22nd 1971. A more mature Zodiac Killer would have almost certainly been familiar with this story of the Sinatra kidnapping, so had he delved through the library microfiche once again to select this odd phrase to add to his pasted communication, hoping that somebody might make a loose connection between the two crimes in South Lake Tahoe? To access this phrase in cutting form, the Zodiac Killer didn't have to go back to 1963, because it was readily available in more contemporary newspaper articles from 1971, shown here.

Cal Neva Resort & Casino, previously known as the Calneva Resort and Cal-Neva Lodge, is a resort and casino straddling the border between Nevada and California on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The original building was constructed in 1926 and became famous when the national media picked up a story about actress Clara Bow canceling checks she owed to the Cal-Neva worth $13,000 in 1930 ($244,700 today). After burning down in a fire in 1937, the structure was rebuilt in only 30 days. In 1960, entertainer Frank Sinatra purchased the resort with several others, including singer Dean Martin and Chicago mobster Sam Giancana. Wikipedia.

Rubislaw32 link

3/5/2025 02:49:53 am

An interesting possible link, Richard, between Frank Sinatra Jnr's kidnapping and proximity of Donna's workplace.

Fact: Frank Sinatra had had vested financial interests in Nevada casino's, having partnered 50/50 with JFK's brother-in-law, British actor Peter Lawford. But, back in 1963, the Nevada Gaming commission withdrew their gaming licence - rendering their investments virtually worthless.

The rumored reason is that Sinatra attracted the ''mob'', and with it came gaming corruption. And, having a financial partner in Lawford, who was effectively, ''Kennedy family'', this was a state of affairs that the gaming commission were no longer willing to put up with - an unwelcome possible link to the President (JFK) himself.

How does this link to the disappearance of Donna Lass ? Well, there may be none. But, on past history alone, Reno was in the spotlight for suspected gaming corruption.

Only a personal viewpoint, but I believe that Donna's disappearance came about, having given freely of her own will, to be interviewed by members of a covert sting operation to uncover gaming corruption by casino employees, at that time. Somehow, Donna met her end as a result of a genuine accident. But, a decision was then made to cover this up, in the interests of the ongoing sting operation.

On record is, then-FBI Director J Edgar Hoover's denial to Senator George McGovern, that he Hoover had any knowledge of Donna's disappearance - and yet aware that Donna's case was not FBI's jurisdiction (South Lake Tahoe PD's).

With a solution to the Zodiac case, we might finally also find out what happened to Donna Lass.

Richard

3/5/2025 03:16:39 am

If Zodiac wasn't responsible for her murder Rubi, all cards are still on the table, including Joseph Stephen Holt. If the Zodiac Killer did have connections or holidayed in South Lake Tahoe, he could have easily have watched these entertainers back in the day, making his interest in this story more significant. We know that the Zodiac had his nose literally glued to the newspapers and was extremely well read, exemplified by his reference to Pat Boone on May 2nd 1978, stating "Pat Boone-his theocratic crap is an obscenity to the rest of the world". He didn't use the word "obscenity" randomly, he knew that 6 years earlier in 1972 Pat Boone was a staunch supporter of PROP 18, AN OBSCENITY LAW proposal. The Zodiac Killer knew the history of Pat Boone and the numerous newspaper articles using the word "obscenity", so it's not difficult to recognise this tactic repeated over and over again throughout his communications. Many believe that the Zodiac Killer wasn't very bright, but I believe that to be extremely wide of the mark. This killer spent immeasurable time crafting these communications and we've probably only scratched the surface. His numerous references to celebrities, even possibly the Steve McQueen letter, showed he was likely clued in to all aspects of contemporary entertainment, as the Exorcist and Channel Nine letter exemplified.

Rubislaw32 link

3/5/2025 03:39:20 am

Most certainly that the Zodiac was smart, Richard - he made it his business to be curious in areas of reportage that might maximize embarrassment, at the very least.

Your mentioning of the Channel 9 letter of May 1978, brings to mind also, the Zodiac's threat on the life of Eldridge Cleaver - ''now'' (1978) a paid-up member of the Republican Party, having been the Minister of Information for The Black Panther Party, with many years spent as a fugitive from the law. The Zodiac thought Cleaver had ''sold his soul to the devil''.

And, further brings up the question of what ever happened to ''believed'' in-pocket assassin of J Edgar Hoover, Claude ''Chuchessa'' Hubert. Hubert, known assassin of BPP student leader and Cleaver's protege, Bunchy Carter - murdered at UCLA, January 17th 1969, in order to prise then-fugitive Cleaver, out into the open (it didn't work).

Yes - with a Zodiac solution, the ghost of J Edgar Hoover may well be ''brought back to life'' in negative and embarrassing ways, also.

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 06:51:17 am

"Many believe that the Zodiac Killer wasn't very bright..."

Thats because he kind of poisoned their minds from start on, and it got worse and worse with every letter & card - becoming braindead through little doses - and they had no idea what he was doing to them.

I call that Zvir. You know the meaning of the term 'TDS'? That's exactly what Zvir was and still is in regard to The Zodiac and TZC. Once he managed it to condition them into that state of mind, it was already over for their case(s)...they turned almost immediately cold when they technically should have been still hot.

Do I have evidence for my claims?
Sure. A ton. More then a ton.

But let me rather give you an example of our times today and you can still recognise his venom in the bodies of his victims. There is this FBI crypto freak, leading position, some Olsen guy. Analyse his words, his tone of those said words, his face, the gestures, the mimic, etc., whenever he talks about TZC...they you will see what i mean.

Another little example. There is this other young crypto crack guy, Orangehack by name, and you all are huge fans of him. You analysed his utube videos? Dances around like a little monkey when in reality the other 2 silent ones "solved" the Z340cc. Makes snoty remarks towards the person which created Z340cc. That dude is not only full of himself, he is also full of Zvir, same like the first mentioned.

Rich, no need to reply or to say something bcoz both clowns are still the FBI. So, I just wanted you to know, thats all.

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 06:54:42 am

Edit:
then you will see what i mean

Johnny

3/5/2025 08:31:56 am

Oscar talked about him being a member of the Black panthers. Gaikowski was involved in some way with this negro group aswell.

Johnny

3/5/2025 08:49:14 am

I think Zodiacs mom was a seamstress, and he himself was somewhat handy. Zodiacs father was a weak one? Alcoholic? But his mom was probably a real character.

Its very usual for the son to inherit traits from his mothers side, and for the girl to inherit from fathers side.

EdEdwardsCiphers link

3/5/2025 10:01:06 am

Agree wholeheartedly here @SirRichard.

Many are fooled into thinking this person was not bright. I see this argument all the time in the community.

It's why I plan to incorporate a piece on "Intelligence" into one of my eventual videos.

We have a saying where I'm from -- "You play the fool, to catch the wise".

What it means is, a smart person can pretend to be stupid. But a stupid person cannot "pretend" to be smart.

It's one of my biggest contentions, with some who also say things like "The ciphers mean nothing and the Z32 etc, are gibberish "

That's not how any of this works. That's how a stupid person would interpret something like that. It's not how someone who is smart, diabolical, and thinks in a way that creates ciphers and puzzles, thinks. That's not how intelligence works.

This person, based on what I've bumped into, would have engaged in exactly this type of behavior that you've identified. He would have been watching the papers, and making notes. That's why he had a "count" of his so called slaves.

And he's also deeply perverse in his relationship with the media.

He loves it, and he craves it, and he's rewarded by it, when he does terrible things. It's narcissistic behavior.

It's why this behavior you've identified, to me , lines up with the finding that the misspellings are not misspellings. They're on purpose.

Someone with a deep, almost graduate level of a specific type of literature. The type of literature that a Redditor found, occurs in very old texts, around the 15th to 17th century -- has those "misspellings" in them.

My favorite is the word "clew"

That word is not even that old. It's on the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer -- when addressing the Cleveland Torso Murderer.

A newspaper, the bastion of spoken language and erudition. Clew.

EdEdwardsCiphers link

3/5/2025 10:07:23 am

So, here's a question.

Frank Sinatra. Casinos. "The Mob"

Does no one find it interesting, that "The Mob" is almost like a hidden figure in this story?

Meaning, isn't "The Mob" kind of known for being in charge of everything being discussed here?

What I'm saying is, if this was the Zodiac that committed her murder, does no one think it odd that "The Mob" either was or wasn't involved?

Put another way -- Who commits an act of violence on territory widely and commonly known as, "under mob protection"?

Richard

3/5/2025 11:17:45 am

That's assuming the murder occurred within, or in the grounds of the casino. She could have been murdered walking home, she could have been attacked on her own doorstep, or even murdered the following day. If we knew for certain if her apartment keys were found within the residence, or missing altogether, this would answer so many questions Ed. I have seen no mention of her keys as integral to this story, so if they were found inside her apartment, then she wasn't likely abducted by a stranger from the casino parking lot, or on her journey along the main road.

EdEdwardsCiphers link

3/5/2025 12:21:46 pm

I was thinking of it more from a territorial aspect.

I could be wrong, as I don't know the specifics of Donna lass, and the location and time exactly of what occurred with her, and I don't know the regional activity of the mob families that may have been in her area.

I also don't know where territorial lines exactly would be drawn by the mob per se.

But I would gather that the mob, a casino, and anywhere near Vegas might be loosely considered "mobbed up".

Even if it was not in direct proximity of "mob activity", I would think that there is still a concept of territoriality in regards to organized crime.

Concepts such as "self policing" , and "Honor amongst thieves" is what I'm referring to here.

From what little I know, if you are crime adjacent to any mob activity, you may want to be very careful of your activity.

I could have been watching too many gangster films, but it feels like, if you are going to conduct any business that is even remotely controlled by a territorial gangster, you may need to render unto caesar, what is due.

I don't know, I'm no gangster.

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 03:30:17 am

So you guys think Joseph Holt was not (highlikely) responsible for Donna Lass?

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 03:32:08 am

Rich was super fast again...crossposting. My question was answered without interaction:)

Richard

3/5/2025 04:20:18 am

The best I can say Zodcom is that Joseph Holt is by far the best named suspect in the murder of Donna Lass. Years ago I gave Zodiac little chance of being the murderer, but the Pines card design has changed all that. So I'm split sort of 45/45% on Holt and Zodiac, with 10% a third candidate. But I'm not certain of anything. Maybe new finds in the future may change my mind again.

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 07:47:19 am

Yah, same here, i am somewhere between your and Rubi's thinking in regard to DL case.

One funny thing about that 'Lake Tahoe Card' is how he (whoever that was) used a document holepuncher to create some kind of chainsaw-tooth design around that card. Like little mice bites:) It is almost not visible because all those online versions of that card are too small to show up on the first sight.

ZODCOM

3/5/2025 08:11:12 am

Edit:
lake tahoe card = pines card
(we here use other names/titles for many of those zodcom's:)

Johnny

3/5/2025 05:11:26 am

If the 10 percent, maybe it was the moviestar Hollingsworth going down a mineshaft by suicide after collecting his slaves? The card the day after his disappaerance is mighty suspicious. I dont like the page with paradice, slaves and methods of doing it. It could have been his way to say goodbye.

He had it already in his mind when he sent his Dragon card, or did the real Zodiac kill or was Hollingsworth one of two Zodiacs? The Exorcist letter could be a reference to Hollingsworth plunging down in the mineshaft.

Rubislaw32 link

3/5/2025 05:36:43 am

All I can add at this point, Johnny, is that I believe CA DOJ are ''on the money'' with the 5 confirmed victims attributed to the Zodiac - for the State of California - let alone the Bay area specifically.

The ''rest'' is a combination of the Zodiac ''overstretching his reach'' on mischief with letters, and the FBI playing the Zodiac case ''part-time'' and inept. But, in the case of Donna Lass - all is rotten in the state FBI play. CA DOJ are no fools, and have it all pretty well sussed. Just a case of whether they have actual proof.

Johnny

3/5/2025 05:49:44 am

I agree totally. Hollingsworth had money problems aswell, so it could that. But still i dont like coincidences like with the letter. He was a pilot aswell from what i have read: this is the Zodiac ( captain ) speaking.

Still Rick seems pretty sure Zodiac was alive later on, so if thats the case, and i think it is, then Hollingsworth at most could be one in a duo of killers.

Johnny

3/5/2025 05:52:05 am

Maybe Paul Newman was his companion. One dark and one blonde.

Rubislaw32 link

3/5/2025 10:18:46 am

Yeah - I reckon those two are suspected of being the last two to know what happened to Donna. Members of a sting operation to uncover gaming corruption. Possibly FBI ? Agents rarely, if ever, operated on their own.

Maybe the blonde is Robert Redford (?). Only joking, obviously.

A favored scenario is that a firearm went off by accident. Poor Donna ?

MAXMOC

3/5/2025 04:50:13 pm

Dear NSA-fella aka Craig,

Case officer Olsen and handler Orangehack spend more time in front of TV-cams instead of keyboards+terminals. I guess their CALIMERO computer came with the wrong BIOS. Here is thair diary and 2 photos (decrypted, military grade) about theor work on Z340 which they named 'crownjewel'.

https://www.streetshootr.com/nutscapes-are-real-and-theyre-coming-to-get-you/

While real [CRUREDACTED] knew Zs masterpiece was already that Z408cc@L1 monecular mass-transformer thingy.

A concerned netizen

]8~)

Rubislaw32 link

3/5/2025 09:09:30 pm

If Don Harden taught us anything, it is:

1) No machines allowed - it's called ''Using your Noddle''.

2) The FBI are The FIB, and forget how to tell the truth.

Johnny

3/6/2025 12:27:13 am

Im re-reading Kim Rossmo now. Everything is earily alike to Richards thinking. But Rossmos age span of the Zodiac is younger, and he talks about a dark-colored ( possibly brown he says ) car as a possibility.

The case is layed out nicely for Zodiac to have lived around Vallejo, exacly like Richards thinks.

Myself have one thing to add to all this, that we have talked about here before. I think that we "may" have a "small" proof of Lake Herman being his first murder, because of the extended timeline between the first and the second murder/ murders. I think he was very much afraid to get caught and that this produced in him feelings of guilt. When he didnt get caught and the time lingered on he was off to the races!

I also believe his first crime was very well planned. He was meticilous and acted extreme cautious, but he killed to close to home and did misstakes. He shouldnt have made the call so close to his home and he thought he was smart roamning the forest on foot, but people saw his Impala anyway!

Glenn W. Albertson?

Richard

3/6/2025 06:11:50 am

Yes, Kim Rossmo made perfect sense and identified several hot zones for where the killer lived, including Rancho Vallejo. The Zodiac knew that investigators were looking into the people known to Faraday and Jensen for the murders, and were not initially focusing on the notion of a random killer. If this was his first crime, then as you said, he may have applied more caution after the attack, allowing for a longer cooling off period. Makes total sense. Kim Rossmo correctly stated in my opinion that the Zodiac didn't live in San Francisco because "The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts. In San Francisco, however, the Zodiac controlled the situation through his selection of victim type. The need for such control could be indicative of the distance the Zodiac had to travel to the crime site. Criminals who travel longer distances to offend are less likely to use uncertain target selection techniques. In respect to the killer's home residence, he continued "There's a number of possibilities. But remember, Rancho Vallejo was possibly 26,000 people at that time, of which only 13,000 will be male, and only a certain proportion of those are of the correct age, and a certain portion of those are only going to be white. Then we start looking at the neighborhoods involved, we have a pretty small subset. Then we start combining that with some of the personal and behavioral descriptors, and then we work in the vehicle information. If this case was active today, it would not be too difficult to find this person."

Jibberjabber

3/6/2025 08:23:49 am

Johnny you make a good point that Zodiac may have been cautious between LHR and BRS hence the time gap,but then by committing the second murder only down the road from the first one, then calling it in from a phone box near his house and also admitting to the previous unsolved crime,all that caution is suddenly ruined. If the killer had a 7 month gap between crimes 1 & 2 out of caution,I find it hard to believe his next move would be so caution less.

Johnny

3/6/2025 08:44:38 am

Yes, that certainly is crazy and because he was movable, had a car, if he was as cautioned as i says, he would probably kill further away exactly as you imply, Jibber. But we don't know his exact circumstances, and maybe he didn't intend to kill again at all, but when his urges got to pressing, he did a similar deal once over again, because he felt much more secure in his own territory perhaps. Maybe he didn't even have a car in the meantime.

Richard

3/6/2025 11:17:55 am

I suppose it depends on how we interpret his "Debut" letter? Fair points though Jibberjabber.

Johnny

3/6/2025 12:57:11 am

He was smart in certain ways, but may have had a hard time thinking outside his own mind. If that was him at Beryessa with the ladies, he should not have done that, because they now know how he looks.

The Impala also he couldn't see from others point of view, because if its the only one car out there, it's actually a negative thing that is a remote place. He should have bycycled or something like that instead, or atleast place the car in a much better position. It was not one but two ( ! ) sightings of the car, and he should have known that it was suspect to park a car out there!

The call after Darlene i believe was his ego and his rigid planning that once again clouded his mind. If he could have seen from our point of view he shouldnt have made that call. Maybe it really was a brown ( but probably this was to give credit to Mageaus wrongful sighting? ) car he had, who knows? If there was a person there to witness he was maybe afraid and made an impulsive misstake.

Jibberjabber

3/6/2025 08:29:53 am

We have to bear in mind the last person to see a car that could have been the murder car was James Owen. If he didn't see the Chevy then it is not the killers car. I am not saying it was or wasn't but he did not see the impala at the time the other witnesses saw it, he passed the turnout maybe 4 minutes before the crime occurred. He said a dark car lacking Chrome. Might be the impala previously seen but could just as easily be an entirely different car. The white Chevrolet Impala needs accounted for one way or the other

Johnny

3/6/2025 08:51:55 am

I have been thinking all the time, that Owens headlights didn't reach the suspects car, but i guess i might be wrong in this. Rick talks about ermine white, could be that aswell.

But sure, the Impala isnt certain. But very probable i personally would think.

This is interesting aswell: https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/proximity "Badly rusted beat up Corvair ...Car has maroon (brownish red) top, light green hood and dark green panels. Car is 1963 Corvair 2-door."

Johnny

3/6/2025 12:58:03 pm

Oh, now i think i remember you saying that the cars stood so close, that the suspects car also probably got to be seen by the headlights. Could be, could be

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