THE SECOND COMING OF ZODIAC?

1/9/2019

The SLA letter with the wording "Dear Mr Editor, Did you know that the initials SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army) spell "sla", an old Norse word meaning "kill". a friend" was postmarked one day before the kidnapping of media heiress Patricia Campbell Hearst by the urban militant group Symbionese Liberation Army. The FBI files state:
Qc64 Photocopy of envelope postmarked "U.S. Postal Service, CA 913 PM 3 FEB 1974", bearing the hand printed address "Editor San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco, California".
Qc65 Accompanying photocopy of sheet of paper bearing the hand printed message beginning "Dear Mr. Editor, Did you know that the.....".

The postmark of CA 913 indicates it was mailed in north Los Angeles, an area the Zodiac Killer had never previously mailed a communication from (the SLA had headquarters in Los Angeles). The same applied to the two subsequent 1974 mailings - the 'Badlands' card postmarked Alameda County on May 8th 1974 and the 'Red Phantom' letter postmarked San Rafael on July 8th 1974. The city of Los Angeles would become headline news for the 1466 East 54th Street deadly shootout between SLA members and law enforcement on May 17th 1974, leaving six members dead.

The SLA letter was postmarked February 3rd 1974, but was only received by the San Francisco Chronicle eleven days later on February 14th 1974. This becomes all the more unusual when the following communication, the 'Badlands' postcard, was also delayed by twenty-seven days. It was postmarked May 8th 1974, but was received by the San Francisco Chronicle on June 4th 1974. Chronicle reporter Duffy Jennings wrote "In a postcard sent to the Chronicle on June 4, Zodiac - signing himself only as "a citizen" - urged the paper's editors to "show some concern for public sensibilities" by dropping an advertisement for a motion picture dealing with mass murder. The postcard,

although received on June 4, was mailed in Alameda County nearly a month earlier, on May 8. There was no explanation for its delayed arrival at the Chronicle offices".

Although we cannot say for certain who mailed the SLA letter, it was the second letter in a matter of five days after a perceived three year 'hibernation' by the Zodiac Killer. If the SLA letter was mailed by the Zodiac Killer, it shows astonishing timing having been postmarked one day before the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, undoubtedly the Symbionese Liberation Army's most daring escapade thus far. But why was both this letter and the 'Badlands' postcard delayed in transit by a total of 38 days? Had somebody at the San Francisco Chronicle not realized the significance of these two mailings because of their lack of identifying features?

For those believing the SLA letter was mailed by the Zodiac Killer, we have a letter mailed from Los Angeles to San Francisco, something the Zodiac had never done before - an area of California where the Symbionese Liberation Army had their headquarters. The Zodiac Killer then got lucky, writing about the Symbionese Liberation Army the day before Patty Hearst's kidnapping in Berkeley - after a perceived three year hiatus in communications. The SLA letter signed off with "a friend", the 'Badlands' postcard signed off with "A citizen" and the 'Red Phantom' letter signed off with "the Red Phantom (red with rage)", of which, none had the menacing introduction of "This is the Zodiac Speaking", none had the Zodiac crosshairs, none had a running victim count and none had any spelling errors.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/9/2019 08:09:32 am

As far as I am aware,Richard,the Zodiac's primary home,was close to Pasadena,at the time of the ''SLA'' letter.

Having returned,from a two year work stint,in Cherbourg,France...for a short break,before he ventured back to more work,in Europe.

But,that would be claiming that I know the Zodiac's identity.

Perish the thought.

Shawn

1/9/2019 08:27:51 am

It appears that whoever wrote the SLA letter did not underscore "kill".

Looks like the word friend is written oddly. The letters "fri" are angled and "end" is written straight with the line over "end"

In Zodiac first letter he talked about going on a kill rampage unless the cipher is printed by "fry".

Richard

1/9/2019 09:37:19 am

In 1974, a group of left-wing radicals calling themselves the “Symbionese Liberation Army” stormed into the Berkeley, California apartment of publishing heiress Patty Hearst and, after smashing a wine bottle across her fiancée’s face, dragged her away into the night. Who these people were and what happened to their “victim” after they ran off with her, has since become the stuff of American legend.

"sla" means smite or strike in Old Norse. Smite - a heavy blow or stroke with a weapon or the hand.

On 23 August 1973 four were taken hostage in the Kreditbanken by 32-year-old career-criminal Jan-Erik Olsson - who was later joined at the bank by a former prison mate. Six days later when the stand-off ended, it became evident that the victims had formed some kind of positive relationship with their captors. This term Stockholm Syndrome was first used by foreign media in 1973 as eponym when four hostages were taken during a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden. The hostages defended their captors after being released and would not agree to testify in court against them.

Old Norse was a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements from about the 9th to the 13th century.

Sweden is a Scandinavian country.

4 months later Patty Hearst was taken hostage and developed Stockholm Syndrome. The S.L.A letter used Old Norse for smite or strike, completing the circle, when the urban militant group struck in Berkeley.

Carl Krash link

1/9/2019 11:07:00 am

Was the Exorcist Letter printed in an LA paper before February 3rd ‘74...in time for a copycat to repeat the ‘kill’ word?

Richard

1/9/2019 01:21:09 pm

The Exorcist letter was featured in the newspapers before February 3rd, but a copycat would have had to have known what the Asian symbols read. Many people have looked at these Exorcist characters over the last 44 years, so IF Kevin Robert Brooks was correct and they did spell "To Kill", the copycat would have to have deciphered the characters in 2-3 days to be able to have used "Kill" on the SLA letter. However, if the author of the SLA letter also authored the Exorcist letter, they wouldn't have needed to decode their meaning - they already knew it. This may be in someway a link between both letters, therefore indicating they were not authored by Zodiac. If, however, you are of the opinion the Exorcist characters don't spell "To Kill" then the argument is superfluous.

Richard

1/9/2019 01:27:08 pm

The alternative, is that somebody read the Exorcist letter and just guessed the author meant "To kill", because the characters followed the Zodiac saying "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing." And we all know what he's capable of doing/

Richard

1/9/2019 03:01:41 pm

Actually, the San Francisco Chronicle to which the Exorcist letter was mailed, withheld the Asian characters from their January 31st publication, so if the Asian symbols did read "To Kill", the author of the SLA letter wouldn't have known about them, lending a little more credence to the author being responsible for both. But again, I refer to the answer above.

Richard

1/9/2019 03:40:17 pm

http://i.imgur.com/WCMyerb.jpg

Rubislaw 32 link

1/9/2019 11:46:14 am

Interesting Scandinavian links.

Of course, '' 913 '' decodes to '' IAC '',in basic alphabetic substitution.

I wonder if that was deliberate [?].

'' CA 913 '' = '' California [zod] 'iac ''.

Zodiac having motored,to an appropriate place of posting.Just as he seems to have often done,in the past.

Richard

1/9/2019 01:28:13 pm

Clever.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/9/2019 04:57:40 pm

....and further,if the Zodiac had been living in the vicinity of Pasadena [...the birthplace of his second child...]...then,he would have had,at most,5 miles to travel,for a ''deliberate'' place of posting.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/9/2019 12:10:19 pm

I think that ''subliminal messages'' was always big,with Zodiac,Richard.

Not that it necessarily strengthens any claim to the ''SLA'' letter's authenticity.

Having spent,much time researching Cattle Brands across the USA,I have found that Fred Harman's registered brand,and John Kuehster's beside it,were not unique.....just ''unique'' to Colorado.

The whole ''V'' category,and variants such as '' 7V '' and '' 7VF '' were quite popular,for one main reason : That the design resembled a ''Texas Longhorn'',from the front.

Refer to the Zodiac's strange signature on the Halloween Card :

Partly a message of : '' I am a Texas Bull '' [?].

Carl Krash link

1/9/2019 04:01:38 pm

Curiouser and curiouser! I wonder why they wouldn’t print the bottom code? Maybe they had their own solution? X-rated perhaps. Or did they think it too threatening? Seems like Zodiac saw it was missing and wrote the SLA letter as a reaction. Still leaves the SLA coincidence as something that needs explaining

Richard

1/9/2019 04:37:07 pm

They likely omitted the symbols to either provoke a reaction, which may have worked 2-3 days later, or to later weed out hoaxers. But if one entity was responsible for both communications, in particular the SLA letter, do we really believe that after nearly 3 years Zodiac just happened to write a letter about the SLA and mail it one day before the Hearst kidnapping by the SLA. Zodiac would be a soothsayer or fortune teller.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/9/2019 05:37:50 pm

Yes,if as you suggest,Richard,the ''coincidence'' seems ''beyond belief''.

If we accept the Zodiac authenticity,as claimed by the authorities [ CA DOJ and FBI],of ''both'' correspondences....then they must have played with the date of the ''SLA'' letter.

''Beyond reasonable doubt'',anyway [?].

Richard

1/10/2019 01:54:37 am

Let us assume Rubislaw the likely author of the SLA letter the day before the Hearst kidnapping is the SLA themselves. They see that their Exorcist letter symbol/characters have been whitewashed from the January 31st Chronicle publication, then their instinct may be to verify they were the Exorcist author by revealing the word "kill" and by referencing "Old Norse", which itself has alien characters compared to the alphabet we are used to. I know you have other opinions on the symbols, so it's probably not a line you will take, but worth considering.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/10/2019 02:18:13 am

Certainly worth considering,Richard,and you keep us all,and rightfully,on the ''straight and narrow''.

Another of my ''takes'' on the Exorcist letter is ,admittedly the handwriting....which is ''too close for comfort'',to exemplars that I possess.

But that aside....its far more likely that the Zodiac was ''piggybacking'' off the SLA,than the other way around [?].

I realise that you keep options open,to further debate,and encourage a diversity of suggestions and opinions.....but,in a way,you have persuaded me to believe that the FBI had ''probably'' decided on baiting tactics....to keep the Zodiac persuaded to be active on correspondence...to increase the chances of apprehending him.

It's probable that a return to correspondences,from the Zodiac,caught the FBI's attention...like excited fishermen....and they immediately looked at ways that they could keep the Zodiac,in continuing to write.

Personally,I believe,the first time since the Benicia High School Note,of circa beginning of Autumn 1972.

'' P.S. I'm gona do my thing at Qir School.''

Rubislaw 32 link

1/10/2019 01:24:38 am

If we accept all four 1974 correspondences as authentic,and as the authorities proffer,as such.....then I think that you have opened a portal,Richard.....to a ''baiting'' policy on the Zodiac,by the FBI.

Perhaps it is the case that,the Count Marco letter,was an expression of the Zodiac's accumulated frustration [?].....as much as any actual annoyance with Count Marco.

We may even have seen a bit of ''sour grapes'' from the FBI,in July 1975,with their ''Sexual Hangups'' reference to Mr.Grant [?].For I doubt that Mr.Grant had any personal hangups of his own,when it came to sexual preferences.

And,if the June 1977 ''Steve McQueen'' letter was the Zodiac,and seen to be ''out of touch''....then I bet the FBI had a celebratory party,over that one [?].

Richard

1/10/2019 02:24:16 am

I didn't see the SLA letter in the Chronicle (if anybody can find it, that would be helpful), but with the Citizen card stating "a citizen", after having previously ended with "a friend", then an argument could be made the same author was at least responsible for these two correspondences. Who was Zodiac, and whether Grant has anything to do with the Zodiac case is down to whether you believe Lafferty, and you know my opinion on these countless suspects Rubislaw. I have none, and often they can lead you down a path. What I do know, is that regardless of these FBI files stating February 3rd, the story of the SLA letter will be discussed from the perspective it was mailed after the kidnapping on February 14th. Every single book I have read recently talks about Zodiac writing the SLA letter in response to the SLA kidnapping. If we believe the FBI files weren't lying (which we have no reason to believe, because the postmarks on all the other envelopes were correctly recorded), then these books are wrong, as are all the forum posts claiming a connection to Valentine's Day. I too have written material under the idea the SLA letter was postmarked or mailed on the 14th, so I was just as wrong. I am prepared to accept that, but I ask you seriously, would somebody who has written a section in their book based around a February 14th mailing now accept their book is wrong, or attempt to circumnavigate the facts to save face. I will guarantee you, that the SLA will be talked about regarding a 14th mailing for the next fifty years. These myths are too far ingrained. Michael Butterfield's site is called Zodiac Killer Facts for a reason - it contains FACTS. His list of Zodiac letters has the SLA letter down as received unlike all the other letters and he is correct, it was received on the 14th, but postmarked on the 3rd. http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/Zodiac%20Letters.htm

Richard

1/10/2019 02:56:27 am

The Count Marco letter is a bit different from the other 74 communications, and needs a further look. The four 74 communications don't necessarily have to be authored by one individual or group, but I tend to now believe all were likely mailed by somebody other than Zodiac. The Bay Area murderer can be argued to have ceased his activities in 1971. I know you believe he continued (which I'd be foolish to rule out), but we need solid evidence, for which I have none. I certainly won't put my faith in Lyndon Lafferty, no matter how respected he was in law enforcement , because his book is nothing more than another opinion, without solid evidence. Suspicions are one thing, and no respected book author believes another book author from the standpoint of suspects. Every person has the right to author a book and believe in the suspect they have featured, but we know that all but one are going to be wrong. And we know that every author believes that everybody else is wrong or misguided. If we claim we know who the Zodiac is, we need tangible evidence, not hyperbole, and bashing square pegs in round holes. Solid circumstantial evidence is required, rather than cherry-picking of material to fit the narrative, when making bold claims. I get roundly challenged and criticized for using "probably", "may", "possibly", "can be argued", but I don't claim to know the answers like so many immodestly portray. Nobody knows who the Zodiac is, and any such statement to the contrary should be roundly dismissed. Anyway, here endeth the rant.

Mike Joyce

1/10/2019 09:14:23 am

Your "rant" below is why this is the best site ever on Zodiac.

Richard

1/10/2019 10:20:31 am

Shall I continue the rant then Mike- cheers mate.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/10/2019 02:55:14 am

I take all that you say,on board...I really do.

What we generally have perceived is that the Zodiac did have a predilection to ''piggyback riding''

Manson,The Beatles,Black Power....so,The SLA shouldn't really come,as any surprise [?].And I think it worth pointing out that the Tate LaBianca murders came at the very same time,as the Zodiac's humiliation,at the hands of The Hardens.

In addition,this idea that LE ''played by the rules''...seems to unravel,or at least some evidence of them ''not''.....the more we look into specifics.

It does seem that the SLA started off,''quite principled''....with their descent to schoolchildren being forced to wear identity cards....no doubt with an angle on ethnicity and religion,for the authorities.

So,it does appear,on the surface,at least,that they would keep a ''wide berth'' from any associations,with a known serial killer.

Yes,it can be difficult to ''stay on track'' with analysing the Zodiac,when one has a suspect.I just try to learn as much as I can,and really had already come to some sort of personal conclusion,before Lafferty's book,was even out.

My first reaction to ''The Silenced Badge'' was : '' My G*d,he's called it wrong ! ''.

Tom1

1/10/2019 04:25:12 pm

Does "principled" include the assassination of an Oakland School board official and the wounding of one of his assistants? Just asking. The counter culture revolution was in full swing at the time. Left wing militant radical groups dotted the landscape in North and South Calif. That is just the basics.

Rubislaw 32 link

1/11/2019 03:52:18 am

I certainly understand your point,Tom 1,for there was a lot going on,that represented hypocrisy,at the time.

The murder of the school superintendent was the first time,that members of the SLA had technically broken the law.The irony being,that the superintendent in question,had voted against the introduction of identity cards,for schoolchildren.

One member of the SLA,involved in that murder,remains the only person,still serving time,in prison,for crimes committed,under the banner,of SLA.

Tahoe27

1/10/2019 11:42:42 am

The latter...but, that's just me. ;)

1/10/2019 06:42:30 pm

Wikipedia, Born on November 8, 1945 in Bath, New York, to Joseph James DeAngelo Sr. and Kathleen Louise DeGroat, and he has two sisters: Rebecca and Connie and one brother: John. When he was 9–10 years old he witnessed Connie being raped by two Airmen at an air force base warehouse in Germany. He attended ninth grade at Mills Middle School in Rancho Cordova, California.He graduated from Folsom High School in June 1964. DeAngelo Jr. joined the U.S. Navy in September that year, and served for 22-months during the Vietnam War as a damage control-man on the cruiser USS Canberra,and received National Defense Service, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign Medals.

A possible Sierra link for DeAngelo Jr. being the Zodiac - is - he attended Sierra College in 1968. The campus is in Rocklin, California, United States. Rocklin is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, approximately 20 minutes from the state capital of Sacramento. The Pines Card refers to the Sierra Club.

With the shootout between S.L.A members and law enforcement on May 17th 1974, leaving six members dead happening in between the Zodiac from 1966 to 1974 and the Golden State Killer from 1974 to 1986. The pelican symbol of the Zodiac is a symbol using Norse alphabet for SLA.

https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-runes-guide-runic-alphabet-meanings-nordic-celtic-letters

1- S = Sideways W for sun
2- L = Lagua L for water
3- A = F symbol for wisdom

Rubislaw 32 link

1/11/2019 04:21:39 am

Mr.Voigt has made an interesting observation,recently.

That being that it was ''de rigeur'' at the time of Zodac's reign of terror,for protesters against the ''Yippies'' and young revolutionists,at the time....to misspell words,in their protests.

As if,perhaps,to pour scorn on these middle class intellectuals,for leading the largely uneducated masses,into a head on collision,with the establishment.

Zodiac probably felt ''remote'' from this revolution,by the mostly young ''bourgeois''.

But,liked the ''Arty'' side,that came with it [?].

1/12/2019 02:28:57 pm

The pelican symbol of the Zodiac links the Zodiac and the SLA

https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-runes-guide-runic-alphabet-meanings-nordic-celtic-letters

The symbol is in the top left of the Halloween card with "Z" underneath - This prompts the turning of the card until the symbol reads "N" (North is at the top) and to the right, the pelican symbol is now a sideways W or M depending which way it's turned.

1/13/2019 09:54:24 am

Correction

I meant the top left of the Halloween card - envelope

Turn the envelope so N is at the top

The pelican symbol is at the top

It translates to the SLA using old Norse

https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-runes-guide-runic-alphabet-meanings-nordic-celtic-letters

The S is often a thunderbolt

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