Several key witnesses came forward to reconstruct a timeline for the Lake Herman Road double murder on 12.20.68, but here we will refocus on the Chevrolet Impala, observed by Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly, William Crow, Bingo Wesner and Stan (14 years) with a friend. Some of the eyewitnesses may have small details about the vehicle incorrect, but all stated the make as a Chevrolet Impala, spotted in three locations on Lake Herman Road between 9.00 pm and 10.30 pm. It is important to understand that Lake Herman Road had extremely low density traffic back in 1968. It stretches just over five miles, between the areas of Benicia and Vallejo, it is a two lane and extremely dark road with no streetlights, as it meanders through rolling countryside. However, it has many turnouts or gravel pull-off areas, often frequented by courting couples' late at night and it is quite possible the Zodiac Killer knew this. The road also passed very close to Lake Herman Recreational Park. If the Zodiac Killer was a hunter, these were his perfect surroundings, secluded and remote, where he could ambush his 'prey' and slip quietly away into the night.
The most important sightings were the ones corroborated by the two hunters Frank Gasser and Robert Connelly, and Bingo Wesner, a local sheepherder at 9:00 pm. The two hunters were traveling toward the Marshall Ranch in their red pick-up truck when they spotted a white 4-door hardtop, 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala parked up in the turnout. There were no occupants. At the same time Bingo Wesner noticed the same vehicle while exiting the turnout gate, also spotting the hunters red pick-up truck pass by. The question being, what was the reason for this unoccupied vehicle being there. It was a cold December evening with temperatures hovering around freezing. This may not be important, unless we can tie in a second timeline.
Enter William Crow and his girlfriend cruising the Lake Herman Road, while testing out her sports car. William Crow and his girlfriend stated in the police report they were in the area between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm. They were parked in the turnout, facing the road, when a blue car, possibly a Valiant came from the Benicia area, but just as it passed the turnout its reverse lights engaged. William Crow put the car in gear and took off at a high rate of speed, followed equally fast by the pursuing vehicle. He stated that he thought the car was occupied by two Caucasian males. However, in later contact with Tom Voigt from Zodiackiller.com, his story would change.
"I noticed a car coming down the road from the direction of Benicia. The car passed in front of me, then I noticed that it came to a stop and its taillights told me it was backing up. Common sense suggested to me to put the sports car in gear and leave. I pulled out and started driving toward Benicia. The other car backed into the area where I had been parked, turned around and in a second or two was behind me. The car hit its bright lights and then did a bright off, bright on, bright off, etc. I went through a few young testosterone moments where I was going “to pull over and kick that guy’s ---”. My former girlfriend started getting upset and I sped up. The car behind me also sped up, and at one point as I was looking over my shoulder the car behind me came up on my side with its right front fender near the driver’s rear quarter panel and appeared to be moving toward making contact. I shifted to a lower gear and hit the gas. There is a fork in the road where one continues toward Benicia and the other more towards the freeway toward Vallejo. The other car was clearly chasing me and I waited until the last moment and then turned off. The larger car behind me could not make the turn. “I went down approximately two hundred yards and stopped in the middle of the road. The other car had stopped shortly after the turn-off. Each of us sat there in the road. Again, youthfully stupid, I yelled about kicking his ---. After some moments, the other car turned around in the roadway and went back down the road from which we had come. I kept making macho statements, but not totally without some sense about me, I drove home. I did not see the car again. I could not see the passenger seat, but the driver was a man with short hair and glasses. I never told the sheriff who interviewed me that the car I encountered was a Valiant. As I recall, as I was attempting to describe the car, the sheriff came up with a “Valiant”. In the years that have passed, when I have shared the events of that night, I have described the car as a four-door light-colored Chevy. Until your e-mail I have never known that two hunters came upon a white Chevy or that any reference to a Chevy existed in the investigation. I know this does not support the theory of two cars, but it is important to me that my account be accurate". See here.
Enter William Crow and his girlfriend cruising the Lake Herman Road, while testing out her sports car. William Crow and his girlfriend stated in the police report they were in the area between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm. They were parked in the turnout, facing the road, when a blue car, possibly a Valiant came from the Benicia area, but just as it passed the turnout its reverse lights engaged. William Crow put the car in gear and took off at a high rate of speed, followed equally fast by the pursuing vehicle. He stated that he thought the car was occupied by two Caucasian males. However, in later contact with Tom Voigt from Zodiackiller.com, his story would change.
"I noticed a car coming down the road from the direction of Benicia. The car passed in front of me, then I noticed that it came to a stop and its taillights told me it was backing up. Common sense suggested to me to put the sports car in gear and leave. I pulled out and started driving toward Benicia. The other car backed into the area where I had been parked, turned around and in a second or two was behind me. The car hit its bright lights and then did a bright off, bright on, bright off, etc. I went through a few young testosterone moments where I was going “to pull over and kick that guy’s ---”. My former girlfriend started getting upset and I sped up. The car behind me also sped up, and at one point as I was looking over my shoulder the car behind me came up on my side with its right front fender near the driver’s rear quarter panel and appeared to be moving toward making contact. I shifted to a lower gear and hit the gas. There is a fork in the road where one continues toward Benicia and the other more towards the freeway toward Vallejo. The other car was clearly chasing me and I waited until the last moment and then turned off. The larger car behind me could not make the turn. “I went down approximately two hundred yards and stopped in the middle of the road. The other car had stopped shortly after the turn-off. Each of us sat there in the road. Again, youthfully stupid, I yelled about kicking his ---. After some moments, the other car turned around in the roadway and went back down the road from which we had come. I kept making macho statements, but not totally without some sense about me, I drove home. I did not see the car again. I could not see the passenger seat, but the driver was a man with short hair and glasses. I never told the sheriff who interviewed me that the car I encountered was a Valiant. As I recall, as I was attempting to describe the car, the sheriff came up with a “Valiant”. In the years that have passed, when I have shared the events of that night, I have described the car as a four-door light-colored Chevy. Until your e-mail I have never known that two hunters came upon a white Chevy or that any reference to a Chevy existed in the investigation. I know this does not support the theory of two cars, but it is important to me that my account be accurate". See here.
1959 Chevrolet Impala 4 Door Hardtop https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacksnell707/4035893284/ Returning back to the unoccupied vehicle described by Gasser, Connelly and Wesner, something Zodiac contributor Gregory Haugevik posted in a comments section opened up a whole new avenue: "If the car was left unattended, the killer may have been out surveying the park area for victims. The scenario is reminiscent of Lake Berryessa wherein several witnesses allegedly saw the killer hanging around the area in the hours prior to the attack".
If the Zodiac Killer was a hunter, then he had at least three options available to him - the Lake Herman Road turnouts, the lake itself and Blue Rock Springs Park, all closely grouped within the vicinity. If he was unsuccessful in his search for victims at one location, he could simply move to another and so forth, until the right opportunity presented itself. It is perfectly feasible that he may have parked up his car in the turnout sometime before 9:00 pm, where it was spotted by Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly and Bingo Wesner. The walking distance to Lake Herman from the turnout is similar to Lake Berryessa from the Knoxville Road, and quite plausible bearing in mind the hunting aspect and the allusion to 'The Most Dangerous Game', partly described in the Zodiac Killer's 408 Cipher.
But something he stated categorically in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter pricks the interest. This letter was mailed on August 4th 1969, one month after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack. In it he gives the police an earful: "Last Christmass In that epasode the police were wondering how I could shoot + hit my victims in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night + I could see silowets on the horizon. Bullshit that area is srounded by high hills + trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or ceiling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights".
The Zodiac Killer was correct, because it was one day after a new moon and 2% illumination, however, parked alongside the Rambler of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen with the headlights on, there was absolutely no need for any type of sighting implement. He could have simply stepped out of his vehicle and fired through the window of the Rambler, exactly like he did at Blue Rock Springs Park. A torch would have sufficed. That is, unless his original plan at Lake Herman Road was to head to the lake to do a spot of hunting, whereby a sighting implement may have come in more useful and indicated his true intentions that night. Having possibly found the lake deserted or an opportunity failed to materialize, he returned to the white Chevrolet and his search continued along Lake Herman Road and nearby Blue Rock Springs Park. Sometime between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm, William Crow is traversing Lake Herman Road. Enter the white Chevrolet Impala with brake lights on.
If the Zodiac Killer was a hunter, then he had at least three options available to him - the Lake Herman Road turnouts, the lake itself and Blue Rock Springs Park, all closely grouped within the vicinity. If he was unsuccessful in his search for victims at one location, he could simply move to another and so forth, until the right opportunity presented itself. It is perfectly feasible that he may have parked up his car in the turnout sometime before 9:00 pm, where it was spotted by Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly and Bingo Wesner. The walking distance to Lake Herman from the turnout is similar to Lake Berryessa from the Knoxville Road, and quite plausible bearing in mind the hunting aspect and the allusion to 'The Most Dangerous Game', partly described in the Zodiac Killer's 408 Cipher.
But something he stated categorically in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter pricks the interest. This letter was mailed on August 4th 1969, one month after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack. In it he gives the police an earful: "Last Christmass In that epasode the police were wondering how I could shoot + hit my victims in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night + I could see silowets on the horizon. Bullshit that area is srounded by high hills + trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or ceiling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights".
The Zodiac Killer was correct, because it was one day after a new moon and 2% illumination, however, parked alongside the Rambler of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen with the headlights on, there was absolutely no need for any type of sighting implement. He could have simply stepped out of his vehicle and fired through the window of the Rambler, exactly like he did at Blue Rock Springs Park. A torch would have sufficed. That is, unless his original plan at Lake Herman Road was to head to the lake to do a spot of hunting, whereby a sighting implement may have come in more useful and indicated his true intentions that night. Having possibly found the lake deserted or an opportunity failed to materialize, he returned to the white Chevrolet and his search continued along Lake Herman Road and nearby Blue Rock Springs Park. Sometime between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm, William Crow is traversing Lake Herman Road. Enter the white Chevrolet Impala with brake lights on.
At least thirty minutes later, somebody described as Stan (14 years) in the police report is traveling with a companion at the junction of Lake Herman Road and Columbus Parkway at around 10:30 pm, where they describe a vehicle as "a blue 1963 Chevrolet Impala, with two persons, turn off Lake Herman Road on to Columbus Parkway, heading in the direction of Blue Rock Springs". This in all likelihood is not the same vehicle as described earlier, but cannot be totally ruled out. Light blue, silver, grey, or white, in darkness, under the glare of headlights can easily be mistaken, although two occupants may be harder to ignore. Incidentally, in William Crow's original statement he did describe a blue car with two occupants, although possibly a Valiant.
James Owen was another eyewitness, calculated to have passed the turnout at approximately 11:14 pm on his way to work at Humble Oil in Benicia, describing two cars parked side by side. In his first statement he outlined the murdered couple's car as a "1955 or 1956 station wagon, boxy type, neutral color", but failed to give a description of the second car parked only ten feet to its right, I wonder if it was a white Chevrolet Impala? Six minutes later our final witness, Stella Borges, passes the turnout, where the couple are discovered lying on the turnout floor, shot a total of six times. The Zodiac Killer had begun his reign of terror.
THE WHITE CHEVROLET IMPALA [PT2]
THE WHITE CHEVROLET IMPALA [PT3]
James Owen was another eyewitness, calculated to have passed the turnout at approximately 11:14 pm on his way to work at Humble Oil in Benicia, describing two cars parked side by side. In his first statement he outlined the murdered couple's car as a "1955 or 1956 station wagon, boxy type, neutral color", but failed to give a description of the second car parked only ten feet to its right, I wonder if it was a white Chevrolet Impala? Six minutes later our final witness, Stella Borges, passes the turnout, where the couple are discovered lying on the turnout floor, shot a total of six times. The Zodiac Killer had begun his reign of terror.
THE WHITE CHEVROLET IMPALA [PT2]
THE WHITE CHEVROLET IMPALA [PT3]
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