Much expectation has surrounded the capture of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo on suspicion of 50 rapes and 12 murders between 1976 and 1986 in California, with respect to the possible future identification of the Zodiac Killer through the use of genealogy websites and familial DNA testing. The Sacramento Bee newspaper stated "Vallejo police Detective Terry Poyser, who has worked the Zodiac case for four years, said his agency has submitted two envelopes that contained letters from the Zodiac Killer for a type of advanced DNA analysis that previously had not been available in the case. Poyser declined to identify the lab, but said it would attempt to obtain a full DNA profile from saliva on the envelope flap and stamps. He said he expected to have results back from the lab as soon as in the next few weeks, and almost certainly by summer. Referring to testing done in 2002 "Poyser said that DNA sample was hampered because technology didn't exist at the time to separate the glue used on the stamps and envelopes from the genetic material. However, science now has advanced to allow a clean grab of the DNA."
Peter Sutcliffe Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of thirteen counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in England between 1969 and 1980. The case was severely hampered by poor detective work and the intervention of a hoaxer dubbed 'Wearside Jack,' who falsely claimed to be the murderer, sending detectives three letters and a cassette recording between 1978 and 1979.
One letter read "Dear Sir, I am sorry I cannot give my name for obvious reasons. I am the Ripper. I've been dubbed a maniac by the Press but not by you, you call me clever and I am. You and your mates haven't a clue that photo in the paper gave me fits and that bit about killing myself, no chance. I've got things to do. My purpose to rid the streets of them sluts. My one regret is that young lassie McDonald, did not know cause changed routine that night. Up to number 8 now you say 7 but remember Preston '75. get about you know. You were right I travel a bit. You probably look for me in Sunderland, don't bother, I am not daft, just posted letter there on one of my trips. Not a bad place compared with Chapeltown and Manningham and other places. Warn whores to keep off streets cause I feel it coming on again. Sorry about young lassie. Yours respectfully, Jack the Ripper.
Might write again later I not sure last one really deserved it. Whores getting younger each time. Old slut next time I hope. Huddersfield never again, too small close call last one."
One letter read "Dear Sir, I am sorry I cannot give my name for obvious reasons. I am the Ripper. I've been dubbed a maniac by the Press but not by you, you call me clever and I am. You and your mates haven't a clue that photo in the paper gave me fits and that bit about killing myself, no chance. I've got things to do. My purpose to rid the streets of them sluts. My one regret is that young lassie McDonald, did not know cause changed routine that night. Up to number 8 now you say 7 but remember Preston '75. get about you know. You were right I travel a bit. You probably look for me in Sunderland, don't bother, I am not daft, just posted letter there on one of my trips. Not a bad place compared with Chapeltown and Manningham and other places. Warn whores to keep off streets cause I feel it coming on again. Sorry about young lassie. Yours respectfully, Jack the Ripper.
Might write again later I not sure last one really deserved it. Whores getting younger each time. Old slut next time I hope. Huddersfield never again, too small close call last one."
In 2005, only three years after the Zodiac documentary with Cydne Holt, in which the programme claimed only a partial DNA sample was acquired, police made a major breakthrough in the 'Wearside Jack' investigation. "Senior officers from West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Inquiry Team, headed by Det Chief Supt Chris Gregg, decided to review the case. A small piece of the gummed seal from one of the envelopes was located in a forensic laboratory and following publicity about the cold case review the hoax tape was retrieved from a retired scientist who had worked on the original investigation. As a result of this cold case review, DNA from envelopes sent by Humble as part of the hoax were matched in the United Kingdom National DNA Database with samples police had obtained from Humble in an unrelated incident in 2000, when he had been arrested and cautioned for being drunk and disorderly. By this time Humble had become an alcoholic loner." Wikipedia. John Samuel Humble was arrested and sentenced to eight years in jail. After 26 years, the gum on the 1979 envelope required only a few cells to generate a profile from the DNA database. It would seem the technology did exist in 2005 for a "clean grab" of DNA from the glue - and other cases exist.
Yet here we are, thirteen years later, waiting in expectation once again, despite having a possible 30 letters at our disposal and numerous double postage stamps available for testing. Whether or not the Zodiac envelopes and stamps were licked by the killer and contain enough traces of saliva, if at all, should not be an argument in 2018. The Golden State Killer case may have jolted the investigation around the Zodiac Killer into life, with the use of familial DNA testing - but this scientific advancement is nothing new, having been available through current DNA databases for years. The use of familial DNA testing in the USA has been bedeviled with privacy issues, currently adopted by very few states in America, including California.
Yet here we are, thirteen years later, waiting in expectation once again, despite having a possible 30 letters at our disposal and numerous double postage stamps available for testing. Whether or not the Zodiac envelopes and stamps were licked by the killer and contain enough traces of saliva, if at all, should not be an argument in 2018. The Golden State Killer case may have jolted the investigation around the Zodiac Killer into life, with the use of familial DNA testing - but this scientific advancement is nothing new, having been available through current DNA databases for years. The use of familial DNA testing in the USA has been bedeviled with privacy issues, currently adopted by very few states in America, including California.
Clothing and personal effects from Lake Berryessa The implementation or otherwise of familial DNA testing through databases such as CODIS, searching for near matches of blood relatives, could be the difference between apprehending a serial killer such as the Zodiac or Golden State Killer, or not.
There is a possibility that besides the July 31st 1969 letters and others, the items recovered from Lake Berryessa may contain the Zodiac Killer's blood. Often during bladed attacks, the assailant will cut themselves and deposit blood at the crime scene. By all accounts Bryan Hartnell played dead to avoid further repeated stabbing, but unfortunately Cecelia Shepard did not adopt this strategy and hence sustained greater knife injuries to her back and abdomen. If the Zodiac had knowingly left while under the impression one person was still alive, then had he cut himself during the latter part of the attack as the knife became sodden with blood, not dissimilar to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside on October 30th 1966. If so, this may provide investigators with the possibility of testing for DNA on the clothing and blanket recovered from Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969.
On June 9th 1984, Melanie Road, 17, was stabbed to death in Bath, Somerset, England. She had been brutally stabbed 26 times. "A trail of blood matching Hampton's blood group, and later his DNA, was found leading from nearby St Stephen's Road in the direction of his home half a mile away." Independent. It was entered into the UK database.
Thirty years later his daughter, then aged 41, was arrested for a domestic incident, leading to a familial DNA match to the genetic fingerprint stored in the database. Christopher Hampton was jailed for 22 years in 2015.
Privacy issues have been argued over the recent Golden State Killer case and aggressively pursued in many American states regarding the use of familial DNA to trace offenders. The same issues have arisen over the use of CCTV trailing our every move. One can ask yourself the question - if the killer of your mother was captured on CCTV or through familial DNA testing, would you argue against its use when it helps you, or only argue against it when it helps somebody else.
If you think the DNA in the Zodiac case is too old and degraded, then think again. Detectives in the 'Little Red Riding Hood' murder of 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater from Swansea in 1946, extracted DNA from a semen stain on her coat in 2008. This has been touted as "possibly the oldest one in the world to be successfully extracted in a murder investigation. In 2008, a team of retired detectives investigating cold cases found Drinkwater's clothes in storage. Her blue coat, her underwear and school uniform had been wrapped in a paper bag and stored. On the back of the coat, a no-longer visible semen stain was circled with yellow crayon. Scientists successfully retrieved a DNA profile from the stain on the coat. A familial DNA profile was extracted using a technique called Y-STR, but no match was found in the national DNA database. Hubert Hoyles, who saw her after buying eggs at her parent's farm, was cleared by the DNA evidence. He stated he had long been suspected by some locals as the murderer and was happy to clear his name." Wikipedia.
It seems rather odd to now claim with renewed optimism, the possibility of generating a full and complete DNA fingerprint of the Zodiac Killer, when this possibility has been there for years. The recent likely capture of the Golden State Killer has given a much needed 'kick up the backside' to the Zodiac investigation. But it shouldn't have been required.
There is a possibility that besides the July 31st 1969 letters and others, the items recovered from Lake Berryessa may contain the Zodiac Killer's blood. Often during bladed attacks, the assailant will cut themselves and deposit blood at the crime scene. By all accounts Bryan Hartnell played dead to avoid further repeated stabbing, but unfortunately Cecelia Shepard did not adopt this strategy and hence sustained greater knife injuries to her back and abdomen. If the Zodiac had knowingly left while under the impression one person was still alive, then had he cut himself during the latter part of the attack as the knife became sodden with blood, not dissimilar to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside on October 30th 1966. If so, this may provide investigators with the possibility of testing for DNA on the clothing and blanket recovered from Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969.
On June 9th 1984, Melanie Road, 17, was stabbed to death in Bath, Somerset, England. She had been brutally stabbed 26 times. "A trail of blood matching Hampton's blood group, and later his DNA, was found leading from nearby St Stephen's Road in the direction of his home half a mile away." Independent. It was entered into the UK database.
Thirty years later his daughter, then aged 41, was arrested for a domestic incident, leading to a familial DNA match to the genetic fingerprint stored in the database. Christopher Hampton was jailed for 22 years in 2015.
Privacy issues have been argued over the recent Golden State Killer case and aggressively pursued in many American states regarding the use of familial DNA to trace offenders. The same issues have arisen over the use of CCTV trailing our every move. One can ask yourself the question - if the killer of your mother was captured on CCTV or through familial DNA testing, would you argue against its use when it helps you, or only argue against it when it helps somebody else.
If you think the DNA in the Zodiac case is too old and degraded, then think again. Detectives in the 'Little Red Riding Hood' murder of 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater from Swansea in 1946, extracted DNA from a semen stain on her coat in 2008. This has been touted as "possibly the oldest one in the world to be successfully extracted in a murder investigation. In 2008, a team of retired detectives investigating cold cases found Drinkwater's clothes in storage. Her blue coat, her underwear and school uniform had been wrapped in a paper bag and stored. On the back of the coat, a no-longer visible semen stain was circled with yellow crayon. Scientists successfully retrieved a DNA profile from the stain on the coat. A familial DNA profile was extracted using a technique called Y-STR, but no match was found in the national DNA database. Hubert Hoyles, who saw her after buying eggs at her parent's farm, was cleared by the DNA evidence. He stated he had long been suspected by some locals as the murderer and was happy to clear his name." Wikipedia.
It seems rather odd to now claim with renewed optimism, the possibility of generating a full and complete DNA fingerprint of the Zodiac Killer, when this possibility has been there for years. The recent likely capture of the Golden State Killer has given a much needed 'kick up the backside' to the Zodiac investigation. But it shouldn't have been required.
RSS Feed
