Although the Zodiac Killer mailed at least four communications in 1971 and one in 1973, it appeared as though his contact with the newspapers dried up after the Exorcist letter on January 29th 1974. No other confirmed communications have been verified between 1974 and 1978, with the newspaper coverage of the Zodiac Killer thinning out during this period. That was until the four year anniversary of the Exorcist letter, when Tim Reiterman, a San Francisco Examiner reporter, announced on Sunday, January 29th 1978 in the San Francisco Chronicle that the following day he would be taking a second look at the Zodiac Killer mystery (see right image).
The following day, January 30th 1978, Tim Reiterman probably wrote one of the longest and most extensive newspaper articles on the Zodiac Killer in history (in part shown below), including a comprehensive interview with Inspector David Toschi of SFPD, the lone investigator on the Zodiac case. There is no way this San Francisco Examiner article escaped the attention of the Zodiac Killer - and could be argued was the reason he addressed David Toschi three months later when he mailed the April 24th 1978 "I am back with you" letter, writing "This is the Zodiac speaking I am back with you. Tell herb caen I am here, I have always been here. That city pig toschi is good - but I am smarter and better he will get tired then leave me alone. I am waiting for a good movie about me. who will play me. I am now in control of all things".
However, six weeks after this January 30th 1978 newspaper article by Tim Reiterman, on March 13th 1978, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer telephoned a man in the Mission District and used language that pre-empted the wording on the April 24th 1978 letter, announcing over the phone "This is the Zodiac. Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco". The phrase of "Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco" would become "I am back with you. Tell herb caen I am here" just 42 days later. To my knowledge, this phone call wasn't released into the newspapers. Things got interesting when the name "Reiterman" appeared only once in the San Francisco directory in 1977 and 1978, with an address of 805 Hampshire Street in the Mission District of San Francisco. This seemed like it could be the answer, but the forenames were Frank and Katherine in 1978, and the initials were M F in 1977. To be clear, Frank Reiteman was the listed resident in both years, not Tim Reiterman of the San Francisco Examiner.
The following day, January 30th 1978, Tim Reiterman probably wrote one of the longest and most extensive newspaper articles on the Zodiac Killer in history (in part shown below), including a comprehensive interview with Inspector David Toschi of SFPD, the lone investigator on the Zodiac case. There is no way this San Francisco Examiner article escaped the attention of the Zodiac Killer - and could be argued was the reason he addressed David Toschi three months later when he mailed the April 24th 1978 "I am back with you" letter, writing "This is the Zodiac speaking I am back with you. Tell herb caen I am here, I have always been here. That city pig toschi is good - but I am smarter and better he will get tired then leave me alone. I am waiting for a good movie about me. who will play me. I am now in control of all things".
However, six weeks after this January 30th 1978 newspaper article by Tim Reiterman, on March 13th 1978, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer telephoned a man in the Mission District and used language that pre-empted the wording on the April 24th 1978 letter, announcing over the phone "This is the Zodiac. Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco". The phrase of "Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco" would become "I am back with you. Tell herb caen I am here" just 42 days later. To my knowledge, this phone call wasn't released into the newspapers. Things got interesting when the name "Reiterman" appeared only once in the San Francisco directory in 1977 and 1978, with an address of 805 Hampshire Street in the Mission District of San Francisco. This seemed like it could be the answer, but the forenames were Frank and Katherine in 1978, and the initials were M F in 1977. To be clear, Frank Reiteman was the listed resident in both years, not Tim Reiterman of the San Francisco Examiner.
Inspector David Toschi We don't know for certain the identity of the individual who rang the "man in the Mission District" on March 13th 1978, but the fact the telephone caller requested that the man "Tell the press", could indicate that this man had industry connections enabling him to pass the message on to the newspapers Something that Tim Reiterman could have done had he been the individual in question. If the Zodiac Killer made this phone call, it is unlikely he was going to telephone a random member of the public, he was going to contact somebody who had the capability to pass on his message to the newspapers and be taken seriously, such as an editor or reporter. Other possibilties could be somebody previously connected to the case, a law enforcement officer, or a celebrity who would make the story newsworthy.
After reading the comprehensive newspaper article by Tim Reiterman on January 30th 1978 interviewing David Toschi, would it be surprising if the Zodiac Killer had attempted to send two similarly phrased messages such as the ones on March 13th 1978 and April 24th 1978 that would involve Tim Reiterman and David Toschi respectively. A newspaper reporter and a detective that Zodiac likely knew interacted with each other at the end of January. This newspaper article must have convinced the Zodiac Killer that his arch nemesis "pig toschi" was good, despite the fact he couldn't resist the opportunity to remind everybody that he was "smarter and better".
After reading the comprehensive newspaper article by Tim Reiterman on January 30th 1978 interviewing David Toschi, would it be surprising if the Zodiac Killer had attempted to send two similarly phrased messages such as the ones on March 13th 1978 and April 24th 1978 that would involve Tim Reiterman and David Toschi respectively. A newspaper reporter and a detective that Zodiac likely knew interacted with each other at the end of January. This newspaper article must have convinced the Zodiac Killer that his arch nemesis "pig toschi" was good, despite the fact he couldn't resist the opportunity to remind everybody that he was "smarter and better".
San Jose Mercury, September 13th 1976 According to the later research of Robert Graysnith in his 1986 book "Zodiac", he stated that David Toschi looked over the case of the suspicious phone call in 1978, therefore it is highly unlikely after reading the transcript of the message, he would then effectively plagiarize the wording and insert it into the April 24th 1978 letter in a slightly different format to commit a hoax. Especially if there was a limited number of people aware of the Mission District case.
The name "Reiterman" is considered a very uncommon surname, likely only found in small pockets of populations, primarily due to its unique combination of elements and potential origin as a variation of the German surname "Reiter" which itself isn't particularly widespread. Did the Zodiac Killer make a mistake and ring the address at 805 Hampshire Street in the Mission District believing it to be the household of Tim Reiterman, despite his name not being listed as the owner? When a male voice answered did he just deliver his simple message of "This is the Zodiac. Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco", and then hang up?
Tim Reiterman seemed the most logical recipient of the phone call on March 13th 1978 because of its similarity in language to the message on April 24th 1974, and his recent interview with David Toschi. However, we could be looking for an entirely different target for the "Zodiac Killer" phone call. So if you have knowledge of any high profile candidates and can prove they lived in the Mission District in 1978, please leave your suggestions in comments. This can be another mystery solved with your help.
CONTINUED: A FLOWER ON THE FRONT GATE
Thanks to Sandy Betts for her hard work and continued investigation into this matter.
The name "Reiterman" is considered a very uncommon surname, likely only found in small pockets of populations, primarily due to its unique combination of elements and potential origin as a variation of the German surname "Reiter" which itself isn't particularly widespread. Did the Zodiac Killer make a mistake and ring the address at 805 Hampshire Street in the Mission District believing it to be the household of Tim Reiterman, despite his name not being listed as the owner? When a male voice answered did he just deliver his simple message of "This is the Zodiac. Tell the press that I am back in San Francisco", and then hang up?
Tim Reiterman seemed the most logical recipient of the phone call on March 13th 1978 because of its similarity in language to the message on April 24th 1974, and his recent interview with David Toschi. However, we could be looking for an entirely different target for the "Zodiac Killer" phone call. So if you have knowledge of any high profile candidates and can prove they lived in the Mission District in 1978, please leave your suggestions in comments. This can be another mystery solved with your help.
CONTINUED: A FLOWER ON THE FRONT GATE
Thanks to Sandy Betts for her hard work and continued investigation into this matter.
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