On September 18th 1973 the Zodiac Killer, either deliberately or inadvertently, revealed the location of "Monticello" in the July 13th 1971 Monticello card by (probably) removing the tombstone of Kathie Snoozy from the Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery in the Monticello neighborhood of San Jose. The tombstone had "Zodiac" written on it in crayon. This was almost certainly the Zodiac Killer, because a hoaxer in 1973 would have had no way of knowing that this cemetery had been featured in an unreleased communication nearly two years previously. But what triggered the Zodiac Killer to perform such an act in the third quarter of 1973? Had something about the Zodiac Killer appeared in a San Jose newspaper in the last week or so?
On September 13th 1973, the San Jose Mercury reported on the September 10th 1973 murder of Yellow Cab driver Roland J. Canfield (41) of 551 Manor Drive, Pacifica, who was shot behind his right ear at 4:00pm while parked at the intersection of 27th and Noe streets in San Francisco. The wallet of Roland J. Canfield, still in his back pocket, was empty of money. The taxicab strongbox was described as undisturbed. Homicide inspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong, investigatng the case, indicated a lack of evidence to form a Zodiac Killer connection to that of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969.
In the middle of the afternoon Roland J. Canfield received a dispatch to an address at 27th and Noe streets, but when he arrived at the intersection he would have discovered that the address he was given didn't exist. Reports from police, who interviewed the dispatcher, stated that upon discovering the non-existent address the taxicab driver was hailed by a man walking on the opposite side of the street. The fact that this man shot Roland J. Canfield and escaped to a nearby automobile, strongly suggests that the taxicab driver was lured to this location for the purpose of murder (and maybe robbery). A fictitious address followed shortly by murder could be argued as related. The Zodiac Killer has long been believed to have parked his vehicle close to the crime scene at Presidio Heights - although this comparison - would be rightly described as clutching at straws when attempting to forge a link from this crime to the murder at Washington and Cherry in 1969, just over 3 miles north.
On September 13th 1973, the San Jose Mercury reported on the September 10th 1973 murder of Yellow Cab driver Roland J. Canfield (41) of 551 Manor Drive, Pacifica, who was shot behind his right ear at 4:00pm while parked at the intersection of 27th and Noe streets in San Francisco. The wallet of Roland J. Canfield, still in his back pocket, was empty of money. The taxicab strongbox was described as undisturbed. Homicide inspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong, investigatng the case, indicated a lack of evidence to form a Zodiac Killer connection to that of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969.
In the middle of the afternoon Roland J. Canfield received a dispatch to an address at 27th and Noe streets, but when he arrived at the intersection he would have discovered that the address he was given didn't exist. Reports from police, who interviewed the dispatcher, stated that upon discovering the non-existent address the taxicab driver was hailed by a man walking on the opposite side of the street. The fact that this man shot Roland J. Canfield and escaped to a nearby automobile, strongly suggests that the taxicab driver was lured to this location for the purpose of murder (and maybe robbery). A fictitious address followed shortly by murder could be argued as related. The Zodiac Killer has long been believed to have parked his vehicle close to the crime scene at Presidio Heights - although this comparison - would be rightly described as clutching at straws when attempting to forge a link from this crime to the murder at Washington and Cherry in 1969, just over 3 miles north.
Three days after the murder of Roland J. Canfield, on Thursday, September 13th 1973, homicide inspectors David Toschi arrested James A. Montano (20) at his 380 Tompkins Street home. No weapon was retrieved from the crime scene or suspect. The arrest was detailed in the accompanying newspaper article from the San Jose Mercury on September 14th 1973. Four days later, on September 18th 1973, the Zodiac Killer wrote on the tombstone removed from the Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery in San Jose. Had the connection between the murder of Roland J. Canfield and Paul Stine to Zodiac, reported in the San Jose newspaper only days earlier, stirred the Zodiac Killer into visiting the San Jose cemetery and placing his pseudonym firmly in the public gaze once again? Clearly telling us he was still around.
On January 12th 1974, after two court proceedings, the second jury in the trial of James A. Montano again failed to reach a verdict, with Superior Judge S. Lee Vavuris declaring a mistrial. The murder of Roland J. Canfield remains unsolved to this day. This Yellow Cab shooting is extremely unlikely to have any connection to the 1969 murder of Paul Stine and the Zodiac Killer, but the mere mention of his pseudonym in the newspapers often created an immediate response from the Bay Area murderer in the form of a letter. On September 18th 1973, it seems he deviated from this pattern and left his message on a tombstone.
On January 12th 1974, after two court proceedings, the second jury in the trial of James A. Montano again failed to reach a verdict, with Superior Judge S. Lee Vavuris declaring a mistrial. The murder of Roland J. Canfield remains unsolved to this day. This Yellow Cab shooting is extremely unlikely to have any connection to the 1969 murder of Paul Stine and the Zodiac Killer, but the mere mention of his pseudonym in the newspapers often created an immediate response from the Bay Area murderer in the form of a letter. On September 18th 1973, it seems he deviated from this pattern and left his message on a tombstone.
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