The Zodiac Killer: California’s Jack the Ripper
By Sarah Norman | October 28, 2023
The Zodiac Remains California's Boogeyman
The case of the Zodiac Killer is one of the most infamous unsolved serial killer mysteries in American history. Active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Zodiac Killer is believed to have murdered at least five people in the San Francisco Bay Area, and claimed responsibility for many more in a series of taunting letters sent to local newspapers. The killer's identity remains unknown to this day, but there have been several suspects and theories over the years.
One of the most infamous serial killers in history, Jack the Ripper terrorized London during the late 19th century. Nearly eighty years later, Northern California faced a similar threat when the Zodiac committed several murders between 1968 and 1970. Both killers sent letters to the newspapers, boasting their crimes, and neither killer was ever caught.
Zodiac Has Five Confirmed Victims
Like Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac killer had five confirmed kills, though he also had two victims who survived his attacks. The first victims were high school students, David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, on a date at a popular make-out spot in Benicia, California on December 20, 1968. They were gunned down while attempting to flee their attacker.
The Zodiac Appears
Zodiac Killer cipher deciphered by Donald and Bettye Harden
On the night of July 4, 1969, Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau were shot multiple times in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California. Later that night, a man called the Vallejo police department and confessed to the shooting. He ended the call by saying, “I also killed those kids last year. Goodbye.” Darlene died. Michael survived and gave a description of the killer, but no suspects were identified. On July 31 of that same year, three virtually identical letters were sent to three newspapers providing details of the shootings and including a cipher which translated to “I like killing people because it’s so much fun.” The writer threatened to kill again if the cipher wasn’t published. A fourth letter sent to the Examiner on August 4 was the first to be signed “the Zodiac.”
The Zodiac Kills Again
Despite having his letters published, the Zodiac Killer did kill again. On September 26, 1969, at Lake Berryessa, college students Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were held at gunpoint, bound at the wrists with a clothesline, and stabbed multiple times. Before calling the crime into the police once again, the killer drew crosshairs on the door of Bryan’s car with the dates and locations of the previous attacks as well the date and time of the stabbing along with the words “by knife.” Analysis of the handwriting matched that of the Zodiac letters. Bryan survived but Cecilia died two days after the attack.
The Final Victim Doesn't Fit Zodiac's M.O.
The final victim, a cab driver named Paul Stine was shot and killed in Presidio Heights, an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, on October 11, 1969. The shooting was written off as a robbery until The San Francisco Chronicle received a letter from the Zodiac claiming responsibility accompanied by a piece of the victim’s shirt as proof. While this was the last confirmed victim, letters continued coming in until 1974 and the list of potential Zodiac victims continued to grow.
Was The Zodiac Operating Years Earlier
The first potential victims were actually killed six years before the Zodiac began sending letters. The bodies of high school seniors, Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards of Santa Barbara, were found in a beach shack near Gaviota State Park. They had been tied up and shot multiple times. The killer used the same ammunition which the Zodiac used during the 1968 Vallejo shooting and the case was similar to that of the 1969 Lake Berryessa stabbing.
One Crime Links The Two Eras Of The Zodiac
In October 1966 in Riverside, California, the body of a college student named Cheri Josephine Bates was found with multiple stab wounds. One month later, the local newspaper received a letter from someone confessing to the murder. In April 1967, identical letters were sent to the newspaper, the police, and the victim’s father stating “Bates had to die. There will be more.” The letters were signed with what appeared to be the letter “Z.” In 1969, the notes were positively matched against the Zodiac’s other letters and the Zodiac sent a letter to The Los Angeles Times confessing to killing Bates.
Zodiac's Demands Bordered On Delusional
In March 1970, Kathleen Johns and her infant daughter were nearly abducted by a driver which she identified as matching a police sketch of the Zodiac. A few months later, one of his letters mentioned “a rather interesting ride” with a woman and her baby. Around this time, the Zodiac also began making bomb threats and demanding that residents of the San Francisco Bay Area wear buttons featuring his crosshairs symbol.
No One Knows How Many Victims Zodiac Actually Had
On September 6, 1970, Donna Lass disappeared from the Lake Tahoe area. Her body was never found, but on March 22, 1971, the Zodiac sent a postcard to a reporter for the Chronicle which possibly referenced her disappearance. The Zodiac continued sending letters until 1974, one of which suggested a victim count of 37.
There Were SO MANY Suspects
While the Zodiac Killer was never caught, it wasn’t for a lack of suspects. Investigators considered several suspects, including a San Francisco businessman and a Martinez newspaperman. But the prime suspect was a convicted child molester by the name of Arthur Leigh Allen of Vallejo. Allen and the Zodiac both had the same favorite short story: “The Most Dangerous Game.” Allen also owned the same boots as the Zodiac and a watch with a crosshairs symbol. Less circumstantial evidence included being picked out of a photo lineup by one of the Zodiac’s surviving victims and an alleged partial confession to one of his friends. Nevertheless, there was not enough evidence and Allen died of a heart attack in 1992 without ever being charged with the crimes.
One Suspect's Fascination With Cryptography Was Enough To Nearly Get Him Pegged As The Zodiac
Another suspect is Richard Gaikowski, a journalist who had a fascination with cryptography and a personality that some found unsettling. Gaikowski's name came up in relation to the Zodiac case due to alleged similarities between his writing style and the Zodiac's letters. However, like many other suspects, there was not enough concrete evidence to connect him conclusively to the killings.
Christmas Cards From The Zodiac
The discovery of an American Greetings Christmas card in the Chronicle's photo files on March 3, 2007, marked an intriguing development in the ongoing investigation into the Zodiac Killer's identity. This card, postmarked from 1990 in Eureka, was initially found by editorial assistant Daniel King. Inside the envelope accompanying the card was a photocopy of two U.S. Postal keys attached to a magnet keychain. The handwriting on the envelope bore a resemblance to the Zodiac's distinctive printing style, but its authenticity was disputed by forensic document examiner Lloyd Cunningham. It's worth noting that not all experts in Zodiac's case agreed with Cunningham's analysis.
Remarkably, the envelope lacked a return address, and the telltale crossed-circle signature typically associated with the Zodiac Killer was conspicuously absent. The card itself remained unmarked, leaving investigators with numerous questions and tantalizing clues but no definitive breakthrough. As a result, all the materials were handed over to the Vallejo Police Department for further analysis, adding another layer of intrigue to the enduring mystery of the Zodiac Killer's identity.
At Least We Know Who Wasn't The Zodiac
The hunt for the Zodiac Killer has seen numerous dead-end investigations that have yielded no conclusive results. In one notable case, fingerprint comparison in February 1989 led to the elimination of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy as a person of interest in the Zodiac case. Similarly, in 1996, Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, came under scrutiny due to his geographical proximity to the Zodiac's activities in northern California and his shared interest in cryptography. However, Kaczynski was ultimately ruled out as a suspect by the FBI and SFPD, thanks to fingerprint and handwriting comparisons and evidence of his absence from California during certain key dates of the Zodiac's known activities. Even the Manson Family, infamous for their association with Charles Manson and their own brutal crimes, were investigated and subsequently eliminated as potential Zodiac suspects by the California Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation in 1970. These investigations underscore the complexity and challenges of unraveling the enigma surrounding the Zodiac Killer's true identity.
Will Modern DNA Science Help Investigators Find The Zodiac?
In May 2018, the Vallejo Police Department embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to utilize DNA evidence in the ongoing search for the elusive Zodiac Killer. Their plan involved attempting to extract DNA from the back of stamps that the killer had used in his correspondence, with the goal of submitting this genetic material to GEDmatch, a popular genealogy database. This innovative approach was inspired by the successful capture of the "Golden State Killer," Joseph James DeAngelo, through a similar DNA search method. At the time, there was considerable anticipation surrounding the potential breakthrough, as it held the promise of finally unmasking the notorious serial killer. However, as of October 2022, no official results have been reported, leaving the mystery of the Zodiac Killer's identity frustratingly unresolved, despite the Vallejo Police Department's determined efforts to employ cutting-edge forensic techniques.
The Case Remains Unsolved
Despite numerous investigations, tantalizing clues, and numerous suspects, the true identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery. The case continues to captivate the public and law enforcement, with occasional new leads and developments, but it remains one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries in American criminal history.
