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  • The "Zodiac" unleashed

    I havent seen a thread open for the zodiac case. In my opinion it is the best murder case besides the "Jack the Ripper' case.
    I am no where close to an expert on this case or the zodiac but I find it truly interesting. This is for the discussion for the "Zodiac killings" of 1968-1969.
    Overview:
    On December 20th 1968, A couple parked on a gravel parking area along lake Herman Road were murdered. David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen. The killer approached the car and shot the rear right window out, apparently trying to force them out of the vehicle. He shot Faraday as he emerged point blank in the head and then shot Jensen five times in the back as she fled. The murder weapon was a 22 semi-automatic pistol.

    On July 4th 1969, the zodiac struck again. This time murdering Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin and Mike Renault Mageau in a secluded parking lot in Blue RockSprings park. A car pulled up next to them and a man with a flashlight exited the car and preceaded to their vehicle. Without any words the man took out a pistol and began fireing. After five shots he left. Ferrin died from five shots and Mageau survided being shot four times. This time he used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

    Next, on September 27th,1969 the zodiac killed again, using a different m.o. all together. The victims were Cecelia Ann Shepard and Bryan Calvin Hartnell. The couple was killed on a shore line of lake Berryessa. They were laying on a blankit when Shepard noticed a man in a "unusual costume" and a gun walk up towards them. He tied them together with a plastic closeline and began stabbing them. Hartnell was attacked first, then Shepard. After the attack the Unsub walked causually away from the scene leaving them to die. Shepard was stabbed five times in her front and back, and died on the 29th from her injuries, and Hartnell stabbed 6 times in the back, he survived.

    The last victem was unusual. It was one man. Named Paul Lee Stine. He was killed on October 11,1969 on washington cherry st. He was shot point blank in the head by a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

    Any thoughts?
    yours truly
    Washington Irving:

    "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

    Stratford-on-Avon

  • #2
    Don't forget about Cheri Jo bates, who was murdered on Oct. 30, 1966 in Riverside, CA. Some people believe she may have been Zodiac's first victim. Notes were sent allegedly from the killer to her father,the police, and the newspaper. These notes have similarities to Zodiac in that the envelopes are double-posted, the handwriting is similar, and the context and tone of the letters has themes that recurred in the known Zodiac communications. However, Zodiac could've just been trying to take the credit for the murder ,as he did for other killings it is known he did not commit.
    I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

    Comment


    • #3
      I'm relatively new to this case so I'm still learning the basics but I have the four main days down of his defanent victims. I have read alot of his letters and find a unique personality. I have read some of the police reports. Do they have mediacle reports avaliabe anywhere?
      Last edited by corey123; 12-11-2009, 03:00 PM.
      Washington Irving:

      "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

      Stratford-on-Avon

      Comment


      • #4
        I would recommend you buy and read the book "Zodiac" by Robert Graysmith. It is pretty much the best book there is on the case, not there are many books about the Zodiac. That one and "Zodiac Unmasked" are pretty good, but there are some problems with the number one suspect put forward by Graysmith in the second book (who is given a false name in the first one)
        I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

        Comment


        • #5
          Hello all,

          Whether you liked the recent big screen 'Zodiac' film or not, I strongly recommend you buy the DVD. It has what is, without a doubt, the best documentary ever on the case. They interview the two surviving Zodiac victims and one of the cops who spoke to Zodiac on the night of the Stine killing. For the first time we learn that lawyer Melvin Belli received a piece of Stine's shirt, so any debate as to whether or not it was the real Zodiac who contacted him at home and by mail can be put to rest. Also, a major revelation is that the cop who saw Zodiac on the street near the Stine crime claims to have seen him go to a house.

          Yours truly,

          Tom Wescott

          Comment


          • #6
            Bates might be a Zodiac victim but I always wondered why he didn't take credit for it until someone else brought it up.

            I think the other "best bet" victim is Donna Lass who disappeared in September of 1970.
            This my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking.

            Stan Reid

            Comment


            • #7
              Sdried,

              The letters that were sent to Bates' father, police, and press were sent shortly after the homicide and the signature on the letters was caleld "Enterprise." Later on, Zodiac hinted at being the author in one of his letters. So, if in fact, Zodiac was the author of the Bates notes, he claimed responsibility for the crimes shortly after they occured, not during the time when h became a household name.
              I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

              Comment


              • #8
                Bates

                I find something like an M.O with the zodaic(he doesnt really have one) but he tends to choose young couples more than anything else. Maybe he does it for the challenge? Or maybe he was Homosexual and hated any Heterosexual relationship. Do any of you know of a possible motive for the zodaic? Like I said Im not very familiar with this case, not like the ripper case.

                yours truly
                Washington Irving:

                "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                Stratford-on-Avon

                Comment


                • #9
                  RGD and LFE

                  seeing is believing, but sometimes you dont have to. HA. Sorry about that.

                  I believe Robert George Domingos and Linda Faye Edwards to be victims of the zodiac.
                  They were killed on June 4th,1963 at a remote beach south of Gaviota.
                  The killar apperently approached them while they were sunbathing and Edwards was forced to bind Domingos at gun point. Both the victims attempted to flee, being shot numerous times. Domingos was shot eleven times, Edwards shot nine times. The weapon was a 22. calibar semi-automatic, with the same ammo used in this attack was used in the Lake Herman road attack. the bodys were dragged 30 feet to an empty shack. They were layed on top of each other and Edwards bathing suit was cut open, exposing the breast, then the killer attempted to set fire to the shack, but failed.

                  In my mind this attack has his fingerprints all over it, I truly dout this to be a different killer than the zodiac.

                  yours truly
                  Last edited by corey123; 12-12-2009, 01:42 AM.
                  Washington Irving:

                  "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                  Stratford-on-Avon

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by corey123 View Post
                    I find something like an M.O with the zodaic(he doesnt really have one) but he tends to choose young couples more than anything else. Maybe he does it for the challenge? Or maybe he was Homosexual and hated any Heterosexual relationship. Do any of you know of a possible motive for the zodaic? Like I said Im not very familiar with this case, not like the ripper case.

                    yours truly

                    Corey,

                    While I do think that Zodiac killed his crimes due to being a common sexual sadist, his primary motivation was to try to spark a climate of panic in the Southern California area. He wanted to try to prove his superiority to other people, at least from his own perception. This is shown by his frequent letters to the San Francisco Chroncile and other newspapers, which contained threats agaisnt school children and, specifically, of blowing up a bus with a home made bomb. Also, in a letter, he threatened to kill unless people in the San Francisco area wore some nice "Zodiac" buttons. And, as i have mentioned before, he took credit for crimes that he didn't even commit. It's not certain if he was responsible for the Bates murder, but it is a possibility. It also is not certain that he tried to kidnap a pregnant woman and threaten to kill her and her baby; however, the woman did identify the Zodiac sketch as the person who tried to take her. Zodiac also claimed responsibility for the execution of a police officer, even though the story had already appeared in the newspapers and the police already had someone in custody. So, Zodiac was doing it for the publicity and used this and the codes to try to make him out to be someone bigger than he was in real life. That doesn't mean he wasn't your common serial killer. His profile suggests he probably had sexual problems and could achieve orgasm by killing or possibly molesting children (the "thrill" is achieved by being dominant over someone else) and probably masturbated after killing and while writing the letters. he may also have been high at the time he wrote the letters.
                    Last edited by JTRSickert; 12-12-2009, 09:25 PM.
                    I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Profile

                      I have looked more into it. The case with Zodiac is very interesting. Thank you JTRsicket, you have helped me more than most with this case, it seems you know alot about it, I just wish I could have started studying serial killers earlier, for it has been one of my better deciscions. In the years of studying I have found out alot about people, and how they behave. It is clear to me that you are right, the Zodiac was a attention seeker, he was probally one of those people who didnt get much attention through out his life. As a kid I bet he was smart, got good grades, but didnt get the spotlight which he greetly wanted, He killed those couples, without a motive, and even wrote letters celeberatizing what he did. He even called the police to report his own murder. He mocked the police with taunting letters and proved he was smarter than them. I now understand the zodiac, in a way.
                      Again JTRsicket thank you.

                      yours truly
                      Washington Irving:

                      "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                      Stratford-on-Avon

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        No problem, Corey. Some other interesting things about the case include:

                        Zodiac may have known his 3rd victim, Darlene Ferrin, since on the night he killed her and wounded her date, he made phone calls to her house and to her parents house. This suggests some familiarity with this victim, in particular. He also called a Vallejo telephone operator, describing his crime and signing off with a mocking "goodbye."

                        Look at the outfit Zodiac wore whe he took his next female victim and wounded Bryan Hartnell

                        After killing cabbie Paul Stine in San Francisco, Zodiac mailed pieces of his shirt along with the letters, giving proof that he was the murderer

                        Finally, the #1 suspect in the killings was a man named Arthur Leigh Allen. Although there was much circumstantial evidence against him, there wasn't any hard physical evidence. Also, his handwriting didn't match the Zodiac letters, ballistics didn't match any of the guns it is known he owned, his fingerprint didn't match the one left on Stine's cab, and his DNA wasn't found on any of the Zodiac letters. However, as I said, there is much circumstantial evidence against him (which is too numerous for me to list here) so I suggest you look into it. Also, he has been and is still considered the prime suspect in the murders and no other suspect ever had as much against him as he did.
                        Last edited by JTRSickert; 12-13-2009, 01:48 AM.
                        I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          RG

                          What about the suspect, Richard Gaikouski? He looks identacle to the police drawings, and he moved to Albany right after Darlene Ferrin did. I can list more than I found out but you probally know it.
                          Washington Irving:

                          "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                          Stratford-on-Avon

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I'm afraid I'm not familar with him. However, I think I read that the police have cleared a number of suspects. I don't know if he is included or not
                            I won't make any deals. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed,de-briefed, or numbered!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Here



                              This is the website I am using and this page is about him, Im supprised you arent aware of him, it really interesting.

                              yours truly
                              Washington Irving:

                              "To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "

                              Stratford-on-Avon

                              Comment

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