Zodiac Killer Identified at last!?

[RivkahChaya]

I may be wrong but didn't the Zodiac killer write three codes and only one has been deciphered...so if he is the actual killer has he deciphered the other two?

Yes, three codes, one deciphered rather quickly, making experts think that the second one is a fraud. The third one, the one he claimed contains his name, isn't long enough for computer decryption programs to tackle, and never will be, except for possibly including or eliminating specific names.

In the US, accusing a person of a crime without any real evidence, when the person has been looked at and dismissed by the police, or never considered a suspect in the first place, can be considered libel; however, you cannot, as a matter of law, libel the dead in the US. That is why the author of the book could not name a living person.

When Robert Graysmith wrote a rather lucid and concise account of the Zodiac killings originally in the 1980s (the book was rereleased when the movie came out, and I can't find the original year of release, but I know I read a used bookstore copy in the early 90s), he said he had a very good suspect, who was almost certainly guilty, an actual police suspect, they just didn't have the evidence for an arrest warrant, and then gave some dates when the Zodiac was inactive, and this suspect was in prison. He didn't name him, though, because he was still living.

Later, when Arthur Leigh Allen died, Graysmith tried to recapitalize on his successful book, and released a horrible rehash with terrible filler, that was a pain in the tuchus to wade through. It was called "Zodiac Unmasked." It would have been much better to rerelease the old book with some footnotes, and a new last chapter, but the new book was so awful, and the first book was so good, it was hard to believe they were written by the same person (probably different editor).

Anyway, for some reason, when Allen died, some tissue samples were saved-- I don't know why, but it isn't that uncommon; his cancer may have been unusual. I don't think it was specifically because of his Zodiac connections. But, at any rate, his DNA was tested against samples from envelopes which were used for some of the letters the Zodiac sent to the police, and there was no match at all, not even a possible familial match. Graysmith has quietly faded away.

[sdreid]

Why hasn't the guy's name been released if he's dead?

[RivkahChaya]

Why hasn't the guy's name been released if he's dead?

Probably because the author can't scrape together enough money to publish another book. Mandamus Publishing, which published the first book, is a very suspicious company. It's either the smallest vanity press in the country, or it's a fake company formed to self-publish this one book. Since the author (the ex-CHiP) refers to a group of cops who have known the identity of the Zodiac since 1971 as the Mandamus Seven, I'm guessing the latter. The author is Lyndon E. Lafferty, and Mandamus Publishing's newsletter is "The Lafferty News." Officially, Mandamus is looking for other manuscripts, but I can't find another book with their imprint.

Apparently, Lafferty lives in Vallejo now, and that was the center of the Zodiac's hunting ground, but there's not enough information online about Lafferty for me to find out where he patrolled as a CHiP, so I don't know whether he really was in a position to investigate the Zodiac crimes as a police officer, or not. He doesn't seem to have been a responder to any of the crime scenes, and I am not about to pay the asking price, or even the bottom used price ($36) for the book. If it ever drops down to something like $14, maybe I'll think about it. It has terrible reviews, though, so even as an account of the crimes by someone who was a cop in the 60s and 70s, it doesn't seem to be worth much.

[RivkahChaya]

Just looked at the Amazon US reviews. All the 5-star ones appear to be from friends of the author, and aren't real reviews, just character references; one guy even says he didn't finish the book. The 1-star ones are some of the most thoughtful bad reviews on the site. Most people are just trying to do comedy when they write a bad review-- there is one hilarious fake 1-star review by "Gareth Penn," but other than that, great bad reviews.

[Abby Normal]

It was Arthur Leigh Allen. It was only a partial DNA sample and there is no way to say the DNA from the letter was from the Zodiacs any way.

His typewriter matched the letters, he owend a rare watch whos brand name was Zodiac with the same logo used to sign the letters, he is a dead ringer for the sketches made by witnesses, he was a local who fits the profile to a T. There is also alot of other circ evidence but its enough for me. it was him IMHO.

[Normy]

Hiya
This isn't new, not sure if it's been discredited:

http://belmont-ca.patch.com/articles/massachusetts-man-says-hes-cracked-zodiac-killer-code

[RivkahChaya]

It was Arthur Leigh Allen. It was only a partial DNA sample and there is no way to say the DNA from the letter was from the Zodiacs any way.

The fact that any DNA was on the envelop flap suggests that someone licked it, though, so if it wasn't the killer himself, then someone else apparently was in the know, but kept it a secret, and that stretches credulity. I think that the DNA on the envelop is that of the letter writer, so unless you want to make a case that the letters are hoaxes, and not written by the killer, I think we have the killer's DNA.

His typewriter matched the letters,

What? the letters were handwritten. Do you have a cite for some typewritten letter connected definitively to the Zodiac coming from a typewriter owned by Allen?

he owend a rare watch whos brand name was Zodiac with the same logo used to sign the letters,

By what definition are "Zodiac" watches rare? I've seen lots of them. The the name wasn't registered until 1908, but it was used in the late 19th century. The Zodiac Autographic watch was the official watch of the Swiss Federal Railways:

he is a dead ringer for the sketches made by witnesses, he was a local who fits the profile to a T. There is also alot of other circ evidence but its enough for me. it was him IMHO.

Sketch:



Allen:



That picture is supposed to be from around 1968. He looks way to heavy, and too bald to be the man in the sketch. I also Googled specifically for a pic of Allen in glasses, and could not find one.

[Normy]

Hiya
I found this, if it's of any help:

http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/Descriptions.htm

[RivkahChaya]

Hiya
I found this, if it's of any help:
http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/Descriptions.htm

That's very interesting, and thanks; my point, though, was to dispute the idea that Arthur Leigh Allen was a "dead ringer" for the sketches.

[Normy]

Hi RivkahChava
I agree the sketch describes a slimmer man with more hair, while in verbal description it's a heavier set man.
The sketch is from 3 teenage witnesses I believe?

Cheers

[RivkahChaya]

The Zodiac sketches always have him in glasses, but that may be from the fact that the Zodiac who was wearing the hood had glasses clipped on. It's possible, I suppose, that the Zodiac, whoever he was, wore glasses only when he was killing, and that they were "dummy" glasses. The Zodiac did once say he resembles the sketch only when killing. I cannot find a picture of Arthur Leigh Allen wearing glasses. Of course, some people take them off for pictures, either for vanity, or to avoid glare.

The point remains, he is in no way a "dead ringer" for the sketches.

[HollyDolly]

Zodiac Killer Identified at last?

Back in 2010,the Seguin Gazette published an article about the Zodiac killer.A man named Dennis Kauffman had contacted the FBI with the possibility his stepfather,Jack Tarrence was the Zodiac Killer.
You can Google Zodiac killer in Seguin,Texas,and find that at their website and also mentioned elsewhere on the web.Whether true or not,I don't know.
Seguin is the county seat of Guadalupe County and is about 30 to 40 miles i guess east of San Antonio . Interstate 10 East going towards Houston runs past the town,and US Hwys 90 and 90 Alternate run through town as does Texas Hwy 123.The biggest thing in town is the "World's Largest Pecan "
down in front of the courthouse.The town itself dates to the 1830s or 40s,and named for Juan Seguin who fought on the Texas side during the war for Texas independence from Mexico.
Now supposedly the FBI was going to check into the claims and look at some possible evidence,but haven't heard anything more on it.

[RivkahChaya]

Back in 2010,the Seguin Gazette published an article about the Zodiac killer.A man named Dennis Kauffman had contacted the FBI with the possibility his stepfather,Jack Tarrence was the Zodiac Killer.

He had a lot of "Druitt"-type evidence, in that his stepfather "wasn't known not to be in the area," etc. Everything else was uncorroborated stories from the stepson, about waiting in the car while his stepfather did something, that he was too young to realize at the time could have been one of the murders. He had what was supposed to be a tape-recorded confession, but it wasn't a smoking-gun as he represented it to be, because he asks a lot of leading questions, and his stepfather sounds drunk.

The thing that sent the chills up the spine, was when he produced a black hood with a zodiac symbol, that looked just like the one in the (IIRC, Graysmith) drawing,



which he claimed was inside a stereo speaker, that had been in either a shed or a garage (I don't remember which) for years. He has a video of himself opening it up and producing the hood, which I assume is a reenactment. He turned the hood over to the FBI, and nothing has been heard since, which makes me think there was no story to tell.

Even though this suspect was dead, because at this time, the person who committed the crimes could still be alive, yes, the FBI would investigate and put together a case against a dead person, just to close it, and be rest assured that there is no live person out there still, not answering for the crimes.

[jason_c]

Back in 2010,the Seguin Gazette published an article about the Zodiac killer.A man named Dennis Kauffman had contacted the FBI with the possibility his stepfather,Jack Tarrence was the Zodiac Killer.
You can Google Zodiac killer in Seguin,Texas,and find that at their website and also mentioned elsewhere on the web.Whether true or not,I don't know.
Seguin is the county seat of Guadalupe County and is about 30 to 40 miles i guess east of San Antonio . Interstate 10 East going towards Houston runs past the town,and US Hwys 90 and 90 Alternate run through town as does Texas Hwy 123.The biggest thing in town is the "World's Largest Pecan "
down in front of the courthouse.The town itself dates to the 1830s or 40s,and named for Juan Seguin who fought on the Texas side during the war for Texas independence from Mexico.
Now supposedly the FBI was going to check into the claims and look at some possible evidence,but haven't heard anything more on it.

It would have been preferable had the FBI had made a disclosure on their findings, rather than Kauffman contacting the local paper. Newspaper articles, documentaries and books about suspects immediately arouse my suspicions.

[Abby Normal]

The fact that any DNA was on the envelop flap suggests that someone licked it, though, so if it wasn't the killer himself, then someone else apparently was in the know, but kept it a secret, and that stretches credulity. I think that the DNA on the envelop is that of the letter writer, so unless you want to make a case that the letters are hoaxes, and not written by the killer, I think we have the killer's DNA.
What? the letters were handwritten. Do you have a cite for some typewritten letter connected definitively to the Zodiac coming from a typewriter owned by Allen?By what definition are "Zodiac" watches rare? I've seen lots of them. The the name wasn't registered until 1908, but it was used in the late 19th century. The Zodiac Autographic watch was the official watch of the Swiss Federal Railways:





Sketch:



Allen:



That picture is supposed to be from around 1968. He looks way to heavy, and too bald to be the man in the sketch. I also Googled specifically for a pic of Allen in glasses, and could not find one.

Hi
There are many reasons the DNA might not have matched Allens. Partial sample, old, mix up at the lab, killer purposefully using someone elses, or the DNA is simply someone elses that got on the letter accidently/randomly (Most likely IMHO).

The confession letter about the Bates murder, which is likely the Zodiacs first/early murder was typed by the same kind of typewriter later found by Police at Allens during a search.

The Zodiac watch brand is not a common watch brand in the US and even if it was, what are the chances that a prime suspect would own a watch that matches his nickname he picked for himself as does the watches logo which the killer used to sign off his letters? Too much of a "circumstance" for me. Also, he received the watch as a gift from his mother in 67 or 68, and started using the nickname Zodiac in 69. Cmon.


The picture was drawn by someon else from a witness memory-its not a photograph. All things considered, the sketch still bears an uncanny resemblance to Allen. Also, the Zodiac was wearing clip on glasses during the Lake berryessa attack, and could have been wearing glasses as a disgiuse, even though he may not have worn glasses in real life. Or he could have been wearing them as protection for shooting-many people who shoot guns wear protective glasses while shooting.
And.. Allen was later picked out by victim Mageau from a police photo line up.


He was local, all his life, and as I said fits the profile, and there are many other things that point to Allen:

-In the Navy and discharged (cryptograms, weapons experience)
-Fired from a teaching job for having a gun in his car
-Fired from a teaching job for molesting a child
-Later arrested and spent several years in prison/ psychiatric hospital for molesting a child. (his letters referenced killing school children)
-Was arrested for an altercation with an acquaintance (criminal record)
-It was discovered he was interviewed by police before becoming a prime suspect (Gary Ridgeway anyone?)
-Became a prime suspect after friends came forward and said that Allen had bragged to them before the killings that he was going to do many of things that the Zodiac did.
-He toyed with police in that subsequent interview: referencing the short story "the most dangerous game", using an unsubstantiated alibi witness as being from treasure Island ("Charlie Chan at treasure Island" film the villain was called Dr. Zodiac) and saying he hoped people would stop calling the police "pigs" (the Zodiac letters referred to police as pigs). Toyed and taunted them in a similar mode as the Zodiac letters.
-Later searches at Allens residence, found weapons (Guns and knives), manuels, diagrams and mail orders for bomb making (Zodiac letters threatened bombing devices) and a video tape labeled "Z" (apperently contents does not include a confession but rants against police).

The list goes on and on.

If Arthur Leigh Allen is not the Zodiac, I'll eat my hat.