New Zodiac Candidate

[Harry D]

I wonder if they'll ever crack any of the other Zodiac ciphers? I hope I'm still around if that day comes.

[Harry D]

Hello, Abby.

What makes you think the Zodiac was ex-military?

I believe Arthur Leigh Allen has been ruled out by forensics. His fingerprints don't match those left at Paul Stine's murder scene, neither do any of the palm-prints on the letters or DNA on the stamps/envelopes (that ALA didn't lick his own stamps is complete hearsay).

[Abby Normal]

What are people's perceptions of the Zodiac Killer and his motives? The way I see it, and this might be bordering on cliché, the Zodiac was probably an angst-ridden young man, who may or may not have been the nerdy, socially awkward type. Someone with a grudge against authority figures and frustrated in love, which is why cops and young couples were on his hit-list, and why he thrived on the media attention awarded to his Zodiac persona.

Sounds about right. He was what I would label a Thrill Killer serial killer. He got off on the act of murder and the attention, hence all the letters.

and I would bet my bottom dollar, he was ex military. Probably Arthur Leigh Allen.

[Harry D]

What are people's perceptions of the Zodiac Killer and his motives? The way I see it, and this might be bordering on cliché, the Zodiac was probably an angst-ridden young man, who may or may not have been the nerdy, socially awkward type. Someone with a grudge against authority figures and frustrated in love, which is why cops and young couples were on his hit-list, and why he thrived on the media attention awarded to his Zodiac persona.

[sdreid]

He's more interesting than most Harry but probably not Zodiac. At least we have a video of this one.

[Harry D]

^ No one have any opinion on the latest Zodiac suspect?

[Harry D]

Apparently the latest "my step-daddy was the Zodiac" book is supposed to be compelling stuff. I believe the suspect in question is one Earl Van Best Jr.?

In addition to being rather odd and eccentric, Best was known to have a violent streak, especially towards women. Stewart wrote that on several occasions, Gilford (Chandler) caught Best locking his young toddler son (Stewart) in a small wooden trunk (nearly suffocating him).

- Best was paroled from prison in 1965, three years before the series of Zodiac murders began. With pressure from her family and the police, his true-love, Judith Chandler, cut off all ties with him.

- The Zodiac Killer’s female victims all bear a close resemblance to Best’s shunted lover, Judith Gilford.

- Earl Van Best bears a striking resemblance to sketches of the Zodiac Killer.

- Both Zodiac’s and Best’s fingerprints featured diagonal scars.

- Best’s friends recalled him having an unusual, and sometimes creepy, interest in the occult and often joked about sending “slaves” into the afterlife (a claim Zodiac often made in his letters to the police).

- Best likely had a keen interest in serial killers. He once used the false name ‘Henry Lee” [Lucas] on a fraudulent check.

- One of the Zodiac’s favorite symbols was a “dotted V”, potentially indicating the nickname that Best often went by: Van.

- During the Zodiac murders, Zodiac carried on a letter campaign with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery. Unknown until now, Paul Avery had interviewed Best seven years before the Zodiac Killer murders in an article about Best’s love affair with 14-year-old Judith Gilford (Chandler) titled, “He Found Love in Ice Cream Parlor“. According to Stewart, Avery’s account of the affair greatly upset Best.

- Judy Chandler went on to marry one of the lead homicide investigators on the Zodiac case, Rotea Gilford. Stewart suggests this connection could have embarrassed the San Francisco Police Department and caused them to “shut down” the investigation.

- A handwriting expert matched writing from Zodiac’s letters to Best’s signature from his marriage certificate.

- Best’s father was an expert military cryptographer in the Army. He taught Best cryptography and they often worked ciphers together as part of a childhood game. Cryptic ciphers were often included in Zodiac’s communications to police and the press. Many of the ciphers have never been solved.

- Earl Van Best Jr.’s name (with purposeful misspellings, a common trait in the Zodiac’s ciphers) is found hidden in at least two of the Zodiac’s cryptograms and his partial name is found in several of the ciphers and cipher keys. In the July 31, 1969 cipher sent to the San Francisco Examiner, his name appears in the cipher and cipher key no less than eight times.

- The count of letters in “Earl Van Best Jr” matches the count of the as-yet-unsolved “My name is: “ Zodiac cryptogram. [see possible solution below]

[GUT]

This tops just about every ludicrous Ripper suspect I have ever read about on these message boards.

Definitely equals any of them, anyway! The book is "IT'S ME- Edward Wayne Edwards, the Serial Killer You Never Heard Of" by John A. Cameron.

Don't worry worse will come along almost as sure as night follows day.

[kensei]

This tops just about every ludicrous Ripper suspect I have ever read about on these message boards.

Definitely equals any of them, anyway! The book is "IT'S ME- Edward Wayne Edwards, the Serial Killer You Never Heard Of" by John A. Cameron.

[Barnaby]

There seems to be way too many new Zodiac suspects the last few years. I heard of another on a radio show just last night that had me really rolling my eyes, a man named Edward Wayne Edwards who died in prison a couple of years ago and who the guest on the show was alleging in a new book to be the Zodiac, the killer of the Black Dahlia at the age of only 13 (!), the Atlanta Child Killer, the murderer of both Chandra Levy and Jon Benet Ramsey, and many other lesser known crimes. Oh by the way, also Adam Walsh, the son of John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." There are reviews of his book that say it is remarkably compelling, but I think we've all seen as Ripperologists how a completely convincing case can be built against just about any suspect suggested. Edwards sounded to me like someone who did very careful research in an attempt to take credit for all those crimes and be thought of as the most prolific serial killer ever after he died.

This tops just about every ludicrous Ripper suspect I have ever read about on these message boards.

[sdreid]

Maybe it's daily. I see a new suspect today named Ross Sullivan. My understanding is that he worked near where Bates was killed and then moved to the S.F. region before the other murders occurred. He looks a lot like the sketch also. He's new to me anyway. Reportedly, he died in 1977.

[GUT]

G'day Stan

Seems like we are getting about one a month.

Getting like Jack, it seems anyone can be turned into a suspect.

[sdreid]

Seems like we are getting about one a month.

[kensei]

There seems to be way too many new Zodiac suspects the last few years. I heard of another on a radio show just last night that had me really rolling my eyes, a man named Edward Wayne Edwards who died in prison a couple of years ago and who the guest on the show was alleging in a new book to be the Zodiac, the killer of the Black Dahlia at the age of only 13 (!), the Atlanta Child Killer, the murderer of both Chandra Levy and Jon Benet Ramsey, and many other lesser known crimes. Oh by the way, also Adam Walsh, the son of John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." There are reviews of his book that say it is remarkably compelling, but I think we've all seen as Ripperologists how a completely convincing case can be built against just about any suspect suggested. Edwards sounded to me like someone who did very careful research in an attempt to take credit for all those crimes and be thought of as the most prolific serial killer ever after he died.

[RivkahChaya]

I'm only guessing there's a question mark over his paternity. It's just that we seem to have nothing more than his birth-mother's word for it, and she was 14 at the time, a long time ago.

But I have not read the book. FWIW, the Amazon reviews are all over the place.