The Zodiac Killer

[Rapunzel676]

I didn't watch the Cold Case Files show. I was just saying what I heard someone say that Robert Graysmith is now saying.

Sometimes I pity him. He's so married to his theory that Allen was Zodiac that he makes up ridiculous reasons that try to prove it even though DNA and fingerprints cleared him.

Sounds like a few Ripperologists that I heard of, now that I think about it

My thoughts exactly.

[nicole]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any comments on the latest Zodiac News Flash??

see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZCYvWKwMxc

and here's the latest update on the Wikipedia Zodiac article.

"On August 29, 2008 television station KOVR (CBS 13) in Sacramento, California broadcast a story about Dennis Kaufman of Pollock Pines, California finding several items allegedly belonging to his late stepfather, Jack Tarrance (deceased 2006), that included a black hood with the characteristic Zodiac symbol sewn on the chest, a bloodied knife, and rolls of undeveloped film. The stepson claims to have developed at least one roll of film, finding gruesome photos. He also put together a handwriting comparison between Tarrance and the Zodiac, which revealed an uncanny resemblance. Furthermore, Tarrance's face bears a striking resemblance to a composite drawing of the Zodiac. Kaufman handed all items over to the FBI. The FBI subsequently began running tests to compare DNA found at several Zodiac murders. On September 1, 2008, station KOVR reported in a new story that the FBI had retrieved additional items from Kaufman including the black hood alleged by Kaufman to have been found in an old PA system that his stepfather had asked him about on several occasions. In a second follow up story published on September 3, 2008, station KOVR stated the FBI has collected the dentures of Jack Tarrance in order to establish a DNA profile for Tarrance. As of September 6, 2008, none of the items collected have been substantiated by the FBI and this case is still considered unsolved."

Nicole

[The Good Michael]

Holy schneikies! Wow! Those are my comments.

Mike

[robhouse]

This is the guy's website:

http://thezodiackiller.digitalzones.com/

Personally, I find his evidence pretty compelling. I mean, the audio of the phone calls and the transcripts are pretty amazing, as the guy basically admits he was zodiac. So maybe the guy's circumstantial evidence just happened to coincide with his step father wanting to take credit for the killings for some reason. (Which I dont see as plausible)

I think either it is a VERY ELABORATE fraud, or it is true.

[Glenn Lauritz Andersson]

I agree, there are a lot of compelling stuff there.
However, it would be nice if FBI in some way could confirm it; I have always felt there is something not quite right going on with Dennis Kaufman; maybe it's his "obsessive crusade" approach, maybe it's the fact that he now tries to earn money on it by selling documentaries on his website. I don't know.

But it's interesting nevertheless; if it's really true that FBI received the material described, it would be a break in the case.

As for Arthur Leigh Allen, didn't DNA rule him out once and for all in 2002?

All the best

[DarkPassenger]

So is this bloke the Zodiac or not?

[nicole]

Hi DarkPassenger,

So is this bloke the Zodiac or not?

It seems that we must wait for a 'thumbs up or thumbs down' from the FBI. They have several items of Jack Tarrance that are currently undergoing a forensic examination. So until then..we're all in limbo....

sincerely
Nicole

[sdreid]

Wouldn't there be a print match or not by now?

[nicole]

Hi sdreid,

Wouldn't there be a print match or not by now?

\

If you mean the Jack Tarrance's prints and the print left on Paul Stine's taxi, I don't think much will come of it. I'm of the impression that the print on Stine's car was nothing more than cross-contamination.

Several major suspects over the years (including Arthur Leigh Allen) have been cleared through DNA examination. The authorities have never revealed the source for the DNA which was appently left at one (or more) of the crime-scenes. (I wouldn't be greatly suprised if semen samples were taken from the Lake Berryessa crime-scene that didn't match those of Brian Hartnell -this is pure conjecture tho)

I'm looking forward to the results of their forensic tests!

Nicole

[sdreid]

From what I understood, the DNA is from the letters.

I doubt that the print would be cross contamination because the witnesses that phoned in the crime didn't see anyone else around the cab until authorities got there and if it was a cop or medic then they would have checked all of them to make sure. That is, unless they are totally incompetent which I don't believe.

[The Good Michael]

Stan,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought DNA wasn't used in forensics with regularity until the 80s. I imagine that there is a difference between worrying about contamination of fingerprints and contamination of DNA. What I'm saying is the meticulousness in prevention of cross-contamination should be much greater today than in the 70s because there is so much more to look at and be confused by.

Cheers,

Mike

[sdreid]

Hi Mike,

That is true but it is hard to imagine that if this guy licked the envelopes that his DNA wouldn't be on there. Other people's might be as well but that wouldn't likely erase his.

[Doppelganger]

i found this guys web site & was not to impressed ,its just another bad theory to throw on the pile

[robhouse]

Look, I may be a simpleton, but as for saying another bad theory... how do you explain the transcripts of the phone conversations? How do you explain the black hood with the zodiac symbol.

This is clearly not another bad theory. It is (in my opinion) either the solution to the case, OR the guy is a fraud and he did all this as a complex hoax. Those are the only two options...

Well, or the other option is that Tarrance is pulling some sort of weird hoax on his step-son. Or maybe tarrance was so obsessed with the zodiac case, that he decided to sew this zodiac hood etc.

I wouldnt describe this as a theory. It is either the solution, or a hoax. Period. I dont see how that is debatable.

[Pinkerton]

not impressive

I've followed the Zodiac case for years. Sorry, but I've looked at the guys web page and find the evidence extremely UNIMPRESSIVE! There are glaring errors everywhere. Like Cornwall the guy seems to rely mainly on letters that have NEVER been actually linked to the Zodiac ("Exorcist" letter, "Red Phantom" letter, the Tahoe letter). The so called "similarities" in handwriting were extremely selective and not that impressive. He makes the claim that "Wingwalker" shoes were "rare" which they absolutely WERE NOT. They were sold at many army/navy surplus stores at the time. The guy had one of the thickest southern drawls I've ever heard which NONE of the witnesses who spoke with the Zodiac ever reported (Nancy Slover or Brian Hartnell). There has NEVER been any impressive evidence that Zodiac was responsible for the murder of Donna Lass in Lake Tahoe (working at a SF hospital in 1970 is about as circumstantial as you can get). Also one of the Sacramento murders, which had a tenuous link with that of Donna Lass, has recently been solved. Phillip Arthur Thompson was convicted based mainly on DNA evidence. There is a good chance he at the very least committed ALL of the Sacramento murders of the early 70's. I hope that there will be an attempt to go after him on these murders as well, but I'm not if DNA profiles were ever developed in these cases. It should also be interesting to see if anyone tries to link him to the unsolved Santa Rosa Hitchhiker murders in the early 70's (he has links to Santa Rosa) as well as the death of Valerie McDonald in San Francisco in 1981.

see:

http://www.newsmakingnews.com/vm,phillip,arthur,thompson,zodiac,12,11,07.htm

and:

http://www.newsmakingnews.com/laughlin,eric,phillip,arthur,thompson,verdict,4,8,08.htm

So what about the Zodiac "costume" that was found? Well considering that the guy has made this claim about his stepfather being the Zodiac for close to 10 years (and police had written him off), I'm a little skeptical that he only recently "discovered" this outfit. Can't get the police to listen to you? MAKE UP more evidence! My guess it that this guy DOES believe his stepfather to be the Zodiac, couldn't get anyone to listen to him, so he constructed the costume himself along with "discovering" more evidence to get the police interested again.

This is my take anyway. "Zodiackiller.com" is a wealth of information about the Zodiac case. It is the equivalent of the "Casebook" of the Zodiac crimes. They have made most of these points about Jack Terrance already.