The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (105 page)

needed their car “to go to Mexico.” Producing a coil of Nine more letters were received from Zodiac

clothesline, he bound both victims before drawing a long between April 1970 and March 1971, but police were knife, stabbing Hartnell five times in the back. Cecilia unable to trace further crimes in the series. On January Shepherd was stabbed 14 times, including four in the 30, 1974, a San Francisco newspaper received the first chest as she twisted away from the plunging blade.

authentic Zodiac letter in nearly three years, signing off Departing the scene, their assailant paused at Hart-with the notation: “Me-37; SFPD-0.”

nell’s car to scribble on the door with a felt-tipped pen.

One officer who took the estimated body count seri-He wrote:

ously was Sheriff Don Striepke of Sonoma County. In a 1975 report, Striepke referred to a series of 40 unsolved
Vallejo

murders in four western states, which seemed to form a
12-20-68

giant Z when plotted on the map. While tantalizing,
7-4-69

Striepke’s theory seemed to fall apart with the identifi-Sept 27-69-6:30

cation of THEODORE BUNDY as a prime suspect in sev-by knife

eral of the homicides.

303

“ZODIAC”

On April 24, 1978, the Zodiac mailed his 21st letter, during the late 1960s, his penchant for writing to chilling Bay Area residents with the news that “I am the press after various criminal acts, and his back with you.” No traceable crimes were committed, demonstrated expertise at building bombs. (The however, and Homicide Inspector Dave Toschi was Zodiac never used explosives, but one of his let-later removed from the Zodiac detail on suspicion of ters included a crude diagram of a bomb.) Unfor-writing the letter himself. In fact, while Toschi con-tunately for proponents of this theory, Kaczynski fessed to writing several anonymous letters to the press, has been cleared of involvement in the Zodiac

praising his own performance on the case, expert ana-murders by both the FBI and the San Francisco

lysts agree that the April note was, in fact, written by Police Department. According to official reports, the killer.

Kaczynski was exonerated of the murders by fin-Theories abound in the Zodiac case. One was aired gerprint and handwriting comparison, and by

by author “George Oakes” (a pseudonym) in the

proof of his absence from California on five spe-November 1981 issue of
California
magazine, based on cific dates of known Zodiac activity.

a presumption of the killer’s obsession with water,
Lawrence Kane:
Profiled as a Zodiac suspect by clocks, binary mathematics, and the writings of Lewis the
America’s Most Wanted
TV show on Carroll. Oakes claimed to know the Zodiac’s identity November 14, 1998, Kane was 38 years old in

and says the killer telephoned him several times at 1962, when he suffered brain damage in an

home. He blames the Zodiac for an ARSON fire that rav-automobile accident. Three years later, a psy-

aged 25,000 acres near Lake Berryessa in June 1981, chologist declared that Kane was “losing the

but
California
editors acknowledged that FBI agents ability to control self-gratification.” Darlene

“weren’t very impressed” with the theory. Spokesmen Ferrin’s sister reportedly named Kane as the man for the California state attorney general’s office went who followed and harassed Ferrin over several

further, describing the tale as “a lot of bull.”

weeks before her murder, and Kane disposed of

Despite collection of 30 or 40 fingerprints allegedly his car five days after the Mageau-Ferrin shoot-belonging to the Zodiac (reports vary on the total num-ing in July 1969. Kathleen Johns also reportedly ber), the killer remains unidentified today. Hundreds of identified Kane as the man who abducted her in suspects were questioned, their fingerprints compared March 1970. Researcher Tom Voigt claims that

to those on file, but all in vain. Zodiac suspects publicly Kane’s surname “can be easily seen” in a Zodiac identified to date include:

cipher mailed to police on April 20, 1970

(though other students of the correspondence

Bruce Davis:
A one-time member of the Charles disagree). Voigt also reports that Kane was liv-MANSON “FAMILY,” presently serving a life sen-

ing in Nevada “as of early 1999,” a fact appartence for two counts of first-degree murder in Cal-ently unknown to producers of
America’s Most
ifornia, Davis lived in San Francisco prior to
Wanted
when they broadcast pleas for viewers joining Manson’s tribe and moving south.

to locate him three months earlier. Kane’s pre-Although a proven killer with a fascination for sent whereabouts are unknown, but since no

occult symbolism, Davis did not fit descriptions of charges have been filed against him, he is free to the crew-cut Zodiac and no evidence exists to link travel where he will.

him with the slayer’s crimes. His fingerprints do
Rick Marshall:
A Texas native, 38 years old at the not match those alleged to be the Zodiac’s, and time of the Zodiac’s first known murder in 1966, Davis was in custody by mid-1970, thus ruled out Marshall seems to be linked with the crimes more as a source of Zodiac letters mailed after that by geographic coincidence than anything resem-time. Finally, researcher Tom Voigt cites a 1970

bling solid evidence. Tom Voigt reports that Mar-report from the California Bureau of Criminal

shall “is still considered a strong Zodiac suspect Identification and Investigation, noting that “All by several investigators,” but his fingerprints male members of the Manson family have been

match none of those collected from the Zodiac’s investigated and eliminated as Zodiac suspects.”

crime scenes or letters. In place of evidence, we
Theodore Kaczynski:
The elusive “Unabomber,”

are told that Marshall lived in Riverside “at the presently serving life without parole in federal approximate time” of the Bates murder, but later prison on three counts of first-degree murder, resided in San Francisco from 1969 to 1989. His Kaczynski was named as a Zodiac suspect after

apartment stood “within a few miles” of the Stine FBI agents arrested him in 1998. The “evidence”

murder scene, and the call letters of a radio sta-usually cited in support of his candidacy includes tion (KTIM) where Marshall worked in the early Kaczynski’s residency in the San Francisco area 1970s allegedly “resemble” cryptic symbols from
304

“ZODIAC”

one of the Zodiac’s letters. On balance, it is some-Tuesday, November 1, 1966, first claiming the

thing less than a compelling case.

time off as “school business,” later changing

Michael O’Hare:
Initially named as a Zodiac sushis story to make it a sick day. Accusers sug-

pect by author Gareth Penn in his book
Times 17

gest that he took the day off to recuperate

(1987), later featured as one of several Zodiac from hypothetical “facial wounds” inflicted

prospects on the Learning Channel’s review of the by Riverside murder victim Cherry Bates on

case, O’Hare is linked to the crimes only by an October 30. However, Bates was killed on

ephemeral web of conjecture involving Morse

Sunday night, some 350 miles south of Calav-

code and binary mathematics. Penn also flies in eras County, and Allen taught classes the fol-the face of established evidence, blaming the

lowing day without incident.

Zodiac for homicides committed in Massachusetts (2) A Royal typewriter with Elite type, the same as late as 1981. Most students of the case dismiss kind used to write the anonymous letters fol-his theory as implausible; a notation on Tom

lowing Cherry Bates’s murder, was seized in a

Voigt’s Zodiac Web site goes further, asserting search of Allen’s home on February 14, 1991.

that “it is the opinion of more than one researcher Although police specifically listed the type-that Penn himself makes a much better candidate writer on their search warrant, Zodiac

to be the Zodiac than does O’Hare.”

researcher Jake Wark reports that no effort

Charles Clifton Collins:
Named publicly as a suspect had been made as of 2002 to match the

for the first time in October 2002, Collins was fin-machine with the Bates correspondence. Until

gered by his son, New York journalism student

a match is made, Allen’s possession of the

William Collins, in a report aired by television’s typewriter proves nothing.

Primetime Live.
As the younger Collins explained, (3) Sometime in late 1968 or early 1969 (reported he was reading a book on the Zodiac murders

dates vary), Allen allegedly told acquaintance sometime in the 1990s, when he saw photocopies Don Cheney that he planned to commit a

of the killer’s letters and thought, “Oh my God, series of random murders, shooting couples in

that’s my dad’s handwriting.” Further research lover’s lanes and taunting police with letters persuaded Collins that his father (deceased in signed “Zodiac.” Allen’s offhand discussion

1993) resembled suspect sketches of the Zodiac, of his planned crimes supposedly included

that his shoe size matched the killer’s, and that he specific descriptions of his intended weapons

lived in San Francisco when the murders were

and plans to attack a school bus (threatened

committed. The suspect’s initials—“CCC”—were

in one of the Zodiac’s subsequent letters).

also penned on one of the cards Zodiac sent police Cheney’s credibility suffers from the fact that in his heyday. William Collins appealed to the he first revealed the alleged conversation in

producers for help, saying, “I need to know if July 1971, nearly two years after the last

Charles Clifton Collins, my father, the guy who known Zodiac murder made international

held me when I was a baby—was a serial killer. I headlines. Even then, he told an employer,

have to know. I have to know.” Subsequent DNA

rather than contacting police directly, and

testing on an envelope licked by Collins’s father important details of his story changed over

formally excluded him as a suspect.

time. Critics note that Cheney once com-

Arthur Leigh Allen:
The most widely known Zodiac plained of Allen attempting to molest his

suspect, named during his lifetime by several Cali-

(Cheney’s) daughter on a camping trip, and

fornia investigators and after his death by author Vallejo detectives acknowledged that “This

Robert Graysmith (among others) in his book

might be a motive why Cheney would make

Zodiac Unmasked
(2002). Allen was investigated such an accusation against Arthur Allen.”

by various law enforcement agencies from Octo-

(4) On October 6, 1969, Allen was questioned by ber 1969 until the week after his death in August Vallejo police concerning the Lake Berryessa

1992, and although he pleaded guilty to child

attack. In that interview, he reportedly told

molestation in March 1975, serving 29 months in authorities that he “was going to go to

a California state hospital, no charges were ever Berryessa” on the day of the crime, but

filed against him in connection with the Zodiac changed his mind and “went up the coast

case. Arguments for and against Allen’s guilt in instead.” Allen cited a couple from Treasure

the Zodiac murders include the following points: Island as alibi witnesses but never supplied

(1) While employed as a schoolteacher in Calav-police with their names, address, or telephone eras County, California, Allen missed work on

number. Accusers note that Allen’s shoe size

305

“ZODIAC”

was identical to that of footprints left by the had been compared to that of all Zodiac letters received Lake Berryessa killer (though the prints were

thus far, and none were found to match. A year later, never matched to shoes owned by Allen). Sur-Vallejo police sought a second opinion from FBI hand-vivor Bryan Hartnell allegedly viewed Allen at writing experts, whereupon Allen was “dismissed as a work, sometime in the mid-1970s, reportedly

suspect” in the Zodiac correspondence. A search of telling police that Allen’s “physical appear-Allen’s home on September 14, 1972, “found nothing ance and voice were the same as Zodiac’s.”

that would incriminate Allen in the Zodiac crimes,”

While the date of the viewing is uncertain, we and he subsequently passed a 10-hour polygraph exam-must recall that several years (at least) had

ination. His fingerprints were also compared with all passed since the attack, and furthermore that

those collected in the Zodiac case and produced no Hartnell never saw the killer’s face. A foot-matches. On balance, Jake Wark is probably correct in long knife was seized at Allen’s home during

his judgment that Allen “was simply one of dozens of the police search of February 14, 1991, but

Vallejo locals who had been fingered by a friend, an again researcher Jake Wark reports that no

enemy, an acquaintance, or a relative based on little efforts have yet been made (as of September

more than a hunch.”

2002) to match the knife with wounds suf-

Police took what may be their last stab at solving the fered by the Lake Berryessa victims.

case in October 2002, when they submitted envelopes (5) Four days after the Vallejo police interview, from various Zodiac correspondence for DNA testing.

on October 10, 1969, Allen allegedly told

Their hope: If the killer licked a stamp or envelope flap, acquaintance Ralph Spinelli that he was

saliva traces might contain enough genetic material to

“going to San Francisco to kill a cabbie.” The identify the killer once and for all. In fact, Dr. Cydne Paul Stine murder occurred one day later and