Disclaimer: This article is a highly summarised version of the event as that took place, if you would like a more accurate and detailed account of the murders, there are several sources and police reports online.
I’m sure you’ve heard of The Zodiac Killer, but do you know the extent of his crimes? If you would like to know, this is the article for you!
On June 4th 1963, Tuesday, eighteen year old Robert Domingos and his seventeen year old fiancée, Linda Edwards, were shot eleven and nine times respectively. There were no witnesses and due to the remote location of the crime, the bodies weren’t found until the following evening. This murder would later be speculated to be the work of The Zodiac Killer.
Another speculated murder of The Zodiac Killer, is the murder of Cheri Jo Bates. 18 year old Bates, who was a college freshman, was stabbed and slashed to death on the grounds of Riverside City College. A letter claiming responsibility was later sent to the local newspaper, this led to people speculating that it was from the Zodiac Killer.
On December 20th 1968 was the first confirmed Zodiac attack, in Vallejo, California. The two victims, seventeen year old David Faraday and sixteen year old Betty Lou Jenson had met one week earlier at a church function, apparently it was love at first sight, David even started cutting classes to spend time with her. Upon her sister’s advice, Betty invited David over to meet her parents. David arrived at her home at around 8pm and at approximately 8:30pm they arrived at her friend, Sheron’s house. After thirty minutes, they left Sheron’s house without telling her their plans and at 11:20pm their corpse would be found on Lake Herman Road, a spot commonly referred to as ‘Lover’s Lane’, both shot multiple times.
In around seven months, on July 4th 1969, another couple would be found in Vallejo, California. Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin were on a date, despite Ferrin being married, and they were sitting in a light brown car in Blue Rocks Springs Park. Michael survived the shooting and according to his account to the police, a car drove into the parking lot and the gunman then stepped out of the car and began firing at Michael and Darlene. Though both victims were transported to a hospital, Darlene unfortunately died at 12:38am. Two minutes later, the police department received a call, which was answered by police dispatcher Nancy Slover. The caller reported a murder, saying, “I want to report a murder. If you will go one-mile east on Columbus Parkway, you will find kids in a brown car. They were shot with a nine-millimeter Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Goodbye.”
A month later, on August 1st, the Zodiac Killer sent three letters to the Vallejo Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the SAN Francisco Examiner, claiming responsibility for the previous two murders and beginning with “I am the killer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman & the girl last 4th of July.”
On September 27th, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were relaxing on a blanket at a remote location by Lake Berryessa, Shepard noticed a man in a strange costume and holding a gun approaching them. After a few minutes of conversation, the man tied the couple up with a plastic clothesline and began stabbing them, attacking Hartnell first before Shepard. After the assault the man casually walked away from the scene. Within a few minutes a local fisherman would hear their screams and alert the park rangers, by the time they arrived the couple had already managed to escape from their restraints. Just over an hour later, the Napa Police Department received a call from a man claiming responsibility for the attack. Though Hartnell survived, Shepard sadly died within 48 hours of the stabbing.
In the following month, Paul Stine, a cab driver would be hailed down at Mason and Geary Streets with a destination of Washington and Maple Streets. Stine would be found a block away from the destination, at Washington and Cherry Streets, with his keys, wallet and a large portion of his shirt taken. There were three witnesses standing around 60 feet away who watching as the killer wiped down the cab after killing Stine. They called the police and described a 25 to 30 year old white man, around 5’8”, stocky build with reddish brown hair in a worn out crew cut, wearing heavy rim glasses and dark clothing. However, the police dispatcher made a mistake, describing the suspect as a black male adult, so when a white man passed two patrol officers, he was not stopped and questioned. When the correct description was later broadcasted, the two officers realised they may have encountered the actual killer. A search of the area was conducted but the killer was not found.
Two days later, the Zodiac killer sent a letter to the San Fransisco Chronicle referring to the police’s inability to find him, with a piece of Stine’s shirt.
In November 1969, the Zodiac Killer sent a letter that was written using the Z340 Cipher that remained unsolved for decades. This letter also included references to his pleasure in killing. It was only decoded in late 2020, which revealed more about his mindset.
In the following year of 1970, he continued to send letters. Taunting the police and media using cryptograms and threats.
In 1974, the last confirmed Zodiac letter was sent and even though the Zodiac Killer claims he has killed 30 people, only five murders we’re confirmed to be his, therefore the total number of victims remain unknown. His true identity is also unknown.
Thank you for reading my article and I hope you enjoyed it!
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