Zodiac Unmasked (71 page)

Zodiac-like. Both envelopes were addressed in heavy-felt type printing to the “Homicide Detail, Riverside” and the “
Daily Enterprise
,

Riverside, California.” He flagged them “ATTN; CRIME.” The two letters had no postage, only the stamped reminder: ALWAYS USE ZIP

CODE. Postmark: RIVERSIDE CALIF. NOV 29 PM 1966.

2. April 30, 1967 (Sunday). Zodiac’s handwritten letter on 8½-by-11-inch lined three-hole note paper and envelope in pencil to the

Riverside Press-Enterprise
. Note the “Z” at the bottom of the letter (the FBI agreed that this was a “Z” and not a numeral “2” and double postage—two four-cent Lincoln stamps, on the envelope and lack of postmark. “Bates had to die . . .” FBI Specimens Q66 and Q67. SFPD

Item #16. Includes the three letters and envelopes postmarked April 30, 1967.

3. April 30, 1967. Zodiac’s letter in pencil to the Riverside Police Department. Two four-cent Lincoln stamps, on the envelope and lack of

postmark. “Bates had to die . . .” FBI Specimens Qc68 and Q69.

4. Zodiac’s letter in pencil to Joseph Bates, April 30, 1967. Two four-cent Lincoln stamps, on the envelope and lack of postmark. “Bates

had to die . . .”

5. Circa January 1967. Desktop poem, found in the Riverside City Col ege Library around the same time as Letters 1, 2, and 3, but

probably written three and a half months earlier, then stored in an unused basement. It was discovered by a janitor. Bal point pen, “Sick of

Living . . .” Photocopy of ten line poem of crude free verse. The message was written on plywood board study desktop with a bal point pen.

Four fingerprints and three partial palm prints (Latent Case #73096) on the top remained unidentified. They did not match the three local

suspects that Riverside P.D. had under investigation. This poem measured a mere five inches deep by three-and-one-half inches wide, no

bigger than a file card. Zodiac sent cards through the mail of the same size. By writing so tiny, Zodiac was able to further disguise his handprinting.

The FBI Lab, working only from photos and photocopies, reported that “Portions of the material, particularly the three Riverside letters, may

have been disguised or deliberately distorted . . . the handprinting examination of these letters was inconclusive. However consistent

handprinting characteristics were noted the Q85-Qc100 letters which indicate that one person may have prepared al of the letters including the

Riverside letters and the message found on the desktop in the Riverside case.”

ZODIAC’S NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WRITINGS

1. July 31, 1969 (Thursday). Zodiac’s letter to the
San Francisco Chronicle
contains one-third of a cipher. “This is the murderer . . . brand

name is Western.” Page Two of Zodiac’s blue felt-tip pen letter to the
Chronicle
, July 31, 1969 is on back. Paper is so thin that overleaf shows

through. The letter we received at the
Chronicle
measured 7⅛-inches-by- 10½-inches. Letters mailed to the
Examiner
and
Times-Herald
measured different sizes and indicated the kil er was using remaindered paper bought in lots. One-third of Zodiac’s three-part cipher enclosed

in his letter. Envelope, slip of cipher, envelope flap and both pages of Zodiac’s letter fingerprinted. Police mistakenly marked photocopy sent

to FBI as cipher to the “
Examiner
.”

1A. August 10, 1969 (Sunday). Typewritten envelope addressed “Sergeant Lynch, Val ejo Police Department Val ejo, California.

Accompanying damaged white three-inch-by-five-inch card (the same size card used later) bearing typewritten note, “Dear Sergeant Lynch I

hope the enclosed key . . .” Sheet of paper bearing handprinted letters and symbols beginning “A-G-S-(backwards) L . . .” No indented writing

found. Postmark: San Francisco Calif. 3A PM 10 AUG 1969.

1B. Salinas schoolteacher Donald Gene Harden’s original worksheets for decoding the first part of Zodiac’s three part cipher sent to Bay

Area’s papers on July 31, 1969.

2. July 31, 1969 (Thursday). Letter to
San Francisco Examiner
, contains one-third of a cipher which measured 71/16-inches-by-10⅜-

inches. Envelope postmarked “SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF PM 31 JULY 1969,” bearing handprinted address “S.F. EXAMINER San Fran,

Calif.” On flap are the large, scrawled words: “PLEASE RUSH TO EDITOR.” First page of handprinted letter: “Dear Editor This is the murderer

of the two teenagers . . .” Back of letter begins: “Here is part of a cipher . . .”

3. July 31, 1969 Zodiac’s letter to the
Vallejo Times-Herald
. “I am the kil er . . . print this.” Police exhibit includes front and back of envelope, one-third of a Zodiac cipher measuring 71/16-inches-by-107/16-inches, a letter measuring 7⅛-inches-by-109/16-inches and photo of

the cipher after being fingerprinted. Police in marking exhibit confused the partial cipher with one sent to the
Chronicle
on the same day. On

August 2, police fumed the letter with Ninhydrin, a chemical that develops prints, but causes the handprinting to run and blur. Of the three ciphers mailed July 31, 1969 and marked QC 32, the FBI wrote, “The ciphers are hand drawn and not normal handprinting. For these reasons

not definitely determined whether specimens submitted and others in this case written by one person. However, al threatening letters may be

one writer.”

4. Page Two of Zodiac’s three-page letter to the
Vallejo Times-Herald
, August 1969. First use of name Zodiac. “In answer to your asking

for more details.” Police date this letter as August 7, 1969. It may have been sent on the first or second of August as an article in the
Examiner

reproduces it on August 4, 1969 and “buries it” on Page Four. Zodiac never wrote the
Examiner
again. “If Zodiac mailed the first three letters

on July 31, 1969 and they were published August 1 he wrote that second letter because the cop asked for more details. “It looks like he

jumped right on it,” police said.

4A. September 27, 1969 (Saturday). Writing on Bryan Hartnel ’s Volkswagen Karmann Ghia car door at Lake Berryessa,. It can be seen in

crime scene picture in the photograph section and close-up in
Zodiac
. The printing on Hartnel ’s locked car (white with a black vinyl top white

Oregon license, #4U2040) as described by Deputy Dave Col ins on 9/29/69: “At the top of the door panel and to the center was a circle and an

even sided cross, running completely through the circle on al four sides. Below the circle and the cross which is described as a cross hair

symbol the word ‘Val ejo.’ Below the word ‘Val ejo,’ the date ‘12/20/68.’ Below that date ‘7/4/69.’ Below that word ‘Sept. 27, 69-6:30.’ Below

that in printing ‘by knife.’ This was written in black ink that appeared to be put on with a felt pen.”

5. October 13, 1969 (Monday). Front and back of the envelope to Zodiac’s letter to the
San Francisco Chronicle
. . . about the Stine

kil ing. Envelope contained a bloody square of Paul Stine’s gray and white shirt. In custody of the SFPD Lab, #1 and FBI Q85. Postmark: PM

13 OCT. 1969 1B.

6. November 8, 1969 (Saturday). Front and back of the envelope to Zodiac’s letter to the
San Francisco Chronicle
, Envelope contained a

340-symbol cipher and a greeting card (“Sorry I haven’t written . . .”) with a dripping fountain pen from the Gibson Company with dripping pen.

SFPD Lab #2. Includes square of Stine’s shirt. Postmark: PM 8 NOV. 1969 4A.

7. November 9, 1969 (Sunday). Seven page letter, “Change my way of col ecting . . .” SFPD Lab #2. FBI Specimen Q86. No postmark.

7A. December 7, 1969 (Sunday). Copycat letter addressed to “
San Francisco Chronicle
,” postmarked Fairfield. “I wil kil again . . . I wil turn

my self in O K.” FBI marked documents Qc34 and Qc35. “Some of the threatening letters in this case, particularly Qc34 and Qc35, contain

some distortion and were not written as freely as other threatening letters in this matter,” reported the FBI lab.

8. December 20, 1969 (Saturday), “Dear Melvin . . . Help me . . . can not remain in control much longer . . . Happy Christmass . . .

[Zodiac’s way of spel ing Christmas].” Marked FBI Specimen Qc43 (envelope) and Qc44 (letter). Piece of Stine’s shirt per keel. Location of

envelope unknown. SFPD Lab #3, FBI Specimen Q87. Postmark: PM 20 Dec. 1069 no mark, CA. at bottom center.

8A. December 3, 1968 (Tuesday). Analysis of bank robbery note to Sutter branch of Wel s-Fargo Bank in San Francisco to see if matched

Zodiac’s printing. It did not. “This is a Bank Robbery if you dont do as I say I wil shot.”

9. April 20, 1970 (Monday). “My name is . . .” and bomb diagram. Zodiac’s envelope, front and back, to the
San Francisco Chronicle
.

SFPD Lab #4. FBI #Qc45 and Q88. Postmark: AM 20 APR. 1970 4A.

10. April 28, 1970 (Tuesday). Front of overposted Zodiac’s envelope to the
San Francisco Chronicle
. Man on dragon greeting card.

“Enjoy the blast . . . buttons . . .” SFPD Lab #5, FBI Q89. Postmark: H. P.M.

11. June 26, 1970 (Friday). Single-stamped Zodiac envelope. Postmarked San Francisco, California “1A 26 JUN AM 1979,” to the
San

Francisco Chronicle
. Enclosed, a torn portion of a Phil ips 66 road map (FBI Specimen Qc51 and Q90). Darlene Ferrin’s first husband was

named Phil ips. With a single line of crypto. Phil ips 66 road map had symbols indicating Contra Costa County and specifical y Mount Diablo,

aka “Satan’s Mountain.” The kil er now claimed twelve victims. The back of Zodiac’s map has never been reproduced in print and contains a

visual clue linking the kil er to his earliest murder near Santa Barbara. Envelope to Zodiac’s letter of June 26, 1970 which contained the threat

“to punish them if they did not comply by anilating a ful school buss.” SFPD Lab #6. Postmark: AM JUNE 1970 1A.

12. July 24, 1970 (Friday). Envelope, Zodiac’s letter to the
San Francisco Chronicle
, a mention of kidnapped woman and baby, a

reference to Kathleen Johns and her infant. SFPD Lab #7. Marked Qc53 and Q91 by FBI. Postmark: PM 24 JUL. 1970 6B.

13. July 26, 1970 (Sunday). “Got a little list . . .” The rarest of al Zodiac letters—never reproduced, never seen outside police

headquarters. I was fortunate to see it when it arrived at the
Chronicle
in 1970. Zodiac paraphrased Gilbert and Sul ivan’s
The Mikado
in his

letter (FBI Specimens Qc54 and Qc55). Envelope marked Qc52 by FBI. Only Zodiac’s lengthy letter of November 9, 1969 contained more

clues. SFPD Lab #8, FBI Q92. FBI document photocopy Qc55 began “As some day it may hapen that a victom must be found . . .” Qc56

began “This is the Zodiac speaking Being that you wil not wear . . .” The FBI lab noted that “Some of the photocopies [provided to them by

SFPD] including Qc52-Qc56, are not sufficiently clear to permit detailed handprinting comparisons. However, characteristics indicate that al

of the threatening letters, including Qc52-Qc56, were probably prepared by one person.” The Lab further suggested, “The reference to bil iard

players in Qc56 may have been taken from a song sung by the Mikado in Act I . . . . No code or cipher material was found in Specimens Qc52

through Qc56. Postmark: PM 26 JUL. 1970 no mark.

14. October 5, 1970 (Monday). A three-by-five-inch card addressed to “Paul Averly”—“Pace isn’t any slower . . .” Front of Zodiac’s

montage postcard to the
San Francisco Chronicle
. The card is general y regarded as a fake, but Zodiac’s Los Angeles letter of March 15,

1971 also uses the phrase “Crackproof.” The three-by-five-inch card (with thirteen punch holes symbolizing victims) contains a bloody cross. It

is not human blood. Don Cheney said, “Leigh had a three-hole punch,” but Zodiac used a single-holed punch. Toschi advised me that the cross

under the numeral 13 was made of thin red paper pasted on the postcard as was other printing. Back of Zodiac’s montage postcard to the

San Francisco Chronicle
, Monday, October 5, 1970. Postmark: PM 5 OCT. 1970 1A. It was published on October 6, the one year anniversary

of Lynch’s interview with Arthur Leigh Al en.

14A. October 17, 1970 (Saturday). Copycat letter postmarked “BERKELEY, CA 17 OCT PM 1970.” Bearing message cut out of newspapers

or other publications beginning “Mon, Oct 12, 1970 . . . the Zodiac is going to . . .”

15. October 27, 1970 (Tuesday). “Your secret pal . . .” Contained a threatening twenty-five cent (Gibson Greetings) Hal oween card to Paul

Avery, claiming fourteen victims. The brush lettering spel ing “Averly” is the same as on a March 23, 1971 postcard. Zodiac’s postcard, hole-

punched like the October 5, 1970 card, was done with brush lettering. Zodiac demonstrated art skil s and practice with a brush. He misspel s

the reporter’s name here and on a the October 5, 1970 card as “Averly,” a common Zodiac touch. SFPD Lab #9. FBI Specimens Qc60-Qc6s

and Q93. Postmark: PM 27 OCT. 1970 6B.

16. March 13, 1971 (Saturday). Postmarked Pleasanton 94566, to
Los Angeles Times
. “Blue Meanies . . .” SFPD Lab #10 FBI

Specimen Qc94. Originals in possession of the Los Angeles Police Department. Postmark: PM 13 MAR. 1071 Pleasanton 94566.

17. March 22, 1971 (Monday). Zodiac’s letter to the
San Francisco Chronicle
, Four-cent postcard. “Peek through the pines . . .” Cut out