In my basement and reviewing several Zodiac suspects, including Arthur Leigh Allen
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
I began collecting information about Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen soon after learning to navigate the Internet back in the mid-1990s. The process intensified in 1998 after launching my website, Zodiackiller.com. My research continues to this day.
In 1996, I was working in Portland, Ore. as a radio announcer for CBS. All was normal. Then one day, I got bit by the true-crime bug and became infatuated with the unsolved case of the Zodiac killer. Eventually, that infatuation put me on a path directly into the evidence rooms of three separate police departments, each bringing me inside because they felt I could help with the Zodiac investigation.
I’m not a cop. I don’t have a badge. I never studied criminology. In fact, I have no law enforcement background whatsoever. I was simply a private citizen desperate to learn more about the case of the Zodiac killer; I was certain it could be solved.
I began my Zodiac research by attempting to track down one of the key players in the case, a newspaper reporter named Paul Avery. In the 2007 film called “Zodiac,” directed by David Fincher, Avery was portrayed by actor Robert Downey Jr. Luckily, the real Paul Avery’s home telephone number was listed in a San Francisco phone book. So, I got up my nerve and gave him a call.
Paul Avery
As soon as I mentioned the Zodiac killer, Avery cussed me out and slammed down the phone. And there ended my attempt at investigating the Zodiac case…but only for about a week, at which point I had found enough nerve to call him back. And when I did, it was like night and day — Avery apologized profusely for the previous week’s phone call. He then proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes giving me insider case information, including the names of various Zodiac suspects previously withheld from the public. Avery then taught me about Arthur Leigh Allen.
With my newly acquired knowledge — thanks entirely to Paul Avery — I felt that I needed to share it online. However, most people I knew were like me and had never been on the Internet. Luckily, I managed to find a relative who taught me about computers, and I was off and running. The first search engine I used was called Netscape Navigator. Although social media didn’t exist in 1996, I still managed to make some valuable online connections almost immediately, including with a man named Bill who had a website called REDACTED.
A 1997 screenshot of Bill’s website
It turned out that Bill had contacts within the FBI. He also had a strong interest in the Zodiac case. I e-mailed Bill some of the secret information I had learned from Paul Avery, including the names of various Zodiac suspects. And within 24 hours, thanks to Bill and his FBI contacts, I had acquired a digital mugshot of Arthur Leigh Allen. Allen’s picture had never been published anywhere, and people had long wondered if the top Zodiac suspect looked like the sketch of the Zodiac killer. Even when Allen did some TV interviews in 1991, his face was blurred. So, I knew I had struck gold with his mugshot.
Soon after, I made online contact with Rob, a man whose father had been best friends with Allen and who had pages and pages of Allen’s handwriting. Luckily, Rob agreed to share with me a page of that handwriting, which also happened to besomething the public had never seen. More gold.
Making my case against Allen
A very successful Zodiac book had portrayed Arthur Leigh Allen as likely being the Zodiac killer. However, the book hadn’t published Allen’s real name, or his picture, or his handwriting…three things that I had managed to acquire within just days of getting on the Internet for the very first time.
It was obvious to me that I should put Allen’s name, mugshot and handwriting on my own Zodiac website. However, I couldn’t afford to hire someone to build a website for me. And at that time on a computer, I could barely send an e-mail, let alone do anything more complex.
Somewhere along the way, I purchased a book that promised to make the website-building process an easy one. I gave the book a try and it worked! I created Zodiackiller.com all by myself and launched it onto the Internet on March 20, 1998.
How my website appeared in 1998. Originally called Zodiackiller.net, it quickly became Zodiackiller.com
Within six months of that launch, John Walsh mentioned Zodiackiller.com on his highly rated television show “America’s Most Wanted.” As a result, my site quickly became a favorite among true-crime enthusiasts, including a woman named Michelle McNamara, who went on to write an epic serial killer book titled “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” Michelle wasn’t shy about e-mailing me words of encouragement. In fact, even though she passed away in 2016, I still remember her old “mishmac” e-mail address and original online crime diary.
So yeah, I’m glad I called back Paul Avery.
November 2025 Update:
In a very ironic twist, a few weeks ago I was contacted by an individual who had inherited many Zodiac-related materials which had been saved for decades by Paul Avery. Apparently, Avery’s goal was to pursue the many leads he had collected. Unfortunately, life had other ideas and Avery was soon overwhelmed with catastrophic health issues that plagued him for the rest of his life.
I now have access to those Zodiac materials, some of which look to be quite compelling.
For those who wish to contribute, the focus of my research will include pursuing all of the leads Paul Avery left behind. If you wish to help, here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XULCL3G2K2986
You may also simply click the DONATE button at the top of the page.
(Additional ways to help — such as Venmo, snail mail, etc — are available upon request.)
Wherever Paul Avery’s information takes me, I will share what I can.