By Tom Voigt
Webmaster, Zodiackiller.com
Contact me
San Francisco, Calif. -- In an unprecedented move, the San Francisco Police Dept. (SFPD)
has officially closed its Zodiac homicide investigation, despite the fact the 1969 case
remains unsolved and leads continue to pour in.
The Zodiac case marks the first time in SFPD history it has closed an unsolved homicide
investigation.
Zodiac - 1
SFPD - 0
Getting Away With Murder
"All that work down the tubes," a source within SFPD told me. "Now
there's nobody to field tips, answer e-mail, push for DNA testing and all of the other
things that solve those older cases."
Typically when a case turns cold a department will deactivate it and assign investigators
to other tasks. However, the case would still be investigated should new leads develop.
Closing a case guarantees leads will be ignored and information will not be collected --
no matter how pertinent to the investigation.
"The lieutenant who made the decision to close it -- a guy named John Hennessey --
essentially figured the detectives investigating it were only motivated by the "cult
following" and publicity associated with the case. And that's bullsh*t," my
source said.
The detectives assigned to the Zodiac case since 2001, Michael Maloney and Kelly Carroll,
have been reassigned.
"There has been a lot of turmoil within the department in the last year or so and
apparently it was determined a "shake up" was necessary," my source said.
A Long History
SFPD's investigation into the Zodiac case began almost 35 years ago when cab driver
Paul Lee Stine was murdered in the San Francisco neighborhood of Presidio Heights. The
killing first appeared to be a routine robbery. However, two days later the Zodiac took
credit for the killing in a letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle. The
letter also contained a threat to kill school children. When SFPD's captain, Marty Lee,
briefed the news media on the threat, the Zodiac quickly became a household name
throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere.
"The timing on this is horrible," my source said. "What we need to solve
the case is more DNA testing. Getting a partial profile in 2002 was great, but we need to
retrieve DNA samples from all of the Zodiac's letters. That was the goal. Now, forget
about it. It aint' gonna happen. The Zodiac himself could call to turn himself in and
there would be nobody to answer the phone."
What if someone discovers that final piece to the puzzle investigators have been waiting
for all of these years? What if a family member of the Zodiac's only-known San Francisco
victim should like to discuss the case with an investigator? My source offered this
advice:
"Refer all Zodiac communications to Lt. John Hennessey, SFPD Homicide Detail. Call
him during business hours at (415) 553-1501. Lt. Hennessey has closed the Zodiac
case and can answer all questions pertaining to it." |
Zodiac's San Francisco victim, Paul Stine.
Oct. 11, 1969 |
SFPD Captain Marty Lee. Oct. 13, 1969 |
DNA testing of Zodiac letters, circa 2002 |
The Zodiac killer |
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