Bryan Hartnell, surviving victim of the Zodiac killer. Attacked on Sept. 27, 1969. Pictured from late 1969
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
In early October 1969, a suspicious man had gotten the attention of Captain Don Townsend of the Napa County Sheriff’s Department. Townsend had been warned of the man by a couple of young women who had encountered him in downtown Napa at a bar called Aquarius. The bar was located at 1018 First Street, only a minute’s drive from the phone booth where the Zodiac had called the police a couple of weeks earlier.
(Photo credit: Uncle Sporkums)
The suspicious man was obsessed with the signs of the Zodiac, and had told Captain Townsend’s female informants that he worked in a rose garden at one of the nearby wineries. According to Captain Townsend, who refused to elaborate, during conversations with the female informants, the suspicious man had actually referenced details of the Lake Berryessa attack the police hadn’t yet made public. Captain Townsend grew so impressed by the possibility of the suspicious man being the Zodiac killer that he organized a stakeout at the Aquarius.
The stakeout involved plain clothes police officers inside the bar with Captain Townsend’s female informants, while positioned outside the bar were unmarked police cars. Safely inside one of those unmarked police cars was the surviving victim of the Zodiac’s Lake Berryessa attack, Bryan Hartnell, who had recovered enough from his wounds to participate. The hope was that Hartnell could recognize the voice of the mysterious rose gardener as having the same voice as the Zodiac killer.
But there was no luck. The suspicious man never returned, at least not that day. And by 1970, the Aquarius closed for good.
No, the Zodiac killer/Cheri Jo Bates connection was not the invention of a newspaper reporter
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
Welcome to 2026, where any moron with an Internet connection can provide “Zodiac content,” no matter how obscenely misinformed. This post deals with one such example, sometimes appearing in the form of “RIVERSIDE POLICE NEVER THUNK Z KILLED BATES!” but occasionally in the form of “A REPORTER MADE UP THAT BATES STUFF TO SELL NEWSPAPERS!”
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
THE TRUTH: More than a year prior to newspaper reporter Paul Avery going public with the story, detectives in Riverside had not only found links between their Cheri Jo Bates murder and the Zodiac killer, but had shared details with other law enforcement agencies.
Below is the pertinent information taken from a report sent from Riverside detectives to their counterparts in both Napa and San Francisco. The red color I added means it’s important:
( Read all three pages of the police report here: 1, 2, 3 )
As you can see below, it was more than a year later before Paul Avery found out and went public, immediately making headlines:
TLDR/CLIFFS: The possibility that Cheri Jo Bates was a victim of the Zodiac killer was entirely initiated by Riverside police and had literally nothing to do with Paul Avery.
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
By late 2001, I was used to receiving weird phone calls from Don Cheney. This occasion was not an exception. Immediately after I answered the phone, Don identified himself and quickly offered an unexpected revelation:
“Yeah, there’s one thing – probably more than one thing – uh, nobody ever asked me about. I had moved to the New Bedford area and taken a job there…uh, in the late 1980s. My, uh, my route to work and back made me into a possible suspect.”
Me: “Hmmm…a possible suspect? For what, exactly?”
Don continued:
“They uh, during that time, there was a bunch of women killed out there. Murdered. And uh…for a time there, uh, the cops thought I could have done it.”
My Internet connection was via America Online, which meant I couldn’t multitask by talking on the phone and surfing the Web at the same time. Instead, I had to wait for Don to finish before I could hang up, get on the ‘net and attempt to research his shocking claim.
“So let me make sure I understand this,” I said. “You were a murder suspect in…New Bedford? Where exactly is that? In Massachusetts?”
“Yeah. But nothing ever came of it.”
At the time, I was living in a vintage apartment in Portland, Ore., right in the heart of the Hollywood District. There was a Chinese restaurant outside my bedroom window, and that morning I had decided to break my strict diet in order to pig out on General Tso’s chicken. But that was before Don called. Now my plans would have to wait.
I verified a few more details with Don regarding his bizarre admission, then hung up and hit the Web. Don was aware that I recorded all of my phone calls, and he didn’t ask me to keep our conversation private. It was clear that Don wanted his New Bedford claim to be known and shared, even if it was some kind of a sick joke.
My default Internet browser back then was Netscape Navigator. It was even slower than AOL. I typed in “new bedford unsolved murders” and waited. To my amazement, one of the first search returns was for a book called “Killing Season: The Unsolved Case of New England’s Deadliest Serial Killer.” Sure enough, Don was right — there really was a still-at-large serial killer in New Bedford! Published in 1994, the author of the book was named Carlton Smith. I knew of Smith from a book he previously co-authored about the Green River killer. Luckily, Smith was still living in Seattle, and I located his home telephone number from an online directory. General Tso’s chicken would have to wait until after I called Carlton Smith.
Smith answered immediately, and I got right to the point.
“Don Cheney…Don Cheney…yeah, that name is very familiar,” said Smith. “Although I have to wonder why he’d want it known that he was a murder suspect. In my experience, that’s quite unusual.”
Above: The Zodiac killer as described in October 1969 following his murder of cab driver Paul Stine in San Francisco. Based on current data regarding the accuracy of eyewitnesses, the description (including age, height and weight) should be taken with a healthy grain of salt beef. Zodiac nerd reference intended
FYI: Contrary to a somewhat popular belief among casual followers of the Zodiac case, no police officers contributed to the above sketch.
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
On Oct. 11, 1969, the Zodiac killer entered victim Paul Stine’s cab at the intersection of Mason and Geary in downtown San Francisco. The location was just two blocks away from 230 Powell St., which was a store that sold variously styled wigs designed to make one appear to have a full head of short hair…as seen in the store’s vintage print ad above.
When seen exiting the cab — at night and from across a street — witnesses said the Zodiac appeared to have a military-style haircut. The Zodiac eventually claimed to have used a disguise. This wig (and a pair of glasses) could have done the trick.
A view to a kill: Witnesses initially saw the Zodiac from this vantage point, but at night. The white car in the center and pointed left is where the victim’s cab was parked
The white car at front left and pointed toward the camera is where the victim’s cab was parked. The Zodiac was initially seen by witnesses who were within the house at right, and positioned at one of the third-story windows. Eventually, at least one of those witnesses saw the Zodiac from ground level
A message from the Zodiac less than a month after being seen by witnesses
FOR EXAMPLE — Above: 1969 photo of my father, James Voigt, sporting a stylish (at the time) toupée. Below: As he looked without the wig.
At night and from across a street, nobody would have recognized that my dad was actually bald.
At one of the crime scenes, victims described seeing hair from under the Zodiac’s mask. As I will explain in a future update, whether the Zodiac was bald or had a full head of hair, it still would have been necessary for him to wear some kind of a wig under the costume
1961 writings — including odd symbols — by “Crazy” Joe Mitton
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
On Sept. 22nd, 1943, a new client named Claude Burriston took a seat in Joe Mitton’s barber chair at a shop in downtown Oakland, Cal. Upon sitting, Burriston let out a cough — possibly due to the heavy cigar smoke often found in such places back then. Hearing the cough, an agitated Mitton yelled “Don’t do that!” and punched a shocked Burriston in the head. Mitton then grabbed his barber shears and began stabbing and slashing Burriston repeatedly in the face until other barbers could intervene and stop the onslaught of violence.
When the police arrived, Mitton explained that he had recognized Burriston as being part of an evil gang from Los Angeles that had tormented Mitton with Dictaphones and poisonous gas.
Crazy Joe, indeed.
After the horrifying attack, Mitton was briefly held in police custody until it was determined — via court procedures — that he was criminally insane. At that point, Mitton was committed to Atascadero State Hospital in Atascadero, Cal.
Joe Mitton’s address for nearly 20 years
More of Mitton’s writings that he would send to both state officials and attorneys
Eventually, in December 1969, the Zodiac killer would write a letter to attorney Melvin Belli, just as Mitton had
More of Mitton’s bizarre designs
Years later, Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen admitted to having kept Mitton’s writings, that he obtained in 1961 while employed as an orderly at the hospital. Allen also claimed to have “exchanged coded messages” with Mitton
Nearly 18 months after a transfer to another mental hospital — this time in Camarillo, Cal. — Mitton died on Dec. 13, 1962. He was 67 years old. Mitton, a Montana native, had lived in California for more than 40 years.
Mitton’s handwriting, 1961
The Zodiac’s handwriting, 1969
Above: After condensing the images, a noticeably striking similarity between the two samples of handwriting. One might suggest the Zodiac intentionally copied Mitton’s neat style of printing.
Arthur Leigh Allen’s employment at Atascadero State Hospital ended after the summer of 1962. However, he would soon return…as a patient.
“His voice, I can remember, almost like I’d heard it before.”
— victim Bryan Hartnell on the Zodiac killer
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
Two Zodiac victims: Bryan Hartnell and Paul Stine
A couple of weeks after he survived a knife attack at the hands of the Zodiac killer, Bryan Hartnell was reinterviewed by detectives at his college campus. The very next evening, the Zodiac killer struck again, murdering cab driver Paul Stine in San Francisco.
Timeline of events from official police report
Could the Zodiac killer have been affiliated in some way with Pacific Union College — either as a student or faculty member — and then quickly moved on to attack in San Francisco as misdirection after police had gotten too close for comfort by visiting the college?
If the Zodiac killer was connected to Pacific Union College, it would explain why his voice was familiar to victim Hartnell. It would also explain why the Zodiac had such an extreme change in victimology, from exclusively attacking couples to choosing a lone male cab driver…a quick and easy victim for diversion.
Over the last three decades, I have received numerous reports about a suspicious individual from the college who was thought by some to be the Zodiac killer. I’ll report more on that in 2026.
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
Long before the existence of current Internet staples such as Facebook, Google and YouTube, Zodiackiller.com was already just a click away. It was March 1998, and the web was a much different place. Most surfers used AOL and paid by the minute. Downloading a simple picture often took forever, and the material available online was extremely limited. Want to see a document or record? Click here for the mailing address! Of course, all things Internet are better now. And while I am thankful the days of the web’s infancy are long gone, in 1998 I was about to learn that something is lost when something is gained.
Thanks to Zodiackiller.com, since 1998 I have met many key players in the Zodiac case. Of those key players, Mike, Ken and Nancy became my friends. They have since passed away. Without Mike, Ken and Nancy, this website would not be where it is today. I wanted this update to be about them.
San Francisco Police Dept. Inspector Mike Maloney (and his partner, Inspector Kelly Carroll) was the last investigator in his department to really work the Zodiac case. As a result, in 2001 new forensic evidence was uncovered that could one day help identify the Zodiac killer. Maloney retired soon after and immediately became a great source of info for this website, going so far as giving me the scoop of a lifetime that was soon reported around the world by every major news source you can imagine. Most of my contact with Mike was via e-mail, but one night in 2004 he met with a group of us amateur detectives at The Blarney Stone, a bar around the corner from where I was living at the time in San Francisco. Mike was a big, strong guy, dressed in black leather, his long hair pulled back. After retiring from the force, Mike decided he wanted to learn to play the bass guitar. He sure looked the part. It was a fun night, and Mike generously bought several rounds of beer. He didn’t mind answering our questions about the Zodiac case, or listening to our ideas. Mike appreciated what we could contribute. He was good like that. A few years earlier, Mike had taken a major role in a documentary film that was about both my website and its users who were trying to solve the case. In March 2007, that film, Hunting The Zodiac, was set to debut at the 4 Star Theater in San Francisco. Mike was scheduled to be one of the featured guests. I had privately seen the film a few months earlier and knew Mike would love it. Plus I was looking forward to seeing him again. Three weeks before the film’s debut, I received a call from the filmmaker, John Mikulenka: Mike Maloney had unexpectedly passed away from a heart issue. All these years later, I still can’t believe it.
After retiring from show business, Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy fame) kept his home number listed in local telephone directories; he wanted his fans to be able to contact him. Retired Napa County Sheriff Ken Narlow did the same, but the call he desired was from a serial killer, the Zodiac. That call apparently never came. However, many a time did Ken receive calls from people like me, people wanting to obtain or share information about the Zodiac case. Ken was all ears; he always made time. Once, I spoke to him for a good length of time before learning he was at a cocktail party. Another time, near the end of our call, Ken apologized for talking with his mouth full; he had been in the middle of dinner. Didn’t matter, Ken was always there for you. My first meeting with Ken was at a Lyon’s restaurant in Napa. A few years later, Ken met with a group of us at a local park. Several times I was a guest in his home, the last such occasion just a few months before he died. Ken had developed cancer and was putting up a great fight, but it was taking its toll and he was very weak; difficulty walking, wounds on his arms that just wouldn’t heal. Still, he had guests and was determined to be a great host, insisting on retrieving wine from the cellar even though he couldn’t even stand up without assistance; I had to pull him up from the sofa. Some nights, Ken told me, he was too weak to move, so he would sleep on the floor of the living room. During our last meeting, we drank wine, and then Ken took me into his office, limping all the way, to find a Zodiac police report he wanted to show me. Up until the very end, Ken never stopped answering that phone. Stan Laurel would be proud.
Everyone has one of those nutty “a-friend-of-a-friend” stories. Such a situation is how I found Nancy Slover. Ever since I could remember, I had wanted to find Nancy, the Vallejo police dispatcher who spoke with the Zodiac back in July 1969 and then seemed to vanish from the face of the Earth. As fate would have it, a woman who once knew Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen back in the 1970s happened to follow this website. She contacted me and mentioned she was old friends with Nancy. I could not believe my luck. I had Nancy on the phone within the hour! She appeared guarded at first and didn’t seem to believe that I had trouble locating her. Nancy actually thought nobody cared enough to find her, ask her questions, get her story. Boy, she quickly learned just how wrong she was. Didn’t stop her from teasing me, though. “Now Tom, all you had to do was visit the City Recorder’s office and you would have found me right away!” she reminded me often. Well, better late than never, and we quickly made up for lost time. Nancy became the star of the Zodiac world overnight. Everyone wanted to meet her and she was glad to accommodate, appearing at three public gatherings organized by this website. Nancy’s love was her adorable Chiweenie named Chico. On my research trips to the Bay Area, I always looked forward to visiting with Nancy at her home in Benicia, walking Chico, and having cocktails with Nancy at her favorite hangout, the Vets Hall. Unfortunately, Nancy’s considerable health problems continued to mount, to the point she told me she didn’t really feel like a person anymore. That was one of the last times I spoke with her. Eventually, I found myself back in San Francisco and planning to see her. My first morning in The City, I awoke to a voicemail from a mutual friend explaining that Nancy had died. I haven’t been back since. One day I know I’ll return to my favorite place, but things will never be the same.
In those good old days, I was fortunate to drink beer with Mike, wine with Ken, and booze with Nancy. Slow downloads weren’t so bad after all.
On Oct. 22, 1969, a man claiming to be the Zodiac killer called a live San Francisco television show. The guest on the show was famed attorney Melvin Belli, and the show’s host was Jim Dunbar. Mr. Dunbar’s operator patched the caller through so the entire Bay Area could hear “Zodiac’s” voice. It was suggested the caller be referred to as “Sam” during the conversation.
Later that day, the only three living people in the world to hear the real Zodiac’s voice — Nancy Slover, David Slaight and Bryan Hartnell — were brought to the television studio to see if they could recognize the caller’s voice. After careful scrutiny, all three concluded the voice was unfamiliar. It was eventually determined the calls were made by a mental patient. Less than two months later, the real Zodiac killer wrote a letter to Belli.
(The images below are copyrighted and may not be used without permission.)
Slover, Slaight and Hartnell listen intently to the voice of “Sam”
Hartnell tells his thoughts to Slaight
Jim Dunbar
Inspectors from the San Francisco Police Department keep close tabs on Hartnell
Hartnell and an inspector compare notes
Slaight and Hartnell discuss the voice of “Sam”
After several hours of study, all three earwitnesses concluded “Sam” was not the real Zodiac killer. They were eventually proven correct
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
In 1986, a former friend began to suspect that San Francisco resident Richard Gaikowski (pictured above) was the Zodiac killer. That friend made the recordings featured below. Eventually, Gaikowski’s recorded voice was played to Nancy Slover, who had spoken with the Zodiac in July 1969. Slover’s reaction to Gaikowski’s voice is included below.
The audio samples of Gaikowski on this page were salvaged from old cassette tapes and are for informational purposes only.
Above: Nancy Slover’s reaction after hearing the voice of Richard Gaikowski
Above: Gaikowski’s opinion of the unsolved codes of the Zodiac killer
Above: Gaikowski believes the Zodiac killer was a police officer (Dick Tracy) (1)
Above: Gaikowski believes the Zodiac killer was a police officer (2)
Above: Gaikowski is asked if he is still killing people
Above: Gaikowski has murder in his heart
Above: Gaikowski’s opinion of the Zodiac killer
Above: Gaikowski’s use of the same language as the Zodiac killer (shabby) (1)
Above: Gaikowski’s use of the same language as the Zodiac killer (speaking) (2)
Above: Gaikowski is seeing a psychiatrist…again
Above: Gaikowski recollects a Mexico trip from the early 1960s
Above: Gaikowski’s recorded telephone greeting
By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com
