Dec. 20, 2011) On this 43rd anniversary of the Zodiac’s attack on Lake Herman Road near Vallejo, Calif., I’ve added a comprehensive collection of vintage newspaper articles detailing the double murder. Click here to read and discuss.

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Sept. 1, 2011) As we enter the anniversary month of the Zodiac’s 1969 attack at Lake Berryessa, I have received news of an exciting development:

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“Mr. Voigt,

My partner, Detective Shulman, said he would let you know once we got to the Cecelia Shepard case. We have reviewed the case completely and sent all of the evidence we have to the California DNA laboratory in Richmond. We do not expect to have any results back for some time. Routinely, the turnaround time for cases like this is measured in months if not years.

— REDACTED INFO —

Thank you for the access to your site. It has proven valuable for vetting out some of the theories we have received. We hope you will continue to allow us to view your research.

Thank you again for your assistance!

Detective Patrick McMahon

Napa County Sheriff’s Department

Cold Case Unit”
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Discussion of this development can be found at the Zodiackiller.com message board.

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July 5, 2011) It’s my pleasure to yet again share an exclusive and never-before-seen Zodiac case document. This time, it’s a 1971 Zodiac PERT chart, as prepared by the California Department of Justice. Until now, the chart was only available to police. One of the more interesting tidbits contained in the chart is the revelation that Zodiac rode in the front seat of victim Paul Stine’s cab, as discussed here. (For decades it was believed he sat in the back.) For discussion of the PERT chart, click here.

— CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW EXCLUSIVE ZODIAC PERT CHART —
(PDF | 1.1 MB) For best results, zoom to 150% or more.

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Feb. 19, 2011) Tonight’s episode of America’s Most Wanted featured a photo of Zodiac victim Darlene Ferrin that was first seen here at Zodiackiller.com last November. Pictured with Ferrin is a man of unknown identity. Click the image below for a huge version, and if you recognize the man, please contact me:

> A full-length documentary about the unsolved 1963 murders of possible Zodiac victims Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards is now available to watch online for free. The film, which is the work of John B. Averitt Ph.D., a former classmate of the victims, can be found at this link.

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Jan. 31, 2011) At the end of January 1974, almost exactly 37 years ago, the Zodiac mailed a letter in which he seemed to claim 37 victims. It was the first Zodiac letter in nearly three years and its arrival sparked a renewed attempt by San Francisco police to catch him. To mark the occasion, I have updated the Zodiac Magazine Rack with a story about the investigation from the April 1974 issue of San Francisco Magazine.

> Click the image below for an amazing late-1960s aerial view of the neighborhood in San Francisco where the Zodiac killed cab driver Paul Stine:

Dec. 1, 2010) Retired Zodiac detective Ken Narlow has passed away after a strong battle against cancer. Narlow, who was a great friend to this website, worked for the Napa County Sheriff’s Dept. for several decades and was the original detective assigned to investigate the Zodiac’s attack at Lake Berryessa. He died in Napa on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 29, 2010.

A recent e-mail from Ken: “This cancer is going to get me it’s just a matter of time. I rarely get out of the house anymore and when I do Marie takes me where I want to go. I still get a few leads, that I pass on to the boys in blue.”

Ken Narlow is pictured below with his son, circa 1960:

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Oct. 6, 2010) In the Sept. 19, 2010 update, Zodiackiller.com showed how the Zodiac mimmicked Count Marco’s odd writing style. Just a month later, it appears we have solved yet another mystery. Click the image below for the latest:

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Oct. 1, 2010) The 2008 Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting, which was held on Dec. 20, 2008 at the Roxie theater in San Francisco, is now available to watch online for free. Hosted by author David Van Nuys, the 100-minute video features several guest speakers, including Nancy Slover (she spoke to the Zodiac back in 1969).

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/ROXIE2008TFM

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Sept. 19, 2010) Ever since Zodiac wrote a letter referencing San Francisco newspaper columnist Count Marco back in July 1974, speculation has remained over why Zodiac adopted such an unusual handwriting style for that particular letter. See below for my recent discovery (Click for a larger version):

I believe Zodiac was very familiar with the nuances of Marco’s handwriting. If so, that potentially narrows the suspect pool immensely.

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July 29, 2010) It has been nearly 41 years since the Zodiac murdered cab driver Paul Stine in San Francisco. Since then, most of us only know Stine through one published picture. Exclusive to Zodiackiller.com, I am thrilled to bring you a look at Paul Stine the public has never seen: MEET PAUL STINE.

Also see: Click the image below for the 13-page scrapbook that was kept by Paul’s mother, Audra:
(PDF | 99.2 MB)

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Jan. 1, 2010) As we enter 2010, I believe the time is perfect to revisit places the Zodiac haunted more than four decades ago. Click here for a Zodiac flashback.

Dec. 20, 2009) 40 years ago today, the Zodiac killer mailed a letter to famed attorney Melvin Belli. For the bizarre events that preceded the mailing, including exclusive photos, click here.

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Nov. 9, 2009) Today I received this e-mail from the FBI’s cryptography expert, Dan Olson, concerning the Zodiac’s unsolved 340 cipher:

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“We havent seen any recent solutions or ideas that have generated a second look as of yet. If you can point us in the right direction we’ll be all over it. FYI, if we ever do see a good partial or full solution we will forward it with our endorsement to the cold case squad at SFPD, but we will give credit to where credit is due.

I dont have a graphic to share but here are more details you can post instead: Statistics for repeated characters for each line of text show a distinct higher randomness with the lines we’ve discussed (1-3 and 11-13). The higher randomness may be due in part or whole to greater care by the writer to not repeat characters on these lines. This indicates homophonic substitution. The opposite is true for lines 4, 10, 14, 17 and 18, these lines have many repeats. Additionally, there is far greater randomness for rows versus columns. This rules out any form of columnar or diagnal transpositions (a big step forward).

These same statistical tests were done on Z408. The results suggest that 340 is similar to 408 except for the bogus rows: overall randomness of 408 is .48, 340 is .50. Row randomness of 408 is .22, 340 is .19. Column randomness of 408 is .48, 340 is .68. By way of comparison, row and column randomness should be near identical if the 340 does not contain any message, or if there is a message that is evenly scrambled.

Thanks again for your help Tom.”
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If you have a solution to the 340 cipher you’d like to share, I can pass it along to the FBI. Contact me. Discussion can be found here.

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Sept. 22, 2009) Here’s the YouTube trailer for a TV project involving Zodiackiller.com:

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Aug. 10, 2009) Before you check out the free, exclusive, two-hour Zodiac video below, keep in mind that even though I do my best, often I don’t have time to formally update Zodiackiller.com each time I receive interesting and valuable Zodiac information. Sometimes it can take me weeks or months to get the news to you, or it can just slip through the cracks and never get published. There is now a way for you to get all the good stuff delivered to your e-mail box immediately. Click here to find out how.

> Exactly five years ago, I filmed my own video of the various Zodiac crime scenes and other relevant locations. Click below for the free, exclusive, two-hour ULTIMATE Zodiac video on YouTube:

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July 15, 2009) The recent Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting was a blast, and extremely informative to boot. Thanks to all who participated.

> I’ve written a feature article about the events of the last year or so in the Zodiac world. Click here for “The 13th Sign”.

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May 14, 2009) About two weeks ago a woman came forward claiming to be the Zodiac killer’s daughter. She was the same woman who recently claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of President John F. Kennedy. Obviously her story is nonsense, as none of the witnesses to the Zodiac’s crimes ever described him as traveling in a motorcade.

In any event, discussion of these recent events — along with thousands of other Zodiac-related topics — can be found at the Zodiackiller.com message board.

> The next Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting is less than two months away. See the Jan. 5, 2009 update below for details.

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Jan. 29, 2009) It was exactly 35 years ago that the Zodiac mailed one of his last letters. Today I updated the Zodiac Letters page to include two new additions. (Thanks to Howard Davis.)

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Jan. 5, 2009) The Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco might be history, but please enjoy the video at the bottom of this update of the subsequent Zodiac bus tour that 50 of us enjoyed.

> The next Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting will be held this July 5th (Sunday) at Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, Calif. That date is the 40th anniversary of the Zodiac’s attack of Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau. Fittingly, the section of the park reserved for the event is called “The Pines” and was the site of the very first task-force meeting back in 2002, as pictured at left. “The Pines” features 22 picnic tables, two BBQs, plus nearby restrooms, water, and shade. (We will most probably tent a portion in case of heat/rain.) Best of all, it’s free. Beer and wine are permitted. Kids are welcome. After the recent hectic task-force meeting, we are looking forward to a mellow affair. Mingling! Discussion! Make your plans to be there. I can’t wait! (Starting a new diet tomorrow.) I’d like to thank the Dahlia for her help.


> I’ve put together a page of vintage Zodiac television programs that you can either view online, or save to your computer. Here’s a link. Enjoy!

Oct. 18, 2008) Welcome, viewers of TruTV’s Haunting Evidence: Zodiac Killer! If you watched the show and are curious about the man behined “the voice,” or if you just want to read about the most compelling Zodiac suspect to ever come along, click here.

> For in-depth discussion of all things Zodiac, including exclusive information not available anywhere else, don’t miss the Zodiackiller.com message board.

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Sept. 27, 2008) Today is the 39th anniversary of the Zodiac’s attack at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Cal. I’ve updated the page of his victims at the lake, Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell, with eight new images.

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Sept. 6, 2008) After more than 30 years of scrutiny, Rick Marshall has finally been dismissed as a Zodiac suspect…and Zodiackiller.com played a huge part.

Here’s how it went down:

It all started a couple of months ago when I received a phone tip (415 267-4818) from a woman who worked at a care facility in the Sacramento (Cal.) area. She told me that Marshall was a patient where she worked, and that he had spoken about the Zodiac case. She found him to be extremely suspicious and was not sure what to do. Thinking Marshall might finally be ready to talk due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, I contacted my sources at the Napa County Sheriff’s Dept., the agency that originally investigated Marshall back in the 1970s. Two detectives made the trek to Sacramento and spent a significant amount of time interviewing Marshall. I have yet to find if DNA testing was involved, but whatever data was gleaned was enough for investigators to finally dismiss Marshall as a viable Zodiac suspect after more than three decades.

I’m hopeful to have an official statement in the next few days. A big thanks to those of you who have supported this website and helped make this possible!

> Is missing nurse Donna Lass a Zodiac victim? Many think so. Today is the 38th anniversary of her disappearance and here is a big update.

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Aug. 15, 2008) On Monday I will be departing for the San Francisco Bay Area for seven days of Zodiac research. My focus will be on obtaining information about Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski. The results of my search, including relevant pictures, documents, handwriting samples, etc., will be posted as quickly as possible and available exclusively to registered users at the Zodiackiller.com message board.

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April 16, 2008) While research continues into Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski (see the March 26, 2008 update below), a new photo has recently surfaced of one of the original top suspects, Rick Marshall. Exclusive to Zodiackiller.com, click here to see how Marshall looked in the 1970s.

> Howard “Buzz” Gordon, who dated Zodiac victim Darlene Ferrin in the months before her murder, recently passed away from natural causes. At the time Gordon dated Ferrin, he worked for the Solano County Sheriff’s Dept. and was eventually a suspect in her murder. Here’s a link to notes from a 1991 interview with Gordon.

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Jan. 25, 2008) To most Zodiac buffs (as well as newcomers to the Zodiac case who have seen the recent David Fincher film Zodiac), Don Cheney is no stranger. Cheney is, afterall, the man who went to the police back in 1971 because he thought his former friend Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac.

In the recently released director’s cut of Zodiac, one of the special features on the two-disc DVD is a documentary about Allen. Cheney was interviewed on camera and made several statements about Allen that made Cheney appear suspicious, even to a retired detective also featured in the documentary. Was Cheney lying all along about Allen? Or, could Cheney have actually helped Allen commit the Zodiac crimes?

Click here for a look at a suspicious letter Cheney sent me several years ago. To order the two-disc director’s cut of Zodiac featuring the Allen documentary, click the image directly below this update.

Dec. 12, 2007) My library of Zodiac-related video has grown quite large over the years, and some is extremely rare. One such rarity is a campy (but very good) production from around 1979 called Zodiac: Sign Of Death. At just under 10 minutes in length, Zodiac: Sign Of Death is packed with excellent footage and a funky 70s soundtrack. My favorite part is the voice of Zodiac; it’s the same actor who was the voice of the computer “HAL” in the classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Click the numbered links below to listen to select MP3 clips of Zodiac: Sign Of Death.

1 (146KB) | 2 (200KB) | 3 (99KB) | 4 (127KB) |
5 (181KB) | 6 (83KB) | 7 (83KB) | 8 (58KB) | 9 (133KB)

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Dec. 1, 2007) A newspaper based in the United Kingdom recently published a story claiming mega-celeb Britney Spears is a regular user of this website. Could it be true? I’ll never tell. (I make it a habit not to reveal the identities of site users who prefer to remain anonymous.) Click here to read the story.

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Nov. 7, 2007) While I prefer to make all Zodiac-related information free for users to access, sometimes financial issues make it necessary for me to offer certain information for sale only. However, I believe the Zodiac case benefits greatly when people are more informed. That’s more rewarding to me than the occasional Internet sale. Therefore, the Zodiac FBI Files, Historical Newspaper Archive and High-Resolution Zodiac Letters — three items that were previously available for purchase only — are now free to download. Click the links below:

FBI Files | Newspaper Archive | Letters

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Nov. 4, 2007) In a little more than a year it will be the 40th anniversary of Zodiac’s first-known attack. Since then, much has changed in the locations where Zodiac was active. Click the images below for a high-resolution view of life (circa 1960s) in Vallejo, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco, Cal.

(Images may be saved for free.)

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Oct. 11, 2007) Today is the 38th anniversary of Zodiac’s murder of Yellow Cab driver Paul Stine in San Francisco, Cal. While recent details of Stine’s life have recently emerged and are being researched for possible clues (see the Sept. 12, 2007 update below), vintage photos from the files of the San Francisco Police Dept. are available to view. Taken within hours of Stine’s murder, here are: the cab | the crime scene 1 | the crime scene 2

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Sept. 26, 2007) It took hours of work, but 30 high-resolution images are finally available to view of top Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen’s 1966-1968 personnel file. Several years ago I obtained the file from the Calaveras County (Calif.) Unified School District where Allen had worked as an elementary teacher. Within the file are many handwriting samples, including his two-page job application. If Allen was the Zodiac, the file might contain important clues.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE IMAGES

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Sept. 12, 2007) Recently I learned that Zodiac victim Paul Stine was allegedly hired as a reporter by the San Francisco Chronicle shortly before his murder.

If that information is true, Stine — who worked as a reporter for his high school newspaper and was an English major at San Francisco State — was just days away from beginning his new job at the very newspaper Zodiac chose to write a vast majority of his letters.

The potential implications are staggering. However, it’s extremely important that I verify this information as best I can.

If Stine was indeed telling others that he was a reporter for the San Francisco newspaper (even if he was simply exaggerating), it stands to reason that Zodiac may actually have known him and perhaps even targeted him for that specific reason.

If you knew Paul Stine or anyone in his family, circle of friends, classmates, fellow employees, etc, please click here to contact me. You may remain anonymous.

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July 21, 2007) In just a few days, David Fincher’s Zodiac will be available to rent and buy on DVD. While not exactly a factual portrayal of the Zodiac case, the film is packed with excellent performances. One of the best was turned in by Robert Downey Jr. in his portrayal of real-life reporter Paul Avery. (Avery was highly instrumental in the evolution of Zodiackiller.com.) In Zodiac, Downey Jr.’s character displays mostly annoyance toward the case. However, the real Paul Avery was very much involved in the Zodiac investigation. Here’s a case report Avery prepared for the police back in 1971.

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April 2, 2007) In the last few weeks, an incredible amount of tantalizing information has been collected about the person of interest (“Sam”) this website developed in connection to the recently-discovered Eureka card. Several weeks ago I e-mailed a certain police department and asked if it would be interested in seeing the information compiled about “Sam.” I have yet to receive a response. Quite unfortunate. In my opinion, “Sam” has surpassed Arthur Leigh Allen in terms of interesting Zodiac-related coincidences/circumstances.

It’s now plainly obvious to me that before I again attempt to approach a law-enforcement agency about “Sam,” I will need to have all of the bases covered so that “Sam” can’t simply be ignored. Most likely a trip back to California will be necessary in order to accomplish all of the needed intimate background research and collecting of handwriting samples, as well as for me to approach “Sam” in person (along with a retired homicide detective).

> As expected, March 2007 was the busiest month in the history of Zodiackiller.com, as the March 2 release of David Fincher’s film Zodiac helped boost my hits to a total of almost 30 million. Therefore, I almost feel guilty that Zodiac was such a total bomb at the box office. Of course, had the film spent more time on the Zodiac’s victims, as well as the other aspects of the case that people actually find interesting, I have a feeling things would have turned out much differently for the film.

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March 13, 2007) This morning at 9 o’clock (Pacific Time) I’ll be a guest on Eureka (Cal.) Radio Station KSLG-FM to discuss the possible 1990 Zodiac correspondence (see the Feb. 25, 2007 update below). UPDATE: Click here for an MP3 file of the show (approx. 30 min. | 28 MB).

For much more on the Eureka card, including high-resolution scans, visit the all-new Zodiackiller.com message board.

> The 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting was a huge success, as everyone who attended seemed to have a great time. David Van Nuys did an excellent job of hosting the event. Guest speakers Howard Davis, Nancy Slover and Bill Baker were terriffic. And of course, John Mikulenka’s Hunting The Zodiac documentary definitely lived up to the high expectations.

> Thanks primarily to the heavy marketing campaign for the David Fincher movie Zodiac, so far this month Zodiackiller.com has already received more than 16 million hits! If you’d like to inquire about advertising opportunities, please contact me.

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Feb. 25, 2007) In the last week, the San Francisco Chronicle discovered an envelope in its library of Zodiac materials. Inside the envelope was a greeting card. Apparently its importance had never been recognized, or it was thought to be a hoax.

A few days ago I was shown images of the envelope and card to help determine authenticity. I believe it is authentic. (I promised I wouldn’t publish any images until they appear in the Chronicle.)

The Chronicle is busy preparing a huge story about this amazing and important development.

The date of the postmark left me in a state of shock.

> There’s an all-new Zodiackiller.com message board. Click here to check it out.

> I’m departing for San Francisco this evening and won’t be back for more than a week. During that time, I’ll be extremely busy preparing for the upcoming Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting (see the Feb. 14, 2007 update below for details) and I may not have the opportunity to update this site with new information. Therefore I suggest keeping an eye on the new message board, as the board moderators will post when I’m not able to. (I’ll still be checking my e-mail several times a day.)

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Feb. 14, 2007) A huge update this time, so make sure you scroll down for everything.

First and foremost, I’m deeply saddened to report the passing of retired San Francisco Police Dept. Inspector Michael Maloney, who died of a sudden heart problem this past weekend. Maloney was a great guy and a big friend of this website. Just last week he e-mailed me and was very excited about attending the upcoming 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting (see below).

In the few years preceding his 2004 retirement, Maloney had a big involvement in the Zodiac investigation (along with his partner, Inspector Kelly Carroll). Together they gave renewed attention to the Zodiac case and were involved in the important accomplishment of securing the Zodiac’s DNA profile, which may one day prove the key to solving the case. In late 2005, Maloney contributed this special report to Zodiackiller.com.

Meehall, I appreciate your contributions and will miss you. The next pint is on me. (Click above image to enlarge)

> The 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 3 at the 4 Star theater in San Francisco. The meeting is open to the public and will run from noon until 3 p.m., featuring the debut of John Mikulenka’s documentary film, Hunting The Zodiac.
Special guests at the meeting will include Nancy Slover (the police switchboard operator who spoke to the Zodiac back in 1969), as well as David Van Nuys, the emeritus professor of psychology at Sonoma State University and co-author of This is the Zodiac Speaking.

> I’m happy to announce that my predictions of another delay were wrong. David Fincher’s Zodiac will definitely be in theaters on Friday, March 2. And early reviews have been excellent. I’ll be there for opening night.

> A new feature has been added to Zodiackiller.com! It’s called SHOUTcast and it’s my audio blog of all things Zodiac. So far I’ve only done one, but more are on the way. Hope you enjoy it.

> I haven’t yet seen any ads for it, but apparently, FOX’s America’s Most Wanted will be devoting an hour to the Zodiac case on Saturday, Feb. 24, beginning at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Dec. 20, 2006) Now that the trailer to the upcoming Zodiac movie is finally in theaters, I’ve decided to publish some new documents relating to Arthur Leigh Allen, the movie’s main Zodiac suspect. Guilty or not, Allen was a fascinating guy:

— Allen’s Last Will And Testament | More of Allen’s Favorite Recipes —

Reading his recipes, it’s interesting to note the intentional misspellings Allen frequently used, similar to what the Zodiac did. Of particular interest to me was Allen’s habit of frequently spelling “water” as watter (see the Dec. 1, 2006 update below for significance).

> Today is the 38th anniversary of the Zodiac’s double murder at Lake Herman Road in Vallejo, Cal. For those of you who missed it, click here for my special 2003 update.

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Oct. 31, 2006) Today is the 40th anniversary of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.
—–> Click here for a huge update

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Oct. 11, 2006) Add the “Zodiac Shack” to the list of Zodiac-related places to change drastically in recent times. As seen in this overhead picture, the shack has been destroyed by fire. Even the barn is gone.

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Sept. 27, 2006) On this date in 1969, the Zodiac murdered Cecelia Shepard and wounded Bryan Hartnell at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif. For almost 38 years, the crime scene changed little. However, the last remaining tree recently toppled. Additionally, all picnic tables and barbecue grills have been removed. The scene is now barren.

> The Lake Berryessa crime scene wasn’t the only major Zodiac-related site to recently face drastic changes. The Vallejo (Calif.) Ace Hardware store, long-time workplace of Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen, was torn down just a few days ago.

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July 4, 2006) On this 37th anniversary of Zodiac’s murder of Darlene Ferrin in Vallejo, Calif., here’s an audio message from Darlene’s sister, Pam Huckaby.

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June 12, 2006) After years of searching, I’ve finally found and interviewed Nancy Slover, the former Vallejo Police Dept. switchboard operator who spoke with the Zodiac early in the morning of July 5, 1969. Believe it or not, our 90-minute conversation was the first time Nancy had been interviewed about the Zodiac case in more than 36 years. It was quite an interesting discussion, to say the least. I’m thrilled she is now willing to go on record for the first time about her roll in the Zodiac mystery.

Much more info is on the way and will be posted asap. For now, here are a few of the more interesting details Nancy provided:
*The call was absolutely not recorded by police
*Zodiac’s taunting “Goodbye” at the end of the call was very bizarre and over-the-top
*The operator who patched the call through to the police station was on the line with Nancy for at least the first few seconds of the call. However, the phone company refused to cooperate with the police and identify the operator
*At the time of the shooting, Nancy was living on the same street as the male victim

Here’s a message from Nancy to all the visitors of Zodiackiller.com. (100K/MP3)

Questions and media inquiries for Nancy can be submitted to nancy@zodiackiller.com.

> Last week’s Zodiac chat with author Mike Kelleher went great, as Mike spent a little more than two hours answering questions from the 60 or so total participants. Hopefully we can schedule another chat in the near future.

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June 1, 2006) Mike Kelleher, author of This Is The Zodiac Speaking, will be a special guest in the Zodiackiller.com chat room on Wednesday, June 7 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time). For those of you who can’t make it into the room, feel free to send me your questions/comments for Mike and I’ll do my best to pass them along.

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April 13, 2006) I’m sad to announce that Wilma Shepard, mother of Zodiac victim Cecelia Shepard, died on March 11, 2006, in Redding, Calif. She was 82. (Read the obituary.)

In 1999, I had the good fortune to speak with Wilma at length. She provided me with many vintage newspaper stories about Cecelia’s murder, as well as other helpful research materials.

Wilma outlived her daughter by more than 35 years and never learned the identity of her killer. I know she wouldn’t want us to stop searching now.

— Wilma and Cecelia | A letter from Wilma —

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April 4, 2006) After some technical difficulties, the Zodiackiller.com Info Line is back in action. If you have any Zodiac-related information to share, call (415) 267-4818. Meanwhile, here are a few of the more interesting/entertaining calls I’ve received over the last year or so, all in MP3 format:

Call 1 (157 KB) | Call 2 (69 KB) | Call 3 (173 KB) | Call 4 (106 KB) | Call 5 (102 KB)

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March 17, 2006) Today marks the first time in 35 years that a film about the Zodiac case is in theaters. (See the Feb. 17, 2006 update below for info about where The Zodiac is playing. I’ll be screening the film shortly and will provide a review.)

*1971 saw the release of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, which was based on the Zodiac case, although the villain was called Scorpio
*1971 was also the year of the ultra-low budget The Zodiac Killer, which played in just one theater

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Feb. 17, 2006) ShadowMachine Films has provided its much-anticipated theatrical release date for The Zodiac: Opening night is March 17, 2006 in these cities/theaters:
*San Francisco Area — San Francisco (Presidio); Vallejo (Vallejo 14); San Jose (Century 25); Daly City (Daly City 20); Union City (Union City 25)
*Los Angeles (Sunset 5)
*Houston (Greenway Grand 24)
*Dallas (City Place 14)
*Atlanta (Atlantic Station)

Dec. 20, 2006) Now that the trailer to the upcoming Zodiac movie is finally in theaters, I’ve decided to publish some new documents relating to Arthur Leigh Allen, the movie’s main Zodiac suspect. Guilty or not, Allen was a fascinating guy:

— Allen’s Last Will And Testament | More of Allen’s Favorite Recipes —

Reading his recipes, it’s interesting to note the intentional misspellings Allen frequently used, similar to what the Zodiac did. Of particular interest to me was Allen’s habit of frequently spelling “water” as watter (see the Dec. 1, 2006 update below for significance).

> Today is the 38th anniversary of the Zodiac’s double murder at Lake Herman Road in Vallejo, Cal. For those of you who missed it, click here for my special 2003 update.

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Oct. 31, 2006) Today is the 40th anniversary of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.
—–> Click here for a huge update

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Oct. 11, 2006) Add the “Zodiac Shack” to the list of Zodiac-related places to change drastically in recent times. As seen in this overhead picture, the shack has been destroyed by fire. Even the barn is gone.

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Sept. 27, 2006) On this date in 1969, the Zodiac murdered Cecelia Shepard and wounded Bryan Hartnell at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif. For almost 38 years, the crime scene changed little. However, the last remaining tree recently toppled. Additionally, all picnic tables and barbecue grills have been removed. The scene is now barren.

> The Lake Berryessa crime scene wasn’t the only major Zodiac-related site to recently face drastic changes. The Vallejo (Calif.) Ace Hardware store, long-time workplace of Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen, was torn down just a few days ago.

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July 4, 2006) On this 37th anniversary of Zodiac’s murder of Darlene Ferrin in Vallejo, Calif., here’s an audio message from Darlene’s sister, Pam Huckaby.

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June 12, 2006) After years of searching, I’ve finally found and interviewed Nancy Slover, the former Vallejo Police Dept. switchboard operator who spoke with the Zodiac early in the morning of July 5, 1969. Believe it or not, our 90-minute conversation was the first time Nancy had been interviewed about the Zodiac case in more than 36 years. It was quite an interesting discussion, to say the least. I’m thrilled she is now willing to go on record for the first time about her roll in the Zodiac mystery.

Much more info is on the way and will be posted asap. For now, here are a few of the more interesting details Nancy provided:
*The call was absolutely not recorded by police
*Zodiac’s taunting “Goodbye” at the end of the call was very bizarre and over-the-top
*The operator who patched the call through to the police station was on the line with Nancy for at least the first few seconds of the call. However, the phone company refused to cooperate with the police and identify the operator
*At the time of the shooting, Nancy was living on the same street as the male victim

Here’s a message from Nancy to all the visitors of Zodiackiller.com. (100K/MP3)

Questions and media inquiries for Nancy can be submitted to nancy@zodiackiller.com.

> Last week’s Zodiac chat with author Mike Kelleher went great, as Mike spent a little more than two hours answering questions from the 60 or so total participants. Hopefully we can schedule another chat in the near future.

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June 1, 2006) Mike Kelleher, author of This Is The Zodiac Speaking, will be a special guest in the Zodiackiller.com chat room on Wednesday, June 7 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time). For those of you who can’t make it into the room, feel free to send me your questions/comments for Mike and I’ll do my best to pass them along.

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April 13, 2006) I’m sad to announce that Wilma Shepard, mother of Zodiac victim Cecelia Shepard, died on March 11, 2006, in Redding, Calif. She was 82. (Read the obituary.)

In 1999, I had the good fortune to speak with Wilma at length. She provided me with many vintage newspaper stories about Cecelia’s murder, as well as other helpful research materials.

Wilma outlived her daughter by more than 35 years and never learned the identity of her killer. I know she wouldn’t want us to stop searching now.

— Wilma and Cecelia | A letter from Wilma —

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April 4, 2006) After some technical difficulties, the Zodiackiller.com Info Line is back in action. If you have any Zodiac-related information to share, call (415) 267-4818. Meanwhile, here are a few of the more interesting/entertaining calls I’ve received over the last year or so, all in MP3 format:

Call 1 (157 KB) | Call 2 (69 KB) | Call 3 (173 KB) | Call 4 (106 KB) | Call 5 (102 KB)

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March 17, 2006) Today marks the first time in 35 years that a film about the Zodiac case is in theaters. (See the Feb. 17, 2006 update below for info about where The Zodiac is playing. I’ll be screening the film shortly and will provide a review.)

*1971 saw the release of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, which was based on the Zodiac case, although the villain was called Scorpio
*1971 was also the year of the ultra-low budget The Zodiac Killer, which played in just one theater

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Feb. 17, 2006) ShadowMachine Films has provided its much-anticipated theatrical release date for The Zodiac: Opening night is March 17, 2006 in these cities/theaters:
*San Francisco Area — San Francisco (Presidio); Vallejo (Vallejo 14); San Jose (Century 25); Daly City (Daly City 20); Union City (Union City 25)
*Los Angeles (Sunset 5)
*Houston (Greenway Grand 24)
*Dallas (City Place 14)
*Atlanta (Atlantic Station)

Dec. 20, 2005) On this date in 1968, the Zodiac began his killing spree by murdering a young couple parked along rural Lake Herman Road on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo, Cal. Exclusive to Zodiackiller.com, here are 60 pages of the official Lake Herman police report. (High-res photos included.)

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Nov. 9, 2005) Exclusive to Zodiackiller.com, here’s a look at the status of the Zodiac case through the eyes of a recently-retired San Francisco Police Dept. detective.

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Oct. 31, 2005) Just in time for Halloween, the Zodiac Magazine Rack has been updated again with two vintage stories.

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Oct. 11, 2005) Today is the 36th anniversary of the Zodiac’s only San Francisco crime, the murder of cab driver Paul Stine. In a future update I’ll have exclusive comments from a detective who worked the Stine case for several years. Meanwhile, check out Stine’s page for a rare color pic of the cab.

> A nine-page story (“ZODIAC CASTS A STRANGLER’S SHADOW”) from the March 1970 issue of Startling Detective has been added to the Zodiac Magazine Rack.

> Ironically, the locations where several of the Zodiac’s murders took place are quite beautiful. Here are high-resolution images from two of those locations that may be saved for your desktop:
Desktop Image 1 (Lake Herman Road/1,280 x 960 pixels/455MB)
–From the crime scene looking north across the road to the hills–
Desktop Image 2 (Lake Berryessa/1,280 x 960 pixels/567 MB)
–“Zodiac Island,” as it’s known to the locals. The tree is now gone–

> While Paul Stine was Zodiac’s last-known victim, many believe he continued killing undetected. If so, a possible victim is missing nurse Donna Lass, who disappeared in September 1970. Donna’s page has been updated with a rare reward poster showing the Zodiac’s possible connection to her disappearance.

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Sept. 27, 2005) Today is the 36th anniversary of the Zodiac’s attack on a young couple at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif.

> A 14-page story (“HE WANTS SLAVE GIRLS WAITING FOR HIM IN PARADISE”) from the September 1975 issue of Front Page Detective has been added to the Zodiac Magazine Rack.

> Click here for several exclusive new photos from the upcoming ShadowMachine Films release, The Zodiac. Meanwhile, here’s another exclusive: A behind-the-scenes report from the actor who portrayed Zodiac in the film, Marty Lindsey.

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Sept. 1, 2005) While one high-profile, in-production Zodiac film barrels forward in an apparent attempt at convincing the world that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac killer, here’s a look at a few new Zodiac suspects who, unlike Allen, weren’t ruled out long ago by police via fingerprint comparison, handwriting analysis and DNA testing.

> It has long been assumed that Zodiac was a movie buff who was influenced by such 1930s films as The Most Dangerous Game and Charlie Chan At Treasure Island. Here’s yet another possible influence — the 1952 San Francisco-based thriller, The Sniper.

> While it’s a rather large file size (148 KB), this high-quality portrait of possible 1966 Zodiac victim Cheri Jo Bates is definitely worth the download time.

> Here is a recent aerial view of Zodiac’s Lake Herman Road attack site from 1968.

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Aug. 3, 2005) After more than two years of anticipation, I am thrilled to be able to bring Zodiac buffs around the world a look at the upcoming ShadowMachine Films release, The Zodiac:
— VIEW TRAILER — (QuickTime Player required/2.67 MB) | More about The Zodiac

Comments about the trailer? Click here to share them.

> Zodiackiller.com received a whopping 2.5 million hits in July 2005. (The hits total since the beginning of this year is more than 18 million.)

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July 8, 2005) Several Zodiac films are making news. Ulli Lommel’s Zodiac Killer will be available on DVD July 19. Meanwhile, The Zodiac is finished and awaiting a distributor; hopefully it will be showing in a theatre near you by early 2006. Finally, a Zodiac-based film from Warner Bros./Phoenix Pictures is in pre-production and should be released in late 2006.

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Feb. 7, 2005) Ulli Lommel, director of the upcoming film Zodiac Killer, sent me this update: “We are in the final stages of completing a US DVD release. Once that is done (we are currently trying to get an R-rating for the film), I will let you know. Probably by middle or end of March.”

> The page about Zodiac suspect Rick Marshall has been updated to include vintage photos of the San Francisco theatre where Marshall worked during the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Dec. 16, 2004) Welcome, readers of the North Bay Bohemian! Here’s a link to R.V. Scheide’s excellent feature, Killers Club. Meanwhile, here’s a link to my related update: Zodiac: Sonoma Killer?

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Nov. 22, 2004) For those of you interested in Zodiac suspect Lawrence Kane, here’s Rider McDowell’s 1994 feature story titled On The Trail Of The Zodiac.

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Oct. 31, 2004) With a real-life boogeyman like the Zodiac killer still on the loose, the San Francisco area can be quite spooky…especially this time of year. With that in mind, here is Halloween: Zodiac Style.

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Oct. 14, 2004) During the early 1970s, the Zodiac killer was suspected in the murders of several young women in and around Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, Calif. The cases remain unsolved and the Zodiac remains a suspect. However, according to information recently received by Zodiackiller.com, convicted serial killer Ted Bundy was living in nearby Forestville during the period of the murders and was employed at a company called Electro Vector. (Bundy was known to have visited California, but not to have lived, worked, or murdered there.) The Sonoma cases are very similar to Bundy’s known murders.

If you have information about Ted Bundy in California, please e-mail info@zodiackiller.com or call the Zodiackiller.com Info Line at (415) 267-4818.

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Sept. 28, 2004) Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the Zodiac’s attack at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif. Over the weekend, Zodiackiller.com held two public gatherings at the lake to remember the anniversary. Click here for exclusive pictures. Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Sept. 3, 2004) If you have Zodiac-related information to share, there is now a phone number to call. The Zodiackiller.com Info Line may be reached at: (415) 267-4818.

> The possibility of recent Sonoma County murder victims Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall being the work of the Zodiac was mentioned in this Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle front-page story. On Wednesday I ventured north to check out the crime scene. Was it the Zodiac, a copycat, or just an amazing coincidence? Click here for the report.

> Zodiackiller.com set an all-time record for hits in August with more than 2.1 million.

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Aug. 21, 2004) I’ve just added more than 40 pages of vintage Zodiac magazine articles. Check out the Zodiac Magazine Rack.

> Pam Huckaby, sister of Zodiac victim Darlene Ferrin, was recently the victim of a knife attack at her home in Sandy, Ore. Her injuries weren’t serious and she’s doing fine.

> Since Wednesday’s discovery of a young couple shot to death on an isolated beach just north of San Francisco, I’ve been swamped with e-mail from individuals concerned the Zodiac has returned from a long hiatus and is the killer of Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall. While I’ve seen no evidence to suggest the Zodiac is back, the recent return of Wichita’s BTK Strangler shows that anything is possible.

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Aug. 16, 2004) The Riverside Police Dept. (RPD) has closed the unsolved Cheri Jo Bates homicide case, according to RPD’s Lt. John F. Carpenter. Carpenter made the statement in an e-mail forwarded to me by a frequent visitor of this website. Killed Oct. 30, 1966, Bates has long been considered a possible victim of the Zodiac, although RPD is convinced a local youth was responsible for her murder. Ironically, in April 2004 the San Francisco Police Dept. closed its unsolved Zodiac homicide case. Despite DNA being available in both cases, apparently neither police agency made a comparison.

Here’s a look at my Bates case update from late last year. Meanwhile, if anyone has information about Cheri they’d like to share (even anonymously), click here to contact me.

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June 27, 2004) The author of the alleged Zodiac letters sent to Zodiackiller.com from Singapore, Atlanta and Thailand in late 2002/early 2003 (see updates below) has recently been identified and is apparently now living in the San Francisco area. (In October 2003 I released custody of the letters to a forensic scientist at a California DNA facility.) If anyone knows the exact whereabouts of the man using the aliases Jacob William Ornstein and Jack Yohiel Alexander, please let me know immediately.
(For additional information on the alleged Zodiac letters received by Zodiackiller.com, scroll down for the updates dated Nov. 22, 2002 and Jan. 15, 2003.)

> If anyone has contact information for the San Francisco informant called “Purple Blaine,” please contact me.

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June 22, 2004) Today I spoke with director Alex Bulkley of ShadowMachine Films regarding the status of its upcoming film, The Zodiac. Bulkley said work on the film is essentially completed and a premiere date should be announced soon. The goal is to enter Toronto’s film festival this summer and hopefully be in theatres by early 2005.

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June 15, 2004) The Z-Mail page has been updated to include the most interesting and entertaining e-mail I’ve received over the past several months.

> This from Wednesday’s New York Press:
New York’s so-called “Zodiac Killer,” Heriberto Seda, has found love behind bars—but it may be a love he’s not allowed to keep. According to a letter received by the Daily News, Seda has married Synthia-China Blast, a fellow murderer who’s serving a 25-year sentence at Attica. Blast (born Luis Morales) is also suing for the right to get a sex-change operation. While the two are said to have been happily married for a year, officials have decided to move the 29-year-old Blast to another lockup, thus interrupting, at least for quite some time, what Blast described as a “love extravaganza.”

Now if only the original, still-at-large California Zodiac killer would kindly turn himself in, I can guarantee he will also find love in prison.

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May 19, 2004) While I can’t go into detail, it appears Zodiackiller.com’s recent security issues are finally a thing of the past. There are those who would very much like to see Zodiackiller.com go away for various reasons, but that’s not going to happen. I’d like to thank everyone who e-mailed their support for the website.

> The last time anyone saw the Zodiac killer, he was fleeing his San Francisco crime scene on foot. But where did he go from there? Here is Zodiac’s likely escape route.

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April 27, 2004) Long before Wayne Williams was convicted of the series of child murders around Atlanta, Ga. in the late 1970s/early 1980s, someone claiming to be the Zodiac actually confessed to the crimes. The confession was included in a letter postmarked in Atlanta on March 8, 1981 and taken very seriously by the FBI. Here is part of the FBI’s report on the letter.

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April 19, 2004) I’ve added a new page answering many of the frequently asked questions newcomers to the Zodiac case often have. Click here for the answers.

> Thanks to Yahoo! for featuring Zodiackiller.com during the month of March.

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April 13, 2004) Director Alex Bulkley of ShadowMachine Films sent me this update on the upcoming film The Zodiac:
“The Zodiac” is out of the editing room and into the sound studio. Michael Suby (“The Butterfly Effect”) has been hired on as the music composer. We’re looking forward to an amazing score and incredible sound design. Completion of the film is expected within the next two months. The Zodiac is coming soon to a theater near you…”

Check out film stills and other information for The Zodiac by clicking here.

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April 7, 2004) The front page of today’s edition of the San Francisco Chronicle features a story first reported here at Zodiackiller.com almost a week ago: The San Francisco Police Dept. (SFPD) has closed the Zodiac case. (The term the department now uses is “deactivated.”) Today’s story is only the second time in the last 26 years the Zodiac case has been featured on the Chronicle’s front page. Click here for the story.

Regardless of the official position of SFPD, Zodiackiller.com will continue to pursue leads and archive case-related information in an attempt to identify the Zodiac killer.

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April 2, 2004) In a shocking and unprecedented move, the San Francisco Police Dept. has officially closed the Zodiac case. Click here for details.

> For a start-to-finish digital tour of the area of the Zodiac’s October 1969 San Francisco murder of cab driver Paul Stine, here is Presidio Heights 2004.

> After 25 years of silence, a Zodiac-inspired killer calling himself “BTK” has recently reemerged in the Wichita area of Kansas. As the Zodiac did before him, BTK is in the habit of taunting the police and scaring the public by writing detailed letters of his crimes and sending them to his local newspaper. (One of BTK’s letters sent in the 1970s actually chastised the news media for paying too much attention to the Zodiac and not enough to him.)

> On the topic of Zodiac copycats, the Kobe (Japan) Zodiac copycat of the 1990s is actually being considered for early release by Japanese authorities. It seems the Japanese are willing to quickly forgive such horrible crimes as murdering children as long as you behave properly in prison…

> Zodiackiller.com had a record month for hits in March with more than 1.8 million.

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March 20, 2004) Today is the sixth anniversary of Zodiackiller.com and I’d like to thank the millions of loyal visitors around the world for making this site so successful. Thanks also to my many great sources who contribute information on a regular basis and help keep the site fresh.

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March 1, 2004) Several years ago I obtained a reproduction of Zodiac’s infamous Halloween card from one of the original Zodiac detectives, now deceased. (In 1970 Zodiac had mailed the card to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery.) After re-examining the card for the first time in a few years, I noticed two stickers within the card that had gone unnoticed. If the stickers were part of Zodiac’s original card, it’s a secret never before revealed to the public. Since my source was impeccable and worked the Zodiac case for several years, I believe the stickers were indeed included by Zodiac with the original card.

> Despite Zodiackiller.com being down for the first six days of the month due to server problems, February was still a record month for hits with more than 1.4 million.

> Several new crime-scene photos have been added to the David Faraday/Betty Lou Jensen page.

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Feb. 12, 2004) I’ve added several exclusive photos of Zodiac victim Betty Lou Jensen.
(Special thanks to John Henslin and Sharon.)

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Feb. 9, 2004) Zodiackiller.com was recently offline for more than a week, as my website host unexpectedly went out of business. (If you’ve attempted to send me e-mail during that time, it didn’t get through. Please try again.) Thankfully, the problem has been solved — I’ve moved the site to a new, much larger server. As a result, there are several exciting additions/upgrades:

*High-resolution scans of the Zodiac letters are now available to view, several in full color

*An upgraded Chat Room

*A new, state-of-the-art Message Board (Previous users will need to register again)

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Jan. 8, 2004) Just added to Zodiackiller.com are 50 pages of material from the producer of the 1989 documentary, Crimes of the Century: The Zodiac Killer. Among the information are 38 pages of notes taken from interviews with several individuals associated with the Zodiac case, including surviving victim Bryan Hartnell, suspect Rick Marshall, investigators Ken Narlow, Jack Mulanax and Dave Toschi, plus much more. Click here for the update.

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Jan. 1, 2004) All the major events of the Zodiac case are now available on one page of Zodiackiller.com. A valuable research tool with a few surprises mixed in, here is the Zodiac Calendar.