(Guest Post) The Status of the Zodiac Case

The view from a recently-retired San Francisco homicide cop

Inspector Maloney at police headquarters in San Francisco

Exclusive to Zodiackiller.com

Nov. 9, 2005 | San Francisco, Cal.

By Inspector Michael Maloney | Star 2014
San Francisco Police Dept. | Retired

The Zodiac case will not be solved until the current San Francisco Police Dept.’s manager in the homicide section is transferred.

Unfortunately, John Hennessey has involved his ego in this case. He could not tolerate the attention this case brought to the inspectors working it. He closed it and ordered one of the most informed and capable police inspectors in the SFPD, Kelly Carroll, to return the case to the file and never respond to questions about it in the future from anyone, forever. As long as he is an employee of the SFPD, and since the case is such a complex one, the lieutenant in charge cannot manage it very well since he knows little about it. So Hennessey closed it — kind of like sweeping dirt under a rug. And, rather than re-assign the case to another team, Hennessey put the case to bed after the first significant lead advancement in 30 years.

My partner and I were the first team to be able to apply forensic DNA techniques to the Zodiac case. We were the first team to solve a cold case, 25 years old, with DNA. We know what we do, and we did it well. We could have torn that case apart with DNA testing, but we were thwarted with all kinds of excuses from Hennessey.

Now that I’m retired, I feel I can put the blame squarely where it belongs: with the case lieutenant. When Hennessey is removed, the case will be opened again. DNA testing will eventually be cheaper. When that happens, the case will become very exciting because enough DNA tests will be made to really draw some conclusions, such as did the same person touch or lick all of the envelopes? If not, how many other DNA traces are we dealing with? Does this mean others were involved? Is there similar DNA in possession of other police jurisdictions connected to the case?What DNA exists on the Paul Stine shirt? I don’t believe there isn’t any on a shirt involved in a bloody murder. Sweat has lots of DNA.

This case is so much about DNA that most police investigators’ eyes would grow very large if given the chance and the means to work it. I mean it is the most famous SF murder of all time, other than Dan White’s act, and that wasn’t a who-dunnit.

Unfortunately, I also had 50 other cases, with about 800 leads to track down. And Kelly had more work because he had been in homicide a little longer. However, the Zodiac case was so exciting to us, we would have worked it in our spare time had we any left. We tried working it on weekends; all that was thwarted by Hennessey.

So, I leave this as a testament for history; homicide cases are worked only if the heat for them is turned up under the butt of the boss. Otherwise there simply isn’t time. The police department doesn’t provide the resources. I mean, 800 leads of my own and no help. What is that all about?

The people of San Francisco are not getting their money’s worth. Cops fight for overtime at the expense of the case work and that hurts our society. Hennessey got a lot more money, our overtime money that we could have used to work the Zodiac case, so that he could sit at his desk longer and BS with his cronies on the phone. He is ambitious and ruthless and cares not about his mission. His mission is his career not the cases, not the people of our City.

I relished the opportunity to work on the Zodiac case and am saddened that ego stopped the investigation. I know that DNA technology will make the case progress further if it is applied.

It is an unfortunate fact that very few police officers still understand how DNA works in a forensic setting. It is very clear that Hennessey does not and it is crystal clear that he should not be a homicide leader. It is doubtful that he should have ever investigated cases, as he is more politician than technician or critical thinker.

Well, there you have it: My status summary in a nutshell. Good luck to everyone. Some day this case will really be closed because of the work and interest of everyone involved who sincerely would like to find out who the killer is.

-Inspector Michael Maloney

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My RICK MARSHALL Experience

Tom Voigt (left) and Zodiac suspect Rick Marshall

By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

When Rick Marshall vacated his Riverside apartment shortly after the murder of Cheri Bates in late 1966, he left a closet full of women’s clothing and handbags. Cross-dressing was not unusual for Marshall, who especially enjoyed the reaction he would get when going drag at the community pool. That changed when a local boy drowned and the residents feared it was somehow Marshall’s fault. Considered by his Riverside neighbors to be an evil pervert. it was probably no coincidence that Marshall quickly relocated to San Francisco, a place known for acceptance of men with similar quirks and characteristics.

Beginning in the late 1990s, whenever I would take a Zodiac-related research trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, I would make it clear that I wanted to find Rick Marshall. Often I would leave one of my Zodiackiller.com business cards at places where he was known to live or work. However, those who knew Marshall were both protective of him and suspicious of me. As a result, I hit every dead end in California. Then, after several years, my plan finally paid off.

On May 4, 2000, I had updated my website with a “secret” detail of the Cheri Bates murder that had recently been disclosed to me by Riverside detectives: Specifically, that Bates had been stabbed 42 times. I knew it was information that didn’t match the findings of her autopsy, but detectives in Riverside wanted me to report it, so I complied. Did those detectives intentionally feed me incorrect information in order to get a reaction from her killer? If so, it might have worked: Just 18 days later, Rick Marshall e-mailed me.

— Full e-mail below. I’ve corrected his many spelling errors —

Subject: silly man!!
From: rikitik@pacbell.net

Time: May 22, 2000 4:50:29 PM EDT
how can you waste time and energy on this dead horse Your information regarding me is fifth or sixth hand, for instance: I never lived in a warehouse in Marin. I leased an industrial property at 36A Front st in which included a four room fully equipped apartment. If I find any further scurrilous debasing dope handed out from this source, be prepared to defend a personal damage suit by a first-rate attorney, sgd Richard R Marshall

With that e-mail, Rick Marshall became the first Zodiac suspect ever to contact me. The timing was indeed interesting. While my Bates revelation was deservedly controversial and had been getting attention from news media throughout California, was it really the motivation for Marshall to reach out to me? According to his e-mail, Marshall was upset over a a piece of alleged misinformation that he had read here at Zodiackiller.com — my describing his 1974 residence as a warehouse when according to Marshall, it was actually an “industrial property.” Seems a rather trivial reason to prompt an e-mail.

Disturbing suggestion: Could the “dead horse” Marshall referred to have been Cheri Bates?

MY THOUGHTS ON THE E-MAIL:
I’ve disregarded Marshall’s spelling errors, simply because — while Zodiac-like — they could have been caused by age-related issues, such as poor eyesight. That aside, just as the Zodiac killer did, Marshall seemed to overreact to perceived lies told about him in the media, such as nitpicking over the use of “warehouse” instead of “industrial building.” Marshall’s referencing an attorney was also something the Zodiac killer did (Melvin Belli).

(I replied to Marshall’s e-mail, but never got a response.)

FINAL UPDATE:

*In July 2008, I received a phone call from a nurse at a care facility in Sacramento, Cal. She told me that Marshall was her patient, and he had spoken to her about the Zodiac case. The nurse found him to be extremely suspicious, but was not sure what to do. She asked for my help. Hoping that Marshall might finally be ready to confess due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, I contacted my sources at the Napa County Sheriff’s Department, the agency that originally investigated Marshall back in the 1970s. Immediately, two detectives were dispatched to Sacramento. After interviewing Marshall, the detectives allegedly concluded that he was likely not the Zodiac killer. At least, that’s what I was told off the record. It remains a mystery why one of the original Zodiac investigators chose to immediately burn his case files.

CONCLUSION:

As far as I know, genetic testing was not performed with Rick Marshall. In my opinion, Marshall remains as viable a Zodiac suspect as he ever was.

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The 13th Sign

The recent Michael Connelly saga is the latest in a silly string of profiteers attempting to get rich (or richer) via the case of the Zodiac killer

By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com

NOTE: The article below was originally published in 2009. It is more relevant than ever in 2026.

The Zodiac killer

July 15, 2009) Forty years ago, the Zodiac killer was plotting his next move. Fresh off his second attack in the Vallejo area — a July 5th double shooting that left one dead — the killer began preparing his onslaught of letters and codes to be sent to the local Bay Area newspapers. Four decades have passed. While the police did their job the best they could by attempting to gather evidence that would prove the Zodiac’s identity, certain private citizens have since taken the low road — a road that requires no evidence, and will lead (they hope) to a pot of gold.

The 12 signs of the zodiac. Room for one more?

I know a thing or two about astrology and the various signs of the zodiac. For example, I’m aware there are 12 zodiac signs in all, each represented by a unique symbol. Me, I’m a typical Capricorn and my zodiac symbol is a “seagoat.” The other zodiac signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces. The case of the self-named “Zodiac” killer might be far removed from the realm of astrology, but it really depends on whom you ask. Did the killer follow the stars, or did he take the name “Zodiac” just for kicks? I believe recent events have definitively linked the killer to astrology in a very unlikely way. Thanks to those recent events, we now have a 13th sign of the zodiac: Moneycorn.

Zodiac killer + dead stepfather =

FUN WITH ASTROLOGY

As Jeff Foxworthy might say, “You know you’re a Moneycorn when you hold a news conference to announce that your deceased stepfather was the Zodiac killer.” Unlike the other 12 signs, whether you are a Moneycorn does not depend on when you were born. Instead, it depends on when your scruples died. However, like the other zodiac signs, Moneycorns have their own symbol: A dollar sign.

TWO OF A KIND

Over the past year, the public has been subjected to Attack of the Killer Stepdads. Two unrelated Californians, whom I’ll refer to as “Jethro” and “Sybil” (if for no other reason than to stifle their craving for notoriety), have followed a hauntingly similar path to what they obviously hoped would be fame and fortune. Here is the recipe they used:

1) Contact news media
2) Accuse dead stepfather of being the Zodiac killer
3) Sit back and wait for the money truck to roll in

I’ve watched my share of infomercials, and that has to be the most unique three-step plan to riches I’ve ever seen. We owe it to such creative minds to take a closer look at the geniuses responsible:

Dennis Kaufman aka “Jethro,” seen here counting to six all by himself. Jethro wants you to believe his dead stepfather was the Zodiac killer

CEMENT POND

Meet Jethro. He used to be a cell-phone salesman, but barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was watching YouTube, when up from his mind sprang a bungling ruse. Theory, that is. Zodiac killer. Big bucks.

Unlike an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, Jethro’s whacky “my stepdad was the Zodiac” storyline didn’t end after 30 minutes. In fact, there has now been more than a decade of his zaniness. As with a TV series, when ratings lag, a new character is added to the mix to renew interest from viewers. In Jethro’s case, the new character was Kris Pickel, a reporter from Sacramento’s CBS-13 television news.

Just as Ellie Mae before her, Pickel tends to get overly fascinated by shiny things, to the point of featuring them in a series of TV “news” segments. And like Ellie Mae, Pickel never seems to learn all that glitters isn’t gold. Both painful and hilarious to watch, Pickel’s stories featuring Jethro are guaranteed to cause the same symptoms as drinking from a jug of Granny’s moonshine. NOTE: You may want to drink from the jug PRIOR to watching the Pickel/Jethro segments. Trust me.

Vocal supporters of Jethro’s theory have included a tree doctor, and a woman who almost nearly graduated from an online “college.” However, she and Jethro recently had a falling-out that stemmed from both *Bigfoot and *the death of Michael Jackson. You think I’m kidding, but I am not.

Is it possible that Jethro’s stepfather really was the Zodiac? Sure, I guess, as long as you aren’t familiar with the facts of the case and are more than willing to ignore contradictions, while making leaps of logic that would make Evel Knievel proud. Realistically, Buddy Ebsen could probably make for a more likely candidate to be the Zodiac than Jethro’s stepfather.

Conclusion: As tools go, Jethro is a Swiss Army knife.

Meet Deborah Perez aka “Sybil.” Her stepfather was the Zodiac killer! Don’t believe it? Just ask her psychologist

A $TEPDAUGHTER $CORNED

Chances are you’ve heard of Sybil — she’s the minivan mom who made big news last April by holding a news conference to accuse her stepfather of being the Zodiac killer.

I learned of Sybil about 18 months ago when she began contacting me, mostly through e-mail and voicemail. Sybil’s Zodiac stories were obviously works of pure fantasy. I’ll give her credit, though; she would change components of her stories when notified by yours truly that she had gotten key facts wrong. Her supporter (is it plural yet?) would probably argue that such changes are a sign she wants to be accurate. Ha! Ok, I’ll give her that much — Sybil doesn’t want to make mistakes when “recollecting” events that never actually took place.

As news conferences go, it was a train wreck. Held on the sidewalk outside the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper in a very (cough) “gritty” section of town, the reporters in attendance probably couldn’t help but notice how they were standing in used wine. To prove her claims were true blue, Sybil’s handler (a disbarred attorney) showed the bored onlookers a pair of glasses that allegedly belonged to a Zodiac victim. As the story goes, Zodiac murdered the victim and then wore the glasses away as some kind of psycho/sicko gesture. The fact the glasses displayed at the press conference were slightly different than the glasses worn by the victim — meanwhile the real glasses were in police evidence — was apparently oblivious to Team Sybil. Perhaps the dollar signs were in their eyes?

Conclusion: Regardless of how many personalities Sybil might carry, I highly doubt any of them really believe her stepfather was the Zodiac killer. As with Jethro, Sybil’s behavior suggests a scammer at work. If this Zodiac gig doesn’t work, I expect she’ll soon “find” a human appendage in her coffee cup during a visit to her local Starbucks.

FAST FORWARD TO 2026

Michael Connelly is a great writer. He’s also rich and famous. And he got duped by the most recent incarnation of Jethro and Sybil.

Michael, you should have reached out to me. I could have warned you about Alex Baber and his established history of Zodiac nonsense. Better luck next time.

The scammers and idiots have been weaponized. It used to be, the kid who ate worms at recess faced negative consequences. Now, he eats worms on TikTok and drives a Lambo.

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Hidden Witness

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.

Soon after, the Zodiac killer vanished forever.

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RIVERSIDE TRUTH

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

— MORE UPDATES —

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.

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THE CHENEY CONFESSION (Part 1)

Don Cheney circa 2008

By Tom Voigt | Founder: Zodiackiller.com | tomvoigt@zodiackiller.com |

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

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.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

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The Art of Disguise

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

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Crazy Joe

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.

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Too Close For Comfort?

Pacific Union College

“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.

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