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Murders & Mysteries
A look into the world of murder and unsolved mysteries.
September 21, 2005
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Thirty-seven years ago, the Zodiac Killer killed for a
period of six years and then dropped off the radar. Thirty-seven years later,
we still don't know for sure who he is (was?). Why is he called the Zodiac
Killer? Well, that's what he called himself in his many correspondences with
the media/police. No other killer has ever written as many letters to
newspapers or the authorities. Zodiac liked to keep in touch.
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On December 20, 1968, David Faraday, 17, and date Betty Lou Jensen, 18, parked
on a lovers' lane overlooking California's Lake Herman Reservoir. Out of
nowhere, a man appeared and ordered them to get out. The teens hesitated and
the man fired two shots through the window. They quickly got out. David
received a .22 bullet behind his right ear for his trouble. Betty ran but took
five shots in the back and fell to the ground, dead. Twenty minutes later, a
woman driving past noticed them and drove into nearby Benicia to tell police.
At the scene, David was still breathing. But not for long, he died en route to
the hospital.
In July 1969, Michael Mageau, 19, and Darlene Ferrin, 22, were parked in the
Blue Rock Springs Golf Course parking lot. A gunmen approached the car from
the side, and shot them through the open window. Michael staggered out of the
car and, though critically wounded, he survived. Darlene also died en route to
the hospital. This time the gunmen wanted to play his own snitch. Thirty
minutes after the shootings, he called police, "I want to report a double
murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park,
you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with an 8 mm Luger. I
also killed those kids last year. Goodbye." Just like the killer said,
there they were. At this juncture, the world became aware if the psycho who
strictly killed for pleasure. No victim was ever robbed, nor sexually
assaulted. No one ever figured out a motive and he never left an identifying
clue. And he wasn't done yet.
A month later, in August 1969, three major San Francisco newspapers received
letters detailing the murders with information only the killer could know.
Each newspaper received a third of a huge cryptogram and the demand that the
cryptograms be placed on the papers' front pages. The cryptograms were turned
over to the U.S. Naval Intelligence for decoding. A week into it, two high
school teachers from Salinas beat them to it. The letter is as follows,
spelling mistakes and all. "I like killing people because it is so much
fun it is more fun than killing wild game in the forrest because man is the
most hongertue [dangerous] animal of all to kill something gave eryetheyo a
thrilling experience it is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl
the best part of it I athae when I die I will be reborn in paradise and all
the I have killed will become my slaves I will not give you my name because
you will trs to slor down or atop my collecting of slaves for my afterlife
ebeo riet emeth hpiti" (No one has ever made sense of the last four
words.)
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| Zodiac Kept In Touch continued... |
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In the following weeks, more letters were sent to newspapers. Each letter
began with, "This is the Zodiac speaking." His killings continued.
On September 27, 1969, 20-year-old Bryan Hartnell and 22-year-old Cecilia
Shepard were having an evening picnic beside Lake Berryessa. Suddenly, Zodiac
emerged from the brush wearing a black hood, knife in one hand, gun in the
other. He ordered Cecilia to tie Bryan's hands and feet. Zodiac did the honor
of tying up Cecilia. He told them, "I'm going to have to stab you
people." Bryan asked to stabbed first. Zodiac obliged, six times in his
back. He then stabbed Cecilia's back ten times, then turned her around for
four in the chest. A fisherman spotted them. Cecilia died in the hospital two
days later. Bryan survived. An hour after the attack, Zodiac called Napa
police, "I want to report a murder. They are two miles north of park
headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. I'm the one that
did it."
Two weeks later, Paul Stine picked Zodiac up in his San
Francisco cab. He died instantly thanks to a 9 mm slug in his temple. Before
he left, Zodiac took a piece of Paul's shirt. Three days later the San
Francisco Chronicle received a letter describing the murder. Enclosed was
a piece of Paul's shirt. More letters were delivered to the Chronicle.
Some were decoded, others weren't.
His last letter, in 1974, claimed, "Me 37, SFPD 0." And that was
that. We never heard from Zodiac again. Did he really kill 37 people? We don't
know. Why did he suddenly stop? We're not sure. Who was he? We can't be sure.
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Copyright © 2005 Murders & Mysteries. All Rights Reserved
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