"I was once a roommate of the Zodiac Killer" Roommate was Jim Crabtree

I found this the other day.

A person by the nickname "Skip" who run a website called www.hipforums.com claim that Darlene Ferrin's x-husband Jim Crabtree confessed to him that he was the Zodiac Killer


Note that the first time "Skip" is posting his roommate is the Zodiac Killer, is january 2007, so that is several years prior to all the postings about and with Jim Crabtree on the now closed Zodiaczee forum.
With that I mean this guy could not have gotten the idea from Zodiaczee forum.

"Skip" also claim that he sent his info to Zodiackiller.com "a few years ago" but was ingnored.

I´v tried to find out who this "Skip" is but have not been able to find his identy so far.
If anyone knows who he is please PM me.

Jim Crabtree is, and have been for a cuple of years, my nr 2 Zodiac suspect after my own POI, so this is kind of interesting.



www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D215823+hipforums+%2B%22zodiac+killer%22&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7fF6GpXAnWsJ:www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D215823+hipforums+%2B%22zodiac+killer%22&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk

01-24-2007, 09:30 PM
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I know the Zodiac killer. He was my roomate. I'm not kidding either...

I can even tell you his name.






www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D431720+Blackwell's+bookshop+%2B%22zodiac+killer%22+crabtree&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-pvkdi1ssJ0J:www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D431720+Blackwell's+bookshop+%2B%22zodiac+killer%22+crabtree&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk

07-17-2011, 09:52 PM
Skip
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Murderers I have known personally... Like this post? |
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I don't know if it's just my luck or what, but I was just tallying the number of murderers I've known personally and the total is three, as far as I know.

I suppose everyone comes in contact with unsavory characters at least once in their lives, but its sometimes hard to know who has what it takes to be a killer. You could be living with one, right now, and not know it...

So let me tell you about the three I know, from least famous to most famous (who has never been caught!)

#1- Rick L. was my roommate in Hawaii for about six months. I had to move suddenly and found a room in an apartment Rick was renting, not far from where I worked. He was a very good roommate, a really nice guy who would help anyone. We didn't socialize much cause we worked different shifts, and I was working overtime to save money to get out of Hawaii (anyone who's lived there knows the scene). But a couple of times Rick took me out on his motorbike thru the cane fields up to the edge of the forest just for fun.

Well I looked up his name a few months ago and discovered he'd been convicted of murdering one of his neighbors who stole his motorbike. Rick loved his bike as it was his main form of recreation and when he confronted the thief he killed him in a fit of rage. The thief was notorious and had been busted before, but Rick got sentenced to like 15 years anyway. This was a shame... He had no priors or anything. I hope he survives his sentence.

#2 Klaus. I met Klaus on an island in the Caribbean when I was house-sitting for a friend. Klaus was introduced to me by my friend, as they were close and were in some business together. Klaus had a nice estate on the island with a big house and several cottages. We became friends or rivals I should say because we competed in a game Klaus invented. That is what he did, invent games. He wasn't too happy when I beat him at his own game one day.

Anyway I once got to visit Klaus at his home in Germany where he lived with his beautiful wife (a famous German radio DJ). His parents lived in the main part of the house, while he occupied the top apartment with his wife. I was being very friendly to both of them, but I could see that Klaus was jealous of the attention I was giving his wife (again she was beautiful!). They were both concerned about their privacy because she'd gotten famous and many people wanted to know her better. Well anyways, Klaus was so paranoid that I would make a move on her, he personally saw me to the railway station when he had to leave town. He didn't want me hanging around her. No problem there.

Many years later I contacted my friend whose house I sat, and he informed me that Klaus was in prison for murder. Turns out he was the one cheating on his wife with a Thai or Philippine woman who he ended up murdering. I think he is serving 20 or so years in a German jail for it.

#3 The Zodiac Killer. Yes, folks, I was once a roommate of the Zodiac Killer. Unfortunately, no one will believe me...

I was sharing a house with a friend in Oregon just around the time Mount St. Helens erupted (TF note: May 1980). I'd left on a trip to visit a friend (a nun) in Spokane. I got caught up in the eruption and couldn't return as I'd planned to Oregon. Once it was safe to leave I hitchhiked back to Oregon, only to find that my friend had taken in a new roommate. I'd only been gone less than a week, but the new roommate had taken over my room. Moved all my stuff out (ruined some electronic equipment of mine), and pretty much took over the place. He cowed my friend into letting him live there, with the idea the two of them would go into business together. When I returned it put a wrench in his plans.

Well, I was so put off by this new guy who was very strange. I can get along with nearly anyone in a roommate situation, but this guy got to me right away. Firstly I could see how he'd been manipulating my friend in so many ways. When I tried to step between them and reclaim my status as a roommate I was greeted with veiled threats by this newcomer, who then told me he was the Zodiac Killer! His name is Jim Crabtree. I can tell you his name because its been published before in books about the killings. In fact, he was one of the first people to be interrogated over the Zodiac killings. Why? Because his wife was the first victim!

As far as I can tell all the murders that followed may have been done simply to throw the police off his back, since he had no connection to the rest of his victims.

Not only did Jim Crabtree confess to me that he was the Zodiac killer, but he had books on the Zodiac killer, he had tons of astrology books, satanic and other esoteric books, BIG KNIVES one of which he always carried with him, and other suspicious items.

Crabtree also told me a story of where he'd been for the past years since the Zodiac killer had stopped his killing spree. He'd been hiding on an Indian reservation in British Columbia all that time. Why? Cause he was laying low.

Let me tell you, this guy creeped me out like no one else in my life, and I grew up on the streets of NYC, where creeps were everywhere. I moved out of that house as fast as I could a day or two later after I had a very scary nightmare where I felt someone was trying to do me in.

So now that I've published this, I wonder if anything will happen...

In any case, I have to say I'm amazed at his luck having stayed free all these years...
Who do you know who is a murderer?
__________________
Free Bradley Manning!

“In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us”. Thich Nhat Hanh

"You are talking to a leftist. I believe in the redistribution of wealth and power in the world. I believe in universal hospital care for everyone. I believe that we should not have a single homeless person in the richest country in the world. And I believe that we should not have a C.I.A. that goes around overwhelming governments and assassinating political leaders, working for tight oligarchies around the world to protect the tight oligarchy here at home." Abbie Hoffman

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Last edited by Skip; 07-17-2011 at 10:11 PM.


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07-17-2011, 10:04 PM
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BTW, I didn't believe Crabtree when he first told me he was the Zodiac killer. He had a book on the killings which I looked thru but didn't see his wife's name in it as he'd claimed. But it turns out her name wasn't Crabtree. I think she'd remarried by the time he killed her, so her name doesn't appear on record as Crabtree. I only found that out a couple of years ago. A little more investigation and I was able to confirm that Jim Crabtree was indeed the husband (at some point) of the first victim of the Zodiac killer. __________________
Free Bradley Manning!

“In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us”. Thich Nhat Hanh

"You are talking to a leftist. I believe in the redistribution of wealth and power in the world. I believe in universal hospital care for everyone. I believe that we should not have a single homeless person in the richest country in the world. And I believe that we should not have a C.I.A. that goes around overwhelming governments and assassinating political leaders, working for tight oligarchies around the world to protect the tight oligarchy here at home." Abbie Hoffman

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Last edited by Skip; 07-18-2011 at 12:44 AM.


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07-17-2011, 10:10 PM
Skip
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Join Date: May 2004
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Here's a discussion about Jim Crabtree (aka Jim Phillips)

http://www.zodiackiller.com/mba/dfamm/173.html

I wrote that website with my information a few years ago and was ignored! __________________
Free Bradley Manning!

“In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us”. Thich Nhat Hanh

"You are talking to a leftist. I believe in the redistribution of wealth and power in the world. I believe in universal hospital care for everyone. I believe that we should not have a single homeless person in the richest country in the world. And I believe that we should not have a C.I.A. that goes around overwhelming governments and assassinating political leaders, working for tight oligarchies around the world to protect the tight oligarchy here at home." Abbie Hoffman


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Interesting stuff TF.

Personally I think it sounds like Crabtree using his undeniable connection to the case as mental leverage to manipulate and influence/threaten people. I can't reconcile the amount of effort that went into creating the Zodiac persona with someone just wanting to make certain crimes seem like they were linked as a cover up of one murder. Why not just leave an identifying clue at each crime scene and maybe write one letter.

Even if this was the case I couldn't see that person so readily vouching that information to a stranger they are obviously disliked by, no matter how many years later. Such a person would be too much in control of all things to do that.

EDIT: I would point out though that JAMESCRABTREE is 13 letters

Very interesting...hmm

I want to point out and make this statement, that the person that made this statement & claims that Crabtree confessed to being Zodiac, is stating this info, and that this forum does not accuse Crabtree of any crimes, the info is just being shared,but it is not meant to accuse Crabtree of anything.

We discussed this somewhere at Tom's. Pretty sure Tom mentioned some sort of communication with this guy. Can't remember what he thought about it.

Yes, it was discussed. I cannot remember details but do remember, as Tahoe, that Tom communicated
with this person.
Maybe someone who is a member there can look it up.
Thanks for posting this TF.

Thanks for your response guys and gals:)

maybe somone who is close to Tom V could ask him for info on the "skip" guy ?

I have tried to find somthing on this issure over at zodiackiller.com but came up empty,

I searched: Crabtree, Phillips, jim, james, roommate, oregon in all possible combinations, but nothing.

If anybody verifies this guy Skip's last name,please let me know if it starts with an 'F'....thanls

traveller1st wrote:

Personally I think it sounds like Crabtree using his undeniable connection to the case as mental leverage to manipulate and influence/threaten people.

Very likely. I'm surprised even Crabtree would go boasting to a stranger, the last thing he needed was to get hauled in again.

bentley wrote:

traveller1st wrote:

Personally I think it sounds like Crabtree using his undeniable connection to the case as mental leverage to manipulate and influence/threaten people.

Very likely. I'm surprised even Crabtree would go boasting to a stranger, the last thing he needed was to get hauled in again.

I think Jim probably didn't like this guy so I agree with the above statement. Jim, by looks at least, does not seem like an intimidating man, but crazy is another thing. (not that Jim is crazy, but size doesn't matter...lol)

I am curious about "Skip's" statment about Jim and his Zodiac books. Looks like TF wrote they were roommates 1980. How many Zodiac books were there in 1980?

People embellish. I think that is what is happening here.


TF--it may have been "junked" @ Tom's.

This is interesting, but I am skeptical. Some guy may have said he was Crabtree and told this guy he was Z, but how do we know it really was Crabtree? Or that this anonymous "Skip" didn't just make up the story? Having been questioned by police I strongly doubt the real Crabtree would boast about being Zodiac.

I should note that there is no proof offered by this man that the real Crabtree said this, and that Crabtree was investigated and cleared by police.

Very interesting and thanks for posting it Foreigner.

AK Wilks wrote:

This is interesting, but I am skeptical. Some guy may have said he was Crabtree and told this guy he was Z, but how do we know it really was Crabtree? Or that this anonymous "Skip" didn't just make up the story? Having been questioned by police I strongly doubt the real Crabtree would boast about being Zodiac.

I should note that there is no proof offered by this man that the real Crabtree said this, and that Crabtree was investigated and cleared by police.

Here is a post of Jim Crabtree's posted Feb 22, 2010 on the old Zodiaczee forum (I saved almost all his posts).
It confirm that JC both had some connections to Oregon AND that he indeed moved into a tipi and to Canada.
"He'd been hiding on an Indian reservation (TF note: the tipi) in British Columbia (TF note: Canada) all that time"

SO unless "Skip" was a member at Zodiaczee and got his info from there, he sure had some specific information about JC:

JIM_CRABTREE Posted: 22 Feb 2010 20:13
This is about the time I decided to move into a tipi, which I did... leaving the mother and son in Ben Lomond... After I got accustomed to the tipi and spent a winter in Oregon... with another girlfriend... I came back, picked up the mother and child and.... stop... stop... no judgements!! .... we all lived in two tipis for the next year... and then finally made the move across into Canada.... Vietnam, at the time, was a hot subject and, as a veteran... really.. I just didn't want to hear about it anymore... you'll have to see my next chapter to understand my mindset ... it's too much to go into here... but I had a damned good reason for going into Canada... and if you don't think the Mounties didn't check me out... more thoroughly that you can ever imagine... you've never been to Canada... The RCMP is the CIA, FBI,country sheriff, city police, secret service, internal spy agency and the capital police all rolled into one nice tidy little organization and they can look up your anywhere... very... very quickly... it's breathtaking to Americans to see and feel that kind of thing... Believe me... I went to Canada for PEACE... not to escape anything.. because... I didn't have anything to escape from... I had three babie by that time and I'd seen enough guns and war...

Theforeigner wrote:

AK Wilks wrote:

This is interesting, but I am skeptical. Some guy may have said he was Crabtree and told this guy he was Z, but how do we know it really was Crabtree? Or that this anonymous "Skip" didn't just make up the story? Having been questioned by police I strongly doubt the real Crabtree would boast about being Zodiac.

I should note that there is no proof offered by this man that the real Crabtree said this, and that Crabtree was investigated and cleared by police.

Here is a post of Jim Crabtree's posted Feb 22, 2010 on the old Zodiaczee forum (I saved almost all his posts).
It confirm that JC both had some connections to Oregon AND that he indeed moved into a tipi and to Canada.
"He'd been hiding on an Indian reservation (TF note: the tipi) in British Columbia (TF note: Canada) all that time"

SO unless "Skip" was a member at Zodiaczee and got his info from there, he sure had some specific information about JC:

JIM_CRABTREE Posted: 22 Feb 2010 20:13
This is about the time I decided to move into a tipi, which I did... leaving the mother and son in Ben Lomond... After I got accustomed to the tipi and spent a winter in Oregon... with another girlfriend... I came back, picked up the mother and child and.... stop... stop... no judgements!! .... we all lived in two tipis for the next year... and then finally made the move across into Canada.... Vietnam, at the time, was a hot subject and, as a veteran... really.. I just didn't want to hear about it anymore... you'll have to see my next chapter to understand my mindset ... it's too much to go into here... but I had a damned good reason for going into Canada... and if you don't think the Mounties didn't check me out... more thoroughly that you can ever imagine... you've never been to Canada... The RCMP is the CIA, FBI,country sheriff, city police, secret service, internal spy agency and the capital police all rolled into one nice tidy little organization and they can look up your anywhere... very... very quickly... it's breathtaking to Americans to see and feel that kind of thing... Believe me... I went to Canada for PEACE... not to escape anything.. because... I didn't have anything to escape from... I had three babie by that time and I'd seen enough guns and war...

Good work Foreigner....thats why we save all the odd notes and stuff, you never know when it will prove useful

As I recall he again said he wasn't at Darlene's funeral/wake. Who was it that said he was definitely there?

Crabtree sent me a few emails. I was the one that actually invited him to the zodiac zee forum. I am not accusing him of any crime, and I dont know if he has lied about anything in the zodiac case,or his background, but I can tell you,based on what he wrote to me about Darlene,he did not care for her,and that is putting it mildly. I dont want to go into details,but he seemed to care less about the fact she was murdered. He was very bitter regarding her. I have to assume that police would have definitely ruled him out as he would have been a prime suspect in her murder.

morf13 wrote:

Crabtree sent me a few emails. I was the one that actually invited him to the zodiac zee forum. I am not accusing him of any crime, and I dont know if he has lied about anything in the zodiac case,or his background, but I can tell you,based on what he wrote to me about Darlene,he did not care for her,and that is putting it mildly. I dont want to go into details,but he seemed to care less about the fact she was murdered. He was very bitter regarding her. I have to assume that police would have definitely ruled him out as he would have been a prime suspect in her murder.

I also have some of the posts from the old Zodiaczee, and YEP Crabtree was very bitter towards Darlene. It kinda shocked some of us!
I also feel that LE could of interviewed the correct POI, and he was very good at interviewing.... jest saying. Not saying it's Crabtree...but saying just because the police ruled someone out, isn't good enough in my book....sorry!

morf13 wrote:

he seemed to care less about the fact she was murdered. He was very bitter regarding her..

He expressed the same on the forum. I was quite surprised.

I'd sure love to have a timeline on this guy. Always reminded me of a guy with little man syndrome. Many of those guys are very dangerous, if they can take advantage in a situation. I'm recalling LB and the 3 gals description of the guy they saw, and what Brian described, and I don't think their descriptions would fit Crabtree....

To make my own mind up on JC, I'd want to see rock solid proof of his height. I've seen both 5'6" and 5'9" quoted on various correspondence. I don't personally think that Z was as small as 5'6" which would rule out JC in my eyes if it was definitely proved that he was that height.

If Z were around 5'9" or 5'10" then I could see that being reported as anywhere from 5'8" to 6ft (which includes just about every witness description) but 5'6" is too small for Z in my humble opinion.

Of course, there's always the possibility that the Z murders were committed by more than one guy which means anyone could be ruled in...

bentley wrote:

traveller1st wrote:

Personally I think it sounds like Crabtree using his undeniable connection to the case as mental leverage to manipulate and influence/threaten people.

Very likely. I'm surprised even Crabtree would go boasting to a stranger, the last thing he needed was to get hauled in again.

Agree with both statements here. Interesting to consider but somehow I don't see Zodiac hyping himself to solve a roommate dispute. Too bad Mr. Crabtree is no longer around (or no longer interested...) to comment.

bentley wrote:

morf13 wrote:

he seemed to care less about the fact she was murdered. He was very bitter regarding her..

He expressed the same on the forum. I was quite surprised.

I participated in the forum talks with Crabtree and exchanged emails with him as well. My take is a little different.

I agree he didn't seem to be real upset about her murder and overall I don't think he could have cared less about her. I think he was bitter about being accused of being the Zodiac and into the occult. But I don't think he was bitter about her. I got the feeling the marriage was a mistake by two young people, and he quickly discovered he had little in common with her. He felt she was "boy crazy", unfaithful and immature. At the time she was killed he didn't love her, was not obsessed with her, didn't care about her at all and didn't think about her at all. But he didn't hate her and wasn't fixated on her. She had moved on and so had he IMO. So I don't see a motive for him to kill her, let alone kill Bates, then Jensen and Faraday, then her, then Stine.

He said he was investigated and cleared by police and the basis of fingerprints, handwriting and alibi. Given his sensitivity and the fact that he shut down a forum, that point should be made. I think it is fine to discuss this internet report, but we should remember it is anonymous and no evidence is presented to prove it. Perhaps it was Crabtree and it was a sick joke and a way to intimidate. I find it difficult to believe he would say he was Zodiac, but who knows. Even if he did say it, I think the evidence shows he was not Zodiac, but I know many disagree with me and find his attitude and history troubling. I just don't see any evidence to show he was Zodiac and nothing to dispute the police clearing him.

I agree AK with him likely being cleared as a Z suspect,at least I hope he was properly cleared since he would have been a prime suspect in her murder,but I disagree to some extent on the rest. I am not going to share the exact words and content of his emails to me,but they were very unkind, degrading,and I can honestly say that I believe he had a strong disdain for Darlene. That being said, I am not saying he wanted her dead,but I really dont think he was all that upset by her murder.

True he used some awful words to describe her to me and he even did so publicly. But my take was he did not love her or hate her just thought nothing of her was dismissive of her and just wanted to forget her at the time of her death. That is my subjective take on it.

I still don't understand how the 2 people who saw him could have made this up and known his wife was pregnant, which is verified later in the report. He states in the report he was not there.

If only Darlene had muttered something more than "never mind" to MM. BTW I also don't think he was the perp in the Z crimes.

I'd bet my right leg that pregnant woman was Carmela Leigh.