Introducing Madame X's Person of Interest

Introducing Madame X’s Person of Interest

Before I begin, I would like to thank Morf for being gracious enough to allow me to post information about my person of interest on his forum. I would also like to say that, since I have not been able to prove whether or not he is the Zodiac, it is necessary that I change the names, dates, addresses, etc. to hide both his identity and my own. If something that I say here leads someone to believe that they know who my person of interest is, I would appreciate it very much if they would PM me personally rather than expose either of our identities publicly.

I have spent the past three years trying to get law enforcement to help me prove the identity of my person of interest without success. In looking for further evidence, I eventually came across the ZodiacZeeSite, which no longer exists, and, subsequently, the ZodiacKillerSite, which took its place. I am glad that my search eventually brought me here since not only is it the home of some pretty serious Zodiac researchers, but it is also the home of some very caring and friendly people as well.

Anyway, since I have not been able to get the help that I need from law enforcement I have decided to take the next logical step and present my case here to the amateur sleuths on this site. I am not sure where this will lead me. But, I have learned that when a door closes to go through a window! And, I have also learned that windows of opportunity are seldom open for indefinite periods of time - so here I am!

During the past three years, I have learned a lot about more than just windows as I have tried to develop a presentable case against my person of interest. Today, modern forensics are available to crime scene investigators to “end the debate”. And teams of well trained profilers are also available to law enforcement agencies. But, unfortunately, for us, the “little people”, these tools are not available and we often find ourselves working in the dark.

But, I am aware that in the past, three things had to be established when developing a case. They are motive, means and opportunity. And, I think that from the following information you will be able to see that I have actually developed a fairly good case that goes beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Briefly, I believe that the motive lies in the fact that my person of interest knew Betty Lou Jensen. And, like Betty Lou, he went to Springs Town Junior High and Hogan High School in Vallejo. He was also a close neighbor to Betty Lou, although in the 26 years that I knew him, he never mentioned this fact nor anything else about the Zodiac for that matter. (I am sorry that I must be so evasive here in order to hide the identity of my person of interest.)

The possible means lies in the fact that his mother worked at the store where the JC Higgins 80, .22 guns were sold. Not only that, but she worked there at the time that they were being sold, since they quit making them in the mid sixties and put them on clearance. These guns were sold at that time, to be used by young boys to shoot squirrels and were available to them without the necessity of having a permit. My person of interest also went on annual hunting trips with his step-father. So, it is not only possible that he owned a J.C. Higgins 80, but that he would have had access to other weapons as well.

Last, but not least, is opportunity. My person of interest moved to Vallejo in the late fifties at the age of five or six. And, as I mentioned before, he lived very close to Betty Lou Jensen. Besides that, he lived approximately five miles from the first crime scene and three miles from the second. I also find it odd that although he often took me to Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco, he never mentioned knowing that the Zodiac had killed people in each of these areas.

I am not exactly sure what he did nor where he lived for the next couple of years after he graduated from Hogan High. But, he was living with his parents in Vallejo, in the same house where he had grown up, when I met him in the early seventies.

At that time, I lived and worked in Benicia. And, he had just gotten a job not far from where I worked. And, we met when he came in for lunch. Shortly after that, we were engaged and three years later, we were married. We lived in Vallejo until the early eighties. At that time, due to a job change, we moved to central California. But, a few years later, he was transferred back into the area, although somewhat north of Vallejo. And, a few years after that, as soon as our children were grown, I divorced him.

Today, he still lives - quite comfortably I might add - in the same home that we had lived in when we were married. He has a good job as a salesman and has been steadily moving up in his company. He is rapidly approaching his sixtieth birthday and is in relatively good health. He is a grandfather now and spends every free moment with his grandchildren - something he has denied me, his victims and the parents of his victims.

At one time, handwriting analysis was the most important tool in establishing the guilt or innocence of a suspect. So, shortly after I began to suspect my ex of being the Zodiac, I did my own, amateur handwriting comparison using a letter that he had written. And, from this, I was able to establish beyond a shadow of doubt, at least in my own mind, that he was indeed the Zodiac Killer.

My hope is that law enforcement will see my person of interest as a viable suspect and take the next step in the investigative process. For example, they could compare his fingerprints to the fingerprints that they have from the Napa and San Francisco crime scenes. They could also compare my suspect’s DNA to the partial DNA profile that has been established at the San Francisco crime lab. (I have already had his DNA analyzed and have emailed it to San Francisco along with my information, but I have not heard back from them.) And, I would also imagine that surveillance or interrogation would also be two investigative tools that could be used to draw out the truth.

If the person I am referring to truly is the Zodiac, than I knew him fairly intimately for 26 years. I knew his family. I know a lot about his childhood. I know what lead him to become a serial killer. And, I also know what stressors sent him on his killing rampage.

At the same time, during the time that we were together, I had no idea that any of this had ever happened. Today, I believe that our home was no more than a façade or a hide out for him. During the entire time that we were married, I had no idea where he was half of the time and I had no idea where he spent his money. As far as I know, he lived a double life.

Although he had never used any violence against me, I can see now that he totally manipulated and controlled every aspect of my life. Some how I knew that if I ever tried to leave him, that he would take my children away from me. So, I stayed until they were all grown and out of the house before I finally left him. At that time, I can honestly say that I was only holding onto life by a thread. And, if it wasn’t for the sake of my children I would have gladly let go of that thread long ago.

Then, one day, I met my Knight In Shining Armor. He gave me the courage to file for divorce and it wasn’t long after that that we were married and left the area. At the same time, he shielded me as my ex stocked us and tried to kill me twice.

For the past decade, my only security has been in the fact that KISA and I have been very mobile and we have moved around a lot. At the same time, I have never given anyone my true address, not even my kids. Although, we do keep in touch by cell phone and email.

Personally, there is no doubt in my mind that my ex is the Zodiac Killer. Truly, I wouldn’t come forward unless I was 100% sure of his identity. Yet, many others before me have also been 100% sure. So, it seems that only one person can be 100% sure, unless more than one person has the same suspect. Yet, as I read more and more of the evidence presented here, I become more and more convinced that he truly is the Zodiac Killer. So, until I am able to prove his identity one way or the other there is always the possibility that I will find out one day that he is not the Zodiac.

And, if he is not the Zodiac, then what? Then I suppose that there will be nothing left for me to do but to slip unnoticed back into obscurity. Which, from my point of view, is not a bad place to be. But, in the mean time, I will have stretched myself far beyond my previous capabilities to come out of my shell and communicate with others. I will have honed my computer skills as well as my researching capabilities. But, most of all, I will have come across a wonderful group of people who are on the side of the “good guys!” and who want to make the world a better place by making it free of one very evil fiend.

Today, I was thinking, why do we do what we do? Why do we sit in front of acomputer screen night after night when there is a TV with a cable box and over 200 channels sitting a few feet away? And, why do we sit in the same place day after day when the sun is shining outside and there are still roads to be explored, mountains to be climbed and beaches to walk on?

I think that it is because, for many of us, we can not tolerate the thought of a world without justice or a society that allows a person to go around killing innocent people and then just walk away unpunished. I think that this is our way of trying to make the world a better place for future generations. For me, it is even more personal than that. I find it almost impossible to tolerate the fact that my ex is free to visit my precious grandchildren and parade himself as a caring grandparent! (Remember that a psychopath is incapable of giving or receiving love.)

Oddly, I can’t seem to get anyone in law enforcement to understand that. All that someone in the SFPD would have to do would be to walk down the hall and take the elevator to the crime lab. Then, they would say, “Good morning, So and So, I thought I would run this DNA analyses over to you on my way to the break room. It’s probably nothing, but this woman seems to think that her ex-husband is the Zodiac Killer. And I’m sure that we would be doing her a great favor if we would compare if to the Zodiac’s. After all, she has been waiting three years for an answer. And, I am sure that it would be nice for her to know one way or the other. And, besides, that is what we’re paid to do, you know. Anyway, I will pick it up on my way back from my coffee break. Oh, by the way, would you like me to bring you back a cup of coffee?”

Well, all sarcasm aside - which really isn’t very becoming of Madame X anyway - I really can’t imagine how hard it would be to compare my ex’s DNA to the Zodiac’s. Especially since I have already had it collected and paid to have it analyzed.

Anyway, in my next several topics, I hope to present to you my case against my ex. But, before I go on, I would like to assure you of one thing. There is a chance that my ex is not the Zodiac. There is also a chance that I have made a mistake. But, I do want you to know that I would never intentionally lie or fabricate false evidence against him. And, to tell you the truth, I believe that for someone to do this would be a great travesty against justice, which should not go unpunished.

Thank you,
Madame X

Looking forward to your posts, and the stuff you would like to share. As long as you do not ID your POI, then you are free to post about him, and about what makes you think he may be Zodiac.

Out of fairness, you will also have to be ready to answer any questions, or accept criticism from people should they think something doesnt add up or seem to link your POI to Zodiac.

In a sense, it all started for me about three-and-a-half years ago. It started the same way that most things do, without the slightest forewarning. My second husband, KISA, had been working on a job, re-wiring boats in a little, sea-side town in Oregon. I had gone with him and we had spent the summer camping in our little trailer near the marina.

The job had taken a bit longer than we had anticipated and by the time that it was over, it was early November and the winds off the ocean were beginning to get a bit chilly. Which meant that there wasn’t much hope that we would get a chance to get much more work done on our boat that year before another wet and windy Oregon winter set in.

KISA and I secured our trailer, hooked it up to our old pick-up truck and made the short jaunt down the coast, arriving in the early evening feeling famished and exhausted. So, we stopped in at a grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. Then, we stopped by our local video store to pick up a movie before heading home.

But, I must explain here that when I say the word, “home” I use the word rather loosely. Since, home to us meant moving our little trailer back to the trailer park the we had previously lived in.

I can honestly say that, as we walked through the glass doors and the friendly clerk greeted us, I didn’t have the slightest inkling, premonition or feeling of foreboding. I had no idea that something was about to happen that would change my life forever - or at least the next few years. I just wanted to get home, make dinner and relax with a movie.

We both turned to the left and began searching for an interesting movie in the “new releases”. When that didn’t produce the results we had hoped for, we continued our search around the inside perimeter of the building starting with the A’s and winding up in the Z’s. We were about to give up and walk out empty handed when my eyes fell on the movie, “Zodiac”, with Justin Chambers.

I held it up to show KISA, and he just shook his head. He knew that I never, never, never watched scary movies. Oddly, I had given them up in 1968, nearly 38 years earlier, at the age of 14. That was when the Zodiac had killed a young couple on a lonely stretch of country road a little over three miles from the house that my family and I had lived in at the time. Now, I was holding a movie in my hand by the same title.

Before the Zodiac attacks, I had loved the shear thrill of watching such movies as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”, “Phsycho,” “The Rear Window” or “The Birds”. I always watched them when I was babysitting, since my parents would never allow me to watch scarey movies at home. But, after the attacks, the possibility of such a thing actually happening became all too real to me.

After the Zodiac slayings, I remember thinking that all country roads were haunts for murders and we only drove on Lake Herman Road in the day time. I remember the story of the Zodiac eventually getting tossed in at slumber parties with such urban legends as “The Hook” or “The Golden Arm”.

Up until that night in 2006, when I saw that movie, I had not known anything about the Lake Herman Road victims were. And, although I had heard that the Zodiac had attacked other couples in lover’s lanes, I had never heard any of the details. Eventually, I had heard the tale that the Zodiac had been a merchant marine and that he had left the area. And, some how, I had just assumed that he had eventually been caught.

KISA and I settled on a different movie, went home, made dinner and watched the movie before going to bed. But, a couple of days later, I told him that I just couldn’t get the Zodiac movie off of my mind. And, I told him all I knew about the Zodiac case, which wasn’t much at that time. A few days later, we went back and rented the movie. About half way through, I got a very eerie feeling like something just wasn’t right. And, by the end of the movie, I had a strong feeling that my ex-husband was the Zodiac.

My family and I had moved to Benicia in 1965. My father had had a business in Benicia for a couple of years, then wound up moving it to Vallejo. My mom also wound up getting a job in down town Vallejo. And, my friends and I would often drive into work with them then spend the day shopping down town or taking the bus out to Larwin Plaza.

In 1972, a couple of weeks after I had graduated from high school, I met a man from Vallejo. I had just gotten my first job working at a fast food restaurant and he was working at a grocery store in the same strip mall. Shortly after we met, he told me that I was the one that he was going to marry and we were soon engaged. Three years later, we were married and we moved to Vallejo. And, it wasn’t long after that that we started having children.

During our courtship and marriage, we often went to Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. We lived in Vallejo until 1982, where he had gotten a job as a salesman. At that time, he was transferred to the Central Valley. Six years later, he was transferred to a city north of Vallejo and we built a home in the near-by foot hills.

It wasn’t long after we got married that I realized that I had made a big mistake. It soon became apparent that he had a drinking problem and possibly a drug problem as well. He was gone all hours of the night and day and I never knew where he spent his time nor the money.

In spite of this, I stayed in the marriage for the sake of my kids as long as I could. I also stayed because of religious convictions. But, when my children all went to college, I finally saw an opportunity to get out. I told my ex that it was over and began working at a camp near our home where I had a room. Although, I still went home occasionally to take care of my animals and to try to make a home for my kids when they were home.

Three years after that, I met KISA, my knight in shining armor! Some how, KISA sensed that I was in trouble and he came to my rescue. He gave me the strength that I needed to go through the divorce process. And, since he had been a sharp shooter in the army, my ex stayed away for the most part.

But, eventually, my ex began stalking us at the camp and there were many times that I would look up and see him standing in a doorway, just watching me. Once, he even spotted KISA and I driving into town and he jumped into his car and chased us for about eight miles, up a windy, narrow, mountainous road. He didn’t dare try to pass us, but he did stay right on our tail and glared at us in our rearview mirror. We didn’t realize what danger that we were in at the time. But, KISA immediately decided to turn into a busy little shopping center and my ex quickly turned around and drove back home.

Anyway, as I watched the movie, “Zodiac”, I began to see familiar places. And, it occurred to me that my ex had lived approximately five miles from the first crime scene and three miles from the second. It also seemed odd to me that he had taken me to Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco. Yet he had never mentioned anything about the Zodiac crimes that had been committed in those areas..

So, I got on the Internet, hoping to perhaps find some old newspaper articles. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I found Tom Voigt’s site, ZodiacKiller.com. As I began reading through the police reports I soon realized that my ex had lived less than a mile from where Betty Lou Jensen lived. I also found out that she actually went to the same high school, Hogan High, that my ex went to. So, why hadn’t he ever mentioned the Zodiac crimes or the fact that he knew one of the Zodiac victims to me?

At that time, I saw the Napa Composite Drawing and read the description of the Zodiac. I also realized that the Zodiac drove the same type of car, that my ex drove. At that point, I became convinced that my ex truly was the Zodiac. So, I dug up an old letter that he had written, and I matched the handwriting to the Zodiac’s. At that point, I finally began to try to contact law enforcement. That was over three years ago and to this day, nothing has happened.

More recently, I was also able to obtain a sample of his DNA and had it analyzed. I sent it to several law enforcement agencies, but nothing came of it.

In my following posts, I hope to present the evidence that I have collected to this point. I am more convinced with each passing day that my ex is the Zodiac. And, I am just as anxious as anyone else to finally help bring him to justice. I only hope that it happens soon, while some of the victim’s relatives are still alive since I think that they need answers to their questions just as I do.

If my Ex is the Zodiac, then I feel that I have the other side of the story and that I can answer a lot of your questions like, what kind of childhood did he have, what stressors were in his life and what was it like to be married to a serial killer?

Hi MX,

Thanks for posting, very interesting. So he was appx. 20 years old at the time of the crimes? Do you feel he was mature enough to fool Hartnell, Mageau, Fouke, Slover et all who felt he was older? How did he stack up size wise to the Z descriptions? What vehicles did he own?

Hello, Bentley,

Thank you for taking the time to read my first two posts! The next posts were actually taken from the information that I have previously sent to LE agencies. And, I think that they will answer your questions. And, perhaps they will stir up a few more besides! Of course, I have had to make several changes to change his identity. I am also trying to figure out how to down load pictures. But, when that is done, I think you will have a pretty good idea of why I believe that he is the Zodiac.

Napa Composite Drawing

After realizing that my Ex went to the same school as Betty Lou Jensen and was a close neighbor, I continued to research the subject. (Just to let you know, he has never been named in any of the police reports that I have read.) But, at that time, the only drawing that I had seen was the SF drawing, which does not bare any resemblance to him.

But, I must say that I was absolutely astonished when I came across the Napa Composite Drawing for the first time. My ex has an incredible resemblance to the man in the drawing. (Sorry, but I can not post a picture of my ex here. But, in a sense, it wouldn’t be necessary since he does look just like the picture anyway.)

The following was taken from the article, “In the Wake of the Zodiac”, by Marsha Dorgan, Register Staff writer, February 24, 2007:
On Sept. 27, 1969, Napa County Deputy Sheriff Dave Collins was on routine patrol. All that changed quickly, changing Collins' life forever. He was at Vichy Avenue and Monticello Road when the call came about a double stabbing at Lake Berryessa. With red lights flashing and sirens wailing, Collins raced to the lake. The wounded Pacific Union College students — Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell, both 20 — had been repeatedly stabbed and left to die on an isolated peninsula at the lake in an area called the Oaks, about a quarter-mile north of park headquarters on Knoxville Berryessa Road. (Sic)

The couple had gone to the lake for a picnic. Shepard first spotted a man watching them. A short time later the man attacked the couple after demanding their car keys and money. Collins and deputy Ray Land, who had been in St. Helena, were the first to arrive after the call. "When I got to the scene I found the kids critically injured.

“Deputy Land went to help Bryan, and I tried to administer first aid to Cecelia," he said. Shepard had been stabbed five times in the back and five times in the front of her body. “She was conscious, but going in and out of shock. She was in terrific pain. She kept asking me for something for the pain, but I didn't have anything to give her," Collins said. "She was cold and shivering. I got my uniform jacket from my car, wrapped it around her and then wrapped her in a blanket. I held her. She was very frightened and kept pleading with me not to leave her."

Collins said he tried to be comforting but realized he needed to gather as much information about the crime as possible. "I asked her, 'Who did this. Did you know the person?'" Collins said. "She said no." Although in shock and excruciating pain, Shepard did her best to tell Collins what happened.
She said she saw a man on the roadway watching them about 15 minutes before the attack. "She said pretty soon he was within 50 to 75 feet of them. There were trees separating them. She said she looked up and he was gone. The next thing she sees is him stepping out from behind a tree pulling an executioner-style hood over his head. He started walking very fast toward them with a gun in his hand," Collins said.

Shepard told Collins the man approached, ordered them to stay on the ground and said, "I'm an escaped convict from Montana. I have a stolen car. I want your car and money. I'm going to Mexico." "The kids said, 'sure' and put their money and car keys out there for him," Collins said. At that point, the killer pulled two pieces of clothes line about two and a half feet long out of his coat and told Shepard to tie up Hartnell. When Hartnell was hog-tied, the killer used the other rope to hog-tie Shepard.

"He then put the gun in his holster and pulled a knife from the holster on his other hip," Collins said. "Cecelia said it looked like a homemade knife, about 11 or 12 inches long. He started stabbing Bryan in the back until he pretended to be dead," Collins said. "When Cecelia realized he did not want not to rob them, but kill them, she started screaming. He turned on her and began stabbing her until she also pretended to be dead. Then he stopped and walked away. Cecelia said he was calm and collected."

The Zodiac killer had parked his car next to the victim's vehicle. On their car door he wrote the sign of the Zodiac — a circle with a cross through it — as well as the dates of the Vallejo murders, the current date and time and the words "by knife."
When he left, the kids managed to maneuver until they could untie each other. "Bryan used his teeth to untie Cecelia. Although they were in terrific pain and bleeding they were able to get free of the ropes," Collins said.

"They started yelling for help. There was a fisherman and his son fishing in a nearby cove. The fisherman heard their cries for help but was leery, thinking they were trying to lure him to shore to rob him. When the screams for help continued, he looked with his binoculars and could see they were injured. But of instead of going to them, he went to park headquarters and notified park rangers."

Thinking they were abandoned, Hartnell tried to crawl to the road for help. But he was too weak and only made it halfway. That is where the ranger found him.
Collins said Shepard was the only victim able to give deputies a description of the Zodiac without his hood.

"She was incredible how she answered my questions while lying on this blanket in terrible pain and going in and out of shock. We used her description of the man to make a composite drawing," Collins said. "Investigators canvassed the area with the drawing and found three young women in the same general area who were sunbathing. They said they saw the same man looking at them and acting suspicious about an hour before he attacked Shepard and Hartnell. They said for some reason he just up and left. They were three lucky girls."

The ambulance arrived and took the wounded couple to the Queen. By this time, Shepard was unconscious. Hartnell survived. Shepard, who never regained consciousness, died two days later.

It seems that there are two or three versions of the Napa Composite Drawing. Each of them are basically the same although one seems to be a little more detailed than the previous two. This one was probably drawn by Bob McKenzie of the Napa Register. According to Ken Narlow, of the Napa Sheriff’s Office, it was drawn with the assistance of the three, young girls who were also from Pacific Union College, the college that Cecilia and Bryan had attended the previous year.

Description of Madame X’s POI:
I met my POI in the early 70’s. At that time, he weighed 165 lbs. He is 5’ 8” tall and has a stocky build - short legs and a long body. And, he has always been a little over weight (pot belly) without being fat.

His hair is dark brown, almost black, thick and straight with a slight wave. He wore his hair in a pompadour, which was short on the sides and combed back on the top. He wears his hair in a similar hair-do now, but it is not as thick or long. His eyes are brown. He is generally clean shaven and does not have much facial hair. As long as I have known him, he has worn dark, pleated pants and a dark, waist-length windbreaker with elastic waist and cuffs.

As far as age is concerned, I can not go into detail here with out possibly giving away his identity. So, I will just say that he was approximately one year older than Betty Lou Jensen and the same age as David Faraday. So, in 1968, at the time of their deaths, he would have been driving for a year or more and owned his own car.

My POI was in an accident in 1968 and injured his spinal column. I am not certain of the exact dates at this time, but I believe that he was in a body cast at the time of the first Zodiac murders. And, although he is naturally stocky, I believe that this would have given him even a stockier appearance.

He wears size 10 - 10-½ shoes. He is right handed. And, he was raised Catholic.

Also, his step-father was a welder and would have had exchange privileges and access to a welder’s hood.

Zodiac’s Description (taken from Police Reports, Graysmith’s books, and etc.:
“…to the beach and shortly thereafter noticed the male subject watching them from the edge of the trees. After about 30 minutes the subject came down by the beach and passed within 20 feet of the witness___ as he walked from south to north. Subject was described by MISS ___ as approximately 28 years of age, 6’ 6” tall, 200-225 lbs., black hair possibly styled, with a part on the left, rounded eyes, thin lips, medium nose, straight eyebrows, small ears, well built, rather nice-looking. Subject was wearing a black short-sleeved sweater shirt, bunched up in front, and a white tee shirt hanging out in back, and dark trousers. (Napa County Sheriff’s Department, Supplementary Crime Report, p 10.)

“The girls proceeded to the beach and she, MISS ___ , again noticed the subject about 30-45 minutes after they were at the beach. She noticed him standing on the bank approximately 45 yards from her location. She describe the subject as 6 feet tall, stocky build, about 200 lbs., black short-sleeved sweater shirt, dark blue slacks, and straight dark hair nearly combed. She guessed his age at approximately 30 years. Subject had medium color skin and was not wearing glasses. ___ stated she thought she saw a white belt around his back but it possibly was a tee shirt hanging out. She further stated that the man was fairly nice-looking, with a round face.” (Napa County Sheriff’s Department, Supplementary Crime Report, p 10.)

(As I mentioned earlier, my POI was possibly wearing a body cast during that time. I believe that this could possibly account for the fact that the Zodiac was wearing a black, sweater shirt or a black jacket on a hot day when everyone else was sunbathing. It would also explain what looked like a “white belt around his back.”)

The following descriptions of the Zodiac were taken from Zodiac by Robert Graysmith:
Blue Rock Springs victim, Darlene Ferrin, had a babysitter, Karen, who reported seeing a man in front of the Ferrin home. “He was heavyset, with a round face and curly, wavy dark brown hair…” (P 14.)

On February 27, 1969, when Darlene dropped by Terry’s Restaurant, she was told a stocky man had been asking questions about her. (P 15.)

May 24, 1969, Darlene’s sister, Linda, reported seeing a man who was “overweight” and “five-feet eight-inches tall or so,” at Darlene’s “painting party”. (P 27.)

Mike Mageau, also a Blue Rock Springs victim, described the killer as being “…beefy, heavyset without being blubbery fat, perhaps 195 to 200 pounds.” Mike estimated that he was one head higher than Darlene’s Corvair, about five-feet eight-inches tall. His pants had pleats but Mike could see that he had a slight potbelly. (P 28.)

According to Mike Mageau, the attacker weighed about 160 pounds and combed his hair up in a pompadour and then back. (P 30.)

According to the landlady, “Paul”, a pseudonym, was kind of plump with dark straight hair.” (P 44.)

According to an eye witness at Lake Berryessa, the Zodiac “Was a white adult about five-feet ten-inches tall, with a heavy build, wearing dark trousers and long-sleeved dark shirt with red coloring.” (P 64.)

When speaking to Robert Graysmith, Bryan Hartnell a Lake Berryessa victim, said, “I described this guy as being really fat,” Hartnell told me later, “I don’t know, he could have been moderately heavy and wearing a thickly lined windbreaker. And, it’s not impossible that the guy was wearing a wig, but the dark hair. I remember kind of a greasy forehead.” (P 77.)

“Bryan could see dark brown, sweaty hair through the slits as well.” (P 67.)

When Paul Stine was shot and killed in San Francisco, teenage witnesses described his killer as wearing a dark jacket, crew-cut hair, big guy, kinda stocky, husky. (P 91.)

“He had a stocky build,” the teenagers agreed, “looked like he was about five foot eight inches tall. He was wearing a dark navy blue or black parka type jacket and dark trousers.” (P 95.)

Kathleen Johns, described her kidnapper as being clean-shaven and neatly dressed. She went on to say, “He was dressed in a dark blue-black nylon windbreaker over black woolen bell-bottom pants…His nose was not especially small, his jaw wasn’t weak. He wasn’t a weak type of person and he didn’t have a heavy forehead. His hair was brown, worn like a crew cut. That’s probably why I thought of a service man. He wasn’t real big, weighed about 166.” (P 138.)

The following quotes were taken from Zodiac Unmasked by Robert Graysmith:
According to a police bulletin, the Zodiac, “Was of heavy build, approximately five-foot, eight-inches tall. Short brown hair, possibly with a red tint.” (P 19.)

According to a police transmission that went out after Paul Stine was shot and killed in San Francisco the suspect was, “A Caucasian…short hair… potbelly, black or blue windbreaker jacket…baggy pants…” (P 21.)

“The suspect that was observed by officer Fouke was a WMA 35-45 years about five-foot, ten-inches, 180 to 200 pounds. Medium heavy build - Barrel chested - medium complexion - Light colored hair possibly graying in rear. (May have been lighting that caused that affect. Later changed to brown.) Crew cut-wearing glasses-Dressed in dark blue waist length zipper type jacket (Navy or royal blue) Elastic cuffs and waistband zipped part way up. Brown wool pants pleated type baggy in rear…May have been wearing low cut shoes.” (P 22.)

Bryan Hartnell also said, “I don’t know how tall Zodiac was, maybe five-foot eight or six-feet, somewhere in there. I’m a pretty poor judge of height because of my height,’ said the lanky student”. (P 33.)

“…10-½ regular shoe.” (P 35.)

“The shoes Zodiac wore at Lake Berryessa in September 1969 were sold through base exchanges only.” (P 127)

Zodiac’s Age:
A saying at FBI headquarters in Quantico is, “Age is the hardest to predict. Never exclude someone because of a discrepancy of age.”

AK Wilks said, in regard to Ted Kaczynski, “His first confirmed Unabomber crime was in 1978, when he was 36 years old. Yet we know from research that the most active and violent period for the majority of serial killers is from their late teens to late twenties. And we see that Kaczynski reports the motivation, desire and ability to kill at least as early as the summer of 1966.”

Michael Mageau, a Zodiac victim who was shot at Blue Rock Springs and survived, saw the Zodiac for a moment in the light from his car when he went back to the car to do something. At the scene of the crime, he described him as
“Young…heavyset…in a light tan car.” (P 31.)

Bryan Hartnell said that the Zodiac had a voice “Like a student’s.” (P 67.) He also said, “It was a remarkably calm voice that came from beneath the hood, a voice that was not high- or low-pitched, a monotone. The speaker sounded to Bryan to be between twenty and thirty years old.” (P 31.)

In Napa, when Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were stabbed, detectives “located a witness who was having lunch at the general store at the time and who felt the man was acting highly unusual. He had even followed him out of the store and watched him get into a white automobile and drive away from the lake. “‘He matched the description,’ I told them I recalled the man seen at the lake was thought to be much younger than Walker.” (P 190.)

After the Lake Berryessa stabbing, Officer Slaight received a call from the Zodiac. Later, he said, “It sounded like the voice of a man in his early twenties…” (P 75.)

Teenage witnesses to the Paul Stine slaying described the killer as, “A white male…around twenty-five or thirty years of age… (P 95.)

According to Graysmith, Detective Toschi, of the San Francisco Police Department, sent Kathleen Johns, deceased, a series of photos of suspects. The ages were between twenty-eight to forty-five. (P 140.)

When Graysmith asked Kathleen about it later, she said, “Yeah, he sent them through the Stanislaus County Sheriff.” But I felt that the suspect was younger and not in those pictures. If I saw him again, though, I would instantly recognize him.” (P 140.)

Robert Graysmith went on to say, “If it was the Zodiac that she had escaped from, then Kathleen had seen him up close and without a disguise longer than any of his victims.” (P 141.)

On November 11, 1970, a man from Vallejo driving a white Chevrolet was cited following a woman in Santa Rose. (Unfortunately, the ticket was purged from the records.) She described him as young, twenty-three to twenty-four. (P 318.) (My POI was nearly nineteen at the time.)

Other indications that the Zodiac was young:
The gun that the Zodiac used on Lake Herman Road on December 20, 1968 was a .22 caliber, J.C. Higgins model 80. They were typically used by young boys and, the front cover of the box displayed a drawing of a young boy shooting squirrels. (You can find it at: 2009 J.C. Higgins Model 80 .22 Autoloader.) I would also like to point out that, at that time, he probably would not have been required to be a certain age or have a permit in order to own one.

High Standard, the maker of the gun, made them exclusively for Sears and had quit making them in 1963. So, Sears had decided to clear them out at a reduced price. As I said before, my ex’s mother worked at the store that sold these guns. And, she could have bought it for him so that he could go on the annual hunting trips with his step-father. All of these facts together would suggest the possibility that he had the means to commit the crimes.

School Holidays -According to Sharon Pagaling Hagan, “These crimes occurred on weekends or holidays. He was a weekend offender and that shows us that he was employed Monday through Friday. And, he was very busy during those days. He was not free to commit crimes. He was not free to hunt for victims. So, he lived a structured life Monday through Friday. Then, on weekends, he seems to have been adrift. I think he spent a great deal of time driving around and hunting and looking and fantasizing about what he was going to do.” (This would also correspond to a school schedule.)

The Most Dangerous Game - In one of the Zodiac’s coded messages, he quoted from the book, The Most Dangerous Game. This book is a popular short story originally published in 1924, which was written by Richard Connell. This is the story of a big game hunter who is trapped on an island with a fellow hunter, who is uninterested in hunting stereotypical prey, and instead decides that the only prey worthy of his skills is other humans. This title is often required reading in middle schools, and has since been adapted into movies.

Cryptograms - The Zodiac wrote several coded messages or cryptograms. So, Robert Graysmith set out to find these codes in books in bay area libraries. He found a book on secret writing called, The Code Breakers by David Kahn. In that book, Graysmith found a sample cipher alphabet with eight of the twenty-six suggested equivalent letters that had been used by the killer. “As to the rest of the strange symbols, the almost religious triangles, circles, squares, and crosses, I remember hearing of a cipher used during the Middle Ages. It was a picture alphabet designed to appear mystical to the uninformed, a cipher alphabet described as ‘vastly impressive’ and ‘sinister’ - just the qualities a man like the Zodiac killer would strive for.”

Graysmith found the cipher that had been used in the middle ages in a book called Codes and Ciphers, by John Laffin. “The name of the thirteenth century alphabet cipher explained for me the choice of the killer’s bizarre name. It was called the “Zodiac Alphabet.” Zodiac had used many symbols for each letter of the alphabet and arrived at them through the inspiration of this early code.”

At the JFK Information Center in Vallejo, the librarian told Graysmith that the book was reported lost and added that Codes and Ciphers was used “for eighth-grade level students as reading material because of its simple language. Graysmith went on to say that, “In the San Francisco Public Library, the book was kept in the children’s room.” (P 59.)

“SFPD Officer Fouke looked very briefly and in poor light at a man who might have been the Zodiac, and said he was 35 to 45. But the teen witnesses in SF first said the Zodiac was 25 to 35. Victim Micheal Mageau said Zodiac was 25 to 30, the girls at Lake Berryessa said 25 to 30, Kathleen Johns said 30, the voice witnesses said "young" and "early twenties". AK WILKS

Cheri Jo Bates:
One reason that some law enforcement officials believe that the Zodiac was older, aside from the description given by Fouke, is that they believe that he was also responsible for the death of Cheri Jo Bates, the young girl who was killed in Riverside in 1966.

By assuming that the Zodiac killed Bates, many possible Zodiac suspects are automatically eliminated based on age or geographical location. For example, my POI would have been fifteen at that time, did not own a car and lived in Vallejo.

For what it’s worth, I believe that Bruce Davis, Charlie Manson’s hit man, is responsible for her death. I did read once that, at that time, law enforcement officers believed that Bruce Davis was responsible for her death, but chose not to pursue him since they already had a strong case against him and didn’t want to complicate their case. He was subsequently convicted of killing musician, Gary Flinman, and Donaldy, “Shorty Shea”. Most of the information that I have used here was taken from the mansonconnection site:

Apparently, Bruce Davis was in Riverside in 1966, when Bates was killed.
Bates was killed on 10/30/1966 and Davis dropped out of society in November of that same year, a few days after her death.
Davis was 23 at that time.
Davis worked in construction and may have worked at River City College, where Bates was attending as a student, at that time.
Less than a year later, Davis met Manson and became his hit man, this would suggest that he was already an experienced killer.
Also, the "P" on the Riverside letter matches the "P" in Pat Krenwinkel's letter. (Pat Krenwinkel was a member of the Manson family.)
The watch that was found at the Bate’s crime scene had a small watch band that would fit a small man like Bruce Davis.

But, I don't believe that Davis committed any of the subsequent murders that are associated with the Zodiac for the following reasons:
Davis surrendered on 12/1970. Yet, the Zodiac sent his sixteenth letter, claiming 17 victims, to the LA Times on 3/13/71, three months later.
The Zodiac also, presumably, attacked Isobel Watson on 4/7/1972.
He also sent the Exorcist Letter on 1/29/74, claiming 37 victims. (This would not only suggest that he was still sending letters, but it would also suggest that he had killed 20 more people during the time that Davis was incarcerated.)
Bates was seen in the library with a man with brown hair and a beard. But, the Zodiac has never been portrayed as having a beard.
The handwriting on the desk top doesn't seem to match the Zodiac's.
The Zodiac didn't mention killing Bates after the Blue Rock Springs shooting, when he claimed killing the two kids on Lake Herman Road.
And, the Zodiac didn't mention Bates on Bryan Hartnell's car door.
Lastly, Bates was stabbed 42 times. Yet, David Faraday was shot once in the head. Betty Lou Jensen was shot five times in the back. Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin were shot a total of 9 times. Bryan Hartnell was stabbed 6 times and Cecilia Shepard was stabbed 6 times. And, lastly, Paul Stine was shot once. This would indicate a de-escalation of wounds being inflicted rather than the typical escalation.

The Zodiac’s Black Hood may have been a Welding Hood:
“Narlow was among the first to respond in September 1969 when the Zodiac stabbed two college students picnicking at Lake Berryessa. Though stabbed five times, Bryan Hartnell, 20, survived. Cecelia Shepard, 22, did not.

“But before she died, she was able to give detective Dave Collins a brief description of Zodiac. “She said he had the hood on, he put the hood on, and there weren’t eye holes,” recalled Collins in a recent interview. “Instead it was like a welder’s mask, an opening in the front of the mask itself.

“Hartnell told investigators that Zodiac wore a costume, on the front of which was a circle with a cross through it, identical to the drawings Zodiac had included in some of his letters.” (Probably from the Napa Valley Register.)

Bryan also said that the costume had two parts and that the second part was like a dickey, which was a turtle neck collar with two panels hanging down that would typically go under a shirt. This could also further describe a welding hood.

The Zodiac may have been Right Handed:
The Zodiac shot Paul Stine on the right side of his head from behind. That would have been nearly impossible to do if the Zodiac was left handed, which would lead to the conclusion that he was right handed.

Apparently, the Zodiac left a palm print on the Exorcist letter that suggests that he is right handed. (ZodiacKiller.com Message Board, Zodiac’s Alleged Fingerprints.)

The Zodiac may have been Catholic:
It is also possible that the Zodiac was Catholic since he wrote the words, “Christ mass” in the letter that he wrote to the San Francisco Examiner on July 31, 1969.

Geographical Profile

“Targeting has become a valuable police tool. Geographical Profiling is based on the theory of Criminals’’ spatial behavior. Criminals strike close to home just as the average person chooses stores where he shops daily. They operate close to areas they are familiar with and have previously scouted. A murderer has a tendency to hunt prey in identifiable areas and the impulse to disguise his home location.” Thus, the sites of his crimes tend to radiate on all sides of the offender like a spider in his web.” (Robert Graysmith, “Zodiac Unmasked”, page 424.)

In the following, I would like to show that my POI had opportunity to commit each of the confirmed Zodiac murders that took place in the Bay Area in 1968 and 1969. Each location - such as Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe - were places that he was familiar with. After we met in the early 70’s, he frequently took me to each of these places as well.

Theoretically, it is possible that as the radiating lines got farther and farther away from his home, he was attempting to draw police away form where he lived.

(My POI’s address):
During the time of the Zodiac crimes, my POI and his family lived in a house at _____ in Vallejo, CA. I believe that they had moved into the home in the early 60’s. The following information gives some of the locations associated with the Zodiac in relation to the house where he lived.

The house at _____ is:
½ mile from where Betty Lou Jensen lived at 123 Ridgewood.
5 miles from where Betty Lou and David Faraday were shot on Lake Herman Road.
3 miles from where Darlene Ferrin lived at 1300 Virginia Street.
2 miles from where Darlene worked at Terry’s on Magazine Street.
46 miles from where Cecilia Shephard and Bryan Hartnell were stabbed at Lake Berryessa.
35 miles from where Paul Stine was shot on Washington and Cherry Streets in San Francisco.
And, 61 miles from where Kathleen Johns was picked up near Patterson.

According to Robert Graysmith’s book, Zodiac, some of the other killings that took place during the seventies took place in areas such as Santa Rosa, which is 49 miles north of Vallejo and Lake Tahoe (Donna Lass) which is 160 miles east of Vallejo.

Betty Lou Jensen
Both Betty Lou Jensen and my POI probably attended Springstowne Junior High on Tennessee Street in Vallejo together (1 mile). And, they both may have ridden the same bus to and from school each day. And, Betty Lou and my POI both attended Hogan High School. (1 mile.)

Darlene Ferrin:
According to Michael Mageau, the shooter drove into the parking lot behind them at Blue Rock Springs Park (3 miles). Then, he sped away at a fairly fast rate of speed in the direction of Vallejo and Springs Road. He also said that the shooter was back in five minutes, at which time he began shooting them, killing Darlene and wounding Michael.

My POI’s home on ___ was past Springs Road, in the direction that Mike indicated. According to Google Maps, since it is 3 miles from Blue Rock Springs to _____, it would have taken him 8 minutes to get there, possibly to get a gun. Then, it would have taken him an additional 8 minutes to drive back to Blue Rock Springs for a total of 16 minutes.

But, Michael said that the shooter sped away at a fairly fast rate of speed. Also, if the Zodiac was still driving the white Impala, he was driving one of the first “muscle cars” and it not have had any problem getting him where he wanted to go quickly. And, lastly, it is likely that Michael was only estimating the time between the car leaving and its returning to Blue Rock Springs.

Other similarities include the fact that :
Darlene worked at Terry’s Restaurant on Magazine Street (2 miles).
Darlene and my POI both liked to go to the Coronado Inn in Vallejo (5 miles).
Both my POI and Darlene liked to go to San Francisco (35 miles).

White Chevy Impala

My POI owned a white, 60’s Chevrolet Impala:
In the late sixties and early seventies, my POI owned a white, Chevrolet Impala. He sold it before we met in 1972 and bought a ___ Impala. But, he had a picture of it, which I had seen several times, and I believe it was a 1963 Impala.

The Zodiac drove a white, 60’s Chevrolet Impala:
Two raccoon hunters noticed a white, four-door, hardtop ‘60 Impala parked by the entrance to the Benicia Water Pumping Station on Lake Herman Road.

Bingo Wesher, a sheepherder at the Old Borges Ranch, also noticed a white Chevrolet Impala. (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, pp 3-4)

Officer G Meyring (#298 Vallejo PD) came into the S/O. He stated to RO that Stan__, 14 yrs… told him today that he and a friend of his, a student from Solano College, were going towards Blue Rock Springs on Columbus Parkway and a __ and a ‘63 Chevrolet Impala turned off Lake Herman Road onto Columbus Parkway heading in the direction of Blue Rock Springs__10:30 pm Friday 12/20/68. (ZodiacKiller.com, Police Report, P 52.)

According to the “Supplemental Investigation Report, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfield, California,” a white, 4-door, hardtop, ‘59 or ‘60 Impala was parked near the crime scene.

On February 26, 1969, Darlene’s babysitter noticed a white, American made sedan parked in front of the Ferrin’s home. (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, p 3-4.)

“Description of a man following Darlene Ferrin: American made sedan, white with a large windshield.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, p 318.)

Michael Mageau was interviewed shortly after the shooting by Dave Peterson. During the interview, he described his assailant’s car. “It could have been a 1958 or 1959 Falcon.” (Vallejo Times Herald, 8-19-69.) But, according to Graysmith, “The car was changed to a light, tan Chevy.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, p 318.)

Earlier, on the same day that Bryan Hartnell and Cecilia Shepard were shot at Lake Berryessa, three women reported seeing a light colored Chevrolet at 2:50 pm at an A&W. “…Another car, driven by a lone man, pulled in beside them and then backed up so that his rear bumper was even with theirs. The man sat there with his head down as if he were reading something. The women got the feeling he wasn’t. The car was a silver or ice blue ’66 Chevrolet two-door sedan with California plates.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, p 63.)

“In Santa Rosa, a man frightened three separate women motorists in an identical manner between 3:00 am and 4:00 pm. At 5:10, police stopped a man who’s auto and license number matched their descriptions. He was identified as a Vallejo resident in a 1962-64 white Chevrolet.” The man, “about twenty-three,” was stopped on Fourth Street after he had followed a woman right into the post office parking lot. He claimed that he was lost and looking for a way out of town.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, p 134.)

On March 17, 1970, a Vallejo woman going to Travis Air Force Base was followed by a man driving a white Chevrolet. (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith pp 3-4.)

On March 22, 1970, Kathleen Johns, who was pregnant, and her baby, were picked up by a man driving a white car. (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, pp 3-4.)

“On April 7, 1972, Isobel Watson, a thirty-three-year-old legal secretary in San Francisco, got off the bus in Tamalpias and began walking up Pine Hill. Out of no where, a white Chevy swerved at her. The car stopped and the driver leapt out, explaining: I’m terribly sorry. Please let me drive you home.” The driver was in his early forties, about 5’ 9” and wore heavy black-rimmed glasses.”

“Ms. Watson replied: ‘No thanks.’ The man repeated his request in a very concerned voice and was again refused. At this time, the man flew into a rage and, pulling a short-bladed knife, began to stab at her back. She let out a series of screams. As a result, lights went on in all the nearby houses. The man raced back to his car and sped off. Watson was rushed to the hospital and treated for her wounds. Ken Narlow of the Napa P.D. believed that there was a good chance that the attacker was the Zodiac, being that he fit all of the previous Zodiac descriptions to a tee and that the attack took place on the weekend.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith, pp 181-182.)

“Fifteen minutes before the killings on Lake Herman Road, and throughout the evening, a white Chevrolet sedan was seen parked exactly where the murderer’s car was parked. If the killer of Faraday and Jensen drove a white Chevrolet and the man asking about Darlene drove a white Chevrolet, then chances were that they all belonged to the same man, Zodiac.” (Zodiac, Robert Graysmith p 294.)

The January 7, 1985 People are Talking paper concerning an episode about the Zodiac mentions a “61-63 white, Chevrolet Impala”. (Hunting the Zodiac, John Mikulenka)

The following account is from a Mr. W. Crow who was driving the car that was chased on Lake Herman Road the night Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday were killed, December 20, 1968.

“I received your (Tom Voigt) e-mail concerning the Zodiac and, yes, I was the driver of the sports car that night in December 1968. I was born and raised in Vallejo, and I was living with my parents at that time. My former girlfriend who had moved to San Francisco was visiting her parents in Napa and had just purchased a sports car. She dropped by our home in Vallejo and since I was going to get up early to go hunting with my father the next morning, instead of going out, we decided to go for a ride and catch up. She asked if I wanted to drive her sports car, a and I went down Lake Herman Road to see how the car handled. There is a place where a private road intersects the main road. There is a gate across the private road maybe thirty yards down. It provided a spot known to local teens as a place to “park” and I will leave it at that. This night, I was in a small two-seater and “parking” was not in the picture. I had just gone through the gears and pulled into the private road area and turned the car around with the front pointing to and a few feet from the main road. The engine was running and the lights were on. I had never driven a car that had toggle switches on the dashboard. As my former girlfriend was explaining to me what each one controlled, I noticed a car coming down the road from the direction of Benicia. The car passed in front of me then I noticed that it came to a stop and its taillights told me it was backing up. Common sense suggested to me to put the sports car in gear and leave. I pulled out and started driving toward Benicia. The other car backed into the area where I had been parked, turned around and in a second or two was behind me. The car hit its bright lights and then did a bright off, bright on, bright off, etc. I went through a few young testosterone moments where I was going “to pull over and kick that guy’s ---”. My former girlfriend started getting upset and I sped up. The car behind me also sped up, and at one point as I was looking over my shoulder the car behind me came up on my side with its right front fender near the driver’s rear quarter panel and appeared to be moving toward making contact. I shifted to a lower gear and hit the gas. There is a fork in the road where one continues toward Benicia and the other more towards the freeway toward Vallejo. The other car was clearly chasing me and I waited until the last moment and then turned off. The larger car behind me could not make the turn. “I went down approximately two hundred yards and stopped in the middle of the road. The other car had stopped shortly after the turn-off. Each of us sat there in the road. Again, youthfully stupid, I yelled about kicking his ---. After some moments, the other car turned around in the roadway and went back down the road from which we had come. I kept making macho statements, but not totally without some sense about me, I drove home. I did not see the car again. I could not see the passenger seat, but the driver was a man with short hair and glasses. I did not see his specific facial features. The two from Benicia were killed exactly at the same place where I was parked that night when I first encountered the other car. Therefore, in my opinion, he either randomly came upon that spot or was from the area and knew of it.

“Either that next morning or the day after there was a story in our local newspaper the Times Herald. I believe there was a picture showing where the car of the slain couple had been parked. For sure there was a description. I put my shotgun in the car, as if he would really still be there and drove back out Lake Herman Road to confirm the location. I came home and told my mother that I had been where the couple had been shot shortly before and of the car that had chased me. She suggested that I report it and I called the Vallejo Police Department. They explained that they did not have jurisdictional and referred me to Solano County Sheriff. I was interviewed and gave an account. I have never seen the report, nor been asked any further questions. A few years ago, a sheriff I knew who was reviewing the Zodiac records asked me if I was the W. Crow who made a report. I told him it was me and asked him if he could get me a copy of the report. I am still waiting.

“There is a part of your e-mail that I find extremely intriguing. I never told the sheriff who interviewed me that the car I encountered was a Valiant. As I recall, as I was attempting to describe the car, the sheriff came up with a “Valiant”. In the years that have passed, when I have shared the events of that night, I have described the car as a four-door light-colored Chevy. Until your e-mail I have never known that two hunters came upon a white Chevy or that any reference to a Chevy existed in the investigation. I know this does not support the theory of two cars, but it is important to me that my account be accurate.

“I can assure you that the events of that night remain vivid in my mind. I till cannot drive down Lake Herman Road without goose bumps. I feel very fortunate.

W. Crow”

Handwriting Comparison

Handprinting was once considered the most positive method of
identification or elimination of suspects.

In order to compare my POI’s handwriting to the Zodiac’s, I took handwriting samples from both the Zodiac and ___. Then, I compared them for similarities. That is when I realized that the Zodiac used both upper and lowercase letters, but My POI uses mostly uppercase letters. That made it difficult to find matching letters since my POI did not have a lot of lowercase letters and the Zodiac didn’t have a lot of uppercase letters to use for comparison. (I feel that if ___ is the Zodiac, switching to using mostly uppercase letters would have been a simple way for him to have disguised his handwriting.) As I found corresponding upper or lowercase letters, I cut them out, enlarged them and placed them side by side on a grid pattern.

Also, in the first three Zodiac letters to the newspapers, his handwriting sloped downward. This caused some to speculate that he was depressed. Perhaps the Zodiac heard about this, because he seemed to make a conscious effort to keep his lines straight in subsequent letters.

My POI also made a conscious effort to keep his lines straight. He normally placed a sheet of lined paper under the sheet of paper that he was writing on or used a ruler. Another similarity is that both the Zodiac and my POI wrote with a felt tip marker.

Samples of the Zodiac’s handwriting were taken from:
The Bus Bomb Letter, 11/9/69.
The Vallejo Times Herald Envelope, 7/31/69.
The San Francisco Chronicle Envelope, 7/31/69.

Samples of my POI’s handwriting were taken from:
A letter that he had written in 1998.
And, package that he had addressed in 2008.

Some of the letters that are very similar include:
Candy cane “f’s”.
Three stroke “k’s”.
And, check mark “r’s”.

Bryan Hartnell’s Car Door:
On the night of September 27, 1969, the Zodiac Killer parked his car near Bryan Hartnell’s vehicle. On his car door he wrote the sign of the Zodiac — a circle with a cross through it — as well as the dates of the Benicia and Vallejo murders, the current date and time and the words "by knife."

I compared the number “8” that was written by the Zodiac on Bryan Hartnell’s car door and the number “8” that my POI wrote on the bottom of the letter that he had written.

Then, I compared the word, “Vallejo” that was written by the Zodiac on Bryan Hartnell’s car door to the word, “Valley” written by __ on the package.

I also compared the numbers “9” and “6” that were written by the Zodiac on Bryan Hartnell’s car door to the numbers “9” and “6” that were written by __ on the package.

(Sorry, but I wasn't able to post a copy of my handwriting analysis yet. But, I will post it as soon as I can get past the technical difficulties. So, please check back again.)

Madame X’s POI’s Childhood

After I realized that my POI could possibly be the Zodiac Killer, I began to wonder whether or not he fit the psychological profile of a serial killer as well. (It is hard to believe that someone you have known and lived with could possibly be a serial killer.) So, I began to read books on criminal profiling and serial killers. And, I started to notice that most serial killers had several things in common. For example, some of them had been abandoned or rejected by their mothers as children and some of them had gotten involved in pornography at an early age.

My POI Ken was born in 19__ in ___, ___. At that time, his mother was a ___-year-old, unwed mother. When he was two-years-old, his mother got married and she and her new husband moved to Vallejo, leaving him with an aunt. I don't know whether or not his mother was planning to come back for him. But, his aunt began to raise him as her own and he must have believed that she was his mother and that his cousin was his sister.

Although, his mother told him that she had only left him with his aunt for a short time, all of his childhood memories are of his aunt and his extended family in ___. And, he actually seemed to be closer to his cousin than he was to his half-sisters. It was also at that time that his uncles introduced him to pornography.

I believe that his mother didn't send for him until he was five or six, several years later. At that time, he was very attached to his aunt and cousins. As a matter of fact, his aunt admitted that she was like a mother to him and that she was planning to adopt him. He was also very close to his grandfather, who was the main male figure in his life. When his mother finally sent for him, it is not likely that he even remembered who she was.

When my ex turned ___, his step-father adopted him. And, his real father came to sign the adoption papers and see him one last time. But, it seems that my ex went into shock when he met him because he only saw him as a “shadowy figure”. It was at that time that he also realized that his step-father was not his real father.

His mother never talked about his real father, which lead him to believe that he had been rejected or abandoned by him. It wasn't until the nineties that he finally met his real father and his half-siblings. At that time, he learned that his father truly cared about him. But, he already had many emotional scars by that time.

In 1968, my ex had several stressors. As a student at Hogan High, he was in a serious accident. (Sorry, but I can not go into details here without possibly giving away his identity.) As a result, there was a possibility that he could have been left partially paralyzed. But, he was able to have surgery, quickly recovered and was placed in a body cast, which he was able to get around in.

During the same year, his girlfriend, began dating one of his male role models. She got pregnant by him and they were later married and had a baby.

(There was also another major stressor that I consider more difficult than the first two, but I am not at liberty to go into details about that here.)

Madame Z asked me to post the Napa composite. I am also posting the Bennallack sketch, which I think looks like the Napa sketch.

The suspect description in the Bennallack murder was: "Glen Campbell Haircut" (meaning a large parted wave?), about 25 years old, 5' 9", 170 pounds.

Shot and wounded by the Zodiac on 7/4/69, Michael Mageau thought Zodiac was 25 to 30 years old and 160 pounds, with short hair but sort of combed up in a "pompadour". Probable Zodiac attempted abduction victim Kathleen Johns also put Zodiac at 160 pounds.

Also, the sketch of the Bennallack suspect bears a very interesting similarity to the "Napa Composite", the man seen hiding behind a tree and spying on the college girls at Lake Berryessa before the Zodiac attack there that same day, and thought by police to perhaps be the Zodiac. One girl thought this man was around 28, another thought 30.

Madame X asked me to post this handwriting comparison of Zodiac and her POI.

Some interesting things here, but I will study it more and comment later tonite.

Interesting stuss MadameX...but now I have to play devils advocate, or look at this from the police point of view.

1- In your writing comparison, the one letter I didnt see from your POI was the letter "d". That is the most identifiable letter that Zodiac wrote, as it laid almost on its side as opposed to straight up and down. Showing a letter "d" from your POI would go a long way.

2- Zodiac, as reported in the SFPD sketch details was reported to be 35-45 years old. Did your 20 year old POI look like he was in his 30's?

3- Handwriting experts say that Z was in Riverside in southern CA to write the Bates letters in 66-67. Was your POI there back in 66-67? Even if he was, he would only be like 17.

Do you know what make/model guns your POI owned?

Have you ever brought up Zodiac to him to get a reaction?

Madame X you say he had a spinal injury with a brace on during the LHR accident, was your POI able to run with his injury since the girl fled down the road and zodiac ran after her. How serious was his injury? Also did he ever take you and your family over the following years to Lake Berryessa for a picnic or day out? If yes, how far where you from the zodiac killing area or did you go to another part of the Lake?

This POI sounds much too young to be Z, IMO. I think Z was 35-40 years old. He spoke of his victims as boys, which is not what one would expect a person one year older that Faraday would have called them. Also, his taste for the Mikado and use of words like stove oil and boughten strike me as the vernacular of an older person. If Z did murder people in southern California, as he claimed, it again speaks of a person who is older than mid-20s, IMO. The police sketch clearly shows a man much older than early 20s. Note that the modified sketch makes Z appear older than the original. The police claimed the man was between 35-45 years old. Red tint in hair is common when someone is graying and using hair dye. They also said he might have had grey in the back. And though the young women at LB described the person watching them as in his 20s, there is no reason to believe that this person was Z.

Actually, one describes him at 28, another at 30 and another at 40. The kids @ SF 25-30. MM, 30, Bryan around 30 by voice.

So, average him at 30 and give or take 10 years--

tahoe27 wrote:

Actually, one describes him at 28, another at 30 and another at 40.he kids @ SF 25-30. MM, 30, Bryan around 30 by voice.

So, average him at 30 and give or take 10 years--

Well that about sums it up Tahoe, LOL* 10 years give or take.... take 10 years and he's 20, give 10 and he's 40. I know myself I knew kids back then that were 18 looking like they were 25 or older. All depends on the person. I hate to say it, but I think all ages are in the running. Also alot of different looks. Not too difficult to alter a look a little.
Carry on Madam Ex, and I think it's great that you feel comfy enough with all of us here to share your POI and inter thoughts on this one. This is a HUGH compliment to all of us! And it's great that we all feel comfy enough to tell you our thoughts.

Very interested to hear your story Madame X, bear in mind though, the white Impala was seen at LHR a full hour before the attack occoured and the only potential witness describes this car as being dark. The girls at Berryessa saw a blue car, and John's described her attackers as light tan, I feel and have always felt that the Impala is not involved at all. I am still interested in your story although I will admit if he had sustained a back injury and was wearing a surgical brace, he would have been been bending down a lot, moving Stines dead body around, I would imagine he was possibly in some amount of pain. Was he on painkillers/ using other forms of meds that you know of.

salus wrote:

Madame X you say he had a spinal injury with a brace on during the LHR accident, was your POI able to run with his injury since the girl fled down the road and zodiac ran after her. How serious was his injury? Also did he ever take you and your family over the following years to Lake Berryessa for a picnic or day out? If yes, how far where you from the zodiac killing area or did you go to another part of the Lake?

Salus,

You asked whether or not my POI was able to run after BLJ as he was shooting her. That is a very interesting question. And, I only hesitate answering it here since it seems that it is more of a question that would go under the category of DF and BLJ and the bullet path analysis. But, here goes. (Perhaps I will post it there also.)

After going over the police reports, I believe that there were nine shells found at the crime scene. There were also nine bullets or pellets accounted for. Five of the shells were found by the coroner, Dan Horan, and four were found by John Silva of the Benicia police department. (Mr. Silva still lives in Benicia and I did talk to him once briefly about the case. At that time, he did confirm that he was at the crime scene that night.)

In order to set up the scene, we must remember that it was December 20, just a few days before the winter solstice. Using the testimonies of several of the people who were in the area that night, we can ascertain that the attack occurred within a ten minute time span, beginning at eleven o’clock. The temperature was reportedly 22 degrees, a very cold night in deed for the bay area. It was also a moonless night and there were no street lights in the area, which has changed very little in the past 42 years. The only lights that may have been available would have been the headlights from the Z’s car and his well-known pen light that was attached to his .22.

Anyway, this is what I believe happened that night and the order that the shots were fired. One shell was found behind the area were the suspects car was most likely parked. So, I believe that Z got out of his car, walked to the back, opened the trunk, and got out his gun. Then, he fired the gun at the back of the DF’s Rambler as a warning shot as DF and BLJ were possibly trying to start the car and leave the area. I believe that the next shot was fired toward Dave through the rear, passenger side window, shattering the glass. This shot would have been fired to prevent Dave from being able to drive away.

I believe that at that time, the Z walked around to the driver’s side of the car and fired at the tire. This was another shot meant to prevent them from getting away. At that point, the vehicle was no longer able to provide DF and BLJ a means of escape and it no longer offered them protection. So, as the Z stood on the driver’s side, I believe that DF and BLJ scrambled to get out on the passenger side. Perhaps they were planning to run into the field. It is possible that Dave realized that such a small caliber weapon would not do them any serious harm if they could get far enough away from it.

But, I believe that by the time they got out, the Z had come back around to the passenger side and met them coming out. I believe that at that point, Dave stood between BL and the killer. Then, Z ordered him to put his hands on the car. And, shortly after that, he shot him behind the left ear.

At that point, Dave fell backwards, face up, onto the ground, leaving BL alone with the Z. When BL saw what had happened, I believe that she instinctively bent over Dave, trying to offer him some type of aid. But, since BL was the true object of the Z’s rage, he quickly turned the gun toward her. As she was bent over Dave, Z shined his flash light on her back and fired off his fifth shot. I believe that he aimed his flashlight at the center of her back and that the flashlight may have been on the left side of the gun. This would offer one explanation of why each of the bullet wholes were on her right side. This one went in at BL’s shoulder and traveled upward and lodged in her neck. Since he was holding the gun at close range and over her back, a grain of gun powder fell onto her dress.

At that point, BL stood, turned to her right and walked or ran past the Z at very close range. The next shot went through her right side, crushed her right rib, cut through both atriums of her heart and exited through her left breast, leaving a hole in the front of her dress.

As BL walked farther away from the Z, he fired a third shot at her. This shot entered the right side of her back, went through her liver and exited through the right side of her abdomen. After slowing considerably, the bullet hit her dress and fell to the ground.

As BL continued to walk away, Z fired another shot. The fourth shot went through her back and came out on the left side of her abdomen and lodged in the elastic waste band of her panty hose. The final shot went in through her lower back and lodged in her pelvis.

Anyway, I think that we can clearly see that the Z stood in one place as BLJ moved away from him. We can see this by the position of the shells, the depth of the bullet wounds and the position of her body at the time of her death.

At BRS, as you are probably aware, Z did very little walking. He parked behind DF’s car, blocking her path of escape. Then, he got out, walked to the passenger side of her car and began firing at MM. Then, he walked back to his car, perhaps to reload. But, when he heard MM moan or scream in pain, he knew that he wasn’t dead and returned, I believe, to finish him off, so as not to leave any witnesses. After that, he walked back to his car and drove away from the scene.

But, here is the interesting part. Bentley recently posted an article about a young boy, named David Rayfield, who saw the Zodiac before or after the Napa attack. David said, “I remember him as being a stockier person. He wasn’t nimble when he was walking. And, when he turned to walk away he wasn’t like a smooth, athletic person. To me he seemed a little over weight and on the clumsier side.”

And, lastly, Fouke, of the SFPD, mentioned that the Z had a rolling, lumbering gait.

I believe that each of these reports illustrates that the Zodiac drove around in his car, but aside from that, he did very little physical activity. Also the fact that he was seen with a “white belt” showing under his shirt by the witnesses at Napa indicates that he may have been wearing a cast. The fact that he was wearing a black sweater and a black jacket while other people were out sunbathing, could also suggest that he was trying to hide the cast, since it would be easy to identify. And, lastly, the fact that so many of the witnesses described him as being stocky or barrel chested could also indicate that he was wearing a cast under his clothes.

bentley wrote:

Hi MX,

Thanks for posting, very interesting. So he was appx. 20 years old at the time of the crimes? Do you feel he was mature enough to fool Hartnell, Mageau, Fouke, Slover et all who felt he was older? How did he stack up size wise to the Z descriptions? What vehicles did he own?

Bentley,

I hope that I have answered all of your questions in my previous posts. I appologize that they are so long and tedious to read. But, it has grown over the past three years as I have been trying to present it to LE. Unfortunately, I don't suppose that we will have the definitive answers that we are looking for until LE finally compares the DNA analysis that I sent them. In the mean time, I won't be holding my breath.

Solar Pons wrote:

Very interested to hear your story Madame X, bear in mind though, the white Impala was seen at LHR a full hour before the attack occoured and the only potential witness describes this car as being dark. The girls at Berryessa saw a blue car, and John's described her attackers as light tan, I feel and have always felt that the Impala is not involved at all. I am still interested in your story although I will admit if he had sustained a back injury and was wearing a surgical brace, he would have been been bending down a lot, moving Stines dead body around, I would imagine he was possibly in some amount of pain. Was he on painkillers/ using other forms of meds that you know of.

Solar Pons,

One of these days, I am going to have to go back through all of the information and tally up how many times a white, tan or blue car is mentioned. But, I do believe that a white car is mentioned more often than any other. (Not to mention that a white car can look tan at night.) I can not go into much detail about the injury at this time without possibly giving his identity away to anyone who may have known him at that time. But, I can say that he did have surgery that helped to repair the injury and he was able to get out of the hospital sooner than expected. And, the cast did allow him to move around a bit. (Did I mention that he told me that he ued to "party" in it?) I also believe that the cast was his alibi. And, I also think that it is possible that the fact that he got out of the hospital earlier than expected could have also thrown LE off of his track.

Anyway, I do have an interesting theory about the Stine murder that I was going to save. But, since you brought it up, I will go ahead and share it here. Stine's passenger was picked up on Geary Street. (My Ex knew his way around SF very well. One of his favorite places to go was a place called, Basin Street West, that I believe was on Geary. There were other places on Geary that he liked to go to also.) Once, we were driving through SF, but I don't remember what street we were on. It was at night, and it was a one way street. We were in the far left lane and there was a taxi in the middle lane ahead of us. The taxi stopped in the middle of the road and let out his fare. But, when the passenger opened the door, my ex didn't make an attempt to stop. He just barreled forward and hit the door, blaming the cab driver. I always wondered what he had against cab drivers after that. And, I also think that it is interesting that the driver's door on Paul Stine's cab was dented in.

But, back to my Stine theory. According to Stine's book, he picked up his passenger on Geary and was suppose to let him off at the corner of Washington and Maple. But, wound up stopping at Washington and Cherry instead. I believe that Stine stopped at Washington and Maple as requested. Then, the Z, who was sitting in the back seat, pulled out his gun and shot him in the right side of his head. At that, Stine may not have placed the car in park and his foot may have slipped off the brake. That would explain why the witnesses on Cherry Street did not hear a shot, although Z had shot him with a 9mm semi automatic.

After Stines foot slipped off the brake, the car would have begun to roll forward. But, luckily, the road was fairly level in that area. But, I do believe that the road began to decline just past Cherry. So, I think that the Z had to push Stine to the right and steer the cab from the back seat. Eventually, he may have steered the cab into the curb, it was parked at an angle, or he may have had to climb ino the front seat to apply the brakes.

By that time, he may have felt that people were possibly watching and that he needed a disguise. So, I think that he cut off a piece of Stine's shirt to use as a towel. Then, he took Stine's glasses and wiped the blood off of them and put them on. Then, he possibly wiped blood off of himself or the cab.

Either way, it would have been a difficult task for someone nursing an injury. But, it had already been over nine months since his accident, so possibly he was beginning to heal. You also mentioned pain killers. I had not met him at the time, but I do believe that he would have been on pain killers. It was something that he would not have been opposed to.

Zamantha wrote:

tahoe27 wrote:

Actually, one describes him at 28, another at 30 and another at 40.he kids @ SF 25-30. MM, 30, Bryan around 30 by voice.

So, average him at 30 and give or take 10 years--

Well that about sums it up Tahoe, LOL* 10 years give or take.... take 10 years and he's 20, give 10 and he's 40. I know myself I knew kids back then that were 18 looking like they were 25 or older. All depends on the person. I hate to say it, but I think all ages are in the running. Also alot of different looks. Not too difficult to alter a look a little.
Carry on Madam Ex, and I think it's great that you feel comfy enough with all of us here to share your POI and inter thoughts on this one. This is a HUGH compliment to all of us! And it's great that we all feel comfy enough to tell you our thoughts.

Yes, Zamantha, you are perceptive as always. I posted on zodiaczee and this site for a while as I was getting to know everyone. I only posted about my POI after I was certain that the people here would respectfully challenge my views. As I have said before, I believe that the people here truly want to catch the Zodiac and make the world a better place for future generations.

Well, it is late now, so I will try to finish posting information about my POI tomorrow.

Nearly every aspect of this case is subject to debate. What follows are my thoughts based on the evidence.

I hope I will be able to bring some peace to your mind, because I am very certain your POI is not the Zodiac.

It is true that your POI looks somewhat like the Napa sketch. but we don't know for sure if the Napa man was the Zodiac. he was observed to be watching some college girls wearing bikini's at the lake. Was he the Zodiac looking for potential victims? Maybe? Could he have been just some guy looking at attractive young women? Yes.

But as you yourself said, your POI looks nothing like the Stine sketch. I agree. He is not the man depicted in the Stine sketch. But to the extent that we know anything with certainty in this crazy case, the man in the Stine sketch is the man who shot Paul Stine, and because a swab of Stine's shirt was sent in, that man was the Zodiac. Therefore, your POI was not the Zodiac.

So people can understand what we are talking about, your POI reminded me of the actors Erik Estrada, and even more so, the young John Travolta. I do not know the ethnic heritage of your POI, but he looks Italian, maybe part Hispanic, definitely Mediterean. He has thick dark hair and a dark complected face. The SF Zodiac sketch, and the Sonoma Zodiac sketch, show a white male, 25 to 35 years old, short brush cut, light brown hair, with light features, showing a north or east European heritage.

On that basis I would personally rule out your POI as being the Zodiac. And I think most police would too.

On the other hand, witness descriptions are very unreliable, and perhaps Zodiac used disguises or make up.

I admit your handwriting evidence is interesting. Your POI does do a candy cane F, a three stroke K and some other Zodiac like mannerisms. But there are also letters that don't match.

You say your POI never talked about the Zodiac case. I think, and most detectives I have read on this point agree, that the Zodiac would have kept his newspaper clippings, talked about the case, etc. You find it odd he never mentioned it. But once the Zodiac case really died down after 1971, it was largely a forgotten case until the Graysmith book in 1986. There was a flurry of interest fronm the 74 letters and the 78 possible letter. But just like some people don't follow politics or sports, some people are not interested in true crime cases.

I realize this is maybe not what you wanted to hear. But as your POI is a free man I think I have an obligation to him, and you, to tell the truth as I see it, which is what you asked me to do. Without any evidence of interest in codes or bombs, without evidence he had unusual knowledge or interest in the case, and in spite of the fact that some of the handwriting is similar, on the basis of the photographs you sent me I do not think it is possible that your POI killed Stine, and therefor, in my opinion, he cannot be the Zodiac.

You might want to send the pictures to Morf, Zam and some others, to get a second or third opinion.