Nancy Bennallack and Judith Hakari - Possible Zodiac Victims?

Nurse Judith Hakari is considered a possible victim of the Zodiac, and police thought her killer also probably murdered fellow Sacramento resident Nancy Bennallack (in a ONS like home invasion attack) and Nevada resident and nurse Donna Lass, both also regarded as probable Zodiac victims.

The day after Bennallack was killed, but before it hit the newspapers, the Zodiac sent a Halloween Card to the SF Chronicle claiming a new 14th victim.

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 and 30 years old.

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 to 35.



LEFT: Bennallack suspect sketch RIGHT: Lake Berryessa suspect sketch "Napa Composite"

At ZKF Entropy noted the October 5, 1970 possible card from Zodiac that said "FK I'm crackproof", had newspaper cut outs (like some from Jack the Ripper, Black Dahlia and kidnapping ransom notes, also the Zodaic "Peek through the Pines" card) and a victim claim of 13. He asked this question:

Entropy - "I'm not sold on this being legitimate. I just find it more interesting than most for a lot of reasons and I think it's at least an above-average fake. For the sake of discussion, does anyone know of any unsolved murders in the SF Bay area between 10/5/70 and 10/27/70 (or between 7/26/70 and 10/27/70 perhaps)? Not suggesting that Z actually killed anyone during this period but perhaps he had someone specific in mind to claim for his "scorecard"?"

AK - Sacramento court secretary Nancy Bennallack was killed on October 26, 1970. Robert Graysmith reports that the Halloween Card was sent in the mail before this murder hit the newspapers. If accurate, it seems that if Zodiac correctly (i.e., honestly) upped the body count from 13 to 14, the most likely victim was in fact Nancy Bennallack.

Interestingly, her arms were flexed at the elbows, and the left hand was partially clasped with only the index finger extended, and that was pointed at her throat. Was that pose created by the killer? It seems likely. When considering that the both the card and the body could have been jostled some, it almost brings to mind the Halloween Card skeleton with its arms flexed at the elbows and index finger connected to thumb.

There was also bloody masking tape found near the body and on the patio balcony, and some kind of tape (?) over the eyes of the inside skeleton on the card. The Fire Chief admitted to moving the body some before he realized she was dead. Meaning it is possible the tape was put over her eyes or somewhere else, and then moved by her and/or the fire chief.

See autopsy report at: http://www.thezodiacmansonconnection.com/autop_bennallack.html

Victim: Nancy Bennallack
Location: Sacramento County
Date of Occurrence: October 25, 1970

Synopsis:

Nancy Bennallack was a 27 year old court reporter in Sacramento County. Nancy lived alone in an upstairs apartment at Arden Way and Bell Avenue. Nancy was last seen alive by her fiancé on 10-25-1970 at approximately 11:30p.m. When Nancy did not show up for work the following morning, Nancy's co-worker telephoned her son to check on Nancy. The friend's son went to the apartment manager for assistance and he used a pass key to unlock the front door. Nancy was found murdered in her apartment.


Victim: Judith Hakari
Location: Sacramento County
Date of Occurrence: March 7, 1970

Synopsis:

Judith Hakari was a 23 year old nurse at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento. Judith was last seen leaving work on March 7, 1970 at 11:30p.m. Judith never made it to her apartment. Her vehicle was found in her apartment complex parking lot at Alta Arden and Markston Way. It is believed she was abducted from the parking lot. On April 25, 1970 Judith's body was discovered by hikers in a shallow grave in a rural area near Weimar in Placer County approximately 40 miles from her residence. Judith was murdered and her body left in this remote area.

THE ZODIAC KILLER WAS CONSIDERED A SUSPECT IN THESE TWO SACRAMENTO MURDERS, AND IN THE POSSIBLY RELATED CASE OF NURSE DONNA LASS, KILLED NEAR LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA, ABOUT TWO HOURS DRIVE EAST OF SACRAMENTO.


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 to 35.





Hakari is considered a probable victim of the Zodiac, and police thought her killer also probably murdered Sacramento resident Nancy Bennallack (in a ONS like home invasion attack) and Nevada resident Donna Lass, both also regarded as probable Zodiac victims.

The day after Bennallack was killed, but before it hit the newspapers, the Zodiac sent a Halloween Card to the SF Chronicle claiming a new 14th victim.

And the Zodiac sent in a postcard strongly suggesting he killed Lass.


The one man at the scene of the Riverside campus library the night of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30, 1966, who could not be accounted for or found, was a bearded young man.




Bearded Hakari Suspect





Hilburn was probably killed by Phillip Arthur Thompson, the man recently convicted for the murder of Betty Cloer.

Police at the time thought that one man may have killed Hakari, Bennallack and Donna Lass - South Lake Tahoe is right across the state line from Sacramento, and Lass, like Hakari, was a nurse.

IF Zodiac did do the Hakari and Bennallack murders, that shows he was making a transition from attacks in public places to HOME INVASION attacks in SACRAMENTO. Thus, we see a possible path from Zodiac to EAR/ONS, who did HOME INVASION attacks in SACRAMENTO.

And if Robert Graysmith and Sonoma Sheriff Striepke were right, and Zodiac did at least one or more of the Sonoma murders, well, those murders show an increasing element of sexuality. From none, to bodies found nude and bound, to bodies showing signs of molestation, to bodies showing signs of rape. Once again, showing a possible transition from the mostly asexual Zodiac attacks to the EAR/ONS sexual assaults.


INTERESTING FACT - IN THIS POSSIBLE ZODIAC LETTER OF 12/16/69 THE THREAT IS MADE TO TAKE "GOVERNMENT LIFE" AND "COPS" AS WELL AS KILL 9 IN SACRAMENTO. NANCY BENNALLACK WAS A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE IN SACRAMENTO, SHE WAS A COURT REPORTER. HAKARI AND LASS WERE NURSES, SO BOTH WERE PUBLIC SERVICE, AND I THINK HAKARI WORKED AT A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL. LATER ZODIAC WOULD HINT THAT HE KILLED SFPD OFFICER RICHARD RADETICH IN JUNE 1970.

THE SUSPECT DESCRIPTION IN THE BENNALLACK MURDER WAS A "GLEN CAMPBELL HAIRCUT". AND IT APPEARS THE BEARDED HAKARI SUSPECT ALSO HAD A "GLEN CAMPBELL HAIRCUT". WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? LETS LOOK AT SOME MIRROR IMAGE PICTURES OF GLEN CAMPBELL AT THE TIME. HE HAD A LARGE PARTED WAVE THAT CAME DOWN OVER HIS FOREHEAD ALMOST TO HIS EYES AT TIMES.




Glen Campbell With Beard

Two engaged and set to be married with a couple of months, and one (very) newlywed. That I find curious.

tahoe27 wrote:

Two engaged and set to be married with a couple of months, and one (very) newlywed. That I find curious.

Were their engagements mentioned in the newspaper?? Perhaps the killer targeted them?
Tom Hanks was in a low bdget B- Horror movie from the early 80's called HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE, in which a serial killer targeted women who were just recently engaged.

tahoe27 wrote:

Two engaged and set to be married with a couple of months, and one (very) newlywed. That I find curious.

Yes, and I think Hakari and Bennallack lived with a few blocks of each other. Less than 1 mile apart.

Both engaged to be married. And a similar look to them, hairstyle, and each a career girl - legal secretary-court reporter and nurse.

I found another murder that is probably connected to the Bennallack, Hakari and Hilburn murders. The articles say there were six murders in a 19 month period in Sacramento and that this victim would have been the sixth and youngest. This would account for four victims, I wonder who the other two were??? I could not find that this murder had been solved although that's a possibility.

Great work Seagull! Thanks for posting this.

It seems she was killed in or around October 19 to 23, 1971? That is almost the one year anniversary of the Bennallack murder in Sacramento and about the one year anniversary of the Zodiac Halloween Card. Am I right on that?

Also interesting that she was found in or near the Army Reserve center that had been fire bombed.

And the Zodiac sign necklace that was not her birth sign. Torn off from the killer? Or planted to seem as if it had been? A Zodiac sign as a clue to the Zodiac Killer? Or a simple explanation? Maybe that sign was of her boyfriend, best friend? Or she just liked the symbol?

Yes AK, Theresa was last seen late Oct. 19 so she would most likely have been killed soon after that date. The previous firebombing and the zodiac necklace do make this murder intriguing.

These were the only two articles I could find on this murder.

Amazing how this stuff seems to keep popping up. Good work,now, even more to think about

I guess I was a little premature. The murder of Theresa Redifer seems to have been solved.



I checked to see if Allen had actually been convicted and couldn't find any articles on that. I did go to the California State Prison website and found he is still incarcerated. Kind of surprising as the sentencing laws were very liberal in California in the '70's.



Name..................CDCR #..Age..Admission Date...Current Location.Map Link
ALLEN, WILMER..B41603...62....05/19/1972.........Solano...............Directions
Page 1 of 1

http://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/default.aspx

What do you guys think of Phillip Arthur Thompson? He was convicted of killing Betty Cloer, alleged Z victim and possibly related to the other Sacremento slayings. He's been discussed on ZK, but I didn't see anything about him here.

edit: ah, I see you did mention him Wilks. Interesting character.

Yes PAT was convicted on Cloer and I like him for Hilburn based on M.. It seems like they got the right man with Allen but I would like to know if there was physical evidence and if his DOB matches the Zodiac symbol necklace.

There was a Wilmer Allen born in Butte County CA Nov. 24, 1949. He matches up with the age and it's probably him so the Zodiac necklace would his sign.

Duckking, I think that PAT is probably good for more murders than he has been convicted of. He grew up in Sonoma County with his mother and step-father. Wish I knew where he was during the time of the Santa Rosa murders.

I would be surprised if Allen was still in prison for that 1971 rape/murder.

He could have been released at some point just to offend again.

Good work everyone - this is all very interesting.

I found this article about Nancy Bennallack's murder in the Chronicle. It appeared the day after the Halloween Card was postmarked. In the past Bruce3 (Howard Davis) has said that the brother of the man that Nancy was engaged to was the prime suspect in her murder. This article names the man Nancy was to marry.

There were a few SALAMY's in Vallejo. Any related to her Fiance?

I do not know Morf. I'm trying to figure out the brother's first name. I did find information on the fiancee at the CA Bar Asso. website. He was quite a bit older than Nancy.

Farris Najeeb Salamy - #26622
Current Status: Inactive
This member is inactive, but is eligible to become active.

See below for more details.

Profile Information
The following information is from the official records of The State Bar of California.

Bar Number: 26622
Address: 6601 Fordham Way
Sacramento, CA 95831 Phone Number: (916) 428-1229
Fax Number: Not Available
e-mail: Not Available
County: Sacramento
Undergraduate School: California St Univ Sacramento; CA
District: District 3
Sections: None Law School: UC Berkeley SOL Boalt Hall; Berkeley CA

Status History
Effective Date Status Change
Present Inactive
1/1/1995 Inactive
12/21/1955 Admitted to The State Bar of California

Explanation of member status

Actions Affecting Eligibility to Practice Law
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Overview of the attorney discipline system.

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This member has no public record of administrative actions.

morf13 wrote:

There were a few SALAMY's in Vallejo. Any related to her Fiance?

Yes, it appears so. Scott G. Salamy is Farris's son. He was born in 1958 in Sacramento.

I've determined that Farris's brother is named Phillip J Salamy. Both of these men are still alive BTW, if you want to edit....

Seagull wrote:

morf13 wrote:

There were a few SALAMY's in Vallejo. Any related to her Fiance?

Yes, it appears so. Scott G. Salamy is Farris's son. He was born in 1958 in Sacramento.

I've determined that Farris's brother is named Phillip J Salamy. Both of these men are still alive BTW, if you want to edit....

Wow,thats interesting. No need to edit, nobody is accusing them of anything

[quote="AK Wilks"]Nurse Judith Hakari is considered a possible victim of the Zodiac, and police thought her killer also probably murdered fellow Sacramento resident Nancy Bennallack (in a ONS like home invasion attack) and Nevada resident and nurse Donna Lass, both also regarded as probable Zodiac victims.

The day after Bennallack was killed, but before it hit the newspapers, the Zodiac sent a Halloween Card to the SF Chronicle claiming a new 14th victim.

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 and 30 years old.

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 to 35.



LEFT: Bennallack suspect sketch RIGHT: Lake Berryessa suspect sketch "Napa Composite"

Thanks for the bump AK.

Here is how the three girls described the man. (I don't think that one on the right does their description justice)

Dark/black straight hair, parted on the left, neatly combed, round eyes, thin lips...

http://www.zodiackiller.com/LBReport10.html

***

--I read back, but didn't read anything about possible vehicles sited. Were there any?

1966 Chevy two door silver or ice blue.

Thought this might provide more detail.

I think that Tahoe was asking about any vehicles that might have been sighted at the Sacramento murders.