alphabet murders

The Zodiac both intentionally and unintentionally revealed a great deal about himself. 

Although largely self-taught, he is erudite and has an abiding interest in Greek myths and legends. He is particularly attracted to myths about Helios, possibly because of Helios’ connection with the island of Rhodes.

The Zodiac is widely read, and the books referenced in his writings and puzzles include Apulius’ The Golden Ass, Poe’s Masque of the Red Death, Frazer’s The Golden Bough, Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders.

He was a fan of whodunnits such as Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) and Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1938). The Zodiac also referenced Red Ryder and Tim Holt in his writings, although this may be down to comic books rather than films. Batman, the television series, provided the template for his criminal activities. 

Additionally, the Zodiac writings reference a character from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado. The character alluded to is Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner of Titipu. 

The Zodiac’s hints and clues show that he was a sailor in the American Navy. He was probably a thirty-year veteran when he retired in 1971. After leaving the Navy, he used his pension to travel across America, pursuing his goal of becoming America’s most prolific serial killer.

He probably joined the Navy shortly after his seventeenth birthday and just before the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Because Fred Harman purchased the Red Ryder Ranch in July 1941, and the Zodiac references the ranch when referring to himself, July 1941 may be the date of his initial enlistment. Moreover, this would be consistent with a thirty-year retirement date about halfway through 1971.

At least one of his parents was born overseas and emigrated to America just before or after the Zodiac was born. He detests religion, suggesting one or both of his parents were intensely religious. Given that many of his references suggest a youth spent in the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains, it’s highly likely one or both of his parents were Scotch-Irish Protestants who left Ireland during or after the Anglo-Irish War or the civil war that followed. Moreover, the Zodiac’s crossed circle symbol can represent a crude Celtic cross. 

The Zodiac served on capital ships while in the American Navy. He aimed his ship’s big guns using radar. The Navy beached him around 1966, and he probably became an instructor at the Navy’s Treasure Island facility. Although he was a radar operator, he was brilliant and quickly mastered anything that caught his fancy. 

Because his bus bomb schematic contains so many basic errors, it indicates that its author knew what he was doing and deliberately designed an unworkable device. For a start, the light source should be infrared, not visible light. The switching and detonation functions should be on separate circuits connected via a relay or photocoupler. The light source and the detector/switch should be on separate circuits on opposite sides of the road. Too many detonators on parallel lines may stop them from receiving enough current to function correctly.

The Zodiac’s goal was to be America’s most prolific serial killer. But he did not intend to kill every one of his victims personally. A small gang consisting of the Zodiac and two others carried out the Zodiac Killings in and around San Francisco. Indeed, the Zodiac’s deputy committed the first two Zodiac murders on Lake Herman Road. Similarly, the deputy – and not the Zodiac – killed Paul Stine. Consequently, the wanted posters in Post Offices throughout America contain the likeness of the second Zodiac Gang member, not the Zodiac himself. He did conduct the Lake Berryessa attack, so the suspiciously-acting person described by eyewitnesses could be the Zodiac.

The Zodiac may have tapped into an underground network of paedophiles and sex offenders, using the network to obtain the resources to commit his crimes. Possibly, this is how he met Arthur Allen and George Hodel. 

He and his various assistants killed at least 150 to 200 people over his career. The first Zodiac killing occurred on 20 December 1968, the 80th anniversary of the death of Rose Mylett, the last Jack the Ripper victim in 1888. By the end of 1973, just over five years after commencing his killing spree, he had attacked 37 victims – 14 Zodiac Killer victims, 14 victims of the  Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Morderer, six killings as the Freeway Phantom and three as the  Alphabet Killer. With thirty-seven victims, he equalled the tally of the Black Dahlia Avenger, i.e. 20 victims in Los Angeles in the 1940s, the three Lipstick Murders, the twelve Boston Strangler killings in 1962, the mugging of Armand Robles and the murder of Lucila Lalu in Metro Manila in 1967.

The Zodiac committed two types of murders: his signature serial killings and hitchhiker murders. He killed hitchhikers to increase his number of victims; his signature killings, on the other hand, were designed to show off his abilities and win notoriety. By their nature, his signature killings took far longer to plan and execute than the relatively straightforward hitchhiker murders.

The zodiac began his career in 1968 and retired in 1986. The last of the Zodiac’s serial killings was as the Honolulu Strangler. He emerged from retirement to accompany his apprentice, the I-70 Killer, on road trips between 1992 and 1994. The I-70 Killer’s 1992 murder spree lasted 29 days. The Zodiac may have killed Mary Glasscock in Fort Worth in 1993, as there are only eight I-70 attacks, and her murder isn’t one of them. If the Zodiac did target her, he picked her because of her name.

But who was he, and how did we catch him? Sadly, it is too late to bring him to justice, but we may be able to identify him. In 1986, he tried to convince the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, to take his place and continue his legacy. Because of this approach, DeAngelo can identify him – if he is prepared to talk. Alternatively, the NCIS could provide a shortlist of former radar operators with thirty years of service who retired from the Navy in the first half of 1971.