!CRIME!TIME!

!CRIME!TIME! November

The Zodiac Killer: murders through the newspapers

“Dear Editor: I am the killer of the 2 teenagers last Christmas at Lake Herman,”

  The Zodiac Killer, whose identity remains a mystery, claimed to murder more than 37 victims between 1969 and 1974. Despite many theories and intense investigations to capture the perpetrator of multiple brutal, unmotivated murders, the puzzles left by the Zodiac Killer have never been solved.

The first confirmed murder by the Zodiac claimed the lives of 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Jensen. Their bodies were found near their car on Lake Herman Road- on the outskirts of Vallejo, California. They were shot to death- with no explainable motive. The only hint as to who committed the crime was submitted in a letter be printed in the paper. The letter contained horrific details that only the killer could have known. Threats of further attacks forced the publication of the killer’s letter. 

 Another letter was published each time a murder was committed. The letters the Zodiac Killer submitted also consisted of a circle with a cross through it. This became the Zodiac’s notorious calling card. The Letters also were accompanied by one part of a three-part cipher that he claimed revealed his identity. 

The Zodiac killer frequently taunted the Bay Area police who were unable to find him or crack his code. Additionally, he often joked about shooting the tire of a school bus and, “pick[ing] off the kiddies as they came bouncing out.” The Zodiac explained his reasoning for this thinking, he wrote, “I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all.”

     In some of his last letters, the Zodiac Killer boasted that he committed several more murders. Law enforcement was infuriated with their inability to identify the Zodiac. The murders and letters continued until they abruptly stopped in 1974. However, the investigation continues to this day.