The Story of the ‘Zodiac Killer’.

The year is 1969, a letter arrived at the San Francisco Examiner newspaper containing a coded message. The sender (who was and still remains unknown), terrorised California during the late 60’s and 70’s with cryptic puzzles and the killing of innocent civilians.

He went onto being known as the “Zodiac Killer”.

 Law-enforcement officials, codebreakers and top-rated criminologists have been baffled by the true identity of the “Zodiac” for five decades.

Zodiac Timeline

June 4th, 1963 (Possible first Zodiac Killing)

 The first murders were of those of Robert Domingos and his fiancé, Linda Edwards. The young couple went sunbathing on a small beach near Gaviota State Park. The next day, Robert’s father was worried that the couple didn’t return the previous night, and so, he went to the beach. When he arrived, he discovered their bodies lying together inside an old shack. The couple were bound with rope, both killed with a .22 calibre weapon. Robert had been shot a total of 11 times, and Linda 9. The killer had dragged their bodies into the shack afterwards where he’d tried to start a fire. Being the first known murders, this wasn’t linked to the Zodiac killer until later, when a connection between the rounds used was made.

December 20th, 1968

As Christmas was rolling in, high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday had their first date. The couple drove up to a lover’s lane spot, where some time after 11pm, passing motorists noticed the bodies of two young adults. Police were called to the scene and found Betty Lou, dead with five bullet holes in her back. David was found next to the vehicle with a bullet wound in his head, he wasn’t dead when the police first arrived, although he passed away from his injuries. The bullets matched the case from 1963 and a connection was made between the murders; this was a serial killing.

July 4th, 1969

Twenty-two-year-old Darlene Ferrin was picked up by her friend, Michael Mageau one night after she’d finished her shift as a waitress. The pair drove up to the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park just before midnight. Sometime after, a vehicle also entered the park, only to leave and then return a few minutes later. The driver got out of the vehicle with a flashlight and shined it at the vehicle. As he approached the vehicle, the pair realised this wasn’t local police. The figure started to fire 9mm shots at the car; one struck Michael in the jaw, shoulder and leg, Darlene was also hit several times which proved fatal.

At 12:40am, the police received an unknown call from a payphone…

“I want to report a murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway, you will find kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9MM Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Goodbye.” 

As the Police arrived, Darlene died at the hospital, but Michael survived.

 27th September, 1969

The next murder was the most well-known witness account from the victims.

College students Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were taking some time out to relax along the shore of Lake Berryessa. They noticed a man watching them, and as he disappeared behind a tree, they saw him reappear wearing a hooded costume with a white crossed circle stitched into the chest. The man was also wearing a pair of sunglasses over the hood and approached with a weapon.

The stranger told them he’d escaped a prison and required their keys, money, and car so he could flee to Mexico. The couple obliged and he bound them with rope.

Bryan tried to get more information out of the man and tried to figure out a motive, but no more information was given.

Out of nowhere, the hooded figure (the zodiac) stabbed Bryan six times in the back as he was lay tied on the floor; he then stabbed Cecelia 10 times as well. The man walked over to Bryans car and used a pen to draw his circular symbol on the door with the dates and times of the previous attacks.

Later that day, a man called the police station and recalled the details of the incident; the zodiac wanted the police to be aware this was his doing; Cecelia died two days later in prison, but Bryan survived the ordeal.

During the late 70’s, the Zodiac killer seemingly vanished, and his last known letter was in 1974 and was signed ‘the red phantom’.

The Zodiac Killer had countless suspects, but none were ever able to be proven as guilty.

The year’s 2022, and the Zodiac’s identity remains UNKNOWN.

 Fear the Unknown; do you believe?