Sept. 22, 2009)Here's the latest: There's a new Zodiac book to add to your collection. Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel by author Steve Hodel (with Ralph Pezzullo) goes on sale today in bookstores everywhere. Click the yellow Most Evil icon to the right for more info courtesy of Amazon.com. Discussion of the book can be found here.
> Don't miss the premiere of MysteryQuest's one-hour Zodiac show; it airs September 30 at 10 p.m. on History (formerly known as The History Channel).
> Here's the YouTube trailer for a TV project involving Zodiackiller.com:
> If you'd like to help support Zodiackiller.com, please click the "Donate" link below. Any amount is appreciated.
Aug. 10, 2009) Before you check out the free, exclusive, two-hour Zodiac video below, keep in mind that even though I do my best, often I don't have time to formally update Zodiackiller.com each time I receive interesting and valuable Zodiac information. Sometimes it can take me weeks or months to get the news to you, or it can just slip through the cracks and never get published. There is now a way for you to get all the good stuff delivered to your e-mail box immediately. Click here to find out how.
> Exactly five years ago, I filmed my own video of the various Zodiac crime scenes and other relevant locations. While a DVD version is still available to order, click below for the free, exclusive, two-hour ULTIMATE Zodiac video on YouTube:
July 15, 2009) The recent Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting was a blast, and extremely informative to boot. Thanks to all who participated.
> I've written a feature article about the events of the last year or so in the Zodiac world. Click here for "The 13th Sign".
May 14, 2009) About two weeks ago a woman came forward claiming to be the Zodiac killer's daughter. She was the same woman who recently claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of President John F. Kennedy. Obviously her story is nonsense, as none of the witnesses to the Zodiac's crimes ever described him as traveling in a motorcade.
In any event, discussion of these recent events -- along with thousands of other Zodiac-related topics -- can be found at the Zodiackiller.com message board.
> The next Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting is less than two months away. See the Jan. 5, 2009 update below for details.
Jan. 29, 2009) It was exactly 35 years ago that the Zodiac mailed one of his last letters. Today I
updated the Zodiac Letters page to include two new
additions. (Thanks to Howard Davis.)
Jan. 5, 2009) The Zodiackiller.com
task-force meeting at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco might be history, but please
enjoy the video at the bottom of this update of the subsequent Zodiac bus tour that 50 of
us enjoyed.
> The next Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting will be held this July 5th (Sunday) at Blue Rock Springs Park
in Vallejo, Calif. That date is the 40th anniversary of the Zodiac's attack of Darlene
Ferrin and Mike Mageau. Fittingly, the section of the park reserved for the event is
called "The Pines" and was the site of the very first task-force meeting back in
2002, as pictured at left. "The Pines" features 22 picnic tables, two BBQs, plus
nearby restrooms, water, and shade. (We will most probably tent a portion in case of
heat/rain.) Best of all, it's free. Beer and wine are permitted. Kids are welcome. After
the recent hectic task-force meeting, we are looking forward to a mellow affair. Mingling!
Discussion! Make your plans to be there. I can't wait! (Starting a new diet tomorrow.) I'd
like to thank the Dahlia for her help.
> I've put together a page of vintage Zodiac television programs that you can either
view online, or save to your computer. Here's a link. Enjoy!
> There's a new Zodiac website to check out. Here's a link to MK-ZODIAC.COM.
Oct. 18, 2008) Welcome, viewers of
TruTV's Haunting Evidence: Zodiac Killer! If you watched the show and are curious
about the man behined "the voice," or if you just want to read about the most
compelling Zodiac suspect to ever come along, click
here.
> Tickets for the upcoming Zodiackiller.com task-force meeting
at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco are now available to order. Click
here for all the details. (Make sure and check out the V.I.P. plan, complete with
bus tour of the Zodiac sites around the Bay Area.)
> For in-depth discussion of all things Zodiac, including exclusive information not
available anywhere else, don't miss the Zodiackiller.com message board.
Sept. 27, 2008) Today is the 39th
anniversary of the Zodiac's attack at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Cal. I've updated the
page of his victims at the lake, Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell, with eight new images.
Sept. 20, 2008) Zodiackiller.com has
scheduled a public task-force meeting in San Francisco and
Vallejo, Cal. The date of the meeting, Dec. 20, 2008, marks the 40th anniversary of the Zodiac mystery. Click here for all the details. Discussion of this historic
event can be found here.
Sept. 6, 2008) After more than 30
years of scrutiny, Rick Marshall has finally
been dismissed as a Zodiac suspect...and Zodiackiller.com played a huge part.
Here's how it went down:
It all started a couple of months ago when I received a phone tip (415 267-4818) from a
woman who worked at a care facility in the Sacramento (Cal.) area. She told me that
Marshall was a patient where she worked, and that he had spoken about the Zodiac case. She
found him to be extremely suspicious and was not sure what to do. Thinking Marshall might
finally be ready to talk due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, I contacted my
sources at the Napa County Sheriff's Dept., the agency that originally investigated
Marshall back in the 1970s. Two detectives made the trek to Sacramento and spent a
significant amount of time interviewing Marshall. I have yet to find if DNA testing was
involved, but whatever data was gleened was enough for investigators to finally dismiss
Marshall as a viable Zodiac suspect after more than three decades.
I'm hopeful to have an official statement in the next few days. A big thanks to those of
you who have supported this website and helped make this
possible!
> Is missing nurse Donna Lass a Zodiac victim? Many think so. Today is the 38th
anniversary of her disappearance and here is a big update.
(For more Lass info, check out TheZodiacMansonConnection.com.)
Aug. 15, 2008) On Monday I will be
departing for the San Francisco Bay Area for seven days of Zodiac research. My focus will
be on obtaining information about Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski. The
results of my search, including relevant pictures, documents, handwriting samples, etc.,
will be posted as quickly as possible and available exclusively to registered users at the
Zodiackiller.com message board.
If you aren't yet registered, please note that a PayPal donation (whatever you consider
fair) is necessary before your account will be activated. An explanation of this
requirement can be found here.
> The Biography Channel recently added an excellent feature to their website. Check out
Notorious
for the Zodiac case and hundreds of others.
June 28, 2008) As amazing new
information continues to pour in about Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski (see
the March 26, 2008 update below), a new Zodiac copycat
has apparently emerged in North Carolina.
> Howard "Buzz" Gordon, who dated Zodiac victim Darlene Ferrin in the months
before her murder, recently passed away from natural causes. At the time Gordon dated
Ferrin, he worked for the Solano County Sheriff's Dept. and was eventually a suspect in
her murder. Here's a link to notes from a 1991 interview
with Gordon.
Click here for a look at a suspicious letter Cheney
sent me several years ago. To order the two-disc director's cut of Zodiac featuring
the Allen documentary, click the image directly below this update.
> There's no coverage of the Zodiac case, but I still wanted to plug an excellent new
site out of Oklahoma City, Okla. that is dedicated to solving the cold cases in its area.
Here's a link to coldcaseokc.com.
Dec. 12, 2007) My library of
Zodiac-related video has grown quite large over the years, and some is extremely rare. One
such rarity is a campy (but very good) production from around 1979 called Zodiac: Sign
Of Death. At just under 10 minutes in length, Zodiac: Sign Of Death is packed
with excellent footage and a funky 70s soundtrack. My favorite part is the voice of
Zodiac; it's the same actor who was the voice of the computer "HAL" in the
classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Click the numbered links below to listen to select MP3 clips of Zodiac: Sign Of Death.
Dec. 1, 2007) A newspaper based in
the United Kingdom recently published a story claiming mega-celeb Britney Spears is a
regular user of this website. Could it be true? I'll never tell. (I make it a habit not to
reveal the identities of site users who prefer to remain anonymous.) Click here to read the story.
Nov. 7, 2007) While I prefer to make
all Zodiac-related information free for users to access, sometimes financial issues make
it necessary for me to offer certain information for sale only. However, I believe the
Zodiac case benefits greatly when people are more informed. That's more rewarding to me
than the occasional Internet sale. Therefore, the Zodiac FBI Files, Historical Newspaper
Archive and High-Resolution Zodiac Letters -- three items that were previously available
for purchase only -- are now free to download. Click the links below:
Sept. 26, 2007) It took hours of
work, but 30 high-resolution images are finally available to view
of top Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen's 1966-1968 personnel file. Several years ago I
obtained the file from the Calaveras County (Calif.) Unified School District where Allen
had worked as an elementary teacher. Within the file are many handwriting samples,
including his two-page job application. If Allen was the Zodiac, the file might contain
important clues.
Sept. 12, 2007) Recently I learned
that Zodiac victim Paul Stine was allegedly hired as a
reporter by the San Francisco Chronicle shortly before his murder.
If that information is true, Stine -- who worked as a reporter for his high school
newspaper and was an English major at San Francisco State -- was just days away from
beginning his new job at the very newspaper Zodiac chose to write a vast majority of his
letters.
The potential implications are staggering. However, it's extremely important that I verify
this information as best I can.
If Stine was indeed telling others that he was a reporter for the San Francisco newspaper
(even if he was simply exaggerating), it stands to reason that Zodiac may actually have
known him and perhaps even targeted him for that specific reason.
If you knew Paul Stine or anyone in his family, circle of friends, classmates, fellow
employees, etc, please click here to contact me. You may remain
anonymous.
July 21, 2007) In just a few days,
David Fincher's Zodiac will be available to rent and buy on DVD. While not exactly
a factual portrayal of the Zodiac case, the film is packed with excellent performances.
One of the best was turned in by Robert Downey Jr. in his portrayal of real-life reporter
Paul Avery. (Avery was highly instrumental in the evolution of Zodiackiller.com.) In Zodiac,
Downey Jr.'s character displays mostly annoyance toward the case. However, the real Paul
Avery was very much involved in the Zodiac investigation. Here's
a case report Avery prepared for the police back in 1971.
April 2, 2007) In the last few
weeks, an incredible amount of tantalizing information has been collected about the person
of interest ("Sam") this website developed in connection to the
recently-discovered Eureka card. Several weeks ago I e-mailed a certain police department
and asked if it would be interested in seeing the information compiled about
"Sam." I have yet to receive a response. Quite unfortunate. In my opinion,
"Sam" has surpassed Arthur Leigh Allen in terms of interesting Zodiac-related
coincidences/circumstances.
It's now plainly obvious to me that before I again attempt to approach a law-enforcement
agency about "Sam," I will need to have all of the bases covered so that
"Sam" can't simply be ignored. Most likely a trip back to California will be
necessary in order to accomplish all of the needed intimate background research and
collecting of handwriting samples, as well as for me to approach "Sam" in person
(along with a retired homicide detective).
> As expected, March 2007 was the busiest month in the history of Zodiackiller.com, as
the March 2 release of David Fincher's film Zodiac helped boost my hits to a total
of almost 30 million. Therefore, I almost feel guilty that Zodiac was such a total
bomb at the box office. Of course, had the film spent more time on the Zodiac's victims,
as well as the other aspects of the case that people actually find interesting, I
have a feeling things would have turned out much differently for the film.
March 13, 2007) This morning at 9
o'clock (Pacific Time) I'll be a guest on Eureka (Cal.) Radio Station KSLG-FM to discuss
the possible 1990 Zodiac correspondence (see the Feb. 25, 2007 update below). UPDATE: Click here for an MP3 file of the show (approx. 30 min. | 28 MB).
For much more on the Eureka card, including high-resolution scans, visit the all-new
Zodiackiller.com message board.
> The 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting was a huge success, as everyone who
attended seemed to have a great time. David Van Nuys did an excellent job of hosting the
event. Guest speakers Howard Davis, Nancy Slover and Bill Baker were terriffic. And of
course, John Mikulenka's Hunting
The Zodiac documentary definitely lived up to the high expectations. Audio of
the event can be downloaded here.
> For those of you who have ordered the "Ultimate" Zodiac
DVD, thanks for your patience as I get caught up. I hope to have all orders
shipped by later this week.
> Thanks primarily to the heavy marketing campaign for the David Fincher movie Zodiac,
so far this month Zodiackiller.com has already received more than 16 million hits! If
you'd like to inquire about advertising opportunities, please contact
me.
Feb. 25, 2007) In the last week, the
San Francisco Chronicle discovered an envelope in its library of Zodiac materials.
Inside the envelope was a greeting card. Apparently its importance had never been
recognized, or it was thought to be a hoax.
A few days ago I was shown images of the envelope and card to help determine authenticity.
I believe it is authentic. (I promised I wouldn't publish any images until they
appear in the Chronicle.)
The Chronicle is busy preparing a huge story about this amazing and important
development. Keep an eye on its website, SFGate.com, for the latest.
The date of the postmark left me in a state of shock.
> There's an all-new Zodiackiller.com message board. Click here to check it out.
> I'm departing for San Francisco this evening and won't be back for more than a week.
During that time, I'll be extremely busy preparing for the upcoming Zodiackiller.com
Task-Force Meeting (see the Feb. 14, 2007 update below for details) and I may not have the
opportunity to update this site with new information. Therefore I suggest keeping an eye
on the new message board, as the board moderators will post when I'm not able to. (I'll
still be checking my e-mail several times a day.)
Feb. 14, 2007) A huge update this
time, so make sure you scroll down for everything.
First and foremost, I'm deeply saddened to report the passing of retired San Francisco
Police Dept. Inspector Michael Maloney, who died of a sudden heart problem this past
weekend. Maloney was a
great guy and a big friend of this website. Just last week he e-mailed me and was very
excited about attending the upcoming 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting (see below).
In the few years preceding his 2004 retirement, Maloney had a big involvement in the
Zodiac investigation (along with his partner, Inspector Kelly Carroll). Together they gave
renewed attention to the Zodiac case and were involved in the important accomplishment of
securing the Zodiac's DNA profile, which may one day prove the key to solving the case. In
late 2005, Maloney contributed this special report to
Zodiackiller.com.
Meehall, I appreciate your contributions and will miss you. The next pint is on me. (Click
above image to enlarge)
> The 2007 Zodiackiller.com Task-Force Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 3 at
the 4 Star theater in San Francisco. The meeting is open to the public and will run from
noon until 3 p.m., featuring the debut of John Mikulenka's documentary film, Hunting
The Zodiac. (VIEW
TRAILER)
Special guests at the meeting will include Nancy Slover (the police switchboard operator
who spoke to the Zodiac back in 1969), as well as David Van Nuys, the emeritus professor
of psychology at Sonoma State University and co-author of This is the Zodiac Speaking.
> I'm happy to announce that my predictions of another delay were wrong. David
Fincher's Zodiac will definitely be in theaters on Friday, March 2. And early
reviews have been excellent. I'll be there for opening night. (OFFICIAL WEBSITE)
> A new feature has been added to Zodiackiller.com! It's called SHOUTcast and it's my audio blog of all things Zodiac. So far I've only done
one, but more are on the way. Hope you enjoy it.
> I haven't yet seen any ads for it, but apparently FOX's America's Most Wanted
will be devoting an hour to the Zodiac case on Saturday, Feb. 24, beginning at 9 p.m.
(ET/PT).
Reading his recipes, it's interesting to note the intentional misspellings Allen
frequently used, similar to what the Zodiac did. Of particular interest to me was Allen's
habit of frequently spelling "water" as watter (see the Dec. 1, 2006
update below for significance).
> Today is the 38th anniversary of the Zodiac's double murder at Lake Herman Road in
Vallejo, Cal. For those of you who missed it, click here
for my special 2003 update.
Dec. 1, 2006) Most Zodiac buffs are
aware the killer was apparently influenced by movies such as The Most Dangerous Game
and Charlie Chan at Treasure Island. Recently I've learned of two other possible
sources of inspiration --
1)The Astrologer Looks At Murder:
Written by Barbara H. Watters and published in
1969, this book takes an astrological look at several notorious crimes, including those of
Jack the Ripper. The number of possible
connections to the Zodiac killer is quite fascinating: The book was published the same
year the Zodiac debuted; the author's middle name is "Hunt;" her last name
("Watters") is in keeping with the Zodiac's alleged "water
connection;" the author is billed as hailing from "Washington," which is
the name of the street where the Zodiac's San Francisco victim was murdered; the
publishing company (Valhalla) is named after an Old Norse term for "Hall of the
Slain," which is reminiscent of the Zodiac's writings about "slaves in
paradice;" the word "Zodiac" is written in the first sentence of the book;
many of the Zodiac's cipher symbols are included with the book's artwork; the main chapter
mentions the date Sept. 27, which was when the Zodiac attacked a couple at Lake Berryessa;
that same chapter also discusses taunting the police with letters. Buy
this book at Amazon.com
2)Ensign Pulver: A Warner Bros. film
released in 1964 and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Walker Jr., Burl Ives, Larry Hagman
and Jack Nicholson, Ensign Pulver is a comedy about the adventures aboard a Navy
ship during World War II. It's long been assumed the Zodiac killer had an affiliation with
the military, probably the Navy. Aside from that, the other possible connections to the
Zodiac are very interesting: The crew constructs a dummy
to represent the unknown shooter of the ship's despised captain; the dummy is named "The Great Assassin" by the crew and looks
remarkably like the Zodiac did years later in his murder
costume; the film was released on July 31 -- exactly five years prior to the
Zodiac's first letters -- reminiscent of the killer's penchant for being active on
anniversary dates that were significant to him. (Thanks to George L for the Ensign
Pulver tip.) Buy
this video at Amazon.com
> For those of you planning to make purchases via Amazon.com, I've created a one-stop
shopping area that includes not only all available Zodiac books and DVDs, but an excellent
selection of other true-crime cases as well. Here's a link
to check it out. (Zodiackiller.com has an affiliate account with Amazon and gets a small
commission for every purchase made via this site.) For electronics, apparel and other
items, use the Amazon search box above. Thank you for helping support Zodiackiller.com
by using these Amazon links!
Nov. 16, 2006) After much
anticipation, the world finally gets a look at David Fincher's upcoming blockbuster film Zodiac:
Oct. 31, 2006) Today is the 40th
anniversary of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.
-----> Click here for a huge update
Oct. 11, 2006) Add the "Zodiac Shack" to the list of Zodiac-related places
to change drastically in recent times. As seen in this overhead
picture, the shack has been destroyed by fire. Even the barn is gone.
Sept. 27, 2006) On this date in
1969, the Zodiac murdered Cecelia Shepard and
wounded Bryan Hartnell at Lake Berryessa in Napa
County, Calif. For almost 38 years, the crime scene
changed little. However, the last remaining tree recently toppled. Additionally, all
picnic tables and barbecue grills have been removed. The scene is now barren.
> Author Mike Kelleher has launched a
volunteer-oriented website focused on solving cold cases. Check out CaseLocker.com.
> The Lake Berryessa crime scene wasn't the only major Zodiac-related site to recently
face drastic changes. The Vallejo (Calif.) Ace Hardware
store, long-time workplace of Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh
Allen, was torn down just a few days ago.
June 12, 2006) After years of
searching, I've finally found and interviewed Nancy Slover, the former Vallejo Police
Dept. switchboard operator who spoke with the Zodiac early
in the morning of July 5, 1969. Believe it or not, our 90-minute conversation was the
first time Nancy had been interviewed about the Zodiac case in more than 36 years. It was
quite an interesting discussion, to say the least. I'm thrilled she is now willing to go
on record for the first time about her roll in the Zodiac mystery.
Much more info is on the way and will be posted asap. For now, here are a few of the more
interesting details Nancy provided:
*The call was absolutely not recorded by police
*Zodiac's taunting "Goodbye" at the end of the call was very bizarre and
over-the-top
*The operator who patched the call through to the police station was on the line with
Nancy for at least the first few seconds of the call. However, the phone company refused
to cooperate with the police and identify the operator
*At the time of the shooting, Nancy was living on the same street as the male victim
> Last week's Zodiac chat with author Mike
Kelleher went great, as Mike spent a little more than two hours answering
questions from the 60 or so total participants. Hopefully we can schedule another chat in
the near future.
June 1, 2006) Mike Kelleher, author
of This
Is The Zodiac Speaking, will be a special guest in the Zodiackiller.com chat room on Wednesday, June 7 @ 7 p.m. (Pacific Time). For
those of you who can't make it into the room, feel free to send
me your questions/comments for Mike and I'll do my best to pass them along.
In 1999, I had the good fortune to speak with Wilma at length. She provided me with many
vintage newspaper stories about Cecelia's murder, as well as other helpful research
materials.
Wilma outlived her daughter by more than 35 years and never learned the identity of her
killer. I know she wouldn't want us to stop searching now.
April 4, 2006) The Zodiac Movies page has been updated with my reviews of both
the recent theatrical release The Zodiac, as well as last summer's straight-to-dvd Zodiac
Killer.
> Zodiackiller.com received a whopping 3.4 million hits in March 2006, an all-time
record for this site. To inquire about advertising, click here.
> After some technical difficulties, the Zodiackiller.com Info Line is
back in action. If you have any Zodiac-related information to share, call (415) 267-4818.
Meanwhile, here are a few of the more interesting/entertaining calls I've received over
the last year or so, all in MP3 format:
March 17, 2006) Today marks the
first time in 35 years that a film about the Zodiac case is in theaters. (See the Feb. 17,
2006 update below for info about where The Zodiac is
playing. I'll be screening the film shortly and will provide a review.)
*1971 saw the release of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, which was based on the
Zodiac case, although the villain was called Scorpio
*1971 was also the year of the ultra-low budget The Zodiac Killer, which played in
just one theater
Feb. 17, 2006) ShadowMachine Films
has provided its much-anticipated theatrical release date for The
Zodiac: Opening night is March 17, 2006 in these cities/theaters:
*San Francisco Area -- San Francisco (Presidio); Vallejo (Vallejo 14); San Jose (Century
25); Daly City (Daly City 20); Union City (Union City 25)
*Los Angeles (Sunset 5)
*Houston (Greenway Grand 24)
*Dallas (City Place 14)
*Atlanta (Atlantic Station)
Zodiac On TV:
at Blue Rock Springs Park
in Vallejo, Calif. That date is the 40th anniversary of the Zodiac's attack of Darlene
Ferrin and Mike Mageau. Fittingly, the section of the park reserved for the event is
called "The Pines" and was the site of the very first task-force meeting back in
2002, as pictured at left. "The Pines" features 22 picnic tables, two BBQs, plus
nearby restrooms, water, and shade. (We will most probably tent a portion in case of
heat/rain.) Best of all, it's free. Beer and wine are permitted. Kids are welcome. After
the recent hectic task-force meeting, we are looking forward to a mellow affair. Mingling!
Discussion! Make your plans to be there. I can't wait! (Starting a new diet tomorrow.) I'd
like to thank the Dahlia for her help.
Cheney is, afterall, the
man who went to the police back in 1971 because he thought his former friend Arthur Leigh
Allen was the Zodiac.
update
