Following The Signs
written by
The Scorpion
When it comes to diabolical serial killers, a few of them immediately come to mind. Names like Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and the David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) are the he more famous ones. With the exception of Jack the Ripper, the rest of this evil quartet were eventually caught and faced justice. However, there is one that has managed to elude and taunt law enforcement for nearly fifty years. The Zodiac Killer, whose reign of bloody terror spanned from 1968 to 1974, committed seven gruesome murders in the San Francisco Bay area. However, the local authorities believe that he was responsible for another thirty killings. Unfortunately, there is not enough concrete evidence to confirm that he committed the additional murders. The Zodiac Killer got his name from the cryptograms and zodiac symbols that he mailed to the local newspaper (The San Francisco Chronicle) after he committed the murders. The San Francisco Police Department were constantly behind the eight-ball as the Zodiac rained pure hell upon the residents of the Bay Area. The 2007 movie “Zodiac” was based on the real-life accounts of SF Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who became obsessed with solving the Zodiac cryptograms that were mailed into the paper’s headquarters. Many people had wondered how the Zodiac Killer managed to slip through the fingers of the SFPD and other authorities? A couple of victims managed to survive the Zodiac’s random attacks and were able to see his face and provide the SFPD with enough information to create a sketch. However, the local police were unable find any suspects that matched it. In this article, I will give a quick rundown on how the murders went down, Graysmith’s attempts to decode the Zodiac’s message and theories on who I think the Zodiac Killer really is.
The Zodiac Killer began his horrific killing spree on December 20, 1968. His first victim were a couple of teenagers (David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen) in Vallejo, California. The Zodiac shot the two high school students in cold blood while they were in their car. He would use this M.O. to kill many of his victims. On July 5, 1969, the Zodiac struck again and killed another couple in Vallejo. Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau were shot at while they were in the car. Darlene was killed instantly, but somehow Mageau managed to survive his injuries and were able to give a description of the Zodiac. Shortly after the second killing, the Zodiac reached out to Vallejo authorities and took credit for the murders. The Zodiac’s narcissism and thirst for attention grew after he killed another woman (Cecelia Shepard) and severely maimed another (Bryan Hartnell) on September 29, 1969. The Zodiac sadistically switched things up with the third couple by stabbing them repeatedly. Miraculously, Hartnell also managed to survive the deadly encounter. During his testimony, Hartnell stated that the Zodiac attacked them with an executioner’s mask on. The mask had the circle cross emblazoned on the forehead region. This would eventually become his calling card during future murders and would often appear in the letters written to the local media and the SFPD.
Now here’s where things got kinda sketchy when it came to the authorities. On October 11, 1969, in Presidio Heights (a Bay Area suburb) the Zodiac claimed another victim. He shot a cab driver (Paul Stine) in the head while sitting in the rear passenger seat. According to witnesses at the scene, a man fitting the description of the initial Zodiac sketch (a white male, late 30s with a crew cut and glasses) left the cab and somehow managed to walk out of the cab and completely avoided the police, thanks to a BOGUS and unusual tip from an unknown police dispatcher who claimed that the suspect was black. Shocking, I know…but I digress. I will chime in on this peculiar mistaken identity scenario shortly.
After the Darlene Ferrin murder, the Zodiac began to write letters to all the Bay Area media outlets. He bragged about how he enjoyed killing his victims and how ran circles around the SFPD without any fear of being caught. SF Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith, while trying to decipher the Zodiac’s cryptograms theorized that a man by the name of Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac Killer based on the accounts of one of Allen’s close friends. The police eventually got wind of Allen as a potential suspect and paid him a visit. They found a lot of evidence at his residence which was near the area of the first two killings. They found bloody knives and other incriminating items. He eventually got arrested for another unrelated crime. However, I believe that Allen was one of many fall guys who took the rap for the real Zodiac. Other notable Zodiac patsies (Lawrence Kaye and Earl Van Best, Jr) were under the spotlight of law enforcement due to circumstantial evidence. Both men also became suspects mainly because they bore a slight resemblance to the original sketch. After some thorough scrutiny, the police had to let the suspects go because they didn’t have enough evidence to pin the murders on them. The Zodiac Killer officially went dark after he sent his last letter to the SF Chronicle in 1974. However, the million-dollar question remains: Who was the real Zodiac Killer??? I will now present MY theories on who I think was responsible for the Zodiac murders.
After Paul Stine was shot in the cab, and the police dispatcher put out that crazy description of a “black” suspect, I immediately smelled a conspiracy and a massive cover up. I honestly believe (like many other researchers) that the Zodiac was a member of law enforcement. I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “No freakin way! “How is this possible Scorpion?” I want you to think about a few key items for minute. Out of all the confirmed Zodiac killings between 1968-69, you’re telling me that the police couldn’t locate one fingerprint or one shell casing that had prints at any of the crime scenes?? Any police officer worth his salt would know how to cover his tracks in a situation like that. Let’s get back to the Stine killing and analyze how the police conveniently botched the case after it went down.
As I stated in my “Best Criminals” article and my most recent blogs, the police answer to a higher authority. As a matter of fact, I honestly believe that many of them worship the “Morning Star” behind closed doors. The thought of Luciferians infiltrating police departments shouldn’t sound too far-fetched. If you look at the diabolical actions of law enforcement just over the past TWO WEEKS, you’d think that they were possessed by the devil himself. Luciferians are well versed in occultic symbolism since they are not shackled by the fear or stigma of seeking esoteric knowledge. What makes the Zodiac Killer a prime candidate as a rogue cop was his use of cryptograms in his correspondence letters with the media and the boys in blue. The Zodiac letters were so complex that they still haven’t been cracked to this day. There are few articles out there about people finally deciphering the cryptograms. However, it’s highly unlikely that the average joe could crack the Zodiac’s mystical symbols. We may never truly know the identity of the Zodiac Killer, even though we have a very accurate sketch. One thing that I do know is that somebody or something is doing everything in their power to protect the Zodiac. As with all things, we need to follow the signs in order get where we want to go. The Zodiac left plenty of clues. Hopefully someone will be smart and diligent enough translate them so that we can finally uncover the truth and finally bring closure to such a terrifying period in U.S. history.