many as 37 people, investigators agree on only seven "canonical" victims
nearly identically written letters
three murders
cryptogram with a total of 408 characters in which, he claimed, was his identity
the Zodiac supplied a thirteen-character cipher that he claimed held his name; it has never been solved.
Michael Mageau, who briefly glimpsed the Zodiac's face after being shot in the face himself, picked Allen out of a police lineup as the man who shot him
he was labeled a sociopath who could beat the machine.
He was also a pedophile, and had lost jobs, alienated friends
with his interest in guns, law enforcement, and the criminal mind, might simply have been interested in the shocking local murder and brought the topic up one night with Cheney.
Allen had asked about how one could disguise one's own handwriting
The individual I saw that night was a white male adult approximately 35 to 45 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches, 180 to 210 lbs.
Medium heavy build -- Barrel chested -- Medium complexion -- Light-colored hair possibly greying in rear
Elastic cuffs and waistband zipped part way up. Brown wool pants pleated type baggy in rear (Rust brown). May have been wearing low cut shoes.
Allen stated that bloody knives found in his car the night of the Lake Berryessa attacks had been used to kill chickens. He volunteered this informationeven though the investigators had not even asked him about the knives at that point.
Allen's fingerprints, DNA, and handwriting did not match to any evidence recovered from the Zodiac crimes.
he Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer active in Northern California in the 1960s and 1970s, was notable not only for his killing spree and mysterious ciphers sent to news
outlets and police, but also for the fact that he got away with the murders, as his identity was never discovered
Arthur Leigh Allen, but his DNA, fingerprints, and handwriting did not match that left behind by the Zodiac Killer.
While the Zodiac Killer claimed responsibility for 37 victims, only seven have been confirmed. All had been young couples except for cab driver Paul Stine,
ingerprints and handwriting did not match that of the Zodiac Killer and he was therefore never charged for the killings.
Jack Tarrance, whose stepson found a black hood resembling that of the Zodiac Killer, as well as undeveloped rolls of film that Tarrance's stepson says contain gruesome photos of the murders. None of the evidence has been substantiated, though the case is still open and active.
The
typewriter was identified as being a Royal model, with either Elite or Pica type.
Allen later hinted it was true, first claiming to
have been "in the area" at the time, then telling people he was in nearby Pomona
when he first heard of the Bates murder.
seized a Royal typewriter with Elite type from the home of
Allen.
At the time Bates was killed, Allen was 32
years old, and his permanent residence was 32 Fresno St. in Vallejo, Calif. (In
1970, Zodiac would create a cipher that contained 32 symbols.)
Allen was
given a Zodiac watch as a Christmas gift from their mother in 1967. (Allen's estimation of
when he received the watch was July or August 1969.)
call himself "Zodiac."
Allen is alleged to
have made these claims to his friend
people would be more challenging to hunt than animals, since they "have
intelligence."
ithin days it was solved and
stated that killing man was "(sic) more fun than killing wild game in the forrest
because man is the most dangeroue anamal of all to kill."
hunting a man "like an animal."
Additionally,
Allen was known to use the same unusual spelling and phrasing as Zodiac later used, such
as spelling "Mery Xmass" instead of Merry Xmas and saying "trigger
mech" instead of trigger mechanism. Allen would intentionally misspell words
to be funny.
"bussy work," which is jargon used by elementary-school
teachers.
Allen wore size 10.5.
On Oct. 13, two days after killing Stine, Zodiac mailed a letter
threatening school children.
Amazingly, the
address Stine was headed when he encountered Zodiac was 500 9th Ave., the Allen
Arms Apartments.)
he might have noticed that the issue date was Oct.
13.
n his basement,
handwritten diagrams for bombs comprised of ammonium nitrate, fertilizer and
gravel. Also found were mail-order catalogs for bombs, guns and booby traps.
The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s
The Zodiac continued to communicate with authorities for the remainder of 1970 via letters and greeting cards to the press. In a letter postmarked April 20, 1970, the Zodiac wrote, "My name is _____", followed by a 13-character cipher.