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𝕯𝖝𝕯 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 · beautyiseverything
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Suspects:
1. Arthur Leigh Allen
Arthur Leigh Allen was an American sex offender who is a suspect in the Zodiac Killer series of killings. Allen became a suspect in 1971 when Don Cheney reported him to the police. Cheney was Allen's friend. Cheney met Allen in 1962 and became friends later in 1968. According to Allen, in a visit between Cheney and Allen between 1968 and 1969, Allen confessed to his desire to kill couples at lovers' lanes. Cheney said that Allen would use a gun with a flashlight attached to the barrel, like the Zodiac Killer. He also claimed that he would write letters to police under the name ‘Zodiac’. People said Cheney never visited Allen again after the conversation. Cheney was interviewed by San Francisco Police Department inspector Bill Armstrong. Police investigated Allen in 1971. Arthur Leigh Allen was never charged with being the Zodiac Killer primarily due to a lack of sufficient forensic evidence directly linking him to the crimes. While he was considered a prime suspect and the only one publicly named by authorities, neither DNA nor fingerprints found at the crime scenes matched Allen's. Additionally, handwriting experts ruled out his handwriting as being that of the Zodiac's, and a partial DNA profile developed later did not match him.
Toschi's daughter stated that her father had always thought Allen was the Zodiac, but that police did not have the evidence to prove it. Actor Mark Ruffalo, who portrayed Toschi in the 2007 film about the Zodiac, commented: If you get into who these cops were, you realize how they have to take their hunches, their personal beliefs, out of it. Dave Toschi said to me, 'As soon as that guy walked in the door, I knew it was him.' He was sure he had him, but he never had a solid piece of evidence. So he had to keep investigating every other lead.
On October 6, 1969, Allen was interviewed by Detective John Lynch of the Vallejo Police Department. Allen had been reported in the vicinity of the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27. He told Lynch that he had been scuba diving at Salt Point State Park that day. Graysmith reports that a Vallejo police officer pulled Allen over for speeding and noticed a bloody knife in his car on the day of the attack. Allen dismissed it, saying, "I used that to kill a couple of chickens."
In 1971, Allen's former friend, Donald Cheney, reported to Manhattan Beach police that Allen had spoken of his desire to kill people, used the name Zodiac and secured a flashlight to a firearm for visibility at night. Cheney said this conversation occurred no later than January 1, 1969.
On August 16, 1991, Michael Mageau identified Allen from a photo lineup of 1968 driver's licenses as the man who shot him in 1969, saying, "That's him! It's the man who shot me!" In contrast, police officer Donald Fouke, who (with officer Eric Zelms) possibly saw the Zodiac fleeing the Paul Stine murder scene, said in the 2007 documentary His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen that Allen weighed about 100 pounds more than the man Fouke saw, and that Allen's face was "too round". Allen and the Zodiac did, however, both wear shoes sized 10.5. Nancy Slover, the police dispatcher who received the call from the Zodiac after the Mageau-Ferrin shooting, said in the documentary that Allen did not sound like the man with whom she spoke. Allen also owned and wore a Zodiac Watch, a brand that uses a logo similar to the killer's symbol.
2. Gary Francis Poste
n 2021, the Case Breakers, an independent group made up of around forty "former law enforcement officials, academics, journalists, and former military intelligence workers", claimed they had identified Gary Francis Poste, a man who died in 2018, as both the Zodiac and the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates. The FBI stated that the case remained open and that there was "no new information to report". Local law enforcement expressed skepticism regarding the team's findings. Riverside investigator Ryan Railsback said the Case Breakers' claims largely relied on circumstantial evidence. Rumors about Poste as a suspect had been investigated by the SFPD in 2017. They visited his jail, but declined to say if they interviewed him. In 2023, the Case Breakers claimed an FBI whistleblower told them the bureau had considered Poste a suspect since 2016.
Poste was a veteran of the United States Air Force. He had a history of violence; he pushed his wife into a wall, breaking her pelvis, and a male relative claimed Poste tried to attack him with a hammer. Poste allegedly had a group of young male followers who he trained to be "killing machines", and who often attacked animals. One piece of evidence used by the Case Breakers involved forehead scars that were supposedly present on both Poste and the Zodiac. Tom Voigt called the claims "bullshit", noting that no witnesses in the case described the Zodiac as having forehead scars. The Case Breakers also said that the Zodiac and Poste had the same shoe size, and claimed that DNA from the Bates murder would match Poste's.
Poste had been investigated as a suspect in the Zodiac case since at least 2014 by television news anchor Dale Julin. Julin filed affidavits in court that stated he interviewed Poste in 2017, and Poste admitted to being the Zodiac. The Union Democrat newspaper found the information in the affidavits to be unverifiable. Julin also claimed he used supposed anagrams found in the Zodiac's letters to find a tree where Poste, as the Zodiac, hanged alleged victim Donna Lass. Julin's solution for the codes contained Poste's name and gave the coordinates of a specific pine tree in a section of a campground in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. The tree in question had been gouged at the base. The Case Breakers partially based their research on Julin's book on the subject, Catching Zodiac, which was released in 2024.
3. Earl Van Best Jr.
In 2014, Gary Stewart and Susan Mustafa published a book, The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father... and Finding the Zodiac Killer, in which Stewart claimed his search for his biological father, Earl Van Best Jr., led him to conclude Van Best was the Zodiac. Stewart based his theory on circumstantial evidence, including a composite sketch resembling Van Best, partial fingerprint and handwriting matches, encrypted messages in Zodiac letters and partial DNA connections. In 2020, the book was adapted for FX Network as a documentary series. To validate Stewart's claims, the producers enlisted private investigator Zach Fechheimer, who uncovered that Stewart had manipulated a police report and traced Van Best to being present in Europe during the Zodiac's known activities. Additionally, experts discredited the DNA analysis and the handwriting and fingerprint matches. The producers chose to withhold their findings until near the end of the documentary's production to minimize their impact on both the series and Stewart. Six months after production, director Kief Davidson stated that he thought Stewart's father was not the Zodiac, while executive producer Ross Dinerstein remained uncertain about Van Best's potential involvement.
4. Lawrence Kane
In a photo lineup, Kathleen Johns identified Lawrence Kane (also spelled "Lawrence Kaye") as the man who abducted her in 1970. Ferrin's sister Linda identified a photo of Kane as showing a man who had once harassed Ferrin in a restaurant. Fouke said that Kane resembled the man he and Zelms had observed near the Stine murder scene more than any other person. Kane had lived in South Lake Tahoe, California, and worked at the Sahara Tahoe casino when alleged victim Donna Less worked there. He had previously been arrested for voyeurism in 1961 and prowling in 1968, and had been diagnosed with impulse-control disorder after suffering brain injuries in a 1962 accident. Despite these connections, the lack of definitive evidence and the FBI's conclusion that his fingerprints did not match the Zodiac's have led most investigators and online forums to conclude that he is not the Zodiac Killer, says ZodiacKillerFacts.com. He is seen more as a suspect in the disappearance of Donna Lass and possibly involved in other crimes, but not the Zodiac Killer.
5. Richard Gaikowski
At the time of the Zodiac murders, Richard Gaikowski was a reporter and editor for the counterculture tabloids Good Times and the Martinez Morning News Gazette. Gaikowski had moved to the Bay Area in 1963. In 1971, he was involuntarily committed to Napa State Mental Hospital and diagnosed with a mental illness. He was later released in late 1973, operated a movie theater, and died in 2004. Gaikowski is Tom Voigt's top suspect. Gaikowski's appearance resembled the Stine composite sketch, and the word "Gyke" also appears in the Zodiac cipher that claimed to contain his identity. When he was working for the Gazette, Gaikowski was minutes away from two Zodiac murder scenes.
6. Richard Marshall
Richard Marshall was a ham radio operator and movie projectionist who lived in Riverside at the time of the Bates murder and in San Francisco close to the scene of the Stine murder. Visitors to his home found him "peculiar", and he often mentioned finding "something much more exciting than sex." Marshall liked the movie The Red Phantom, which is the phrase a possible Zodiac letter used. Marshall also lived in a basement apartment, which the Zodiac mentioned. Like the Zodiac, he owned felt-tip pens and "odd-sized" paper, and the two used a similar typewriter and teletype. In 1989, Marshall acknowledged that similarities existed but denied being the Zodiac. Narlow said that "Marshall makes good reading but [is] not a very good suspect in my estimation." Marshall died in 2008.
7. Paul Doerr
Paul Doerr is a name that has surfaced in discussions surrounding the Zodiac Killer case. Author Jarett Kobek in his book "How to Find Zodiac" proposed Doerr as a potential suspect, citing circumstantial evidence such as Doerr's residence in Vallejo (where the first murders occurred), his age (42 in 1969), height, and writings that contained parallels to the Zodiac's communications. While no definitive link has been established, Doerr's case remains a notable theory among those exploring the unsolved mystery.
Doerr lived in Vallejo, where the Zodiac's first attacks took place, and his age and height in 1969 matched descriptions of the Zodiac. Doerr was an active fanzine publisher and letter-writer, and some of his writings contained themes similar to those in the Zodiac's letters. Doerr worked at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, which could have provided him with knowledge relevant to the Zodiac's communications and possibly his choice of victims. Despite the intriguing connections, there's no concrete evidence definitively linking Doerr to the Zodiac killings.
8. Ross Sullivan
Ross Sullivan is a former library assistant at Riverside City College who became a person of interest in the Zodiac Killer case due to his potential connection to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates and his unsettling behavior. Some investigators and amateur sleuths believe he fits the profile of the Zodiac Killer based on his physical description, disappearance after the Bates murder, and connections to the Riverside area. Sullivan disappeared for several days following the Bates murder, which raised suspicion among his colleagues. Some believe his poetry and cryptographic studies show a possible connection to the Zodiac's communication style. However, there is no definitive evidence linking him to the Zodiac crimes. Some speculate that his height and weight, based on his Selective Service registration, are consistent with witness descriptions of the Zodiac Killer. Sullivan had moved to Northern California in 1967 and was hospitalized multiple times for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Sullivan died in 1977.
Potentially related serial killers:
1. Astrological killers
The "Astrological Murders" were committed by a suspected serial killer who was also active in the same region of California and around the same time as the Zodiac. Police across multiple jurisdictions made a tentative connection between a single culprit and at least a dozen unsolved homicides that occurred between the late 1960s and early 1970s. All of the victims were female and were killed in a variety of ways, including strangulation, drowning, throat-cutting and bludgeoning, occasionally after being drugged. The killings were linked because victims were dumped in ravines and killed in conjunction with astrological events, such as the winter solstice, equinox and Friday the 13th.
2. Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders
The Zodiac was also suspected of being the perpetrator behind the "Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders". Between 1972 and 1973, at least seven female hitchhikers were murdered in Sonoma County and Santa Rosa. In the Zodiac's January 29, 1974 "Exorcist letter" to the Chronicle, he claims thirty-seven victims. A symbol in that letter matched Chinese characters on a soy barrel carried by one of the Santa Rosa victims. The Zodiac had warned he would vary his modus operandi in a previous letter, "when I comitt [sic] my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, + a few fake accidents, etc."
One of the main Zodiac suspects, Arthur Leigh Allen, was also suspected of being the Santa Rosa killer.
Theories:
1. Multiple perpetrators theory
Some theories propose that the Zodiac Killer was not a single individual, but rather a group of people.
2. The hoax theory
This theory suggests the Zodiac letters and ciphers were part of a hoax, rather than a genuine killer's communications, but this is largely dismissed by investigators.
3. Donald Lee Cheney framing theory
This theory states that Arthur Leigh Allen's friend Donald ''Dick'' Cheney was actually the real Zodiac Killer who tried to frame the already infamous Arthur Leigh Allen for the Zodiac killings in order to evade capture and suspicion from law enforcement.
4. Ted Cruz theory
he Ted Cruz–Zodiac Killer meme is an Internet meme which originated in 2013 and gained popularity in 2015. The meme is a satirical conspiracy theory which posits United States senator Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer.
5. Db cooper is the Zodiac Killer
Quite unrealistic considering their profiles are different. While both cases remain unsolved and have captured public fascination, there's no evidence to support the claim that they are the same individual. Cooper's motive was financial gain. The Zodiac's motive remains unclear, but it was likely related to a desire for notoriety and control. Cooper was described as a "gentleman thief," while the Zodiac was a cruel and sadistic killer.
6. Ted Kaczynski is the Zodiac Killer
Ted or Theodore Kaczynski is mainly a suspect of being the Zodiac Killer because of three things: living in San Francisco around the time of the murders, writing letters after committing crimes and his experience with explosives. Kaczynski was ruled out by both the FBI and SFPD based on fingerprint and handwriting comparisons, and by his absence from California on certain dates of known Zodiac activity. Kaczynski's motivations were also different from the Zodiac's. Kaczynski's motivations were purely political while the Zodiac's motives were purely sadistic.
But what do you think?
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