Possibly one of the most well-known mysterious serial killers besides Jack the ripper, the Zodiac killer refers to an individual whom committed many murders. Numbers are spotty on how many he killed as it ranges from 5 (confirmed) to 28 (possibly) to 37 (claimed by Zodiac). We do know that he killed from 1960-1970, injured 2 people, taunted the police multiple times and got away.
It started on December 20th, 1960 when Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday were shot and killed in their car just inside of Benicia, Californa. The couple had been driving to a school dance but stopped near a friend's house only to be killed.
The second attack would come just before midnight on July 4, 1969. Darline Ferrin and Micheal Mageau drove into Blue Rock Springs Park, four miles from the first killing. A car would drive up besides them before leaving and 10 minutes later park behind him. The driver got out carrying a flashlight and 9mm luger, he approched the two, shined a flashlight in their eyes and shot Mageau in the head. The bullet would pass through and kill Ferrin but leave Mageau wounded. The police would receive a call from a man who claimed to have killed Ferrin,Jensen and Faraday. The police would trace the call to a phone booth three blocks from the police station.
The Killer began to taunt the police sending 3 letters and one encrypted message to newspapers around the areas. Here he would first use "Zodiac" as an alias and would sign the letters with a special "signiture" to show they where genuine.
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Zodiac ' s "signiture"
The coded letter was later decoded it read: " I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUE ANAMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAE WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND THEI HAVE KILLED WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLOI DOWN OR ATOP MY COLLECTIOG OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE EBEORIETEMETHHPITI"" Nobody has been able to truly decipher it's meaning. It possibly references him killing to "create slaves in the afterlife"
The killing did not stop however and on September 27, 1969. Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were attacked by Zodiac. Hartnell and Shepard were tied to a tree and repeatedly stabbed. A man and his son heard them scream and were able to rescue them but Shepard would die and Hartnell would provide the first details on Zodiac ' s Apperence.
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Zodiac ' s Apperence based upon Hartnell ' s description
After this Zodiac would send another encoded message that has yet to be deciphered. Zodiac would continue killing until 1970 and then he would vanish after a final letter. No one has been named as the killer but many pepole have been suspected.
