Unsolved cases

Zodiac part 2

The first theory is from Gary Steward who believes that his father, Earl Van Best was the Zodiac killer. Gary Steward published a book called The Most Dangerous Animal of all that presents this theory. Earl Van Best JR bares and uncanny resemblance to the composite sketch from the Paul Stine killing. His name also matched the number of characters in the my name is cipher. Finally, Steward says a handwriting expert is virtually certain that Best's handwriting on marriage license matches the writing of the zodiac killer.

Now here are the reasons why Best may not be the zodiac: According to an administrator at the church where Best's marriage certificate came from, the handwriting is that of the priest and not Best himself, making the match that was virtually certain implicate the priest rather than Best.

Brent: Where do you even get handwriting like certification skills? probably from the f***ing University of Phoenix.

Ryan: ahh (wheeze) oh sh*t. What did the Universe of Phoenix do to you?

Brent: they're like a for-profit college.

Ryan: are they?

Furthermore, Best only matches the description of the Zodiac at the Paul Stine killing, but not the heavy set, large-faced description of the Zodiac in the previous three killing. Gary steward also tried to test his father's DNA against the recovered 2002 Zodiac DNA but investigators never complied with their reason being not enough evidence to make a case. Gary Stewart has maintained this is a cover up.

The second and most famous theory is from Robert Graysmith who believes that Arthur Leigh Allen is the Zodiac Killer. This Theory is the basis for the 2007 film, The Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith. Robert Graysmith was a political Cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle that became obsessed with finding the Zodiac. After a decade of personal research, Graysmith wrote two books entitled Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked that heavily implicate Arthur Leigh Allen as the Zodiac. Here's Graysmith's case for Arthur Leigh Allen, The day of the Third Zodiac Attack at Lake Berryessa in 1969, Allen told his family he was going scuba diving at Lake Berryessa. Later that evening, he would come home covered in blood with a bloody knife in his car. And if you'll recall, the zodiac murdered Cecilia Shepard that day with a knife. Two years alter in 1971 one of Allen's friends, Don Cheney said that Allen called himself the Zodiac before the killer publicly referred to himself as the Zodiac. Cheney also said Allen told him he was planning to hunt people with a gun and a flashlight tied to it. As a result of this information, the police would interview Allen a second time where Allen would say his favorite book is The Most Dangerous Game. A book about a man who hunted human and a book referenced by the Zodiac in his first letter to the press. To add insult to injury, Allen was also wearing a Zodiac brand watch which contained the same symbol the killer used.

The police searched Allen's trailer home where they found small dissected animal in a freezer, bloody knives, and sexual devices , but no direct evidence of the murders. In 1974 Allen was convicted of Child molestation, a crime for which he spent three years in jail. Coincidentally during this time no Zodiac letters were received. In 1987 a San Jose jail inmate named Ralph Spinelli told police that Allen admitted to him that he murdered Paul Stine. In August 1991, Vallejo detective George Bawart interviews Mike Mageau, the man who survived the second Zodiac attack and saw the zodiac without his mask on. When shown a lineup of photographs Mageau picked out the man who shot him, it was Arthur Leigh Allen. With this info, the police search Allen's home again and this time they find formulas for bombs, constructed bombs and tapes about the zodiac killer. They interview Allen again and he says he knows nothing. One year later in August 1992, Allen is found at home dead from suspected heart attack.

And with that, Let's transition into reasons why Allen may not be the Zodiac killer. Allen's DNA was compared against the 2002 DNA extracted from stamp saliva on a Zodiac letter, it was not a match. However, it's also believed that Allen had a habit for letting others lick his stamps instead of him, which would explain why the profile didn't match him. Additionally, in 1971 the police took Allen's finger prints but the prints did not match the bloody prints recovered from the Paul Stine crime scene. They also had Allen undergo handwriting analysis, but the handwriting did not match the Zodiac either. Allen also does not look like the sketch from the Paul Stine killing in the slightest , but it's worth mentioning that Arthur Leigh Allen was considered the prime suspect for the Zodiac for most involved police departments and is widely believed to be the zodiac.

The third theory is from retired Escalon, California police officer, Harvey Hines who believed Lawrence Kaye, more commonly known by the surname Kane was the Zodiac Killer. Kane was involve in a car accident in 1962 which resulted in Brain damage influencing his behavior. One psychologist claimed Kane was " Losing the Ability to control self-gratification," Additionally, Kane can be see in the Zodiac's "my name is" cipher. And in that cipher there are three eights with circles around them, three times eight is 24 and Kane was born in 1924. Additionally, the zodiac's second victim, Darlene Ferrin had a sister who said Kane was the man who followed and harassed Darlene in the weeks leading up to Darlene's murder. In the 1969 Paul Stine murder, the man suspected to be the zodiac seen by officer Don Fouke was described as 35 to 45 years years old. Kane was 45 in 1969. Officer Don Fouke said in 1987 that of hundreds of pictures over the past 20 years he had been shown, Kane was "The closest of the as he remembered the killer" Kane also lived a six minutes walk away from Mason and Geary, the location where cab driver, Paul Stine was thought to have picked up his killer. In fact, an excerpt from Vallejo PD states " Investigation has placed Kaye in the locales where several of the Zodiac's victims either lived or were killed" To piggy back on that sentiment, in 1970 Kane moved to South Lake Tahoe and that year a possible Zodiac victim that wasn't discuss earlier named Donna Lass disappears in South Lake Tahoe. Donna Lass also coincidentally worked at the same South Lake Tahoe hotel as Kane. But the last and arguably evidence Kane is about another Zodiac interaction that wasn't discussed yet.

On the night of March 22, 1970 on highway 132 near Patterson, California, Kathleen Johns and her baby were tricked into riding in the Zodiac's car. After entering the car, the Zodiac told Johns that he was going to kill her and throw her baby out after her. As the Zodiac was about to make a turn, Johns jumped out of the car and ran into a nearby field with her baby and escaped. Despite some believing this is an unconfirmed Zodiac encounter, others believe a letter confirms this incident. "So i now have a little list, starting with the woman plus her baby that i gave a rather interesting ride" The reason is brought up is because Kathleen Johns, unlikely most surviving Zodiac victims, had extended face time with the Zodiac. This is important because when shown a line up of photographs, Kathleen Johns was reportedly able to pick out the man who tried to kill her. It was Lawrence Kane.

Here are evidence that proves Kane isn't the zodiac. There is no records found of DNA from the saliva stamp found in 2002, nor records of Kane's fingerprint being tested against the fingerprint found at the Paul Stine crime scene. Furthermore, Kane's handwriting was not a match to the zodiac's but also could not be ruled out. Additionally, Kane, like Earl Van Best Jr, matches the description of the killer at the Paul Stine murder scene, but does not match the large heavy set description of the Zodiac in the first three crime scenes.

Regardless, the case remains

Unsolved.