Yes, the murders were just the avenue he felt he had to take to get everyone’s attention. The letter writing appeared his passion.

I always said the murders were instrumental. Without them, his threatening letters wouldn’t have been taken seriously. So we’re really talking about someone for whom other people mean nothing, and it must have been the same in his everyday life. As far as his professional life, see him as a being a leader, a manager or something.

Seems like he wasn’t the only one into hood’s.

Seems like he wasn’t the only one into hood’s.

Very interesting case!
I think it should have its own thread

Here are similarities with the Zodiac killer::

1. Hooded attacker
2. Attack was at a Lovers Lane
3. Forced the female victim to tie male victim.
4. Attacker brought cord, to tie the victim, with him.
5. Crime scene in San Francisco

I know that the sexual assault differ from Z, still a VERY interesting case IMO.
Also the fact that probably the same hooded attacker, attacked another female victim May 1960, so likely this was a serial offender/killer?

Seems like he wasn’t the only one into hood’s.

Teenage GSK maybe? He arrived in California in 1961.

Interesting. How did you find that Cragle!

At first I was thinking it was like a black hoodie, but it sounds like it was unique. And…also the use of "cord" rather than "rope".

I wonder what these people who were attacked thought of when/if they heard about Lake Berryessa?

…"use of ‘cord’ rather than ‘rope’."

Cotton sash cord, for instance, could easily be taken as fitting either
descriptive term.
In reference to Cragle‘s mentioned 1961 attack;
In California, Beenverified returns two gentleman of that correct age range
with that name – one in Santa Rosa and the other in Groveland.

A not necessarily Zodiac-like crime, but I acknowledge that, like GSK, killers
may start out by committing lesser crimes. It would be informative to find
out if the Criminal Assault was overtly sexual, or if the offender seemed more
interested in inflicting pain and fear. Also, if the offender body type seemed
to be large chested and what the voice was like, besides other things such as
what was generally said and was the lady actually cut (if Zodiac, it seems to
me that he would find it difficult to resist holding the knife hard up against
her neck most of the time).

Interesting. How did you find that Cragle!

At first I was thinking it was like a black hoodie, but it sounds like it was unique. And…also the use of "cord" rather than "rope".

I wonder what these people who were attacked thought of when/if they heard about Lake Berryessa?

Found it when looking through newspapers for hooded attacks in the 1960’s. Thought it was interesting due to the location and the Weirdly Customed Male reference. Shame their not not more details on why the customer was strange.

Thinking of Zodiac killer’s Lake Berryessa costume and Zodiac’s interest in Halloween :

Google this;
"antique halloween mask". +"paper bag"

and this:
antique halloween mask paper bag steinberg

And then klick on "images"

Thank you TF! I know many of you refuse to believe the killer put his costume in my car in Napa one or two days after the Lake B stabbing. I have no reason to lie about what was found and that the hood was made from a "paper sack", painted flat black that matched the cloth part of the costume. The cloth part was the only part that I remember having possible sewing on it and that would be only the white logo. It is also possible that it was not sewn, but made to look like it was. I made a copy of the one that was "planted" in my car.
For the logo, I used white paint and a sharp toothpick to make lines that appeared to look like thread. It is important to know the truth of how it was actually put together! (A 12-year-old child could make one just like it ) Many believe I am telling the truth, but that it was put there by a hoaxer or copycat. If it were put in the car after it was announced in the newspaper or on TV, then surely that could be. But it was put there before anyone knew about the costume! He put so many other things in my car, it was as if that was going to be his last crime? He must have felt I would recognize it and take it to the police, or call the police and have them come to my home, where they would see what was left of my white hollow core clothesline, which matched what was used to tie the victims up. Of course, my husband would have been arrested for all of the Zodiac crimes! Sadly I did not recognize it as being the killing costume, I thought it was an early Halloween party costume.

I have given up on my ex who is very ill, returning the costume to me. I still have plenty of proof saved, that the killer put with the costume, it will prove it was left by him and no one else!
Many things were given to Det Deasy in SF in Jan 1990, hopefully, they still have it? I gave them a "Bloody Mary" glass that my Honcho suspect drank out of, which should have his handprint and DNA!

I have given up on my ex who is very ill, returning the costume to me.

Sandy, I don’t want to sound cold, but if your husband doesn’t recover from his illness, could you get the costume from his estate? Maybe offer the executor $100 or something, and maybe help them locate it in those boxes of things?

Frankly it does sound ridiculous to be in possession of the actual costume used at LB, for over half a century, yet not be able to produce it.

Sorry to hear your ex is very ill.

Perhaps he and his wife would now welcome assistance such as has been offered in the past and allow you (and helpers) go through these boxes to retrieve yours! He would not have to be involved at all if he was bedridden; otherwise, he could just sit by to supervise or give instructions, etc. He might welcome this and give him a feeling of control over his property as well as feeling good knowing you had yours!

I have given up on my ex who is very ill, returning the costume to me.

Sandy, I don’t want to sound cold, but if your husband doesn’t recover from his illness, could you get the costume from his estate? Maybe offer the executor $100 or something, and maybe help them locate it in those boxes of things?

Frankly it does sound ridiculous to be in possession of the actual costume used at LB, for over half a century, yet not be able to produce it.

I had no idea what I had until I saw a drawing of it in Graysmiths Z book in 1987. It was at that time I hunted for it in my garage. I knew I had it saved in a box with many other scraps of material. I wanted to make something out of it because it was a large piece of material. Once I realized what I had, was when I started looking for that box! When I was unable to find it, I assumed my daughter in law who liked cleaning out my garage, had thrown it away. I had forgotten that I had a few boxes stored in my ex-mother in-laws attic from 1976 or 77.( I had given up on ever finding it.) About a year and a half ago, I got a call from my ex telling me he found a few of my boxes as he was moving from his deceased mother’s home. I told him I would be right over to get them as soon as I had my truck repaired. A week later he wasn’t sure where in the 100 or so boxes mine were? I offered to help but he said no that he would look for them. He had just moved into a home he and his new wife had bought, it apparently needed some repairs, that was far more important to him than my old boxes of material. I offered him money to find them, he refused. Then he had a huge fire in his large storage shed, for several months it was investigated as arson. It was shortly after I had posted on this site and Tom’s, that he had my costume and I would be getting it soon! The fire was started by some stove fuel dripping onto some fertilizer (Similar to Zodiac’s making of a bomb) He told me my boxes were not in that fire! All of that stress caused him to have a heart attack. So it is not like I knew for 50 yrs that I had the Zodiacs killing costume and did nothing about it, like you are assuming! If you had taken the time to read my story, you would have a better understanding of why I don’t have it right now.

Sorry to hear your ex is very ill.

Perhaps he and his wife would now welcome assistance such as has been offered in the past and allow you (and helpers) go through these boxes to retrieve yours! He would not have to be involved at all if he was bedridden; otherwise, he could just sit by to supervise or give instructions, etc. He might welcome this and give him a feeling of control over his property as well as feeling good knowing you had yours!

I just sent you a PM explaining the situation. It is not something that I want to be made public!

I know many of you refuse to believe the killer put his costume in my car in Napa one or two days after the Lake B stabbing.

So you were dating the Zodiac Killer and he left his famous murder outfit in your car? Did you ever tell the police about this? Did the police ever interview the guy?

I know many of you refuse to believe the killer put his costume in my car in Napa one or two days after the Lake B stabbing.

So you were dating the Zodiac Killer and he left his famous murder outfit in your car? Did you ever tell the police about this? Did the police ever interview the guy?

Your "extremely ignorant" post doesn’t deserve an answer!
How did you come up with I dated the Zodiac?????