From the no-content grandfather thread:
Start around 59:15 and watch through the end of Slaight, and Bryan’s statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0jnsbZwys
He clearly states that the caller / Z mentioned the following:
‘..they were in a white Volkswagen Kharmanghia.’
If that is correct, Z must have seen them INSIDE (‘in’) their Volkswagen. Thus, as long as Z wasn’t hanging around there accidentially, he most likely had followed them previous to their murder.
QT
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
For this to be the case you would have to believe the following. In the police report it states ‘Miss Marilyn Denise, a student at Pacific Union College, stated that about 5.15 pm Saturday 9/27/69 she was in the Lake Berryessa area with a male companion. She stated at this time they were parked on the Knoxville Road approximately one mile south of the Lake Berryessa Marina. She stated shortly after they parked the vehicle they observed the victims who were known to them, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard, driving south on Knoxville Road in Bryan’s white Karmann Ghia. She stated as the Hartnell vehicle drove by, Bryan waved out of the window and said "Hi John", referring to her companion.’
This likely would have Bryan Hartnell parking up no later than 5.30 pm. If the killer trailed them, we would have to believe that 45-50 minutes elapsed from his arrival to the onset of the attack. when the journey to the crime scene is approximately 6 minutes. He could have been biding his time, waiting for an opportune moment, but equally viable is that Zodiac arrived by the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia at approximately 6.10 pm and headed down the hill.
The perpetrator may have seen the Karmann Ghia, walked down the hill, and seeing the couple, connected the dots. The phrase "They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia" could indicate he saw them in the vehicle, but the wording can also be interpreted in the past tense- "they were" -simply suggesting he had worked out the vehicle they were driving.
Exactly. I don’t think the usage "they were in" demonstrates, or even implies that the killer saw them sitting in the vehicle. It may be shorthand for "they got there in" or "they were using", or any of a number of other formulations.
I think that just denotes what they were driving. It was the only car at that spot, so not hard to figure out it was theirs.
I do believe it’s possible Zodiac had seen them earlier. He could have passed them on the highway, or been parked elsewhere and saw them drive by. He made a mental note there was a young man and woman in that white Karmann Ghia, I mean, those things kind of stood out back in the day of big cars. If he later drove by and saw it parked, he would know he has two victims down by the lake.
Hmm… never thought of the wording that way.
It is probable that he wanted the law enforcement to figure out as quickly as possible that it is a Zodiac attack so he made sure to divert their attention to the car where he had left his "signature".
