Riverside College was a large and widely acknowledged training ground for journos with some good courses and a good reputation, I’ve recently read.

That barber’s surname is really weird.

As an ex-journo, it’s my experience that many people who used to work on newspapers, even just hs or college, like to chat and sometimes write Letters to the Editor. So do nutjobs. It would not surprise me at all if Z had worked in a newspaper environment. I also wonder about any technical publications in the Vallejo area with a tech writer that might have lived in Riverside. That would explain his interest in art/literature and his skill with diagrams. With a navy base there, it would not be surprising if employees with such a background were in the area.

I found this interesting article from the 7/12/65 San Bernardino Sun. A Riverside youth made his way to Washington and shots & killed a Cab Driver. What I found interesting is that he worked part time for the Riverside Press Enterprise under some sort of intern program open to RCC Students. I always wondered if Z had a job of some sort within a newspaper, and also wonder if a young Z could have been a fellow intern with this guy, and could have been influenced by this incident.

And about 4 years later, Z goes to Washington (street) to kill a cab driver.

Here goes another piece of wild, unfounded speculation… IF Ross was influenced by this guy, and IF Ross was Z, then maybe this is the reason he killed Stine – nothing to do with Paul specifically (who wasn’t even scheduled to work that evening); just the idea of wanting to kill a cabbie on Washington…

It almost is more plausible z was connected with fine arts than the military..yea i will give you that as it sweats my brain a lil bit that this may in fact be a good gut felt bet

It almost is more plausible z was connected with fine arts than the military..yea i will give you that as it sweats my brain a lil bit that this may in fact be a good gut felt bet

Agreed! Also, who wasn’t involved in the military after all the drafts that went on back then (beside draft dodgers and such obvi)? People putting so much weight into the military angle has never solved anything for this very reason IMHO. So many people enlisted back then. I agree that Zodiac would have probably been interested in the fine arts. I believe IMO that he believed his murders/persona were a form of "expression" – hunting people was sure a game, but also an art form for him. He really was creating a character for us when we really think about it. He devised a legend, a myth and I believe he intended for it to stay that way. IMO I believe he probably had great interest in mythology, legends, and folklore and wanted to create the ultimate legendary character for himself. And indeed all we are left with now are innocent victims murdered by a legend (not in the positive sense of the word) – a masked/anonymous executioner who’s identity and motivations are left up to supposition and yes – even theories and myth.

Would be interested in knowing who all he worked with, if anyone was with him from the RCC program, and if Ross was one of them. Very interesting!!! I’ve always wondered if maybe Stine’s murder was a clue in and of itself In regard to another crime that the Zodiac committed or was aware of – something to hint "im related in some way to another cab murder in CA". It’s a long shot, but maybe he was sending that message.

Or maybe he simply was "inspired" by the cab murder committed by a fellow writer/journalist from Riverside.

Hopefully my search through the school newspaper archives at RCC can yield something in regard to this? Any ideas?