That’s great you found that TF!!! I even called and they could find nothing.

My only problem with this theory is that Darlene’s daughter looks just like Dean…and nothing like Phillips/Crabtree. That’s not to say Jim couldn’t have thought the baby was his.

Darlene seemed to love Dean, and was living in Reno in order to get her divorce from Jim. This letter (Tom’s site shows written in 1967) from Darlene mentions a friend who was to have a baby in September, so it was written prior to that. I don’t think she and Jim were having relations at the time Darlene’s daughter was conceived.

http://www.zodiackiller.com/DeeLetter1.html

I have always wondered if it was possible that Jim was the father of Dee’s baby as well. It would give hime a stronger motivation that goes beyound a scorned x-husband. At least when looking at Graysmith’s books. Dee’s stalking was believed by her friends to be related to something she saw in the Virgin Islands (where she was with Jim) and related to to gift from Mexico which at least one of her friends that ought were coming Jim who was in Mexico at that time.

Here are a couple more tidbits that might support your theory TF. Bobbie Oxnam is quoted in Unmasked as saying

"it all started when the baby was born" said Oxnam "I mean, we talked about her fears a couple of times. Darlene was scared of somebody.

Pam is quoted as saying about the man in the suit at the "painting party" asking her
"He was asking me about her little girl and what was her relationship with her husband, Dean. ‘What did she do with her tips?’ he asked. ‘She really got her head together.’ ‘I understand Dean never wants to watch the baby."

Now one would assume that Pam would recognize Jim if it was him at the party, but I suppose it could have been a friend of his. Maybe Jay Eisen? Jim’s lawyer friend who was allegedly at the party although according to Jim he didn’t know Dee.

Another final tidbit, I ran across Dee’s daughter’s name in the obituary of Myra Kathryn Marek and it refers to Dee’s daughter as "and the daughter she made her own" meaning that Myra made dee’s daughter her own. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesh … =162599527

This would suggest that Dean did not raise her after Dee was killed? If true, that would at least further support the theory that she was not Dean’s baby.

If anyone have other info and/or corrections to this timeline please feel free to add/correct

🙂

I believe I can add a little to your timeline. Here is mine, which has a lot taken from what Jim wrote while on the Zig boards in 2010. Interesting to note that he never mentioned Pensilvania. Places with out dates are when he did not give one but were along he and Dee’s cross country trip.

1961 Joined army at 17, has wife and child in Germany

1965 Jim spends 6 months in The Presidio

Nov 23 Rick Crabtree shot his brother Paul.

Nov 25 1965 Dee left home goes to San Fran

Aug 1965 Jim met Dee on Larkin st.

? The lived in Redding (Jim worked at Electrolux for a couple weeks)

Jan 1 1966 Married in Reno (Dee lists home as Rosemead and Jim as L.A.) Dee has no none connection to Rosemead.

Lake Tahoe both worked at Harrahs she worked as a waitress (at some point) 1 block from where Donna Lass would later vanish.

State Line in a A Frame a month

Back San Fran (bought a motor bike and drove to Albany)

Early January? Albany (Albany Times Union) a couple months fire in textile plant news story
New York City sold the bike bought tickets to Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands (worked at Virgin Islands Daily News 5 months? – unlikely)
then flew to Miami hitchhiked to Colorado

Colorado Springs (Jim says 2 weeks, then a month maybe two)

October 66 According to Mom they returned to Vallejo and stayed for 3 weeks before taking off to Pennsylvania.

Oct 66 – bought Corvair in LA (according Jim in Police reports)

Oct 30 Murder of Cheri Jo Bates (Riverside)

Nov 23 66 Santa Barbra a couple weeks, Jim worked at Santa Barbara Star Free Press.(November 23, 1966 lion attack of Zoltan Mansfield)

Jan 67 Vallejo Jim works at Fairfield Daily Rep. Jan 6 – Jan 11

Feb 22 1967 Dee moves to Reno

March 67 Dee becomes pregnant

Jim goes to Mexico? and meets with Dee for a weekend when he returns.

May 1st 1967 Nikki Alexander Benedict

June 2 1967 Divorce

Jan 24 1968 Dee’s daughter is born

April 1968 Jim’s Dad Dimond Phillips dies.

Jan 1969 Jim met new wife Shirley in San Fran

April 1969 Jim’s Wife Shirley becomes pregnant

69 Dee gets gifts from Mexico while Jim is there. Oxnam thinks Jim is sending the gifts.

May 24 69 Jim’s friend Jay Eisen attend the painting party and a “rick” Crabtree

July 4th 1969 Dee mudrer

July 1969 Jim wife father buys them a house in Ben Lomond

Sept 1969 Jim changed name to Crabtree (based on brothers interview)

October 1969 Paul Stine

Dec 22 1969 Jim’s son is born

Feb 1970 Warrant for Crabtree

Feb 16 1969 Murder of Louise "Mindy" Johnson "by fire"

Feb 1970 Jim abandons wife and child,drops out of society lives in tipi for 2 years Ashland Oregon then Salt Springs Island BC Canada.

Paradox, I don’t know if I’d read too much into that obit. It could be that Kathy Marek’s daughter and Dee’s daughter were close friends, perhaps neighbors and spent a lot of time at their home. Kathy Marek’s daughter was about 8 months older than Dee’s daughter. Dean did not remarry until 1976 when Dee’s daughter was 18 years old. Dean could have needed a woman’s input on so many things. Back in those days a father was not as involved with babies as men are today. I’m sure Dean learned quick how to change a diaper after Dee died, it wasn’t unusual at all that a man never changed their own child’s diaper back then. And he was the sole support for the baby and himself so he had to work. Having a friend or neighbor who gladly pitch hit for him would have been very welcome, I’m sure.

Yes. That could well be. I just thought it was interesting. For all I know Dean raised her.

Fairly certain Dean did raise her…no doubt with help.

You mention Rick Crabtree a couple of times. I do not think there was any relation to Jim.

I know of no connection between Rick and Jim. Just one of those things I keep track of just incase something pops up later. The time line is just from my personal notes and wasn’t really written for public consumption. I pasted it in hoping that it might be helpful.

Paradox

Jim and the mother of the son born Dec. 22, 1969 had another son Feb. 28, 1972 in Santa Cruz County. So I don’t know how true it is that Jim left and went to live in a tipi in 1970. Maybe it was after the second son was born???? I can PM you the record if you want.

Thanks guys/gals for all the interesting replies, please keep it coming

Thanks Paradox for sharing your information with everyone. I knew you would be helpful, no one has as much information about Jim than you. I have wondered if they left southern Calif. and went back to Darlene’s mothers home on Halloween night 1966 ? Could they be the "missing couple" from the re-enactment for Cheri Jo’s crime scene?

It is my understanding that Dean did not raise Deana. I can ask Pam the next time we talk to be sure, I am pretty sure that is what she told me.

And for what it is worth my baby was born Jan 28th and was conceived the night of April 27th, if that helps at all with the the PG time line? April 23rd or 24th could be the time of conception for Deana.

I believe that who ever was at the painting party in the suit, asking questions about how Dean more or less felt about the baby and Darlene’s tips , knew who the father was of that baby. Be it the guy in the suit, Jim ,Zodiac ,or someone else? I know that Darlene went to SF while she was living in Reno. She had to have Jim sign the papers for the divorce on one of those trips.

In order to get a divorce in Reno, you had to show you lived there 6 weeks before you could even file for a divorce. The reason I know that is I was going to get a "quicky" divorce there. That is what they were called them back then.

Paradox

Jim and the mother of the son born Dec. 22, 1969 had another son Feb. 28, 1972 in Santa Cruz County. So I don’t know how true it is that Jim left and went to live in a tipi in 1970. Maybe it was after the second son was born???? I can PM you the record if you want.

Seagull yes please pm me the record. It seems he did live in a tipi but didn’t cross into Canada for another 2 years. So you are right about the timing. I went back and double checked. Jim said.

"After I was picked up at the Santa Cruz courthouse… I’m sure word spread through the Ben Lomond community pretty fast… especially since my house suddenly had six cop cars in front of it…. During the following weeks I experienced groups of redneck dirtbikers going back and forth in front of the house, with rifles in their handlebar scabbards… little vigilante groups… buzz buzz… I had completely forgotten about that but… I can see it happening… This is about the time I decided to move into a tipi, which I did… leaving the mother and son in Ben Lomond… After I got accustomed to the tipi and spent a winter in Oregon… with another girlfriend… I came back, picked up the mother and child and…. stop… stop… no judgements!! …. we all lived in two tipis for the next year… and then finally made the move across into Canada…."

So that would put the move to Canada in 1972. He also said he had 3 babies by that time. I would assume the girl in Germany and the two boys. A stretch but worth mentioning that it was in 1972 very near Salt Springs Island, in Tofino the double murder of Ann Barbara Durrant and Leif Bertil Carlsson. Of course this murder is attributed to Joseph Henry Burgess, but how solid the evidence is against him I can’t say. Certainly LE seem satisfied that it was him. None the less worth mentioning I think.

Just out of interests sake here is a really strange coincidence between Salt Springs Island and Zodiac. Nothing but coincidence I am sure but it is really weird. A book called A Deadly Little List takes place on Salt Spring Island. A Murder mystery involving the Mikado. https://newestpress.com/books/deadly-little-list-a

Thanks Sandy for you kind words. We have had many good exchanges on the topic of JC over the years. I’m happy to share the info I have gathered. Much comes from great researches such as yourself The Foreigner and others. Because I focused in on this one topic for a few years I have perhaps gathered some info that others might not be aware of. No smoking gun though but lots of interesting things.

I know Mageau has always stated that they were chased that evening. I’ve always had a hard time with that. If anyone is being chased the last place they would go to is BRS. It just has never made any sense to me.

I know Mageau has always stated that they were chased that evening. I’ve always had a hard time with that. If anyone is being chased the last place they would go to is BRS. It just has never made any sense to me.

It is odd, Bay!

LOL,He is an example of just how damaging drugs are to the brain. Of course you wouldn’t drive to a place like BRS, to get away from a nut case who is chasing you.
He also said the shooter was short , a head taller than Dee’s car, then he picks out Art Allen who was huge! When he was on the" Now It Can be Told" TV show. Darlene’s sister Pam tells him that she knows he knew who killed Darlene. His answer was : I don’t remember all their names????? That being said, there was more than one person involved in her murder , like I have believed.

honestly I have zero faith on any of DF’s sister having even an ounce of truth left in them..if they could make a buck off this ordeal they would…my time of thinking DF holds any more significance over the other known Z victims is long long gone..she was at BRS to buy dope off MM and Z was on the prowl that night..outside of stine I dont see any other time Z pushed the envelope..it stinks and my heart goes out to the DF family but I do not trust any of em anymore..

Can you elaborate on the BRS Drug exchange? Is this a theory, report from family, or part of reviewed documents?