Kids in a group of cars going around Blue Rock Springs area throwing firecrackers and probably fooling around. Annoyed the wrong person who heard them next throwing firecrackers near where Mageau and Ferrin are parked.

As Mageau and Ferrin are being pranked by these kids with firecrackers the Zodiac is in a road rage looking for the firecracker kids.

The Zodiac arrives where he heard the firecrackers but sees the main group is gone and only a young couple are there. He checks them out and realizes it’s a boy and girl like he murdered the year before near here. He backs out and does a quick drive around to check if the other firecracker kids are gone or coming back. He doesn’t care if it’s part of the same group of kids who stayed behind or not. In a road rage he comes back again and carries out the attack before driving off.

We know these firecrackers can be heard at far distances because of witness neighbors who heard them and the gun shots after.

Basically in this hypothesis the firework kids interacted with the Zodiac prior to interacting with Mageau and Ferrin. The Zodiac mistook them for being part of the group of kids that ruined something about his day with firecrackers and noise.

The con here is that this makes this attack far more random than previously thought before and would be classed as a disorganized crime whereas the Zodiac crimes appear to have some organized elements.

I might even go as far as to hypothesize that the Zodiac had complained of this happening before (Damn kids with firecrackers out here) and LE did nothing about it to his satisfaction so he took matters into his own hands. Hence the phone call after. Maybe he made one before? Maybe on the same day?

This is a guy beginning a downward spiral, easy to provoke, highly revengeful and retaliates broader that just his intended targets because of a huge chip on his shoulder with society that has rejected him. Basically spoiling for a fight down there.

I’d say the firecracker kids messed up his plans to try and stay calm and relaxed that day as he was already well passed tipping point with the Lake Herman murder before. I am starting to think that is looking like a road rage incident turned bad or kids who spoiled something by simply being parked somewhere with headlights on.

I guess we already know this was someone derailing in 1968 and fully off the tracks in 1969.

Anyway it’s a thought. An explanation. A reason where there appears to be none and yet some. I believe the term is semi-organized offender? or a semi-disorganized offender?

Whatever we can say about that, Lake Berryessa seemed highly organized. Clip-on glasses and everything because they planned a daytime attack. Pen at the ready to leave a message. Rope. Hollywood villain costume. One would think they were trying to take the focus away from Vallejo deliberately.

We know with Lake Herman that there was no Zodiac persona directly associated with it until after the Blue Rock Springs attack. If they are not linked then the Zodiac copycatted that very evening in the phone call claiming responsibility. This means the first Zodiac letter must have had inside knowledge from the police reports as to how Jensen and Faraday died. Lake Berryessa and Presidio Heights are to throw attention away from Vallejo in particular the very area where the crimes occurred. That means only BRS, LB and PH are Zodiac crimes.

Edit: What’s the story with ballistics here at LHR and BRS?