Here’s the problem with Owen not seeing anybody(or so he claimed)…

Let’s say for a second, that Owen passes by, and the kids are ducked down in their seats,and Z is ducked down in his. Owen claims that about a 1/4 mile down the road,he heard a shot. How likely is that? It takes, what, 20-30 seconds if that to drive a 1/4 mile? If the above scenario was true, Z would have had to jumped out immediately after owen passed by, and walked around and shot within seconds. That would leave no time really to try and order them out of the car, threaten them, small talk,etc, he would have to have fired almost immediately.’

As far as the other scenario about Zodiac having the kids crouched down behind the car when Owen passed by,it doesn’t match the facts. The evidence shows that Z got them both out the pass side door,and immediately shot Dave,and then Betty ran. If they were being held down behind the car, they likely would have made the break for help when they saw Owen coming along,and ran towards the road. I think this 2nd scenario is very unlikely and does not match the evidence.

My entire problem with Owen, and why I consider him a suspect, is that everything the police believe they know,is constructed by owen’s statements. He is the ONLY person known to be at the scene between the victims being last seen alive,and being found dead. He said in one statement that the cars were 3-4 feet apart,but then also says they were 10 feet apart. In his first statement, he doesnt mention hearing a shot,but 3 days later, in his 2nd statement, he suddenly remembers it. I simply find these holes too big to dismiss. Out of all the witnesses and passerbys on the road that night, he is the only person there with no witness or passenger to support his story.

I am no cop, but if you are the only person confirmed to be at the crime scene after a murdered couple was last seen alive, and before they were found dead,then you have to be ruled out,especially if your statements have holes like swiss cheese. Owen was not ruled out. They did not check his prints. They did not check his writing. They DID check his rifles,when they thought a rifle was the murder weapon. When they later determined a pistol was the weapon, they did not test any of his handguns.

Everybody has a thory on why Z waited 7 months to attack again,and then write a letter. What better reason then if you have been questioned multiple times by police,and want to wait until you feel you are no longer a suspect?

Maybe I am missing something,but you have a guy that hunts,own multiple guns, just moved to the area before the murders,had just got out of the Air Force(wingwalkers),and was right in the age range of the Stine sketch (Owen was 39 at the time). Seems like he fits Zodiac’s profile closely.

The only problem Morph, is that unfortunately, it is what it is at this stage and hard to see where to go from here. It would be great to hear from others who knew him and/or worked with him…especially that guy from springs road who "didn’t go to work that way" on the night. Surely there must be some record somewhere of Humble Oil employees, dunno! Certainly would be nice to know if he always showed up for work so early.

What about Riverside?

Everybody has a thory on why Z waited 7 months to attack again,and then write a letter. What better reason then if you have been questioned multiple times by police,and want to wait until you feel you are no longer a suspect?

I agree that Owen’s should be looked at.

My feeling are that if he was Z, why would he stay silent after being questioned for LHR, then questioned again after BRS but commit the LB attack shortly after.

Also he would have to be very brave to go to work all night then return to the crime scene 8 hours later and speak to police. He would have no way of knowing what evidence thay had at that point. Assuming he drove the same car, how would he know the police didn’t have a nice tire track that would match his car.

Really good outside the box thinking on Owens, but I just feel he’s not the guy.

Everybody has a thory on why Z waited 7 months to attack again,and then write a letter. What better reason then if you have been questioned multiple times by police,and want to wait until you feel you are no longer a suspect?

I agree that Owen’s should be looked at.

My feeling are that if he was Z, why would he stay silent after being questioned for LHR, then questioned again after BRS but commit the LB attack shortly after.

Also he would have to be very brave to go to work all night then return to the crime scene 8 hours later and speak to police. He would have no way of knowing what evidence thay had at that point. Assuming he drove the same car, how would he know the police didn’t have a nice tire track that would match his car.

Really good outside the box thinking on Owens, but I just feel he’s not the guy.

Not sure what you meant by "My feeling are that if he was Z, why would he stay silent after being questioned for LHR, then questioned again after BRS but commit the LB attack shortly after"
Owen was NOT questioned after BRS. His only involvement with police was in December,1968

Owen was NOT questioned after BRS. His only involvement with police was in December,1968

Wasn’t he still involved with LE later in ’69? Aren’t the VPD looking at his guns, etc. in the BRS reports too? Seems the VPD would have question him. ??

Owen was NOT questioned after BRS. His only involvement with police was in December,1968

Wasn’t he still involved with LE later in ’69? Aren’t the VPD looking at his guns, etc. in the BRS reports too? Seems the VPD would have question him. ??

In the BRS report, there’s mention of "two samples of James ____’s cursive signature". Somebody told me a long time ago that the redacted name was JAMES OWEN, but after verifying myself,the redacted name is NOT James Owen,but a different James. If somebody sees mention of Owen’s guns in the BRS report,please point that out to me,I am not aware of it.

Not sure what you meant by "My feeling are that if he was Z, why would he stay silent after being questioned for LHR, then questioned again after BRS but commit the LB attack shortly after"
Owen was NOT questioned after BRS. His only involvement with police was in December,1968

I was under the impression he was questioned again after BRS based on the police report that said James ——-.

Not sure what you meant by "My feeling are that if he was Z, why would he stay silent after being questioned for LHR, then questioned again after BRS but commit the LB attack shortly after"
Owen was NOT questioned after BRS. His only involvement with police was in December,1968

I was under the impression he was questioned again after BRS based on the police report that said James ——-.

Yeah, it was a different JAMES

Morf–I was thinking of this being James in the VPD report: http://www.zodiackiller.com/DFR39.html

"James A. XXXXX" is mentioned at the bottom, along with mention of an anonymous Benicia note. (I probably just associated Owen with it since I saw Benicia–the redaction looks too long). I’ll have to go back and look at some of "things".

(You are correct with the other James being the guy with the guns getting checked by LE–that was a James "Phillip" XXXXX)

I believe far as the YB says is that Zodiac fired a shot through the rear window. Now just speculation on my part but that may have made Betty Lou panic and leave the car. Zodiac see’s her exiting and heads towards the passenger side. David decides to follow her through the passenger side where Zodiac meets him there and shoots him point blank. Then after that he fires at Betty Lou as she is running away. As for why they left the car in the first place well people sometimes don’t act rational when being fired upon or hearing bullets fired.

I think stitches comment above is spot on.

Soze

What’s interesting is the bullet was fired into the rear passenger side window so you think they would have exited the driver’s side.

And David was shot BEHIND the left ear, so it would seem his shooter told him to face the car…and he did fall backwards.

I believe far as the YB says is that Zodiac fired a shot through the rear window. Now just speculation on my part but that may have made Betty Lou panic and leave the car. Zodiac see’s her exiting and heads towards the passenger side. David decides to follow her through the passenger side where Zodiac meets him there and shoots him point blank. Then after that he fires at Betty Lou as she is running away. As for why they left the car in the first place well people sometimes don’t act rational when being fired upon or hearing bullets fired.

I think stitches comment above is spot on.

Soze

Sound like one of the many plausible scenarios that would fit, but for one little thing. On one of the bullet holes on Betty’s top police found a tiny gun power burn. That led some at the time to speculate that Betty was within arms length of Zodiac when he fired the first shot.

Betty apparently had a bit of adreniline on her side…for a moment anyway. She was first shot at closer range. One bullet went through her.

Speaking of the crime scene, not the crime itself, the area might have been unincorpoated, but the name was Bahia, which existed in the Southern Pacific Timetables since the early 1900’s.
Bahia is not a city, town, or village, and is past Benecia.

As you face the hills, across from the crime scene, on the other side are several manufacturing plants; I used to go over there on Sundays to "turn the coke" in railroad terms. Even got to operate the locomotive!

LHR still remains fairly deserted – was an ideal spot for the killer to act. Even 40 years later,
no development in that area and it appears much the same as it did in 1968-69. That is one of the few places that can make that claim.

Regarding Souze’s remark, a powder burn indicates close range – perhaps the first shot was enough to "slow her down" to where the killer could shoot Faraday and then finish Betty Lou off.

Powder burns are good pieces of evidence the shot was at very close range, so that scenerio
is plausible. There is no way of knowing if the killer was in the military or a merchant seaman.
An SSN would help – we don’t even know the real name!

How come he let them out of the car at all?

He didn’t, Zodiac took one shot into the car, David immediately exited, struggled a bit with the Zodiac and then taking a bullet to the head.
Betty Lou, hoping David would overcome the Zodiac waited in the car until David was shot. She got out. Tried to make her way passed the Zodiac taking one bullit at close range, but being a .22 it didn’t take her down. Zodiac continued shooting until Betty Lou fell. Betty Lou was still alive when Zodiac drove around her. Betty Lou then roles to her side toward the road as she watches the Zodiac drive away and in hope that someone will notice her, which they do, but the witness drives away taking Betty Lou’s last hope of survival with them.

That’s how it happened……I think.