And even if they were reclined, where was Z? It still does not change the fact he took major risks beginning to shoot 20 seconds after a witness just went by.

Precisely. It’s a huge risk to take.

We have to assume that Z had no particular interest in killing DF and BLJ as such – they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time: At a lover’s lane type of place, in short. Z is in the area, cruising for victims. Perhaps he has driven past several times that night, waiting for someone to be there. Well, finally someone is – and he pulls up next to them. And then another car drives by. What does he do? Well, it seems that he – as you say above – almost immediately springs into action, gets out of his car, gun in hand – and kills them. Does that make sense? I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s supposed to make sense – but there is no doubt that what he did was incredibly risky.

From Z’s perspective he ran the risk not only of being caught in the act by another passer-by – but also of having the most recent passer-by hearing the shots and reacting. We know that said passer-by DID hear the shots, but that he didn’t realize the significance until later (so he claims).

It’s damned strange, the whole thing.

I see the Z coming from the east. He reaches the turnout and sees a car parked there. He makes a split second decision to stop. At the same time he is reaching the turnout and making a split second decision to stop, he sees headlights up ahead, at the area of Marshall Ranch. The Zodiac pulls into the turnout, parks and, turns off his lights. He is not there no more than a half a minute and, I think that’s being generous, when the car he sees up the road reaches the turnout. Marshall Ranch is not more than 2 tenths of a mile away. The kids nor Z have any time to make any kind of gesture or move before the other car reaches the turnout. The car passes the turnout, Z jumps out of the vehicle and immediately begins to fire.

I know that Owen States that the two cars were abreast of each other. But I cant help but feel that the two cars were actually, perpendicular, to one another. As dark as it was, being perpendicular, would actually explain the single bullet casing so far away from the others, as well as, the shot to the back of the car. Zodiac jumps out of the vehicle upon the other car passing, loses his bearings and, fires to the left of where he needed to shoot. He then approaches the door as the kids start climbing out and the rest is history.

As far as Z not knowing who the other car driver was, the only thing important, was who they were not; a cop. I forget now all the reasons but it use to be that you could spot an unmarked car a mile away but I don’t think that’s as possible these days. You could spot a possible cop by the shape and position of their headlights. I forget now if there was anything to their tail lights. Most unmarked cars you could tell by their hub caps as well. In 1969 and 1970 Benicia PD was driving a Dodge Polara 383 or 440. These cars had double headlights side by side. Don’t know what they were driving in 1968 but I would assume the same Polara. Governor Reagan, in 1970, suggested police departments in California change up the makes of their cars every couple of years. Quite possibly to keep with performance but also quite possibly because people become accustom to the specifics of the vehicle.

Soze

As far as Z not knowing who the other car driver was, the only thing important, was who they were not; a cop. I forget now all the reasons but it use to be that you could spot an unmarked car a mile away but I don’t think that’s as possible these days. You could spot a possible cop by the shape and position of their headlights. I forget now if there was anything to their tail lights. Most unmarked cars you could tell by their hub caps as well. In 1969 and 1970 Benicia PD was driving a Dodge Polara 383 or 440. These cars had double headlights side by side. Don’t know what they were driving in 1968 but I would assume the same Polara. Governor Reagan, in 1970, suggested police departments in California change up the makes of their cars every couple of years. Quite possibly to keep with performance but also quite possibly because people become accustom to the specifics of the vehicle.

Soze

He would’t have to be a cop in an (unmarked) cop car–or any cop car.

I asked Ed Rust of the Vallejo P.D. in one of Tom’s ZodiacKiller.com chat discussions about Vallejo’s unmarked police cars. I remember when he told me I thought it was an odd car for them to use. I will find the answer.

Ed Rust did not believe LHR to be Zodiac.

Again…not sure where he came from, but pretty sure he would want the quickest way out which would for sure be the Benicia side.

Norse, Stella thought she left her home at that very specific time, that’s right. She found the bodies, and raced off for help. According to her estimate, she would have been there on top of Owen, which is not possible, but based on the time she reached the cops, that is how they arrived at a 6 minute window. I think the window may be closer to 3 or 4 minutes. Either way a couple things trouble m about the scenario.

Z is parked next to the kids. Owen drives by and sees no people in or around the cars, yet a 1/4 mile down the road, claims he hears a shot,so i am guessing, a leisurely 35mph or 45mph, seems like it would take no more than 20 seconds to drive for Owen before he hears a shot. So, where was Z and the victims when Owen passed by? Some have argued that Z may have already ordered them out and made them duck down out of view, but this does not meet the physical evidence, and I also think the kids would have raised hell to get Owen’s attention, so this seems unlikely to me. The other alternative is, Z was ducked down in his car and the Victims ducked down in their car. Here’s what’s troubling with that, Z sees headlights coming , and jumps down in his seat to hide, and after the car passes springs out and starts shooting? He wouldn’t know what the passing car had seen, or if his car was witnessed,or whether or not it even may have been a cop, that’s a very big chance to take. Also, previous witnesses that saw the Victims that night saw them sitting up in the car, so that does not fit them possibly laying down.

If Owen really heard a shot a 1/4 mile down the road, that would leave no time for Z to check if the coast was clear, or to try talking to the kids to order them out, he would have had to spring out immediately from his hiding spot, and started shooting.

The whole argument of Z being on foot just simply can not be,’IF’ Owen is being truthful, since the shooting started right after he passed, no time for the car to pull out and Z to arrive on foot. That 2nd car, if there was one, must have belonged to the shooter. Some people would dismiss the possibility of Owen lying being due to the possibility of him wanting some sort of attention, but not many consider the other possible reason for him to lie.

Owen didn’t plan to be a witness that night, so he wasn’t studying the LHR turnout as if he was going to take test on its layout. Why assume that he is right when he says he saw nobody in the vehicles? He’s driving late at night, to work or coming from work, why assume he is very attentive to what is happening on the side of the road? And how fast was he going? He just could have missed the vehicle occupants. As to timelines, did the cars have clocks in them? Otherwise, how would anyone know what time they passed the turnout unless they just happened to look at their watch? I don’t make it a habit to take my eyes off a dark, two lane road when I am driving at night. I would take everything all these witnesses say with a grain of salt and allow 10-15 minutes leeway in each direction for the times they give. I doubt anyone was completely accurate about what they saw that night.