I’m really impressed with the work that’s gone into Fred Manalli as a POI and he would definitely be on my shortlist if it wasn’t for two problems I’m having trouble reconciling.

1) His link to the SRHM is certainly very interesting and troubling (considering LE seemed to wash their hands of him rather than take it any further, if I have read correctly). The problem with this is that most Z researchers do not think Z had anything to do with the SRHM.
2) The very unusual personal ad a couple of days after Manalli’s death that starts ‘Zodiac, your partner is in deep real estate’ or words to that effect. It is something that definitely sets alarm bells ringing in the right direction for Z, but my problem here is that it acknowledges Z was a team, which again is something I think the vast majority of Z researchers would reject.

So we have a very good POI who also leads us to two distinct ideas that have been widely rejected by the Z community. Now I’m not implying that anyone here would hold onto those beliefs if any evidence shows to the contrary, but I also know that the majority opinion has built up over years of dedicated reading and understanding of the case. So it’s troubling that Manalli could throw these curveballs into the mix (mixed metaphor but I’m tired ,forgive me).
I’m far from an expert on Manalli or the SRHM so would appreciate any insight others may have, thanks.

James, great points.
I am not overly familiar with the SRHM, besides the basics, and I would be the first to steer this line of questioning to Seagull, as she is undoubtedly the expert here regarding that case, and she knows more about the connections between manalli & the SRHM.

As far as the stuff pointing to Manalli as being Z, I cant find a connection of him in Vallejo, I have no evidence of him shooting guns. I cant place him in Riverside for the Bates case. All of that being said, I also can’t believe how he and Z were on the same wavelength in their writings, subject matter, spellings,words,phrases,etc. The similarities are undeniable.

As far as the personal ad mentioning "Zodiac, your partner is in deep real estate", I agree, a Zodiac team is hard to swallow,but then again, there’s that ad running the day after Manalli dies, just another in a series of ‘dots’that we are trying to connect. If we were to find out that Zodiac was in fact some sort of team, I would not be shocked to see Manalli as one of the players on it.

Good post

James you can visit my website on the SRHM and there is quite a bit of information. More info on some victims than others. The link to it is in my signature.

The Zodiac murders and the SRHM do have major differences that makes it hard to reconcile they were done by the same person or persons. And yes, it is very troubling that Sonoma LE seems to have washed their hands of Fred Manalli as a suspect in the SRHM. I am certainly not privy to every detail but from what I do know I am shocked that even though Manalli is dead they have not tried to clear the cases where they do have DNA. Manalli’s sister has offered to submit her DNA to be tested to at least get a preliminary idea if there is a match. The mtDNA should have matching markers if Manalli is the killer. The SO has ignored her offer.

Like Morf, Manalli has surprised me with the many similarities in his writing, not only how he writes but what he writes. If he is not Zodiac and he may well not be, I think there is something to be learned by studying him. Is Zodiac someone of Manalli’s age and educational background? Can Manalli offer us clues to things we should look for in other suspects? Manalli’s reading list and movies he enjoyed, or not, have been enlightening.

Oh, and that want ad is pretty eerie, isn’t it!

Honestly, I have always thought in the back of my head that maybe Zodiac DID have a partner. When I picture Manalli, I picture a mentally disturbed man who was too scared to take a human life. I’m not against the idea of Manalli writing all of the letters, but his ‘partner’ doing all of the killing. Wild theory, but it is possible.

Thanks for the replies, Seagull I will definitely check out your site in more detail as I only know the basics of the case really. I can’t believe the police are so disinterested in at least listening to the Manalli connection, it’s not as if they’ve got much else to go on. I think the recent recession has really dented LEs ability to spend any time or resources at all on any case over a few years old unfortunately. Hopefully that will change again soon.
Ophion, I have to ask – is it really Gary Busey speaking?

Thanks for the replies, Seagull I will definitely check out your site in more detail as I only know the basics of the case really. I can’t believe the police are so disinterested in at least listening to the Manalli connection, it’s not as if they’ve got much else to go on. I think the recent recession has really dented LEs ability to spend any time or resources at all on any case over a few years old unfortunately. Hopefully that will change again soon.
Ophion, I have to ask – is it really Gary Busey speaking?

No hahaha. Busey is my idol though!

I have to acknowledge what I do in the statement above while making no secret of the fact that I will be most disappointed if it turns out that Zodiac’s name was Fred! What a disappointing press conference that would be. Chief of SFPD: "Today I have an announcement to make in regards to a recent development in the case of The Zodiac Killer, a series of crimes that have remained unsolved for 45 years. I can announce today, after DNA evidence came to light recently, that the Mythical Zodiac Killer can now be given a real name…..FRED."

Most disappointing and would be a serious anti-climax to this case. Hehe

I have to acknowledge what I do in the statement above while making no secret of the fact that I will be most disappointed if it turns out that Zodiac’s name was Fred! What a disappointing press conference that would be. Chief of SFPD: "Today I have an announcement to make in regards to a recent development in the case of The Zodiac Killer, a series of crimes that have remained unsolved for 45 years. I can announce today, after DNA evidence came to light recently, that the Mythical Zodiac Killer can now be given a real name…..FRED."

Most disappointing and would be a serious anti-climax to this case. Hehe

HAHAHA!!!! Not the worst name it could be though. Oscar would be a horrible name to hear in place of Fred.

. . . . But of all the suspects he probably matches the description of Z the least.

I’ve read a bit of the Manalli samples which are available here and elsewhere. I have to say – that I don’t know.

This is a hopeless generalization and it means very little – but in my experience those who are able to articulate their inner demons, find reflections of them in the works of others, play around with ideas which on the surface are morbid or macabre or what have ya, in the way an artist does are generally (there’s that term again) less prone to go out and kill people than those who have no such outlets for whatever devilry is boiling inside ’em.

So, to me, the more conspicuously dark, menacing or seemingly deranged someone’s written expressions are – the less of a smoking gun I see, provided the person in question is actually a writer, someone to whom using language as something beyond, say, communication is second nature.

My two cents on the matter – nothing more. And I’m not ruling out Manalli – just expressing some doubts. I don’t see him as the author of those Z missives unless he suffered from a split personality or something of the sort. And he doesn’t strike me as the type for that – nor does Z, so to speak.

DISCLAIMER I know next to nothing about the SRH murders – so the drivel above is certainly NOT meant as a comment on his possible involvement there, I’m just talking about him as a candidate for Z.

Handwriting is the best match I have ever seen, but… Zodiac letters are typically cursive to the right and Manalli’s are cursive to the left. I don’t know what to think of it.

Handwriting is the best match I have ever seen, but… Zodiac letters are typically cursive to the right and Manalli’s are cursive to the left. I don’t know what to think of it.

Trav has noted a ‘mirror’ effect regarding Manalli’s writing in comparison to Zodiac’s