Thank you to everyone for your thoughts on this. for me this particular murder was always so much stranger to me,then the others.

Like a lot of us, who lived in the Napa,Vallejo area, we camped there a lot, back then with our families, or sometimes just go up for the day. I think someone could of easily come acrossed him. The reason I think this, is we would often look for cars parked along the road,it would indicate to us a trail to get down to the water, and not have to pay, by going through one of the campgrounds. And it could be, he just did not want to be recognized while performing his murder. This was also during the Viet Nam period, and unless I am mistaken, didn’t serviceman learn to sew, while in the service? I thought they had to sew their own patches and stuff on their uniforms, but I may be wrong on that? I always thought he sewed the hood his self. I know it is certainly possible to of gotten a innocent mama or grandma to do it, and they kept their mouths shut when it hit the newspapers, and TV.

I think if I was there, and I saw this coming towards me with a gun,I would be very scared! pittsburgh_phil mentioned on the forum about him being calculating! A very good descriptive adjective for him. I appreciate all the input, some of you brought up things I had not thought of, as to his reason for wearing it. The idea of him maybe having graphic design background or job is fascinating. I remember going to a place and having a hat embroidered with a saying on it, for a present once. It was beautiful work! I could sew back then, but we did not have machines that could embroider at that time.

Thanks a lot for your input. With regards to the sewing, the services, armed and merchant, would have provided opportunities for sewing.

As for the "hood", it is difficult to say, it could’ve had a dual purpose use, hiding his own real"identity", behind a fictive one.

Fear to me has always been the driving force, since Serial’s say invoking of the fear is more exciting to them then the actual murders themselves. I recall Ken Narlow of Napa PD had stated to him the hood didn’t make sense, if you’re going to kill the people why the hood? Well as it turned out the hood did protect his ID, but we know that wasn’t Z’s intention.
At LB I’ve always wondered why the knife versus his gun. Was it the noise factor that he didn’t want any undue attention to what was happening? My personal thought has always been that Manson had a great deal of influence on Z’s direction in his last 2 known killings. Just as Z’s fear began to reign in the Bay Area, the Tate/Labianca murders hit, just one week after Z released his first letters. Z being an egomaniac in his own right was losing air time to the murders taking place in southern ca. So does Z decide to make his next crime bloodier, more personal, like Charlie did? And then his last murder he selects the affluent Presidio Heights as his place of murder, kind of like what Charlie did. I just felt from the beginning that the southern ca. murders had to bother Z at the time.

This question has been debated many times and even Ken Narlow asked on camera once "The one thing that made no sense is why wear a mask? If you have it in your head that your going to kill them then why cover your face?"

Well, I can see both sides to this both the advantages and disadvantages on the hood. First, I think he wore the hood because of his latest Victims refusal to die because even Mike Mageau acknowledges himself that "He (Z) shot me and shot me and shot me." And Mike isn’t exaggerating the truth there either. Z decided he would return to his own car, take time to reload his gun, walk back to Dee & Mike, and pump two more rounds into Mike, and another two (or was it three) into Dee. And yet, Mike was shot full of holes, once in the lower face too, and would not comply with Z’s wishes and simply give in and relent to his many life threatening injuries. I imagine this pissed Zodiac off no end. But anyway, I think that his decision to wear the hood over his head was because he didn’t want to waltz up, stab a few victims on an Islasnd and then turn the news on the next morning to see Bryan speaking to news reporters and a composite flash up of his actual face.

Now that’s all well and good to ensure the Victims don’t see your face but not such a bright idea if and when a fishing boat happens to cruise by the Island because I don’t think the fishermen’s first words to each other are going to be "Look at that hat that Gentleman is wearing….That’s very well designed that, wonderful stitching." A man sporting a black sinister executioners hood over his head and pointing a gun at two young people tied up on the floor could be construed as suspicious lol.

So for what it’s worth, my opinion is he wore it after Mike has given him quite a shock when he realised he had survived.

That again is where Zodiac seemingly endless streak of luck comes into play. Bryan did survive, and Paul Stine did not. I think we can safely assume Zodiac didn’t thumb Paul’s Taxi from the steps of one of the plush Hotels wearing his hood and symbol. Although that does conjure up images that are extremely funny to a somewhat childish humoured person like me. Paul pulls up:

"Where you looking to go my Friend?

Hooded square head: Maple Street, Pacific Heights.

Paul: Sure, not problem Sir. Hop on in.

Hood: "Much obliged….This is the Zodiac riding."

Paul: Sorry….?

I always wondered what level of marks man skills did he possess.

It could be considered sloppy the fact he was unable to kill MM, if he had shot him in the way he shot David Faraday no doubt Mike would have died too. However, the 4th of July attack seemed a lot more action packed, with Mike jumping into the back and "thus spoiling his aim". I think in the surroundings they were in, you cant always anticipate how the victims will react, and how much time you can spare to ensure death. Though he really should have killed Mike.

I am in two minds whether it was the same Zodiac at Lake Barryesa, so many things do not add up:

1. Why the knife
2. Big guy compared to the guy Foukes saw at PH (if that was him).
3. How he never mentioned it in his letters
4. The fact he stood and talked to them, Zodiac never did this in the past.

All a bit strange imo. The hood idea was ballsy and a bit stupid, a hood attracts attention specially at that relatively early time of night. And the fact he stood for like 30 minutes talking to them with it on, the chances of a member of the public witnessing that and calling the police (from a distance, unknown to Z) is relatively high. So why increase the risk to attempt to prevent it? A silenced gun would have been a lot more quick, and effective.

Another thing, Bryan Hartnell said his hands were shaking. This does not sound very much like Zodiac to me, the same Zodiac that had killed in the past in cold blood, that had rang from a payphone just several blocks from a police station speaking in a monotone and taunting. Was this the same man that was shaking whilst already having his victims tied up?

"I am in two minds whether it was the same Zodiac at Lake Barryesa, so many things do not add up"

You wouldn’t be alone in that suspicion Vince, I have heard others ask similar and say they too are sceptical that this overweight bulky guy was not the same man that t6runs up at Pacific Heights 2 weeks later. Obviously there is Zodiac suspicious silence in written form taking credit for having been responsible. I used to buy into the argument that it had to be the same man because the scrawled dates and times left in Bryan’s door matched that of the man writing the letters as Zodiac. Not si sure anymore myself. Its the easiest thing in the world for the actual attacker to be accompanied by his co-conspirator who is writing the letters and he write the message while the 2nd attacks and stabs the couple.

Zodiac said he loved to needle the blue pigs and give then some busy work by giving them a few fake clues and leads to watch them run all over town in circles with and that would be one way to do it. He’d know that upon police arrival, they would automatically assume that the man who’s hand penned that message on the door, was the same hand that stabbed both Bryan and Cecelia and that isn’t a safe and obvious assumption to make considering the antagonist in question.

IMHO I belive :

1. This was probably a fantasy/fetish Z have had for years, to be a murderous villain, inspired by comics since a young age.

2. This possibly combined with him being influenced/inspired by some sort of occult belief and ritual/sacrifice, due to his choice to kill by water and a big oak (both highly sacred by Celts & Druids, which I believe Z was into, think of his apparent interest in Halloween/the ancient celtic Samhain.)
Sep 23 was September equinox and Sep 25 was full moon both significant in occultism.Z also killed Dec 20 the day prior to
Dec 21 wich was December Solstice.

I believe that Zs relationship with the occult was not a deep and serious/mature one, I more sense that it was some kind of immature facination of an occult fantasy world just like the comic villain hood/costume thing.

I belive Zodiac was highly intelligent, crafty, artistic, sarcastic, in his own odd way humorous, calculating, polite, morbidly competitive, sociopatic AND childish/unmature.

Could it have been to invoke fear? to hide his identity?

I don’t think so, because if those were his reasons why not just dress in black with a black ski mask, that would have covered those reasons and would have been SO much easier that create, probably even sew, a squared hood and embroide the Zodiac symbol on the costume.

I feel he wore to be recognized by his victims as Zodiac.

IMHO I belive :

1. This was probably a fantasy/fetish Z have had for years, to be a murderous villain, inspired by comics since a young age.

Lucky Superman wasn’t his comic book hero of choice to reinact isn’t it. The first time he tried to emulate him by jumping off the edge of a 100 story building he’d have just have had enough time to see the road getting close…..closer and would not finish thinking "Hmmm, this didn’t happen when Superman jumped back in the pages of…….. SPLAT!!

"So it’s sorta social. Demented and sad, but social, right?" Judd Nelson.

 

I remember reading a long time ago that one of the girls responsible for the Mansion "family" murders, knitted the Zodiac hood. Unable to locate the source now, but it sure was an interesting read.

I personally think Zodiac was a sea merchant or a school teacher.

IMHO I belive :

1. This was probably a fantasy/fetish Z have had for years, to be a murderous villain, inspired by comics since a young age.

Lucky Superman wasn’t his comic book hero of choice to reinact isn’t it. The first time he tried to emulate him by jumping off the edge of a 100 story building he’d have just have had enough time to see the road getting close…..closer and would not finish thinking "Hmmm, this didn’t happen when Superman jumped back in the pages of…….. SPLAT!!

I belive Zodiac was highly intelligent, crafty, artistic, sarcastic, in his own odd way humorous, calculating, polite, morbidly competitive, sociopatic AND childish/unmature.

Cannot agree more. All that talent and he still felt compelled to kill. Very deep seated home issues as a child.

Soze

I agree.

I belive Zodiac was highly intelligent, crafty, artistic, sarcastic, in his own odd way humorous, calculating, polite, morbidly competitive, sociopatic AND childish/unmature.

Cannot agree more. All that talent and he still felt compelled to kill. Very deep seated home issues as a child.

Soze

Yeah, only a genius with IQ in the 140’s would, faced with a choice of ‘Turn and stay walking down street lit sidewalk when I hear sirens coming from at least one fairly close proximity or, do I duck into the darkness of Cherry Street’s Presidio Entrance and dramatically reduce my chances of being caught? Hmmm, tough one that. Think i’ll walk down this street hill here under the lights until I walk straight into the headlights of an approaching cruiser.

Never mind, we stay calm and give no outward suggestion of guilt and panic as cop car approaching rapidly, all I do as a genius is upon the instant I make eye contact with the cop, i’ll put my head down and look at the floor thus make it obvious I don’t want the cop seeing my face and then, then i’ll try and look as though I’m in a complete guilty mans panic and turn my back to the cops and walk up these steps by here thus making it overly-obvious I wish to have my back to them as they pass, and avoid having to walk directly into their lights and vehicle by turning and walking in a direction away from them. Ohhh yes that is highly artistic if I may say so myself! Calculating, only the most devious kind!

I mean how difficult can it be to get your driver to stop at the correct intersection? Lol. Once he has gone one block too far, no problem, let’s simply take our time to go over the interior and exterior and make sure it looks nice and clean of any dirty finger prints. Then we’ll rip his shirt into bits and just have an all round good time relaxing at the cab minding our own business as witnesses are on the phone to 911 and suddenly sirens start ringing out coming in this direction…..Hmmm, better shuffle off on my way now I suppose. Tar Tar…..Lol

Just messing TheForeigner, I certainly agree with you on his dark and yet highly funny sense of humour, love of irony and sarcasm. Rather like yourself & I if you don’t mind me saying.

I belive Zodiac was highly intelligent, crafty, artistic, sarcastic, in his own odd way humorous, calculating, polite, morbidly competitive, sociopatic AND childish/unmature.

Cannot agree more. All that talent and he still felt compelled to kill. Very deep seated home issues as a child.

Soze

Yeah, only a genius with IQ in the 140’s would, faced with a choice of ‘Turn and stay walking down street lit sidewalk when I hear sirens coming from at least one fairly close proximity or, do I duck into the darkness of Cherry Street’s Presidio Entrance and dramatically reduce my chances of being caught? Hmmm, tough one that. Think i’ll walk down this street hill here under the lights until I walk straight into the headlights of an approaching cruiser.

Never mind, we stay calm and give no outward suggestion of guilt and panic as cop car approaching rapidly, all I do as a genius is upon the instant I make eye contact with the cop, i’ll put my head down and look at the floor thus make it obvious I don’t want the cop seeing my face and then, then i’ll try and look as though I’m in a complete guilty mans panic and turn my back to the cops and walk up these steps by here thus making it overly-obvious I wish to have my back to them as they pass, and avoid having to walk directly into their lights and vehicle by turning and walking in a direction away from them. Ohhh yes that is highly artistic if I may say so myself! Calculating, only the most devious kind!

I mean how difficult can it be to get your driver to stop at the correct intersection? Lol. Once he has gone one block too far, no problem, let’s simply take our time to go over the interior and exterior and make sure it looks nice and clean of any dirty finger prints. Then we’ll rip his shirt into bits and just have an all round good time relaxing at the cab minding our own business as witnesses are on the phone to 911 and suddenly sirens start ringing out coming in this direction…..Hmmm, better shuffle off on my way now I suppose. Tar Tar…..Lol

Just messing TheForeigner, I certainly agree with you on his dark and yet highly funny sense of humour, love of irony and sarcasm. Rather like yourself & I if you don’t mind me saying.

WC, generally I find you using way too many words saying way to little.
And no, I don´t, in any way, recoginze myself as a person of "dark and yet highly funny sense of humour, love of irony and sarcasm"
But since you now describe yourself as such a person, well let me be frank… I actually find you pretty annoying.

"WC, generally I find you using way too many words saying way to little."

I appreciate such kind compliments, i will assume it was you who put in a complaint about yours truly to the powers that be about my posting too often, clogging up theads by posting two, o maybe even three posts on one thread (which is simply lunacy, i know) a month or so back.

Tell you what you can do Mr Overseas, you can simply choose to ignore any and all posts i subsequently decide to make, seen as you who sits in Judgement have decided that noting i say has any relevance. Let me ask you TheF, what have you come to the table with and contributed to this case that had previously been unknown before you brought it to this site? How many months and/or years have you petitioned the FBI for a never before released and know bit of information which you got and have shared? Without wishing or intending to appear arrogant in any way, i have brought several exclusive’s here and i say this not in great pride or ego, i say it to defend myself against you ridiculous claim of my posts and their usefulness.
Please don’t continue to report my posts and such The Foreigner because all that attention lavished in my PM inbox does no good for my ego.

And please do not refer to me as WC as this is deeply offensive to me and I shall run away and report you for abbreviating me and my online persona to a pair of letters!