I don’t disagree. Don’t misunderstand me…I’m not trying to protect the killer or mitigate anything they’ve done. I’d love to know who it was, of course.

Honestly, I’m not sure what LE would do. Would they tell the victims’ and killer’s families privately? Or not at all? Or announce publicly? I’m not sure. All I’m saying is that if the Zodiac is identified and it turns out he is dead, it wouldn’t surprise me if LE didn’t publicly reveal the info. That’s all I’m saying.

I guess… you could tell the families and others impacted and leave them to exert their First Amendment rights to the media etc.

You would not be embargoing his identity but not commenting on his guilt, either.

If law enforcement solves this case, for the reasons I listed above, they WILL announce it publicly. If they announce it publicly that it’s been solved, they WILL name names. Here’s why:

If the case is over then there is no active investigation. If CA public records laws are anything like the states where I practice, the law enforcement files would be subject to release without redaction. The only reason for denying a public records request or for redacting info is to protect an ongoing investigation.

Also, if I were to represent a victim (Mageau or Hartnell) or a family member of the victim, it is not inconceivable that the statutes of limitation would be tolled. That means it’s entirely possible wrongful death actions could be file even 50 years doen the road.

Further, take the activity on this message board for the last few days for example. We are obsessed; all of us. We each think we know something. If it is announced as solved and closed without a suspect’s being named . . . It will REALLY be "game on" to quote Tom. If they solve it, they will want it OVER. Finally. And for real. They’ll name names if they solve it. No doubt.

I’ll bow to your better knowledge. I guess I just feel bad for Zodiac’s living relatives being publicly outed as family member’s of a notorious serial killer.

I’ll bow to your better knowledge. I guess I just feel bad for Zodiac’s living relatives being publicly outed as family member’s of a notorious serial killer.

That doesn’t stop them in any other case.

I completely sympathize with what you say, Chaucer. If they solve it, it’s gonna be hell for a lot of folks. It will probably be worst on Mageau and Hartnell. But the family of the identified-Zodiac will also suffer, as will the remaining family of the murdered victims.

I know BTK was alive when it was solved, but we have a model for how it can be handled by the family members.

The overriding public concerns (academic research, potentially solving other crimes, advancements in law enforcement techniques) simply merit more worth than any individual’s feelings. It will suck for those people. But it’s something that’s gotta be done.

The overriding public concerns (academic research, potentially solving other crimes, advancements in law enforcement techniques) simply merit more worth than any individual’s feelings. It will suck for those people. But it’s something that’s gotta be done.

Yes, you’re probably right.

I completely sympathize with what you say, Chaucer. If they solve it, it’s gonna be hell for a lot of folks. It will probably be worst on Mageau and Hartnell. But the family of the identified-Zodiac will also suffer, as will the remaining family of the murdered victims.

I know BTK was alive when it was solved, but we have a model for how it can be handled by the family members.

The overriding public concerns (academic research, potentially solving other crimes, advancements in law enforcement techniques) simply merit more worth than any individual’s feelings. It will suck for those people. But it’s something that’s gotta be done.

Yes, the families of serial killers are devastated as much as the victims’ families. BTK’s family was devastated and GSK’s family is probably devastated.

At the end of the day, sickos who choose to take innocent lives for their own gratification are responsible for all the reverberations.

Personally, if I was related to such a person I would want to know so I could cut off ties from them.

Another point is that serial killers can be abusive and cruel to their own families. Ed Wayne Edwards even murdered an adopted son for insurance money. So for all we know, capturing/identifying Zodiac could also be justice for domestic victims.

It would surprise me if they didn’t give the name. Do you think they are worried about hurting the killers reputation?

No, but the killer’s living relatives who are completely innocent of the crimes would be devastated and suddenly placed in the public eye. And honestly, other than satisfying our curiousity, what purpose would it serve to know who it was?

Look, I’d LOVE to know who the Zodiac was. I’m not saying that his name (if he should be ID’d) should be kept a secret. I am merely playing devil’s advocate here. Suppose LE identifies your dead father or dead brother or dead husband as the Zodiac killer. Would you want his name and face plastered all over the internet and supermarket tabloids for really no reason other than to feed an obsession?

So far nobody in this, "should/would the Zodiac’s identity be made public if they identified him", discussion have mentioned the Zodiac killer’d victims and their
relatives, and in my opinion THEY, most of all, deserve to know the identity of their killer/ loved once killer.
So I REALLY hope LE, if they identify him, does make his identity public whomever he was.

Update: Saw now that several other had made the same point

Let’s get there first.

Glad I found this thread. It helped clarify a few things. What an unfortunate mess. I don’t have a clue as to circumstances which led to Tom’s post, but I don’t see an upside for him to purposely mislead the Z community in this way. It would not only damage his reputation, but it’d probably cost him the trust of his contacts within the investigation. Hoping that this tip was accurate and that it leads to the identification of Z.

Has there ever EVER, been a case where LE has not announced the identification of a perp publicly?? Regardless for me, "I Think I Know" makes the best argument. It becomes public anyway. Whether via FOIA or the absolute right for the victims families to sue brings everything out into the open. It sucks for the families of the murderer of course, but that’s killers fault to have left this on them.

Has there ever EVER, been a case where LE has not announced the identification of a perp publicly?? Regardless, "I Think I Know" make the best argument. It becomes public anyway. Whether via FOIA and the absolute right for the victims families to sue brings everything out in the open. It sucks for the families of the murderer of course, but thats killers fault to have left this on them.

The family of the Zodiac will hit payday by parading on various media outlets.

In regards to LE releasing his name or not, to close a case they must name the individual(s). It should be noted that DNA alone will not solve this case, It will still require investigating the individual for so many reasons that retaining his identity is the least of anyone’s concerns.

Plot twist: What If theres DNA that originated from a female? The twist and turns this case may take is not known.

Plot twist: What If theres DNA that originated from a female? The twist and turns this case may take is not known.

I have a better non-probable plot twist scenario. Suppose Z, before leaving LHR, collected a saliva sample from David, and used that to affix postage stamps to his letters. Imagine the reaction of LE if that’s to whom the DNA evidence leads back.

Marshall, you have an interesting observation there. Yours is one of the few times that I’ve heard such. I’ve long had a private little theory that posits exactly that, but from a different victim.

I do hope they have known profiles from the victims (or family members) to compare against any unknown evidentiary profiles raised from new testing.

We got the Twilight Zone now.