Yes, that would be exactly consistent. It sounds like the canine units were initially concentrating their search between Julius Kahn playground and the Arguello Street gate.
Obviously there are no ‘blocks’ inside the Presidio so he was estimating, but if you hypothetically projected the cross-streets into the Presidio, that would mean the canine units were initially searching as far east as Spruce Street.
Further east, you then had Locust, Laurel and Walnut. Locust and Laurel projected into the Presidio would be open space (the Little League field) but by the time you got to the equivalent of Walnut Street you were in the woods.
So unless he was making it up, he was probably in the beginning of those woods, in line with Walnut Street, keeping his eye on the canine and police activity about 3 blocks to the west.
And it sounds like he was also cautious to go too far east until he felt the coast was clear, if police motorcycles were rushing into the Presidio through the Presidio Avenue gate.
So for a while he was pinned between JK and Presidio Boulevard.
My thought is if the first police priority was securing the main Presidio exit points they would have caught him that night.
(Actually as I look at Richard’s map, you’re in the woods sooner – between Locust and Laurel.)
Thanks Xcaliber. Good thread, and good to have someone else who really knows the area.
Xcaliber,
I posted on another page after your original post and don’t see it over here. Haven’t read all the posts on this thread so this may be out of context. I am a native San Franciscan also. Born 1953 sixteen years old in 68. I also knew Lindsey from Lick- Wilmerding High School. You must have gone to Town school. I had never seen his name on these boards until awhile back when someone from LE mentioned it. I remember him telling some of us about this right after it happened. Did you perhaps go to Lick also? Hope this gets posted here and is not repetitious from other page. I lived in the Sunnyside area over by City College. Glad to hear from you.
charliemartin
Charlie thanks, I did see your post and responded on the other page. I knew a lot of kids in the neighborhood from elementary school but had lost track of most of them by then. JK was the common ground. Heard about the teenage witnesses for years, but didn’t know until I discovered this forum that it was Lindsey Robbins.
Great map!
Yes, the Lyon Steps could make sense if he exited the Broadway gate. But the Lyon Steps are pretty exposed and there are houses lining the east side and you’d have to go 2 1/2 blocks to get to that parking area alongside the Presidio.
You could easily park right outside the Broadway gate though, on the south side of Broadway without interfering with anyone’s residence parking or attracting any attention. Especially in 1969 – it’s changed a little bit but not much.
But could he have been implying he parked within the Presidio?
This letter implies he was sitting in a car. Or maybe he was in the boot. https://www.zodiackiller.com/StineLetter.html
The map fits perfectly with Zodiac’s expalantion. However I still can’t get over the fact that the dogs would be in an entirely wrong direction! If they gave the dogs a scent at the Stine scene, they should have been led right to Zodiac. The traces were fresh.
would he be cunning enough to plant some smell earlier in the night to throw off the dogs?
The police report stated "The military police headquarters of the Presidio of S.F. was notified and an intense search of the Julius Kahn area was made by seven dog units, other Richmond and C.P. units – to no avail." But by the time they were deployed Zodiac was mid section of Laurel and Walnut Street (just over 2 blocks). This journey time through the park likely took Zodiac at least 5-6 minutes, indicating that if he saw dogs being grouped at Julius Khan playground, the time was at least 10.07-10.10 pm- likely nearer ten past. Zodiac already had the jump.
Here is my calculations for the timeline https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-ne … -by-minute
given his wingtips is it likely he was Presidio military?
Zodiac had a forty minute head start on the dogs. The searchers knew it was a lost cause as soon as they arrived:
Im not sure why a person who usually uses terms like east and west in regard to direction and also terms like radians, then refers to the dogs not coming within 2 blocks of him instead of using terms like meters or yards which leads me to believe he was not in the park at all. Maybe it’s just me but I have never measured distance in a grassy field area by saying that target is about 2 blocks away or that person is about 2 blocks away. If I was indeed in a field or grassy type of environment I would say the dogs never came within 200 yards of me. So I personally believe he slipped up by mistake because he was actually on the street somewhere not in a park or field. He was measuring distance based on blocks because he was probably either hiding in a car or backyard or maybe even a house or something who knows but i don’t think it was the park.
