My theory:

I dont think the Zodiac was in the park and i dont think he was in a home watching the events unfold. The Zodiac was long gone when police arrived. I think the location of the crime is essential to the Zodiacs way of thinking and, when I say location, I mean "over by Washington and Maple".

At the corner of Washington and Maple, 3778 Washington Street, is the following home:

The image can be found, along with a lengthy article at, http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/russell/index.html

This shot was taken looking up at the home from the corner of Jackson and Maple. Its known as the Russell house once owned by Leon Bazalgette Russell and Madeleine Haas. Madeleine by the way, who may interest a few of you, was the great grandneice of Levi Strauss.

My thinking is that you could actually see the park and everything unfolding from that round room at top. I don’t think he was there but envisioned and wrote in his version of events.

I think this house was what he wanted us to find.

Certainly left field I know.

Soze

Soze, respect everyone’s opinions and theories equally so the residence at W’ton & Mple is something we can’t rule out. However, you stated:

"My theory:

I dont think the Zodiac was in the park and i dont think he was in a home watching the events unfold. The Zodiac was long gone when police arrived. I think the location of the crime is essential to the Zodiacs way of thinking and, when I say location, I mean "over by Washington and Maple".

That’s not accurate IMO. Zodiac wasn’t log gone because he simply didn’t have chance to get anywhere that was any distanc away before the police started responding and once they did, had the whole area contained by a perimeter of cars and cops. Zodiac himself acknowledges that the cops he encountered as he "was walking down the hill" he did so approx. 3 Minutes after he’d left the cab. And Fouke got to Cherry, spoke to A.P, then dashed to the Presidio and radioed other units that possible suspect had just gone into that area and many other units responded to this by also dashing to West Pacific. He did not have enough time to get out of the area on foot, nor was he in the park. Yet he knew some specific details regarding the search effort itself. Chief Lee instigated Zodiac into giving proof by claiming in the Chronicle that "He (Zodiac) is a liar" and declaring that the fact Zodiac said he was in the park yet failed to mention the dogs and search lights was evidence to him that "He is a liar. He was nowhere in the vicinity of the park."
Zodiac then responded by sarcastically stating that of course he knew the fire trucks were there, they were trying to use their sirens to drown out the prowl police car’s sirens and as for the dogs, well, they were so far away and never got anywhere near his location so he didn’t think they were even worth mentioning.

If he himself wasn’t in the area somewhere, I think a second person he knew who saw the search was. Whether that person innocently mentioned to Zodiac what occurred and had no idea that the person he was telling was the Zodiac or whether he knew he was, no idea. But my opinion is, and there are plenty of people who disagree, but I think he himself was somewhere close enough to be able to see and/or hear the search effort and police and fire trucks.

If he got out of the area before they had chance to surround the Presidio then he did so in a waiting vehicle that must have been on West Pacific Avenue somewhere. If it were on Jackson Street then I cant see him getting away totally unseen. The number of responding vehicles coupled with the commotion of lights and sirens in such an affluent area would undoubtedly cause many to come out onto their drives or the street itself and, for me, someone would have seen him pulling away or a responding cop drive past him somewhere as he attempted to make good his escape and turn and give chase. If he left a vehicle on West Pacific then when did he place it there? The previous day? 3PM that afternoon? I mean that area is a popular recreational park used my many many people in the day. And lets assume he did have a car parked waiting on West Pacific, why wouldn’t he ask Paul to drop him off 50, maybe 100 yards away from it on West Pacific? Far less chance of a witness seeing him in that dark and solem area at that time of night.

None of it makes sense, the decision to shoot Paul at that location instead of on West Pacific. The complete dismissal of Cherry Streets entrance through the Presidio Wall when cops were on his tail and responding and opting instead to try his best to get caught by staying on the lit and open street. That makes no sense at all unless, of course, he was heading for a specific house along that route somewhere.

Welsh,

Everything I stated in my post was geared towards the park search and the house on the corner of Washington and Maple. When I said, long gone by the time police arrived, I did mean the park search. It was not my intention, then or now, to convey the message that the Zodiac did not encounter any law enforcement. I do believe he did and believe this encounter to have taken place at the corner of Jackson and Maple.

You made the statement that the Zodiac "simply didn’t have chance to get anywhere that was any distanc away before the police started responding".

Are we sure about that?

Soze

Welsh,

Everything I stated in my post was geared towards the park search and the house on the corner of Washington and Maple. When I said, long gone by the time police arrived, I did mean the park search. It was not my intention, then or now, to convey the message that the Zodiac did not encounter any law enforcement. I do believe he did and believe this encounter to have taken place at the corner of Jackson and Maple.

You made the statement that the Zodiac "simply didn’t have chance to get anywhere that was any distanc away before the police started responding".

Are we sure about that?

Soze

Well first off Soze, I apologise for misreading or mis-interpreting what your post said/implied.

And my comment of "Zodiac wasn’t long gone because he simply didn’t have chance to get anywhere that was any distanc away before the police started responding" is one I personally still stand by if by distance he could flee we are talking of on foot and outdoors. If he did run through the Presidio Wall then Don Fouke says he passed the suspect at Maple, swung left at Cherry and briefly spoke to Armond, became aware that suspect was white and instantly turned around and sped to the Presidio and radioed other units that a suspect had been seen heading that way so from the time he passes the white guy, to responding to West Pacific Av. would be, what, 30 seconds to a minute….that is only in this ‘version’ by Fouke.

If we are to go by his version as he gives it for the Documentary ‘Crimes of the Century’ because in this version he is on camera as declaring the following to be the way the event happened directly after he drives past a white male at Maple:

"Seen as we were looking for a Negro Male Adult we proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search. As we arrived at Arguello Street the suspect description was changed to that of a white male adult. Believing that this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search along West Pacific Avenue."

Now if that version is the way it happened then Don doesn’t turn left on Cherry nor see’s Armond Pelissetti but drives past Cherry on Jackson to the next and final block which is Arguello Blvd. As he arrives at this location he gets the update of the description over the radio and immediately turns right onto West Pacific and toward Julius Kahn which, in that scenario, would see the White Male, had he have ducked into the grounds of the Presidio through Maple’s wall, would have gone through the entrance at the same time as Don is turning off Arguello and onto West Pacific.

Zodiac, remember, when he left the cab was described by the young witnesses as ‘Ambling/walking away down Cherry.’ When Fouke reports seeing him he does so recalling in his memo "Subject at no time appeared in a hurry and walked with shuffling lope."

He never seemed worried or in a panic when witnesses saw him on the streets so I can’t imagine that if he did go into the Presidio (which I am confident in my own mind he did not) he suddenly broke into a desperate sprint. Just my Opinion, obviously.