If you were the murderer of Paul Stine and had traveled down Jackson Street to a parked car or to enter the Julius Khan Park which route would you have taken, the red route or the blue route.
I wouldn’t have traveled up Jackson to get to the park, unless, I suspected law enforcement would travel north on cherry or maple to reach the scene. Would seem quicker to reach covered area by continuing to head north on cherry. Have no comment about a car.
Soze
I’m curious. If the Zodiac hadn’t any expectations on law enforcement travel and parked his car at Jackson and maple, would his best course of action have been to turn the corner or walk towards the east?
Soze
Yes you are right, if he suspected no witnesses to the crime, I would have thought the quickest and safest option is always best.
Very interesting post UK. Thank you for presenting it.
Soze
Got to thinking about this again earlier today. If Z’s plan actually was to escape into the park, why did he instruct Stine to go to Wash./Maple?
There are multiple destinations he could have chosen which would have – seemingly – served the same purpose (the latter simply being to kill a cab driver in an affluent, quiet neighborhood).
Why not instruct Stine to go to the corner of Jackson and Maple? Or, even better, all the way north on Maple (or Cherry, for that matter)? Same neighborhood, presumably similar levels of traffic and pedestrian activity, but much closer to the park, making for a much easier getaway.
Looked at from this perspective, what he opted for was to walk through much more of an area with potential witnesses than he had to.
Now, add the above to the fact that once he reached Jackson, he did not proceed to cross the street, simply keeping on walking straight north until he could slip out of the residential area – but turned east instead, remaining on Jackson, a move which made the potentially fatal Fouke encounter possible…and it starts to look very much like he wasn’t thinking about getting to the park at all.
Either he didn’t know the area very well (hardly at all, one could even say) – or he wasn’t headed to the park. That’s how I read it anyway.
My only guess on this, is that the Zodiac Killer wanted to form a separation, a buffer zone if you like. Had he committed the crime further north ie; Jackson and Maple it would have put the focus of the police much closer to the park and where he intended going. The question of why he ultimately walked along Jackson instead of heading straight through Cherry into the park is interesting however, it seems not the logical choice. I don’t know exactly the hedge layout and cars parked in 69, but is it possible he was not aware of access into the park from Cherry or Maple and entered via Spruce. These are the views today
1. Cherry; @37.789573,-122.457357,3a,75y,353.44h,73.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sb8MzHoKRYe6GEVGowzDuPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en”> https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @37.78957 … 6656?hl=en
2. Maple @37.789734,-122.455811,3a,75y,356.55h,82.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMw5j933r3MGWVUGYGVRlkA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en”> https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @37.78973 … 6656?hl=en
3.Spruce on the other hand he has knowledge of direct road and sidewalk access
@37.790103,-122.454424,185m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x808587301b6b6cc5:0x8ad56b1d3e042f1!2m2!1d-122.4572353!2d37.7886851!1m0!3e2?hl=en”> https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Washi … !3e2?hl=en
Here is the view back from West Pacific back to Spruce, clear access
@37.790662,-122.454359,3a,75y,162.77h,82.35t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sqnoOfRIzQoF1zIEITSrMqQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DqnoOfRIzQoF1zIEITSrMqQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D100%26h%3D80%26yaw%3D129.08275%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x808587301b6b6cc5:0x8ad56b1d3e042f1!2m2!1d-122.4572353!2d37.7886851!1m0!3e2?hl=en”> https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Washi … !3e2?hl=en
NOT FORGETTING IT WAS DARK THAT NIGHT SO VISIBILITY TO SEE ACCESS WAS GREATLY DIMINISHED.
Good points, UKS:
From what I remember there was direct access from Cherry (some sort of gate) and a fence on the end of Maple (but one it was easy enough to jump). I’m hazy on those details, though.
What you propose makes sense but only if we presuppose what I suggested as a possibility above: He wasn’t familiar with the area at all. Someone who knew the layout would know about those access points and would find his way easily even if it was dark.
One could even propose that someone who had simply researched the area in daylight (possibly even just on a map) beforehand would know these things.
I partly buy the buffer idea too. But I don’t think a buffer is logical if he simply planned on disappearing into the park. Heading to the park is THE most obvious choice for anyone who wants out of the residential area, not to mention that the park was a common haunt for junkies, dealers and so forth at the time – in other words, an area the cops would infallibly search after an episode like this.
However, if what Z was headed for, was a vehicle – the buffer idea makes a lot of sense. You don’t have the cab driver stop right next to your own car – for the simple reason that if anyone spotted you, it would be game over there and then.
The above goes for the "safe house" theory too, one could add.
good points. i’ve always bought the "buffer zone" theory as well. regardless of where his car was parked, it’s easier to obscure yourself in a dark park than walking down the street. when i viewed the google street view of the area i noted several round-abouts that dead end between jackson and pacific where a person could cross onto pacific but a car couldn’t. if you’re being trailed by cops or even trying to avoid officers in cars, it’s a pretty solid plan to walk to the end of any of those streets and cross onto pacific from a non-road entry point.
While his intention may not have been to go into the park, if he saw cops that quickly, he could have very well decided to dart in there.
Here is the backside of Maple from the Presidio side (which has no doubt changed over the years):
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
He certainly could have been considerably rattled by the Fouke encounter. As mentioned elsewhere, up until the point when Pelissetti arrived at the crime scene (Z being roughly at the Jackson/Cherry intersection at this point) he wasn’t necessarily inordinately stressed (some surmise that he noticed the teens in the window, but this is pure speculation). He then hears sirens. Now, we may presume, he is actually fleeing: He hurries down Jackson St – and very shortly after a second patrol appears (which would have surprised him). He slows down just in time, causing his famous shuffling lope (as observed by Fouke), and pretends to enter 3712. As soon as Fouke has rolled past him, he runs for the park (perhaps even panicking now), jumping the fence (or rather the low wall, as seen on the picture above) at the end of Maple.
Very plausible as such. But it still doesn’t explain why he didn’t head straight for the park in the first place. Nor – even – why he didn’t opt for the Cherry route (straight down the street and into the park) when he heard the sirens.
His movements strongly indicate that heading for the park, as such, wasn’t part of his plan.
I think he may have just been walking back towards his car, saw the cops and jetted into Maple. In 1969, Fouke made no mention of the house at Jackson…only Maple and the park.
While he might have heard sirens, it would probably be difficult to know exactly where they were coming from and so his best bet was to just walk to his car as quickly as possible and get the heck out of dodge.
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
I think he may have just been walking back towards his car, saw the cops and jetted into Maple. In 1969, Fouke made no mention of the house at Jackson…only Maple and the park.
Yes, but that particular addendum on Fouke’s part I have no problem believing. It would have been easier for him to just claim that Z breezed past them and headed down Maple. So, I don’t doubt that Z made for 3712, trying to give the impression that he lived there – and that Fouke subsequently reasoned (as he says) that he headed down Maple afterwards. It makes sense. Z would have tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, just a guy on his way home, etc.
Not that it matters in this context.
Generally, I think what you propose is pretty likely. The question is where his car was parked. Did he have to come back for it (after having fled into the park)?
Years ago my theory was that Z had his car parked somewhere along W Pacific Ave (the idea being that he could easily drive home, across the GG bridge, from there). But this theory raises two pesky questions:
* Yet again, why not head straight for W Pacific Ave (and thus away from the residential area – that’s the main thing) going all the way up Cherry St?
* Why not have Stine drop him off somewhere closer? The buffer idea still holds if he instructs Stine to go to, say, Maple/Jackson. Closer but still far enough from the car.
my feeling is he parked his car or motorbike right there over the wall at Maple…He more than likely originally wanted Maple but had Stine drive one more block to Cherry possibly because of witnesses or something. But I’ve driven and walked this area numerous times..all Z would have to drive about 3 blocks east and he’d be in the heart of the city and still be able to see everything going on along Pacific and Jackson because that "get away" street arches upwards towards the east.
