You bring up a larger issue: the lack of cooperation with the public.

After over 50 years, you aren’t any closer to catching the guys. Maybe try a different tactic and share some info with the public – specifically those of us interested in solving the case. At this point, what do they have to lose?

Beginning to appear like hubris to me.

You bring up a larger issue: the lack of cooperation with the public.

After over 50 years, you aren’t any closer to catching the guys. Maybe try a different tactic and share some info with the public – specifically those of us interested in solving the case. At this point, what do they have to lose?

Beginning to appear like hubris to me.

Amen to this, Chaucer.

The whole point of the Zodiac case being a big deal is not the murders (because he had an extremely low canonical count of 5 homicides and 2 attempted) but the fact this case has an overwhelming amount of evidence and yet he wasn’t caught.

Also the amount of evidence available to people from the Zodiac case is several orders of magnitude greater than most other cold cases out there because (1) the Zodiac left a lot and (2) we have a ton of it.

I can understand from a researcher/historian point of view wanting to know everything for the record but holding back stuff is good police work also.

So let’s say they did release stuff. What exactly do you hope to achieve with these things? I am keeping in mind criticisms of what work people have done with the evidence that is out there.

So what do you expect to do any differently with it and more importantly why is what you already have insufficient?

IMO, everything we need is right there and always has been.

For example,

EARONS would have most definitely been identified decades ago if the right person with even basic case knowledge came across an article about a cop who was busted for stealing DOG-REPELLENT and fired right around the time the EAR crimes stop and ONS crimes start. All that person would then have to do is look once at the guy to know he matches the VR composite, Maggiore revised, lived near VR crimes and moved to Auburn above Sacramento when the EAR crimes started. This isn’t hindsight. This is just a fact of the matter that someone with basic case knowledge who saw that article would get it. At worst they would still save that info and put it into the community who would get it. I have yet to meet anyone who studied this case who doesn’t agree with this. That the article + EARONS knowledge = JJD going to jail eventually.

However in addition I can hear the complaints even now… but composites are done by artists and might not be accurate even if a cop did also see him!… the locations are just a big coincidence go seek help!… there is no evidence EARONS was a cop!… Or even better how about all the arguments as to why EARONS could NOT be a cop! … different jurisdictions… my dad was a cop back in Sac and no way could he do all that recon and work at the same time… cops were all fingerprinted and checked out… your seeing things… clouds in the sky… Russell’s teapot…

So these days I got to ask exactly what is it that someone expects to do differently here to break the case? People in general researching the case aren’t geneologists, don’t have the hard evidence and don’t a have lab anyway, so what are they going to do with this held back material to solve it?

Do you really think they will give you one communication and in there is the answer you needed all along to solve the case? That the FBI and local LE combined couldn’t see in it what you can or will be able to see?

It seems some people think yes so I got to hear what do you expect to do any differently with it?

If your answer is nothing differently to what others have done with the material we have, then you really have to go back and reconsider if all that is as exhausted as you think it is and as insufficient as you might believe.

What is more likely is the answer is in there already and requires more work to get it out which is going to be historical research if anyone has been following any developments in this case which matter.

Good police work leads to an arrest of a person who committed crimes. Holding back certain information is goodpolice work. Therefore, holding back certain information about the Zodiac crimes will ultimately lead to the arrest of a person who committed the Zodiac crimes.

In 100 years, law enforcement will still be saying they’re holding back information so they can arrest someone for Zodiac. Do you see how foolish that is at this point? I am beginning the process of winding down my career and preparing for retirement, and I wasn’t even born when Zodiac shot Paul Stine. When does good police work become hubris?

What would we do differently with ALL the evidence? I dunno, maybe SOLVE the case? There are more people on this website than have officially worked the case for law enforcement. Yes, they have official powers of grand jury subpoenas and badges to get access to information. But the power in numbers is greater than the power of the few.

Maybe they’ll find their man, dig him up, and ask him about all their secret evidence. Who knows?

Tom, on the site in your link you suggest that lack of resources could be one reason that progress is delayed.

There’s no "could be" about it.

As far as some kind of a fundraiser, if that was an option it would have been tried already. Generating money for the cause sounds great to us, but on the inside it’s not viable for a host of reasons, most of which I admit are bullshi*.

Tom,
It is clear that Vallejo PD is cash strapped and lacking man power. Don’t you think it would be prudent to turn over their evidence to the DOJ and allow them to work their case?

There’s some kind of a road block, I’m not sure why.

Tom,
It is clear that Vallejo PD is cash strapped and lacking man power. Don’t you think it would be prudent to turn over their evidence to the DOJ and allow them to work their case?

I doubt the DOJ view it as important enough, sadly.