Whilst the Mikado was more popular back then and is still popular today, and whilst it may have qualified as being called "pop culture" upon it’s initial run, calling it part of American pop culture in the 1960’s is a stretch.
The 1960s saw a Mikado television special (Groucho Marx) as well as a number of popular albums, touring musicals, plays, you name it
Do you think his affinity with the Mikado says something about Zodiac’s age? I wouldn’t think someone in their 20s in the late 60s would be as drawn to the Mikado unless he is a theater buff. It seems like something that would appeal to an older, more educated person.
My high school produced "The Mikado" in 1960 IIRC. (Just an FYI re. more endless speculation that leads nowhere and proves nothing!)
Releasing undisclosed evidence such as letters is what is needed now as well as an update from LE!
My high school produced "The Mikado" in 1960 IIRC. (Just an FYI re. more endless speculation that leads nowhere and proves nothing!)
Releasing undisclosed evidence such as letters is what is needed now as well as an update from LE!
What do you think LE could release that would close the case today, after over 50 years, or lead to identification of a suspect? If a suspect were identified, how do you try them when many of the original witnesses necessary to authenticate evidence have died off?
A trial is not a practical option at this point. The only court they need to convince is the court of public opinion.
What evidence could they release that would solve the case? Who knows? At this point, what do they really have to lose by releasing everything in their files? Maybe they want to wait until Hartnell and Mageau are gone before they release the info. That would be the only legitimate reason I could envision for withholding the evidence. I think it would be better to solve it before they die, though. It could give them some measure of peace. I think that the amateur Zodiac community is at least as competent as law enforcement. We should be given the chance to solve it since they can’t get it done.
Bryan Hartnell stated that the assailant wore a black hooded mask made of a cloth material, covering his entire head and shoulders, reaching down to the waist. On the front of the four cornered mask at the chest area was a white circle (3 x 3 inches in diameter) and a symmetrical cross. He would further elaborate on the design of the crosshairs, as well as later in the 2007 Zodiac documentary, stating "It looked like it was made with a machine or with some degree of care- it wasn’t just scrawled on with white paint. It was proportional". .
Didn’t ALA spend some time working as a sail maker? It’s possible he learnt how to use a sewing machine during this time
A trial is not a practical option at this point. The only court they need to convince is the court of public opinion.
What evidence could they release that would solve the case? Who knows? At this point, what do they really have to lose by releasing everything in their files? Maybe they want to wait until Hartnell and Mageau are gone before they release the info. That would be the only legitimate reason I could envision for withholding the evidence. I think it would be better to solve it before they die, though. It could give them some measure of peace. I think that the amateur Zodiac community is at least as competent as law enforcement. We should be given the chance to solve it since they can’t get it done.
I remember one detective saying when talking about armchair detectives “the problem is we have all the information but not enough time, where as they have all the time and not enough information”. I think it fairly obvious at this point that we have only seen a small percentage of the information, unfortunately though you only have to look at the forums to see how much havoc we reek pointing fingers at innocent individuals even to the point of accusing victims of nefarious activities, creating miss information, making extra work for LE and perhaps to a certain extent glorifying the acts Zodiac committed.
I can honestly see why LE don’t share information. To a certain extent we have brought it upon ourselves.
I can honestly see why LE don’t share information. To a certain extent we have brought it upon ourselves.
If I am not mistaken, wasn’t it Michelle McNamara who had the idea of submitting EARONS DNA to 23 & Me and Ancenstry.com? If so, she is responsible for solving that case. I don’t know if she was the first person to think of that but I watched the HBO Max documentary and saw that she mentioned it to Paul Holes. While there is a certain amount of noise generated from the amateur community, where would LE be without them? I doubt LE has developed any recent leads in the case. LE is poorly equipped to deal with serial murders in the first place. At this point, if Zodiac is identified, it would most likely be because a family member finds a box of something connected to the case. Without the publicity generated from the amateur investigative community, that person may never know the significance of what the find, leaving the case forever unsolved.
I think what Morf and Richard Grinall touched upon in the podcast is why Zodiac changed his MO for Lake Berryessa. The mask was only to hide his identity and nothing else. The fact Bryan Hartnell survived, ironically added to the hype he so desperately wanted. And i think he was terrified of getting caught.
I think what Morf and Richard Grinall touched upon in the podcast is why Zodiac changed his MO for Lake Berryessa. The mask was only to hide his identity and nothing else. The fact Bryan Hartnell survived, ironically added to the hype he so desperately wanted. And i think he was terrified of getting caught.
It had to serve a purpose other than hiding his identity…a ski mask would have sufficed to do that. And why the symbol? Why the square shape? There had to be a reason because the hood would have significantly hindered his peripheral vision, making it more likely that someone could surprise him. If he giving up utility, he had to get something in return, even if was just the jollies of dressing up like a villain. I tend to think he wanted better press after the Manson murders, which begs the question, how would he get that if both victims had died, as he apparently had planned?
I think what Morf and Richard Grinall touched upon in the podcast is why Zodiac changed his MO for Lake Berryessa. The mask was only to hide his identity and nothing else. The fact Bryan Hartnell survived, ironically added to the hype he so desperately wanted. And i think he was terrified of getting caught.
It had to serve a purpose other than hiding his identity…a ski mask would have sufficed to do that. And why the symbol? Why the square shape? There had to be a reason because the hood would have significantly hindered his peripheral vision, making it more likely that someone could surprise him. If he giving up utility, he had to get something in return, even if was just the jollies of dressing up like a villain. I tend to think he wanted better press after the Manson murders, which begs the question, how would he get that if both victims had died, as he apparently had planned?
You can’t stab someone with a foot long Knife 6 times in the back and want them to survive? It infuriates me when I see articles suggesting the Zodiac seemed more intent on killing the females. 3 of the males were shot in the head and the other was stabbed 6 times in the back! He wanted everyone of his victims to die. Male or Female. The fact Hartnell and Mageau survived is a fucking miracle!
I can honestly see why LE don’t share information. To a certain extent we have brought it upon ourselves.
If I am not mistaken, wasn’t it Michelle McNamara who had the idea of submitting EARONS DNA to 23 & Me and Ancenstry.com? If so, she is responsible for solving that case. I don’t know if she was the first person to think of that but I watched the HBO Max documentary and saw that she mentioned it to Paul Holes. While there is a certain amount of noise generated from the amateur community, where would LE be without them? I doubt LE has developed any recent leads in the case. LE is poorly equipped to deal with serial murders in the first place. At this point, if Zodiac is identified, it would most likely be because a family member finds a box of something connected to the case. Without the publicity generated from the amateur investigative community, that person may never know the significance of what the find, leaving the case forever unsolved.
You’re mistaken. The theoretical use of genealogy sites as a potential aid in cases where law enforcement had DNA profiles on file that couldn’t be matched in law enforcement databases was floated on several different true-crime websites prior to McNamara latching on to the idea.
Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones did not credit McNamara’s work with directly cracking the case, saying, "It kept interest and tips coming in but other than that there was no information extracted from that book that directly led to the apprehension."
Here’s Michelle McNamara’s truest claim to fame in the EAR-ONS case, taken from interviews she gave prior to her overdose death: "He didn’t even have a catchy nickname until I gave him one."
And that might tell you all you’d need to know about Michelle McNamara…it did me…
Michelle was one of my earliest supporters. I had no idea who she really was until she died.
Michelle was one of my earliest supporters. I had no idea who she really was until she died.
Some people mask it well…
Some people mask it well…
I meant, I didn’t know she was involved in the GSK case, who she was married to, anything really. I still have her Earthlink e-mail address memorized lol.
Some people mask it well…
I meant, I didn’t know she was involved in the GSK case, who she was married to, anything really. I still have her Earthlink e-mail address memorized lol.
Right, as soon as I replied I realized you could have meant that, as well…
I’m still surprised that there was almost no pushback to her taking the brazen action of rechristening EAR-ONS as GSK in her magazine article, prior to getting her book deal.
Guess the site owners and the new generation of posters where the case was followed extensively were enamored of how "Hollywood-friendly" the new moniker was.
