Gotcha. I thought that’s what it was but wasn’t sure. Thanks.

I wonder though if that doesn’t suggest that it was the Chronicle that was he intended/ultimate/favored goal. All 3 letter were mailed at the same time (31st July 69) and in San Francisco. VTH makes sense in so much as the crimes took place there and then he also mails the Examiner so that’s almost like a stepping stone to the Chron. It’s like a join the dots approach in his getting published purposes and getting attention. The two SF papers so there’s communication between them to further interest and the the VTH for confirmation in the jurisdiction.

If that was the case, and it is only and an if, I wonder if that influenced his order choice in who got which part of the cipher and the order in which he refers to newspapers in his letter. 1 being the starting point, 2 the intermediate and 3 the destination.

I see what you’re saying, and I don’t disagree, but…I’m arguing more about his state of mind. If you live in San Fran, why write Vallejo first? Because you committed your crimes there? But why choose Vallejo from all the other places to commit your crimes in the first place? To the east of Oakland is plenty of small tows and open areas. To the north of San Fran is plenty of other towns and open areas that would have facilitated his crimes. To me…his state of mind was that of a man who thought his crimes were small, and local, and thus he started with the small and local paper. He figured that if anyone would care, it would be Vallejo.

Understandably, you could be right. He could have written to Vallejo because that was the location of his first two crimes, but it doesn’t explain why he chose Vallejo over all other locales to commit his crimes (again, he even marked LB with "Vallejo", even after he TC’s and San Fran’s ear…why?). You might argue that he worked there, but then you have to explain why he came back, after work, to kill Ferrin at BRS near midnight. He goes home…and then drives all the way to Vallejo that late at night? For a crime that takes literally a minute? Or does he hang around after work, inside Vallejo, waiting for midnight to commit his crimes? But then he’s virtually living inside the city, leaving only to sleep in San Fran (or elsewhere).

And then, in one of his first few letters, he talks about "cruzing around on a kill rampage" in the context of his Vallejo crimes. Kind of strange to me then that he speaks this way, which suggests a small-town weekend mentality, a guy who has nothing better to do in a small, limited "hick" town but drive his car around looking for victims. Not very sophisticated for a denizen of a first-rate empire city such as San Fran.

Another thing, and this is just a hunch…I have a feeling he was on Springs Street the night of the BRS murders. Why? Just a gut feeling, but there’s something about what Mageau said at the time, something he said about how Ferrin was acting. Now, I have no real evidence to support this, but…I’m wondering if Zodiac was out and about, "cruzing around", when he stumbled on Ferrin and Mageau as they gallivanted on Springs Street before heading to BRS. Call me crazy, but Ferrin may have noticed someone watching them. Someone who gave her the creeps. Not someone she knew, but…a creeper, as they call them these days (kind of like the way the Zodiac creeped up on Hartnell and Shephard, and may done so to the doctor and the three girls). And The Zodiac then followed them from a distance. This would be a compromise from the old "Ferrin knew her killer theory" and the standard "total act of random violence" that we’ve all come to accept.

Just an idea, an impression, no evidence whatsoever…but it’s odd to me that nearly as soon as Ferrin and Mageau park, not more than a few minutes later, here comes some nut job who parks next to them, then drives off only to return a few minutes later (arguably). it’s like he KNEW they were there from the get go.

Just a hunch. But I can DEFINITELY see the Zodiac "cruzing around" town. I’ll bet that is EXACTLY what he often did on the weekends, likely having no friends or dates himself.

Really creepy.

jroberson – i like where you’re going with your thoughts, and it just reaffirms my notion that he may have traveled to the area or, if he lived in the area, his wife or family took weekend trips that left him free of other obligations.

my completely imagined (but workable) scenario – he lives somewhere like sacramento but travels a) for work (salesman, oil industry, whatever) and does his work mostly over the weekend or b) he lies to his family about taking fishing/hunting trips over the weekend. he stays in a hotel when he’s away from home but returns home mostly on mondays. his body of work definitely indicates a weekend warrior:

lh – dec 20 1968 – friday night
brs – july 4 1969 – friday night
San Francisco Chronicle Letter – July 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
vallejo times letter – july 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
examiner letter – july 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
debut of zodiac letter – aug 4 1969 monday (received i think, probably mailed on sat or sunday)
lb – sept 27 1969 – saturday evening
sf – oct 11 1969 – saturday night
sf letter – oct 13 1969- postmarked monday pm
dripping pen/340 – nov 8 1969 – postmarked saturday pm
bus bomb letter – nov 9 1969 – postmarked sunday pm
belli letter – dec 20 1969 – postmarked saturday pm
my name is letter – apr 20 1970 – postmarked monday am
button/map letter – june 26 1970 – postmarked friday am
john letter – july 24 1970 – postmarked friday pm
little list letter – july 26 1970 – postmarked sunday pm

jroberson – i like where you’re going with your thoughts, and it just reaffirms my notion that he may have traveled to the area or, if he lived in the area, his wife or family took weekend trips that left him free of other obligations.

my completely imagined (but workable) scenario – he lives somewhere like sacramento but travels a) for work (salesman, oil industry, whatever) and does his work mostly over the weekend or b) he lies to his family about taking fishing/hunting trips over the weekend. he stays in a hotel when he’s away from home but returns home mostly on mondays. his body of work definitely indicates a weekend warrior:

lh – dec 20 1968 – friday night
brs – july 4 1969 – friday night
San Francisco Chronicle Letter – July 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
vallejo times letter – july 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
examiner letter – july 31 1969 – thursday pm (postmark)
debut of zodiac letter – aug 4 1969 monday (received i think, probably mailed on sat or sunday)
lb – sept 27 1969 – saturday evening
sf – oct 11 1969 – saturday night
sf letter – oct 13 1969- postmarked monday pm
dripping pen/340 – nov 8 1969 – postmarked saturday pm
bus bomb letter – nov 9 1969 – postmarked sunday pm
belli letter – dec 20 1969 – postmarked saturday pm
my name is letter – apr 20 1970 – postmarked monday am
button/map letter – june 26 1970 – postmarked friday am
john letter – july 24 1970 – postmarked friday pm
little list letter – july 26 1970 – postmarked sunday pm

True, but we’re talking about one day every month or so. For all we know, he had regular days off. We don’t know he always had weekends to himself. I just think it’s hard to speculate where he lived based on one letter every month for a year and a half.

But hey, maybe he lived in his parents house in Albany. Anyone know if any of those houses have basements?

EDIT: Thanks for that list. Good stuff.

I just think it’s hard to speculate where he lived based on one letter every month for a year and a half.

true, but something caused him to do business on the weekends.

Starting to add 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to the editor, which are called ‘opinions of the people’, and are published weekly. These may not be in chronological order.

This is February, 1968

September 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to editor

August 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to the editor

April 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to editor

Morf…look for news in 74. After the Red Phantom thing. Or 71. Something happened to The Zodiac in those years. Might be in the paper.

And have you ever thought of looking at Albany’s paper? Maybe after 1955? If Pigeon Boy is The Zodiac, he might have some news on him during his teenage years.

Thanks morf.

October 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to Editor

December 1968 Vallejo Times Herald Letters to editor

November 1968 Vallejo Times Herald letters to editor

Guess that explains the Dear/To Editor part. And the "no address" mention in one of his earlier letters. lol.

Did The Chronicle have a similar policy? If not, that might be another nudge towards Vallejo.

And I like the part of having to be a resident of The Greater Vallejo Area. Wonder if The Zodiac considered himself qualified….

July 1968 Vallejo Times Herald Letters to editor