Even before the Stine attack he was posting from the SF Richmond area, /quote]
My best guess – and it’s merely and educated guess – is that if he lived in Vallejo, he took the 37 to the 101 across the Golden Gate and straight into north SF. From there he could continue down the 101 towards the Van Ness-Union mailing site, the Stine pickup site, the SF Chronicle/Examiner, etc. or take he exit to Route 1 straight into the Presidio, Richmond, and points south.

It appears that it was traveling convenience if nothing else.

ETA – I’d like to see the letters compared geographically and then chronologically. Perhaps his dropoffs changed over time.

“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer

 

If 15 authenticated letters were mailed from San Francisco — including some that were clearly mailed on weekdays — that would make a case for the Zodiac (or the letter writer) to be living in San Francisco.

Yes, obviously he could have gone to the trouble of driving from Vallejo to SF each time — but the weekday mailings would narrow it down to someone who didn’t work, or worked odd hours.

(Also someone driving to San Francisco from Vallejo would typically take Highway 80 and the Bay Bridge, as opposed to 37 and the Golden Gate Bridge.)

(Also someone driving to San Francisco from Vallejo would typically take Highway 80 and the Bay Bridge, as opposed to 37 and the Golden Gate Bridge.)

The letters could also provide a clue that he was from that side of the rather than Vallejo. As Chaucer has previously said a large number of the mailing are around 101 from San Rafael to SF and down to San Mateo.

If 15 authenticated letters were mailed from San Francisco — including some that were clearly mailed on weekdays — that would make a case for the Zodiac (or the letter writer) to be living in San Francisco.

Yes, obviously he could have gone to the trouble of driving from Vallejo to SF each time — but the weekday mailings would narrow it down to someone who didn’t work, or worked odd hours.

Well, based on the PM postmarks, he could have dropped them off in the morning on the way to work.

(Also someone driving to San Francisco from Vallejo would typically take Highway 80 and the Bay Bridge, as opposed to 37 and the Golden Gate Bridge.)

Was that true in the 1960’s or 70’s as well? I’m not being argumentative – I really don’t know. It seems from Google and Apple maps that both routes are pretty equi-distant.

Yes, it would have been true back then as well, that a Vallejo local driving to San Francisco would typically take Interstate-80 the whole way. That was a simple straight shot at high speed. And SF was a bit easier to navigate back then via 80 as well — the 1989 earthquake screwed up some of the access points.

Also 37 back then was a difficult two-lane road with no center divider. If someone was in no rush, they certainly might have taken 37 to 101, but it wouldn’t have been as convenient as Interstate-80 the whole way.

Re the weekday PM postmarks — yes he could have dropped them on the way to work, but that would have been inconvenient unless he lived in San Francisco.

Were the San Rafael and San Mateo letters authenticated?

Yes, it would have been true back then as well, that a Vallejo local driving to San Francisco would typically take Interstate-80 the whole way. That was a simple straight shot at high speed. And SF was a bit easier to navigate back then via 80 as well — the 1989 earthquake screwed up some of the access points.

Also 37 back then was a difficult two-lane road with no center divider. If someone was in no rush, they certainly might have taken 37 to 101, but it wouldn’t have been as convenient as Interstate-80 the whole way.

Re the weekday PM postmarks — yes he could have dropped them on the way to work, but that would have been inconvenient unless he lived in San Francisco.

Were the San Rafael and San Mateo letters authenticated?

I won’t argue with a local as you seem to be. I will point out though that if you plug in directions from Springs and Tuolumne in Vallejo to Washington and Maple in San Fran, the recommended route is 80 to 580 to 101.

Remember, we are talking about the northeastern section of San Francisco, not the city center. 101 brings you right into the heart of Zodiac Land.

<I won’t argue with a local as you seem to be. I will point out though that if you plug in directions from Springs and Tuolumne in Vallejo to Washington and Maple in San Fran, the recommended route is 80 to 580 to 101.>

That would be the San Rafael Bridge to the Golden Gate. That (unfortunately) is increasingly the suggested way to travel from the East Bay to San Francisco, and vice-versa, due to current endless construction and delays on the Bay Bridge.

In 1969 though, the Bay Bridge traffic wasn’t an issue (any more so than the Golden Gate), and people didn’t do that.

If Zodiac lived in Vallejo, he likely escaped from the Stine scene into a car parked at Broadway and Lyon, and then took Lombard Street to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there the logical route would be the San Rafael Bridge (580), except my sense is back then there were toll takers both ways on the San Rafael Bridge, which might have persuaded him to remain on 101 until Novato, and take 37.

Alternately, that night he could have stayed easterly on Broadway, and picked up the Bay Bridge at the bottom of Broadway. Both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges had recently removed their outbound toll booths by Oct ’69.

<I won’t argue with a local as you seem to be. I will point out though that if you plug in directions from Springs and Tuolumne in Vallejo to Washington and Maple in San Fran, the recommended route is 80 to 580 to 101.>

That would be the San Rafael Bridge to the Golden Gate. That (unfortunately) is increasingly the suggested way to travel from the East Bay to San Francisco, and vice-versa, due to current endless construction and delays on the Bay Bridge.

In 1969 though, the Bay Bridge traffic wasn’t an issue (any more so than the Golden Gate), and people didn’t do that.

If Zodiac lived in Vallejo, he likely escaped from the Stine scene into a car parked at Broadway and Lyon, and then took Lombard Street to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there the logical route would be the San Rafael Bridge (580), except my sense is back then there were toll takers both ways on the San Rafael Bridge, which might have persuaded him to remain on 101 until Novato, and take 37.

Alternately, that night he could have stayed easterly on Broadway, and picked up the Bay Bridge at the bottom of Broadway. Both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges had recently removed their outbound toll booths by Oct ’69.

Great stuff. Thanks.

Would it make any difference if one lived in American Canyon vs. downtown Vallejo?

From American Canyon the preferred route to San Francisco would still be I-80 — even though you might be a bit closer to the 37 cutoff than you would if you lived in central Vallejo.

Of course if someone had business in Marin County along the way, that would change everything.

Back to the big picture: It’s hard to justify the Zodiac driving to San Francisco a dozen times to mail letters if that was the only reason to go there. If he lived in Vallejo and wanted to throw off Law Enforcement, he could have easily mailed the letters from Berkeley or Oakland for example.

“Good times I had in Vallejo”
“stumbling across my riverside activity,”

Talk’s about S.F.

“Over by Washington”

True, and in theory he also wouldn’t threaten San Francisco school buses if he was a San Franciscan, because they didn’t have them in 1969.

Another thing to consider is that Zodiac was interested in notoriety and infamy. He wanted to reach as large an audience as possible. That’s why he wrote to three newspapers first – including the Vallejo paper – but then focused on San Fran. He killed in Vallejo and Napa at first and then killed audaciously in San Fran. He wanted to reach a larger audience.

So, I think it’s possible he lived in Vallejo, but realized that making a major city like SF his focus would increase his fame. It was probably worth the trip to him.

Another thing to consider is that Zodiac was interested in notoriety and infamy. He wanted to reach as large an audience as possible. That’s why he wrote to three newspapers first – including the Vallejo paper – but then focused on San Fran. He killed in Vallejo and Napa at first and then killed audaciously in San Fran. He wanted to reach a larger audience.

So, I think it’s possible he lived in Vallejo, but realized that making a major city like SF his focus would increase his fame. It was probably worth the trip to him.

Plus the Stine murder was much risker and therefore a bigger adrenaline rush. Compare shooting teens in isolated lovers’ lanes to hiding from the SFPD swarming around the crime scene.

Knowing the exact location of the letter drops would really be something. We would be able to see if there was any real pattern to his location and movements. That would allow us to geographically profile him even better than Rossmo did, and allow us to zero in on a real home base.

Sorry for the back to back posts, but I thought it was important enough to do so.

Last month, I filed a FOIA request from the United States Postal Inspection Service for their records and documents pertaining to the Zodiac Killer case. I thought it might provide some information regarding the postal aspect of the case.

I don’t believe anyone had pursued this line of inquiry before.

At any rate, I received the letter below yesterday. The long and short of it is that they don’t have any records pertaining to the case. Why? Apparently, they were all destroyed because they only hold records like that for a certain amount of time.

I’m rather disappointed as I thought it might be a new lead in the case. Nevertheless, does anyone have any thoughts on any other avenues of action?