There has been lots of speculation re. Zodiac being responsible for other crimes where books and other items were left (candy in the case of Swindles, watch in Cheri Jo Bates, Oceanside taxi driver, gloves Paul Stine).
Since Brian and Cecelia were Seventh Day Adventists (very strict religion), I think there is at least a 50/50 chance that the items were left by the Zodiac rather than Brian and Cecelia!
Seems like it should be a very simple thing to do in this day and age to just ask Brian about them! He is still alive and it would only take a phone call and a few minutes of anyone’s time.
It should also be a rather simple matter to re-examine the other items that were left and in a short amount of time!
Yup. Call his office, and have his secretary hang up on you when you tell them that you’re a "Zodiac researcher" who wants to ask a question that implies he was having sex out of wedlock and possibly cheating on his girlfriend.
Or, you can write to him, and he’ll put the letter in a box with the rest of the mail he never responds to.
(Actually, just saying it’s about Zodiac would probably get you hung up on.)
Yup. Call his office, and have his secretary hang up on you when you tell them that you’re a "Zodiac researcher" who wants to ask a question that implies he was having sex out of wedlock and possibly cheating on his girlfriend.
Or, you can write to him, and he’ll put the letter in a box with the rest of the mail he never responds to.
(Actually, just saying it’s about Zodiac would probably get you hung up on.)
Even if they were his, he’s not going to admit to now and cast aspersions on his dead friend.
Test these and all the other items found for fingerprints and dna!!! Hartnell’s permission is not needed!
We already know he was two-timing Cecelia Shepherd and does not seem interested in helping solve these cases.
Why was there an opened box of condoms? How many in a full box and how many were found? Would the difference be hinted at in any of Zodiac’s mailings?
And a Playboy joke book just does not strike me as a way he’d want to impress Cecelia. Any of her friends/relatives who are still available might be able to shed light on her sense of humor. The roommate who spoke of the shoe salesman who took her on a date would be a great one!
If it is assumed that the joke book and condoms belonged to Brian, I’m wondering why he wouldn’t have used those in his efforts to establish rapport with Zodiac!!! They might have had a few good laughs and Zodiac might have changed his mind and walked away!
If it is assumed that the joke book and condoms belonged to Brian, I’m wondering why he wouldn’t have used those in his efforts to establish rapport with Zodiac!!! They might have had a few good laughs and Zodiac might have changed his mind and walked away!
Wouldn’t showing Z the condoms invite rape of Cecelia?
Not necessarily….never entered my mind but guess you could be right. But the jokes would not necessarily.
Brian seemed so eager to disarm him.
That is why I think these two items could have been "calling cards" from Zodiac just as the other things. So test all these items and see if any prints or dna show up!
If anything, Brian would look better than he does now imo. He did co-operate with being in a movie so he could have financial motives and he did become a lawyer.
Test these and all the other items found for fingerprints and dna!!! Hartnell’s permission is not needed!
We already know he was two-timing Cecelia Shepherd and does not seem interested in helping solve these cases.
Why was there an opened box of condoms? How many in a full box and how many were found? Would the difference be hinted at in any of Zodiac’s mailings?
And a Playboy joke book just does not strike me as a way he’d want to impress Cecelia. Any of her friends/relatives who are still available might be able to shed light on her sense of humor. The roommate who spoke of the shoe salesman who took her on a date would be a great one!
Touch DNA might be tough to retrieve after 50 plus years. Fingerprints may be helpful, but you would need Hartnell to testify that the Zodiac actually touched the item. If not, you just have a discarded item near the crime scene, without any evidence that the killer touched the item. For all we know, those items were discarded there weeks or months ago.
Hartnell said that he wasn’t "much of a Christian," which invites interpretation, I suppose. So I wouldn’t exactly be shocked if the items were his (it was 1969). At the same time, he was an SDA, the son of a pastor, and he clearly wasn’t happy when he learned he and Cecelia were in the news.
There were items that don’t seem likely to be Zodiac’s ("The Zodiac blanket"? Z had two jackets??). The report also doesn’t say what condition the items were in (clean, dirty, water-damaged, etc.). I’d be very surprised if none of this stuff was photographed, but who knows if we’ll ever see it.
We already know he was two-timing Cecelia Shepherd and does not seem interested in helping solve these cases.
Bryan was lucky to survive his injuries at the hands of Zodiac and I imagine he has been haunted by Cecilia’s death for the past 52 years. I find your innuendos about him pretty distasteful. He did all he could in an age where investigative techniques were far more limited than today.
Hartnell said that he wasn’t "much of a Christian," which invites interpretation, I suppose. So I wouldn’t exactly be shocked if the items were his (it was 1969).
No one lives up to the strictures of their religion 24/7, else there would be no need for confession. It wouldn’t surprise me if college-aged kids had a box of condoms and a dirty joke book, whether or not they were religious.
He was happy to discuss the case, up to a point — then I imagine he became a lot more jaded. And he doesn’t want to say anything that could come back to haunt him in court. Imagine 50+ years of people waving "suspects" at you.
He was happy to discuss the case, up to a point — then I imagine he became a lot more jaded. And he doesn’t want to say anything that could come back to haunt him in court. Imagine 50+ years of people waving "suspects" at you.
Right. He probably just wants to put that episode behind him. Who wants to constantly relive the worst day of their life? And, you’re right, in that, he is probably a fairly high-net worth individual who doesn’t want to get sued. On a more practical note, what could he tell us today that he didn’t tell us in 1969? Maybe he could identify Zodiac’s voice. But even that assumes that Zodiac took no efforts to disguise his voice or that his voice hasn’t changed in 50 years.
Yup, Hartnell has said in recent years that he’s not-so confident he would still recognize the voice, or that Zodiac didn’t disguise it.
