"His voice…I can remember…almost like I’d heard it before. You know there’s some drawls that a lot of people have similar. And…almost as if I’d heard it before…couldn’t think where."
The previous is originally from a Bryan Hartnell police report.
It actually undermines the theory that Z had either known CS or BH, thus wearing a mask. While CS must have had freaked out seeing Z without a mask, Z even might have known BH, too. BH mentions that he had heard the voice previously even FOUR TIMES:
– I can remember
– like I’d heard it before
– as if I’d heard it before
– couldn’t think where
He even considered WHERE he had heard that voice.
But he mentioned something else: A drawl that a lot of people have similar. Now I wonder what type of drawl that might be? Used by a lot of people?
Don’t live in California so I don’t know if BH meant a LA/Riverside area drawl or Oklahoma drawl or whatever but it must have been a drawl not being spoken only by one Texas guy in SF but a lot of people instead. Anybody an idea what BH had actually meant?
I discarded somewhat the theory that Z had e.g. followed from the pea market in Angwin or so, just for the simple fact that Z had to prepare his crime: Cutting/coloring/sewing or drawing his costume, getting/cutting some clothes linen, having his gun with him, preparing the knife etc…takes at least some time and last but not least time to get the material to do all of this, too.
Obviously that homicide was not a spontaneous one. Z also followed CS/BH to Lake Berryessa, supported by the idea that he had known them, even had his pen with him. Rather sounds like a planned homicide in which Z had decided to still remain masked but nevertheless come out of his protection. Latter was unique in that case, to him, because he was better acquainted to the victims than in other cases.
QT
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
This is a post of mine from April 9, 2013:
viewtopic.php?f=98&t=334&p=835&hilit=drawl#p835
I wonder if Hartnell mentioned to Zodiac that he felt he had heard his voice somewere before, as he told the detectives?
Hartnell have said that there was some parts of the communication with Zodiac that he could not remember.
This is what Hartnell said in an interview with detectives September 28, 1969, the day after the attack:
http://www.zodiackiller.com/HartnellInterview4.html
"His voice…I can remember…almost like I’d heard it before.
You know there’s some drawls that a lot of people have similar.
And…almost as if Id heard it before… couldn’t think where."
So IF Hartnell had mentioned to Zodiac that he felt he had heard his voice somewere before,
maybe that made Zodiac nervous about the LB attack?
Maybe Zodiac was nervous Hartnell at some point would be able to remember where he had heard his voice before?
Here are some different additional info, i found in my files, on Zodiac’s voice related to the Lake Berryessa Attack:
Hartnell’s description of the voice:
Remarkably calm voice.
Not high pitched or low pitched.
The most monotone voice he’d ever heard.
Had a drawl, not a Southern drawl, though.
Even words, soft spoken.
He had a pronounced way of saying things.
And Kathleen Johns said: "he spoke very precisely.
Hartnell said, "…there’s some drawls that a lot of people have similar."
"It was just something…I guess his way of talking. It was something I couldn’t repeat."
Hartnell said:
…there was a distinct Cadence to Z’s voice. Meaning he carried his words in a very distinct way or there was a recognizable rhythm to them.
One could almost interpret (from other accounts of his voice) that Z was very articulate when speaking, and also thought not only about what he was saying, but how he was saying it.
Hi, english is not my first language so please bear with me 
Not so long ago, I found some early 1960s audio of Richard Gaikowski doing some Farmer’s Union reports. We discussed this over at Tom’s site, and a few people commented how Gyke kind of sounds like (intentional or not) a nationally prominent broadcaster from that era. You notice it more in the beginning of the broadcast than later on, I think. Link below.
Not so long ago, I found some early 1960s audio of Richard Gaikowski doing some Farmer’s Union reports. We discussed this over at Tom’s site, and a few people commented how Gyke kind of sounds like (intentional or not) a nationally prominent broadcaster from that era. You notice it more in the beginning of the broadcast than later on, I think. Link below.
Fascinating, thanks for sharing. He sounds like Walter Cronkite. Whether or not Gaik is a good suspect I think he is probably close to what Zodiac sounded like.
You’re welcome, Jacob. A voice sounding similar to Cronkite’s might have explained the familiarity Bryan felt with Zodiac’s voice. If Gaikowski was Zodiac, Richard may have slipped into a more "scripted" sounding voice like the recorded one when he was talking about being an escaped convict and so on.
some anxiety medications can cause people to have a flat affect and monotonous tone.
You’re welcome, Jacob. A voice sounding similar to Cronkite’s might have explained the familiarity Bryan felt with Zodiac’s voice. If Gaikowski was Zodiac, Richard may have slipped into a more "scripted" sounding voice like the recorded one when he was talking about being an escaped convict and so on.
He also sounds a bit like Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. 
I heard Sandy Betts’ telephone recording link and had a couple of thoughts that have been inspired by what has been suggested.
Let us, for argument sake, imagine Zodiac as a collective noun that incorporates him in any form of being a Lone Wolf, partnership of 2-3, or team of 4+. In my imaginings here, any form of him will fit to your own preference or logic.
The reason is simple because, if he is going to make the time and effort to disguise his handwriting in his communications whilst advertising certain elements of his game, then he will disguise his voice or have those making the calls disguise theirs. The easiest way to do this is to speak slowly, add a slight distortion and not breath so much from your lungs so you lessen the airflow through the voice box. Or, if one might not be able to maintain such control, then a scarf of some kind of cloth over the mouth might help. The hardest thing to try and do is create an accent or a situation where you might cough- if you listen to some recordings of stalkers, they usually cut the phone off when they’re losing control or don’t get the reaction they want in case they get too emotional.
In planning ahead, they must expect to be recorded, and a cough is something that is genuinely hard to disguise. Over exerting the vocal cords will promote a cough for most, or at least a dry and tickly throat. Slow and light breathing resolves this. (At least, this was the technique I learned as a kid when I used to crank-phone my sisters and mates, and I always used to get away with it as they could never guess it was me.)
If you have a good relationship with your wife/husband/friend/etc, then try it out and see if they can guess it’s you. (Get ready for the impending smack though, but defend yourself by revealing its an experiment!)
In Sandy’s recording he sounded like the stereo-typical stalker with his heavy breathing and animalistic tones- techniques to try and cause fear which he would get off on. I believe he had to adopt this because she would recognise his voice or even his cough if he made a mistake. Maybe he knew that his voice was so distinct, that if the recordings were put out into general ear, he would be recognised? Either way, Zodiac was paying it safe.
When he was contacting the police he would’ve been immediately call-terminated for crank-calling the operator if he acted like that, so he would’ve had to change his voice in order to be able to actually deliver coherent words, or else the control might have been removed/weakened if he was asked to repeat himself. If he was genuinely skilled as a Lone Wolf in being able to pull off different vocal scales without fear of being recognised such was his confidence, then could he have been a singer to maintain good control? Again, grunting like Sandy’s stalker at LB might have weakened his authority over his victims if they kept asking him to repeat himself, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had practised these voice techniques before the Zodiac was manifested on other victims.
Anyone know if there are police reports from that era concerning crank phones or possible street-attacks that disconnected/ran off as soon as their victims showed rebellion because they couldn’t understand him?
Zodiac would have had to learn, so the likely hood is that there would’ve been practise runs before he announced himself. Maybe petty, seemingly insignificant crimes or incidents that preceded him?
