Hedonist for sure, but can’t speak for the first part. I don’t see either really.

I think he is a Process Orinted Killer. IMO He shows signs of not only being a Power killer (because he liked to have power and play "the game" of life and death), but IMO he also shows signs of being a Hedonistic thrill killer AND possibly a Hedonistic lust killer. If Hedonistic gain counts Public attention as a gain for a narcissist killer like Zodiac, I’ll count that in as well. He really fills up the entire process oriented category quite well.

I agree that I don’t see him being very Act Oriented because from what I remember he never brought up having killed because something told him to or because he was having visions like The Visionary would. And he never brought up killing a specific group of people like the missionary.

But, I’m not discounting the idea that maybe the Zodiac WAS targeting a specific group at one point, that being of young couples at lover’s lanes and if he killed CJB he claimed to be stalking local girls which maybe could be considered a "particular group"? If so the missionary killer trait might be attributable to Z.
Also, If the references to him not being able to stop himself from killing and having a "worm" in him are a round about way of saying that he felt compelled by something beyond himself to kill people this could be a Visionary trait as well.

And I believe as far as organized and disorganized are concerned, he was definitely organized.

So in all IMO he is a process oriented killer motivated by hedonism and power that was organized.

If you’re really into the subject of serial killers Radford University has an ongoing project collecting data about serial killers.

The statistics are interesting but what I find even more interesting are reading the individual serial killer’s backgrounds, methodology, victim class etc.

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%2 … iption.htm

Click on "Serial Killer Timelines" for the individual killers.

Hehe Soze I was just editing my opinion post that perhaps he did show traits of a Missionary killer. Glad you said it, too.

What traits of his make you think he is also an Act Oriented Missionary Killer (as well as the Process Oriented Hedonist)? And do you think he shows all three motivational traits of a hedonist (lust, thrill, and gain)?

Lust gain sexual pleasure from killing, thrill "get their rocks off" killing, and gain obviously means they kill to gain something.

I think the gain part is confusing as I feel most serial killers gain something from murdering or else they wouldn’t be doing it.

If you’re really into the subject of serial killers Radford University has an ongoing project collecting data about serial killers.

The statistics are interesting but what I find even more interesting are reading the individual serial killer’s backgrounds, methodology, victim class etc.

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%2 … iption.htm

Click on "Serial Killer Timelines" for the individual killers.

Thanks for this ! Oh I’m all up in the Radford University sites. They really do have the best timelines and bios on serial killers. I always wanted to get involved in youth counseling in hopes of preventing people from becoming these monsters. It is also interesting which killers got the crap end of the stick in the nurture department and which did not. Who all had a family background filled with mental illness and who did not. Sometimes it’s a perfect storm that makes a Zodiac, a unique mix of nature and nurture gone awry. Then again, there are serial killers who came from healthy families and a good home life. Those scare me the most. I haven’t seen many, but they are out there.

On Page 2, it says: "Process-focused serial killers get enjoyment from torture and the slow death of their victims." That clearly doesn’t fit Zodiac. Since we agree he’s not a Visionary, then according to this system, he must be an Act-Focused Missionary.

"The missionary murders because he believes that he is meant to get rid of a particular group of people."

Hmmm. Perhaps he did resent young couples, after all? 3 couples and 1 cab driver, not 3 cab drivers and 1 couple, if you get my drift.

I’m not sure where — if anywhere — "the Missionary" fits into Richard Walter’s framework. I wonder what he thinks of this?

On Page 2, it says: "Process-focused serial killers get enjoyment from torture and the slow death of their victims." That clearly doesn’t fit Zodiac. Since we agree he’s not a Visionary, then according to this system, he must be an Act-Focused Missionary.

"The missionary murders because he believes that he is meant to get rid of a particular group of people."

Hmmm. Perhaps he did resent young couples, after all? 3 couples and 1 cab driver, not 3 cab drivers and 1 couple, if you get my drift.

I’m not sure where — if anywhere — "the Missionary" fits into Richard Walter’s framework. I wonder what he thinks of this?

Not sure if I agree. IMO At points he may seem more act focused missionary and he certainly is, but I think at other times like the LB stabbings in which the victims were essentially tortured when subdued and stabbed in front of each other he seems like a process focused hedonist (of course power motivated always). I think he has the capability to be both process and act focused. Also one might consider sending letters to a victimS family members a form of emotional torture.

His crimes were more personal and process focused hedonist and organized with CJB and the Lake B stabbings with Act Focused missionary elements playing strongly as well. He was not as organized in the Stine murder IMO and i’m not sure if his motivation there was even process focused hedonistic with a thrill motivation beyond getting a momentary thrill out of killing Stine. IMO Zodiac may have not planned or expected to murder Stine when he did. It may have simply been a crime of opportunity initially motivated by robbery or crime of passion bc Stine did something that upset him. who knows. IMO the initial reason for killing Stine may likely have been unplanned, but Zodiac made it look like one of his serial murders afterwards by taking pieces of the shirt and sending in the letter claiming Stine. Part of me still wonders if Z and Stine knew eachother and if investigating Stine’s contacts further would reveal anyone suspicious, but I’m sure this was done already. If Zodiac took credit for it then maybe the investigators assumed it wasn’t someone who knew Stine – and perhaps that was Zodiac’s exact intent in taking credit for Stine after the murder. They would suspect the murderers alter ego of Zodiac making it a stranger homicide rather than suspect Stine’s murder was personal and committed by a known contact – making them less likely to investigate Stine’s contacts and bust Z.

i think Zodiac in general displays that most if not all of his murders involve elements of being organized, Process focused, and motivated by power and hedonism with elements of being an Act focused missionary killer (although all of his victims were not from a particular group, maybe their all being teens/young adults in cars [even CJB case involves a car in some way] was indicative of a particular group to zodiac like Coffee Time said).

Then again I’m wondering if we should differentiate what he reveals about his profile in the content of his letters VS what he reveals about his profile according to the crime scene and how he murdered his victims.

Mixed organized/disorganized offender (with a strong lean toward disorganized tendencies in the actual commission of his crimes). Given the ornate fantasy aspects of his persona, the consistent theme of challenging authority and a compulsive need to share both via letters, his motive would best be described as mission-oriented.

Not a master criminal, quite lucky and despite some planning on his part, he was also very impulsive.

*He tells Stine to go to Wash & Maple, but then at last second, tells him to go to Wash & Cherry

*He is parked at LHR next to Faraday & Jensen, when James Owen drives by, and despite Owen just passing by, he starts shooting within seconds of a witness driving by(if you believe Owen)

These are a couple examples