Why wouldn’t the Zodiac just call from the 7-11 on Springs Road very close to Columbus PKWY–where Dee and Mike where murdered. Why call where it is very close to Vallejo Police Department and where they hang out?

My opinion, like others stated; is that he went home and got rid of the murder weapon before making the call.

This would make sense why he would choose that particular phone box if he happened to live reasonably close by.

1. Commit crime and flee
2. Go home, get changed, dump weapon, or whatever
3. Go out and make the call.

imo "home" doesn’t have to be a residence, it could have been a hotel/motel where he was staying for work. still convinced he didn’t live in the area.

imo "home" doesn’t have to be a residence, it could have been a hotel/motel where he was staying for work. still convinced he didn’t live in the area.

He very likely lived in Vallejo. Almost everything he did points to that city and that city alone. You can even find an echo of Vallejo very near the Paul Stine murder scene.

And Kim Rossmo’s wonderful geographic profiling puts him right inside the city, either on the east side or up near American Canyon.

Something of interest, at 700 Tuolumne St, there was a Sylvia’s union svc station, across the street from the one that Z called from. Its likely that it also had a payphone. Wonder why he would choose one over the other?

IMO, probably not an issue. Assuming there was one across the street, he had to choose a payphone, one or the other. Had he chosen the other, we’d wonder why he didn’t choose the one on Tuolumne and Springs.

But to answer your question regarding the good times The Zodiac had in Vallejo…it may have been a matter as simple as the payphone across the street was better lit, or slightly closer, or located closer to the clerk, assuming there was one. He had to choose a payphone. Couldn’t choose both. So no matter what we were destined to ponder the question.

That’s my take, anyway, FWIW.

Could be that an acquaintance was gone for the weekend so Z changed at this person’s house before placing the call. Maybe it was someone he disliked and was thinking of possibly setting up.

imo "home" doesn’t have to be a residence, it could have been a hotel/motel where he was staying for work. still convinced he didn’t live in the area.

I looked up hotels near there on google maps and (at least currently) there are several that are about half a mile from the payphone. Close, but also far enough to were the person may feel a little safer making the call. Could explain why it took 45 miles. Enough time to park, change, and walk to the phone. Although I also think it’s possible he lived near by or did at some point. It seems that since two of the murders are in close proximity and both known "lovers lane" he had to have a pretty good understanding of the area. He probably lived there, lived there at some point, or spent a decent amount of time there. Maybe a family member or close family friend lived in the area and they had kids near Z’s age growing up (possibly a cousin that told him where the hang outs are for the local kids). It makes sense to kill in an area you are familiar with, but do not live in. Especially since back then a credit card was not needed to check into a hotel. You simply handed over cash, provide any name you wish, and you would not be traced.

i’m not sure HE knew they were lovers lanes. i think he was out trolling and attacked whoever happened to be out on the night he was out. i don’t think he stalked either location, but probably drove around for an hour looking for a situation in which people were out alone. we know from blue rock springs that he stopped by the location then drove off and came back ten minutes later. my guess is he pulled in to see who was in the car, then pulled out to wait somewhere to see if these were kids expecting friends to show up any minute. once he waited around for a few minutes to assess the situation he returned and started shooting.

my intuition, which i guess ranks somewhere between good and awful, is that he probably had a normal life other than the times he was killing and writing. i think he had a family, job, church, etc but something brought him to the area on a semi-regular basis where he could do the zodiac thing. my guess is his job brought him to the area on occasion. some of his writings seem obviously written well before he mailed them, as though he wrote them then had to wait until he had an opportunity to drop them in the mail. additionally, other than lb he made virtually no attempts to disguise himself. this is telling in that he didn’t think there was a chance of running into someone he knew. if he lived within a mile of the brs phone booth, as morf and others are checking, he certainly was taking a risk of running into a neighbor or acquaintance. he seemed to have no fear that the survivors or other cars driving down the road would recognize him. he simply took virtually no precautions as far as disguising himself, except for lb.

That is an interesting theory masootz; however I have to respectfully disagree with most of it. I’m not sure where he lived, but I do believe it was within the east bay area (anywhere within that large surrounding area, although closer to Vallejo makes the most sense to me). I don’t believe there is any “Montana Connection” and it’s unclear as to whether Deer Lodge was the actual prison he stated. After a suggestion Brian thought that sounded right, but even if it was there was no prison break and no guard killed, so he obviously lied. Since he lied about that why should be believe he was ever there in the first place. He may have been familiar with the area of Deer Lodge either through family or through stuff he has read about it, but that does not mean he was ever there.

I also do not believe that he was a genius by any stretch of the imagination. I do not believe he had a regular life with kids, close friends, or a steady job. I think he was always somewhat of an outcast and craved the attention he never received and that was why he loved being the center of attention by the police and residents of the areas. He loved that people where talking about him for once rather than over looking him. I also do not believe there were any hidden meanings to his letters and that he (if still alive) would be very assumed that people that trying so hard to decode things that have no hidden meanings. As far as the cipher goes, he probably knows what the true meaning was; however the reason it was never cracked is because no real code fits it. I think he learned after the first one was cracked that he wasn’t as clever as he thought in making the ciphers, so we went another direction. I believe there may be equal symbols to a message he thought of; however I do not believe there is an actual code out there and he would love how people keep working on it. I also believe that he had a mental health diagnosis and it was getting worse as he aged and that was why he no longer could continue killing. Although he continued writing his letter for as long as he possibly could, but even the letters started sounding more like a bragging child then a "sophisticated killer" and I think the mental health played a role in that change.

thanks susie. i just want to point out that i don’t think there’s any montana connection either and when i referenced that he wasn’t from the area, i meant vallejo, san francisco, etc. i think he’s probably from somewhere in california just not the towns where he did the mailings and murders.

I think there is a multi state connection for him. He may have ended up in CA but I feel he moved around a bit, whether because of family or work I don’t know. I do think there is a connection to Montana and just because there are no reports on a guard killed or a prison break doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. That prison has gone through many hard times and a share of corruption cases that would lend to something like a guard killed being swept under the rug. He may have been a part of a prison break where a guard was killed….i would wonder his motive for saying so if it wasn’t true because his plan was to kill the people he told….what reason is there to lie about it?

My reasoning on this is that if you believe Z was the CJB killer or that he wrote the letter, then he clearly states to her that it is about time to kill her. He seems very matter of fact and that there is no other option when he speaks. Sure he played games with police, but he had no idea that somebody would live through one of his attacks.

I think there is a multi state connection for him. He may have ended up in CA but I feel he moved around a bit, whether because of family or work I don’t know. I do think there is a connection to Montana and just because there are no reports on a guard killed or a prison break doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. That prison has gone through many hard times and a share of corruption cases that would lend to something like a guard killed being swept under the rug. He may have been a part of a prison break where a guard was killed….i would wonder his motive for saying so if it wasn’t true because his plan was to kill the people he told….what reason is there to lie about it?

My reasoning on this is that if you believe Z was the CJB killer or that he wrote the letter, then he clearly states to her that it is about time to kill her. He seems very matter of fact and that there is no other option when he speaks. Sure he played games with police, but he had no idea that somebody would live through one of his attacks.

I happen to agree. I’m thinking probably all up the seaboard (Cali, Ore, Wash) and likely Mont, Ida,and Nv as well.

He may have been a part of a prison break where a guard was killed….i would wonder his motive for saying so if it wasn’t true because his plan was to kill the people he told….what reason is there to lie about it?

I think the reason for mentioning it was to induce fear. It was day light and other people were at the lake, so the last thing he wanted was to have to shoot them and draw more attention due to the noise. If he tells them that he has done it before and would do it again they are more likely to cooperate and not try to run. He wanted to stab them, but also wanted them to know that he has killed before and would do it again. I think it was his way of ensuring that they cooperated.

Didn’t realize how close Springs & Tuolumne was to Darlene’s address, less than a half mile, and almost a straight line.

And the boy scout bldg(Faraday), very close to Darlene too at 400 Contra Costa-40 seconds by car

Didn’t realize how close Springs & Tuolumne was to Darlene’s address, less than a half mile, and almost a straight line.

And Darlene was practically next door to the Sheriff’s Office.