As regs here know, I’m a Bates guy. I think hers was the Zodiac-to-Be’s first killing, prompted by rage at her snubbing him while they were in high school. Bates’ murder, while horrific, was amateurish in execution: kicks to her head, and she dispatched via a 4" blade knife. Riverside was shocked; the local paper featured bold-print articles on the murder, complete with photos. Bates’ killer found himself the center–albeit loathed–of the entire community’s attention. And, mailing taunting letters and his infamous CONFESSION, he kept the flames of anxiety burning.
He was satisfied–for awhile. But, eventually, interest waned. Further, the RCC desktop poem with, I believe, his initials surfaced. Perhaps by now he’d graduated from RCC (speculation, only) and was in the process of moving north, to obtain a graduate degree. Unfortunately for his further victims, he had all kinds of time and freedom, now–no friends or relatives to monitor his comings and goings. He was free to…kill. And brag about it. And, again, bask invisible in the spotlight of negative fame.
Now he was known, and feared throughout California, as the Zodiac. And, he was on a roll. The 12/20/68 murders of Faraday and Jensen in Benicia was followed by the murder of Jensen and wounding of Mageau on 7/4/69 in Vallejo; then, the stabbing death of Shepard and wounding of Hartnell on 9/27/69. Finally, only two weeks later, Paul Stine was shot to death in San Francisco.
Zodiac–for so he was, now–found himself not quite as crack-proof as he imagined. He very nearly was caught, and avoided arrest only because a dispatcher botched the suspect’s description. Oh, sure, Zodiac bragged of his continued ability to avoid capture. Truth is, he was badly shaken. Gradually at first, but inexorably, his bids for fame diminished. And, it may be by now that he’d graduated, and was garnering positive praise that didn’t need to be earned by capture, trial, and prison.
I agree with some of that and is without doubt a sound analysis, that obviously something changed after the Stine killing, if we accept these as his only 5 crimes. However I vary slightly that his close shave in Presidio Heights altered his course. All his crimes carried great risk, none more so than Lake Berryessa in daylight hours, dressed in an executioners outfit, spending an inordinate amount of time conversing with Bryan Hartnell, using a knife, trudging to and from his car, hanging round the car door writing a message and effectively limiting his escape options on the isolated Knoxville Road. He ultimately had a close call at Presidio Heights, but his intention was to execute Paul Stine and make a clean get away, but it ultimately changed due to three vigilant teenagers. I believe the Lake Berryessa was his most dangerous undertaking, something he appeared prepared to take and don’t believe the Stine killing made any difference, he appeared to thrive on risk taking and it is only after the Presidio Heights murder that he ratcheted up his correspondence and although we cannot be certain of any more murders after this, his appetite seemed undaunted. His correspondence stopped in March of 1971, but resurfaced again in 1974, he obviously had found his need for fame once more. My guess is he was jailed during these periods. Since the Stine murder his longest gap in correspondence was 4/5 months but often it was monthly, then it was three years, then it was four years if you buy the 78 letter, if not it was for good. I bet if you checked prison records in California for an individual being sentenced on a lesser crime somewhere between March 13th 1971 and August 1971 and released a few short months prior to January 74 you may be on the right track. Then jailed for a another offence, serious or otherwise around the second half of 74, bearing similar characteristics of the Zodiac Killer, you would have your man. He then either died in prison or shortly after release. Very rarely does a serial killer just stop, they may have extended periods of inactivity, but the Zodiac Killer by his continued pronouncement of more killings clearly enjoyed what he was doing and jail or death seemed the only panacea for a braggart such as him.
Do you think the cocky Zodiac stopped killing after Stine or do you think he just stopped announcing his killings as he claimed he would do?
A few minutes ago on a toilet not very far, far away….
Obviously, Z had mental health issues, chief among them, I believe, being an acute sense of inferiority. Cheri Bates was, IMO, his first kill and, in a sense, a righteous one, as he explains in THE CONFESSION. According to Bud Kelly, Bates was known to have "a sharp tongue." Perhaps Z-to-Be made a pass at her and she turned him down in no uncertain terms. In later years their paths crossed at Riverside City College at a time that proved fatal to Cheri.
Understandably, the Bates homicide generated, along with community anxiety, considerable publicity. Z-to Be, although unknown was, via killing Bates, instantly (in)famous. To keep his notoriety going he initiated what became his most noted trademark: aometimes cruel, but always arrogant communiques to those who could augment his notoriety.
We know Z’s murders were not overtly sexual in nature so it may be, among his other pathologies, he was sexually inadequate. Interestingly, his victims were young, often college students: the type responsible for, in his view, generating his severe feelings of inadequacy. Did he stop with Stine’s death? I think so, IF he’d achieved status (say, a well-paying job) that repaired his wounded ego. There was no longer a need for him to risk his freedom–and, possibly, his life–as he did in killing Stine.
If it was Kaczinsky he switched to letter bombing and wasn’t caught until he got too brazen with his correspondence and was ratted out by his brother. There is no proof the CJB murder was done by the Zodiac though you’re entitled to your opinion.
I believe the key to solving this case is the answer to why zodiac stopped after stines murder.
I know man believe the key is Riverside but I think the big mistake happened in the stine murder for zodiac and he knew it.
hence the stoppage. I believe Foulke spoke to zodiac that night driving by and zodiac was not wearing a disguise.
I believe the key to solving this case is the answer to why zodiac stopped after stines murder.
I know man believe the key is Riverside but I think the big mistake happened in the stine murder for zodiac and he knew it.
hence the stoppage. I believe Foulke spoke to zodiac that night driving by and zodiac was not wearing a disguise.
it’s also possible he realized he enjoyed the notoriety more than the murdering so he used stine (and the shirt) as part of his prolific writing campaign. if you look at the correspondence before and after stine, most of zodiac’s letters were after stine.
Yeah but he was killer first poor letter writer second.
More murders would have made him more famous and infamous something happened.
Truly, a cowardly killer.
Wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he quit after Stine. I don’t think Zodiac got off killing people. I think his bs letter writing campaign kept him in the media. There were enough psychos out there to keep them guessing. Heck, people STILL do it with current murders…."it’s Zodiac"!
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
Something happened to change him, and it wasn’t the fear of getting caught.
I maintain that whatever demons drove him to kill got exorcised.
Something happened to change him, and it wasn’t the fear of getting caught.
I maintain that whatever demons drove him to kill got exorcised.
Great to see you back Nachtsider!
I think that is a fair statement.
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
If there was actually a Team Zodiac I think the primary Zodiac was behind all the attacks up until and including Berryessa. The knifing of two people was too gory for even him and he decided to call it quits while he was ahead.
The secondary Zodiac, who wrote the letters and made the telephone calls, decided to step up his game and to do the killing himself. The execution-style murder of Paul Stine would have been gruesome enough to take the glamour out of murder. The fact that there were eye witnesses and that he was spotted by a patrol also took the fun out of it for him.
By 1971 even the letter writing wasn’t enough so he retired flat out. The 1974 letters were to test the waters and, perhaps, to lure the primary Zodiac out of retirement.
I’ve suspected Z had a wife or significant other who stomped on his brakes after the Stine episode because the arrest of Z would reveal the significant other as an accomplice. Z agreed, and gradually "sobered up" by conducting his terminal letter campaign.
I’ve suspected Z had a wife or significant other who stomped on his brakes after the Stine episode because the arrest of Z would reveal the significant other as an accomplice. Z agreed, and gradually "sobered up" by conducting his terminal letter campaign.
Suddenly I feel like rewatching ‘The Grand Inquisitor’.
Well it would seem that the Zodiac ultimately found "getting his rocks off with a girl" more pleasurable than murder. Hmmm. Whodathunkit.
Soze
