Cold Case Zodiac Killer: Solved or Unsolved?

Zodiac Killer, that's the name this serial killer gave himself. When he sent letters and cryptograms to newspapers about his own murders, he referred to himself as Zodiac. This infamous serial killer was responsible for at least seven murders (attempts) in Northern California between December 1968 and October 1969. Until 1974, he continued sending letters with cryptic codes and hints to various newspapers. After sending the last letter in 1974, it became eerily quiet...

Do you think you can unmask a murderer yourself? Take a look at the murder game "Trust is a dangerous game". You can solve a murder game solo or with a team. Do you dare?

Zodiac claimed to be responsible for 37(!) murders. However, the police have confirmed only seven victims linked to this killer. Five of them did not survive, and two victims had to deal with the trauma for the rest of their lives. It all started with Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday, two teenagers on their first date. They were ambushed by a man with a gun while parked in a remote parking lot. Without any reason, he shot the two. After these two lovebirds, two more couples followed. The only deviating murder was that of a taxi driver.

The only pieces of evidence collected were a half-fingerprint and the handwriting of the murderer. The two surviving victims couldn't provide a good description of the man, partly because he once wore a mask. More than 2500 suspects were interrogated, but without results.

Breakthrough?>Cryptic Codes

Until August 1, 1969, there was no clear trace of the killer. However, this changes when the man himself sends a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, claiming to have committed the murders. This letter includes a code. The Zodiac killer demands that they publish it in the newspaper; otherwise, more people will be killed. The code will consist of three parts, but were they ever deciphered?

Above are both the first code and the cracked version of this code. Two civilians, an elderly couple, managed to crack this code and contribute to the case. Unfortunately, this still couldn't clarify who the Zodiac killer actually was. His motives, however, became somewhat clear. A step in the right direction? Meanwhile, more letters kept coming, and murders continued. The killer even reportedly sent a personal letter to one of the detectives after he said something in the media that the Zodiac didn't like.

To this day, there are codes that remain unsolved. For example, his message describing his possible real name in code language, and another message is depicted above about a possible location of a bomb he claimed to have placed. After the last letter, the Zodiac Killer left everyone with a big question mark. The whole case around this infamous murderer became such a huge media hype that several civilians tried to solve the mystery of this killer. A cartoonist, Robert Graysmith, tried to find this killer for years after the police let the case rest. He eventually wrote a book about his experiences. In 2007, a film was released about his investigation, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. This film is available on Netflix.

Because many people, outside the police, sought evidence leading to the perpetrator, several theories arose about the identity of the Zodiac. One of them is from Gary L. Stewart. He claims that his own father is the Zodiac Killer. The handwriting of the letters matches that of his father, and all female victims resemble Gary's mother. Stewart even wrote a book about it, called 'The Most Dangerous Animal of Them All.'

Breakthrough?

In 2017, almost 50 years after the serial killer was active, various articles online asked if the Zodiac Killer had finally been unmasked. Two experts, former LAPD inspector Sal LaBarbera and cold case expert Ken Mains, re-examined the case of the murder of victim 18-year-old Cheri Jo Bates. They reconsidered suspect Ross Sullivan, who was arrested in 1968 and was already one of the first suspects in this case. Ross Sullivan worked in a library near the murder scene, and the description of the Zodiac matched this man. A young man between 25 and 30 with glasses and short hair. Sullivan also wore military clothing with army boots, and prints of similar shoes were found at the location where Bates was murdered. Sal LaBarbera and Ken Mains' investigation can be followed in an impressive documentary called "The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer."

Despite this so-called breakthrough in the case, we will likely never know for sure who the Zodiac Killer was. Ross Sullivan died of a heart attack before he could be officially arrested. The story of the Zodiac Killer has become known worldwide. Several books, films, documentaries, etc., have been made, but the true identity of our infamous murderer will always remain a mystery for many.

Inspective Crime Games

A murder game by Inspective starts with multiple unsolved murder cases that can be linked through the discovery of new evidence. These murder cases remain unsolved because the police couldn't identify any suspects. By collectively examining all unsolved files, the various puzzle pieces can be pieced together, leading to the identification of the perpetrator.

Are you also interested in solving a cold case? Take a look at our murder cases.