The Zodiac Killer was one of the most prolific psychological terrorists in the United States, of the 1960s and 1970s. He was ahead of his time. He mastered the practice of social engineering, to a degree that many had unknowingly unanticipated.  How did he know the tactics to effectively manipulate the masses and to monopolize on "harmless" gaps within law enforcement's lack of communication across jurisdictions? If it were not for the Zodiac sharing details only he would know, claiming crimes for which he committed across jurisdictions, police would not have thought to connect them.  Then he goes a step further to claim crimes without sharing details, further exasperating the doubts police had about his "capabilities." Did the knowledge of the differences between military and civilian life play a roll in him knowing that he can play both sides of the coin and the two would rarely, if ever, overlap? 

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We see Zodiac's inconsistencies throughout his twisted interactions. His first correspondence on July 31, 1969 to the newspaper includes his claim of both attacks at Blue Rock Springs and Lake Herman road, but he fails to identify himself.  Why does he feel the confidence to finally identify himself with a follow up 5 days later?  His persona was revealed to the public on August 4, 1969, over 7 months after his first claimed murders occurring the evening of December 20, 1968 and exactly one month after his second claimed attack on July 4, 1969.  His debut letters began with the salutation, "This is the Zodiac Speaking" and were sent to three local newspapers: The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Examiner, and the Vallejo Times.  Each letter was similar in nature however contained a unique cipher. The bold request (demand) to print each of the ciphers was make along with the Zodiac taking credit in great detail for the murders of David Faraday, Betty Lu Jensen, and Darlene Ferrin and the attack on Michael Mageau.  The cipher referred to the Z408 because all three ciphers contain a total of 408 characters. 

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In between July 31 and Aug 4th, 1969, one Sunday, August 3rd, there was a double murder of two teenage girls, named Debra Furlong (14) and Kathie Snoozy (15), having a picnic in the Cardboard Hill neighborhood of San Jose.  While the case is "solved" in the eyes of the criminal justice system, that by no means proves that Karl Werner (18) was truly their killer. When looking at the big picture, anyone that ha was aiding in the investigation was at risk of being charged and convicted and Karl Werner was no different.  In light of criminal justice reform, this attack does not receive the renewed focus it deserves within the entire context of the Zodiac case.  

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The following Saturday, August 10, 1969, a typewritten note containing the Key to the Z408 was sent and signed by "concerned citizen" postmarked from the Russian Hill neighborhood near Presidio Heights.  Three days earlier, the cipher had been solved by a couple, Donald and Bettye Harden in San Francisco within hours at their kitchen table. 

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From there on out, we have a deep silence from the Zodiac until the early evening of September 27, 1969, when Cecilia Shepherd and Brian Hartnell were attacked on a remote beach area downhill from the Twin Oaks Parking lot on the shore of Lake Berryessa. 

 

Six weeks of silence after his "grand introduction." Why? Did he leave the area?  He can't continue correspondence if he is out of town.  One has to ask, who has 30 days or more to stay silent?  Certainly the compulsion to continue the dialogue in the public eye didn't leave the writer, so did the writer leave the area?  Nonetheless, the Zodiac reemerges with a personal touch and violence not yet seen in his arsenal.  He emerges with a new M.O. to the public: a blade.   Was this M.O. truly "new" to him?  This poses several more inconsistencies, making it difficult for us to wrap our heads around.  Number one, the location. Number two, the weapon. Number three, the costume. Number four, the personal interaction  with these victims. And, number five, the handwritten dates on the side of the victim's car to tie three of the four crimes together.  Why did he leave the double murder of Snoozy and Furlong out of the equation, only to claim this crime in a following letter?  Is it because they were not victims within a lovers lane?  Karl Werner was not a suspect at the time, so perhaps he was not as confident that he would have gotten away with that crime.  Also, San Jose is on the opposite side of the Bay, therefore only the Zodiac would have the control to truly tie them together with the others that share the majority of similarities.  However, there were also similarities that we see in the Lake Berryessa crime.  Number one, the target of a young couple.  Number two, the phone call made to the police after the attack. 

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