Case 200
The Zodiac
*** Content Warning: gun violence ***
[Part 2 of 4]
On December 20 1968, teenagers David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were gunned down in the middle of the night on a deserted road in Benicia, California. Six months later, another young couple, Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau, were shot in a parking lot in nearby Vallejo.
When an anonymous caller informed the police that he’d committed both attacks, the hunt was on. Investigators found themselves in hot pursuit of an elusive murderer who seemed to enjoy taunting them through letters and cryptic ciphers; a serial killer who signed off his communications with a crosshair symbol and called himself ‘Zodiac’.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Jess Forsayeth and Milly Raso
Writing – Elsha McGill, Erin Munro, Milly Raso and Jess Forsayeth
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
BOOKS:
This Is The Zodiac Speaking – Michael Kelleher
Hunted: The Zodiac Murders – Mark Hewitt
Zodiac Unmasked – Robert Graysmith
ARCHIVED NEWSPAPER ARTICLES:
Cab driver found slain in Oceanside – Redlands Daily
Cab driver found slain – Progress-Bulletin
New threat to murder busman told – Independent
Oceanside bus and taxi drivers warned of killer – Times-Advocate
Clues sparse in mystery slaying of taxicab driver – The San Bernardino County Sun
Was lean-to meant as slain pair’s pyre? – Daily News
S.F search for death suspect – The San Francisco Examiner
Lompoc slayings – The Los Angeles Times
Body of Lompoc man is found – Santa Maria Times
Quarry worker knifed in back; robbery seen as motive for slaying – The Lompoc Record
Open letter to accused ‘Sandy’ – The Lompoc Record
Hunt still on for ‘Sandy’ – Santa Cruz Sentinel
Suspect ‘Sandy’ possible visitor in Ventura County – Ventura County Star
Gunman kills, robs couple on S.D beach – News-Pilot
‘Thrill-kill’ figured in newlyweds’ death – Independent
Search intensified for eccentric beachcomber – The Lompoc Record
Santa Ana patrolman in hobo camp arrest of ‘man on the beach’ – The Lompoc Record
Clues in honeymooners slaying hits dead end – The Sacramento Bee
Teenagers slayer still at large – Sunday Times-Herald
Vallejo Teenagers slain on dark road – Daily Independent Journal
Friends quizzed in slaying of teen pair near Vallejo – The San Francisco Examiner
Clues are lacking in Vallejo slayings – The Sacramento Bee
Teens seek reward to nab killer – The Sacramento Bee
Teenagers slayer still at large – Sunday Times-Herald
Vallejo police seek attacker of pair – The Sacramento Bee
Coded letter says killing…is fun, tells of three victims – Los Angeles Times
Code Clue by Vallejo ‘Killer’ Sent Examiner – The San Francisco Examiner
Coded Clue in Murders – The San Francisco Chronicle
Cipher Killer’s’ New Letter – The San Francisco Examiner
Coed stabbing victim dies – The Press Democrat
Couple attacked by hooded man – The Napa Valley Register
‘About Unbelievable’ Says Ranger White – The Napa Valley Register
Knife killer could strike again, declares Napa County Officer – The Napa Valley Register
Berryessa Killer Termed a Deviate – The Times
Officials sifting clues in the hunt for murderer – The Napa Valley Register
Services Held For Victim – The Napa Valley Register
Officers Check Leads in Berryessa Killing – The Sacramento Bee
Hartnell: ‘I refused to die’ – The Napa Valley Register
Harnell Leaves Hospital for Return to Classes – The Napa Valley Register
Zodiac Killer — Chilling Portrait of Madness – The Los Angeles Times
SF Slayer may be North Bay Killer – The Napa Valley Register
Zodiac Kills 5th Victim, Again Taunts Police – The Los Angeles Times
Police ask for help in killer search – Oakland Tribune
‘Zodiac’ Jangles Nerves of Napa County People – The Napa Valley Register
9mm Pistol is a Gun for Killing – The San Francisco Examiner
Victim’s brother: A challenge to the Zodiac – The San Francisco Examiner
TV “Zodiac” Reneges on Surrender – The San Francisco Examiner
Zodiac note thrown from passing auto – Ukiah Daily Journal
Police Certain Zodiac Called – The San Francisco Examiner
Police Swamped By Phone Calls – The San Francisco Examiner
Slasher Slain to Save Girl – Oakland Tribune
New Zodiac Call, Threats – Santa Maria Times
Belli Responds to Plea From Zodiac – The Press-Tribune
Rode with Zodiac, Woman Claims – The San Francisco Examiner
Zodiac case Tahoe Link Suspected – The Sacramento Bee
Here’s the Zodiac – The San Francisco
Zodiac Killer Boast of 10 Murders; Letter May Have Given Police Clue – The San Bernardino County Sun
Park Police Bombed, Berkeley Blast Link Suspected – The San Francisco Examiner
Zodiac Claims 12th Victim – The Press Democrat
Gunman in Dawn Getaway – The San Francisco Examiner
Zodiac blamed in SF Shooting – Valley Times
Tahoe Girl May Be Victim of Zodiac – Oakland Tribune
Hunt for Nurse at Dead End – The San Francisco Examiner
Zodiac Area Found – The Times Standard
New Zodiac Boast: Claims 13 Victims in Two Notes, Manhunt for Elusive S.F. Killer Enters Second Year – The Los Angeles Times
Evidence Links Zodiac Killer to ‘66 Death of Riverside Coed – The Los Angeles Times
Police are Dubious of Zodiac Letter – The Times
RCC Coed, 18, Slain on Campus: Disabled Car Found Near Victim’s Body – The Press-Enterprise
Letter Writer Admits Killing Riverside Coed – The San Bernardino County Sun
No Clues in Coed Murder – Redlands Daily Facts
Who, Where is ‘Zodiac’? Officers Seek Local Murders Link – The Sacramento Bee
Breaks Silence: 17-Plus Victims Claimed in Letter by Zodiac Killer – The Los Angeles Times
Zodiac Killer Surfaces Again With Letter; Hints Toll Is 37 – The Los Angeles Times
Zodiac Now Using Different Pen Name – Santa Cruz Sentinel
Zodiac Killer Surfaces Again – The Hanford Sentinel
The search for a brutal killer continues – The Berkeley Gazette
In S.F., Sanity is a Relative Thing – The San Francisco Examiner
Crime Rampage Turns S.F. Into City of Fear – Independent
Maupin talks about Toschi fan mail – The San Francisco Examiner
Top Cops Mum; Was the Last Letter a Hoax? – The San Francisco Examiner
LHS Graduation Hit by Tragedy – The Lompoc Record
17 Year Old Queried Concerning Gun Theft – The Lompoc Record
Sniper Said at Scene of Murders – The Lompoc Record
Zodiac killer may have murdered Lompoc teenagers – The Lompoc Record
A Magnificent Obsession with the Zodiac Killer – The San Francisco Examiner
Sex Suspect to get Examination – The Press Democrat
Police check Kaczynski for Zodiac Killer Links – The Californian
Amateur Sleuths Gather to Reflect on Years of Fright – The Napa Valley Register
SFPD Closes Book on Zodiac – The Fresno Bee
Man Hunted by Ghost of Zodiac Case – The San Francisco Examiner
Slain Newlyweds Seen Thrill Killer Victims – Ventura County Star-Free Press
Old Homicide Case Goes to Riverside DA – The San Bernardino County Sun
Local Officials Checking if Zodiac Involved in Santa Barbara Stabbings – The Napa Valley Register
Shocking Theory in Zodiac Case – San Francisco Chronicle
On the Trail of the Zodiac – San Francisco Chronicle
Gunman kills himself after firing on 3 – The Los Angeles Times
Sniper dies from own pistol shot – Independent
ARTICLES:
True Crime Files: Did the Zodiac murder OB newlyweds in 1964? – CBS 8
Did the Zodiac killer murder an Alabama couple in 1964? – Alabama News
The Zodiac Case – Benicia Herald
The Zodiac Killer’s First Known Victims Died 50 Years Ago – SF Weekly
Dave Toschi, 86, Detective who pursued the Zodiac Killer, dies – New York Times
Vallejo police have sent Zodiac Killer DNA to a lab. Results could come in weeks – The Sacramento Bee
Why The Internet Thinks This Sports Car Mogul Might Have Been The Zodiac Killer – jalopnik.com
Zodiac Killer case: DNA may offer hope of solving the mystery – The San Francisco Chronicle
VIDEO:
The Zodiac Killer’s First Victims? – Zodiac Killer Official
News 8 footage of Swindle murder crime scene
The murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen
Is this the real voice of the Zodiac Killer?
The Mikado: Act 1: Behold the Lord High Executioner/I’ve Got a Little List (Song 5)
Arthur Leigh Allen: The Basement Interviews (Zodiac Killer –1991)
Zodiac Killer KPIX News Report 1969
Zodiac Killer – Paul Avery on Zodiac
Zodiac Killer – Inspector Dave Toschi on Public Response
Zodiac Killer – Toschi and Maupin Controversy
Zodiac Killer – Bill Armstrong on Zodiac Bomb Letter
Did the Zodiac Killer begin his murders in Oceanside, Cal
Still at Large: LA ch. 4 News – Harvey Hines and Larry Kane
Richard “Rick” Marshall – Zodiac Killer Suspect
OTHER:
Histories and Mysteries: The murder of Ray Davis – Kristi Hawthorne
Who was the individual known as “Sandy” in 1963?
Transcript of News 8 news report of Swindle murder
Archived newspaper articles on the Swindle murder
Death Certificate David Arthur Faraday
Death Certificate Betty Lou Jensen
Solano County Sheriff’s Office Report
C.A. Department of Justice CII Report – Ballistics
Vallejo Police Department Report
Darlene Ferrin Certificate of Death
Ferrin and Psychic Joseph DeLouise
Napa County Sheriff’s Department Report – Collins and Land
Napa County Sheriff’s Department – Zodiac’s Gun
FBI Reports on Fingerprints in Berryessa Case
Napa Sheriff’s County Department Report – The 3 Girls at the Lake
CA Department of Justice/CII Report (Lake Berryessa)
Autopsy Report – Cecelia Shepard
Bryan Hartnell – Interview Transcript
Bryan Hartnell – Transcript of Conversation with the Zodiac
Napa County Sheriff’s Department Report – Hal Snook
Napa Police Department Report – Dispatcher David Slaight
Paul Stine – Certificate of Death
San Francisco Police Department Report by Armand Pelissetti
1971 Report Into Arthur Leigh Allen by Detective Jack Mulanax
1971 Handwriting Report – Arthur Leigh Allen
Sonoma County Sheriff Report Child Molestation Report – Arthur Leigh Allen
Return to Search Warrant, 13 February 1991, Arthur Leigh Allen
Riverside Police Department: Letter on Zodiac Connection – by LT Kinkead
Autopsy Report – Cheri Jo Bates
Kathleen Johns: San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office Report
Kathleen Johns: Patterson Police Department Report
Analysis of Zodiac Homicides: CA DOJ
WEBSITES:
ZodiacKiller.com – special thanks to Tom Voigt for his assistance in answering queries
California Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero