From the late 1960s to the early 1970s
The Zodiac sent four coded messages in total to the paper in 1969 and 1970. The first had 408 characters and was cracked in a week. The recently solved 340-character cipher was the second.
Who was Arthur Leigh Allen? Arthur Leigh Allen, a schoolteacher in Vallejo, California is the only suspect to be publicly named by authorities in the case of the Zodiac killer. Allen was institutionalized for sexually abusing children in 1975. He was never officially identified as the Zodiac killer.
"I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAT WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN ...
—The solution to Zodiac's 408-symbol cipher, solved in August 1969, including faithful transliterations of spelling and grammar errors in the original. The meaning, if any, of the final eighteen letters has not been determined.
The 12 zodiac signs in order are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Each zodiac sign has a symbol dating back to Greek manuscripts from the Middle Ages. Let's take a closer look at zodiac symbols, the zodiac constellations, and their attributes.
Cryptographic researchers have finally cracked a 51-year-old code left by the Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Much of the work of cracking the code was done in Mathematica, the statistics package from Wolfram.
The Zodiac killer was originally known as the “killer,” he later, after purchasing a Zodiac watch, began using the name and symbol as his calling card. Why? No one knows, but the original piece is quite striking and Zodiac was fairly upscale at the time.
According to Oranchak, the cipher attributed to the killer says, "I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me. ... I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me."
He actually gave himself the title “Zodiac” in the cryptic letters he sent to the press during his murder spree. The letters often began with the words “This is the Zodiac speaking,” and contained various cryptograms and taunts alluding to his planned murders.
The most prolific modern serial killer is arguably doctor Harold Shipman, with 218 probable murders and possibly as many as 250 (see "Medical professionals", below). However, he was actually convicted of a sample of 15 murders.
Zodiac knew when to stop
He was seen by three people and was mere moments from being caught by the police. The near-miss might have frightened him. In any case, he'd already gotten what he wanted: infamy. Unlike killers like Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy, Zodiac didn't appear to be obsessed with killing.
Lake Herman Road murders: The Zodiac killer's first victims were a high school couple, Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday on December 20, 1968. The two were on their first date and had driven out to Lake Herman Road, just within Benicia City limits, where they had parked their car.
David Oranchak, a US-based software developer, Sam Blake, a mathematician based in Australia, and Jarl Van Eycke, a programmer based in Belgium, managed to crack Z340, a 340-character cipher that's one of four such codes attributed to the Zodiac Killer.
The California Department of Justice has left the case open since 1969. Mike Renault Mageau and Bryan Calvin Hartnell are the only two known survivors of the Zodiac. Mageau was conversing in a car with her co-worker, Darlene Ferrin, when the Zodiac shot and killed Ferrin. Mageau was shot four times and survived.
Z 13 cipher
This puzzle, the killer's shortest cipher, was sent on April 20, 1970. The short handwritten note is followed by 13 symbols. Some have theorised the cipher is just a joke, and that the killer would never reveal their identity.
Did the Zodiac really call Melvin Belli on a KGO-TV talk show? Yes. You can watch a video clip from the 1969 program here. The caller, who is believed to have been the Zodiac, wants to be addressed as Sam.
One was cracked in 1969 and another in 2020. Gary F. Poste has been identified as the infamous Zodiac Killer by The Case Breakers, which investigates cold cases. The Case Breakers say they have identified the Zodiac Killer as Gary Francis Poste, who passed away in 2018.
The last known victim, a taxi driver, was shot in October 1969. The murders were the subject of intense investigation and media coverage, particularly because of the killer's taunting letters to newspapers and phone calls to police.
You are able to stream The Zodiac Killer by renting or purchasing on Amazon Instant Video or Vudu. You are able to stream The Zodiac Killer for free on Tubi.
This second cipher came to be known as the “340 Cipher,” and was sent in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle in November of 1969. “I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING LOTS OF FUN IN TRYING TO CATCH ME,” reads the message, according to David Oranchak, a member of the team which deciphered the cryptogram.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22) Libra (September 23 – October 22) Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)