Mageau described his attacker as a 26-to-30-year-old, 195-to-200-pound (88 to 91 kg) or possibly even more, 5-foot-8-inch (1.73 m) white male with short, light brown curly hair.
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.
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.
Yes, the Zodiac Killer is still among us. Robert Graysmith is currently 80 years old and he lives somewhere in California. Possible, but doubtful. If Zodiac were around 40 at the time of the murders, that would make him in his early 90s now.
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.
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.
The Zodiac's signature included sending letters to law enforcement and newspapers which would contain information only the perpetrator of the relevant murders would know, along with evidence from the crime.
They were never able to catch him. The Ripper's victims – Mary Ann Nicholls, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly – are known as the canonical five, but some Ripperologists believe that the true extent of the notorious serial killer's rampage may have been far more extensive.
Today, there's a possibility forensic techniques could yield genetic material from the killer, but in 1969 that technology was decades away. The only possible DNA sample comes from beneath a stamp stuck to one of his infamous letters. The sample, developed in 2002 by San Francisco police, is only a partial profile.
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.
The letter, written in a boastful tone, was addressed to "The Boss, Central News Office, London, City." Dear Boss, I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track.
Forensic scientists say they have finally fingered the identity of Jack the Ripper, the notorious serial killer who terrorized the streets of London more than a century ago. Genetic tests published this week point to Aaron Kosminski, a 23-year-old Polish barber and a prime police suspect at the time.
After painstaking investigation and more than thirty years of research, Robert Graysmith finally exposes Zodiac's true identity. With overwhelming evidence he reveals the twisted private life that led to the crimes, and provides startling theories as to why they stopped.
“The FBI's investigation into the Zodiac Killer remains open and unsolved. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time,” the FBI's San Francisco office said in a statement.
From the late 1960s to the early 1970s the Zodiac killer sent four coded letters. Of the four ciphers, only one has actually been solved. His letters were written in two parts. The first part was usually written in plain text, while the other was in cipher text, in which he claimed contained his identity.
After his July 1969 attack, the Zodiac Killer began to contact newspapers via letters that included details only the killer would know. And in addition to phoning the police after the murders he committed in July, he made a phone call confession to law enforcement in September.
Seda, 30, again invoked the divinity, saying only God knew the truth. Justice Robert J. Hanophy responded by sentencing Mr. Seda to the maximum possible, life in prison, and threw in his own religious allusion.
He died. Many theorise that he died just after the killings stopped, or his death was the reason the killings stopped.
THE KILLER IS GIVEN THE NAME JACK THE RIPPER
Written in red ink, it purported to have been written by the killer and boasted that the police "wont fix me yet". Having gloated over what he had done to his, supposed, victims and stating what he would do to his next victim, the author signed the letter "Jack the Ripper".