I had this report in my binder in hard copy. The original copy was obtained on
, but not a lot of people have seen it. I am not sure, but last time I checked they had made these files unavailable to the public. Making this, the only place I know of, to view these documents. Still, you can check. I think more people should read this report. I see questions all of the time that this report could easily answer. That is why I transcribed this report and included it in my books.
I am putting it here for my own use and to make it easier for others to read. It was written for law enforcement and briefly states the facts of each known crime along with with evidence listed out and other important tidbits of information. Since I transcribed and restored the original report, because it was in very poor condition, I included both in this post. The transcribed document to make it so the contents will show up in google searches, and the restored version I included in my books. First is the original, followed by the transcription, then lastly, the restored report taken from my books.
To enlarge images, click on them or open them in a new window.
To make it easier for some readers and to also make the contents of these documents searchable, I transcribed the entire Department of Justice, Special Report on the Zodiac Killer. It was time to bring it into the 21st century.
Date: October 30th 1966 – Sunday
Time: Approximately 6:15 PM
Victim: Cheri Jo Bates – Female Caucasian, 18 year.
Riverside City College freshman
Location: Riverside City College campus
Victim parked
her vehicle in front of Riverside City College library just prior to 6PM and
entered the library building. Suspect disabled victim’s vehicle by removing
coil wire and evidently waited for victim to return. Suspect then either forced
or enticed her approximately 300 feet to an unpaved parking area between two
vacant houses where he attacked her with a small knife having a blade
approximately 3 ½ inches in length and ½ inches in width. Victim suffered seven
lacerations on her throat and death was due to hemorrhage of the right carotid
artery. There was no evidence of sexual molestation. No witnesses.
Heelprints
identical to those worn by Air Force personal and a Timex wrist watch
indicating that the suspect had a 7” wrist circumference were found at the
scene of the crime.
Suspect mailed
typewritten confession letter from Riverside to the Police Department and
Riverside Enterprise newspaper on November 29th, 1966, claiming to
be the perpetrator of the crime.
Three
additional handprinted letters were mailed in Riverside by suspect on April 30th,
1967, again claiming the Bates homicide and indicating there would be more.
Evidence:
Hand printing
Latents (finger
prints)
Military Heel
Prints
Times wrist
watch
Type written
confession letter
Riverside
Police Department case #352-481
Investigating
Officer: Captain I. L. Cross
4201 Orange St.
– 92502
Phone:
714-787-7011
**********
Date: December 20th, 1968 – Friday night
Time: Between 11:14 and 11:20 PM
Victims: Betty Lou Jensen – female Caucasian, 16 years (student)
David Faraday – Male Caucasian, 17
years (student)
Location: Isolated lover’s lane area approximately five miles east of
Vallejo.
Victims were
evidently in their vehicle when suspect approached. Victim shot in head through
left ear at contact range and was found on ground on passenger side of vehicle.
Female victim shot five times on right side of back and was found lying 28’6”
from right rear bumper. No statements from victims and no witnesses. No
evidence of sexual molestation.
Weapon: .22 caliber
semi-automatic. Possibilities – J.C Higgins
Model 80 or high Standard model
101
Ammunition: .22 caliber Super X
copper coated long rifle.
Evidence:
.22 caliber
bullets and casings
Hand printing
Solana County
Sheriff’s Office case #V-25564
Investigating
officer: Sgt. Les Lundblad
1350 Virginia
St. – 94590
Phone
707-643-6495
**********
Date: July 4th, 1969 – Friday night
Time: Approximately midnight
Victims: Darlene Ferrin – Female Caucasian, 22 years (waitress)
Michael Mageau – Male Caucasian,
19 years (laborer)
Locations: Blue Rock Springs Park approximately 4 miles northeast of
Downtown Vallejo. An area
frequented by lovers during
Evening and early morning hours.
Victims were
sitting in vehicle in parking lot. Suspect parked his vehicle approximately 10’
to rear of victims’ and left headlights on. Suspect approached victims’ vehicle
on passenger side with large handle type flashlight directed into victims’
faces. Suspect fired five shots into vehicle striking male and then female.
When suspect started to walk away the male victim screamed and suspect returned
and fired four more shots into vehicle. The suspect did not say anything to
victims prior to the shooting.
Female victim
suffered multiple bullet wounds and was DOA at hospital.
Male victim
shot in left knee and face, survived the attack.
Male victim
described suspect as Male Caucasian, 26 – 30 years, 5’8”, 200 pounds, light
brown hair, no glasses or mustache. Described suspect vehicle as brown and
shaped like a Corvair.
Weapon: 9MM semi-automatic
Possibilities
regarding manufacture of weapons
Browning
Smith & Wesson
Star
Astra
Liama
Neuhausen
Zebrojoka
Husqvarna
Esperanza
Ammunition: 9mm Winchester
Western
Suspect phoned
the Vallejo Police Department from downtown Vallejo at 12:40 AM on July 5,
1969. Stated he had just committed a double murder, gave location and also
claimed the killings on December 20th, 1968. Call made from payphone
through operator. No distinguishable voice characteristics.
Suspect sent
letters and cryptogram to newspapers subsequent to the crime claiming credit
for the Vallejo and Solana County homicides. Cryptogram was deciphered and
suspect indicated that killing people was more fun than sexual relations and
that the people he killed would be his slaves in his afterlife. (See attached
cryptogram).
Evidence:
9mm casings and
bullets
Hand printed
letters
Vallejo Police
Department case #243146
Investigating
officer: Detective Sgt. Jack Mulanax
P.O. Box 1031 –
94590
Phone
707-643-5661
*************
Date: September 27, 1969 – Saturday (daylight)
Time: Approximately 6:15 PM
Victims: Cecelia Shepard - Female Caucasian, 22 years (college student
Bryan Hartnell - Male Caucasian. 20 years (college student)
Location: Shoreline of Lake Berryessa in Napa County
Victims parked their vehicle alongside main highway and
walked 510 yards to shore line where they laid down on a blanket. Female victim
observed suspect behind tree. When suspect emerged and approached victims he
was wearing a black hood with circle and cross hair in center. Suspect was
armed what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol. He told the victims that he
was an escapee from Deer Ledge Prison, Montana, was enroute to Mexico and
wanted their car keys and money. Suspect carried on a rather lengthy conversation with male victim
then had female tie male with pre-cut clothes line. He then tied female and
retied male. Suspect placed gun in holster, took a large knife out of a sheath,
stabbed male victim six times in back, then stabbed female both back and front.
Male victim feigned death and suspect departed. Did not take money or car keys.
After the attack suspect printed message on right passenger door of victim’s
vehicle, again indicating he was responsible for the Solano County, Vallejo,
and Napa County
homicides.
Approximately one hour and ten minutes after the crime the
suspect phoned the Napa Police Department from downtown Napa reporting a double
murder and giving the location. The call was placed through an operator and the
suspect did not hang up. No distinguishable speech characteristics were noted.
Female victim died on September 29th.
Male victim survived.
Male victim described suspect as a male Caucasian, 20-30
years, 5’10” – 6’2”, 220 pounds, brown hair, (visible through eye slots in
hood) wearing black hood, lightweight windbreaker dark blue or black, dark
baggy pleated slacks, very sloppily dressed protruding stomach. No
distinguishable speech characteristics.
Hood described as black in color with four corners at the
top similar to a paper sack, sleeveless with the front panel coming down just
the below the chest with white circle and cross hair middle of chest. Appeared
well made, well sell sewn with clip on sunglasses on the outside. Victim not
positive suspect had glasses on under hood. Gun described as blue steel
semi-automatic pistol, possibly .45 caliber. Carried in a plain black holster
with flap.
Knife described as
having blade approximately 12” in length, 1” in width.
Possibly sharpened on both sides similar to a bayonet.
Appeared to have a wooden handle with two brass rivets and 1” white adhesive
tape wrapped around the handle where the guard normally be. (May be encased in
wooden sheath.)
Shoeprints
identical to military “Wing Walker Boots” were tracked from the road to the
scene of the crime and back to the passenger side of the victim’s car. (see attached
photos).
Evidence:
Latents
Hand printing
White plastic
clothes line, hollow core
Military
shoeprints
Napa County
Sheriff’s Office case #105907
Investigating
officer: Captain Ken Narlow
810 Coombs St. –
94558
Phone 707-255-5500
***********
Date: October 11th, 1969 – Saturday
Time: 9:55 PM
Victim: Paul Stine, Male Caucasian, 29 years (Yellow Cab driver)
Location: Washington & Cherry Streets, San Francisco
Victim picked
up suspect at Nason and Geary Streets, proceeded to Washington and Cherry where
suspect shot victim once behind right ear at contact range. Suspect took
victim’s wallet, taxi keys and tore a portion from the back of his shirt.
Witnesses observed suspect wipe inside of cab with a cloth, then walk
nonchalantly away from the cab toward the Presidio, an army installation.
Witnesses describe
suspect as male Caucasian, 35 – 45 years, 5’10”, 190 pounds, crew cut reddish
blonde hair, eye glasses with plastic frames, wearing a parka type jacket, navy
blue or black, dark baggy trousers and a punchy stomach.
Weapon: 9mm semi-automatic,
possibly new model Browning. (Not same 9mm as used in Vallejo Police Department
case.)
Ammunition: 9mm Winchester Western
Evidence:
Two portions of
victim’s shirt (white with black stripe)
Hand printing
Latents
9mm bullet
casing
Black Leather
men’s gloves size 7
Subsequent to
the homicide the suspect mailed a series of post cards and letters, two of
which contained a portion of the cab driver’s shirt.
San Francisco
Police Department case #696514
Investigating
Officers: Inspectors William Armstrong &
Dave Toschi
850 Bryant St.
– 94103
Phone
415-553-1145
************
All homicides
have been committed on weekends, Friday through Sunday.
All letters the
Zodiac has mailed in Northern California have been postmarked in San Francisco
with the exception of one that was mailed in Pleasanton to the Los Angeles
Times on March 13, 1971. In the letter he acknowledged he had committed the
Riverside homicide in 1966. That being the only time Zodiac has reference to
this particular murder. The last correspondence received from Zodiac was March
22nd, 1971.
All letters are
hand printed, over posted with stamps on sideways or inverted. Suspect
misspells simple words apparently on purpose.
Contents of
letters tend to indicate the suspect may possess knowledge of the following:
Cryptography
Meteorology
Explosive
devices
Charts and
terminology used in conjunction with a compass
Latent print
identification, (Wiped down cab and claimed he used clear plastic cement on
fingers.)
Typewriter
identification. (Mailed fourth or fifth carbon copy of confession letter in
Riverside.)
Light opera.
(One letter contains excerpts from the opera “Mikado.”)
Conclusions
that may be drawn from suspects activities:
Likes publicity
Enjoys
ridiculing police
Claims to be
crack proof (egotist)
Cultist (States
persons killed will be slaves in afterlife.)
Suspect may
possess the following:
(2) 9mm semi-automatic
pistols of different manufacturers
.22 caliber
semi-automatic pistol
9M Winchester
Western ammunition
.22 caliber
Super X copper long rifle ammunition
.45 caliber blue steel semi-automatic
Portion of cab
driver’s shirt - white with black stripe
Victim Stine’s
wallet and taxi keys
Black hood with
white circle and cross
Clip on
sunglasses
Windbreaker –
dark blue or black
Pleated baggy
slacks - dark in color
Large knife
having blade approximately 12” in length, 1” in width, wooden handle with two
brass rivets and 1” wide adhesive tape around the handle. May be encased in
wooden sheath.
White plastic
clothes line – hollow core
Portable Royal
typewriter – Elite type – Canterbury shaded
Black Wing
Walker boots 10 ½ R
Handle type
flashlight
Small knife
with blade 3 ½ inches in length, 1” in width.
May have broken
felt pens.
Complete
newspaper and article accounts of Zodiac homicides
This bulletin
has been compiled in conjunction with the investigating agencies and
distributed by the State Department of Justice. Law Enforcement Bureau of
Investigation. The Bureau Of investigation maintains a file of all suspects
that have been eliminated as a result of hand printing comparisons. Pending
receipt of any additional evidence hand printing is the most positive method of
identification or elimination of suspects. Identity of suspects that have been
eliminated may be obtained by contacting Special Agent Mel Nicolai, bureau of
Investigation. phone 916-445-9002.
The restored California Department of Justice, Special Report on the Zodiac Killer
