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| The Zodiac Killer Enigma |
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If you read our articles, you will find this statement from the movie a reoccurring theme. It appears in Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, Batman and the Zodiac Crimes (aired in 1967), and even in Tim Holt Comics.
One thing we know for sure about the so-called Zodiac Killer is that he mentioned, quoted from, hinted to, and referenced the movies, books, and other forms of media and entertainment that he was obviously into. Whether he or anyone else realizes it or not this actually tells us a little about the real man. He tells us things about the man behind the mask in the letters and codes he sent whether he realizes it or not. It is our job to read between the lines so to speak and pick up on these important tidbits of information. This post is finished, but I may add little things from time to time and I want to do one or two proofreads of it.
I have to use the Unabomber as an example here. Do you know what got Ted Kaczynski caught? It was phrases or idioms he liked to use in his daily life. His sister in law and brother read the manifesto that Ted had mailed out and demanded to be published in certain newspapers. This ended up being his biggest mistake because these phrases, idioms, and writing style jumped out at them when they read it. If it had not been for that then the Unabomber might have been just as mysterious and unsolved today as the infamous Zodiac Killer. Unlike guys like the Zodiac, Ted Bundy, and their ilk, I actually pity Ted. He is a prime example of how someone who started life as a promising and contributing member of society can be shaped into a monster by just a few but very horrible life experiences. Ted had the mind and the IQ to have done and accomplished great things in his life and this world. Instead, he ended in a lonely shack in Montana building bombs and destroying lives, but Ted was in a class all his own. The lone wolf. The Zodiac is also in a class all is own, but he has characteristics of some other known killers.
The Zodiac is no different in the regard that he mentioned quotes, certain strange words, and pointed out the different forms of movies, books, etc.., that entertained him that the people who knew him would have recognized. Words like fry, or Twisted Shoes, and fiddled and farted around. I think he also accidentally mentioned a sport he loved. That is just my opinion, but Ted also accidentally got himself caught by making the same mistakes. Take me for example. I write the way I talk. I tend to use idioms, phrases, and words that I use in my everyday life. Just as everyone does. You write what you know. I have to be me because that is the only person I know how to be. The Zodiac or the real man behind the mask is no different. Ted was a genius and he was so smart that he thought he was smarter than everyone else, and that was his mistake. His ego and narcissism led him to believe he could make no mistakes. The Zodiac is also the same in that regard.
I recently read about a man in Florida who was poisoning his neighbors because he liked peace and quiet. His name was George Trepal. He was also a genius and a member of Mensa. He would poison 6 packs of coke bottles and then plant or switch them out with his neighbors. He killed one lady and almost wiped out the entire family because a barking dog and other little things bugged him. He thought he was so smart that he could get away with it even if the authorities figured out these people were being poisoned. Which they did. Here is the kicker. The thing that was so completely stupid that it will knock your socks off. George thought the authorities were trying to pin it on someone else. So he started flaunting how smart he was in this perfect crime, but not in a direct way. When interviewed by the police and asked why anyone would want these people dead he responded by saying, " They make a lot of noise". Pretty stupid answer for such a smart man, but it gets even better.
He and his wife host a murder mystery weekend at their home. A real-life game of clue. The theme of the murder mystery weekend was that someone was murdered by poisoning and the guests had to figure out who did it. He had a murder mystery weekend of a crime that he was actually committing in reality. Pretty dumb for such a smart guy. He even ends up inviting an undercover cop to this weekend event who befriends him and ends up cracking the case wide open. Sometimes I believe it is true when they say people want to get caught. One of the same investigators who worked on this case was one of the same guys who worked on the Ted Bundy case, but I am getting off-topic.
He and his wife host a murder mystery weekend at their home. A real-life game of clue. The theme of the murder mystery weekend was that someone was murdered by poisoning and the guests had to figure out who did it. He had a murder mystery weekend of a crime that he was actually committing in reality. Pretty dumb for such a smart guy. He even ends up inviting an undercover cop to this weekend event who befriends him and ends up cracking the case wide open. Sometimes I believe it is true when they say people want to get caught. One of the same investigators who worked on this case was one of the same guys who worked on the Ted Bundy case, but I am getting off-topic.
My point is that no one is so smart that they don't make any mistakes. To even think that is a mistake in its self. Zodiac is no different than any other criminal, serial killer, evil mastermind, or person in the regard that he is not perfect. I will admit I am not anywhere near perfect and I make lots of mistakes. He made mistakes. We just have to pay attention to them. The words he used, the phrases he used, the codes he sent, the movies, books, etc.., he referenced. I believe those were his biggest mistakes. I believe that is what the profile of this man should be built around. It is probably too late now, but 30 years ago if the police had just maybe just put a story in the paper or on the news asking the public if they knew a man who used odd words and phrases like mentioned in the letters, who was heavily into codes and puzzles, who was a possible Charlie Chan fan. That if they listed all the other tidbits of information that the Zodiac accidentally or maybe even purposely gave us that maybe ...just maybe ... someone might have recognized a neighbor, family member, or a friend who fits this profile. Someone who used certain phrases like fiddled and farted around, who was into all the movies, books, etc.., that Zodiac referenced.
I learn new things every day that I didn't know yesterday about this man just by studying the letters and listening to other people's thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I just don't see how anyone could investigate the Zodiac and completely dismiss the letters he sent. These letters are the only true insight he gave us to who he really was. I know lots of people would have had interests in the many different things the Zodiac referenced, but I believe if a profile were made on this man based on just the information he gave us in the letter that only a handful would remain. While Zodiac got lots of press back in the day I believe the biggest mistake the police made was not making all of the information contained letters available to the public. It could have been something as simple as just someone recognizing the writing style that got him caught.
I am not a profiler but I would like to see a professional profiler build a profile based on just what we know from the letters and codes this man sent. It is the small things in the letters we need to pay attention to. The things that most people would never notice. I can not build a profile, but I can do posts about all these little bits of information and overtimes compile a list. A list of all these things and put them all in one post. I have done a few posts already, and right now I am focusing on the forms of (for lack of a better word) entertainment that Zodiac either referenced or was obviously and probably influenced by. These are the books, movies, etc.. This post is the latest addition to that. I know sometimes my approach and style in my work can be sporadic and at times may cause a little confusion, but keep in mind this is a lot of information and work I have to research then list and I promise overtime you will see the method to my madness.
The problem with profiling is that it is basically stereotyping. I will admit there are a lot of things that everyone does naturally. but there are also a lot of ways that people are different. You can't just assume one killer is going to be like or have the same actions as another just because they appear to be a deranged psycho. There are certain things that are unique to each individual. The green river killer a good example here. The first profile the police had of the green river killer was completely off the mark. There are cases where the profiles are dead on, but Zodiac is one of those guys who is in a class all his own. So I believe traditional profiling tactics will not work on him. Instead of making a profile based on what guys like this are usually like through statistics, I think the profile should be based on what we know about him through things he has told us in the letters, his actions at the crimes, and the locations of the crimes themselves.
The problem with profiling is that it is basically stereotyping. I will admit there are a lot of things that everyone does naturally. but there are also a lot of ways that people are different. You can't just assume one killer is going to be like or have the same actions as another just because they appear to be a deranged psycho. There are certain things that are unique to each individual. The green river killer a good example here. The first profile the police had of the green river killer was completely off the mark. There are cases where the profiles are dead on, but Zodiac is one of those guys who is in a class all his own. So I believe traditional profiling tactics will not work on him. Instead of making a profile based on what guys like this are usually like through statistics, I think the profile should be based on what we know about him through things he has told us in the letters, his actions at the crimes, and the locations of the crimes themselves.
This post is about the obvious connection to a movie called Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, and its more than obvious connection to the Zodiac killer. In short, it is obvious he watched this movie and it is one of the things that influenced him in some way. Odds are that if he watched this movie I think it would be wise to watch other Charlie Chan movies to see if there are any small things in them that this man may have been influenced by in some way. Then it could have just been that a bad guy called Zodiac who lived in San Francisco that was what drew him to this movie. I don't know. That is why I research. To find out. In the process, I learn many new things I didn't know before and in this case I got turned onto a new series of movies. I like old black and white movies anyway and I had never seen a Charlie Chan movie before this I watched this. I think I am now a Charlie Chan fan.
This post is going to be pretty straight forward and simple. It is going to be a lot like the post I did about ""Batman and the Zodiac Killer". I am going to post shots of scenes from the movie and a little explanation of how they relate to the Zodiac Killer. It is important to keep in mind that this is a learning experience for me and hopefully you as well. I am going to watch the movie and pay close attention to the details. Then list anything interesting I think I see along with shots of scenes from the movie. It is up to you to decide if anything may have validity or be of any importance. I am just making notes. Just like all of the other work I have done it is important to keep in mind that I am just listing information. Some information may be useless and other information may be important. Who knows, but there is no such thing as too much information... at least in this sense. That is one of the reasons I do some of the things I do because I love lots of information. While short to the point articles are valuable as well I am one of those people who always want to know more. So I love things with lots of in-depth detailed information.
At the end of this article, I have posted the full-length movie of "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island" for you viewing pleasure. I would recommend that any serious Zodiac killer researcher watch it.
The movie Charlie Chan at Treasure Island was directed by Norman Foster and written by John Larkin. I would like to know more about these men. It is a 1939 American Film. It takes place on Treasure Island during San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition.
The first obvious parallel is that the movie is set in San Francisco on Treasure Island.
It lies in the bay in the middle of the bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland on Interstate 80.
To learn more about this here is a link to more info on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island,_San_Francisco
I would recommend skimming over that because it has a little history behind it including being a Naval base at one time. Here is another link with some wonderful and interesting information about the island. Later I may place more images here.
http://www.pageplane.com/illustration/golden-gate-expo-cartograph-1939.html
Here are some maps of the island from 1939. I love maps like this. , I love maps which is one of the things that drew me to the Zodiac codes.
This map is very large and you can open it in a new tab or download it to view all of the detail.
Here is a very interesting high-resolution map of San Francisco from 1927. I had to post this. You can open it in a new tab or just download it. It is very large.
The protagonist of the story is none other than the detective Charlie Chan who is played by Sidney Toler pictured below in the past a present image of the bridge.
The real Zodiac probably crossed this bridge and went by treasure many times. Possibly even every day. Who knows?
The antagonist or bad guy of the film...or so it would seem is a character who goes by the name Dr. Zodiac.
A man by the name of Gerald Mohr played the part as Zodiac though his name was uncredited.
The movie starts on a passenger plane and sets the tone of the film when one of the passengers mysteriously dies.
The dead passenger was a writer by the name of Paul Essex who had just finished typing his book called The secret of the Pigmy Arrow.
The man reading a page from the book Mr. Essex had just finished playing a peculiar role in the film which will be explained a little more later. they call him Mr. Gregory at this point in the film and is supposed to be an insurance actuary. He and Mr. Essex were acquainted while in Hawaii when Mr. Gregory occupied the bungalow next to Mr. Essex. Mr. Essex explains to Charlie Chan that Mr. Gregory was fond of shooting smalls birds with a 22. At this point, Mr. Chan Says something that I think is a good observation.
At this point, Mr. Essex receives a radiogram (telegram) from someone who is unnamed.
After reading the message Mr. Essex queries Mr. Chan at to what month Scorpio is.
Mr. Essex then proceeds to find a radio while the passengers look out the window to see the sights on Treasure Island and the 1939 World's Fair just below them. I posted a Map of this earlier in this post.
While looking out the window they see something interesting on the island. Mr. Chan's son Jimmy Chan explains that the small obelisk in this image is called the "Temple of the Sun."
I have to point out that I find this interesting because it reminds of something I found while doing some of my work on the Zodiac codes. I try to stay away from putting my code theories in my posts like this one, but sometimes I just have to. One of my theories is that the unsolved 340 code is an overlay grid for the Phillips 66 map to reveal marked locations. The main marker for the alignment of these two documents looks just like this when overlayed onto each other. I will have to study this further at another time. The construction of San Francisco has many hidden secrets like this. It has more Masonic secrets in its construction than most people realize. There are articles about it you can find online if one cares to look. It is just something I want to make note of for my self.
Just before landing, they find Mr. Essex has mysteriously died. On the floor beside him, they find the message he had received earlier.
You can read the eerie message for yourself. Mr. Gregory then states that he believes the sign of Scorpio is the Zodiac symbol for death. Charlie Chan replies by saying, "not correct, but thank you"
They then land at Treasure Island.
After landing we learn that Paul had sent a message the night before that reads, " Can't escape Zodiac. Goodbye, my love. Paul"
I just want to throw this shot in as an homage to Paul Stine. The Yellow Cab driver that was murdered by the Zodiac at the corner of Washington and Cherry. Mr. Han gets a cab which has two suspicious fellows waiting in it for him that turn out to be police officers. I may color this picture later just for historical purposes. Color brings everything to life. I notice the logo is the same as it was in 1969.
They take Charlie to the SFPD.
Now enters another parallel to the Zodiac. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle by the name of Pete Louis. This character features throughout the entire film ad is one of the main sub-characters. After this fellow enters the proceed to have a discussion in the office of the SFPD deputy chief Kilbane with a magician by the name of Rhadini. This discussion revolves around a magic contest and the great Dr. Zodiac who throughout the film is mainly referred to as "Zodiac". They refer to him as Zodiac zo much that at times it sounds like people who are talking about the real Zodiac.
During the conversation, when Mr. Chan hears the mention of the great Zodiac he replies with this suspicious look.
At this point, the reporter, the magician, and the detective go to have a visit with the Zodiac.
Now the three main players in the real Zodiac saga have been introduced in the film. The San Francisco Chronicle, the SFPD, and the infamous Zodiac. The audience does not know it yet and I don't mean this as a spoiler because you really should watch the film, but the man known as Zodiac is actually stranger in a mask. That is another parallel to the real Zodiac as he actually wore a mask and bragged about his disguises when he committed his crimes. There is a lot of disguising with many characters in this film. This also has a connection with the Tim Holt comic. This is kind of a little pattern.
Notice the design around on the bib of Dr. Zodiac. It would form a Zodiac cross if viewed in its entirety. Kind of like the Zodiac cross on the bib(for lack of a better word) of the mask the real Zodiac wore at lake Berryessa, but with more design and detail.
With the extra arms sticking out it reminds me of the overlay I did with the map and 340. Which it is possible that the overlay has something to do with the Calendar zodiac or a clock. I have not got it all figured out yet, but I think I am on the right path. You can find out more about that by going to the main page and looking at some of my other posts if anyone is curious.
After this meeting, Chan gives a piece of advice that I find interesting. He says, " Zodiac is a man of great ego and enjoys using power to dominate the lives of others.". At this time he also offers another piece of advice that I find interesting. "To destroy false profit you must first unmask him before the eyes of the believers". He meant this in the context that Zodiac is a psychic, but unmasking the Zodiac is something lots of people would love to do in reality.
Later Mr. Chan and his band of cohorts break into Zodiacs lair to do some illegal investigating. I only posted this because I thought it was interesting. Under the desk of Zodiac are some levers that control various mechanisms to fool people that come to him for psychic readings. On the levers are crosses that are very familiar to me. You can see more about them in some of my other posts. I think this is also one of the things that drew me to learn more about the Zodiac and his crimes after I got interested in the codes. In the beginning, I was just interested in the codes and only learned things about the man that might give me insights into the codes.
Later I decided to learn more about the crimes and other things he committed. So maybe I might gain more insight. I learn something new every day. One of the reasons I do posts about this is because you can read something or hear something and you might not remember it that well. If you write something odds are it will stick in your mind. When I started learning more about the Zodiac I saw a lot of things that were very familiar to me. Like the crosses on these levers in the image below. I am only mentioning this to explain some of the reasons for my interest in the case.
I have that exact same cross branded on the bottom of the back of my neck just below the shirt collar and outlined in black. It is small and I have it for reasons that are personal and that I will not get into. All I will say is that it is there to remind me of something so I never forget it. I also have a tattoo of that inside of a sun that I may post a picture of later, but it surprised me when I started learning about the codes and started seeing things that were familiar to me like this connected to the Zodiac killer. I just point this out because of the character's name, what he does. and the kind of things they felt a man like this would have decorated his things with.
It is around this time that they discover that Dr. Zodiac is really someone in a face mask and a bib with a wired frame under it to make him look bigger than he really is. It is funny he mentions that the disguise indicates that Zodiac is two other people in the film, just like something about the real Zodiac. Anything is possible I suppose. (which is also what Charlie Chan says in this scene)
In reality, the real Zodiac also bragged about disguising himself just as the character would seem to disguise himself in the film. That is another parallel.
This next image I only include because some think the name Kane has something to with the case. Either directly or indirectly through name or comic books. There are others out there who have done work on both. I think you can find more about that on zodiacciphers.com. It is not for me to say whether the name Kane does or doesn't have something to do with the case as may well have some implications on parts of it. Though I think it would be indirectly, that is only an opinion and it could very well be a direct link. I know the name in this image probably isn't pronounced as Kane, but I am including it anyway.
I this scene Mr. Chan also reads some passages from this book that I think hit the Zodiac killer dead on the head. He states. " Zodiac is not an ordinary criminal. He is a man of ego. With a disease known to science as pseudo lochia fantastic. (that is a lot of big words and I am not sure if I spelled lochia right and I have no idea if that is a real disease, but I think I will find out later and add it in here) Pathological liars and swindlers suffer from exaggerated fantasy, unleashed vanity, and great ambition which robs them of caution known to saner men." He goes on to state, "Sometimes a swelled head gives police more cooperation than criminal mistakes." That is funny to me because at the beginning of this post I was saying the same thing about the Zodiac letters and I had no idea this scene was in this movie at the time
The San Francisco Chronicle journalist Mr. Louis goes on to suggest they might trick Zodiac through his vanity. A trick I actually think the police should have tried back in the day. I guess in a way Paul Avery tried but not through vanity. He still got a response. IT is just my opinion that the more correspondence they had with the Zodiac killer the more likely they were to catch him. Build a kind of rapport. Have you ever heard of the BTK serial killer? That is one of the tricks the police used to catch him. They built a kind of rapport and used his ego and vanity against him and he slipped up then got himself got with a computer disk that he sent a message on to the police.
Mr. Chan replies to this suggestion by saying, " Criminal egotist sometimes find pleasure in laughing at police". They then go on to cook up a plan of tricking Zodiac through his vanity. Wouldn't have been something if back in 1969 the police watched this movie and tried the method being used here and actually caught the guy....by watching a movie he probably watched and was influenced by?
The plan they cook up is another real-life parallel to the real Zodiac. They use the San Francisco Chronicle to communicate with him and the Zodiac answers in a letter. Some have suggested that Zodiac was living out fantasies in his crimes. Kind of acting out a make-believe world. I think that is entirely plausible. I had a conversation with a man named Prescott Auburn once about that very thing. I will have to ask him if he minds me mentioning his name. If not I will take it out.
There is one thing I want to add in here a little later that has something to do with the movie and another real-life parallel. It is something about native tribes of other countries, but for now, I am just going to add this picture and skip it until I refresh myself on what I want to say.
At this point, there are about 30 minutes left in the movie. There may or may not be more things related to the Zodiac killer, but this is all I am going to post. I just wanted to point out that at some point in his life the Zodiac killer probably watched and was influenced in some way by this movie. Also, I just wanted to point out some possible parallels between the movie and the real Zodiac. I have hit all the main points
I wanted to make note of. For anyone reading this I would recommend watching the whole film. The entire film is posted just below. If you think I gave out too many spoilers and you know how the film ends I can promise you that you are wrong. I would like to know more about the man who originally wrote the story and what inspired him. I think from time to time I will do some research on that.
I will add one more piece of advice that Charlie Chan offered as the last line of the film. It is something I have often said in my work. He stated, " Please remember, obvious clues are like tricks in magic(or magic tricks). They usually prove deceptive." I often talk about misdirection with the Zodiac codes.
Something I want to mention here before it slips my mind. The Zodiac killed a group of what would seem to be random people. I just watched a movie and the plot revolved around a conspiracy to kill four random people to hide one specific target. It has nothing to do with Charlie Chan, but it is just one of many possibilities to keep in mind. Some think he may have known at least one of his victims and I believe he was heavy into misdirection.
For those of you who haven't seen it, I would recommend watching it and making your own connections, but it is obvious he watched this film. I would think he was probably into everything Zodiac.
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
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