Unidentified serial killers

By Imacolata

Axeman of New Orleans

The Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer active in New Orleans, Louisiana (and surrounding communities, including retna, Louisiana!, from "ay 1#1$ to Octo%er 1#1#& 'ress re(orts during the height of (u%lic (anic a%out the killings mentioned similar murders as early as 1#11, %ut recent researchers have called these re(orts into )uestion& As the killer*s (seudonym im(lies, the victims were attacked with an axe& +n some of the crimes, the doors to the victim*s homes were first %ashed o(en with the same tool& ,The Axeman, was not caught or identified at the time, although his crime s(ree sto((ed as mysteriously as it started& The murderer*s identity remains unknown to this day, although various (ossi%le identifications of varying (lausi%ility have %een (ro(osed& Not all of the Axeman*s victims died, %ut the savagery and utter randomness of his attacks terrori-ed much of the (o(ulace& .ome early victims were +talian American, in (articular the son of 'ietro 'e(itone who had killed Black /and extortionist 'aul 0i 1ristina ('aolo "archese! several years %efore, leading the news(a(ers to assume the killings were somehow "afia related (similar to 1hicago*s Black /and assassin ,.hotgun "an,!& /owever, later crimes clearly did not fit this (rofile, and the a((rehension of the general (u%lic grew& /is victims included a (regnant woman and even a %a%y
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killed in the arms of its mother& The Axeman also seemed to draw direct ins(iration from 3ack the 4i((er5 he (or someone claiming to %e the Axeman! wrote taunting letters to city news(a(ers hinting at his future crimes and claiming to %e a su(ernatural demon ,from /ell&, "ost notoriously, on "arch 16, 1#1#, a letter (ur(orting to %e from the Axeman was (u%lished in the news(a(ers saying that he would kill again at 17 minutes (ast midnight on the night of "arch 1#, %ut would s(are the occu(ants of any (lace where a 8a-- %and was (laying& That night all of New Orleans*s dance halls were filled to ca(acity, and (rofessional and amateur %ands (layed 8a-- at (arties at hundreds of houses around town& There were no murders that night& Not everyone was intimidated %y the Axeman& .ome well armed citi-ens sent the news(a(er invitations for the Axeman to visit their houses that night and see who got killed first& One invitation (romised to leave a window o(en for the Axeman, (olitely asking that he not damage the front door& 1rime writer 1olin 9ilson s(eculates the Axeman could have %een ,3ose(h "omfre, a man shot to death in Los Angeles in 0ecem%er,1#2: %y the widow of "ike 'e(itone, the Axeman*s last known victim&, 9ilson*s theory has %een widely re(eated in other true crime %ooks and we% sites& /owever, true crime writer "ichael Newton searched New Orleans and Los Angeles (u%lic, (olice and court records as well as news(a(er archives, and failed to find any evidence of a man with the name ,3ose(h "omfre, (or any reasona%le facsimile! having %een assaulted or killed in Los Angeles& Newman also was not a%le to find any information that "rs 'e(itone (identified in some sources as ;sther Al%ano, and in others sim(ly as a ,woman who claimed to %e 'e(itone*s widow,! was arrested,
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tried or convicted for such a crime, or indeed had %een in 1alifornia& Newman notes that ,"omfre, and variants was not an unusual surname in New Orleans at the time of the crimes& +t a((ears that there actually may have %een an individual named 3ose(h "omfre or "umfre in New Orleans who had a criminal history and may have %een connected with organi-ed crime< however, local records for the (eriod are not extensive enough to allow confirmation of this, or to (ositively identify the individual& 9ilson*s ex(lanation is an ur%an legend, and there is no more evidence now on the identity of the killer than there was at the time of the crimes& One of the alleged ,early, victims of the Axeman, an +talian cou(le named .chiam%ra, were shot %y an intruder in their Lower Ninth 9ard home in the early morning hours of "ay 1=, 1#12& The male .chiam%ra survived while his wife died& +n news(a(er accounts, the (rime sus(ect is referred to %y the name of ,"omfre, more than once& 9hile radically different than the Axeman*s usual "O, if 3ose(h "omfre was indeed the Axeman, the .chiam%ras may well have %een an early victim of the future serial killer&

Victims
> Joseph Maggio was an +talian grocer who was attacked while slee(ing alongside his wife, 1atherine, at their home on the corner of ?((erline and "agnolia .treets on the night of "ay 22, 1#1$& /e survived the initial attack, %ut died minutes after %eing discovered %y his %rothers 3ake and Andrew, who lived next door and had come to investigate after hearing his groans&

> Catherine Maggio was the wife of 3ose(h "aggio& .he was attacked during the night along with her hus%and on the night of "ay 22, 1#1$& .he suffered numerous %lows to the head via an axe and her throat had %een cut so dee( that her neck was nearly com(letely severed& > Louis Besumer, also a grocer, was attacked in the early morning hours of 3une =, 1#1$, alongside his mistress Anna Lowe& /e was critically wounded in the attack %ut managed to survive& > Anna Lowe was killed while in %ed with Louis Besumer& .he had %een %adly wounded and died a few hours later at 1harity /os(ital& > Mrs. Schneider was attacked in the early evening hours of August 7, 1#1$& The $ months (regnant .chneider awoke to find a dark figure standing over her and she was %ashed in the face re(eatedly with an axe& .he was discovered later when her hus%and returned from work& .he was treated for her wounds at 1harity /os(ital and delivered a healthy %a%y girl 6 weeks after the attack& > Joseph Romano was an elderly man living with his two nieces, 'auline and "ary Bruno& On August 1:, 1#1$, 'auline awoke to find a man standing over her& .he screamed and the man lea(ed off into the night& .he entered her uncle*s room to find him critically in8ured& 9ith 4omano*s dying %reath, he instructed his niece to call the hos(ital& > Charles Cortimiglia was an immigrant who lived with his wife and %a%y on the corner of 3efferson Avenue and .econd .treet in retna, Louisiana, a New Orleans su%ur%& On the night of "arch 1:, 1#1#, screams were heard coming from the 1ortimiglia 4esidence& Neigh%ors rushed in to find 4osie
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1ortimiglia kneeling on the floor in a (ool of %lood next to her hus%and, who had a ga(ing hole in his torso& > Rosie Cortimiglia was the wife of immigrant la%orer 1harles 1ortimiglia& .he was attacked alongside her hus%and on "arch 1:, 1#1# while slee(ing with her %a%y in her arms& .he was %adly wounded %y the axeman, %ut survived the incident& > Mary Cortimiglia was the two>year>old daughter of 1harles and 4osie 1ortimiglia& .he was killed while slee(ing in her mothers arms with a single %low to the %ack of the neck when she and her (arents were attacked on "arch 1:, 1#1#& > Steve Boca was a grocer who was attacked in his %edroom as he sle(t %y an axe>wielding intruder on August 1:, 1#1#& Boca survived his wounds& +t was duly noted that the assailant chisled his way through the %ack door, similar to other Axeman attacks& > Sarah Laumann was attacked on the night of .e(tem%er 6, 1#1#& The 1#>year>old suffered numerous head wounds and died at the hos(ital& This is the most mysterious of all of the crimes %ecause Laumann was the only one in the house at the time and there were no witnesses& > Mike epitone was killed on the night of Octo%er 2A, 1#1#& /is wife was awakened %y a noise and arrived at the door of his %edroom 8ust as a large axe>wielding man was rushing out of it (some accounts say she saw two men fleeing her hus%and*s room&! 'e(itone was trans(orted to 1harity /os(ital where he died early the next morning&

Bible John
Bi!le John is the nickname of an unidentified serial killer who is thought to have o(erated in lasgow, .cotland, in the late 1#=:s& Three murders were attri%uted to him, %ut it is not clear that they were the work of the same (erson and officially the (olice still have an o(en mind on this& Murders On Be%ruary 26, 1#=$, the %ody of 27>year>old 'atricia 0ocker was found in a lasgow doorway& .he had %een strangled& The (revious night she had %een out dancing at a near%y clu%, the Barrowland Ballroom& On August 17, 1#=#, 3emima "c0onald, 62, went for a night out at the Barrowland Ballroom& The next day she was found in an old %uilding, strangled with her own stockings& 9itnesses said they had seen her leaving the clu% at midnight with a tall, slim young man with red hair& A cou(le of months later, on Octo%er 6:, 2#>year>old /elen 'uttock was found murdered& .he had %een to the Barrowland Ballroom the night %efore with a friend who recalled /elen having %een last seen with a well>dressed young man C tall, slim and with red hair C whom she descri%ed as %eing (olite and well>s(oken& .he also said the stranger had given his name as ,3ohn, and that he had fre)uently )uoted from the Bi%le& The (olice made a determined effort to hunt for the killer, now nicknamed ,Bi%le 3ohn,, %ut although a num%er of sus(ects
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were )uestioned, no arrests were ever made, and no further victims have %een attri%uted to him& +n 1##=, (olice exhumed the %ody of 3ohn +rvine "c+nnes, the cousin of one of the original sus(ects, from a Lanarkshire graveyard& "c+nnes, who had served in the .cots uards, had committed suicide aged @1 in 1#$1& 'olice ran a 0NA test and com(ared it with semen found on /elen 'uttock*s tights and announced a (ossi%le match, %ut were later forced to retract the claim& Lord "ackay, then the Lord Advocate, said there was not enough evidence to link the murders with "c+nnes& On 0ecem%er 12, 2::@, (olice announced they were to 0NA test a num%er of men in a further attem(t to solve the case& This followed the discovery of an $:D match to a 0NA sam(le taken at the site of a minor crime two years earlier&

"ew developments The recent arrest and conviction of 'eter To%in for the similar murder of student Angelika Eluk has led to (u%lic s(eculation that To%in is Bi%le 3ohn& .imilarities %etween To%in*s (olice mugshot from that era and the (hotofit artist*s im(ression of Bi%le 3ohn strengthen the argument& Also com(elling is that To%in moved away from lasgow in 1#=# which might account for the cessation of the killings& 'olice are not commenting u(on any similarities %ut say that any surviving forensic evidence will %e rechecked& 'resuming the (hotofit came from the re(orted sighting of Bi%le 3ohn, the semen may well %elong to 'eter To%in %ut the (hotfit of Bi%le 3ohn > that is the tall redhaired gentleman
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fre)uently )uoting the %i%le is unlikely to %e that of To%in > who is (etite and %rown haired > so small in fact that some have wondered how he was a%le to over(ower two fourteen year old girls and one sixteen year old& Bi!le John in popular culture The actions of Bi%le 3ohn ins(ired a novel %y +an 4ankin, Black and Blue of the +ns(ector 4e%us series (u%lished in 1##A, as well as a comic %ook (Bible John-A Forensic Meditation! written %y rant "orrison in 1##1&

Claremont serial murders

The Claremont serial murders is the case of the unsolved murders of two young Australian women and the disa((earance of a third in 1##= and 1##A in 1laremont, 9estern Australia& All three women disa((eared from night s(ots in 1laremont, a wealthy western su%ur% of 'erth, a((roximately #km from the 1B0& They disa((eared in similar circumstances, leading (olice to %elieve that an unidentified serial killer may %e %ehind the crimes& A fourth woman who disa((eared in 1#$$ has also %een linked as another (ossi%le victim& The case %egan with the disa((earance of .arah .(iers, 1$, in 3anuary 1##= from a nightclu% in the centre of 1laremont& /er disa((earance was com(letely out of character and attracted massive (u%licity in 'erth& .ome months later, 3ane 4immer, 26, disa((eared from the same (art of 1laremont& The similarity in the circumstances of her disa((earance led many to s(eculate that a serial killer was at large& /er %ody was found in %ushland in the far southern su%ur%s of 'erth in August 1##=& On "arch 1@, 1##A, 1iara lennon, a 2A>year>old lawyer, also disa((eared from the 1laremont area& /er %ody was found on A(ril 6, off a track in scru% in the far northern su%ur%s of 'erth&9ith this murder (olice admitted that they were searching for a serial killer&
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All three women had either gone to a (u% called The 1ontinental (since renamed The 4ed 4ock and now known as The 1laremont /otel! andFor a nightclu% called 1lu% Bayview& ossi!le related case +t has also %een suggested %y a 'erth radioFTG 8ournalist that .arah .(iers was not the first victim& /e wrote that (olice have told the father of a fourth missing woman, 22>year>old 3ulie 1utler, that his daughter was (ro%a%ly the first victim of the 1laremont killer& "s 1utler, a university student from Bremantle, vanished after leaving a staff function at the .heraton /otel in 'erth at #(m one night in 1#$$& /er car was found in the surf near the groyne at 1ottesloe Beach two days later& /er %ody has never %een found& #nvestigation A (u%lic servant from 1ottesloe, 9estern Australia is the (rime sus(ect, though to date no charges have %een laid&+t has %een re(orted in the news, via (rint, radio, television, and online, that (olice are also investigating the (ossi%ility Bradley 3ohn "urdoch, the convicted killer of 'eter Balconio may have %een involved, although "urdoch was serving a custodial sentence from Novem%er 1##7 until Be%ruary 1##A& There has also %een some scrutiny on former Town of 1laremont "ayor 'eter 9eygers& 9eygers was the mayor during the time of the disa((earances& The ina%ility to a((rehend the cul(rit is seen as a ma8or em%arrassment to the 9estern Australia 'olice& The ,"acro Task Borce, set u( to investigate the murders has %een
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dis%anded and reformed several times& 'u%lic confidence has not %een hel(ed with several senior officers %eing im(licated in corru(tion allegations in the 9A 'olice 4oyal 1ommission& +n Octo%er 2::=, it was announced that "ark 0ixie, a man on trial in the ?nited Eingdom over the murder in 2::7 of the 1$> year>old model .ally Anne Bowman, is a (rime sus(ect in the killings, and the 9A 'olice*s "acro Taskforce has re)uested 0NA sam(les from 0ixie to test against evidence taken during the en)uiry&

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Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified serial killer (or killers! active in the largely im(overished 9hitecha(el area and ad8acent districts of London, ;ngland in the latter half of 1$$$& The name is taken from a letter to the 1entral News Agency %y someone claiming to %e the murderer, (u%lished at the time of the killings& The legends surrounding the 4i((er murders have %ecome a com%ination of genuine historical research, cons(iracy theory and folklore& The lack of a confirmed identity for the killer has allowed Ripperologists C the term used within the field for the authors, historians and amateur detectives who study the case C to accuse a wide variety of individuals of %eing the 4i((er& News(a(ers, whose circulation had %een growing during this era, %estowed wides(read and enduring notoriety on the killer owing to the savagery of the attacks and the failure of the (olice in their attem(ts to ca(ture the 4i((er, sometimes missing the murderer at his crime scenes %y mere minutes& Gictims were women earning income as casual (rostitutes& Ty(ical 4i((er murders were (er(etrated in a (u%lic or semi> (u%lic (lace< the victim*s throat was cut, after which the %ody was mutilated& .ome %elieve that the victims were first strangled in order to silence them and to ex(lain the lack of re(orted %lood at the crime scenes& The removal of internal organs from some victims has led to the (ro(osal that the killer (ossessed anatomical or surgical knowledge or skill&

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Victims The num%er and names of the 4i((er*s victims are the su%8ect of much de%ate& The canonical five are a su%set of the eleven victims listed in the (olice file documenting what were called ,the 9hitecha(el murders,& The canonical five victims The most widely acce(ted list, referred to as the canonical five, includes the following five (rostitutes (or (resumed (rostitute in ;ddowes* case! in the ;ast ;nd of London5

Mary Ann "ichols (maiden name "ary Ann 9alker, nicknamed ,'olly,!, %orn on August 2=, 1$@7, and killed on Briday, August 61, 1$$$& Nichols* %ody was discovered at a%out 65@: in the early morning on the ground in front of a gated sta%le entrance in Buck*s 4ow (since renamed 0urward .treet!, a %ack street in 9hitecha(el two hundred yards from the London /os(ital& Annie Chapman (maiden name ;li-a Ann .mith, nicknamed ,0ark Annie,!, %orn in .e(tem%er 1$@1 and killed on .aturday, .e(tem%er $, 1$$$& 1ha(man*s %ody was discovered a%out =5:: in the morning lying on the ground near a doorway in the %ack yard of 2# /an%ury .treet, .(italfields& $li%a!eth Stride (maiden name ;lisa%eth ustafsdotter, nicknamed ,Long Li-,!, %orn in .weden on Novem%er 2A, 1$@6, and killed on .unday, .e(tem%er 6:, 1$$$& .tride*s %ody was discovered close to :15:: in the early morning, lying on the ground in 0utfield*s Hard, off

1@

Berner .treet (since renamed /enri)ues .treet! in 9hitecha(el& Catherine $ddowes (used the aliases ,Eate 1onway, and ,"ary Ann Eelly,, from the surnames of her two common>law hus%ands Thomas 1onway and 3ohn Eelly!, %orn on A(ril 1@, 1$@2, and killed on .unday, .e(tem%er 6:, 1$$$, on the same day as the (revious victim, ;li-a%eth .tride& 4i((erologists refer to this circumstance as the ,dou%le event,& /er %ody was found in "itre .)uare, in the 1ity of London& Mary Jane &elly (called herself ,"arie 3eanette Eelly, after a tri( to 'aris, nicknamed , inger,!, re(ortedly %orn in either the city of Limerick or 1ounty Limerick, "unster, +reland ca& 1$=6 and killed on Briday, Novem%er #, 1$$$& Eelly*s gruesomely mutilated %ody was discovered shortly after 1:5@7 am lying on the %ed in the single room where she lived at 16 "iller*s 1ourt, off 0orset .treet, .(italfields&

The authority of this list rests on a num%er of authors* o(inions, %ut the %asis for these o(inions mainly came from notes made (rivately in 1$#@ %y .ir "elville "acnaghten as 1hief 1onsta%le of the "etro(olitan 'olice .ervice 1riminal +nvestigation 0e(artment, (a(ers which came to light in 1#7#& "acnaghten*s (a(ers reflected his own o(inion and were not necessarily shared %y the investigating officers (such as +ns(ector Brederick A%%erline!& "acnaghten did not 8oin the force until the year after the murders, and his memorandum contained serious errors of fact a%out (ossi%le sus(ects& Bor this and other reasons, some 4i((erologists (refer to remove one or more names from this list of canonical victims5 ty(ically .tride (who had no mutilations %eyond a cut throat and, if one witness can %e %elieved, was attacked in (u%lic!, andFor Eelly (who was younger than other victims, murdered
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indoors, and whose mutilations were far more extensive than the others!& Others (refer to ex(and the list %y citing "artha Ta%ram and others as (ro%a%le 4i((er victims& .ome researchers have even (osited that the series may not have %een the work of a single murderer, %ut of an unknown num%er of killers acting inde(endently& ;xce(t for .tride (whose attack may have %een interru(ted!, mutilations of the canonical five victims %ecame continuously more severe as the series of murders (roceeded& Nichols and .tride were not missing any organs, %ut 1ha(man*s uterus was taken, and ;ddowes had her uterus and a kidney carried away and her face mutilated& 9hile only Eelly*s heart was missing from her crime scene, many of her internal organs were removed and left in her room& The five canonical murders were generally (er(etrated in the dark of night, on or close to a weekend, in a secluded site to which the (u%lic could gain access, and on a (attern of dates either at the end of a month or a week or so after& Het every case differed from this (attern in some manner& Besides the differences already mentioned, ;ddowes was the only victim killed within the 1ity of London, though close to the %oundary %etween the 1ity and the metro(olis& Nichols was the only victim to %e found on an o(en street, al%eit a dark and deserted one& "any sources state that 1ha(man was killed after the sun had started to rise, though that was not the o(inion of the (olice or the doctors who examined the %ody& Eelly*s murder ended a six>week (eriod of inactivity for the murderer& (A week ela(sed %etween the Nichols and 1ha(man murders, and three %etween 1ha(man and the ,dou%le event&,! A ma8or difficulty in identifying who was and was not a 4i((er victim is the large num%er of horrific attacks against
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women during this era& "ost ex(erts (oint to dee( throat slashes, mutilations to the victim*s a%domen and genital area, removal of internal organs and (rogressive facial mutilations as the distinctive features of 3ack the 4i((er& Other possible victims Gictims of other contem(orary and somewhat similar attacks andFor murders have also %een suggested as additions to the list& Those victims are generally (oorly documented& They include5

'(airy (ay') a nickname for an unknown murder victim re(ortedly found on 0ecem%er 2=, 1$$A with ,a stake thrust through her a%domen&, +t has %een suggested that ,Bairy Bay, was a creation of the (ress %ased u(on confusion of the details of the murder of ;mma ;li-a%eth .mith with a se(arate non>fatal attack the (revious 1hristmas& The name of ,Bairy Bay, does not a((ear for this alleged victim until many years after the murders, and it seems to have %een taken from a verse of a (o(ular song called ,'olly 9olly 0oodle, that starts ,Bare thee well my fairy fay,& There were no recorded murders in 9hitecha(el at or around 1hristmas 1$$= or 1$$A, and later news(a(er re(orts that included a 1hristmas 1$$A killing cons(icuously did not list the .mith murder& "ost authors agree that ,Bairy Bay, never existed& Annie Millwood, %orn c 1$7:, re(ortedly the victim of an attack on Be%ruary 27, 1$$$& .he was admitted to hos(ital with ,numerous sta%s in the legs and lower (art of the %ody,& .he was discharged from hos(ital %ut died from a((arently natural causes on "arch 61, 1$$$&

1A

Ada *ilson, re(ortedly the victim of an attack on "arch 2$, 1$$$, resulting in two sta%s in the neck& .he survived the attack& $mma $li%a!eth Smith, %orn c 1$@6, was attacked in Os%orn .treet, 9hitecha(el A(ril 6, 1$$$, and a %lunt o%8ect was inserted into her vagina, ru(turing her (erineum& .he survived the attack and managed to walk %ack to her lodging house with the in8uries& Briends %rought her to a hos(ital where she told (olice that she was attacked %y two or three men, one of whom was a teenager& .he fell into a coma and died on A(ril 7, 1$$$& This was the first killing in the ,9hitecha(el murders, file in contem(orary (olice files& Martha +a!ram (name sometimes miss(elled as Ta%ran< used the alias ;mma Turner< maiden name "artha 9hite!, %orn on "ay 1:, 1$@#, and killed on August A, 1$$$& .he had a total of 6# sta% wounds& Of the non>canonical 9hitecha(el murders, Ta%ram is named most often as another (ossi%le 4i((er victim, owing to the evident lack of o%vious motive, the geogra(hical and (eriodic (roximity to the canonical attacks, and the remarka%le savagery of the attack& The main difficulty with including Ta%ram is that the killer used a somewhat different modus o(erandi (sta%%ing, rather than slashing the throat and then cutting!, %ut it is now acce(ted that a killer*s modus o(erandi often changes, sometimes )uite dramatically& /er %ody was found at eorge Hard Buildings, eorge Hard, 9hitecha(el& This was the second victim listed in the 9hitecha(el murders (olice file& (The third through seventh %eing the canonical five listed a%ove&!

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,+he *hitehall Mystery,, term coined for the headless torso of a woman found in the %asement of the new "etro(olitan 'olice head)uarters %eing %uilt in 9hitehall on Octo%er 2, 1$$$& An arm %elonging to the %ody had (reviously %een discovered floating in the Thames near 'imlico, and one of the legs was su%se)uently discovered %uried near where the torso was found& The other lim%s and head were never recovered and the %ody never identified& Annie (armer, %orn in 1$@$, re(ortedly was the victim of an attack on Novem%er 21, 1$$$& .he survived with only a light, though %leeding, cut on her throat& The wound was su(erficial and a((arently caused %y a %lunt knife& 'olice sus(ected that the wound was self>inflicted and ceased to investigate her case& Rose Mylett (true name (ro%a%ly 1atherine "ylett, %ut was also known as 1atherine "illett, ;li-a%eth ,0runken Li--ie, 0avis, ,Bair, Alice 0owney or sim(ly ,Bair 1lara,!, %orn in 1$=2 and died on 0ecem%er 2:, 1$$$& .he was re(ortedly strangled ,%y a cord drawn tightly round the neck,, though some investigators %elieved that she had accidentally suffocated herself on the collar of her dress while in a drunken stu(or& /er %ody was found in 1larke*s Hard, /igh .treet, 'o(lar& This was the eighth case listed in the 9hitecha(el murders file& $li%a!eth Jackson, a (rostitute whose various %ody (arts were collected from the 4iver Thames %etween "ay 61 and 3une 27 1$$#& .he was re(ortedly identified %y scars she had had (rior to her disa((earance and a((arent murder&

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Alice Mc&en%ie (nicknamed ,1lay 'i(e, Alice and used the alias Alice Bryant!, %orn circa 1$@# and killed on 3uly 1A, 1$$#& .he died re(ortedly from the ,severance of the left carotid artery, %ut several minor %ruises and cuts were found on the %ody& /er %ody was found in 1astle Alley, 9hitecha(el& This was the ninth crime listed in 9hitecha(el murders file& ,+he inchin Street Murder,, a term coined after a torso was found in similar condition to ,The 9hitehall "ystery,, though the hands were not severed, on .e(tem%er 1:, 1$$#& The %ody was found under a railway arch in 'inchin .treet, 9hitecha(el& An unconfirmed s(eculation of the time was that the %ody %elonged to Lydia /art, a (rostitute who had disa((eared& ,The 9hitehall "ystery, and ,The 'inchin .treet "urder, have often %een suggested to %e the works of a serial killer, for which the nicknames ,Torso Eiller, or ,Torso "urderer, have %een suggested& 9hether 3ack the 4i((er and the ,Torso Eiller, were the same (erson or se(arate serial killers of uncertain connection to each other (%ut active in the same area! has long %een de%ated %y 4i((erologists& This was the tenth of the 9hitecha(el murders& (rances Coles (also known as Brances 1oleman, Brances /awkins and nicknamed ,1arrotty Nell,!, %orn in 1$=7 and killed on Be%ruary 16, 1$#1& "inor wounds on the %ack of the head suggest that she was thrown violently to the ground %efore her throat was cut& Otherwise there were no mutilations to the %ody& /er %ody was found under a railway arch, .wallow ardens, 9hitecha(el& This was the eleventh and last of the victims included in

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the 9hitecha(el murders (olice file, which was closed as unsolved&

Carrie Brown (nicknamed ,.hakes(eare,, re(ortedly for )uoting sonnets %y 9illiam .hakes(eare!, %orn circa 1$67 and killed A(ril 2@, 1$#1, in "anhattan, New Hork 1ity, New Hork, ?.A& .he was strangled with clothing and then mutilated with a knife& /er %ody was found with a large tear through her groin area and su(erficial cuts on her legs and %ack& No organs were removed from the scene, though an ovary was found u(on the %ed& 9hether it was (ur(osely removed or unintentionally dislodged during the mutilation is unknown& At the time, the murder was com(ared to those in 9hitecha(el though London (olice eventually ruled out any connection&

,oulston Street gra--iti After the ,dou%le event, of the early morning of .e(tem%er 6:, (olice searched the area near the crime scenes in an effort to locate a sus(ect, witnesses or evidence& At a%out 65:: a&m&, 1onsta%le Alfred Long discovered a %loodstained scra( of cloth in the stairwell of a tenement on oulston .treet& The cloth was later confirmed as (art of ;ddowes* a(ron& There was writing in white chalk on the wall a%ove where the a(ron was found& Long re(orted that the graffiti read5 ,The 3uwes are the men That 9ill not %e Blamed for nothing,& Other (olice officers recalled a slightly different message5 ,The 3uwes are not The men That 9ill %e Blamed for nothing,& 'olice .u(erintendent Thomas Arnold visited the scene and saw the graffiti& /e feared that with day%reak and the %eginning of the day*s %usiness, the message would %e widely
21

seen and might exacer%ate the general Anti>.emitic sentiments of the (o(ulace& .ince the Nichols murder, rumours had %een circulating in the ;ast ;nd that the killings were the work of a 3ew du%%ed ,Leather A(ron,& 4eligious tensions were already high, and there had already %een many near>riots& Arnold ordered a man to %e standing %y with a s(onge to erase the graffiti, while he consulted "etro(olitan 'olice 1ommissioner .ir 1harles 9arren& 1overing the graffiti in order to allow time for a (hotogra(her to arrive was considered, %ut Arnold and 9arren (who (ersonally attended the scene! considered this to %e too dangerous, and 9arren later stated he ,considered it desira%le to o%literate the writing at once,& 9hile the writing was found in "etro(olitan 'olice territory, the a(ron was from a victim killed in the 1ity of London, which has a se(arate (olice service& .ome officers disagreed with Arnold and 9arren*s decision, es(ecially those re(resenting the 1ity of London 'olice, who thought the graffiti constituted (art of a crime scene and should at least %e (hotogra(hed %efore %eing erased, %ut the message was wi(ed from the wall at a((roximately 756: a&m& "ost contem(orary (olice concluded that the writing of the graffiti was a semi>literate attack on the area*s 3ewish (o(ulation& Author "artin Bido notes that the graffiti included dou%le negatives, a common feature of 1ockney s(eech& /e suggests that the graffiti might %e translated into standard ;nglish as ,The 3ews are men who will not take res(onsi%ility for anything, and that the message was written %y someone who %elieved he or she had %een wronged %y one of the many 3ewish merchants or tradesmen in the area&

22

There is disagreement as to the im(ortance of the graffiti in the 4i((er case& .everal (ossi%le ex(lanations have %een suggested %y various authors5

Author and cons(iracy theorist .te(hen Enight suggested that ,3uwes, referred not to ,3ews,, %ut to 3u%ela, 3u%elo and 3u%elum, the three killers of /iram A%iff, a semi> legendary figure in Breemasonry, and furthermore, that the message was written %y the killer (or killers! as (art of a "asonic (lot (however, there is no evidence that anyone (rior to Enight had ever referred to those three figures %y the term ,3uwes,! The murderer wrote the graffiti and then dro((ed the (iece of a(ron to indicate a link The writing on the wall was already there and the murderer wanted to indicate a link in su((ort of the message The message was already there and the murderer dro((ed the scra( coincidentally, without interest in making a link ((erha(s failing to notice the graffiti! The writing was added sometime after the a(ron (iece was dro((ed C (resuma%ly shortly after the murder (thought to have ha((ened 8ust %efore 15@7am! C %ut %efore the discovery of the scra( at 6am

Ripper letters Over the course of the 4i((er murders, the (olice and news(a(ers received many thousands of letters regarding the case& .ome were from well>intentioned (ersons offering advice for catching the killer& The vast ma8ority of these were deemed useless and su%se)uently ignored& 'erha(s more interesting were hundreds of letters which claimed to have %een written %y the killer himself& The vast
26

ma8ority of such letters are considered hoaxes& "any ex(erts contend that none of them are genuine, %ut of the ones cited as (erha(s genuine, either %y contem(orary or modern authorities, three in (articular are (rominent5

The ,0ear Boss, letter, dated .e(tem%er 27, (ostmarked and received .e(tem%er 2A, 1$$$, %y the 1entral News Agency, was forwarded to .cotland Hard on .e(tem%er 2#& +nitially it was considered a hoax, %ut when ;ddowes was found three days after the letter*s (ostmark with one ear (artially cut off, the letter*s (romise to ,cli( the ladys ears off, gained attention& 'olice (u%lished the letter on Octo%er 1, ho(ing someone would recognise the handwriting, %ut nothing came of this effort& The name ,3ack the 4i((er, was first used in this letter and gained worldwide notoriety after its (u%lication& "ost of the letters that followed co(ied the tone of this one& After the murders, (olice officials contended the letter had %een a hoax %y a local 8ournalist& The ,.aucy 3ack, (ostcard (ostmarked and received Octo%er 1, 1$$$, %y the 1entral News Agency, had handwriting similar to the ,0ear Boss, letter& +t mentions that two victims C .tride and ;ddowes C were killed very close to one another5 ,dou%le event this time&, +t has %een argued that the letter was mailed %efore the murders were (u%licised, making it unlikely that a crank would have such knowledge of the crime, though it was (ostmarked more than 2@ hours after the killings took (lace, long after details were known %y 8ournalists and residents of the area& 'olice officials later claimed to have identified a s(ecific 8ournalist as the author of %oth this message and the earlier ,0ear Boss, letter&

2@

The ,Brom /ell, letter, also known as the ,Lusk letter,, (ostmarked Octo%er 17 and received %y eorge Lusk of the 9hitecha(el Gigilance 1ommittee on Octo%er 1=, 1$$$& Lusk o(ened a small %ox to discover half a human kidney, later said %y a doctor to have %een (reserved in ,s(irits of wine, (ethyl alcohol!& One of ;ddowes* kidneys had %een removed %y the killer, and a doctor determined the kidney sent to Lusk was ,very similar to the one removed from 1atherine ;ddowes,, though his findings were inconclusive& The writer claimed that he had ,fried and ate, the missing kidney half& There is some disagreement over the kidney5 some contend it had %elonged to ;ddowes, while others argue it was ,a maca%re (ractical 8oke, and no more,&

.ome sources list another letter, dated .e(tem%er 1A, 1$$$, as the first message to use the 3ack the 4i((er name& "ost ex(erts %elieve this was a modern fake inserted into (olice records in the 2:th century, long after the killings took (lace& They note that the letter has neither an official (olice stam( verifying the date it was received nor the initials of the investigator who would have examined it if it were ever considered as (otential evidence& +t is also not mentioned in any remaining (olice document of the time& Ongoing 0NA tests on the still existing letters have yet to yield conclusive results& #nvestigation

27

eorge Lusk, 'resident of the 9hitecha(el Gigilance 1ommittee& +t is im(ortant to a((reciate that investigative techni)ues and awareness have (rogressed greatly since 1$$$& "any valua%le forensic science techni)ues taken for granted today were unknown to the Gictorian>era "etro(olitan 'olice& The value of inter(reting motives of serial killers, the conce(t of criminal (rofiling, finger(rinting, and other such knowledge and intelligence that have develo(ed were (oorly understood if not altogether unknown& 'olice recognised a sexual motive or element to the attacks, %ut were otherwise thoroughly unfamiliar with such crimes& The investigation into the 9hitecha(el murders was initially conducted %y 9hitecha(el (/! 0ivision 1&+&0& headed %y 0etective +ns(ector ;dmund 4eid& After the Nichols murder 0etective +ns(ectors Brederick A%%erline, /enry "oore and 9alter Andrews were sent from 1entral Office at .cotland Hard to assist& After the ;ddowes murder, which occurred within the 1ity of London, the 1ity 'olice under 0etective +ns(ector 3ames "c9illiam were also engaged& On 2: Novem%er 2::=, the British television channel Bive released an ;>B+T>generated (hoto illustration showing what the researchers affiliated with the documentary %elieve the serial killer may have looked like& A former "etro(olitan
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'olice commander, 3ohn rieve, was )uoted as saying5 ,This is further than anyone else has got& +t would have %een enough for co((ers to get out and start knocking on doors&&& they would have got him,& ;x(erts on the case, including author .tewart '& ;vans, reacted with sce(ticism, noting that facial com(osites are usually only (ut together through direct )uestioning of a live witness and that various Gictorian (olice officials investigating the 4i((er killings stated that either no one had got a good look at the killer, or (erha(s only one or two, %ut certainly not the alleged ,16 witnesses, rieve and others affiliated with the documentary claimed to have %ased the image on& The Whitechapel Vigilance Co ittee was a grou( of (eo(le that (atrolled the streets of London during the 3ack the 4i((er murders of 1$$$ & The committee (atrolled London mainly at night in search for this murderer& The committee was led %y eorge Lusk in 1$$$ and later %y Al%ert Bachert& Media

2A

!unch cartoon %y 3ohn Tenniel (22 .e(tem%er 1$$$! criticising the (olice*s alleged incom(etence&

!unch, .e(tem%er 2#, 1$$$5 > ,The Nemesis of Neglect,& The 4i((er murders mark an im(ortant watershed in modern British life& 9hile not the first serial killer, 3ack the 4i((er*s case was the first to create a worldwide media fren-y& 4eforms to the .tam( Act in 1$77 had ena%led the (u%lication of inex(ensive news(a(ers with wider circulation& These mushroomed later in the Gictorian era to include mass> circulation news(a(ers as chea( as a half(enny, along with (o(ular maga-ines such as the "llustrated !olice #ews, making the 4i((er the %eneficiary of (reviously un(aralleled (u%licity& This, com%ined with the fact that no one was ever convicted of the murders, created a haunting legend that cast a shadow over later serial killers& .ome %elieve the killer*s nickname was invented %y news(a(ermen to make for a more interesting story that could sell more (a(ers& This %ecame standard media (ractice with exam(les such as the Boston .trangler, the reen 4iver Eiller,
2$

the Axeman of New Orleans, the Beltway .ni(er, and the /illside .trangler, %esides the derivative Horkshire 4i((er almost a hundred years later and the unnamed (er(etrator of the ,Thames Nude "urders, of the 1#=:s, whom the (ress du%%ed 3ack the .tri((er& The (oor of the ;ast ;nd had long %een ignored %y affluent society, %ut the nature of the murders and of the victims forci%ly drew attention to their living conditions& This attention ena%led social reformers of the time to finally draw attention from the res(ecta%le classes to the (light of the (oor& A letter from eorge Bernard .haw to the $tar commented sarcastically on these sudden concerns of the (ress5 9hilst we .ocial 0emocrats were wasting our time on education, agitation and organi-ation, some inde(endent genius has taken the matter in hand, and %y sim(ly murdering and disem%owelling four women, converted the (ro(rietary (ress to an ine(t sort of communism& Suspects Main article% Jack the Ripper suspects "any theories a%out the identity of 3ack the 4i((er have %een advanced& None have %een entirely (ersuasive& Jack the Ripper in popular culture 3ack the 4i((er has %een featured in a num%er of works of fiction and (o(ular culture, either as the central character or in a more (eri(heral role& .ee 3ack the 4i((er fiction for information& At the time of the murders, a theatrical version of 4o%ert Louis .tevenson*s %ook $trange Case of &r Jek'll and Mr
2#

('de was %eing (erformed& The su%8ect matter of horrific murder in the London streets drew much attention, even leading the star of the show to %e accused %y some mem%ers of the (u%lic of %eing the 4i((er himself, although this theory was never taken seriously %y the (olice& +n 2::=, 3ack the 4i((er was selected %y the BB1 /istory "aga-ine and its readers as the worst Briton in history& (BB1! The legend of the 4i((er is still (romoted in the ;ast ;nd of London, with many guided tours of the murder sites& The Ten Bells, a Gictorian (u% in 1ommercial .treet that had %een fre)uented %y 3ack the 4i((er*s victims, was the focus of such tours for many years& To ca(itali-e on this %usiness, the owners changed its name to the *3ack the 4i((er* in the 1#=:s, %ut following (rotests %y feminists and others, the (u% returned to its old name& To date more than 17: works of non>fiction have %een (u%lished which deal exclusively with the 3ack the 4i((er murders, making it one of the most written>a%out true>crime su%8ects of the (ast century& 'hili( .ugden*s )he Co plete (istor' of Jack the Ripper is widely considered the %est general overview of the case& .ix (eriodicals a%out 3ack the 4i((er have hit the market since the early 1##:s5 Ripperana (1##2>(resent!, Ripperologist (1##@>(resent, electronic format only since 2::7!, the Whitechapel Journal (1##A>2:::!, Ripper #otes (1###>(resent!, Ripperoo (2:::>2::6! and the )he Whitechapel $ociet' Journal (2::7>(resent!&

6:

Original Night Stalker

.riginal "ight Stalker is the nickname for an unidentified serial killer and ra(ist who murdered six (eo(le in .outhern 1alifornia from 1#$: through 1#$=& /is crimes are totally unrelated to 4ichard 4amire-, a serial killer who was du%%ed +he "ight Stalker, or to the 1#A:s television show of the same name& .ix murders in Gentura, 0ana 'oint and +rvine, 1A, have %een linked %y 0NA to this killer& According to the AI; ,1old 1ase, e(isode that (rofiles him, the original night stalker is considered one of the worst offenders in 1alifornia history& On "arch 16, 1#$:, 1harlene .mith, 66, and Lyman .mith, @6, were found murdered in their home in Gentura, 1A& A log from the fire(lace was used to %ludgeon the .miths& Their wrists and ankles were %ound with dra(ery cord and an unusual 1hinese knot was used on their wrists& On August 1#, 1#$:, Eeith /arrington, 2@, and 'atrice /arrington, 2A, were found %ludgeoned to death in their home in the Niguel .hores gated community in 0ana 'oint, 1A& Although there was evidence that the /arringtons were %ound at the wrist and ankles, the killer removed the ligatures and the murder wea(on from the scene& The /arringtons were married only three months at the time of their deaths& 'atrice was a nurse in +rvine, while Eeith was a medical student at the ?niversity of 1alifornia, +rvine&

61

On Be%ruary 7, 1#$1, "anuela 9itthuhn, 2$, was murdered in her home in +rvine, 1A& The ligatures and murder wea(on were removed from the crime scene& "anuela 9itthuhn, a loan officer, was married& Het, her hus%and was recu(erating from an illness in the hos(ital, thus leaving alone at the time of the attack& A lam( and crystal curio were removed from her house, (resuma%ly %y the killer& Also, detectives remarked that "rs& 9itthuhn*s television was found in the %ackyard, which was (ossi%ly the killer*s attem(t to make it a((ear as a %otched ro%%ery& On "ay @, 1#$=, 3anelle Lisa 1ru-, 1$, was found %ludgeoned to death in her +rvine, 1A home& /er family was on holiday in "exico& A (i(e wrench was re(orted missing %y 1ru-* ste(father and was the (ro%a%le the murder wea(on& An additional four murders in oleta, 1Ain 1#A# and 1#$1, are often considered to %e the work of the same individual, although there is no 0NA link %etween those crimes and the rest& The (er(etrator*s odus operandi was to stalk middle class neigh%orhoods for victims who lived in single story homes& /e sought out women who were alone and cou(les& /e stealthily entered their living s(ace late at night, then took control, (ro%a%ly with a handgun, in a sur(rise home invasion& All victims were %ound with ligatures the criminal %rought to the crime scene& Law enforcement theori-es the male victims were killed first %y %ludgeoning& Bemale victims suffered ra(e %efore their death %y %ludgeoning& +n 2::1, 1alifornia law enforcement linked 0NA evidence from the Original Night .talker*s crimes to 0NA found from Northern 1alifornia three victims of an unidentified serial ra(ist du%%ed the ;ast Area 4a(ist& The three linked ra(es are not connected to the rest of the crimes considered to have %een
62

committed %y the ;ast Area 4a(ist %y 0NA evidence, %ut %y (resumed modus o(erandi similarities&

Zodiac Killer
+he /odiac &iller was a serial killer who o(erated in Northern 1alifornia for ten months in the late 1#=:s& /is identity remains unknown& The Jodiac coined his name in a series of taunting letters he sent to the (ress until 1#A@& /is letters included four cry(tograms (or ci(hers!, three of which have yet to %e solved& The Jodiac murdered five known victims in Benicia, Galle8o, Lake Berryessa, and .an Brancisco %etween 0ecem%er 1#=$ and Octo%er 1#=#& Bour men and three women %etween the ages of 1= and 2# were targeted& Others have also %een sus(ected to %e Jodiac victims, %ut there has %een thus far no conclusive evidence to link them to the killer& +n A(ril 2::@, the .an Brancisco 'olice 0e(artment marked the case ,inactive,, %ut reo(ened it some time %efore "arch 2::A& The case remains o(en in other 8urisdictions as well&

+he victims
Confirmed Although the Jodiac claimed in letters to news(a(ers that he murdered as many as 6A (eo(le, investigators agree on only seven confirmed victims, two of whom survived& They are5

66

0avid Arthur (araday, 1A, and Betty Lou Jensen, 1=5 .hot and killed on 0ecem%er 2:, 1#=$, on Lake /erman 4oad 8ust within the city limits of Benicia& Michael Renault Mageau, 1#, and 0arlene $li%a!eth (errin, 225 .hot on 3uly @, 1#=#, at Blue 4ock .(rings olf 1ourse (arking lot on the outskirts of Galle8o< 0arlene was 0OA at Eaiser Boundation /os(ital, while "ichael survived& Bryan Calvin 1artnell, 2:, and Cecelia Ann Shepard, 225 .ta%%ed on .e(tem%er 2A, 1#=#, on what is today locally referred to as ,Jodiac +sland, at Lake Berryessa in Na(a 1ounty< /artnell survived six sta% wounds to the %ack, %ut .he(ard died of her in8uries two days later& aul Lee Stine, 2#5 .hot and killed on Octo%er 11, 1#=#, in 'residio /eights in .an Brancisco& Suspected

"any others have %een identified as (otential Jodiac victims, although evidence is inconclusive and none are universally acce(ted as Jodiac victims& The more well>known sus(ected victims are5

Ro!ert 0omingos, 1$, and Linda $dwards, 1A5 .hot and killed on 3une @, 1#=6, at a %each near Lom(oc& ;dwards and 0omingos were named as (ossi%le Jodiac victims due to the s(ecific similarities %etween their attack and the Jodiac*s attack at Lake Berryessa& Cheri Jo Bates, 1$5 .ta%%ed to death and nearly deca(itated on Octo%er 6:, 1#==, at 4iverside 1ommunity 1ollege in 4iverside& Bates* (ossi%le connection to the Jodiac only came to light four years after her murder when $an Francisco Chronicle re(orter 'aul Avery received a ti( regarding similarities %etween
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the Jodiac killings and the circumstances surrounding Bates* death& &athleen Johns, 225 A%ducted on "arch 22, 1#A:, on /ighway 162 %y +>7$:, west of "odesto& 3ohns esca(ed from the car of a man who drove her and her infant daughter around on the %ackroads %etween .tockton and 'atterson for some three hours& After esca(ing to the (olice station in 'atterson, she saw the Jodiac*s wanted (oster and identified him as her kidna((er& 0onna Lass, 275 Last seen .e(tem%er 2=, 1#A:, in .outh Lake Tahoe& A (ostcard with an ad from Borest 'ines condominiums (near +ncline Gillage at Lake Tahoe! (asted on the %ack was received at the Chronicle on "arch 22, 1#A1, and has %een inter(reted %y some as the Jodiac claiming Lass* disa((earance as a victim& The (ostcard has not %een conclusively linked to the Jodiac nor has Lass* %ody %een found& +imeline Lake erman !oad The first incident widely attri%uted to the Jodiac Eiller was the shooting of high school students Betty Lou Jensen and 0avid (araday on 0ecem%er 2:, 1#=$, 8ust inside the Benicia city limits& The cou(le were on their first date and (lanned to attend a 1hristmas concert at /ogan /igh a few %locks from 3ensen*s home& +nstead they visited a friend and sto((ed at a local restaurant, then drove out Lake /erman 4oad& At a((roximately 1:517 (m Baraday (arked his mother*s 4am%ler in a gravel turnout, which was a well>known lover*s lane&

67

.hortly after 11 (m, another car (ulled into the turnout and (arked %eside them& The driver a((arently got out with a (istol and ordered them out of the 4am%ler& 3ensen exited first& 9hen Baraday was halfway out, the man shot Baraday in the head& 3ensen, fleeing, was gunned down twenty>eight feet from the car %y five shots through her %ack& The man then drove off Their %odies were found minutes later %y .tella Borges, who lived near%y& .he alerted 1a(tain 0aniel 'itta and Officer 9illiam T& 9arner& 0etective .ergeant Les Lund%lad of the .olano 1ounty .heriff*s 0e(artment investigated the crime, %ut no solid leads develo(ed& Blue !ock Sprin"s .ome time around midnight on 3uly @> 3uly 7, 1#=#, 0arlene (errin and Michael Mageau drove to the Blue 4ock .(rings olf 1ourse in Galle8o, four miles from the Lake /erman 4oad murder site, and (arked& 9hile they sat in Berrin*s car, another car drove into the lot and (arked %eside them& +t drove away almost immediately, then returned a%out 1: minutes later and (arked %ehind them& The driver then got out and a((roached the (assenger side door, carrying a flashlight and a # mm handgun& /e first shone the light in their eyes to %lind them, then shot %oth of them multi(le times and %egan to return to his car& 9hen "ageau moaned in (ain, the driver returned and shot them %oth again& /e then drove off&K2L At 125@: am, a man (honed the Galle8o 'olice 0e(artment to re(ort and claim res(onsi%ility for the attack& /e also took credit for the murders of 3ensen and Baraday six and a half months earlier& The (olice traced the call to a (hone %ooth at a gas station at .(rings and Tuolumne, a%out three tenths of a

6=

mile from Berrin*s home and only a few %locks from the Galle8o .heriff*s 0e(artment& Berrin was (ronounced dead at the hos(ital& "ageau survived the attack des(ite %eing shot in the face, neck, and chest& 0etectives 3ohn Lynch and ;d 4ust of the Galle8o 'olice 0e(artment initially investigated the crime& 0etective 3ack "ulanax took over the case in the 1#A:s& The #odiac letters be"in On August 1, 1#=#, three letters (re(ared %y Jodiac were received at the Valle*o )i es-(erald, the $an Francisco Chronicle, and the $an Francisco +,a iner& The nearly identical letters took credit for the shootings at Lake /erman 4oad and Blue 4ock .(rings& ;ach letter also included one> third of a @:$>sym%ol cry(togram which the killer claimed contained his identity& Jodiac demanded they %e (rinted on each (a(er*s front (age or he would ,cruse KsicL around all weekend killing lone (eo(le in the night then move on to kill again, until + end u( with a do-en (eo(le over the weekend&, The Chronicle (u%lished its third of the cry(togram on (age four of the next day*s edition& An article (rinted alongside the code )uoted Galle8o 'olice 1hief 3ack ;& .tilt- as saying ,9e*re not satisfied that the letter was written %y the murderer, and a re)uest to the writer to send a second letter with more facts to (rove his identity& The threatened murders did not ha((en, and all three (arts were eventually (u%lished& On August A, 1#=#, another letter was received at the $an Francisco +,a iner with the salutation, ,0ear ;ditor This is the Jodiac s(eaking,& +t was the first time the killer had referred to himself with this name& The letter was in res(onse to 1hief .tilt- asking him to (rovide more details to (rove he killed Baraday, 3ensen and Berrin& +n it, the Jodiac included
6A

details a%out the murders which had not %een released to the (u%lic as well as a message to the (olice that when they cracked his code ,they will have me&, On August $, 1#=#, 0onald and Bettye /arden of .alinas, 1alifornia, cracked the @:$>sym%ol cry(togram, which did not contain Jodiac*s name& The message, including miss(ellings, read5 2 " -".+ ."--"#/ !+0!-+ B+CA1$+ ") "$ $0 M1C( F1# ") "$ M0R+ F1# )(A# ."--"#/ W"-& /AM+ "# )(+ F0RR+$) B+CA1$+ MA# "$ )(+ M0$) &A#/+R01+ A#AMA- 0F A-- )0 ."-$0M+)("#/ /"V+$ M+ )(+ M0$) )(R"--"#/ +2!+R+#C+ ") "$ +V+# B+))+R )(A# /+))"#/ 301R R0C.$ 0FF W")( A /"R- )(+ B+$) !AR) 0F ") "$ )(A+ W(+# " &"+ " W"-- B+ R+B0R# "# !ARA&"C+ A#& )(+" (AV+ ."--+& W"-B+C0M+ M3 $-AV+$ " W"-- #0) /"V+ 301 M3 #AM+ B+CA1$+ 301 W"-- )R3 )0 $-0" &0W# 0R A)0! M3 C0--+C)"0/ 0F $-AV+$ F0R M3 AF)+R-"F+ +B+0R"+)+M+)((!")" The meaning of the final eighteen letters has not %een determined& Lake Berr$essa On .e(tem%er 2A, 1#=#, Bryan 1artnell and Cecelia Shepard were (icnicking at Lake Berryessa on a small island connected %y a sand s(it to Twin Oak 4idge& A man a((roached them wearing a %lack executioner*s>ty(e hood with cli(>on sunglasses over the eye>holes and a %i%>like device on his chest that had a white 6,x6, cross>circle sym%ol
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on it& /e a((roached them with a gun /artnell %elieved to %e a &@7& The hooded man claimed to %e an esca(ed convict from 0eer Lodge, "ontana, where he killed a guard and stole a car, and ex(lained that he needed their car and money to go to "exico& /e had %rought (recut lengths of (lastic clothesline and told .he(ard to tie u( /artnell, %efore tying her u( himself& The Jodiac checked and tightened /artnell*s %onds after discovering she %ound him loosely& /artnell initially %elieved it to %e a weird ro%%ery, %ut the man drew a knife and sta%%ed them %oth& /e then hiked 7:: yards %ack u( to Enoxville 4oad, drew the cross>circle sym%ol on /artnell*s car door with a %lack felt>ti( (en, and wrote %eneath it5 Valle4o5678798:;5<8=8:>5Sept 7<8:>8:?@95!y kni-e. At A5@: (&m&, the man called the Na(a 1ounty .heriff*s office from a (ay tele(hone to re(ort his crime& The (hone was found still off the hook minutes later at the Na(a 1ar 9ash on "ain .treet in Na(a %y EGON radio re(orter 'at .tanley, only a few %locks from the sheriff*s office and 2A miles from the crime scene& 0etectives were a%le to lift a still>wet (alm (rint from the tele(hone %ut were never a%le to match it to a sus(ect& A man and his son who were fishing in a near%y cove had discovered the victims after hearing their screams for hel( and summoned hel( %y contacting (ark rangers& Na(a 1ounty .heriff 0e(uties 0ave 1ollins and 4ay Land were the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the scene of the assault& 1ecelia .he(ard was conscious when 1ollins arrived and gave him a detailed descri(tion of the attacker& /artnell and .he(ard were taken to Mueen of the Galley /os(ital in Na(a %y am%ulance& .he(ard la(sed into a coma during trans(ort to the hos(ital and never regained consciousness& .he died two days later, %ut /artnell survived to recount his tale to the
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(ress& Na(a 1ounty .heriff 0etective Een Narlow, who was assigned to the case from the outset, worked on solving the crime until his retirement from the de(artment in 1#$A&K17L %residio ei"hts On Octo%er 11, 1#=#, a man entered aul StineAs ca% at the intersection of "ason and eary .treets in .an Brancisco and re)uested to %e taken to 9ashington and "a(le .treets in 'residio /eights& Bor reasons unknown, .tine drove one %lock further to 1herry .treet< the man shot him once in the head with a #mm, then took his wallet and car keys and tore off his shirt tail& /e was o%served %y three teenagers across the street at #577 (m, who called the (olice as the crime was in (rogress& They o%served the man wi(ing the ca% down, and then walking away towards the 'residio, one %lock to the north& The (olice arrived minutes later, and the teen witnesses ex(lained that the killer was still near%y& Two %locks from the crime scene, officer 0on Bouke, also res(onding to the call, o%served a white man walking along the sidewalk then ste((ing onto a stairway leading u( to the front yard of one of the homes on the north side of the street< the encounter lasted only five to ten seconds& /is (artner, ;ric Jelms, did not see the man& The radio dis(atch had alerted them to look for a %lack and not a white sus(ect, so they had no reason to talk to the man and drove (ast him without sto((ing< the mix u( in descri(tions remains unex(lained to this day& 9hen they reached 1herry, Bouke was informed that they were in fact looking for a white sus(ect< Bouke reali-ed they must have (assed the killer& Bouke concluded that the Jodiac had resumed his original route and esca(ed into the 'residio, so they entered the %ase to look for him %ut the killer had vanished& A search ensued, %ut nothing was found& The
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three teen witnesses worked with a (olice artist to (re(are a com(osite of .tine*s killer, and a few days later returned to (roduce a second com(osite& The Jodiac was estimated to %e 67>@7 years of age& 0etectives Bill Armstrong and 0ave Toschi were assigned to the case& The .an Brancisco 'olice 0e(artment eventually investigated an estimated 2,7:: sus(ects over a (eriod of years&K1=L &ore letters and codes On Octo%er 1@, 1#=#, the Chronicle received yet another letter from the Jodiac, this time containing a swatch of 'aul .tine*s shirt tail as (roof he was the killer< it also included a threat a%out shooting school children& +t was only then that the (olice knew who they were looking for a few nights %efore in 'residio /eights& At 25:: am on Octo%er 22, 1#=#, someone claiming to %e the Jodiac called Oakland '0 demanding that one of two (rominent lawyers, B& Lee Bailey or "elvin Belli, a((ear on 3im 0un%ar*s television talk show in the morning& Bailey was not availa%le, %ut Belli a((eared on the show& 0un%ar a((ealed to the viewers to kee( the lines o(en, and eventually, someone claiming to %e the Jodiac called several times and said his name was .am& Belli agreed to meet with him in 0aly 1ity, %ut the sus(ect never showed u(& 'olice officers who had heard the Jodiac listened to ,.am*s, voice and agreed that he was not the Jodiac& .u%se)uent calls the sus(ect made to Belli were traced to the Na(a .tate /os(ital, where it was learned that ,.am, was a mental (atient& On Novem%er $, 1#=#, the Jodiac mailed a card with another cry(togram consisting of 6@: characters& On Novem%er #, 1#=#, he mailed a seven>(age letter in which he claimed that two (olicemen sto((ed and actually s(oke with him three
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minutes after he shot .tine& ;xcer(ts from the letter were (u%lished in the Chronicle on Novem%er 12, including the Jodiac*s claim< that same day, 0on Bouke wrote a memo ex(laining what had ha((ened that night& The 6@: character ci(her has never %een decoded& "any (ossi%le ,solutions, have %een suggested, %ut cannot %e acce(ted since they do away with codemaking conventions& On 0ecem%er 2:, 1#=#, the Jodiac mailed a letter to Belli and included yet another swatch of .tine*s shirt< the Jodiac claimed he wanted Belli to hel( him& &odesto On the night of "arch 22, 1#A:, &athleen Johns was driving from .an Bernardino to 'etaluma to visit her mother& .he was seven months (regnant and had her 1:>month>old daughter %eside her& 9hile heading west on /ighway 162 near "odesto, a car %ehind her %egan honking and flashing its lights& .he (ulled off the road and sto((ed& The man in the car (arked %ehind her, stated her right rear tire was wo%%ling, and offered to tighten the lugs& After finishing his work, the man drove off, and when 3ohns (ulled forward the wheel came off the car& The man sto((ed, %acked u(, and offered to drive her to the nearest gas station for hel(& .he and her daughter clim%ed into his car& They drove (ast several service stations %ut the man did not sto(& Bor some three hours he drove them u( and down the %ackroads around Tracy, and when she asked why he was not sto((ing, he would change the su%8ect& 9hen the driver sto((ed at an intersection, 3ohns 8um(ed out with her daughter and hid in a field& /e came out to look for her, %ut when a truck driver s(otted the scene, 3ohns* a%ductor drove off& 3ohns hitched a ride to the (olice station in 'atterson& As she gave her statement to the sergeant on duty,
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she noticed the (olice com(osite of 'aul .tine*s killer and recogni-ed him as the man who a%ducted her and her child& Bearing the Jodiac might come %ack and kill them all, the sergeant had 3ohns wait in near%y "il*s 4estaurant in the dark& /er car was eventually found torched and gutted& There are many conflicting accounts of the 3ohns a%duction& "ost claim he threatened to kill her and her daughter while driving them around, %ut at least one (olice re(ort dis(utes that& 3ohns* account to 'aul Avery of the Chronicle indicates her a%ductor left his car and searched for her in the dark with a flashlight< however, in the two re(orts she made to the (olice, she stated he did not leave the vehicle& .ome accounts state 3ohns* vehicle was moved then torched, while others contend it was located where she*d left it& The various discre(ancies among 3ohns* accounts over the years have led many researchers to )uestion if she was an actual Jodiac victim& 'urther communications The Jodiac continued to communicate with authorities for the remainder of 1#A: via letters and greeting cards to the (ress& +n a letter (ostmarked A(ril 2:, 1#A:, the Jodiac wrote, ,"y name is K%lankL,, followed %y a 16>character ci(her& The Jodiac went on to state that he was not res(onsi%le for the recent %om%ing of a (olice station in .an Brancisco (referring to the Be%ruary 1$, 1#A:, death of .gt& Brian "c0onnell at 'ark .tation in olden ate 'ark! %ut added ,there is more glory to killing a co( than a cid KsicL %ecause a co( can shoot %ack&, The letter included a diagram of a %om% the Jodiac claimed he would use to %low u( a school %us& At the %ottom of the diagram, he had written5 , N 1:, .B'0 N :,&

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Jodiac sent a greeting card (ostmarked A(ril 2$, 1#A:, to the Chronicle& 9ritten on the card was, ,+ ho(e you en8oy yourselves when + have my BLA.T,, followed %y the Jodiac*s cross circle signature& On the %ack of the card, the Jodiac threatened to use his %us %om% soon unless the news(a(er (u%lished the full details he wrote& /e also wanted to start seeing (eo(le wearing ,some nice Jodiac %utons, KsicL +n a letter (ostmarked 3une 2=, 1#A:, the Jodiac stated he was u(set he did not see (eo(le wearing Jodiac %uttons& /e wrote, ,+ shot a man sitting in a (arked car with a &6$&, +t has %een (ro(osed the Jodiac was referring to the murder of .gt 4ichard 4adetich a week earlier, on 3une 1#& At 7527 A", 4adetich was writing a (arking ticket in his s)uad car when an assailant shot him in the head with a &6$>cali%er (istol& 4adetich died 17 hours later& .B'0 denies the Jodiac was involved in this murder< it remains unsolved& +ncluded with the letter was a 'hilli(s == ma( of the .an Brancisco Bay Area& On the image of "ount 0ia%lo, the Jodiac had drawn a crossed>circle similar to that he had included in (revious corres(ondence& At the to( of the crossed circle, he (laced a -ero, and then a three, six, and a nine, so the annotation resem%led a clock face& The accom(anying instructions stated that the -ero was Oto %e set to "ag& N&, The letter also included a 62>letter ci(her that the killer claimed would, in con8unction with the code, lead to the location of a %om% he had %uried and set to go off in the autumn& The %om% was never located& The killer had signed the note with , N 12, .B'0 N :,& +n a letter to the Chronicle (ostmarked 3uly 2@, 1#A:, the Jodiac took credit for Eathleen 3ohns* a%duction, four months after the incident&
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+n his 3uly 2=, 1#A: letter, the Jodiac (ara(hrased a song from )he Mikado, adding his own lyrics a%out making a ,little list, of the ways he (lanned to torture his ,slaves, in ,(aradice&, The letter was signed with a large, exaggerated cross circle sym%ol and a new score5 , N 16, .B'0 N :,& A final note at the %ottom of the letter stated, ,'&.& The "t& 0ia%lo code concerns 4adians P Q inches along the radians&, +n 1#$1, a close examination of the radian hint %y Jodiac researcher areth 'enn led to the discovery that a radian angle, when (laced over the ma( (er Jodiac*s instructions, (ointed to the locations of two Jodiac attacks& On A Octo%er 1#A:, the Chronicle received a three>%y>five inch card signed %y the Jodiac with the drawn with %lood& The card*s message was formed %y (asting words and letters from an edition of the Chronicle and thirteen holes were (unched across the card& +ns(ectors Armstrong and Toschi agreed it was ,highly (ro%a%le, the card came from the Jodiac& !iverside On Octo%er 2A, 1#A:, Chronicle re(orter 'aul Avery (who had %een covering the Jodiac case! received a /alloween card signed with a letter *J* and the Jodiac*s cross circle sym%ol& /andwritten on the card was the note ,'eek>a>%oo, you are doomed&, The threat was taken seriously and received a front (age story on the Chronicle& .oon after, Avery received an anonymous letter alerting him to the similarities %etween the Jodiac*s activities and the unsolved murder of Cheri Jo Bates, which had occurred four years earlier at the city college in 4iverside in the Los Angeles area, more than @:: miles south of .an Brancisco& /e re(orted his findings in the Chronicle on Novem%er 1=, 1#A:&
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On Octo%er 6:, 1#==, eighteen year>old Bates s(ent the evening at the cam(us li%rary annex until it closed at #5:: (m& Neigh%ors re(orted they heard a scream around 1:56: (m& Bates was found dead the next morning a short distance from the li%rary %etween two a%andoned houses slated to %e demolished for cam(us renovations& The wires in her Golkswagen*s distri%utor ca( had %een (ulled out& .he was %rutally %eaten and sta%%ed to death& A man*s Timex watch with a torn wrist%and was found near%y& The watch had sto((ed at 1252@, %ut (olice %elieve the attack occurred much earlier& Also discovered were the (rints of a military>style shoe&

The 1onfession A month later, on Novem%er 2#, 1#==, nearly identical ty(ewritten letters were mailed to the 4iverside (olice and the Riverside !ress-+nterprise& Titled ,The 1onfession,, the author claimed res(onsi%ility for the Bates murder, (roviding details of the crime not released to the (u%lic, and warned that Bates ,is not the first and she will not %e the last&, +n 0ecem%er 1#==, a (oem was discovered carved into the %ottom side of a deskto( in the 4iverside 1ity 1ollege li%rary& Titled ,.ick of livingFunwilling to die,, the (oem*s language and handwriting resem%led those of the Jodiac*s letters& +t was signed with what were assumed to %e the initials ,rh,& .herwood "orrill, 1alifornia*s to( ,Muestioned 0ocuments,

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examiner, ex(ressed his o(inion that the (oem was written %y the Jodiac& On A(ril 6:, 1#=A C the six>month anniversary of Bates* murder C Bates* father 3ose(h, the !ress-+nterprise, and the 4iverside (olice all received nearly identical letters& +n handwritten scrawl, the !ress-+nterprise and (olice co(ies read ,Bates had to die there will %e more,, with a small scri%%le at the %ottom that resem%led the letter *J*& 3ose(h Bates* co(y read ,.he had to die there will %e more, without a *J* OsignatureR On "arch 16, 1#A1, nearly four months after 'aul Avery*s first article on Bates, the Jodiac mailed a letter to the -os Angeles )i es& +n it he credited the (olice instead of Avery for discovering his ,4iverside activity, %ut they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there&, The connection %etween 1heri 3o Bates, 4iverside, and the Jodiac remains uncertain& The 4iverside 'olice 0e(artment maintains that the Bates homicide was not committed %y the Jodiac, %ut did concede some of the Bates letters may have %een his work to falsely claim credit& Lake Tahoe On "arch 22, 1#A1, a (ostcard to the Chronicle addressed to ,'aul Averly, C intended for 'aul Avery and %elieved to %e from the Jodiac C a((eared to take credit for the disa((earance of 0onna Lass from .outh Lake Tahoe on .e(tem%er 2=, 1#A:& "ade from a collage of advertisements and maga-ine lettering, it featured a scene from an ad for Borest 'ines and the text ,.ierra 1lu%,, ,.ought Gictim 12,, ,(eek through the (ines,, ,(ass Lake Tahoe areas,, and

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,around in the snow&, Jodiac*s cross circle sym%ol was in the (lace of the usual return address& Lass was a nurse at the .ahara Tahoe hotel and casino& .he worked until a((roximately 25:: am on .e(tem%er 2=, treating her last (atient at 15@: am, and was not seen leaving her office& The next morning, her work uniform and shoes were found in a (a(er %ag in her office inex(lica%ly soiled with dirt& /er car was found at her a(artment com(lex, and her a(artment was s(otless& Later that day %oth her em(loyer and her landlord received (hone calls from an unknown male who falsely claimed Lass had to leave town due to a family emergency& The (olice and sheriffs* office initially treated Lass* disa((earance as a missing (ersons investigation, sus(ecting she sim(ly left on her own& Lass was never found& 9hat a((eared to %e a grave site was discovered near the 1laire Ta((an Lodge in Norden, 1alifornia, on .ierra 1lu% (ro(erty, %ut excavation yielded only a (air of sunglasses& Santa Barbara +n a Valle*o )i es-(erald story that a((eared on Novem%er 16, 1#A2, .anta Bar%ara .heriff*s 0etective Bill Baker (ret&! theori-ed that the murders of a young cou(le in .anta Bar%ara 1ounty may have %een the work of the Jodiac& On 3une @, 1#=6, five and a half years (rior to the Jodiac*s first known murders on Lake /erman 4oad, high>school senior Ro!ert 0omingos and fiancSe Linda $dwards were shot to death on a %each near Lom(oc, having ski((ed school that day for ,.enior 0itch 0ay,& 'olice %elieved that the assailant attem(ted to %ind the victims, %ut when they freed themselves attem(ting to flee, he shot them re(eatedly in the %ack and chest with a &22>cali%er wea(on& /e then (laced their

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%odies in a small near%y shack and tried, unsuccessfully, to %urn it down& The suggestion that 0omingos and ;dwards* murders are the work of the Jodiac is due to the similarities %etween their attack and the Jodiac*s attack at Lake Berryessa& The final letters After the ,'ines, card, the Jodiac remained silent for nearly three years, after which the Chronicle received a letter from the Jodiac, (ostmarked 3anuary 2#, 1#A@, (raising )he +,orcist as ,the %est saterical KsicL comidy KsicL, that he had ever seen& The letter included a sni((et of verse from )he Mikado and an unusual sym%ol at the %ottom that has gone unex(lained %y researchers& Jodiac concluded the letter with a new score, ,"e N 6A, .B'0 N :,& The Chronicle received another letter (ostmarked Be%ruary 1@, 1#A@, informing the editor that the initials for the .ym%ionese Li%eration Army s(elled out an Old Norse word meaning ,kill&, /owever, the handwriting was not authenticated as the Jodiac*s& Another letter received %y the Chronicle, (ostmarked "ay $, 1#A@, featured a com(laint that the movie Badlanas was ,murder>glorification, and asked the (a(er to cut its advertisements& .igned only ,A citi-en,, the handwriting, tone, and surface irony are all similar to (rior Jodiac communications& The Chronicle received an anonymous letter (ostmarked 3uly $, 1#A@, com(laining a%out one of its columnists, "arco .(inelli& The letter was signed ,the 4ed 'hantom (red with rage!,& The Jodiac*s authorshi( of this letter is de%ated&K72L
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Another four years (assed without communication C (ur(orted or verified C from the Jodiac& A letter of A(ril 2@, 1#A$, was initially deemed authentic, %ut was declared %y three other ex(erts to %e a hoax less than three months later& +n recent years, however, the letter has %een deemed in some )uarters as authentic& Toschi, the .B'0 homicide detective who had %een on the case since the .tine murder, was thought to have forged the letter, since author Armistead "au(in thought it similar to ,fan mail, he received in 1#A= that he %elieved was authored %y Toschi& 9hile he admitted writing the fan mail, Toschi denied forging the Jodiac letter and was eventually cleared of any charges& The authenticity of the letter remains in )uestion& On "arch 6, 2::A, it was re(orted that an American reetings 1hristmas card sent to the Chronicle (ostmarked 1##: in ;ureka had %een recently discovered in their (hoto files %y editorial assistant 0aniel Eing& +nside the envelo(e with the card was a (hotoco(y of two ?&.& 'ostal keys on a magnet keychain& The handwriting on the envelo(e resem%les Jodiac*s (rint, %ut was declared inauthentic %y forensic document examiner Lloyd 1unningham& Not all Jodiac ex(erts, however, agree with 1unningham*s analysis& There is no return address on the envelo(e nor is his crossed>circle signature to %e found& The card itself is unmarked&The Chronicle turned over all the material to the Galle8o 'olice 0e(artment for further analysis& Current status The last .B'0 investigators of the case were /omicide 0etail +ns(ectors "ichael N& "aloney and Eelly 1arroll& They were the first to su%mit 0NA evidence from Jodiac*s letters for analysis, which resulted in a (artial genetic (rofile& 0NA
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testing seems to have conclusively ruled out their lead sus(ect, Arthur Leigh Allen,and later "ike 4odelli*s sus(ect, a (rominent .an Brancisco %usinessman who lived near 'aul .tine*s murder scene& The .B'0 marked the case ,inactive, in A(ril 2::@, citing caseload (ressure and resource demands& They reo(ened the case some time %efore "arch 2::A and returned evidence to Galle8o (olice for additional 0NA testing& The case also remains o(en in other 8urisdictions& Arthur Leigh Allen Main article% Arthur -eigh Allen Though many (eo(le have %een sus(ected of %eing Jodiac through the years, only one, Arthur Leigh Allen (0ecem%er 1$, 1#66 > August 2=, 1##2!, was seriously investigated& +n 3uly 1#A1, a friend of Allen*s re(orted his sus(icions a%out him to the "anhattan Beach 'olice 0e(artment, and the re(ort was forwarded to the .B'0& 9hen )uestioned later, Allen claimed without (rom(ting that the %loody knives he had in his car the day of the Lake Berryessa attack had %een used to kill chickens& 9hen asked if he had read )he Most &angerous /a e, Allen re(lied that he had and said it had made an im(ression on him& This interested the (olice, as the @:$> character ci(her a((ears to reference that short story& Allen was the only sus(ect in the case whom (olice had enough evidence against to execute not 8ust one, %ut three search warrants5 on .e(tem%er 1@, 1#A2< Be%ruary 1@, 1##1< and August 2$, 1##2, two days after he died& Allen denied his guilt in interviews, %ut there was much circumstantial evidence against him&

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'olice found no (hysical evidence to (rove that Allen was the Jodiac Eiller, and the Galle8o 'olice 0e(artment chose not to (ress charges against Allen, even though he was a convicted sex offender and wea(ons and ex(losive com(onents were found in his home following the 1##1 search& ?ltimately, Allen*s handwriting did not match the Jodiac*s, his finger(rints did not match those sus(ected to %e Jodiac*s, no concrete evidence linking him to the Jodiac killings was ever found, and recent 0NA testing on sus(ected Jodiac letters in 2::2 did not (rovide a match& /owever, neither Galle8o nor .B'0 ruled Allen out after the test results& +he /odiac in popular culture

&ovies )he 4odiac .iller, directed %y Tom /anson and starring /al 4eed and Bo% 3ones, was released on A(ril =, 1#A1& &irt' (arr', starring 1lint ;astwood, was filmed in .an Brancisco and released on 0ecem%er 26, 1#A1& +n the movie, which is very loosely %ased on the Jodiac case, the killer ((layed %y Andrew 4o%inson!, who calls himself ,.cor(io,, at certain (oints he sends intimidating letters, with the handwriting %ased on the real life killer*s and kidna(s a school %us full of children and threatens to kill them all& The , emini Eiller, in the movie )he +,orcist """, released on August 1A, 1##:, was also loosely %ased on the Jodiac killer& ;dward 3ames Olmos starred in )he -i bic Region, an /BO movie first shown on 3une 6:, 1##=< it is %ased on 4o%ert raysmith*s 1#$= %ook, 4odiac& +n 2:::, a short film entitled &isguised .iller was (roduced in Galle8o< set in the (resent, it is %ased on the Lake /erman 4oad murders and has a Bili(ino cast&
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4odiac .iller, a digitally recorded movie %y ?lli Lommel, is a%out a cat>and>mouse game %etween the real Jodiac and a young co(ycat in 2::2 Los Angeles& +t was first shown at the Bearless Tales enre Best in .an Brancisco on "arch 6:, 2::7& )he 4odiac, directed %y Alex Bulkley, is a%out a fictional detective in Galle8o o%sessed with investigating the real Jodiac& +n the ?nited .tates, it o(ened on "arch 1A, 2::=, on 1: screens, one of which was in Galle8o, less than a mile and a half from Blue 4ock .(rings where 0arlene Berrin was murdered& The most recent film a%out the Jodiac case is 4odiac5 directed %y 0avid Bincher& The film is %ased on the two non>fiction %ooks %y 4o%ert raysmith5 4odiac and 4odiac 1n asked% )he "dentit' of A erica6s Most +lusive $erial .iller& Bilming locations included .an Brancisco and Los Angeles, and it o(ened in theaters nationwide on "arch 2, 2::A& +t stars 3ake yllenhaal as raysmith, 4o%ert 0owney 3r as Avery, "ark 4uffalo as Toschi, Brian 1ox as Belli, and 3ohn 1arroll Lynch as Allen& +n one shot of the theatrical trailer for the u(coming 3ulie Taymor film, ,Across the ?niverse,, one of The Jodiac Eiller*s codes is shown as a (oster hanging on a wall&

Television +n the second season of the .an Brancisco co( show #ash Bridges in 1##= 0on 3ohnson (olice ins(esctor is in the hunt for killer co(ying the Jodiac murders& ,The Jodiac, e(isode ends with the real Jodiac making a taunting (hone call to Bridges& The serial killer in the ,The "ikado,, a 1##$ e(isode from the TG series Millenniu , is %ased directly on the Jodiac&
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The Jodiac Eiller was given a full feature e(isode on A erica6s Most Wanted n Be%ruary 27, 2::A, which included full accounts of all canonical killings& A segment was aired on the now>syndicated show 1nsolved M'steries, ex(loring a (ossi%le link %etween Jodiac and the ?na%om%er, Ted Eac-ynski& ;(isode 71 of Cold Case Files, hosted %y Bill Eurtis, examines the crimes of the Jodiac Eiller& Novels

There have %een a handful of novels either a%out the Jodiac Eiller or %ased on him5

The first was )he 4odiac .iller% $till At -arge in 1#AA %y 1liff .mith 3r& 3erry 9eissman wrote )he 4odiac .iller in 1#A#& The 1#$6 novel -egion (which was filmed as ;xorcist 6, see a%ove!, %y 9illiam 'eter Blatty, features a killer %ased on the Jodiac& 1riminal (rofiler "ichael Eelleher wrote $uspect 4ero, a 2::6 novel a%out the .anta 4osa coed murders, %elieved %y some to %e the work of the Jodiac& 0avid Baldacci*s 2::@ novel (our /a e features a villain who %ases his murders on the Jodiac killer*s "&O&, %ut claims that he isn*t a co(ycat& The 1anadian novel !lagiaris features a cha(ter where a character dresses as the Jodiac Eiller at school& The novel is set in a fictional town in 1alifornia& (raphic novels

The Jodiac has a((eared in gra(hic novels, comic stories, and a trading card set5

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.teven Briel wrote and illustrated ,The Jodiac, in .iller .o i,, a ?E (u%lication, in 1##2& 3ack /erman and Earen /erman wrote and ;d Muin%y illustrated ,The Jodiac,, %ased on raysmith*s 4odiac< it a((eared in !s'cho .illers M7"7A7 $pecial, Golume 1, Q 2, in 1##2& ,The Jodiac Eiller, was card Q $6 in the 1##2 trading card series, )rue Cri e $eries )wo% $erial .illers 8 Mass Murderers& &usic

'o(ular music grou(s have (aid tri%ute to the Jodiac murders in %oth name and song5 Jodiac Eillers released the 10 $corpio Rising in 1##2& The Jodiac Eillers, a .an Brancisco (unk %and, released )he Most )hrilling +,perience in 1###& /i( ho( artist The Jodiac (real name Brent 9hiting! released two 10s featuring songs a%out the Jodiac Eiller in 2::=& 0eath "etal grou( "aca%re have a song entitled ,Jodiac, on their .inister .laughter al%um, the lyrics of which are taken largely from the Jodiac letters& 3a(anese /orror>'unk %and Bal-ac has released a 2::A 10 in ermany called ,'aranoid 0ream of the Jodiac,< the songs titles show connections to the Jodiac cases and murders& 9isconsin %ased industrial>metal ;lectric /ellfire 1lu% have a track entitled ,This is the Jodiac, on their 2::2 release +lectrono icon which makes several references to the Jodiac*s letters&

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"achine /ead song Blood of the 4odiac from their 1##A *The "ore Things 1hange* al%um is ins(ired %y the Jodiac Eiller 'leasure Borever, a .an Brancisco %ased ca%aret>rock %and, released a song on their "ay =, 2::6 al%um, Alter, entitled ,)his is the 4odiac $peaking,& The song contains many references to the Jodiac killer*s letters, with a chorus that rings with the line ,)his is the 4odiac speaking,&

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