"Mysteries at the Museum" Zodiac Killer: Mysteries at the Museum Specials

1 00:00:01,634 --> 00:00:02,435 WILDMAN: I'm on the hunt for one of America's 2 00:00:02,502 --> 00:00:05,405 most infamous serial killers. 3 00:00:05,472 --> 00:00:07,741 In the late '60s, early '70s, a man known 4 00:00:07,807 --> 00:00:11,778 only as the Zodiac stalked San Francisco and the Bay Area, 5 00:00:11,845 --> 00:00:14,481 picking off innocent victims as if it were sport. 6 00:00:16,883 --> 00:00:20,620 The Zodiac was never caught or identified. 7 00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:22,355 But now, for the first time ever, 8 00:00:22,422 --> 00:00:27,093 we may finally have the evidence that unveils his true identity. 9 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:28,895 How dependable is this? 10 00:00:28,962 --> 00:00:30,730 It's extremely dependable. 11 00:00:30,797 --> 00:00:35,168 This guy is a pathological, psycho killer. 12 00:00:35,235 --> 00:00:36,870 From the brutal crime scenes... 13 00:00:36,936 --> 00:00:39,239 He suddenly pulls out a foot-long knife. 14 00:00:39,305 --> 00:00:41,508 ...to the cryptic letters he sent to the press... 15 00:00:41,574 --> 00:00:43,943 This is really why the Zodiac continues 16 00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:45,578 to haunt people, isn't it? 17 00:00:45,645 --> 00:00:47,914 I want to understand how this madman 18 00:00:47,981 --> 00:00:50,050 escaped police for so long, 19 00:00:50,116 --> 00:00:52,185 and with the help of new technology, 20 00:00:52,252 --> 00:00:56,723 address the question that's been haunting America for 50 years. 21 00:00:56,790 --> 00:00:59,759 Who's the real Zodiac killer? 22 00:00:59,826 --> 00:01:01,327 I'm Don Wildman. 23 00:01:01,394 --> 00:01:03,830 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 24 00:01:03,897 --> 00:01:06,766 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 25 00:01:06,833 --> 00:01:08,268 That is unbelievable. 26 00:01:08,335 --> 00:01:11,471 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 27 00:01:11,538 --> 00:01:14,908 and famous cases in history. 28 00:01:14,974 --> 00:01:16,509 My goal: to get closer to the truth... 29 00:01:16,576 --> 00:01:19,412 Let's burn this place down. Let's burn it down. 30 00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:21,214 ...on this special episode of 31 00:01:21,281 --> 00:01:25,752 "Mysteries at the Museum: Zodiac Killer." 32 00:01:29,789 --> 00:01:32,092 San Francisco, 1968, 33 00:01:32,158 --> 00:01:34,761 was the epicenter of the counterculture movement: 34 00:01:34,828 --> 00:01:37,430 hippies, psychedelic music and protests 35 00:01:37,497 --> 00:01:41,768 against the war in Vietnam, but as '68 drew to a close, 36 00:01:41,835 --> 00:01:45,505 that idealism was rocked to its core by a lone killer 37 00:01:45,572 --> 00:01:47,741 who made the Bay Area his hunting ground. 38 00:01:51,111 --> 00:01:54,180 He's one of America's first serial killers, 39 00:01:54,247 --> 00:01:57,350 who called himself the Zodiac. 40 00:01:57,417 --> 00:02:00,353 In just 10 months, he killed five people, 41 00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:04,024 though many believe the number is much higher. 42 00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:08,695 He used guns, knives, even wore elaborate costumes. 43 00:02:08,762 --> 00:02:11,197 Through cryptic letters, he challenged police, 44 00:02:11,264 --> 00:02:12,932 claiming he'd never be caught. 45 00:02:12,999 --> 00:02:17,971 There were hundreds of suspects, but not one arrest. 46 00:02:18,038 --> 00:02:20,607 And just as his crimes became national news, 47 00:02:20,674 --> 00:02:24,844 the murders suddenly stopped, or did they? 48 00:02:28,014 --> 00:02:30,250 What happened to the Zodiac? 49 00:02:30,316 --> 00:02:35,255 Is he even alive, and how close are authorities to catching him? 50 00:02:38,758 --> 00:02:42,629 The best place to begin this journey is where it all started, 51 00:02:42,696 --> 00:02:44,230 the scene of the first crime. 52 00:02:51,371 --> 00:02:54,607 On the night of December 20th, 1968, 53 00:02:54,674 --> 00:02:57,711 just a few days before Christmas, 54 00:02:57,777 --> 00:02:59,746 Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday, 55 00:02:59,813 --> 00:03:01,581 two high school students, 56 00:03:01,648 --> 00:03:04,951 drove to a turnout on the Lake Herman Road in Benecia, 57 00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:06,886 a quiet community in the Bay Area. 58 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:15,528 How you doing, Mark? Good evening, Don. 59 00:03:15,595 --> 00:03:18,732 Mark Hewitt has written three books about the Zodiac. 60 00:03:18,798 --> 00:03:20,867 In his latest, Mark finally reveals 61 00:03:20,934 --> 00:03:22,769 who he believes is the killer. 62 00:03:22,836 --> 00:03:25,271 For Mark, the Zodiac is an obsession, 63 00:03:25,338 --> 00:03:28,241 and he knows almost every detail about the case. 64 00:03:28,308 --> 00:03:30,577 They were just two kids sitting in a car. 65 00:03:30,643 --> 00:03:35,715 Two normal teenagers, it was Betty Lou's first date ever. 66 00:03:35,782 --> 00:03:39,619 They'd been going together for about two weeks. 67 00:03:39,686 --> 00:03:43,890 At approximately 11:15 p.m., a woman and two passengers 68 00:03:43,957 --> 00:03:46,493 drove past the Lake Herman Road turnout 69 00:03:46,559 --> 00:03:48,762 when they noticed something suspicious. 70 00:03:51,164 --> 00:03:54,334 They saw a station wagon with the passenger door open, 71 00:03:54,401 --> 00:03:57,804 with a young man fallen out on the ground in front of it. 72 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,276 David was collapsed with a bullet to the head. 73 00:04:03,343 --> 00:04:04,477 Okay. 74 00:04:04,544 --> 00:04:07,013 And Betty Lou apparently ran from the scene 75 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:08,815 and had five bullets in her back. 76 00:04:14,854 --> 00:04:17,657 This is a completely strange situation 77 00:04:17,724 --> 00:04:18,758 for this part of the country. 78 00:04:18,825 --> 00:04:20,126 Oh, totally. Yeah. 79 00:04:20,193 --> 00:04:22,762 This is a very quiet community, a very safe community. 80 00:04:22,829 --> 00:04:24,464 As far as the police were concerned, 81 00:04:24,531 --> 00:04:27,467 two innocent kids were shot for no reason at all 82 00:04:27,534 --> 00:04:30,103 in the middle of the dark, just having a date. 83 00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:31,438 It was a complete mystery. 84 00:04:34,908 --> 00:04:38,345 The hunt for a killer had begun. 85 00:04:38,411 --> 00:04:40,680 The only clues detectives had to go on 86 00:04:40,747 --> 00:04:44,084 were 10 shell casings from a .22-caliber handgun. 87 00:04:48,321 --> 00:04:52,125 Check it out, graffiti with the Zodiac sign right there. 88 00:04:52,192 --> 00:04:54,227 I mean, very creepy. 89 00:04:54,294 --> 00:04:57,130 Ultimately this is, you know, this scene is very sad, 90 00:04:57,197 --> 00:05:00,467 a random act of senseless violence. 91 00:05:00,533 --> 00:05:01,401 They don't know it. 92 00:05:01,468 --> 00:05:03,003 This community doesn't know it, 93 00:05:03,069 --> 00:05:04,704 but they are a part of something very big. 94 00:05:09,209 --> 00:05:13,413 July 4th, 1969 -- Vallejo, California. 95 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,915 Darlene Ferrin, a 22-year-old mother, 96 00:05:15,982 --> 00:05:20,820 and Michael Mageau, just 19, head out to buy fireworks. 97 00:05:20,887 --> 00:05:24,190 The couple makes a stop at Blue Rock Springs Park, 98 00:05:24,257 --> 00:05:27,727 just four miles from the scene of the first murder. 99 00:05:27,794 --> 00:05:29,062 What happens? 100 00:05:29,129 --> 00:05:30,530 Car pulls up behind them. 101 00:05:34,534 --> 00:05:36,736 The person got out of the car, 102 00:05:36,803 --> 00:05:39,506 walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle 103 00:05:39,572 --> 00:05:41,374 where Mike Mageau was sitting... Okay. 104 00:05:41,441 --> 00:05:44,911 ...and without any conversation between them, 105 00:05:44,978 --> 00:05:46,579 began firing at the two. 106 00:05:52,018 --> 00:05:54,688 He shot Mike Mageau twice, 107 00:05:54,754 --> 00:05:56,990 and then Darlene Ferrin several times, 108 00:05:57,057 --> 00:05:58,058 at least three times. 109 00:05:58,124 --> 00:05:59,592 Okay. 110 00:05:59,659 --> 00:06:02,829 Mike Mageau yelled out at that time, 111 00:06:02,896 --> 00:06:06,766 either in pain or calling out for help. 112 00:06:06,833 --> 00:06:09,569 The assailant heard the cry 113 00:06:09,636 --> 00:06:11,404 and returned to the window... Wow. 114 00:06:11,471 --> 00:06:13,273 ...and shot each of them twice more. 115 00:06:13,340 --> 00:06:16,142 Wow. 116 00:06:16,209 --> 00:06:18,545 Darlene died at the hospital, 117 00:06:18,611 --> 00:06:21,181 but Mike Mageau miraculously survived. 118 00:06:24,084 --> 00:06:25,985 So tell me what Mageau said about the guy. 119 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:27,454 What did he describe him as? 120 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,924 Unfortunately, Mike Mageau only saw from the profile. 121 00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:34,227 He was stocky, a blue shirt on... 122 00:06:34,294 --> 00:06:35,261 Yeah. 123 00:06:35,328 --> 00:06:37,130 ...had a large face. 124 00:06:37,197 --> 00:06:38,898 About what age, could he tell? 125 00:06:38,965 --> 00:06:41,835 He guessed late 20s. 126 00:06:41,901 --> 00:06:44,637 Though the crimes were similar in nature, 127 00:06:44,704 --> 00:06:47,474 police discovered that the weapon used in this murder 128 00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:51,277 wasn't a .22, like the one used at Lake Herman Road, 129 00:06:51,344 --> 00:06:54,581 but instead a 9mm. 130 00:06:54,647 --> 00:06:57,784 Could these two murders be linked? 131 00:06:57,851 --> 00:06:59,953 Detectives were about to find out. 132 00:07:02,422 --> 00:07:04,524 Approximately 40 minutes later, 133 00:07:04,591 --> 00:07:07,093 a man called into the Vallejo Police Department 134 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,663 and took credit for the murder, but that's not all. 135 00:07:12,665 --> 00:07:15,435 He also took credit for the murder of David Faraday 136 00:07:15,502 --> 00:07:18,004 and Betty Lou Jensen 6 months prior. 137 00:07:21,007 --> 00:07:23,810 According to the police dispatcher's account, 138 00:07:23,877 --> 00:07:26,446 the call went as follows. 139 00:07:26,513 --> 00:07:28,748 MAN: I want to report a murder. 140 00:07:28,815 --> 00:07:31,518 If you go one mile east on Columbus Parkway, 141 00:07:31,584 --> 00:07:33,687 you will find kids in a brown car. 142 00:07:33,753 --> 00:07:36,656 They were shot with a 9mm Luger. 143 00:07:36,723 --> 00:07:39,426 I also killed those kids last year. 144 00:07:39,492 --> 00:07:40,894 Goodbye. 145 00:07:44,831 --> 00:07:47,901 WILDMAN: The Vallejo community went into a state of panic. 146 00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:50,170 We have no motive at this time. 147 00:07:50,236 --> 00:07:53,573 This was no longer an isolated act of violence, 148 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:58,078 but the handiwork of a new type of killer: 149 00:07:58,144 --> 00:07:59,813 a serial killer. 150 00:07:59,879 --> 00:08:02,415 And things would get a lot stranger a month later 151 00:08:02,482 --> 00:08:05,251 when a letter arrived. 152 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:10,423 Three local newspapers all received a similar letter. 153 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:12,025 The sender? 154 00:08:12,092 --> 00:08:15,195 The man claiming responsibility for the murders. 155 00:08:15,261 --> 00:08:18,031 He signed off with a crosshair symbol 156 00:08:18,098 --> 00:08:22,836 and would call himself the Zodiac. 157 00:08:22,902 --> 00:08:25,038 Details that only the murderer would know 158 00:08:25,105 --> 00:08:27,107 were included in the letters, 159 00:08:27,173 --> 00:08:30,276 along with a cipher, or coded message, 160 00:08:30,343 --> 00:08:33,713 made up of different letters and symbols. 161 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:37,384 The killer then made a chilling threat. 162 00:08:37,450 --> 00:08:41,221 The newspapers were to publish the letters and the code, 163 00:08:41,287 --> 00:08:45,325 or he warned he'd go on a killing rampage. 164 00:08:45,392 --> 00:08:48,528 He also wrote, "If you can figure out the cipher, 165 00:08:48,595 --> 00:08:51,965 you will learn my identity." 166 00:08:52,032 --> 00:08:53,466 The papers complied, 167 00:08:53,533 --> 00:08:55,535 and one of the creepiest cat-and-mouse games 168 00:08:55,602 --> 00:08:58,438 to catch the killer was officially underway. 169 00:09:02,475 --> 00:09:04,644 "I like killing people." 170 00:09:04,711 --> 00:09:06,112 This is the real Zodiac. 171 00:09:06,179 --> 00:09:07,814 This is the level of cunning we're dealing with. 172 00:09:07,881 --> 00:09:09,816 So what did the ciphers mean, 173 00:09:09,883 --> 00:09:12,252 and can we crack the complex code 174 00:09:12,318 --> 00:09:14,254 that could lead to the killer's identity? 175 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,296 WILDMAN: Who is the Zodiac Killer? 176 00:09:23,363 --> 00:09:25,598 This question has stumped investigators 177 00:09:25,665 --> 00:09:27,767 for nearly 50 years, 178 00:09:27,834 --> 00:09:29,502 but will we ever learn the answer? 179 00:09:32,872 --> 00:09:36,276 After a second attack in July 1969, 180 00:09:36,343 --> 00:09:38,111 the Zodiac sent a series of letters 181 00:09:38,178 --> 00:09:42,015 to several newspapers in the Bay Area. 182 00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:44,551 Within the letters were details about the crimes, 183 00:09:44,617 --> 00:09:46,519 as well as a cipher, 184 00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:50,290 a coded message made up of letters and symbols. 185 00:09:50,357 --> 00:09:52,992 The killer demanded that each newspaper publish 186 00:09:53,059 --> 00:09:56,796 the letter and the cipher or he'd go on a killing spree. 187 00:09:59,532 --> 00:10:02,769 The Zodiac also wrote that his identity was hidden 188 00:10:02,836 --> 00:10:04,237 within the cipher. 189 00:10:08,208 --> 00:10:10,610 David Oranchak is a renowned cryptographer 190 00:10:10,677 --> 00:10:15,148 and has studied the Zodiac ciphers for over 10 years. 191 00:10:15,215 --> 00:10:18,118 So how many ciphers did the Zodiac produce? 192 00:10:18,184 --> 00:10:19,919 Zodiac sent out four different ciphers. 193 00:10:19,986 --> 00:10:20,920 Okay. 194 00:10:20,987 --> 00:10:22,389 Where do ciphers come from, 195 00:10:22,455 --> 00:10:24,624 and what's the idea of these things? 196 00:10:24,691 --> 00:10:26,359 Well, the idea is you have a message, 197 00:10:26,426 --> 00:10:29,329 and you want to hide it from somebody who might 198 00:10:29,396 --> 00:10:30,697 get ahold of the message. Okay. 199 00:10:30,764 --> 00:10:33,233 So when they pick up the message, 200 00:10:33,299 --> 00:10:34,401 they can't tell what it says. 201 00:10:34,467 --> 00:10:37,671 So this is how messaging in military and espionage 202 00:10:37,737 --> 00:10:39,105 has been done forever. 203 00:10:39,172 --> 00:10:40,507 For a very long time, thousands of years. 204 00:10:40,573 --> 00:10:41,875 Thousands of years even? Thousands of years. 205 00:10:41,941 --> 00:10:43,810 Wow. For example, the ancient Greeks 206 00:10:43,877 --> 00:10:46,646 would tattoo a message on a slave's head 207 00:10:46,713 --> 00:10:47,881 and then wait for the hair to grow in 208 00:10:47,947 --> 00:10:49,949 and send him off somewhere... Wow. 209 00:10:50,016 --> 00:10:51,051 ...and then they would shave the head, 210 00:10:51,117 --> 00:10:52,485 and there's your message. 211 00:10:52,552 --> 00:10:55,088 So the Zodiac was tapping into an old technique 212 00:10:55,155 --> 00:10:58,625 for cloaking his message within a code, 213 00:10:58,692 --> 00:11:01,428 in order to do what, to play with the police? 214 00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:03,630 I think that's the primary reason for him doing that, 215 00:11:03,697 --> 00:11:05,031 was to play with the police. 216 00:11:05,098 --> 00:11:06,399 Not only the police, but the public, 217 00:11:06,466 --> 00:11:08,368 because he was trying to get the newspapers 218 00:11:08,435 --> 00:11:09,602 to publish the ciphers. 219 00:11:09,669 --> 00:11:10,970 Okay. 220 00:11:11,037 --> 00:11:14,407 The first cipher the Zodiac sent was called Z-408, 221 00:11:14,474 --> 00:11:17,811 which is based on the number of characters in the message. 222 00:11:17,877 --> 00:11:20,280 In this case, 408. 223 00:11:20,347 --> 00:11:23,116 So give me the basics. How does a cipher work? 224 00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:24,984 One way to do this is to use what's known 225 00:11:25,051 --> 00:11:27,153 as a substitution cipher 226 00:11:27,220 --> 00:11:29,389 which is basically you just take an alphabet, 227 00:11:29,456 --> 00:11:31,524 and you shift it a number of positions. 228 00:11:31,591 --> 00:11:33,593 Okay. Instead of starting at A, B, C, 229 00:11:33,660 --> 00:11:37,197 you started at D, D, E, F, G. 230 00:11:37,263 --> 00:11:40,233 To figure out any cipher, the reader must first determine 231 00:11:40,300 --> 00:11:42,769 the key, which is the set of rules 232 00:11:42,836 --> 00:11:45,205 required to translate the message. 233 00:11:45,271 --> 00:11:47,974 And the key tells you which letters you're going to use 234 00:11:48,041 --> 00:11:52,112 to substitute for the different letters in your message. 235 00:11:52,178 --> 00:11:55,849 For example, if the message was Zodiac and the alphabet key 236 00:11:55,915 --> 00:11:59,252 started with the letter D instead of A, 237 00:11:59,319 --> 00:12:03,890 then the coded would be C, R, G, L, D, F. 238 00:12:08,728 --> 00:12:12,365 The 408 cipher included not only the alphabet 239 00:12:12,432 --> 00:12:14,634 but also different symbols, 240 00:12:14,701 --> 00:12:17,137 making it even more confusing to the untrained eye. 241 00:12:21,107 --> 00:12:23,410 But it took only two days for schoolteacher 242 00:12:23,476 --> 00:12:28,448 Donald Harden and his wife Bettye June to solve it. 243 00:12:28,515 --> 00:12:30,417 The message the Hardens came up with, 244 00:12:30,483 --> 00:12:34,254 which was verified by the FBI and the CIA, says, 245 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,791 "I like killing people because it is so much fun. 246 00:12:37,857 --> 00:12:41,695 It is more fun than killing wild game in the forest." 247 00:12:41,761 --> 00:12:44,631 It also said that his victims will become his slaves 248 00:12:44,698 --> 00:12:47,033 when he is reborn in paradise. 249 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:50,103 What's not in the message is the killer's identity. 250 00:12:53,573 --> 00:12:55,008 Didn't he also say that, 251 00:12:55,075 --> 00:12:58,311 within this cipher he would identify his name? 252 00:12:58,378 --> 00:13:00,413 We would know who he was. 253 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,515 He said you would have my identity, 254 00:13:02,582 --> 00:13:03,783 but what it turned out... 255 00:13:03,850 --> 00:13:05,118 What the answer turned out to say 256 00:13:05,185 --> 00:13:07,721 was more of him talking about why he kills. 257 00:13:07,787 --> 00:13:10,924 So there's no way there's a hidden name in here somewhere? 258 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:12,192 That we know of. 259 00:13:12,258 --> 00:13:14,828 So the school teachers figured this out? 260 00:13:14,894 --> 00:13:17,197 Right. How did they do that? 261 00:13:17,263 --> 00:13:20,300 ORANCHAK: They used some of the clues that they found in the cipher text. 262 00:13:20,367 --> 00:13:23,670 For example, in the English language, the most common letter 263 00:13:23,737 --> 00:13:29,009 that you'll find in any given sample is the letter E. 264 00:13:29,075 --> 00:13:31,411 The letter E happens more than any other letter. 265 00:13:31,478 --> 00:13:32,679 Sure. 266 00:13:32,746 --> 00:13:34,714 So if there's a letter in the cipher text 267 00:13:34,781 --> 00:13:36,916 that's happening more than all the other letters... 268 00:13:36,983 --> 00:13:38,051 Probably an E. 269 00:13:38,118 --> 00:13:39,519 ...it's probably an E. Mm. 270 00:13:39,586 --> 00:13:42,188 And they also found some patterns in the cipher text. 271 00:13:42,255 --> 00:13:45,058 Here's one of the patterns that the Hardens' found: 272 00:13:45,125 --> 00:13:47,260 this square and the B. Yeah. 273 00:13:47,327 --> 00:13:49,062 That happens six times in the cipher text, 274 00:13:49,129 --> 00:13:50,730 so here's a square and a B. 275 00:13:50,797 --> 00:13:53,099 Here's a square and the B, and here's a square and the B. 276 00:13:53,166 --> 00:13:54,501 Oh, interesting. And what's the meaning to it? 277 00:13:54,567 --> 00:13:57,337 And they all happen to stand for the same two Ls. 278 00:13:57,404 --> 00:13:59,139 And so that's a big clue that they found. 279 00:13:59,205 --> 00:14:00,807 It's almost like he wanted them to found that 280 00:14:00,874 --> 00:14:05,612 because it's the word killing, kill. 281 00:14:08,615 --> 00:14:10,283 WILDMAN: This is the first cipher. 282 00:14:10,350 --> 00:14:12,652 This is called the 408? That's right. 283 00:14:12,719 --> 00:14:14,354 Okay, so what about the 340? 284 00:14:14,421 --> 00:14:17,023 That's the one that they haven't figured out. 285 00:14:17,090 --> 00:14:21,161 The Zodiac's second cipher consists of 340 characters 286 00:14:21,227 --> 00:14:23,296 and has baffled cryptographers 287 00:14:23,363 --> 00:14:26,499 since it was first published in 1969. 288 00:14:26,566 --> 00:14:29,969 If David and I have any chance of decoding this message, 289 00:14:30,036 --> 00:14:32,038 we'll need to figure out the key, 290 00:14:32,105 --> 00:14:34,908 which no one has ever been able to do. 291 00:14:34,974 --> 00:14:37,310 Why is this so hard to figure out? 292 00:14:37,377 --> 00:14:39,446 Well, one thing he did was he added even more symbols. 293 00:14:39,512 --> 00:14:43,350 So the 408 has 54 different symbols in it... 294 00:14:43,416 --> 00:14:44,484 Yeah? ...in the key. 295 00:14:44,551 --> 00:14:46,252 This one has 63. All right. 296 00:14:46,319 --> 00:14:48,588 So he added even more symbols. 297 00:14:48,655 --> 00:14:51,591 Dozens of people have come forward with solutions, 298 00:14:51,658 --> 00:14:54,361 but to this day, the message has not been deciphered. 299 00:14:58,498 --> 00:15:00,500 Do you have any of your own ideas here? 300 00:15:00,567 --> 00:15:03,570 I mean, you've been looking at this for a long time. 301 00:15:03,636 --> 00:15:05,872 What are you seeing in this? 302 00:15:05,939 --> 00:15:08,708 I think maybe Zodiac added some other steps. 303 00:15:08,775 --> 00:15:10,710 Maybe he wrote it in different directions. 304 00:15:10,777 --> 00:15:11,978 Maybe there's no message at all, 305 00:15:12,045 --> 00:15:13,246 and he's just messing with people. 306 00:15:13,313 --> 00:15:14,481 Hmm. 307 00:15:14,547 --> 00:15:16,416 This is really why the Zodiac continues 308 00:15:16,483 --> 00:15:17,851 to haunt people, isn't it? Yeah. 309 00:15:17,917 --> 00:15:20,020 Because this is how smart this guy really is, 310 00:15:20,086 --> 00:15:22,622 and this is him really demonstrating 311 00:15:22,689 --> 00:15:24,491 that he's toying with us. 312 00:15:28,795 --> 00:15:31,131 While work on the ciphers continues, 313 00:15:31,197 --> 00:15:34,567 the physical investigation yields new evidence. 314 00:15:34,634 --> 00:15:36,336 Evidence found at the scene? 315 00:15:36,403 --> 00:15:37,771 Fingerprints, evidence. 316 00:15:37,837 --> 00:15:40,206 You found a fingerprint? Yeah, bloody fingerprints. 317 00:15:40,273 --> 00:15:43,209 And author Mark Hewitt reveals who he believes 318 00:15:43,276 --> 00:15:46,546 is America's most notorious serial killer. 319 00:15:46,613 --> 00:15:48,581 Do you know who the Zodiac is? 320 00:15:48,648 --> 00:15:50,684 My research points to one individual. 321 00:15:56,189 --> 00:16:00,894 WILDMAN: In the summer of 1969, a man calling himself the Zodiac 322 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,864 took credit for shooting two couples outside San Francisco 323 00:16:04,931 --> 00:16:07,434 while they sat parked in lovers' lanes. 324 00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:10,170 To prove it, the killer sent letters to the press 325 00:16:10,236 --> 00:16:12,505 with details about the crime. 326 00:16:12,572 --> 00:16:15,875 Police had no viable suspects. 327 00:16:15,942 --> 00:16:20,013 With the killer still at large, the Bay Area went on high alert. 328 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:23,183 Young couples were warned not to go out at night 329 00:16:23,249 --> 00:16:26,753 since that's when the Zodiac was targeting his victims, 330 00:16:26,820 --> 00:16:30,623 but that pattern was about to change. 331 00:16:30,690 --> 00:16:32,092 I'm in Napa, California, 332 00:16:32,158 --> 00:16:35,628 about 45 miles from the scene of the first shootings, 333 00:16:35,695 --> 00:16:38,231 on my way to a place called Lake Berryessa. 334 00:16:38,298 --> 00:16:41,634 Back on September 27th, 1969, 335 00:16:41,701 --> 00:16:44,304 a pair of college students named Bryan Hartnell 336 00:16:44,371 --> 00:16:47,207 and Cecelia Shepard would head to this place 337 00:16:47,273 --> 00:16:50,043 to enjoy an idyllic afternoon picnic. 338 00:16:50,110 --> 00:16:53,079 They had no idea they would find themselves in the crosshairs 339 00:16:53,146 --> 00:16:55,415 of the most feared person in Northern California. 340 00:17:03,223 --> 00:17:05,992 Again, I've asked Zodiac expert Mark Hewitt 341 00:17:06,059 --> 00:17:08,928 to show me the exact spot where Bryan and Cecelia 342 00:17:08,995 --> 00:17:12,365 would come face-to-face with evil. 343 00:17:12,432 --> 00:17:15,802 HEWITT: News of the Zodiac hadn't really spread up to this area. 344 00:17:15,869 --> 00:17:18,204 This is a long way from San Francisco. 345 00:17:22,742 --> 00:17:24,944 WILDMAN: When do they first see him? 346 00:17:25,011 --> 00:17:27,147 Cecelia notices him behind her. 347 00:17:30,517 --> 00:17:33,286 As the man was coming closer, he ducked behind a tree. 348 00:17:33,353 --> 00:17:35,221 Okay. 349 00:17:35,288 --> 00:17:38,458 When he emerged, the man was wearing a hooded mask 350 00:17:38,525 --> 00:17:41,494 and a bib covering his body. 351 00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:44,898 Across his chest was the Zodiac symbol, 352 00:17:44,964 --> 00:17:47,300 and he was holding a gun. 353 00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:48,368 What happens then? 354 00:17:48,435 --> 00:17:50,003 He gives Cecelia some precut lengths 355 00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:51,404 of clothesline... Okay. 356 00:17:51,471 --> 00:17:53,707 ...and tells her to tie up Bryan. 357 00:17:53,773 --> 00:17:55,075 Then he ties her up. 358 00:17:55,141 --> 00:17:56,276 Then he ties up their legs 359 00:17:56,343 --> 00:17:57,677 and has them lie down on their stomachs. 360 00:17:57,744 --> 00:17:59,212 Okay. 361 00:17:59,279 --> 00:18:00,747 With the couple hogtied, 362 00:18:00,814 --> 00:18:03,483 the gunman initiates a conversation. 363 00:18:03,550 --> 00:18:06,052 Well, he told them that he was an escaped convict 364 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,254 from a prison in Montana, 365 00:18:08,321 --> 00:18:10,757 that he had killed a prison guard. 366 00:18:10,824 --> 00:18:12,392 He said he just wanted their money 367 00:18:12,459 --> 00:18:13,760 and told them to calm down. 368 00:18:13,827 --> 00:18:14,961 Odd that he's talking to them. 369 00:18:15,028 --> 00:18:16,229 This has never happened before. 370 00:18:16,296 --> 00:18:17,230 This is correct. 371 00:18:17,297 --> 00:18:19,332 For the Zodiac, it's a big departure 372 00:18:19,399 --> 00:18:21,267 from what has gone on previously. 373 00:18:21,334 --> 00:18:22,569 Okay. 374 00:18:22,635 --> 00:18:24,771 There had been no prison escape in Montana, 375 00:18:24,838 --> 00:18:28,041 and the Zodiac had no intention of taking the couple's money. 376 00:18:28,108 --> 00:18:29,609 He put the guy away. 377 00:18:29,676 --> 00:18:31,544 The couple thought the attacked was over. 378 00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:34,781 No, at that point, he pulls out a foot-long knife. 379 00:18:36,683 --> 00:18:41,454 He stabs Bryan in the back six times, 380 00:18:41,521 --> 00:18:44,424 and then he moved on to Cecelia who tried to roll away, 381 00:18:44,491 --> 00:18:47,093 and ended up getting stabbed five times in the back 382 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,963 and five times in the front. 383 00:18:50,030 --> 00:18:54,267 Once he had gone and they felt that it was safe to make noise, 384 00:18:54,334 --> 00:18:57,804 then they started to call out across the water. 385 00:18:57,871 --> 00:18:59,973 A fisherman and his son heard the cries 386 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,642 and notified the authorities. 387 00:19:02,709 --> 00:19:07,113 Cecelia died at the hospital, but amazingly Bryan survived. 388 00:19:07,180 --> 00:19:08,548 I did think I was going to die. 389 00:19:08,615 --> 00:19:10,083 But the real concern that I have is 390 00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:11,951 that he doesn't do this again. 391 00:19:12,018 --> 00:19:14,454 WILDMAN: While Bryan heard the killer's voice, 392 00:19:14,521 --> 00:19:15,989 he did not see his face, 393 00:19:16,056 --> 00:19:18,291 making him an unreliable witness. 394 00:19:18,358 --> 00:19:21,027 So in the previous crimes, he uses a gun. That's correct. 395 00:19:21,094 --> 00:19:23,463 He shoots them cold execution style. 396 00:19:23,530 --> 00:19:25,565 That's correct. This is a complete departure... 397 00:19:25,632 --> 00:19:28,068 It is. ...using a 12-inch-long knife. 398 00:19:28,134 --> 00:19:31,404 A knife is a way of killing somebody up close and personal. 399 00:19:31,471 --> 00:19:33,473 It's almost like he's got a character now. 400 00:19:33,540 --> 00:19:36,276 He's got the whole costume, the insignia. 401 00:19:36,343 --> 00:19:38,378 It's as if he's stepped into this role 402 00:19:38,445 --> 00:19:39,979 that he's built for himself. 403 00:19:44,984 --> 00:19:46,353 When police arrived, 404 00:19:46,419 --> 00:19:50,156 they noticed a handwritten note on Bryan's car. 405 00:19:50,223 --> 00:19:52,859 It included the dates of the Vallejo attacks, 406 00:19:52,926 --> 00:19:56,563 the date of this attack and, at the top, the Zodiac symbol. 407 00:19:58,998 --> 00:20:00,900 This is one of the worst things 408 00:20:00,967 --> 00:20:03,903 I ever witnessed for no reason at all. 409 00:20:03,970 --> 00:20:05,071 This is as important to him 410 00:20:05,138 --> 00:20:06,473 as the killing, as far as I can tell. 411 00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:08,775 Communication is as important as the killing. 412 00:20:08,842 --> 00:20:11,044 That's what's disturbing about this guy, 413 00:20:11,111 --> 00:20:12,345 is that he's advertising everything, 414 00:20:12,412 --> 00:20:14,381 that he's describing it, that he's taking credit for it 415 00:20:14,447 --> 00:20:16,683 and that he's taunting everybody. 416 00:20:16,750 --> 00:20:18,685 WILDMAN: One of the only pieces of evidence 417 00:20:18,752 --> 00:20:21,554 find at the scene was a size 10 1/2 418 00:20:21,621 --> 00:20:24,124 shoe print from an Army-style boot 419 00:20:24,190 --> 00:20:26,993 that investigators believe belonged to the killer. 420 00:20:27,060 --> 00:20:28,895 Combined with his use of firearms 421 00:20:28,962 --> 00:20:31,931 and his understanding of ciphers, police conclude 422 00:20:31,998 --> 00:20:36,102 the Zodiac probably had a military background. 423 00:20:36,169 --> 00:20:39,072 About two hours after this vicious attack, 424 00:20:39,139 --> 00:20:40,874 a call came in to the Napa Police 425 00:20:40,940 --> 00:20:43,176 from a man claiming responsibility. 426 00:20:43,243 --> 00:20:45,412 The call was traced to a phone booth 427 00:20:45,478 --> 00:20:48,048 about 4 blocks from the Napa Police Station. 428 00:20:48,114 --> 00:20:49,716 The Zodiac had struck again. 429 00:20:49,783 --> 00:20:51,117 To link the murderer of Celia 430 00:20:51,184 --> 00:20:52,986 Shepard to other murders in the Vallejo area... 431 00:20:53,053 --> 00:20:54,554 WILDMAN: Just like the previous attacks, 432 00:20:54,621 --> 00:20:59,726 the Napa Police had no very few leads and no credible suspects. 433 00:20:59,793 --> 00:21:03,096 Authorities worked diligently to catch this madman, 434 00:21:03,163 --> 00:21:07,934 but as summer turned to fall, no arrests were made. 435 00:21:08,001 --> 00:21:11,604 By October 1969, the Zodiac had taken credit 436 00:21:11,671 --> 00:21:14,607 for attacking six people and killing four of them. 437 00:21:14,674 --> 00:21:16,676 The Bay Area was in a state of shock. 438 00:21:16,743 --> 00:21:17,811 Where would he strike next? 439 00:21:17,877 --> 00:21:19,279 Who would be the next victim? 440 00:21:19,346 --> 00:21:22,015 Would it be another young couple out on a date? 441 00:21:22,082 --> 00:21:24,784 Well, the Zodiac broke his own pattern 442 00:21:24,851 --> 00:21:27,721 when he stopped at this corner right here, 443 00:21:27,787 --> 00:21:31,591 took out a gun, leaned to the driver's side and bang, 444 00:21:31,658 --> 00:21:32,892 shot the guy dead. 445 00:21:37,597 --> 00:21:40,934 The victim was 29-year-old Paul Stine. 446 00:21:41,001 --> 00:21:44,371 Recently married, Stine was moonlighting as a cab driver 447 00:21:44,437 --> 00:21:47,007 to help pay his way through graduate school. 448 00:21:47,073 --> 00:21:48,208 Vince? 449 00:21:48,274 --> 00:21:49,976 Vince Repetto is a retired inspector 450 00:21:50,043 --> 00:21:51,611 with the San Francisco PD 451 00:21:51,678 --> 00:21:55,215 who worked the Zodiac murders in the mid-'90s. 452 00:21:55,281 --> 00:21:57,283 So this is the site of the cab murder, Paul Stine? 453 00:21:57,350 --> 00:21:59,185 Yes, it is. Right there, the cab was parked 454 00:21:59,252 --> 00:22:01,654 right over there, Cherry and Washington. 455 00:22:01,721 --> 00:22:04,224 Stine picked up his killer in the Theater District 456 00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:06,593 and drove him to Presidio Heights, 457 00:22:06,659 --> 00:22:10,063 one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in San Francisco. 458 00:22:10,130 --> 00:22:12,699 At that time, did anybody see what went on? 459 00:22:12,766 --> 00:22:16,036 Yeah, three kids who were in this house across the street. 460 00:22:16,102 --> 00:22:17,537 What do they see? 461 00:22:17,604 --> 00:22:20,807 Well, they see what they think is the cab driver being stabbed, 462 00:22:20,874 --> 00:22:25,345 but it's actually Paul Stine having his shirt cut off. 463 00:22:25,412 --> 00:22:26,579 Weird. 464 00:22:26,646 --> 00:22:28,915 So they saw his face and everything? 465 00:22:28,982 --> 00:22:31,317 Yeah. And they were able to give a physical description? 466 00:22:31,384 --> 00:22:33,086 They gave a description. 467 00:22:33,153 --> 00:22:35,822 He's a white male, and he was wearing heavy glasses, 468 00:22:35,889 --> 00:22:39,559 and then they later worked with a police sketch artist 469 00:22:39,626 --> 00:22:41,594 to come up with a composite drawing. 470 00:22:41,661 --> 00:22:43,296 Police finally had witnesses 471 00:22:43,363 --> 00:22:45,865 who got a clear look at the killer's face. 472 00:22:45,932 --> 00:22:47,834 They immediately release the sketch, 473 00:22:47,901 --> 00:22:50,737 but none of their suspects match the rendering. 474 00:22:50,804 --> 00:22:52,539 Evidence found at the scene? 475 00:22:52,605 --> 00:22:54,674 Fingerprints, evidence... You found a fingerprint? 476 00:22:54,741 --> 00:22:56,476 Yeah, bloody fingerprints. 477 00:22:56,543 --> 00:22:59,746 And that doesn't give them the evidence they need to find him? 478 00:22:59,813 --> 00:23:02,048 It hasn't yet, no. Okay. 479 00:23:02,115 --> 00:23:05,885 At the time, police believed this is just a random homicide, 480 00:23:05,952 --> 00:23:08,555 until three days later when the San Francisco Chronicle 481 00:23:08,621 --> 00:23:10,190 received another letter. 482 00:23:14,961 --> 00:23:16,996 "This is the Zodiac speaking. 483 00:23:17,063 --> 00:23:19,032 I am the murderer of the taxi driver 484 00:23:19,099 --> 00:23:21,034 over by Washington Street." 485 00:23:21,101 --> 00:23:24,604 Once again, the Zodiac had taken credit for a brutal killing, 486 00:23:24,671 --> 00:23:26,206 but this time, to prove it, 487 00:23:26,272 --> 00:23:29,275 he included a bloody piece of Paul Stine's shirt. 488 00:23:31,745 --> 00:23:35,281 So they knew that the person now describing saying, 489 00:23:35,348 --> 00:23:38,551 "This is the Zodiac speaking," was the murderer of Paul Stine. 490 00:23:38,618 --> 00:23:40,553 That's a pretty incredible moment, isn't it? 491 00:23:40,620 --> 00:23:43,490 Now it became really big news. 492 00:23:43,556 --> 00:23:47,460 Everything exploded after that. 493 00:23:47,527 --> 00:23:50,130 A local story that suddenly becomes international. 494 00:23:50,196 --> 00:23:53,166 Yeah. Wow. 495 00:23:53,233 --> 00:23:57,704 With his rising fame, the Zodiac ramps up his threats, 496 00:23:57,771 --> 00:23:59,973 sending bomb diagrams, 497 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,575 and perhaps most chilling of all, 498 00:24:02,642 --> 00:24:07,047 a threat to shoot schoolchildren as they exit their bus, 499 00:24:07,113 --> 00:24:10,283 a warning that terrifies the entire city. 500 00:24:10,350 --> 00:24:11,651 He threatens to shoot kids 501 00:24:11,718 --> 00:24:14,020 as they come bounding off the school bus. 502 00:24:14,087 --> 00:24:16,222 Of course, this makes the whole Bay Area on edge. 503 00:24:16,289 --> 00:24:17,691 Yeah. 504 00:24:17,757 --> 00:24:21,027 The San Francisco PD put every available officer on the case, 505 00:24:21,094 --> 00:24:24,364 led by veteran inspector Dave Toschi. 506 00:24:24,431 --> 00:24:25,899 At this point of the investigation, 507 00:24:25,965 --> 00:24:29,803 I would not want to comment on the particular details 508 00:24:29,869 --> 00:24:31,604 of the contents of this letter. 509 00:24:31,671 --> 00:24:35,175 WILDMAN: Thankfully, the attack on the school bus never arrives, 510 00:24:35,241 --> 00:24:38,411 but instead, more letters provoking the police. 511 00:24:38,478 --> 00:24:41,548 You know, he's taunting the police for whatever reason. 512 00:24:41,614 --> 00:24:42,982 Mm-hmm. 513 00:24:43,049 --> 00:24:46,119 He's enjoying the publicity or the notoriety. 514 00:24:46,186 --> 00:24:50,123 To him, it's got to, you know, have some sick fulfillment 515 00:24:50,190 --> 00:24:52,392 of whatever is wrong with him. 516 00:24:52,459 --> 00:24:55,795 But just as the Zodiac becomes a national threat, 517 00:24:55,862 --> 00:24:58,064 he does something peculiar. 518 00:24:58,131 --> 00:25:01,101 He changes his MO. 519 00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:04,137 In a letter from November 9th, 1969, 520 00:25:04,204 --> 00:25:07,474 the Zodiac wrote that he will no longer announce his murders 521 00:25:07,540 --> 00:25:12,145 but disguise them as robberies or randoms acts of anger. 522 00:25:12,212 --> 00:25:14,814 It's a move that confuses the police officers, 523 00:25:14,881 --> 00:25:17,984 and the Zodiac begins to fade from front-page headlines. 524 00:25:21,921 --> 00:25:24,524 That's the last time that the Zodiac killed, 525 00:25:24,591 --> 00:25:25,692 right, that you know of? 526 00:25:25,759 --> 00:25:29,095 Well, it's the last time that we know he's killed, 527 00:25:29,162 --> 00:25:32,165 and we really only know he's for sure killed the five cases 528 00:25:32,232 --> 00:25:34,234 that are attributed to him. 529 00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:35,368 In the months that follow, 530 00:25:35,435 --> 00:25:37,871 police receive thousands of tips, 531 00:25:37,937 --> 00:25:39,873 but the sensational nature of the case 532 00:25:39,939 --> 00:25:42,676 makes it nearly impossible to solve. 533 00:25:42,742 --> 00:25:44,344 REPETTO: Whenever you have a high profile case, 534 00:25:44,411 --> 00:25:47,447 you get a lot of people making claims that aren't true, 535 00:25:47,514 --> 00:25:49,215 or they think they're doing the right thing, 536 00:25:49,282 --> 00:25:50,717 and it's just not there. 537 00:25:50,784 --> 00:25:53,787 So ultimately it makes picking that needle 538 00:25:53,853 --> 00:25:57,323 out of a haystack a much bigger haystack. Yeah. 539 00:25:57,390 --> 00:25:59,726 Toschi and his partner, Bill Armstrong, 540 00:25:59,793 --> 00:26:01,861 interviewed hundreds of suspects, 541 00:26:01,928 --> 00:26:04,497 but not one led to an arrest. 542 00:26:04,564 --> 00:26:08,635 When Vince inherited the case 20 years later, it's ice-cold. 543 00:26:11,838 --> 00:26:13,707 Do you think he'll ever be caught? 544 00:26:13,773 --> 00:26:18,011 No, because I don't think that he's probably still alive. 545 00:26:18,078 --> 00:26:19,379 Uh-huh. 546 00:26:19,446 --> 00:26:20,714 I think he may be identified at some point... 547 00:26:20,780 --> 00:26:23,717 Yep. ...and most likely DNA 548 00:26:23,783 --> 00:26:26,753 or a discovery of some of the evidence 549 00:26:26,820 --> 00:26:29,122 or maybe in a house that gets sold. 550 00:26:29,189 --> 00:26:30,824 Who knows? 551 00:26:30,890 --> 00:26:33,493 While the case remains open, Bay Area police 552 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:35,829 had no choice but to move on, 553 00:26:35,895 --> 00:26:38,932 but in their wake came a new breed of investigator, 554 00:26:38,998 --> 00:26:41,534 who strongly believes police got it wrong 555 00:26:41,601 --> 00:26:44,170 and that the Zodiac Killer is still out there. 556 00:26:44,237 --> 00:26:45,839 He was the subject of three search warrants, 557 00:26:45,905 --> 00:26:47,374 but nobody else has ever been served one 558 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,143 search warrant Zodiac-related, and he got three. 559 00:26:50,210 --> 00:26:52,545 And with new technology and the capture 560 00:26:52,612 --> 00:26:55,582 of the alleged Golden State Killer, 561 00:26:55,648 --> 00:26:59,252 could police finally be close to making an arrest? 562 00:26:59,319 --> 00:27:01,154 If the Zodiac is still alive, 563 00:27:01,221 --> 00:27:04,224 he's got to be looking at this Golden State case and scared. 564 00:27:10,730 --> 00:27:12,432 WILDMAN: In the span of 10 months, 565 00:27:12,499 --> 00:27:15,735 the Zodiac attacked seven people, killing five. 566 00:27:15,802 --> 00:27:17,737 He was internationally known. 567 00:27:17,804 --> 00:27:20,674 When all of a sudden, he seemed to disappear. 568 00:27:20,740 --> 00:27:22,776 So what happened to the Zodiac? 569 00:27:22,842 --> 00:27:24,077 Where did he go? 570 00:27:24,144 --> 00:27:26,312 The answer may not be with the police, 571 00:27:26,379 --> 00:27:28,782 but rather, a new breed of investigator, 572 00:27:28,848 --> 00:27:31,084 whose commitment to catching the Zodiac 573 00:27:31,151 --> 00:27:33,253 goes well beyond an obsession. 574 00:27:33,319 --> 00:27:35,422 Aside from the JFK assassination, 575 00:27:35,488 --> 00:27:39,225 there's almost no criminal case in modern American history 576 00:27:39,292 --> 00:27:41,227 that's attracted so many armchair 577 00:27:41,294 --> 00:27:43,430 detectives as the Zodiac. 578 00:27:43,496 --> 00:27:45,865 Tom Voigt started a website about 20 years ago 579 00:27:45,932 --> 00:27:49,969 called zodiackiller.com, a place where amateur sleuths 580 00:27:50,036 --> 00:27:54,040 can share ideas and theories about who the real killer is 581 00:27:54,107 --> 00:27:57,877 because, if there's one thing this case does not lack for, 582 00:27:57,944 --> 00:27:59,546 it's suspects. 583 00:28:02,382 --> 00:28:06,119 As far back as 1970, the San Francisco Police 584 00:28:06,186 --> 00:28:10,724 were focused on one man as the Zodiac. 585 00:28:10,790 --> 00:28:12,892 His name: Arthur Leigh Allen. 586 00:28:12,959 --> 00:28:15,829 The prime suspect was Arthur Leigh Allen, right? 587 00:28:15,895 --> 00:28:18,231 He's the most investigated suspect 588 00:28:18,298 --> 00:28:20,567 by not just the amateur detectives 589 00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:22,369 but also the actual police. 590 00:28:22,435 --> 00:28:25,038 Arthur Leigh Allen worked at a chemical company 591 00:28:25,105 --> 00:28:27,574 when an anonymous call was made to police 592 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,710 claiming Allen could be the Zodiac. 593 00:28:30,777 --> 00:28:34,547 Unmarried, Allen split his time between a Santa Rosa trailer 594 00:28:34,614 --> 00:28:36,783 and his mother's basement in Vallejo, 595 00:28:36,850 --> 00:28:39,019 just a few miles from the first crime scenes. 596 00:28:41,855 --> 00:28:43,990 On the day of the Lake Berryessa attack, 597 00:28:44,057 --> 00:28:46,459 Allen was hunting nearby and, allegedly, 598 00:28:46,526 --> 00:28:48,628 arrived home with a bloody knife, 599 00:28:48,695 --> 00:28:51,898 which Allen said came from a chicken he killed. 600 00:28:51,965 --> 00:28:54,067 Allen also spent time in the military 601 00:28:54,134 --> 00:28:56,636 and had a keen understanding of codes. 602 00:28:56,703 --> 00:29:00,006 He was even an acquaintance of Blue Rock Springs victim 603 00:29:00,073 --> 00:29:01,274 Darlene Ferrin. 604 00:29:01,341 --> 00:29:02,609 Allen lived around the corner 605 00:29:02,676 --> 00:29:07,280 from where Darlene Ferrin worked as a waitress. 606 00:29:07,347 --> 00:29:10,550 Even more suspicious is a claim made by one of Allen's 607 00:29:10,617 --> 00:29:14,187 hunting buddies that, as far back as 1966, 608 00:29:14,254 --> 00:29:18,058 Allen planned to kill people and call himself the Zodiac. 609 00:29:18,124 --> 00:29:21,327 When asked about this, Allen denied the statement. 610 00:29:21,394 --> 00:29:23,997 Still, Allen was always the top suspect, 611 00:29:24,064 --> 00:29:25,999 and when cops finally met with him, 612 00:29:26,066 --> 00:29:28,101 they became even more convinced. 613 00:29:28,168 --> 00:29:30,303 When they interview him, 614 00:29:30,370 --> 00:29:31,571 they find that he's wearing a watch, 615 00:29:31,638 --> 00:29:33,707 right, that has the word "zodiac" on it. 616 00:29:33,773 --> 00:29:34,708 Yeah. And the symbol. 617 00:29:34,774 --> 00:29:36,209 And the symbol. 618 00:29:36,276 --> 00:29:37,744 It was the first generation of watches 619 00:29:37,811 --> 00:29:39,312 that you could wear underwater. Oh, okay. 620 00:29:39,379 --> 00:29:41,081 And he was a skin diver and a swimmer, 621 00:29:41,147 --> 00:29:43,583 so, apparently, his mother bought it for him for Christmas. 622 00:29:43,650 --> 00:29:45,952 And remember that size 10 1/2 shoe print 623 00:29:46,019 --> 00:29:48,188 found at Lake Berryessa? 624 00:29:48,254 --> 00:29:53,927 According to police, Allen also wore size 10 1/2. 625 00:29:53,993 --> 00:29:56,863 And perhaps most incriminating of all 626 00:29:56,930 --> 00:29:59,399 is testimony from one of the survivors. 627 00:29:59,466 --> 00:30:01,701 In 1991, Mike Mageau, 628 00:30:01,768 --> 00:30:04,571 who was shot four times at Blue Rock Springs 629 00:30:04,637 --> 00:30:07,774 and was the only victim to see the Zodiac's face, 630 00:30:07,841 --> 00:30:09,743 was given a lineup of photos, 631 00:30:09,809 --> 00:30:12,979 and he pointed to one person as the suspect. 632 00:30:13,046 --> 00:30:15,782 That person was Arthur Leigh Allen. 633 00:30:15,849 --> 00:30:17,283 Michael Mageau, he named 634 00:30:17,350 --> 00:30:19,152 Arthur Leigh Allen from a lineup. 635 00:30:19,219 --> 00:30:22,455 Yeah. 636 00:30:22,522 --> 00:30:25,925 So why was Allen never arrested? 637 00:30:25,992 --> 00:30:27,660 He was the subject of three search warrants 638 00:30:27,727 --> 00:30:28,828 over the course of his life, 639 00:30:28,895 --> 00:30:30,030 and they were all Zodiac-related. 640 00:30:30,096 --> 00:30:32,032 Mm-hmm. Nothing incriminating was found. 641 00:30:32,098 --> 00:30:36,069 Also, according to police, Allen passed three polygraphs, 642 00:30:36,136 --> 00:30:39,205 claiming he had no connection to the Zodiac murders. 643 00:30:39,272 --> 00:30:40,874 And when his handwriting was compared 644 00:30:40,940 --> 00:30:42,242 to the Zodiac letters... 645 00:30:42,308 --> 00:30:43,443 Did not match. 646 00:30:47,981 --> 00:30:49,783 And what about fingerprints? 647 00:30:49,849 --> 00:30:52,118 Fingerprints didn't match. 648 00:30:52,185 --> 00:30:54,320 Allen may have been cleared as the Zodiac, 649 00:30:54,387 --> 00:30:57,424 but, in a separate case, he's charged with pedophilia 650 00:30:57,490 --> 00:30:59,526 and sentenced to 3 years in prison. 651 00:30:59,592 --> 00:31:03,296 What's even more bizarre is the last confirmed Zodiac letter 652 00:31:03,363 --> 00:31:06,099 arrived in January 1974, 653 00:31:06,166 --> 00:31:09,302 6 months before Allen was arrested. 654 00:31:09,369 --> 00:31:11,404 Years later, after Allen's release, 655 00:31:11,471 --> 00:31:13,907 police are still not convinced of his innocence 656 00:31:13,973 --> 00:31:15,809 and requested a DNA test. 657 00:31:15,875 --> 00:31:18,211 But when Allen's DNA was compared with a sample 658 00:31:18,278 --> 00:31:21,648 taken from a Zodiac envelope, it did not match. 659 00:31:23,983 --> 00:31:28,421 Allen died from natural causes in 1992. 660 00:31:28,488 --> 00:31:29,923 But, ultimately, Arthur Leigh Allen 661 00:31:29,989 --> 00:31:32,125 is not arrested for being the Zodiac. 662 00:31:32,192 --> 00:31:34,294 He was never arrested. He was never charged. 663 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,936 Since starting his website 20 years ago, 664 00:31:43,003 --> 00:31:45,972 Tom has learned of 20,000 possible suspects, 665 00:31:46,039 --> 00:31:49,342 ranging from the eerie to the absurd. 666 00:31:49,409 --> 00:31:53,546 Almost all of them have been looked at and cleared by police, 667 00:31:53,613 --> 00:31:56,716 but there is one suspect dismissed years ago 668 00:31:56,783 --> 00:32:00,787 who, according to Mark Hewitt, must be reexamined. 669 00:32:00,854 --> 00:32:02,856 Do you know who the Zodiac is? 670 00:32:02,922 --> 00:32:05,592 My research points to one individual responsible 671 00:32:05,658 --> 00:32:08,361 for the work of the Zodiac Killer. 672 00:32:08,428 --> 00:32:10,296 And if Mark's theory is right, 673 00:32:10,363 --> 00:32:12,499 does evidence exist that can prove, 674 00:32:12,565 --> 00:32:16,770 without a doubt, the identity of the Zodiac Killer? 675 00:32:16,836 --> 00:32:18,972 How dependable is this? 676 00:32:19,039 --> 00:32:20,340 It's extremely dependable. 677 00:32:25,645 --> 00:32:28,281 The Zodiac has eluded police, journalists 678 00:32:28,348 --> 00:32:31,918 and true crime enthusiasts ever since he introduced himself 679 00:32:31,985 --> 00:32:33,953 to the world almost 50 years ago. 680 00:32:34,020 --> 00:32:36,423 It's the case that won't go away. 681 00:32:36,489 --> 00:32:39,025 Anyone who loves puzzles, murder mysteries 682 00:32:39,092 --> 00:32:41,428 or just wants to see justice done, 683 00:32:41,494 --> 00:32:44,097 it grabs hold of them and doesn't let go. 684 00:32:44,164 --> 00:32:46,766 But will it ever be solved? 685 00:32:46,833 --> 00:32:49,703 Mark Hewitt believes he may have the answer. 686 00:32:49,769 --> 00:32:53,540 For the last 10 years, he's turned a Zodiac obsession 687 00:32:53,606 --> 00:32:57,477 into three successful books, and now he's ready to reveal 688 00:32:57,544 --> 00:33:00,547 who he believes is the Zodiac Killer. 689 00:33:00,613 --> 00:33:06,119 So after 11 years of research, who do you think the Zodiac is? 690 00:33:06,186 --> 00:33:08,188 My research points to one individual, 691 00:33:08,254 --> 00:33:09,856 and that is Theodore Kaczynski. 692 00:33:13,460 --> 00:33:15,562 Ted Kaczynski? Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber? 693 00:33:15,628 --> 00:33:16,963 Yes. 694 00:33:17,030 --> 00:33:18,965 Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, 695 00:33:19,032 --> 00:33:22,335 was a domestic terrorist who conducted a bombing campaign 696 00:33:22,402 --> 00:33:25,939 to protest technology and modern society. 697 00:33:26,006 --> 00:33:30,710 From 1978 to 1995, the one-time math professor 698 00:33:30,777 --> 00:33:34,514 killed three people and injured 23. 699 00:33:34,581 --> 00:33:35,882 Like the Zodiac, 700 00:33:35,949 --> 00:33:38,084 Kaczynski communicated many of his threats 701 00:33:38,151 --> 00:33:40,820 and ideas through letters to the press. 702 00:33:40,887 --> 00:33:43,857 Caught by the FBI in 1996, 703 00:33:43,923 --> 00:33:46,626 Kaczynski is currently serving a life sentence 704 00:33:46,693 --> 00:33:49,996 in a maximum security prison. 705 00:33:50,063 --> 00:33:52,766 So you have traced this back to the Unabomber? 706 00:33:52,832 --> 00:33:54,534 Let's take a look at the timeline. 707 00:33:54,601 --> 00:33:58,138 In '66 and '67, Ted was in California, 708 00:33:58,204 --> 00:33:59,906 interviewing for a teaching position... 709 00:33:59,973 --> 00:34:02,976 Really? ...and moving to Berkeley to become a math professor. 710 00:34:03,043 --> 00:34:05,912 Kaczynski was a Berkeley math professor for two years, 711 00:34:05,979 --> 00:34:09,416 between 1967 and 1969. 712 00:34:09,482 --> 00:34:11,918 The first confirmed Zodiac murder happened 713 00:34:11,985 --> 00:34:18,058 in December 1968 in Benecia, 25 miles from Berkeley's campus. 714 00:34:18,124 --> 00:34:21,895 Kaczynski would mysteriously quit his job 6 months later, 715 00:34:21,961 --> 00:34:25,065 just 4 days before the second confirmed attack 716 00:34:25,131 --> 00:34:27,934 at Blue Rock Springs Park. 717 00:34:28,001 --> 00:34:31,171 Following Kaczynski's two years as a professor, 718 00:34:31,237 --> 00:34:33,073 there are two lost years in his life 719 00:34:33,139 --> 00:34:36,009 where we was not working and where his movements 720 00:34:36,076 --> 00:34:37,610 are very difficult to trace. 721 00:34:37,677 --> 00:34:41,448 During that two years, we had the Blue Rock Springs attack, 722 00:34:41,514 --> 00:34:45,285 the Lake Berryessa attack, the attack in San Francisco. 723 00:34:45,352 --> 00:34:48,288 We had approximately a dozen letters from the Zodiac, 724 00:34:48,355 --> 00:34:51,124 concluding with the 1971 letter. 725 00:34:51,191 --> 00:34:54,427 After 1971, there would be no confirmed letters 726 00:34:54,494 --> 00:34:56,596 for almost 3 years, 727 00:34:56,663 --> 00:34:59,799 and there would be no confirmed Zodiac murders. 728 00:34:59,866 --> 00:35:02,602 It was as if the Zodiac had vanished. 729 00:35:02,669 --> 00:35:04,904 So how does this relate to Ted Kaczynski? 730 00:35:04,971 --> 00:35:08,608 In 1971, Ted moved to Montana. 731 00:35:08,675 --> 00:35:11,811 Kaczynski moved to Montana to become a survivalist 732 00:35:11,878 --> 00:35:14,547 and live a more primitive lifestyle. 733 00:35:14,614 --> 00:35:17,550 Here, he would outline his philosophy 734 00:35:17,617 --> 00:35:20,353 in a work known as the "Unabomber Manifesto." 735 00:35:22,889 --> 00:35:24,624 He also used codes and ciphers 736 00:35:24,691 --> 00:35:27,427 in his correspondence with authorities. 737 00:35:27,494 --> 00:35:29,229 When Ted's cabin was searched, 738 00:35:29,295 --> 00:35:30,864 codes were taken out of the cabin, 739 00:35:30,930 --> 00:35:35,135 which the FBI said were the most difficult codes they'd seen. 740 00:35:35,201 --> 00:35:38,805 While the Zodiac used a gun and knife to murder his victims, 741 00:35:38,872 --> 00:35:43,043 he also made reference to bombs in several letters to the press. 742 00:35:43,109 --> 00:35:46,346 All these things were found in Ted's cabin. 743 00:35:46,413 --> 00:35:48,648 There were knives, guns, 744 00:35:48,715 --> 00:35:52,819 disguises consisting of hoods and glasses, bomb diagrams, 745 00:35:52,886 --> 00:35:55,922 even a fully-assembled bomb in the cabin. 746 00:35:55,989 --> 00:36:00,093 The two bomb diagrams that the Zodiac created 747 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,829 were both passive detonation devices. 748 00:36:02,896 --> 00:36:05,865 Every one of Ted Kaczynski's bombs operated the same way. 749 00:36:09,102 --> 00:36:11,304 Police did look into Ted Kaczynski 750 00:36:11,371 --> 00:36:13,106 as a potential suspect, 751 00:36:13,173 --> 00:36:15,241 but they determined that both the handwriting 752 00:36:15,308 --> 00:36:17,644 and the fingerprints weren't a match. 753 00:36:17,711 --> 00:36:20,380 But in a letter from November 1969, 754 00:36:20,447 --> 00:36:23,183 the Zodiac claimed to have left no fingerprints 755 00:36:23,249 --> 00:36:24,617 at the crime scenes. 756 00:36:24,684 --> 00:36:27,987 There's no fingerprint that exists that is 100 percent 757 00:36:28,054 --> 00:36:30,090 guaranteed to come from the Zodiac. 758 00:36:30,156 --> 00:36:33,193 So is it possible the police have it wrong? 759 00:36:33,259 --> 00:36:36,096 There is one thing investigators never tested. 760 00:36:36,162 --> 00:36:39,432 Theodore Kaczynski has never had his DNA collected. 761 00:36:39,499 --> 00:36:40,767 Really? 762 00:36:40,834 --> 00:36:43,303 His DNA does not exist in any database anywhere. 763 00:36:43,370 --> 00:36:44,771 That's strange. 764 00:36:44,838 --> 00:36:47,707 With this announcement, what do you want to happen now? 765 00:36:47,774 --> 00:36:49,175 Let's do a DNA test. 766 00:36:49,242 --> 00:36:52,078 Let's do more fingerprint analysis, 767 00:36:52,145 --> 00:36:54,481 handwriting analysis and see what we can find. 768 00:36:57,517 --> 00:37:00,854 Police may not want to rule out Kaczynski just yet. 769 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,323 With the recent arrest of the Golden State Killer, 770 00:37:03,390 --> 00:37:05,725 authorities have discovered a brand-new way 771 00:37:05,792 --> 00:37:07,594 to identify suspects, 772 00:37:07,660 --> 00:37:11,097 one that could blow the whole Zodiac case wide open. 773 00:37:18,838 --> 00:37:22,208 With the arrival of DNA analysis in the 1990s, 774 00:37:22,275 --> 00:37:24,044 it looked like police had a realistic chance 775 00:37:24,110 --> 00:37:25,979 of identifying the Zodiac. 776 00:37:26,046 --> 00:37:28,682 Using materials found on the letters, 777 00:37:28,748 --> 00:37:31,551 the first person they tested was Arthur Leigh Allen, 778 00:37:31,618 --> 00:37:36,156 the top suspect in the case, but the DNA did not match. 779 00:37:36,222 --> 00:37:37,991 So where did that leave investigators? 780 00:37:38,058 --> 00:37:42,862 Well, with the recent arrest of the alleged Golden State Killer, 781 00:37:42,929 --> 00:37:46,666 police may have a brand-new way of snagging the Zodiac. 782 00:37:46,733 --> 00:37:50,270 In May of 2018, Joseph James DeAngelo 783 00:37:50,337 --> 00:37:53,206 was identified as the Golden State Killer, 784 00:37:53,273 --> 00:37:56,276 one of the most violent predators in American history. 785 00:37:56,343 --> 00:37:57,911 Beginning in the mid '70s, 786 00:37:57,977 --> 00:38:00,747 authorities believe he murdered a dozen people 787 00:38:00,814 --> 00:38:02,949 and raped close to 50 women. 788 00:38:03,016 --> 00:38:05,618 For decades, the crimes went unsolved 789 00:38:05,685 --> 00:38:08,755 until investigators chose to try something new. 790 00:38:08,822 --> 00:38:12,959 With the advent of DNA analysis, dozens of companies were created 791 00:38:13,026 --> 00:38:15,695 that allow people to learn their family history. 792 00:38:15,762 --> 00:38:20,266 Just submit a DNA swab and let genealogists go to work. 793 00:38:20,333 --> 00:38:23,169 Well, to keep track of these genetic profiles, 794 00:38:23,236 --> 00:38:25,305 a public database was set up 795 00:38:25,372 --> 00:38:28,575 that law enforcement can now access. 796 00:38:28,641 --> 00:38:30,677 That's exactly what happened in the case 797 00:38:30,744 --> 00:38:32,345 of the Golden State Killer. 798 00:38:32,412 --> 00:38:34,948 Using DNA from one of the crime scenes, 799 00:38:35,015 --> 00:38:38,551 police asked genealogists to compare the killer's profile 800 00:38:38,618 --> 00:38:41,287 to anyone found in the database. 801 00:38:41,354 --> 00:38:43,556 The result was a distant relative 802 00:38:43,623 --> 00:38:45,258 of Joseph James DeAngelo, 803 00:38:45,325 --> 00:38:49,429 whose own DNA profile was a perfect match to the killer. 804 00:38:49,496 --> 00:38:50,997 After seeing this, 805 00:38:51,064 --> 00:38:54,134 the Vallejo Police made their own announcement: 806 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:55,969 They would try the same procedure 807 00:38:56,036 --> 00:38:57,504 to identify the Zodiac. 808 00:39:00,774 --> 00:39:04,010 But the Golden State case has a major advantage: 809 00:39:04,077 --> 00:39:08,148 actual DNA recovered from the crime scenes. 810 00:39:08,214 --> 00:39:11,418 So is there any chance to find the same success 811 00:39:11,484 --> 00:39:13,520 in the Zodiac case? 812 00:39:13,586 --> 00:39:14,854 HARMOR: Hello, sir. Hi, Gary. 813 00:39:14,921 --> 00:39:18,324 Gary Harmor is a DNA analyst with Serological 814 00:39:18,391 --> 00:39:22,195 and has done consulting work on the Zodiac case. 815 00:39:22,262 --> 00:39:25,598 He's offered to show me how this could be done. 816 00:39:25,665 --> 00:39:28,401 First, police need a fresh DNA sample 817 00:39:28,468 --> 00:39:30,203 to share with genealogists. 818 00:39:30,270 --> 00:39:33,006 Since the profile used to clear Arthur Leigh Allen 819 00:39:33,073 --> 00:39:34,708 is no longer viable, 820 00:39:34,774 --> 00:39:37,143 the best place to find this new sample: 821 00:39:37,210 --> 00:39:41,247 behind the stamps from the dozens of Zodiac letters. 822 00:39:41,314 --> 00:39:42,749 Gary will demonstrate how this works 823 00:39:42,816 --> 00:39:45,852 using an old family letter. 824 00:39:45,919 --> 00:39:49,155 Give me a layman's lesson in how this works. 825 00:39:49,222 --> 00:39:50,490 Okay. I'm going to pull back 826 00:39:50,557 --> 00:39:52,492 as much of the stamp as I can. 827 00:39:52,559 --> 00:39:55,628 Once I peel that back, I take a wetted swab 828 00:39:55,695 --> 00:39:59,432 and rub it over the surface to remove the glue 829 00:39:59,499 --> 00:40:02,102 from the envelope as well as the stamp. 830 00:40:02,168 --> 00:40:04,637 So, presumably, on that swab are the cells 831 00:40:04,704 --> 00:40:06,373 of the person that licked that stamp. 832 00:40:06,439 --> 00:40:08,575 Yes. How dependable is this? 833 00:40:08,641 --> 00:40:10,076 It's extremely dependable. 834 00:40:10,143 --> 00:40:13,346 The only thing that would hold up getting a type 835 00:40:13,413 --> 00:40:16,583 from a piece of evidence is not having enough good quality, 836 00:40:16,649 --> 00:40:19,119 reasonably good quality DNA to do the testing. 837 00:40:19,185 --> 00:40:22,789 So now we have that swab with the material on it. 838 00:40:22,856 --> 00:40:23,757 What happens then? 839 00:40:23,823 --> 00:40:25,892 Take the DNA out of the solution 840 00:40:25,959 --> 00:40:28,595 and then concentrate it down to a really minute amount, 841 00:40:28,661 --> 00:40:32,365 about the size of a drop of liquid. 842 00:40:32,432 --> 00:40:35,568 The actual Zodiac evidence was collected in a state lab 843 00:40:35,635 --> 00:40:38,471 in May 2018, who then sent the DNA 844 00:40:38,538 --> 00:40:41,808 to a genealogical lab in Florida. 845 00:40:41,875 --> 00:40:43,877 Analysts then looked for similarities 846 00:40:43,943 --> 00:40:46,880 between the Zodiac profile and family members 847 00:40:46,946 --> 00:40:49,983 who have already submitted DNA to a public database. 848 00:40:50,050 --> 00:40:51,885 If they find a match, 849 00:40:51,951 --> 00:40:54,454 genealogists will create a family tree 850 00:40:54,521 --> 00:40:59,059 that could eventually lead them to the Zodiac Killer. 851 00:40:59,125 --> 00:41:01,995 Then those genealogists start narrowing it down, 852 00:41:02,062 --> 00:41:06,666 who could be that guy, based on locations and so forth. 853 00:41:06,733 --> 00:41:09,469 Yes, who had access to the crime scenes at the time. 854 00:41:09,536 --> 00:41:11,771 Their age would come into importance. 855 00:41:11,838 --> 00:41:15,475 Of course, this experiment only works if a Zodiac family member 856 00:41:15,542 --> 00:41:19,713 has submitted their DNA to a genealogical database. 857 00:41:19,779 --> 00:41:22,349 Boy, if the Zodiac is still alive, 858 00:41:22,415 --> 00:41:25,285 an old man, nonetheless, he's got to be looking 859 00:41:25,352 --> 00:41:28,054 at this Golden State case and scared. 860 00:41:28,121 --> 00:41:30,123 I mean, this is a whole new world 861 00:41:30,190 --> 00:41:31,858 that's now looking for him. 862 00:41:31,925 --> 00:41:32,892 Absolutely. 863 00:41:36,596 --> 00:41:39,499 It took only four months from the time police 864 00:41:39,566 --> 00:41:41,868 entered the Golden State Killer's profile 865 00:41:41,935 --> 00:41:45,638 into the database to the arrest of Joseph DeAngelo. 866 00:41:47,807 --> 00:41:50,677 Experts have begun to create a DNA profile 867 00:41:50,744 --> 00:41:53,780 of the Zodiac for comparison. 868 00:41:53,847 --> 00:41:56,816 If they get a match, the world could finally learn 869 00:41:56,883 --> 00:41:59,519 the true identity of the infamous killer.