Zodiac Killer Part 1 The Zodiac Killer is one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century. From the late 1960s and 70s, he terrorized most of the larger San Francisco area with his brutalistic attacks. What set him apart from others is that he sent letters filled with ciphers, codes, etc. mocking anyone who said they could try to do it. Even stranger, these were sent to police stations and newspaper agents, who still, around 55 years later, are still unable to figure it out. Lake Herman Murders. The Zodiac Killer’s story begins on the evening of December 20, 1968. 16 year old Betty L. Jensen and David Faraday were on a date. They stopped at a restaurant before driving later to Herman Road in Benicia, California, around 20 miles …show more content…
This cipher is my identity. If you do not print this cipher by the afternoon of Fry. 1st of Aug 69, I will go on a kill rampage Fry. night. I will be there. I will cruise around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend.” At the end of the letter, included a cipher with a mix of characters including Greek symbols, morse code, weather symbols, alphabet and astrological symbols. The newspapers agreed to the terms and published it. The NSA and CIA joined in the effort to decrypt the message. However it was Donald and Betty, a married couple, who saw the cipher in the morning paper – They were both avidly interested in puzzles at the time since they were still pretty young, figuring out that it started with ‘I’ or saying ‘I like killing’, noticing the two double 34 shaded squares, likely meaning ‘kill’. Using the assumptions, they figured the rest out. Here is what it read: “I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild animals in the forest, because man is the most dangerous animal of all. Killing something is the most thrilling experience. It is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl. The best part of it is that when I die, I will be reborn in paradise and all that I have killed will become my slaves. I will not give you my name because you will try to slow down or stop my collecting …show more content…
Cecilia noticed a man walking towards them. She mentioned it to Brian, but he brushed it off and dismissed the man. When the Zodiac Killer was within 20 feet of the couple, they could identify his key features. He had a black executioner type hood and a zodiac symbol on his chest. He pointed the gun at them and demanded they give him the money and car keys so he could apparently ‘drive to Mexico’. The killer told the couple that he was an escaped convict from Montana, and that he killed a guard to run away. He then pulled out a three foot clothesline and instructed Cecilia to tie Brian’s hands together. He then tied Cecilia to the ring. After that, he told the both of them saying ‘I’m going to have to stab you people.’ Before stabbing Cecilia 10 times and Brian 6 times. He believed he had finished the job and hiked away. He wrote on the couple’s car with felt-tip pen, about 450 meters away from the crime scene, ‘Vallejo, 12-20-68/ 7-4-69/ 9-27-69 6:30 by knife”. The couple were found by a fisherman and his son around an hour and ten minutes later on the same day. The Zodiac, yet again, reported a double murder to the Vallejo Police Department, stating the location and car they were in. Cecilia would later succumb to her wounds, but Brian would live. One thing that the police and newspapers noticed was that the
Richard Ramirez was a serial killer in the United States, terrorizing the greater Los Angeles area. His victims were found dead, raped, and/or had all of their valuables taken from their home. He was dubbed “The Night Stalker” during his spree of killings in June of 1984 to August of 1985. He was an avowed “Satanist.”
Serial killers are often automatically shrugged off, although it is understandable. Learning about them is not what many people want to do, but it is extremely interesting to learn why they did the things they did. Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, is an example of someone who is unusually interesting. Richard Ramirez is a serial killer who was found guilty of 13 murders, a couple of sexual assaults, and burglaries. He was sentenced to death by California’s gas chamber, but he died in prison in 2013.
Zodiac Killer Part 2 Presidio Heights Murder. On October 11, 1969, only two weeks after his last murder, the Zodiac entered a taxi driven by Paul Stine at around 9:30. The Zodiac requested to be taken to Washington and Maple Street in Presidio Heights, but the driver drove one block past the destination for an unknown reason. Zodiac waited for the car to come to a halt when he suddenly grabbed Paul’s collar and shot him in the skull point blank. The Zodiac exited the vehicle from the backseat and re-entered the passenger seat, tore off a piece of Paul’s clothing and drove off.
Examples of his arrests are: possession, breaking and entering, theft, and grand theft auto. On June 28, 1984 the killings started. The first murder surprised the police by its brutal nature. He entered the house of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow and stabbed her as she slept as well as defile her corpse. Nine months pass and he decides to strike again. March 17, 1985 he shoots Maria Rodriguez but she escapes. Her roommate Dayle Okazaki did not survive however and neither did Tsai-Lian Yu who was killed an hour after when Ramirez took her car and left her in the road. Three days later, he raped an eight-year-old girl. March 27, 1985, shot Vincent Zazzarra and tortured and killed his wife Maxine. Maxine’s body was mutilated with a T on her left breast and eyes gouged out. May 29, 1985, killed Malvial Keller and Blanche Wolfe with a hammer. Ramirez failed to rape Keller but put a pentagram on her thigh and the wall. The next day he sodomized Ruth Wilson and locked her 12-year-old son in the closet. June 27, 1985, raped a 6-year-old girl. The following day killed Patty Higgins by throat cut. July 2, 1985, killed Mary Cannon in the same fashion. There are many other murders ending on August 24, 1985. On August 31, 1985, he was caught by Manuel De La Torre trying to steal a car. At the trial, which was delayed for 4 years, he was sentenced to 19 death sentences on 43 charges: 13 murders, five
According to CNN reporter, Greg Botelho, Richard Ramirez was a Californian serial killer that was convicted of “thirteen murders, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults, and fourteen burglaries” alone over a two-year period. The serial killer, also known as the “Night Stalker”, was born to Mercedes and Ricardo Ramirez in El Paso, Texas on February 29, 1960. Ramirez was the youngest of seven children, however, he spent most of his childhood with his cousin, Mike. Mike was a Vietnam War veteran and had a significant influence on young Ramirez. He would show Ramirez “pictures of the torture he would inflict upon Vietnamese women” (Crime Museum) and told him the morbid stories of assault and rape that went along with the pictures. This
Introduction- My topic is the zodiac killer. He was originated when he killed 5 people and injured 2, though he said he killed 34 people. He looks like a normal person with glasses and short hair. He is famous for killing people and once he kills them he sends a letter to the newspaper or police. It remains a mystery because he was so hard to catch and he was never seen or heard from again after 1974.
Most of his victims were either prostitutes or runaways picked up at Pacific Highway south whom he strangled. Most of his victims were dumped in wooded areas around the green river area. The body of his victims were often left in a cluster, sometimes they were posed and usually nude. To some of the victims bodies he returned and had sexual intercourse with them. Because most of the bodies were found so late after they were killed often only the skeleton remained and now three of his victims are still unidentified. What was typical for all of his crime scenes that he would contaminate the dump sites with gum, cigarettes and written materials belonging to others. He even transported a few of his victims across state lines into oregon to confuse the police. The usual way of how he started a murder was by picking up the women which were usually a prostitute whom he sometimes even showed a picture of his son to trick them and earn their trust. After they trusted him he would rape them and strangle them from behind. He always strangled them manually which often left wounds and bruises which he was concerned about that they would draw attention he started using ligatures to strangle them. Most of his victims he killed in his home, his truck or in a secluded area. In the investigation to find Gary Ridgway one police officer interviewed another serial killer Ted Bundy who told them that when they would find another fresh grave the killer would be revisiting the dump site to have sexual relationships with his victims and that they should stake it and wait for him to come back. He also was really interested in the law enforcement like a lot of serial killers are and he also was his own cop for the neighbourhood and told them when prostitutes are
Many believe that the Zodiac Killer was actually multiple people doing the murders, but only one letter writer taking credit for others' dirty work. There is no way that it could have been multiple people because of how similar the first three murders are. All of the murders were in, or near cars, and the first three all took place at popular lovers lanes where he targeted young couples. Similar weapons are also there, where in all of the murders except the stabbing, the same.22 caliber gun was used. You can also connect the Lake Berryessa stabbing back to him due to the handwriting on the side of the car matching the handwriting in the
The Zodiac killer better known as a serial killer who did most of his killing in northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The “Zodiac killers” identity remains unknown. His name originated as the "Zodiac" in a series of taunting letters sent to the local Bay Area press. These letters included four cryptograms. Of the four cryptograms sent, only one has been definitively solved. Suspects have been named by law enforcement and amateur investigators, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced. The Span of killings go from December 20th of 1968 and go up to present day, as of today people and authorities claim that he has killed a total of 37 people of mixed ethnicity and sex. The states where he operated in killing were California and even Nevada. Once The zodiac killer took care of his people his final four letters or even symbols that were “Me=37” or SFPD=0”, those were the final four letters that he used to let the authorities know that he was the one who killed the people.
Unsolved cases can be one of the scariest things that can happen. In the US,there about 200,000 unsolved cases. One that is very interesting is the Zodiac killer case,which america says is the most prolific serial murderer who terrorized communities in San Francisco. This case has been open since the 1960s and no arrests have been made. The Zodiac killer had murdered over 30 people, so many people started making theories to try and figure out who this guy was.
The zodiac killer is an unidentified serial killer who is confirmed to be responsible for at least 5 deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1968 to 1969. While it may be regarded as one of the largest mysteries of the 20th century what did he do in that timespan?
Richard Ramirez’s killing seemed to contain a lot of aggression in the ways he killed his victims and we will never know one hundred percent where the aggressions came from. Theories are never exact, but gives us a better understandings of serial killers as a whole.
Serial Killers: The Mind Behind the Motive The captivation of serial murder is neither a novel event, nor is it exclusively American. Murder in its simplest form is horrifying, not only to the victim, but to the public as well. Both families lost a loved one, leaving behind mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends.
Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, the BTK Killer. The names and assumed names of these cold-blooded serial killers are forever branded into the cognizance of people everywhere. This is mainly due to the mass media coverage, including newspapers, movies, television specials and books. This media coverage brought to light that these killers were, on the surface, normal, successful, attractive, productive members of society – that is, until the time that their heinous crimes came to be discovered.
Brenna Courtemanche Professor Crombie ENC 1102 4 April 2014 The Mind of Serial Killers There is no specific manual or "how to" book to depict what a serial killer would potentially act or look like. It would be comforting if real-life serial killers were like those in the movies. If they were obviously masked like Jason on Friday the 13th, we would be aware whenever they approached. If they were introverted loners like Psycho's Norman Bates, they could not trick us so easily into their deviant plan.