It was 1969, and North Carolina was witnessing one murder after another. A mysterious person called the Zodiac Killer, was killing people and leaving ciphers for the police to decipher.
He even mailed ciphers to three local newspapers in three parts. He threatened the publishers to continue his killing spree if they did not bring out the ciphers he sent. Each of his letters had a handwritten note attached, establishing the authenticity of the ciphers.
The Zodiac Killer was said to have committed seven murders between 1968 and 1969. However, there are possibilities of this number shooting up to 49.
For years, the ciphers and identity of this serial killer remained unidentified until recently, the FBI cracked his identity, and a three-member team decoded his cipher. He was like a “sturdy-built ghost” spreading terror across different parts of North Carolina.
Do you already see a murder mystery unfurling before your eyes? Let’s know more about the most elusive serial killer in America.
Who Was The Mystery Zodiac Killer?
“I like killing people because it is so much fun.”
These were the words of the mysterious Zodiac serial killer. He even considered that killing human beings was more fun than killing wild animals in the forest. Undoubtedly, he had put his beliefs into practice, and the Zodiac Killer’s ciphers published in local newspapers further fed his frenzy for killing people.
Cheri Jo Bates was the first suspected victim of the mysterious Zodiac Killer. He stabbed her to death in 1966. However, his killing spree came to notice in December 1968 when he shot Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday.
Some other names to be killed by this mysterious serial killer were Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin and Michael Renault Mageau, Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin and Michael Renault Mageau, Cecelia Ann Shepard, and Bryan Calvin Hartnell, and Paul Lee Stine.
The serial killer gave himself the name of “Zodiac Killer.” He sent his fourth letter to the press in 1969, and there he addressed the editor by saying, “Dear Editor This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you? My name is…”
This serial killer was indeed an attention-seeking man, and he loved getting highlighted by the media.
Finally, in 2021, the FBI found out the identity of this infamous murderer. Gary Francis Poste, an Air Force veteran, was found to be the real “Zodiac Killer.”
However, it was too late, as Poste had already died in 2018.
Why Was The Murderer Called The Zodiac Killer?
As you already know, the Zodiac Killer gave himself the name. Some of his ciphers had astrological symbols. However, to date, it is not clear why he used to refer to himself by such a strange name.
In each letter sent to the press, this serial killer used to put a circle with a cross over it as his signature. Police authorities thought these signs to be the coordinates of his next murder location.
How Did Gary Francis Poste Die?
Gary Francis Poste suffered a lot of medical problems, including osteoporosis, hypertension, and hypothyroidism.
He died in 2018 at the age of 80. Septic shock, sepsis, vascular dementia, and dysphagia were stated as the combination of heath conditions causing his death.
How The Mystery Around The Zodiac Killer Influenced Popular Culture?
The murders committed by the Zodiac Killer undoubtedly created a stir in the USA. So, Hollywood could not resist the lure of playing a detective in exposing the man behind these crimes.
So, with time, we got several movies inspired by the heinous crimes of this mysterious murderer. We also got some books and TV series based on the deeds of the Zodiac Killer.
Zodiac
Zodiac, a 2007 film, is, to date, the most famous movie made on the heinous crimes of the mysterious killer. The film was based on Robert Graysmith’s book, “Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America’s Most Elusive Serial Killer.”
The movie had Robert Downey Jr. playing the role of Paul Avery, a crime reporter. Mark Ruffalo portrayed the character of Inspector Dave Toschi and the reporter and the inspector together tried to solve the mystery and reveal the killer’s identity.
The Zodiac Killer
Tom Hanson brought this movie in 1971 when the Zodiac Killer was continuing his killing spree. Despite being based on the deeds of the serial killer, this movie does not follow the series of incidents or the facts properly. The director took various creative liberties in the film.
The FBI Identifies The Infamous Zodiac Killer?
Has the FBI finally identified the infamous Zodiac Killer? Thomas Colbert, a journalist, has presented a theory regarding the revelation of this mysterious murderer.
The journalist said that a whistleblower from the Bureau confirmed Gary Francis Poste as the prime suspect behind these heinous crimes. He was an Air Force veteran. Colbert further added that Poste’s connection to the case was found through a “partial DNA Sample.”
Case Breakers, an organization set up by Mr Colbert, not only cracked the identity of the serial killer but also decoded the cryptic message from the serial killer, lying unresolved for the last 51 years.
In a statement, the Case Breakers stated, “The felon has been secretly listed as the Zodiac “suspect” in Headquarters’ computers since 2016.”
They even quoted the words of the whistleblower, who said,
“Like cops, federal agents are dealing with huge caseloads, constant training, odd rules and bureaucracy. But when someone wearing a badge or uniform works with others to avoid or hide materials, sidestep difficult procedures, or lie about evidence, they’re hurting our volunteers and the thousands of families waiting for answers.”
But the FBI is still not sure about the identity of this serial killer and for them the case still remains open.
Zodiac Killer’s Hardest Codes Get Cracked
The first cipher of the Zodiac Killer published in a local newspaper was easily solved by Bettye Harden and Donald Harden. This couple loved quizzes, and they could decode the ciphers within a few days of publishing the ad.
To grab further attention, the killer sent another cipher, his second, to the newspaper in November 1969. About Zodiac Killer’s second cipher, David Oranchak, a software developer and a hobbyist cryptographer, said,
“Either he knew codes, or had a good intuition about how to make them. He definitely reacted to the Hardens[’] solution and made it much harder.”
The second cipher from the mysterious murderer was known as Z340. It looked very similar to the first one. It comprised grids, backward letters, symbols, and shapes like the first cipher.
After 51 years of the Zodiac killer sending the cipher to a newspaper, David Oranchak, a computer programmer called Jarl Van Eyke, and Sam Blake, an applied mathematician, cracked the cipher. Their team was known as the Case Breaker. Blake said,
“By luck, we discovered that (Zodiac) split it into three pieces and rearranged the message in a predictable diagonal pattern in the first two pieces.”
However, unlike the first cipher, the second one did not have a logical pattern. With the code being deciphered, they got valuable insights into the motive and personality of the notorious serial killer.
What Caused The Delay In Deciphering The Message Of the Zodiac Killer?
But have you ever wondered what took so long to decipher the cryptic message of the mysterious killer? The trio in the Case Breaker team said,
“It is clear that the complications introduced by Zodiac led to much delay in its solution. If the cipher were simply one of the well-understood classical systems, such as homophonic substitution, transposition, or polyalphabetic substitution […] then traditional cryptanalysis and application of powerful cipher solving tools would have broken it.”
Further, there was a lot of confusion as there was a call on the Jim Dunbar Show. The call came from an imposter who claimed himself to be the real Zodiac Killer.
Still, the team managed to decode the cipher, and the trio wrote,
“Analysis of Z340 benefited from collecting factual information about the cipher, its context in the Zodiac case, statistical analyses of the ciphertext, and other cryptanalytic observations,” they explained. “As users on online forums discovered interesting details about the ciphers, Oranchak endeavored to preserve them [online]. This allowed other researchers to use the information as a foundational source of factual details to build upon.”
What Did The Cipher Say Actually?
Nonetheless, the team, with a bit of help from the FBI, finally decoded the cipher. It said,
“I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING LOTS OF FUN IN TRYING TO CATCH ME
THAT WASNT ME ON THE TV SHOW
WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT ABOUT ME
I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE GAS CHAMBER
BECAUSE IT WILL SEND ME TO PARADICE ALL THE SOONER
BECAUSE I NOW HAVE ENOUGH SLAVES TO WORK FOR ME
WHERE EVERYONE ELSE HAS NOTHING WHEN THEY REACH PARADICE
SO THEY ARE AFRAID OF DEATH
I AM NOT AFRAID BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY NEW LIFE IS
LIFE WILL BE AN EASY ONE IN PARADICE DEATH” (Source)
Final Words
The murders committed by the Zodiac Killer were some of the most prominent cold cases in America. With confusing details and descriptions of the murderer, people even started questioning the existence of any real murderer by the same name.
Things became more confusing with a mismatch of ballistic reports. However, in 2021, the cold case team of “Case Breakers” identified Gary Francis Poste as the Zodiac serial killer.
However, despite the shocking revelation by the Case Breakers, the FBI still calls the case “open and unsolved.” So, we are waiting to hear more on this case.
Read Also:
