Zodiac Killer Timeline Explained: How Long The Serial Killer Operated In California

3 days ago 7

This Is the Zodiac Speaking

This article contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault

Netflix's shocking new documentary This Is The Zodiac Speaking offers new and persuasive evidence that chief suspect Arthur Leigh Allen was, in fact, the real Zodiac killer. Centered around the new testimony of the Seawater family, who knew Allen well, the documentary reveals that not only were the Seawater children with Allen at or around some of the Zodiac's crime scenes, the eldest brother, David, insists that Allen confessed to him in a phone call that he was, indeed, the mysterious killer.

David's story is compelling, but not decisive. There are several strong arguments to suggest that Allen was not the Zodiac; for instance, DNA samples taken from the killer's letters and envelopes did not match Allen's; Bryan C Hartnell, one of only two victims to survive a Zodiac attack, gave the authorities a very different description of his assailant than Allen: "He had brown hair, 225-250 pounds in weight and 5'8" to 5'10" in height," and "his hair hung down across his forehead." Allen was famously over six feet tall and balding. What is certain is that between 1968 and 1974, the Zodiac terrorized California.

When The Zodiac Killer's Crimes Started

The First Confirmed Murder Was In 1968

On December 20, 1968, the Zodiac's first confirmed murders took place on Lake Herman Road, in Benicia, a well-known spot for teenage meet-ups. That evening, David Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, noticed a car pull up on the passenger side of their vehicle. Reportedly, a man got out and started firing shots into the car, forcing the couple to exit. Faraday was shot in the head with a .22-caliber rifle. Jensen was able to scramble clear of the car but was then hit five times in the back. Both teenagers died at the scene.

The Seawater children recall that on that day in 1963, they were with Allen at a beach nearby and that he disappeared for an hour

One of This Is The Zodiac Speaking's most striking revelations disputes the Faraday/Jensen murders as the Zodiac's first; on June 4th, 1963, Linda Edwards, 17, and her fiancée, Robert Domingos, 18, were brutally shot and killed on a remote beach south of Gaviota in Santa Barbara County, California. The weapon used was a .22 rifle, which lined up with the Lake Herman attack and more of the Zodiac's known murders (via zodiackiller.com). The Seawater children recall that on that day in 1963, they were with Allen at a beach nearby and that he disappeared for an hour, returning with blood on his clothes.

The Zodiac Taunted The Police Between 1968 And 1974

a draw of the zodiac killer in netflix documentary 'this is the zodiac speaking'

Between 1968 and 1974, the Zodiac taunted the police with letters teasing his whereabouts, accompanied by inscrutable ciphers that, he insisted, would reveal his identity if solved. They also threatened further atrocities. The first, sent in 1968, admitted responsibility for two of the shootings, at Lake Herman Road in December 1968 and Blue Rock Springs the following July. As the documentary makes clear, the letter provided an immediate insight into the Zodiac's psyche - the need to control - and a bizarre motive: "...collecting slaves for my afterlife."

Three more letters were sent out between 1969 and 1974, purporting to be from the Zodiac. On November 9th, 1969, the Zodiac sent a seven-page letter in response to the October 11th shooting of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights, San Francisco, taunting the authorities, declaring he would never be caught, because "I have been too clever for them," and threatening to blow up a school bus. Four ciphers were sent, two of which remain unsolved to this day. Zodiac's first cipher, called the Z408, was solved quickly and revealed a twisted mind: "I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves."

When The Zodiac's Confirmed Murders Took Place

The Zodiac's Second Murder Might Have Happened in 1966

The next Zodiac victims were Michael Renault Mageau,19, and Darlene Ferrin, 22, per History.com, who were shot and killed in July 1969 in the Blue Rock Springs motel parking lot in Vallejo. Again, the assailant parked his car next to theirs, and exited, shining a torchlight into the rear of the car before opening fire. Mageau survived the attack but Ferrin was later declared dead. Then, on September 27th, 1969, Bryan Hartnell, 20, and Cecelia Shepard, 22, were stabbed at Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Finally, driver Paul Stine was shot in the back of the head in his cab on October 11th, 1969.

This Is The Zodiac Speaking disputes this timeline. On October 29th, 1966, 18-year-old Cheri Jo Bates was stabbed to death on the grounds of Riverside City College. The likely murderer sent two letters to RPD headquarters and the offices of the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Zodiac-style, claiming responsibility for the killing. The ferocity of the stabbings recalls the attack on Shepard and Hartnell at Lake Berryessa, and in the documentary, Connie Seawater remembers that on the day of the Bates murder, Allen took her on a tour of the Riverside College campus, later leaving in a hurry to the sound of police sirens.

When Arthur Leigh Allen Was Arrested

Allen Was Arrested Twice

arthur leigh allen - suspect on the zodiac killer case - 'This is the Zodiac Speaking' Netflix Documentary 2024

Allen's first arrest was on June 15th, 1958, per zodiackiller.com: Allen was arrested by the Vallejo Police Department for disturbing the peace as the result of an altercation with acquaintance Ralph Spinelli. The charges were dismissed a month later. His second arrest was in 1974, for suspected child molestation when he was an elementary school teacher. After eventually pleading guilty, he was incarcerated at Atascadero State Hospital for three years; Allen was given a suspended prison sentence and five years of felony probation. He completed probation successfully in 1982.

Arthur Leigh Allen's Zodiac "Confession" To The Seawaters: Everything We Know

According to Netflix's This is the Zodiac documentary series, Arthur Leigh Allen confessed to the Zodaic killings to the Seawater family.

Allen remained a chief Zodiac suspect throughout the known period of the killer's activity. On September 14, 1972, two weeks before Allen's child molestation arrest, the SFPD obtained a search warrant to turn over Allen's Vallejo trailer, convinced that they'd find evidence of his involvement. They did find dead squirrels in his refrigerator, and various sexual implements, but nothing else incriminating. Allen was asked to give a handwriting sample, which was later found to not match that of the Zodiac's letters and envelopes. As a result, the SFPD appears to have discounted Allen as a Zodiac suspect.

When Allen Confessed To David Seawater That He Was The Zodiac

Seawater Alleges Allen Confessed A Year Before He Died

On August 1st, 1991, per thesun.co.uk, reporter Rita Williams chanced an interview with Allen simply by knocking on his door and asking for one. Shockingly, he agreed, and their discussion was aired on local television soon after. Allen vehemently denied being the Zodiac killer. The Seawaters, now adults, thought the allegations ridiculous. Connie, who was closest to him, drove to see him to reassure him that she believed none of it. He took her out on his boat, and she asked him the Zodiac question directly. His answer surprised her: "If I told you that I'd have to kill you, too."

In This Is The Zodiac Speaking, David Seawater recounts how he phoned Allen to offer his support and check in with the man he'd seen as a father figure. He thanked him for always having been good to the Seawater family. Allen, he recalls, was unusually emotional, and began sobbing: "I was not as good to you as you think I was," he said, "I drugged you guys. I molested your sister." Shocked, David couldn't help but ask: "Are you the Zodiac killer?" to which, David Seawater insists, Allen replied bluntly, "Yes, it was me."

Sources: The Guardian, History.com, zodiackiller.com, thesun.co.uk

After decades of mystery, the Seawater family presents new evidence about the Zodiac Killer, sharing their story and naming the only suspect agreed upon by detectives.

Read Entire Article