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[Cragle]

8 Dragon Card 4-28-70

8 Dragon Card 4-28-70.jpg

Ok explain this one ? I promise I'm not being obtuse

Also Is it not a federal offence to open mail without a warrant, I understand that there are certain circumstance when this is bypassed. Surely though it would have been quicker and easier for when it had been intercepted, which at this point only Z and the Postal worker would have touched it, gets hand cancelled (no need to physically touch) and then hand delivered to the SFC, thus meaning no laws broken. Minimal handling of the letter, and the quickest way of reading its contents.

Or am I wrong ?

Hard to see police operating that way when they're trying to apprehend a serial killer before he kills again.

Why ? They could have the letter opened within hours, perhaps minutes of it being intercepted. As opposed to going through the lengthy process of getting a search warrant ?

[Chaucer]

Any Zodiac letters intercepted by post workers would have been turned over immediately to the US Postal Inspection Service. Postal inspectors would have done their own investigation in conjunction with law enforcement. Remember that the story is that the letters were intercepted AT THE MAILBOX. They would not have been processed and/or postmarked.

As you know, I did a FOIA request with the USPIS for any records pertaining to the Zodiac and was informed that those records had been destroyed.

Still, as time passes, I find the story of "intercepted letters" to be less and less believable. I'd like to hear from Tom about this.

[Xcaliber]

<Why ? They could have the letter opened within hours, perhaps minutes of it being intercepted. As opposed to going through the lengthy process of getting a search warrant ?>

Believe me -- if they intercepted any letters (which is dubious) they weren't worried about any search warrants. And they weren't worried about violating a federal postal law. Just my strong opinion.

[Cragle]

<Why ? They could have the letter opened within hours, perhaps minutes of it being intercepted. As opposed to going through the lengthy process of getting a search warrant ?>

Believe me -- if they intercepted any letters (which is dubious) they weren't worried about any search warrants. And they weren't worried about violating a federal postal law. Just my strong opinion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... on_Service

I simply don't agree, they would jepodise any potential evidence and any future trial by breaking the law and thus making it insubmissable in courts ? But lets move on.

The elephant in the room is still the H on the Dragon Card ?

[Chaucer]

The elephant in the room is still the H on the Dragon Card ?

Look again, closely. I don't believe that is an H. I believe it is a smudged B that is missing it's top and bottom.

[Cragle]

The elephant in the room is still the H on the Dragon Card ?

Look again, closely. I don't believe that is an H. I believe it is a smudged B that is missing it's top and bottom.

8 Dragon Card 4-28-70.jpg

The FBI have it as a H, the sides look too straight to be a B.

[Chaucer]

I see a B. The corners curl.

[Xcaliber]

<I simply don't agree, they would jepodise any potential evidence and any future trial by breaking the law and thus making it insubmissable in courts ?>

My opinion is you're looking at the textbook answer, but the real life LE reaction would be quite different. They're under massive pressure to catch the guy. They're not worried about what would be admissible in court.

LE didn't appear to worry about violating any laws when they allegedly used a false identity to catch the Golden State Killer through Gedmatch. Sure, a defense attorney may be able to overturn the search, but no matter what, they got their man, and Deangelo will never see the light of day.

[shaqmeister]

The FBI have it as a H, the sides look too straight to be a B.

The FBI - or, is it the person sending the item to the FBI? I forget, they use different numbering - also have the following as showing "JB." So clearly, little confidence can be had in whoever's understanding of what they are seeing.

3 Stine Letter 10-13-69.jpg

[shaqmeister]

The elephant in the room is still the H on the Dragon Card ?

Look again, closely. I don't believe that is an H. I believe it is a smudged B that is missing it's top and bottom.

I agree. There is also significant distortion arising from how the stamp was applied in this instance (Slippage? Application to an uneven surface?), as attested by the fact of the digits "70" being elongated.