BULLETS

[BuckwheatFlowers]

You're right. Had to come from him.

[Paul_Averly]

I have always wondered why the Impala was parked by the gate around 9pm with no one in it. It was a very cold night. Why would someone park there and get out, and go where? Was it another hunter, or someone that walked down to the pumping station? I would think the hunters would have seen someone else with a flashlight in the area.

This begs the question, were the hunters lying? Was there someone else with them? It is strange that hunters were in the area with .22 cal gun and the crime was committed with the same type of low cal ammo.

Bingo also saw the car. Could it have re-parked past the gate.

The issue brought up over and over is the fact that there was a very small window of time for the crimes to take place. What if Z didn't have to swoop in during a small window because already there?

http://www.zodiackiller.com/LHRPR22.html

[Paul_Averly]

I know Owens drives by in a tight window but think of this, the crime is committed within 5 minutes after the hunter leave the scene.

How about this, 3 hunters, one car and one truck. The truck is parked at the ranch, the car behind the gate.

The truck leaves, the other car exits the gate and parks. The driver (Z) gets out to close the gate. Owens drives by. Z sees his opportunity and takes it.

Remember, whoever did it, had a loaded .22 cab magazine. There was no time to stop and load. That would mean Owen would have to have a .22 with a full clip with him ready to go on his way to work.

[morf13]

I know Owens drives by in a tight window but think of this, the crime is committed within 5 minutes after the hunter leave the scene.

How about this, 3 hunters, one car and one truck. The truck is parked at the ranch, the car behind the gate.

The truck leaves, the other car exits the gate and parks. The driver (Z) gets out to close the gate. Owens drives by. Z sees his opportunity and takes it.

Remember, whoever did it, had a loaded .22 cab magazine. There was no time to stop and load. That would mean Owen would have to have a .22 with a full clip with him ready to go on his way to work.

It's good to think outside the box, but there's no proof of that, whatsoever. For either of the hunters to be involved, or lying, would mean that they were part of a team. They would have to both be lying. The Yours saw the hunters, and only saw two of them. The Hunters themselves said that there were only two of them. Just doesn't make sense. Owen claims he saw a 'dark car, lacking in chrome'. The people there earlier that night that saw the white Impala, including the hunters, had no issues making it out. If the white Impala was there when Owen went by, he would have seen a white Impala, not a 'dark car lacking in chrome'. I would hope that Owen, a guy just out of the Air Force after 20 years, would be a bit sharper, and a bit more detail oriented, NOT somebody that fails to mention hearing a shot until 3 days after his 1st statement-but it is what it is.

The hunters using .22 rifle or ammo is no mystery, they are raccoon hunting, and that is typical gun and ammo for coon hunting. I think it's odd that the Yours were driving around with a gun. Owen owned multiple guns, but there is no proof he had one with him that night in the car, that will likely never be proven. It's obvious, that Zodiac, whomever he was, had a loaded .22 handgun with him, meaning he was likely looking for a target.

We have to sort of throw out all that happened earlier that night, because of Owen guiding what we have to believe happened. When he went by at 11:14, there was one dark car lacking in chrome next to Dave's, thats all we can say for sure. No white Impala, no Red truck, etc. Also important to note, according to the drawing based on what Owen saw, or claimed he saw, the car next to Dave's was facing the same was as Dave's car, rear of car to Lake Herman Rd, which would make it likely, no car pulled out of the gate.

[Nachtsider]

I have always wondered why the Impala was parked by the gate around 9pm with no one in it. It was a very cold night. Why would someone park there and get out, and go where?

Simple.

He went to take a piss.

[Paul_Averly]

The hunters using .22 rifle or ammo is no mystery, they are raccoon hunting, and that is typical gun and ammo for coon hunting.

Exactly, a .22 is great for small game, but not something you would want if you were hunting humans. The crime was committed with a .22. Just so happen there were two people in the immediate area within 10 minutes of the crime that both had .22's.

As much of a POI Owens is, I am going to say that Robert M Connley is just as interesting. He was at the scene in the small window, with a weapon of the same caliber. He was allowed to turn in his own gun for testing. (Like Owen)

After the hunting trip he returned to his home in NAPA. He also worked in Vallejo.

Peggy Your claimed he fit the description from BRS.
http://www.zodiackiller.com/DFR23.html

Just saying if Owen is a good fit, and I believe he should be looked at, Connley is just as good. And he's still alive for questioning.

[Craigfitzer]

Is there another thread on Robert M Connley? A good point made about hunting humans with a .22.
Is it accurate about his home being in Napa?

[Tahoe27]

I found the "lacking chrome" phrase in the police report. It's coupled with "not large & not compact" and attributed to no one.

http://www.zodiackiller.com/LHRPR6.html

Which is awesome, because neither of those description are mentioned anywhere under witness accounts.

You've been at this a lot longer than me, so if you say it's Owens I'll take your word for it.

It HAS to be from Owen, he is the ONLY person that saw Zodiac's car(if there was one). He is the only one that could have given any mention of the car. Remember, he said in one statement it was 3-4 ft away from Dave's car,and in the other statement, it was 10 ft apart

Pretty sure that a dark car lacking chrome is mentioned somewhere else in that report. Seems like they mention a glowing dash too, but's it's late...I could be mistaken.

[BuckwheatFlowers]

I found the "lacking chrome" phrase in the police report. It's coupled with "not large & not compact" and attributed to no one.

http://www.zodiackiller.com/LHRPR6.html

Which is awesome, because neither of those description are mentioned anywhere under witness accounts.

You've been at this a lot longer than me, so if you say it's Owens I'll take your word for it.

It HAS to be from Owen, he is the ONLY person that saw Zodiac's car(if there was one). He is the only one that could have given any mention of the car. Remember, he said in one statement it was 3-4 ft away from Dave's car,and in the other statement, it was 10 ft apart

Pretty sure that a dark car lacking chrome is mentioned somewhere else in that report. Seems like they mention a glowing dash too, but's it's late...I could be mistaken.

I thought the same thing....that the description of the car lacking chrome came from Peggy Your about the car at the Humble Oil entrance. But it's not. Morf is on it.

[BuckwheatFlowers]

What amazes me about this incident is how everyone seems to just accept as if it were undeniable fact that Zodiac was even in a car at Lake Herman Road.

This is taken as Fact, because James Owen says this is what he saw, as he drove by the scene on his way to work. He saw the car pulled in forward side by side nexxt to Faraday's. A few minutes later, Borges found the bodies. Owen basically steered the entire police investigation, and as I have well documented, there are several reasons his account should be questioned and scrutinized.

Morf, you think there is any chance someone was in the car with Owens? Maybe the guy he worked with? The shell casings would line up better that way.

1. They pull in beside the rambler.
2a. Passenger gets out, immediately shoots warning shot.(shell casing at 20ft)
2b. Driver gets out and moves to rear/drivers side of rambler to keep them from exiting that direction.
3. Passenger walks to front of perp car and fires another warning shot.(shell casing at 14ft)
4. Faraday and Jensen still don't exit vehicle.
5. Two shots in rambler. One in back side glass, one in roof.
6. They finally exit vehicle.
7. David shot immediately.
8. Jensen shot immediately after as running, stumbling along.


Or else, If Owens is involved by himself, I think he made the whole side by side thing up... as the backing in thing seems very clumsy to me. If he was by himself and did the shooting, how about this....

1. He pulls in behind the rambler... just like the perp at BRS.
2. He walks to the passenger side with flashlight (kids might think hes police)... just like BRS.
3. Betty Lou rolls down window, zodiac shows gun and tells them to get out.
4. They refuse... he puts two into side of rambler. One in back side glass, one hits top of roof.
5. Betty Lou gets out, David follows.
6. He shoots David.
7. Immediately shoots Jensen in back.
8. She cant turn towards road because perps car is blocking the way.
9. As shes about at the back of the perps car, perp fires last two shots at her. Casings land on hood of his car.
10. Perp gets in his car, backs up a couple feet, pulls in towards gate, bullets fall of hood (one off the front-20ft and one off left side - 14ft).
11. Killer backs out and heads back towards Vallejo.


I like the second one better, even though the heading back to Vallejo part makes little sense.