Zodiackillersite.com

morf13 wrote:

Soze wrote: And even if they were reclined, where was Z? It still does not change the fact he took major risks beginning to shoot 20 seconds after a witness just went by.

Precisely. It's a huge risk to take.

We have to assume that Z had no particular interest in killing DF and BLJ as such - they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time: At a lover's lane type of place, in short. Z is in the area, cruising for victims. Perhaps he has driven past several times that night, waiting for someone to be there. Well, finally someone is - and he pulls up next to them. And then another car drives by. What does he do? Well, it seems that he - as you say above - almost immediately springs into action, gets out of his car, gun in hand - and kills them. Does that make sense? I don't know. I don't even know if it's supposed to make sense - but there is no doubt that what he did was incredibly risky.

From Z's perspective he ran the risk not only of being caught in the act by another passer-by - but also of having the most recent passer-by hearing the shots and reacting. We know that said passer-by DID hear the shots, but that he didn't realize the significance until later (so he claims).

It's damned strange, the whole thing.

I see the Z coming from the east. He reaches the turnout and sees a car parked there. He makes a split second decision to stop. At the same time he is reaching the turnout and making a split second decision to stop, he sees headlights up ahead, at the area of Marshall Ranch. The Zodiac pulls into the turnout, parks and, turns off his lights. He is not there no more than a half a minute and, I think that's being generous, when the car he sees up the road reaches the turnout. Marshall Ranch is not more than 2 tenths of a mile away. The kids nor Z have any time to make any kind of gesture or move before the other car reaches the turnout. The car passes the turnout, Z jumps out of the vehicle and immediately begins to fire.

I know that Owen States that the two cars were abreast of each other. But I cant help but feel that the two cars were actually, perpendicular, to one another. As dark as it was, being perpendicular, would actually explain the single bullet casing so far away from the others, as well as, the shot to the back of the car. Zodiac jumps out of the vehicle upon the other car passing, loses his bearings and, fires to the left of where he needed to shoot. He then approaches the door as the kids start climbing out and the rest is history.

As far as Z not knowing who the other car driver was, the only thing important, was who they were not; a cop. I forget now all the reasons but it use to be that you could spot an unmarked car a mile away but I don't think that's as possible these days. You could spot a possible cop by the shape and position of their headlights. I forget now if there was anything to their tail lights. Most unmarked cars you could tell by their hub caps as well. In 1969 and 1970 Benicia PD was driving a Dodge Polara 383 or 440. These cars had double headlights side by side. Don't know what they were driving in 1968 but I would assume the same Polara. Governor Reagan, in 1970, suggested police departments in California change up the makes of their cars every couple of years. Quite possibly to keep with performance but also quite possibly because people become accustom to the specifics of the vehicle.

Soze

Soze wrote:As far as Z not knowing who the other car driver was, the only thing important, was who they were not; a cop. I forget now all the reasons but it use to be that you could spot an unmarked car a mile away but I don't think that's as possible these days. You could spot a possible cop by the shape and position of their headlights. I forget now if there was anything to their tail lights. Most unmarked cars you could tell by their hub caps as well. In 1969 and 1970 Benicia PD was driving a Dodge Polara 383 or 440. These cars had double headlights side by side. Don't know what they were driving in 1968 but I would assume the same Polara. Governor Reagan, in 1970, suggested police departments in California change up the makes of their cars every couple of years. Quite possibly to keep with performance but also quite possibly because people become accustom to the specifics of the vehicle.

Soze

He would't have to be a cop in an (unmarked) cop car--or any cop car.

I asked Ed Rust of the Vallejo P.D. in one of Tom's ZodiacKiller.com chat discussions about Vallejo's unmarked police cars. I remember when he told me I thought it was an odd car for them to use. I will find the answer.

Ed Rust did not believe LHR to be Zodiac.

Again...not sure where he came from, but pretty sure he would want the quickest way out which would for sure be the Benicia side.