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It is commonly accepted that the Rambler station wagon was found facing the fence eastwards and Betty Lou Jensen's feet were facing west ie: the Rambler and Betty Lou are aligned on the East-West axis, as shown in the police sketch below.
However the photograph taken at the scene tells an altogether different story, Betty Lou is 90 degrees to the Rambler, that is facing along the North-South axis.
In the sketches Betty Lou and David Faraday are at 90 degrees to one another, in the photograph they are virtually parallel.
If the photograph is to be taken as reality above a crude police sketch, then the notion the Rambler was discovered facing east into the turnout edge is incorrect, because the photograph clearly shows the rear of the Rambler is facing the exit of the turnout, in a northerly direction.
This may suggest that David Faraday was actually attempting to escape the turnout before being halted by the attack.
If we then compare all the police sketches Stella Borges' sketch is the only one that indicates the final position of the car.
In other words the Rambler was facing eastwards into the fence when the Yours and James Owen passed it, but in between James Owen passing it and Stella Borges arriving with the bodies on the ground, the Rambler must have changed position, nearer to the north-south axis shown in the photograph. The Stella Borges sketch is the only one indicating the Rambler in a pulled away position, nearer to the reality of the photograph and if you tweak her sketch of the Rambler and David Faraday slightly it now matches up almost perfectly with the photograph. It is not a massive change. The final position of the Rambler to me seems indicative of an attempt to leave the turnout, hence the rear end facing the exit, and in a different position to earlier eyewitness accounts. The bullets fired into the Rambler were therefore likely used as a deterring action by Zodiac.


Below is the Stella Borges sketch, different to all the others and below that I have corrected it to match the photograph.

Owen's account of the car matches the sketch, he said the cars were parked next to each other,although in one statement, they were 3-4 ft apart, and in the other,10ft

morf13 wrote:Owen's account of the car matches the sketch, he said the cars were parked next to each other,although in one statement, they were 3-4 ft apart, and in the other,10ft

Here is Owen's sketch, the Rambler is on the east-west axis. The police photograph above (which is the final position) shows the Rambler on the north-south axis, so its position must have changed after Owen passed the turnout ie: David Faraday had backed away from the fence and towards the exit, maybe in an attempt to foil the attack. Owen's sketch and the photograph do not match.

Very interesting--what you've shown makes sense IF you can believe all the different witness stories that came forth. One thing reading through all the forums has opened my eyes to is how just a little bit of sloppiness or laxity--by the police, or reporters, or witnesses--can skew the whole picture.

There was one sketch different from all the others which I want to say was made from--one of the hunters ? I found a copy of it on Zodiackillerfacts.com under the LHR sketches. And I remember reading about the report where he swore the station wagon was parked southwest of where it was found when he passed it at 11:05 or so that night. Do you all know anything more about that? I had always dismissed that in my mind as he just made a mistake, but now I wonder. I tried posting a link to that sketch but it wouldn't post. (Just tried again but it won't load--sorry!)

Itsapuzzle wrote:I tried posting a link to that sketch but it wouldn't post. (Just tried again but it won't load--sorry!)

This one?

http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/galler ... play_media

and here's the page with all the sketches.

http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/galler ... p?album=72

Maybe it should be taken into consideration the letter writer didn't kill them. I know, I know.

That pesky Owen account throws a monkey wrench into this whole thing. He thought he heard a shot a quarter mile after he went by, which is a matter of seconds, so I wonder how much movement there could have been for cars,positions,etc. Some of these discrepancies can be explained if Owen is lying

morf13 wrote:That pesky Owen account throws a monkey wrench into this whole thing. He thought he heard a shot a quarter mile after he went by, which is a matter of seconds, so I wonder how much movement there could have been for cars,positions,etc. Some of these discrepancies can be explained if Owen is lying

How much time would it really take though? Z gets out of his car as soon as Owen has passed, Faraday starts backing out to leave/get away, Z shoots out the window warning him to stop.

Also, the location Owen puts Z's car doesn't conflict with the location of the victims, or Jensen's apparent path in trying to run away.

Owen wasn't sure what he heard was a shot. He may not have all details correct, since there was nothing unusual about anything he saw or heard that night. So I think the word "mistaken" should be used instead of "lying."

Marshall wrote:

morf13 wrote:That pesky Owen account throws a monkey wrench into this whole thing. He thought he heard a shot a quarter mile after he went by, which is a matter of seconds, so I wonder how much movement there could have been for cars,positions,etc. Some of these discrepancies can be explained if Owen is lying

How much time would it really take though? Z gets out of his car as soon as Owen has passed, Faraday starts backing out to leave/get away, Z shoots out the window warning him to stop.

Also, the location Owen puts Z's car doesn't conflict with the location of the victims, or Jensen's apparent path in trying to run away.

Owen wasn't sure what he heard was a shot. He may not have all details correct, since there was nothing unusual about anything he saw or heard that night. So I think the word "mistaken" should be used instead of "lying."

Not calling him a liar, simply pointing out one of the multiple inconsistencies from him. Maybe this helps? Also,see police report below

MORF13- One thing I have a question about was regarding what you told them in the 2nd statement and not in the first statement. In the 2nd statement, you said that you thought you heard a gunshot, but you did not mention that in the first statement. Why didn’t you?

JO- “I didn’t know if it meant anything, I didn’t really know what was going on"

MORF13- So what can you tell me about hearing the shot?

JO- "when was it again? November?"

MORF13- no, it was December

JO- "It was a cool quiet night, and the leaves were off the trees, I think the sound carried well"

Marshall wrote:

morf13 wrote:That pesky Owen account throws a monkey wrench into this whole thing. He thought he heard a shot a quarter mile after he went by, which is a matter of seconds, so I wonder how much movement there could have been for cars,positions,etc. Some of these discrepancies can be explained if Owen is lying

How much time would it really take though? Z gets out of his car as soon as Owen has passed, Faraday starts backing out to leave/get away, Z shoots out the window warning him to stop.

Also, the location Owen puts Z's car doesn't conflict with the location of the victims, or Jensen's apparent path in trying to run away.

Owen wasn't sure what he heard was a shot. He may not have all details correct, since there was nothing unusual about anything he saw or heard that night. So I think the word "mistaken" should be used instead of "lying."

Exactly Marshall, I don't believe Owen was lying, but he may have been mistaken as to seeing the occupants of both vehicles. After he had passed by approximately a quarter of a mile Zodiac launched his assault firing at the Rambler to force the couple out. This may have been the first shot that night, the only one he heard that night (possibly). Faraday attempts to reverse, but thinks better of it when the second bullet strikes the window of the vehicle. The Rambler is now in its north-south axis demonstrated by the photograph. The couple now exit the vehicle. Morf I reckon Owen saw the cars 10 feet apart, David Faraday was 5 foot something, if the cars had been 3-4 feet apart and the conventional order of events had been in place, Faraday after falling would have struck Zodiac's vehicle and possibly altered his eventual position, however this may also explain the injury or swelling to his cheek. But if the Rambler had reversed away from Zodiac's car slightly Faraday would fall without impacting Zodiac's car.
I calculated the angle of the bullet that entered the window and lodged in the left rear wheel well, it was 17 degrees to the horizontal. If the Zodiac had fired this at the Rambler from distance with a natural outstretched arm, the further you travel away from the Rambler or any vehicle the bullet would have a flatter, more horizontal trajectory. Based on Zodiac being 5'10" in height and knowing the average distance between shoulder and top of head (because the shot was likely fired with an outstretched arm) and backtracking from the point of impact in the window using trigonometry, Zodiac must have fired this shot inside of 2 feet, meaning the shot into the headliner of the vehicle was likely the first shot. The second into the window was likely performed as he closed in on the couple's car.