Zodiackillersite.com

Just thinking about Zodiac's 'costume' at Berryessa and pondering the usual questions regarding it, namely why, what was the point when he was going to kill them anyway, etc when I realized something I hadn't really given any though to before. Zodiac seemed to put quite considerable time, effort and care into the making of this garment, or specifically, the cross hairs symbol. Bryan Hartnell, speaking of the hood and symbol, said "Black hood, it came down in the front and over the chest, kinda like an overlay or a dickie. And on the front it had about a 4 inch crossed circle, the cross hairs, and it looked like it had been made with some kind of machine, or with some degree of care. It wasn't just scrawled on, it was proportional".

We have all heard many people question why he wore this to cover his face, considering he planned to murder both of his victims. Many have also pointed out that he took huge risk in wearing such a garment because, yes, it's a fairly quiet and secluded area, but a public one all the same with fishing boats passing at random intervals here and there. But I just thought of another risk he took by wearing that, one that could be far more threatning to his chances of gaining compliance from the two victims themselves. July 31st, 2 months before he shows up at LB, Zodiac sends 3 letters to 3 Bay area newspapers taking credit for the BRS attack, aswel as the double homicide at LHR demanding that they print a 3 part Cipher Code enclosed. August 4th, mails another letter in repsonse to LE asking for more evidence that he was the man responsible for the BRS & LHR incidents. In both his July letters, and the one in August, he identified himself as 'Zodiac', but more importantly, signed bout letters with his trade mark cross hairs circle symbol. This was quickly published in the papers along with the letters and cipher. So why would he wear this symbol and approach victims with it now possible one of them will recognize the symbol and instantly realize this man is 'The Zodiac Killer'?

Bryan Hartnell himself said when asked about his reaction to seeing such a menacing looking costume: You know, at the time it didn't really strike me because it was just something that someone was putting over themselves so they wouldn't be seen, I mean it could have come from a costume shop or a novelty store... The symbolism on it really didn't mean anything to me. He didn't identify himself as being 'The Zodiac', in fact, as I go to get up, he says 'Now hold on everybody, nothing to worry about, stay calm, all I want is your money.... And I believed him."

Maybe that was Zodiac's intent and purpose for wearing the hooded costume complete with the 'Zodiac' symbol, he was giving his victims the opportunity to identify who it was that stood in front of them, and if they didn't recognize him from the blatent symbol on his chest, then he may have reasoned that this would be their own fault for not paying attention to the news and him!

Yes the purpose is a bit unclear.

It's a reasonable idea and probably quite close to the truth, that the purpose was purely selfish to him. I have to wonder if it wasn't just an ego thing. This was a daylight attack so it's not unreasonable that he would take measures to ensure he wasn't seen, by anyone. I can also see him not wanting to be just one more masked nutjob attacking someone - that just wouldn't be special enough.

The idea that he wore it just to see what reaction it would get is nice. A kind of testing the water to see how his infamy was spreading. The other reason why I think it was all personal was because he didn't bother to identify himself as the Zodiac to Bryan and Cecelia but he did to LE by writing on the car door and it seems that, that was more important. In fact not only did he not identify himself, despite trying, to B&C but he concocted some story about being a run of the mill escaped convict (if there is such a thing).

I think he just made stuff up as he went along. It may have played differently if they had recognized the symbol and no doubt he would have loved that but it would have ended the same way. Either way he played with his prey before the kill and it's almost like he just went with 'filler' because they didn't know who he was and maybe that spoiled his little game but it didn't stop it. He just may have decided not to waste the more dramatic version on them since they didn't react in the way that he had planned.

Just some thoughts.

traveller1st wrote:Yes the purpose is a bit unclear.

It's a reasonable idea and probably quite close to the truth, that the purpose was purely selfish to him. I have to wonder if it wasn't just an ego thing. This was a daylight attack so it's not unreasonable that he would take measures to ensure he wasn't seen, by anyone. I can also see him not wanting to be just one more masked nutjob attacking someone - that just wouldn't be special enough.

The idea that he wore it just to see what reaction it would get is nice. A kind of testing the water to see how his infamy was spreading. The other reason why I think it was all personal was because he didn't bother to identify himself as the Zodiac to Bryan and Cecelia but he did to LE by writing on the car door and it seems that, that was more important. In fact not only did he not identify himself, despite trying, to B&C but he concocted some story about being a run of the mill escaped convict (if there is such a thing).

I think he just made stuff up as he went along. It may have played differently if they had recognized the symbol and no doubt he would have loved that but it would have ended the same way. Either way he played with his prey before the kill and it's almost like he just went with 'filler' because they didn't know who he was and maybe that spoiled his little game but it didn't stop it. He just may have decided not to waste the more dramatic version on them since they didn't react in the way that he had planned.

Just some thoughts.

Very good thoughts they are, too. I would have to agree with you that the hood itself was simply to conceal his face even thought he planned to murder both captive's, he is probably still aware that even the best planned events, don't always go according to plan. For example, if he approached them with the gun and both ran instantly, he could aim at a fleeing Cecelia Shapard, pull the trigger, and nothing happen due to the gun jamming, for example.

While the hood was a necessity for obvious reason, the symbol placed on it was not. As we said, he's going to kill both of his victims, so the purpose of the symbol cannot be for the purpose of having one of them tell police and press about it later hoping for a reaction of shock and fear.... The victims wouldn't be around to say anything, he thought. Was the costume and symbol used because he hoped a 3rd party would see him wearing it and give a description? Highly unlikely, if he's spotted wearing that, while holding a couple at gun point and/or restraining them, that is going to result in his arrest, or increase the chances of, at the very least. So, that just leaves us with the 'his own warped and sick purpose'.

I really do think he put that cross hair symbol onto the front of it to play some sort of sick game of 'Guess who' with them, and he's given them the clue as to who he is and what he will likely do to them by putting his symbol where it cannot be missed by them. He made it around 4 inches in circumference, highly visable being white in colour on a black background and placing it right in the middle of his chest area. I honestly think he was curious to see if either recognized him by his trademark, if they did, brilliant! This would confirm his infamy and influence on 'his' society. And he probably decided that if they failed to recognize the symbol, and who he was by it, then that is not his problem and he'll happily kill them for being ignorant.

But as you also acknowledged, these are just theories, thought and ideas.

Those questions bother me too.
As does "Why not at BRS, then? Why didn't he "don the hood" for Mike?"
At the Stine scene he wasn't wearing it for obvious reasons, too public, I suppose.
Why no mention of the garb in the letters. "I'll put my executioners hood on..... Hee hee hee."
Unless we think The Mikado was referring to it, obliquely.
So many questions about Berryessa. It's a real pain.

smithy wrote:Those questions bother me too.
As does "Why not at BRS, then? Why didn't he "don the hood" for Mike?"
At the Stine scene he wasn't wearing it for obvious reasons, too public, I suppose.
Why no mention of the garb in the letters. "I'll put my executioners hood on..... Hee hee hee."
Unless we think The Mikado was referring to it, obliquely.
So many questions about Berryessa. It's a real pain.

I think The Mikado and Ko-Ko may very well have been the inspiration for the design of the hood itslef (resemble that of the executioner). As for why he did not don the same hood at Blue Rock, who can say for sure? My best guess would be he didn't because it was a night time attack in a dark and unlit place, and instead of using a hood to conceal his face from the victim, he shone a bright and powerful beam of light into his eyes instead. He never planned on hanging around BRS and simply opened fire without saying a word, then 30 seconds or so later, was driving out of the car park leaving the scene. Why would he not use the blitz style of attack at Berryessa also? I have absolutely no idea or even theory lol. Why didn't he emerge from behind the tree and walk up to Bryan and Cecelia and start blastig shots into them with the aid of a silencer? Pass! Don't know. He had his reasons for it I suppose. Maybe murder by gun wasn't a challenge anymore and 'too easy' and he decided he needed a more risky adventure and a more intimate and personal feeling to his next kill and that could be achieved with a stabbing? Could be a lot of warped and malevolent reasons for it.

He did claim to have worn a disguise at Presidio Heights to alter/change his appearence and only looked like the composite when he did his thing. But of course, he is going to say that, isn't he? He isn't likely to write "This is the Zodiac Speaking. I am impressed! That composite is so accurate that i've had 6 people point out to me at work today that I am a dead ringer for Zodiac. Well done." Lol.

smithy wrote:Why no mention of the garb in the letters. "I'll put my executioners hood on..... Hee hee hee."

Well there's no mention of the attack in his letters either. Sure he wrote on the door but even that was just a date. I think he'd possibly reached a stage where he didn't need to press the issue as he did with the earlier crimes and the details because he'd already established himself and why give more details than you need to.

LB is different I suppose to PH because he wasn't wearing a disguise that covered his whole head. He'd been seen with his head uncovered to a degree that a composite was produced. There will always be opinions and theories as to why he felt the need to address that in a letter but maybe when compared to LB it lends some weight to the argument that he was was concerned enough about it to throw some noise out there.

Or not. Who knows but he did 'feel' something about PH and the composite so It's probably not unreasonable to assume that he 'felt' something about the LB costume when the details were made public. I bet he was just stoked when his get-up to inspire a local response (at the crime scene only) which it failed to do was now ironically doing what it was supposed to do but on a national stage because he failed to kill one of his victims. Complete with a great depiction of it courtesy of GS. He probably didn't need to ever mention it again as it was now being immortalized in his lore which was probably a result he couldn't have dreamed of. What could have turned into an embarrassing decision and become a bit of a joke has suddenly become this striking and menacing image.

If this was the case then what could you add to it? Nothing much I can think of without risking diminishing it's very satisfactory, if accidental, status.

traveller1st wrote:

smithy wrote:Why no mention of the garb in the letters. "I'll put my executioners hood on..... Hee hee hee."

Well there's no mention of the attack in his letters either. Sure he wrote on the door but even that was just a date. I think he'd possibly reached a stage where he didn't need to press the issue as he did with the earlier crimes and the details because he'd already established himself and why give more details than you need to.

LB is different I suppose to PH because he wasn't wearing a disguise that covered his whole head. He'd been seen with his head uncovered to a degree that a composite was produced. There will always be opinions and theories as to why he felt the need to address that in a letter but maybe when compared to LB it lends some weight to the argument that he was was concerned enough about it to throw some noise out there.

Or not. Who knows but he did 'feel' something about PH and the composite so It's probably not unreasonable to assume that he 'felt' something about the LB costume when the details were made public. I bet he was just stoked when his get-up to inspire a local response (at the crime scene only) which it failed to do was now ironically doing what it was supposed to do but on a national stage because he failed to kill one of his victims. Complete with a great depiction of it courtesy of GS. He probably didn't need to ever mention it again as it was now being immortalized in his lore which was probably a result he couldn't have dreamed of. What could have turned into an embarrassing decision and become a bit of a joke has suddenly become this striking and menacing image.

If this was the case then what could you add to it? Nothing much I can think of without risking diminishing it's very satisfactory, if accidental, status.

" There will always be opinions and theories as to why he felt the need to address that in a letter but maybe when compared to LB it lends some weight to the argument that he was was concerned enough about it to throw some noise out there."

I think we can say with reasonable certainty why Zodiac addressed the Composite Sketch, he was replying directly to Chief Inspector Martin Lee's allegations in the Chronicle that were published on October 18, 1969.

The killer of five who calls himself "Zodiac" is a clumsy criminal, a liar and possibly a latent homosexual.

He has made some mistakes," Chief of Inspectors Marvin Lee said of Zodiac. Mistakes such as:

1. Possibly leaving his fingerprints in the Yellow Cab in which he shot taxi driver Paul Stine last Saturday night.

2 Allowing himself to be seen by three witnesses as he fled from the Presidio Heights murder scene.

3 Leaving alive two of his intended victims in the deranged attacks he made on couples in the North Bay region -- two young men who may one day pick him out of a lineup.

That's why Zodiac bullet points his response as he's responding to each of Lee's allegations. His Nov 9 reply was a rebuttle in which he said;

The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them.

1. I look like the description passed out only when I do my thing, the rest of the time I look entirle different. I shall not tell you what my descise consists of when I kill.
2 As of yet I have left no fingerprints behind me contrary to what the police say in my killings I wear transparent fingertip guards. All it is is 2 coats of airplane cement coated on my fingertips -- quite unnoticible + very efective.
3 my killing tools have been boughten through the mail order outfits before the ban went into efect. Except one & it was bought out of the state. So as you can see the police don't have much to work on. If you wonder why I was wipeing the cab down I was leaving fake clews for the police to run all over town with, as one might say, I gave the cops som bussy work to do to keep them happy. I enjoy needling the blue pigs. Hey blue pig I was in the park -- you were useing fire trucks to mask the sound of your cruzeing prowl cars. The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west + there was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west

"Well there's no mention of the attack in his letters either. Sure he wrote on the door but even that was just a date. I think he'd possibly reached a stage where he didn't need to press the issue as he did with the earlier crimes and the details because he'd already established himself and why give more details than you need to."

Funny you should bring that up because i've just been reading Dr David Van Nuys analysis of Zodiac's behavior. He make's a good case for Zodiac having a severe Dissociative Disorder.

Dissociative fugue (formerly psychogenic fugue): reversible amnesia for personal identity, usually involving unplanned travel or wandering, sometimes accompanied by the establishment of a new identity. This state is typically associated with stressful life circumstances and can be short or lengthy.

Dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder): the alternation of two or more distinct personality states with impaired recall among personality states. In extreme cases, the host personality is unaware of the other, alternating personalities; however, the alternate personalities are aware of all the existing personalities.

If, and i stress IF Zodiac had a form of Dissociative Disorder, then this could explain why, for example, he never wrote taking credit for Berryessa. Or why he didn't make a phone call to brag, nor send any letters, immediately after LHR. Just one more possibility to consider lol.

I don't buy into multiple personalites for a second.

While I do think the hood was more for personal reasons, I think he very much intended to scare the crap out of them. I mean...he probably stared at himself in the mirror before he left admiring how terrifying he looked!

A creepy hood with a symbol on the chest, a gun and holster, a knife in a sheath and longs strips of white clothesline...would have freaked me out bigtime.

***
This is why I question LB as Zodiac--even with the car door. So many vast differences. Seems Zodiac's ego would have wanted Bryan and Cecelia to know who he was..."I am the Zodiac Killer".....(wear my buttons!)

We know Zodiac himself only used it ONCE in a letter prior to LB. Anyone know if Bryan and/or Cecelia were familiar with the "Zodiac Killer" at all? I mean, even had he said "I'm Zodiac", would they have known who that was??

Tahoe27 wrote:I don't buy into multiple personalites for a second......

I agree, resoundingly. And with the rest of your post.

NO theory anyone has yet conjured up about the case as a whole survives the facts of the attack at Lake Berryessa.