The Car Door

[duckking2001]

Looks like both are found in the VTH cipher letter.

Open circles. Second one on the period bottom page. http://zodiackiller.com/VTHEnvelope.html, http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=114&fullsize=1

Candy cane "f" http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=113&fullsize=1

[Coffee Time]

Open circle on the back of the July 31, 1969 Chronicle envelope:
http://zodiackiller.com/SFCEBHR.html

[duckking2001]

Good one, CT.

I don't think that the envelopes were shown in the papers, were they?

[Coffee Time]

The July 31st envelopes & letters weren't reproduced in the Chronicle, only the ciphers. Don't know about the other papers. Not sure if LE asked them to hold those back?

Also, thought it was weird that the Chronicle's LB articles had no picture of the car door.

[morf13]

The July 31st envelopes & letters weren't reproduced in the Chronicle, only the ciphers. Don't know about the other papers. Not sure if LE asked them to hold those back?

Also, thought it was weird that the Chronicle's LB articles had no picture of the car door.

Now,I am pretty sure police DID ask them not to print photos of the door, in fact, there is one photo out there with brown paper bag material over top of the door, covering the words, 'by knife'. Ken Narlow told me something about why they did that but I cant remember.

[mike_r]

Hi-

Based on my experience speaking to a retired detective from SF, it is a myth that Z will be convicted on handwriting alone. It may sound good in a book or sound bite but the real world is different. That goes double for a sample as small as the car door, IMO.

Mike

[morf13]

Hi-

Based on my experience speaking to a retired detective from SF, it is a myth that Z will be convicted on handwriting alone. It may sound good in a book or sound bite but the real world is different. That goes double for a sample as small as the car door, IMO.

Mike

I agree, Zodiac is NOT going to be convicted on writing alone, I have been told this by multiple sources, however, it is just one tool in the tool box to make a case against Zodiac. That writing matches the zodiac letters, therefore, they can link Z to that crime.

[Coffee Time]

Now,I am pretty sure police DID ask them not to print photos of the door, in fact, there is one photo out there with brown paper bag material over top of the door, covering the words, 'by knife'. Ken Narlow told me something about why they did that but I cant remember.

It's interesting they would conceal "by knife" AND hold the picture back. Guess they weren't taking chances.

I know I'm not the first to notice, but those open circles and curvy/candy cane Fs connect to:

- The first Zodiac letters from July 31st (indisputably Z)
- Berryessa (only time Z wrote on a car door, only "confirmed" daytime murder and stabbing, only known appearance of the notorious hood)
- The Times letter (contentious Riverside confession, postmarked from Pleasanton instead of S.F., last of the original series of Z letters)
- The desk poem (endless debate re: Z's involvement with Riverside)

It doesn't appear that the papers reproduced any of Zodiac's handwriting (bar the ciphers) until Stine, so if LB was a copycat, he copped two of Z's most memorable handwriting traits purely by happenstance.

However, by 1971, any hoaxer who read the papers would have known about double-postage, lack of zips/indents, "Calif," "Please rush to Editor," blue felt tip...AND there would have been multiple handwriting samples to imitate or trace. Regardless, I've yet to find a clear example of the dots or Fs. There's a couple of borderline Fs on the Pen card, but they're rather subtle.

[BillRobison]

Based on his letters, Zodiac read the Chronicle, Examiner, Register, and Times-Herald. He apparently did not read the News-Chronicle or Daily Republic. On August 4, the Times-Herald printed a life-size photocopy of their copy of the July 31 letter in its entirety, including the circled crosshair symbol. Other papers published photocopies of parts of the other letters, including circle-type periods (there are no colons in those letters.)

None of the papers Zodiac read had published the name, "Zodiac." The attacker did not mention the name "Zodiac" to Bryan and Cecelia, the caller did not mention the name "Zodiac" to Slaight, and of course, he did not write the name on Bryan's car door. So, yes, it is definitely POSSIBLE that the assailant (and caller) were not the person writing letters to the newspapers. And the handwriting on the car door is not exactly a perfect match for the letters. And Zodiac always used a blue felt tip pen, but the message on the car door was in black felt tip ink.

Is it POSSIBLE that "Zodiac" deliberately left open the possibility that he could later blame a copycat for Berryessa? Sure is.

Is it POSSIBLE that the Berryessa attacker was a copycat? Sure is. There have been lots of Zodiac copycats.

[Tahoe27]

Yes. The VTH letter was copied and printed in it's entirety in the Vallejo paper on August 4th.

For some reason it was not carried over to this new site. I went ahead and added it.

Here is the link to the letter as published on Aug. 4, 1969: viewtopic.php?f=94&t=165&p=439#p439