Zodiackillersite.com

Many of us, myself included, have discussed the 'final destination' if you will of Paul Stine's cab and asked the usual questions of why Washington & Maple/Cherry, why in such a public area, how did he escape - on foot or by vehicle? And that's only a couple of questions, there are many more. But, I think there's been much attention paid to the taxi's destination that the pick up point/area has been rather overlooked.
Lets forget about that location for a moment, we know that there were several witnesses in and around Cherry/Jackson St, so what about witnesses at the pick up location? We know that the pick up area was in the heart of the theatre district in the area of Geary & Mason Streets. Considering this area was and is very popular with the public, and the time of evening Zodiac would have hailed Stine (Approx. 9:45pm), it's risky for Zodiac to hail Stine in this area because any number of theatre goers could have witnessed him doing so. If he were a regular attendee of the theatre and his face was known to other theatre goers, this again would be quite risky. In Presidio Heights we know Zodiac exited the cab, wiped down his side of the cab's exterior before walking around to Paul's driver side door to wipe the exterior of that down also. This must mean that Zodiac, at some point, knows he touched the outside of Paul's cab door. I have theorised on other threads that when Zodia hailed Paul, he pulled over and Zodiac & Paul had the initial discussion through Paul's driver side window (For example, Paul: 'how far are you going, as I have another fare.' Zodiac: 'Presidio district, W&M Streets.' Paul: 'Ok, I can do that, get in') ad that Zodiac had walked up to the cab, leaned or knelt down to speak to Paul, and placed his hands on the area where the window was would fully down. If Zodiac did speak to Paul though his window when he first pulled over (I can't think of any other reason why Z would wipe down Paul's door) then that would suggest that Zodiac was on the left side of the street as Paul drove up it, and that Zodiac probably crossed the street to speak to Paul through his drivers window. Do we know if theatre goers and general public were ever questioned or any appeal for witnesses made?

Goodness knows if anyone was questioned as to whether or not they saw Zodiac hail Paul at the theatre district.

Perhaps it was crowded enough and busy enough that Zodiac had no fear of being spotted or singled out as he hailed the cab. In any event, I very much doubt any witness would have been able to confirm that it was, indeed, Paul's cab they saw being hailed.

WC, I think your reasoning about wiping off the fingerprints is good, although you've not cross-referenced that thinking to the prints he seemed happy to leave elsewhere, like on telephone handsets and letters and so on.
There's an article in a newspaper (must be trustworthy then right?) on this very site, which talks about where Paul's cab was hailed. It may even by accurate.
There are opinions out there too, that Toschi told someone that the attacker got in the front seat. I can't find that information, personally.

Say, if you were going to kill a cab driver to add to your series of murders, would you hail him in a busy place where there were more witnesses, or would you, perhaps, call him to come to a nice quiet location? I'm just musing out loud of course, no answer is necessary.
(A bit like that question I had on "How crazy would you have to be to go to sit in a car at Inspiration Point right afterward." ).

Being riddled with ADD, I have to ask... would you even notice unless someone was doing something unusual while getting in the cab? I was in 3 towns yesterday on my sales route, and could only tell you what one person I saw (that I didn't know) looked like. Some of this stuff amazes me, personally.... like how do the people driving by on LHR remember seeing cars there or positions of cars. I swear, I wouldn't remember at all if it wasn't someone I knew. Am I the only one?

You're not the only one - I've asked the same question of myself in respect to Berryessa, BRS and LHR - would I have noticed "a car parked at the side of the road"? Sufficient to remember and describe it later? Nope.
But still, if I were going to shoot a cab driver, I'd hail him somepace quiet.

Oops! Answered my own question again and of course, the comment "But you're not a homicidal maniac" and the question "But would he have been using logic?" are now overdue.

smithy wrote:You're not the only one - I've asked the same question of myself in respect to Berryessa, BRS and LHR - would I have noticed "a car parked at the side of the road"? Sufficient to remember and describe it later? Nope.
But still, if I were going to shoot a cab driver, I'd hail him somepace quiet.

Oops! Answered my own question again and of course, the comment "But you're not a homicidal maniac" and the question "But would he have been using logic?" are now overdue.

Hmmm...I don't know. A crowded place with folks everywhere would be better, imo. People in quiet neighborhoods can be quite nosey. If you look like every other "Joe" in a busy theatre district, no one is going to pay any attention to you getting into a cab--unless you cause some sort of scene.

Tahoe27 wrote:

smithy wrote:You're not the only one - I've asked the same question of myself in respect to Berryessa, BRS and LHR - would I have noticed "a car parked at the side of the road"? Sufficient to remember and describe it later? Nope.
But still, if I were going to shoot a cab driver, I'd hail him somepace quiet.

Oops! Answered my own question again and of course, the comment "But you're not a homicidal maniac" and the question "But would he have been using logic?" are now overdue.

Hmmm...I don't know. A crowded place with folks everywhere would be better, imo. People in quiet neighborhoods can be quite nosey. If you look like every other "Joe" in a busy theatre district, no one is going to pay any attention to you getting into a cab--unless you cause some sort of scene.

Yeah, I think I would remember one of my neighbors getting into a cab at such and such time before I would remember "random guy A" getting into a cab on some busy street.

I'm not suggesting, or implying that witnesses should all remember one random Guy hailing one random cab, i'm saying that, given th number of people likely to have been in that area (if the theatre's had just finished a play, for example) then the number of people waiting on the side-walk for a cab would be enough that people may remember 'that guy who jumped in a cab that Mr Bloggs had flagged down which was very rude' for example. I suppose I am thinking from my own experience in Britain. In the States, every other vehicle seems to be a yellow cab lol. Here in Britain on a Friday night, there are many a tooth knocked out, or nose displaced due to wanting to get home from the city clubs with a limited number of taxi's lol

For me, for Toschi to know for sure Zodiac rode in the front seat, someone would have had to say they saw him get in the front seat at the point of pick-up (aside of the kids statement).

So I'd be curious to know if it was televised or in the paper for people who may have been in the area of the pick-up that evening to come forward with anyone who may have seen a person of that description get into a cab that night. I don't think so...

I don't know how else Toschi would know for a fact Zodiac sat in front the entire time...not that it matters really.

I thought the 'Zodiac being in the front seat' hypothesis came about due to the black gloves being found on the floor of the passenger side front seat? If that's incorrect, please do correct the mistake, but that is what I heard a while back. Zodiac was in the front of the cab when the teens first noticed him, but he could have exited the back, and got into the fron passenger side by that time. Then again, you'd think it would be easier for Z to just lean over from the back seat rather than exit and get into the front passenger.... unless he was already in the front passenger of course. I know Paul's widow stated that if the customer Paul picked up was up front riding, then she was absolutely adamant that Paul knew him because she said Paul only ever allowed people in the front that he knew personally.