Zodiackillersite.com

Apparently Toschi thought both RP and Badlands were "fake". Does anyone have a source for this? It's just something I've seen mentioned over the years, but I don't recall anyone providing a source. Seems odd at first glance, as neither letter would have to be "fake" in order to be non-Z communications. *

Also read somewhere recently that Susan Morton did not authenticate any of the supposed Z letters post Exorcist - and I'd like some more info on this as well, if anyone happens to have a link or two.

For the record, RP (possibly Badlands too, not sure about that) WAS confirmed by the FBI, in as much as they stated it was "probably" prepared by the same hand that prepared the known Z letters.

It's interesting, though, going with the rumor (I'll call it that) that Toschi thought they were "fakes" (whatever that means in this context): The SFPD come across a letter which is not signed by Z and which does not contain anything which explicitly hints to him being the author either, Toschi doesn't actually think it's him - but sends it to the FBI nonetheless. And the FBI says "probably". The question is what made these letters stand out in the first place?

* The source is obviously not Graysmith. IIRC according to his tale Toschi smelled Z in these letters from a mile away. Or something like that.

I wonder - specifically - to what extent the idea of Marshall as Zodiac influenced the status of the RP letter. He is the one suspect (and he was by all accounts treated fairly seriously as such at one point) with an obvious "phantom" connection. And he apparently had some sort of connection to San Rafael * too.

I find it important in general to ask WHY the '74 letters were considered interesting back then. We tend to treat all "confirmed" Z letters as just that. I sometimes wonder whether we should. If some of these letters were treated as genuine Z missives because they fit a pattern of some kind which has since been pretty much abandoned as viable (i.e. the Marshall angle), there's no reason why we should treat them as anything but "probable" (to go with the FBI phrase) at best, IMO.

* RP was posted in SR.

As a skeptic of many of the supposed Z letters, I'd ask - because I don't actually know - how many were written on "Fifth Avenue" or "Eaton" paper that he was known to use? How many were written with the blue marker he was known to use? How many seem, even to an untrained eye, to be of the same handwriting?

And then, which of the questioned letters share any of these traits?

I am actually asking, because I don't know. Are any of the questioned docs on the same type of paper, penned with the same type of marker, etc?

I know that Zodiac could have "switched it up," of course, but I wonder about the obviously watermarked paper in particular.

-glurk

Good questions, glurk.

Some info on this is available, I think - but I can't seem to find it here and now.

"Badlands" was, if memory serves, not a letter as such but a postcard, FWIW.

This is what Toschi told the press.

Thanks, CT - not much doubt there on T's part...Wonder who that expert was, who confirmed the letters after five minutes' study?

As mentioned above, the FBI declared RP "probable" in the usual style, whereas this expert seems to have been handing out far more ringing endorsements.

If there is any source for Toschi's radically different view on these letters it could be in the FBI files, i.e. a communication from the SFPD/Toschi asking for an examination of said letters. Yet again I wish those files were easier to search than they are presently.

It appears that Toschi passed Zodiac material along to the FBI as a matter of course. Here's Toschi consulting the FBI on the Dragon card. Didn't see anything in regards to Toschi skepticism about the '74 letters...unless it was buried in a mess of "Berta Margoulies" nonsense.

We can all thank, um, or something, Gareth Penn for the "Berta Margoulies" stuff.

Thanks Gareth.

-glurk

EDIT: Because unsolved cases are always easier to deal with when random un-involved people insert themselves into them for LULZ.

The FBI has more files on Penn than on actual evidence or suspects.

However, it would appear that Toschi did, indeed, express something to the FBI regarding these letters. What's bizarre is that they didn't just redact Toschi's name, they redacted his entire statement. What could he have said about these letters that would still be considered too sensitive to release?

^"however....".....what? lol What does that go onto say?

Odd the FBI would conclude something off of a photocopy--when it comes to handwriting.

The only thing that I think would in some way flag the Red Phantom letter as possible Zodiac was the envelope. But who (in 1974) was still keeping such a keen eye? Was that same women still working there? Maybe it was Count Marco himself who thought of Zodiac.