Sitting In the Front Seat

[Cragle]

Secondly from the witnesses. They state that he wipes down the Cab, but it seems to imply thathe only wipes thr front. He does not touch the rear doors which could possibly be telling in itself.

PS Police Report.jpg

[Chaucer]

This would make sense, Cragle, because shells from a 9mm Browning Hi Power eject to the right. A gun aimed from the rear at a slightly down and forward angle toward the driver would eject in the opposite direction ie. toward the front/passenger side.

However, a gun fired from the passenger side could also end up with a shell in the passenger side. Shell ejections are pretty chaotic.

ETA: The teen witnesses saw what was happening from across the street and above . Their view would have been of the driver side with the passenger side partially obscured. From that angle in the darkness, its reasonable to assume they thought they saw Zodiac sitting in the passenger seat when in fact, he could have been crouched next to it or leaning in to it to cut the shirt.

[Fisherman'sFriend]

The idea that Z knew Stine just doesn't ring true to me. It just defies logic.

If Z knew Stine well enough to sit in the front, (which I don't believe he did) then;

1. Why would he choose this "opportunity" to commit the crime? As opposed to another one - if he knew him then why do this in the cab? Seems VERY awkward.

2. In ALL of the previous attacks Z puts physical space between himself and the victims OR he disables them (ties up Brian and Cecilia) Z NEVER engages in a physical altercation directly.
Sitting in the back is clearly more advantageous to him in this regard. Pulling a gun on someone you know in a car while sitting inches away from them... Can you imagine the risk of Stine fighting back, grabbing the gun? Too high - absolutely does not fit the previous crimes.

2. If he knew him, he would obviously be aware that the police would come looking to interview Stine's friend's, family, acquaintances etc. and would therefore be in the crosshairs to some degree.

3. Knowing that, why turn it into a "big Z" Zodiac crime with all the letters etc? In a case like that I would expect either, A= Z actually makes it look like a robbery and slips away - gets rid of a witness while making it look random, or B= Make a point of it and taunt the police - "Stine knew too much" or something cryptic... Clearly Z wouldn't miss a chance to taunt them.

4. What we actually get is a "presentation" of the killing from Zodiac through his letters that lines up just the same as the first 2 murder scenes. Which to me fits into more of a "terrorist/vigilante" kind of perspective.

Anyway, I'm not buying it.

[Chaucer]

Tom believes that Zodiac knew Stine because Tom believes that Richard Gaikowski is the Zodiac Killer.

Gaikowski lived and worked near Stine's home (among other things that Tom can further elaborate on) so Tom believes the two knew each other and were friendly.

While I don't agree with Tom's conclusions about Gaikowski, there is certainly some evidence to back up his claims.

ETA: Unless I am mistaken, Tom believes that Zodiac/Gaikowski knew all of his victims and intentionally targeted them.

[TomVoigt]

Tom believes that Zodiac knew Stine because Tom believes that Richard Gaikowski is the Zodiac Killer.

I believe Zodiac knew Stine because his sister Carol stated that Zodiac rode in front, per Inspector Armstrong, and Paul only allowed people he knew to ride in front.

[Chaucer]

Tom believes that Zodiac knew Stine because Tom believes that Richard Gaikowski is the Zodiac Killer.

I believe Zodiac knew Stine because his sister Carol stated that Zodiac rode in front, per Inspector Armstrong, and Paul only allowed people he knew to ride in front.

Yes, in the micro.

But in the macro, Zodiac being friends with Stine would also fit into your larger theory of RG being Zodiac and targeting people he knew, correct?

[Xcaliber]

<Gaikowski lived and worked near Stine's home>

Wrong.

[Chaucer]

<Gaikowski lived and worked near Stine's home>

Wrong.

This is Tom's theory, so I may not have all the facts correct.

I welcome anyone to better elaborate.

[Fisherman'sFriend]

What is Stine's sister's evidence of Z riding in front?

[Chaucer]

I am not an expert in graphics but here are two rough diagrams based on the autopsy report that hopefully provide some perspective on the downward/forward trajectory of the bullet.

The enters just in front of and just above the fold where the right ear attaches to the head - kind of between the ear and the temple. It travels through the skull and hits the midpoint of
the left cheekbone.