Image by Anonymous/AP
The case of the Zodiac killer took a new turn this week when a team of investigators claimed to have exposed the man who has perplexed the public and amateur detectives for decades.
However, the seeming breakthrough was not that straightforward.
The Case Breakers, a group of former law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and intelligence agents, announced on Wednesday that they had identified the perpetrator responsible for a string of murders in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s.
The investigation into the killings, however, is still ongoing, according to authorities. Law enforcement receives tips regarding the case daily, including from those who believe they know who the culprit is.
The Zodiac killer committed a series of murders in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s and is still considered one of America’s most notorious cold cases. Despite the media attention this week, some police officers and investigators remain doubtful of the purported breakthrough. The Zodiac has remained in the news for years, with new hypotheses emerging all the time.
The Case Breakers said they had new physical and forensic evidence as well as eyewitnesses to back up their theory that the killings were committed by an air force veteran who died in 2018.
Tom Colbert, a member of the Case Breakers, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I certainly believe we cracked this case.”
The FBI and the San Francisco Police Department both declined to comment on the news, but both stated that the investigation was still ongoing.
“The investigation into the Zodiac Killer by the FBI is still ongoing and unresolved. We will not be giving further comment at this time due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and out of respect for the victims and their families,” the FBI’s San Francisco office said in a statement.
In a press release, the Case Breakers said they based their identification on images of the suspect showing scars on his forehead that match a police sketch of the Zodiac. The suspect’s name was also found in anagrams supplied by the Zodiac, according to the team.
Between 1968 and 1969, the Zodiac terrorized northern California communities and claimed the lives of five people. He may potentially be involved in other crimes, according to police. Numerous documentaries have been made about the deaths, as well as the 2007 thriller Zodiac.
According to a 1975 FBI letter released by the Case Breakers, the killer is also responsible for the 1966 murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside, which the FBI may have revealed at one point. Bates’ assassination was not linked to the Zodiac, according to local police.
After sending taunting messages and cyphers to local media, threatening to commit greater violence if his letters were not reported, the Zodiac Killer gained notoriety.
A team of scientists cracked the code to a 1969 cypher the Zodiac sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2020, though law enforcement stated it didn’t help investigators at the time.
“I hope you’re having a good time trying to catch me,” reads the message, which was transmitted in a series of symbols. “I have no fear of the gas chamber since it will speed up my journey to paradise because I now have enough slaves to work for me.”
The arrest of the Golden State Killer, who was identified in 2018 after investigators used forensic genealogy to tie a former police officer to the decades-old rapes and murders, fuelled hopes that the Zodiac might finally be identified. But unlike that case, there is no confirmed DNA from any of the Zodiac killings. Police managed to create a partial profile by testing saliva traces from a stamp on a letter sent by the Zodiac, but that can only be used to rule suspects out.
Priyangka is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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