logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
1h 12m

Episode 667: The Zodiac Killer (Part 1)

Morbid Network | Wondery
About this episode

 Despite the passage of fifty years since his last activity, the case of the Zodiac Killer continues to fascinate and frustrate law enforcement, the media, and the American public, making America’s most notorious unsolved murder case.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Belcher, Jerry. 1969. "Police certain Zodiac called." San Francisco Examiner, October 23: 1.

Bernhard, Hubert J. 1969. "Killer of cabbie is linked to 4 murders." San Francisco Examiner, October 15: 3.

Bernhard, Hurbert J. 1969. "TV 'Zodiac' reneges on surrender." San Francisco Examiner, October 22: 1.

Blankenstein , Andrew, and Wilson Wong. 2021. 'The case remains open': FBI rebuts claim Zodiac Killer case is solved. October 7. Accessed February 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/case-remains-open-fbi-refutes-claim-zodiac-killer-case-solved-n1281002.

Chabria, Anita. 2018. "Vallejo police have sent Zodiac Killer DNA to a lab. Results could come in weeks." Sacramento Bee, May 3.

Chronicle, San Francisco. 1970. "A Zodiac threat to newsman." San Francisco Chronicle , October 31: 7.

Cole, Michael F. 2020. The Zodiac Revisted: The Facts of the Case. San Francisco, CA: Twin Prime Publishing .

Drake, Rossiter. 2007. "A magnificent obsession with the Zodiac killer." San Francisco Examiner, March 2: 28.

Flaherty, Frances. 1969. "New letter by Zodiac claims seven slayings." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), November 12: 1.

—. 1969. "Teenagers' s;ayer still at large." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), March 30: 1.

Flaherty, Francis G. 1968. "Investigators lacking clues in 2 slayings." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), December 22: 1.

Glover, Malcolm. 1969. "Hundreds of 'Zodiac' tips flood Bay police." San Francisco Examiner, October 18: 1.

Lowe, Lindsay. 2024. Who was Arthur Leigh Allen? October 29. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://www.today.com/popculture/zodiac-killer-arthur-leigh-allen-rcna176996.

McClatchy Newspapers Service. 1969. "Vallejo Police seek gunman who killed woman, shot man." Sacramento Bee, July 5: 1.

Michelman, Jordan. 2020. "What If You Solved the Zodiac Killer Mystery and No One Believed You? ." Portland Monthly, December 16.

O'Connell, Oliver. 2021. Gary Poste: Who was the alleged Zodiac killer identified by ‘Case Breakers’? October 7. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/gary-post-zodiac-killer-suspect-b1933700.html.

Peterson, Dave. 1969. "2 survivors tell what they can on 'Code Killer'." Times-Herald, October 1: 1.

Sacramento Bee. 1969. "Officers check leads in Berryessa killing." Sacramento Bee, October 3: 27.

San Francisco Examiner. 1969. "'Cipher Killer's' new letter." San Francisco Examiner, August 4: 1.

—. 1969. "'Cypher Killer' hunt is pressed." San Francisco Examiner, August 6: 57.

—. 1969. "School bus alert on mad killer." San Francisco Examiner, October 17: 1.

—. 1969. "Sketch made of killer in taxi slaying." San Francisco Examiner, October 14: 6.

—. 1970. "Zodiac 'greeting' to police: 'enjoy yourselves at my blast'." San Francisco Examiner, May 1: 50.

Smith, Dave. 1971. "17-plus victims claimed in letter by Zodiac Killer." Los Angeles Times, March 16: 3.

—. 1969. "Zodiac Killer--chilling portrait of madness." Los Angeles Times, October 15: 1.

—. 1969. "'The Zodiac' lives inconspicuously, but murders with flourish." Sacramento Bee, October 10: E12.

Smith, Jane. 1969. "Girl stabbing victim dies in Napa hospital." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), September 30: 1.

Times-Herald. 1969. "Cryptogram deciphered by teacher." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), August 9: 1.

—. 1968. "Hunt maniac in murders of teenagers." Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), December 23: 1.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
The Dartmouth College Murders
On the evening of January 27, 2001, Roxana Verona arrived at the Etna, NH home of her friends Half and Susanne Zantop for a dinner the couple had planned with friends that night. When no one answered the door, Verona entered the home and found the brutalized bodies of Half and Su ... Show More
1h 20m
Oct 6
Forensics, Fiction, and the Fine Line Between Them: A Sit Down with Patricia Cornwell
Weirdos! Today we are joined by legendary crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, the mastermind behind the Kay Scarpetta series and one of the pioneers of the forensic thriller genre! Whether you’re a longtime Scarpetta stan or newly forensic-curious, this episode is packed with morbi ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2
The Manhattan Alien Abduction
On the evening of November 30, 1989, Linda Napolitano awoke in her lower Manhattan apartment to find herself unable to move. She felt as though she was in the presence of other individuals, then she began to lift off her bed and was transported, as though by unseen hands, out her ... Show More
1h 12m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Zodiac Killer /// Part 1 /// 795
Zodiac Killer /// Part 1 /// 795  Part 1 of 2 www.TrueCrimeGarage.com  This is the Zodiac speaking… the words of a killer.  The haunting words of a killer determined to terrorize and taunt the public in and around the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s.  We feat ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Zodiac Killer /// Part 2 /// 796
Zodiac Killer /// Part 2 /// 796  Part 2 of 2 www.TrueCrimeGarage.com  This is the Zodiac speaking… the words of a killer.  The haunting words of a killer determined to terrorize and taunt the public in and around the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s.  We feat ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 2025
The Murders of Mark Harnish & Theresa Marcoux (Massachusetts)
It was one of the most confounding unsolved crimes that the town of West Springfield, Massachusetts, had ever seen. Two young people, shot and killed in their car without any conceivable motive. This seemingly random double murder remained unsolved for over 40 years…Until police ... Show More
33m 43s
Jul 21
NEW: Confession Killers w Katherine Ramsland
Criminal Psychologist Katherine Ramsland joins "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley to discuss confession killers, those criminals who confess to murders and other serious crimes that they did not commit. Why do serial killers like Henry Lee Lucas, Ottis Too ... Show More
45m 3s
Sep 7
True Crime This Week: Unsolved Murders
In 1980, Roger Atkison and Rose Burkert were found bludgeoned in an Iowa motel room: no forced entry, no suspects, and a message scrawled on the mirror. And in 1943, rising Hollywood actor David Bacon was stabbed mid-drive, bleeding out as his car idled on a quiet LA street. "Tru ... Show More
45m 34s
Sep 3
Patricia Allen (Queen of Hearts, Washington)
Our card this week is Patricia Allen, the Queen of Hearts from Washington.On October 3, 1995, Patricia Allen was asleep on her couch when she was stabbed once so precisely that it nearly cut her heart in half. So begins one of the most mysterious homicide cases out of Yakima, Was ... Show More
41m 36s
Jun 2023
EP. 116 CALIFORNIA: The Teen Who Tortured & Murdered An Elderly Couple: Daniel Marsh
On April 13th 2014, a double homicide rocked the community of Davis, California. But this was no ordinary murder... the couple had been tortured in some of the most gruesome ways imaginable, and killed by a seemingly completely random home intruder. But as the details behind the ... Show More
1h 55m
Feb 2025
The Secret Lives of American Witch Killers: From Hippies to Homicide | The Case of Jenn Carson | UNSEEN
“Are the hurt people dead?” In 1979, 4 year old Jennifer Carson comes face to face with one of the most bizarre and deranged serial killers to have ever lived: none other than her new psychic step-mother, Susan Carson. Susan, along with Jenn’s father Michael Bear Carson, will emb ... Show More
25m 16s
Sep 10
Andrew Moore (6 of Clubs, California)
Our card this week is Andrew Moore, the 6 of Clubs from California. This week marks the 25th anniversary of Andrew “Andy” Moore's murder.26-year-old Andy was killed in September 2000 while sleeping in his San Diego, California, apartment. The scene left behind was confounding to ... Show More
44m 46s
Aug 28
SERIAL KILLER: "The Bikini Killer" Pt. 2
Charles Sobhraj wasn’t just a serial killer, he was an international conman who used charm, fake passports, and tranquilizers to trap his victims. In Part 2, we follow the escalating brutality of the "Bikini Killer's" crimes, the captives who fought back, and the shocking way he ... Show More
53m 23s