Was the Zodiac Killer Ever Caught?
Was the Zodiac Killer Ever Caught?
No, the Zodiac Killer was never officially caught but let me explain and expand on this. We do not know who the Zodiac Killer was but it is possible that he was caught for an unknown crime for which we are unaware, so in that regards it is possible that he was caught and put in prison perhaps for another murder but never confessed to the Zodiac crimes of 1968 and 1969.
Who was the Zodiac Killer?
The Zodiac Killer was the name of an unknown serial killer who terrorized Northern California in 1968 and 1969. Those are the crimes for which we know mostly that he did commit, however, the Zodiac Killer claimed in later letters that he killed up to 37 people. Who were the other victims? We don’t know and many say it is possible that he was bluffing for those other murders, but since we don’t know who he was we don’t know if perhaps he was traveling the country killing people as he made his way to other cities and states outside of Northern California.
The sketch below is generally what was sketched after he was witnessed in San Francisco for murdering a taxi driver, Paul Stine.
What makes this case particularly an outlier compared to other serial killer cases is that his motive, who he was, and where he went are all mysteries as well as who he was. Not to mention the bizarre writings within coded messages to newspapers detailing his love of killing people, talking about collecting slaves for an afterlife and much of this ramblings in coded messages to newspapers.
Two of his coded messages have been deciphered what is known as the Z408: A three part cipher in which each part was sent to a newspaper. This has been decoded.
Z340: Another cipher was only deciphered in December of 2020 and he mentions again collecting slaves for “paradise”.
For a super interesting video on this cipher check out the video below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1oQLPRE21o&t=11s
Unsolved Ciphers:
Z13: His name is supposedly in this cipher
Z32: The location of a bomb he planted and this was never deciphered either.
Resources to get started
If you are interested in getting started in learning about the Zodiac Killer where should you start?
The video below is a great start to the basics of the case:
Social Networks about the Zodiac Killer:
Below are some youtube channels I would highly recommend to get started and interacting with some great experts on the case:
Website by Richard Grinell: https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
Black Box Online Radio: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackBoxOnlineRadio
Mysteries with Mr Belgique: https://www.youtube.com/@Jerome_MisterB
Summary:
The Zodiac Killer was never caught and his bizarre behavior and killings continue to baffle investigators and amateur true crime sleuths alike.
About the Author:
The author has also written a book on the case and delves into some of the strange patters in the Z340:
