EYEWITNESS

 

 

It is time to take a look at the eyewitness testimony.

Gaviota
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Linda Edwards and Robert Domingos
Gaviota Beach, Santa Barbara
June 4, 1963

The first crime by Zodiac, as far as we know, was in 1963.
Linda Edwards and Robert Domingos saw the assailant, but did not live to tell the tale.

They were running away from him, at the time they were shot.

They ran from him, to avoid being stabbed with a knife.

Riverside City College Library Interior
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Cheri Jo Bates
Riverside City College Library
October 30, 1966

Cheri Jo saw her killer.
Like Edwards amd Domingos, Bates was murdered, whilst running away from Zodiac.
This time, with a knife.

Neighbours heard Cheri Jo scream.
Soon after, they heard the sound of a car engine.
No one saw what happened.

The Riverside Police did some impressive police work in the 1960s.
The initial investigation of the crime scene was thorough and perceptive.
This is evidenced in numerous local newspaper articles from the time.

They were right to follow a lead about Ross Sullivan.
Someone tipped them off that Sullivan was responsible.
Perhaps it was one of the library staff.
Whoever it was, they were spot on.

To their credit, the police did interview Ross Sullivan.
Ross pointed them to Noel Jette.

After speaking with Noel, the police eliminated Sullivan as a suspect.
Presumably because Jette gave Sullivan an alibi.
This is where the investigation went awry.

The Riverside Police have remained in limbo ever since.

Alameda County
Artwork by
David Lentz

Enedine Molina & Fermin Rodriguez
Vellecitos Road, two miles North of Sunol, outside Sunol Regional Park.
Alameda County
June 8, 1967

Molina and Fermin may well have seen Zodiac, before their deaths.
"A nearby resident, called the Santa Rita police substation
and reported that they had heard two gunshots." (Mike Morford: 2013)
Once again, there was no eyewitness.

Lake Herman
Artwork by
Rich - Lake Herman State Park

David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen
Lake Herman Road, Benicia
December 20, 1968

Both were shot, as they left the vehicle.
No eyewitness.

Faraday Family
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Corvair
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau
Blue Rock Springs Park, Vallejo
July 5, 1969

According to Michael Butterfield:
'Michael Mageau described the suspect at the Blue Rock Springs Park shooting as a “WMA, short, possible 5’8”,
was real heavy set, beefy build... not blubbery fat, but real beefy, possibly 195 to 200 [lbs] or maybe even larger
... short curly hair, light brown almost blond... with a large face.”'

Butterfield continues:
"The Stine witnesses ( the Robbins teenagers ) saw the killer from a window of the house across the street from the crime scene.
They described the suspect as a 'White Male Adult, in his early forties, 5'8", heavy build, reddish-blond ‘crew cut’ hair.'
The fact that Mageau’s description is similar to the Stine suspect indicates that he may have been fairly accurate if the killer had gotten a recent haircut."

As Butterfield suggests, there is a conistent line of description between the eyewitness accounts of Mike Mageau, Rebecca Robbins, Lyndsey Robbins and Donald Fouke.
This connects the crimes of Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights.

All of them say he had short hair.
"...short, curly hair" by Mageau.
"Crew cut" hair by Rebecca Robbins, Lyndsey Robbins and Donald Fouke.

The colour of his hair is described as:
"...light brown, almost blond" by Mageau.
"reddish, brown" by Rebecca Robbins and Lyndsey Robbins.
"light colored" by Police Officer Donald Fouke.

They all said Zodiac was heavy set, with a "large" or "round" face.

Darlene Ferrin
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Furthermore, Butterfield goes on to say:
"Michael Mageau reportedly identified suspect Arthur Leigh Allen, yet this witness also indicated that the attacker’s face resembled that of another suspect in the police photo line-up.
Mageau had only seen the shooter for a brief instant from a profile view. During the shooting, the suspect flashed a bright light at Mageau and then shot him in the jaw.
Police did not believe that he could accurately identify the suspect, and representatives of the Vallejo Police Department have stated that
Mageau’s identification of Allen is unreliable at best.
Vallejo police detective John Lynch interviewed Allen on October 6, 1969, and described the suspect as a 'WMA 35 years... 6'1", 241[lbs], heavy build and is bald.”
In July 1969, Mageau described his attacker as a “WMA, short, possible 5’8”, was real heavy set, beefy build...
not blubbery fat, but real beefy, possibly 195 to 200 [lbs] or maybe even larger... short curly hair, light brown almost blond... with a large face.”
These two descriptions clearly conflict, and Allen could not be the Zodiac if Mageau’s description is at all accurate."

I tend to believe that Mageau's original description of Zodiac was fairly accurate, except perhaps for his height.
Height is often difficult to judge.
Especially when you are sitting down in a car, and the subject you are viewing is standing up.

Most descriptions of Zodiac declare that he was heavy set.
The wider someone is, the shorter they look.
It is an optical illusion, based on proportion, rather than scale.
Based on other descriptions of Zodiac, it is likely that Mageau underestimated his height.

As for Leigh Allen, I agree with Butterfield that Allen is not a match for Mageau's description of Zodiac.
Allen did have "a large face" and "a heavy build", so there is a partial match there, potentially.
However, Allen did Not have "..."short curly hair, light brown almost blond."
In fact, Allen was bald.

Although perceived weight is only an estimate, Allen was too overweight and heavy (241(lbs), as opposed to Zodiac (possibly 195 to 200 [lbs]))

So why did Mageau later identify Allen?
Only Mageau knows the answer.
I can hazard a guess as to why, but I will keep my speculation to myself.

According to Tom Voigt:
"In 1991, Mike Mageau identified Arthur Leigh Allen as being the shooter.
This identification was the result of Mageau being shown a photo lineup by George Bawart of the Vallejo Police Department."

Eyewitness Descriptions At Zodiac Killer Facts

Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau - Zodiac Killer

Cecelia Shepard
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell

Lake Berryessa
September 27, 1969

It is hard to explain all the facets of the day at Lake Berryessa.
There is a lot to unpack.

With some contradictions along the way, that remain unexplained.

One thing is certain:
The handwriting on the door of Bryan Hartnell's car.
After Zodiac attacked Shepard and Hartnell, he left one of his tell tale messages.

Then there is the dark-haired man who was watching the three girls sunbathe in the lake.
First of all, we do not even know if this was Zodiac.
The girls' estimate of his age was 28 to 30.
Sullivan would have been 28 in 1969.
Kane would have been 45 in 1969.
To complicate things, some people look their age, and others do not.

The watcher had dark hair.
Kane had dark hair.
Sullivan had light hair.
The watcher was Not wearing glasses.
Both Sullivan and Kane wore glasses.

Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell - Police Report - Page 10 - Zodiac Killer

Napa Counrty Sheriff's Department Supplementary Crime Report of 1969 ( Page 10 ):

The girls describe the watcher as having:
"...black hair possibly styled, with a part on left, rounded eyes, thin lips,
medium nose, straight eyebrows, small ears, well built, rather nice looking."
and having "...straight dark hair, neatly combed.
and "...was not wearing glasses."

Sketch of unidentified man seen at Lake Berryessa by Linda Jensen on September 27, 1969
Artwork by
Police Sketch Artist - Name Unknown

The sketch from Lake Berryessa is based on the watcher, who may not even be Zodiac.
I put far more weight on the sketch from Presidio Heights.

The eyewitnesses at Presidio Heights saw Zodiac in the act of stealing trophies from Paul Stine
and cleaning up the crime scene.
We know with certainty that the man they saw that night was Zodiac.

This is because one of the trophies he took was a blood stained piece of Stine's shirt.
Zodiac would later send this to the police as evidence.
Whereas, at Lake Berryessa, Zodiac was wearing a mask.

The sketch of the watcher at Lake Berryessa ( who may not even be Zodiac ), based on the description of Linda Jensen,
looks very different to the sketch from Presidio heights.
So different, that they do not look like the same man at all.

Remember, when Zodiac attacked Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell, he was wearing a mask.
Hartnell did not see Zodiac's face, except for some hair coming out of the eyelets of the mask.

Cecelia did see Zodiac from a distance, before he put his mask on.
But it was only for a moment.
And Zodiac was standing in the trees.

She said that he had a round face and brown hair.
Unfortunately, we cannot ask Cecelia for more precise detail, as she died from the wounds inflicted by Zodiac.

Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell
Artworks by
Unknown Artists

Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell - Police Report - Page 23 - Zodiac Killer

To Quote Page 23 of the Police Report:
"Hartnell further stated that the suspect was described as follows:
Wearing a black hooded mask ( cloth ), covering suspect's entire head and shoulders
coming down almost to suspect's waist."

"Victim stated that on front of the four-cornered type mask
( similar to paper bag in style ) there was a symbol,
the symbol described as white, approximately 3 by 3 inches in diameter,
witha symmetrical cross.
Also on the eyelets of the mask was a pair of clip-on sunglasses,
the glasses clipped to the eyelets."

"Victim stated he could also see hair through the mask's eyelets
and observed the hair to be dark brown." ( Napa Police Report of 1969, Page 23 )

On Page 23 of the Crime Report, Hartnell said that he could see "dark brown hair" coming out
of the eyelets of the mask.
As far as I know, Sullivan had light brown hair, almost blond.
Although, this is hard to tell, as the only photographs of Sullivan I have seen are black and white or artificially colourised.

I must admit that I find this hard to explain.
I suppose Sullivan could have been wearing a wig.
Yet it seems overkill to wear a wig underneath a mask.
Even if Sullivan dyed his hair dark brown, it would not have been long enough to come out of the eyelets in the mask.
Sullivan had short hair most of the time, almost a crew cut.

If Zodiac's hair was in the shade, this may have made his hair look darker than it really was.

Yet, this is speculation.

One could argue that Bryan Hartnell saw "dark brown hair" come out of the mask,
simply because the killer did have dark brown hair, and is therefore not Sullivan.
Furthermore, one could then say the killer must be someone else with dark brown hair,
such as Lawrence Kane or other.

One major problem with this idea:
If the killer at Lake Berryessa was not Sullivan, then how did Sullivan's handwriting
end up on the door of Bryan Hartnell's car?

Take a look at:
Zodiac Handwriting - the Letter "f"

and also look at:

Zodiac Handwriting - Numbers

Presidio Heights
Artwork by
Unknown Artist

Paul Stine
Presidio Heights, San Francisco
October 11, 1969

Stine had no way of knowing what was going to happen that night.
Or that his passenger was Zodiac.

This murder was out of character.
Until then, Zodiac had killed either a woman who was alone, or couples.
To kill a man on his own was a change of direction.

This senseless crime was a reaction to ...
Zodiac's departure from his pattern placed him at greater risk of being identified.
Most of Zodiac's attacks occurred in isolated locations.
Often rural.
The exception being the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.

Presidio Heights is a built up area in inner city San Francisco.
A densely populated place.

Modelling himself on a character from the Mikado, Zodiac executed Paul Stine.
Zodiac did not leave the scene straight away.
Instead, he lingered.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched.

"Three teenage siblings on the second floor of 3899 Washington,
directly across the street from the cab,
happened to spot the killer as he cut Stine's shirt and suspected foul play.
They watched him exit the cab and wipe down parts of the cab's interior and exterior,
briefly leaning on the driver's side door frame." ( Jake Wark, Crime Library, San Francisco ).

Zodiac - San Francisco - Crime Library

Girl Looking Out The Window At Night
Artwork by
willie879

Two of the teenage siblings were Rebecca Robbins (13) and Lyndsey Robbins (16).

On Arpil 25, 2010, retired Vallejo Police officer Jim Dean interviewed Rebecca and Lindsey Robbins.

Josh Peters and Robert House -- Presidio Heights

Message board post by retired Vallejo Police Officer Jim Dean, discussing his interview with the Robbins Kids.

To quote Dean:
"As both Robbins kids were the oldest, their statements were given the most weight.
One of the kids ( not sure which ) noticed a cab parked outside ( in that now famous spot)
with the interior lights on.
( I have to insert my ( Dean's ) personal experiences here.
In the late 60's, the American cars were large and roomy.
I drove an identical police car many years ago and can tell you the interior dome light was very bright.
It was even brighter when you removed the opaque plastic lens that covered the bulb.
We ( police ) did it so we could more easily read/write reports in the car,
and I noted that cabs also removed these lens covers for the same reasons:
to be ble to read/write reports, trip tickets, make change for passengers etc.

So when Lindsey told me that the light inside the car was like a spot light, it was so bright...
I knew what he meant, (even though he didn't)."

1968 Ford Galaxie 500
Artwork by
Original Artist Unknown.
Photo Editing by Ben Casimir.

Key points here are:
- Rebecca and Lindsey had a clear spotlit view of Zodiac.
Any suggestion that it was too dark at night to see him properly, can be ruled out.
- They saw him for an extended period of time.
This was not just a fleeting glance.
- They saw him from a relatively close distance - across the road.
They saw Zodiac from two positions - an upstairs window, then a downstairs window.
"At this time, Lindsey went downstairs to get a beter look at what was happening,
while one of the kids upstairs called the Police.
Downstairs, the lights were off, so Lindsey knew he could not be seen from the outside.
He got close to the window and watched his actions
He was shortly joined by Rebecca."

"They both watched and observed in silence, as Z pushed the driver to an upright position
behind the steering wheel, exited the car
and walked around the rear of the car
and opened the driver's door.
Stine had fallen over onto the seat and Z pulled him back up
into the seated position and had some difficulty keping him upright.
Once upright, he was seen to have a rag, or something like a handkerchief
and began to wipe down the door area and learning over the driver,
part of the dashboard.
When he was finished, Z calmly walked to Cherry St. and walked North."

- They saw him deliberately wiping the cab to smudge the blood stained fingerprints that he left behind.
This was intended to make his fingerprints so smudged that they could not be used to identify him.
This attempt was largely successful.
Zodiac's fingerprints on the cab lack the sharpness and detail necessary to make a successful match.
Only his palmprint has any sharpness and detail for a partial match.

Jim Dean goes on to trace the origin of the Zodiac Sketch:

"But I want to tell you how the sketches came about.
Within 48 hours of the murder, Toschi had recruited a young uniformed cop named
Juan Morales, who was said to be a good artist.
He asked him to talk to the kids and see if he could work-up a composite of the suspect.

Morales sat down with all the kids and slowly developed the first sketch.
Most of his input he took from the two oldest(L&R).
Within a day or so, someone ( not sure who ) decided it was a bad idea to have multiple people contribute to a composite.
So Morales sat down with the kids again, and after a time, determined that
Rebecca was the most artisticaly inclined,
and the most observant of facial features.
So, he did the final sketch from only Rebecca.

When done, all the kids looked at it individually and agreed that it was VERY close
to the man they saw on that night.

I hope that helps somewhat in clearing up lots of speculation and rumor about the 'eyewitnesses'.
This is the best info taken directly from the kids themselves, albeit some 40 years later."

Zodiac Sketch by Juan Morales at Presidio Heights based on Eyewitness account by Rebecca Robbins
Artwork by
Juan Morales

According to the Robbins
Zodiac was:
A White Male.
With reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut.
He wore heavy-rimmed glasses.
Clothed in dark brown trousers, dark (navy blue or black) ‘Parka' jacket, and dark shoes.

He appeared to be in his early 40s.
His height was estimated to be approximately 5 feet and 8 inches tall.
He had a heavy build.

Let us examine their description, one feature at a time.
First of all, "A White Male".
This tallies with everything we know about the Zodiac.
All of the suspects in this case are white males.

"Reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut."
The "crew cut" hairstyle is a match for Ross Sullivan.
"Reddish-brown hair".
What colour hair did Ross have?
The only photographs of Ross I have seen
are black and white or artificially colourised.
I would need someone who actually saw Ross when he was alive to verify his hair colour
before I could be certain.

"Heavy rimmed glasses."
This is a match for Ross Sullivan and Lawrence Kane.
Both Sullivan and Kane wore "heavy rimmed glasses"
that were similar in style to the Zodiac Sketch.
Arthur Leigh Allen did not wear glasses.

One of the kids called the police at 9:58 p.m.
What happens next has never been properly explained.
According to Jake Wark, "...the police broadcast an incorrect description of the killer as a black male.

Consequently, when patrolmen Donald Foukes and Eric Zelms responded in a radio car and noticed a heavyset white man
sauntering east on Jackson Street, they made no effort to apprehend him."

How this misconception arose is not clear.

In the heat of the moment, the police may have misunderstood the phone call message.
Michael Butterfield points out that, the police may have confused the colour of his clothing with the colour of his skin.
Zodiac was wearing dark clothing that night.

Officer Fouke describes Zodiac's clothing as:
"Dark blue, waist-length, zipper type jacket (Navy or Royal Blue) zipped part-way up, elastic cuffs and waistband.
Brown wool pants, pleated-type, baggy in rear.
May have been wearing low-cut shoes."

Somehow, the child's description of a white man in dark clothing was misheard
by the police to be a black man.

If this miscommunication did occur, it resulted in Zodiac escaping.
Never to be caught.

Despite this, Donald Fouke did have a good view of Zodiac.
Even better, he gave an excellent description.
Full of detail.
His words corroborate the account given by the Robbins.

Like the Robbins, Fouke confirmed that Zodiac was:
"a White Male",
who had "light-colored, crew cut hair, possibly graying in back",
and was "wearing glasses".

Acting on Fouke's advice, Morales made a second sketch.
This composite being similar to the first, with a few exceptions.
Morales added a widow's peak to his hairline.
Then he made Zodiac's lip's slightly thicker, and his face and jaw slightly wider.

As you can see:

Zodiac Sketch by Juan Morales at Presidio Heights based on Eyewitness accounts by Rebecca Robbins and Donald Fouke
Artwork by
Juan Morales

Fouke was shown a picture of Arthur Leigh Allen.
Fouke categorically ruled out Leigh as a suspect.

Donald Fouke - Rounded Interview - Zodiac

To quote Donald Fouke:
“This person ( Arthur Leigh Allen ) outweighed the person ( Zodiac ) that I saw that night by about 100 pounds, I would estimate.
Just an estimate, which took him out.
His face, even though it’s round, it was too round.”

“Zodiac had a widow’s peak.
Hair coming in the centre more, and receding on both sides of the forehead.
I don’t know if that’s the proper term for it; but that’s what my parents used to call it.”

“That was my impression at the time.
Is that it was not Leigh Allen.”

As Fouke points out, Leigh was too overweight to be Zodiac.
Leigh's face was too wide and round to be Zodiac.

Not only does Fouke rule out Leigh, he makes special mention that "Zodiac had a widow's peak."
Leigh did not have a widow's peak.
However, Sullivan and Kane both had a widow's peak.

Comparison of Zodiac Sketch by Juan Morales at Presidio Heights based on Eyewitness accounts by Rebecca Robbins and Donald Fouke
With Photographs of Ross Sullivan, Lawrence Kane and Arthur Leigh Allen
Artwork by
Juan Morales

Officer Fouke wrote a Memorandum about who he saw that night.

Fouke Memorandum

To quote Fouke:
“The suspect that was observed by Officer Fouke was a WMA 35-45 Yrs about 5 feet 10 inches,
180 to 200 pounds, medium heavy build – Barrel chested – medium complexion –
light colored hair possibly greying in rear ( May have been lighting that caused this effect. )
Crew cut – Wearing glasses –
The subject’s general appearance to classify him as a group would be that he might be of Welsh ancestory.”

In his Memorandum, Fouke says that Zodiac had "light colored hair...crew cut".
The Robbins said that Zodiac had "reddish brown" hair in a a "crew cut.
" Sullivan had crew cut hair.
I would not describe Kane's hairstyle as crew cut.

Sullivan had "light colored" ( Fouke ) hair, which may well have been "reddish brown" ( Robbins ) hair.
For the shade, you can see Ross has "light" hair in the black and white photographs.

As for the colour, it is hard to be sure, given that the only pictures of Ross are in black and white.
What is certain is that Kane's hair was dark.
Not "light coloured".

To continue with Fouke's description:
"Subject at no time appeared to be in a hurry, walking with a shuffling lope, slightly bent forward, head down.
The subject’s general appearance suggested Welsh ancestry.""

Notice the word "Welsh".
This is a crucial clue.
Fouke said Zodiac's appearance "...suggested Welsh ancestry."
Sullivan is an Irish name.
Ross is a Scottish and Celtic name.
There is a close correlation between those of Irish and Scottish descent and those of Welsh descent.
Fouke’s classification of Zodiac being Welsh is a close match for the Irish origins of Sullivan.

In contrast, Kane's origins are from Hungary and Russia.
Kane was: "...the eldest of three sons born to the union of Morris Haim (Harry) Klein and Sarah Benjamin.
Kane’s father was a Hungarian immigrant who (per his draft registration card) claimed Austrian citizenship,
while his mother was a native New Yorker of Russian parentage.
He grew up in a working-class Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn’s Borough Park district."

In other words, there is no sign whatsoever of Welsh, Irish, Scottish or even English heritage in Kane's family.

Lawrence Kane - A Pictorial Chronology

In 1988, Harvey Hines showed Donald Fouke a photo of Lawrence Kane.

According to Michael Butterfield:
"In his report, Hines stated that he “gave a single picture of suspect Kane” to Fouke.
Hines wrote, '[Fouke] studied it for awhile and said, ‘The jowls are right. The face was rounded like that.’
He said, after twenty years he could not be sure.
He said, he had been brought hundreds of pictures to look at over the years but this was the best one he had seen,
but it had been too many years for a positive identification.'

"Fouke then classified Larry Kane as a 'maybe.'
Hines wrote, ""[Fouke] said, ‘A good maybe, that’s the best I can do.’”
Fouke had described the suspect as a white male,...with “light-colored hair possibly greying in the rear.”
While Fouke did note that the hair coloring may have been distorted by lighting in the area,
Kane was described as having black hair.
Fouke did not identify Kane."

"Years later, Fouke was interviewed by Zodiac theorist Mike Rodelli, who wrote,
“He (Fouke) said that the photo of Kane with glasses on showed that he had a similar hairline to what he recalls from that night.
He therefore stated that he was a “possibility”." You can see why Fouke considered Kane a "possibility" and a "maybe."
Kane had a widows peak and similar hairline to Zodiac.
Kane wore glasses similar to Zodiac.
Kane had similar "jowls and "rounded" face as Zodiac.

Despite these similarities between Kane and Zodiac,
Sullivan has even more striking similarities in appearance to Zodiac.
Sullivan also had a widows peak and hairline similar to Zodiac.

Sullivan also had had similar "jowls and "rounded" face as Zodiac.

Sullivan had "light coloured hair", so did Zodiac.
Kane had black hair.

Sullivan had a crew cut hairstyle, so did Zodiac.
Although Kane's hairstyle in some photographs is similar to Zodiac's,
Kane's hair was too long to be considered a crew cut.

Both Sullivan and Zodiac appear to be of Irish/Welsh origin.
Kane is of Hungarian/Austrian/Russian origin.
The shape of Sullivan's lips and nose closely resemble the Zodiac sketch.
Which brings me to a question:
Were Rebecca Robbins, Lindsey Robbins or Donald Fouke ever shown the pictures of Ross Sullivan?

To return to Donald Fouke.
In his Memorandum, Fouke gives an estimate of Zodiac's age, height and weight.
Lets take a look at age.
Remember, perception of age is a subjective thing.
Some people look their age, whilst others look younger or older than their age.
Likewise, different people can perceive someone's age differently.

Therefore, I take perceptions of age with a large grain of salt.

The Fouke Memorandum estimates Zodiac's age to be between 35 to 45 years.
In 1969, Sullivan was 28.
In 1969, Kane was 45.

Once again, perception of age is highly subjective.
There are two main photographs I have seen of Sullivan
Both are included on this site.

The first photograph is shown on my Zodiac Case page.
The photograph depicts Ross as a teenager in High School.
He is young in that picture, and looks young as well.

Then there is the second photograph of Sullivan, as shown on this page.
In this picture, Sullivan looks much older.
I do not know when this picture was taken.

Based on the second photograph of Sullivan, you can see how Fouke could have
perceived Zodiac to be 35 to 45, when he was in fact 28.
In the second photograph, Ross has thinning hair with a widows peak.
He also has a medium heavy build.

Thining hair, a widows peak and a medium heavy build
all combine to make Sullivan look older than his numerical age.

In his Memorandum, Fouke says that Zodiac looked to be about 5' 10" tall.

Fouke also states in his memorandum that Zodiac had a "Medium heavy build, barrel chested."
and was "...walking with a shuffling lope, Slightly bent foreward head."

Having a "heavy build" and "slightly bent forward head" could make someone look shorter than they really are.

According to Jake Wark at Crime Library:
"Mel Nicolai, a former Special Agent for the California Department of Justice,
who worked on all but the Lake Herman Road Zodiac murders, is quoted as saying that
Foukes' and Zelms' first broadcast description of the man they saw was even taller, between 6' and 6'2", and over 200 lbs."

Whilst the exact details of height and weight are uncertain,
it is clear that Zodiac was tall, around 6' feet tall, and had a medium heavy build in 1969.

Sullivan was tall and had a medium heavy build.

Kane on the hand, was considerably shorter.
"Contrary to other sources, which list his height as 5’9″, Kane’s height was here recorded as 5’6 1/2″."
Lawrence Kane - A Pictorial Chronology

So, Kane was only 5' 6 1/2" tall.
Zodiac was somewhere between 5' 10" and 6'2" tall.
This rules out Kane on the basis of height alone.
Sullivan was tall and according to Gerald Katz,
Ross was "...over 6 feet tall", which rules
him in as a match for Zodiac based on height alone.

Post By Gerald Katz - Zodiac Revisted - Cheri Jo Bates Evidence Analysis

Fouke tells us that Zodiac had a "Medium heavy build, barrel chested."
Sullivan also had a "Medium heavy build, barrel chested."

The Fouke Memorandum estimates Zodiac's weight to be between "...180 and 200 pounds."
Fouke's first broadcast of Zodiac's weight was "...over 200 lbs."
Either way, both these estimates are consistent with a man of Sullivan's build.

This is the Zodiac Speaking - Donald Fouke

Donald Fouke Interview - From Crimes of the Century

Orpheum Theatre Auditorium San Francisco
Artwork by
Unknown Artist
Wikimedia Commons Image

In Hunt For The Zodiac Killer : The Code Is Cracked ; Season 1 Episode 5
Kenneth Mains and Sal Labarbera work out that the departure point for the journey
was 3.2 miles from Washington and Cherry.
The Theatre District lies within this radius.
The two detectives visit the Orpheum Theatre
to see Lamplighter Performer: Roger Pierson.
Pierson points out that the Mikado played at the Orpheum Theatre on the night of Stine's death.
The Mikado has a character called the executioner.
Not only that, Pierson recalled a member of the audience from the night of Stine's death,
who matches the physical description of
Ross Sullivan.

Zodiac refers to the Mikado in his writing.
The Mikado is a play by Gilbert and Sullivan.
An obvious clue that points to the true identity of Zodiac.

In revision, we can see the pieces of this puzzle come together.
The descriptions by Rebecca Robbins, Lyndsey Robbins, Donald Fouke and Roger Pierson, all point to the same suspect.
Ross Sullivan.

The eyewitness testimony of four witnesses from the night of Paul Stine's murder
all describe Zodiac as looking exactly like Ross Sullivan.
This is both in the written description and the sketch of Zodiac.

As far as I know, these four witnesses were not shown any pictures of Sullivan.
Yet their descriptions are a very close match to Sullivan.

This is not a coincidence.
This is not by chance.
This is a fact.

Anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant of the facts,
or is being disingenuous.

Chevrolet 1957 Station Wagon
Artwork by
Unknown Artist
Photo Enhancement By Ben Casimir

Kathleen Johns
Highway 132, near Modesto.
March 22, 1970.

This was a case of kipnapping, that might have led to murder,
had it not been for her escape.

"She had been driving on highway 132 near Interstate 5, when she observed
a late model vehicle, light tan in color,
following her and blinking it s lights,"
as if the operator of the vehicle desired the complainant (Kathleen Johns ) to stop.
Complainant stopped her vehicle, a 1957 Chevrolet." ( 1970 Police Report)

Her abductor then claimed that her "rear left wheel" was "wobbling,"
and that he would fix this for her.
She watched from her car, as he took "a tire tool to the rear of her vehicle
and work on the vehicle for approximately 1 to 2 minutes
at which time the suspect approached the complainant
and advised her the wheel was okay at this time, and that she could proceed."

"The complainant then observed the suspect pull away from the roadway and proceed from the area.
Jonhs "...started her vehicle, and was attempting to pull away from the curb,
when the vehicle came to a lurching stop."

Johns "...exited the vehicle...to ascertain what the problem was.
She discovered that the left rear wheel had fallen off...
and it had been secured by only one lug bolt."

She saw "...the suspect return in his vehicle
and he advised her he would transport her to a service station,
in order to have the vehicle repaired."

Kathleen "...entered the suspect's vehicle, carrying her small daughter,
approximately 10 months, and left the area under the pretense
that the suspect was attempting to locate a service station."

California Highway 132 Sign For Modesto and Tracy on Paradise Road

This was not the first time something like this had happened.

This crime bears the hallmarks of a prior kidnapping attempt,
where sabotage of the victim's vehicle was also adopted.

In 1966, Zodiac sabotaged Cheri Jo Bate's lime green volkswagon.
Bate's car would not start.
As with John's, Zodiac offered false help; pretending to repair Bate's engine.

When this did not work, he may have offered her a ride home.

Unlike John's, Bate's declined.

His plan thwarted, Zodiac chased Cheri Jo into a nearby driveway, and killed her.

The method of operation is so similar here, that it leads me to think both crimes
are the product of one mind.

Jake Wark ( Crime Library, Highway 132) points out:
"When she ( Kathleen Johns ) made it to the local police station in Patterson,
Ms Johns recognized the man who had sabotaged her wheel as the man in the
composite sketch of the Zodiac, which appeared in a Wanted poster
that hung prominently in the office."
Jake Wark - Crime Library - Highway 132

According to the 1970 Police Report:
"The complainant (Kathleen Johns) stated that a WMA ( White Male Adult ), approximately 30 years;
5 feet, 9 inches, 160 lbs, dark hair, wearing black rimmed plastic glasses,
wearing a dark ski jacket, and wearing dark blue bell-bottomed pants
approached her vehicle and advised her that her left rear wheel
of her vehicle was wobbling and that he would repair the malfunction."

Once again, the abductor is a white male, in keeping with all other eyewitness testimony.
She describes this man as having "dark hair".
Sullivan did not have dark hair.
Kane did have "dark hair."

However, she also says that he looked "approximately 30 years" of age.
Sullivan was 29 in 1970.
Whereas, Kane was 46 in 1970.

Both Sullivan and Kane wore "black rimmed plastic glasses."

The appearance of age is more in alignment with Sullivan.
On the other hand, the dark hair lends itself to Kane.

Indeed, in 1992, Johns identifies Lawrence Kane
as the man who kidnapped her and her daughter 22 years before.

Harvey Hines wrote a detailed report on Lawrence Kane.

In his report on Lawrence Kane, Hines writes that:
"On January 24, 1992, Kathleen Johns identified Kane
from an 18 picture lineup as the man that abducted her
and her daughter on March 23, 1970."( Hines Report, Page 14 )

Eighteen suspects were shown to Johns.
Twenty two years after the event.
My question is:
Was one of those 18 pictures of Ross Sullivan?

If yes, this would indicate that Johns had seen Sullivan
and dismissed him as a suspect.

If no, this leaves open the possibility that Sullivan was her kidnapper.

Sometimes, when a witness is shown a suspect that looks similar to the perpetrator
, he or she will leap to the conclusion that the suspect is the perpetrator.

This is because the witness has not being shown the picture of the actual perpetrator.

In their absence, the witness selects the nearest match she can see.

Human perception is like the Google Search Engine.
When Google cannot find an exact match to our keywords,
it looks for the closest match it can find.

Sometimes, the closest match is who or what we are looking for.
Other times, it is not.

If Kathleens Johns were still alive, we could ask her.
Unfortunately, she died on the 1 May 2002.

If you, the reader of this site, know who the other suspects were in the 1992 photo lineup,
feel free to contact me at:
bencasimir@outlook.com

"On January 24, 1992, Kathleen Johns postively identified Kane's picture
from three, six picture lineups, as the man that kidnapped her and her baby,
Jennifer on March 23, 1970, near Patterson, California." ( Hines Report, Page 7 )