The seven definite victims of the Zodiac
David Faraday & Betty Lou Jensen-
Killed: Dec. 20, 1968 (Friday)
Case number: V-25564
Time of attack: Approximately 11:15 p.m.
Place of attack: A gravel parking area along remote Lake Herman Road on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo, California. David Faraday, age 17, was shot once in the head at point-blank range and died within minutes. Betty Lou Jensen, age 16, was shot five times in the back and killed instantly. The weapon was a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The ammunition was Winchester Western Super X copper-coated long rifle. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. While there were no witnesses, several vehicles were seen in the area just prior to local resident Stella Borges discovering the crime scene. According to the police report, a stranger approached Faraday's car and then walked away. In an attempt to force the couple out of the car shots were fired at the vehicle. While Faraday exited the car he was shot in the head, Jensen exited from the passenger side and shot from behind.
Mike Mageau & Darlene Ferrin-
Killed: Darlene Ferrin, July 5, 1969 (Saturday),Wounded: Mike Mageau, July 5, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 243146
Time of attack: Approximately 12:10 a.m.
Place of attack: The parking lot of secluded Blue Rock Springs Park on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo, California.Darlene Ferrin, age 22, was shot five times. Mike Mageau, age 19, was shot four times. The weapon was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. There were no witnesses. Darlene was married and worked at Terry's Restaurant as waitress and Mike was just a laborer. Darlene's husband was the first suspect but later ruled out, as well as her first husband too. The Zodiac later sent in mail claiming their murders by leaving details the public knew nothing about.
Byran Hartnal & Cecelia Sheperd-
Killed: Shepard, Sept. 29, 1969 (Monday)
Wounded: Hartnell, Sept. 27, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 105907
Time of attack: Approximately 6:15 p.m. | Sept. 27, 1969 (Saturday)
Place of attack: The shoreline of Lake Berryessa near Napa, California
Cecelia Shepard, age 22, was stabbed 10 times, five in the front and five in the back. Bryan Hartnell, age 20, was stabbed six times in the back. The knife had a wooden handle and a blade approximately 10 to 12 inches long. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. There were no witnesses. According to the police report, the couple was relaxing on a blanket at a very remote location by the lake. Shepard noticed a man approaching them wearing an unusual costume and holding a gun. He appeared to be more than 6'0" tall with a heavy build. The man claimed he was a prison escapee from either Montana or Colorado and needed money and a car to flee to Mexico. Hartnell offered his wallet and car keys, which weren't taken. After several minutes of conversation, the man tied the couple with plastic clothesline and began stabbing them. Hartnell was attacked first, then Shepard. After several minutes, a nearby fisherman heard the couple screaming and alerted park rangers. By the time help arrived, Shepard and Hartnell had managed to untie their restraints. It took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive, at which time both victims were in critical condition. Just over an hour after the attack, the Napa Police Department received a call from a man claiming responsibility for the stabbing. The call was quickly traced to a phone booth in downtown Napa and fingerprints were later recovered.They found that the attacker had written a message on the victim's car door. The message included the dates of the Faraday-Jensen and Ferrin-Mageau attacks and was signed with a cross-circle symbol. Tire Tracks indicated the killer had parked behind the victim's car. Size 10 1/2Wing Walker shoe prints were recovered from the scene, indicating a suspect weighing more than 210 pounds. Detectives later located three young women who had noticed a strange man in the general area just a couple of hours before the attack.
Paul Stine-
Killed: Oct. 11, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 696314
Time of attack: Approximately 9:55 p.m.Place of attack: The northeast corner of Washington and Cherry streets in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Cab driver Paul Stine, age 29, was shot once in the head at point-blank range. The weapon was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, not the same 9mm used in the Ferrin murder. There were three witnesses from a house on the southeast corner of the intersection. Stine's cab was hailed at Mason and Geary Streets, with the intended destination being Washington and Maple Streets near the Presidio. For reasons unknown, the cab ended up at Washington and Cherry Streets, a block away from the original destination. Stine's wallet and keys were taken and a large portion of his shirt was carefully torn off. Bloody fingerprints, potentially of the suspect, were recovered from the vehicle. According to a police document, a pair of men's Size Seven black-leather gloves was also found. The three witnesses watched the suspect from approximately 60 feet away as he wiped down the cab with a cloth after killing Stine. They called the police and described a white male, 25 to 30 years old, 5'8" to 5'9", stocky build, reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut, heavy-rimmed glasses and dark clothing. They last saw him casually walking north on Cherry Street. Unfortunately, the police dispatcher mistakingly described the suspect as being a black male adult. As a result, when patrol officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms minutes later observed a white man walking east on Jackson Street, he was never stopped and questioned. The officers did get a good look at him, however. When the correct description of the suspect was finally broadcast, the officers realized they might have encountered him. A search of the area where the man had been observed was conducted, to no avail. The man seen by Fouke and Zelms was very similar to the suspect observed by the three witnesses. He was white, 35 to 45 years old, 5'10", between 180 and 200 pounds, barrel chested, with light-colored, crewcut hair and wearing glasses. The man didn't appear to be carrying anything and no conversation between the man and the officers took place. The Stine murder was initially thought to be a routine cabbie-killing, a robbery gone bad. However, on Oct. 13, 1969, the San Francisco Chronicle received a letter from Zodiac containing a portion of bloody shirt and taking credit for the killing.
Killed: Dec. 20, 1968 (Friday)
Case number: V-25564
Time of attack: Approximately 11:15 p.m.
Place of attack: A gravel parking area along remote Lake Herman Road on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo, California. David Faraday, age 17, was shot once in the head at point-blank range and died within minutes. Betty Lou Jensen, age 16, was shot five times in the back and killed instantly. The weapon was a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The ammunition was Winchester Western Super X copper-coated long rifle. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. While there were no witnesses, several vehicles were seen in the area just prior to local resident Stella Borges discovering the crime scene. According to the police report, a stranger approached Faraday's car and then walked away. In an attempt to force the couple out of the car shots were fired at the vehicle. While Faraday exited the car he was shot in the head, Jensen exited from the passenger side and shot from behind.
Mike Mageau & Darlene Ferrin-
Killed: Darlene Ferrin, July 5, 1969 (Saturday),Wounded: Mike Mageau, July 5, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 243146
Time of attack: Approximately 12:10 a.m.
Place of attack: The parking lot of secluded Blue Rock Springs Park on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo, California.Darlene Ferrin, age 22, was shot five times. Mike Mageau, age 19, was shot four times. The weapon was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. There were no witnesses. Darlene was married and worked at Terry's Restaurant as waitress and Mike was just a laborer. Darlene's husband was the first suspect but later ruled out, as well as her first husband too. The Zodiac later sent in mail claiming their murders by leaving details the public knew nothing about.
Byran Hartnal & Cecelia Sheperd-
Killed: Shepard, Sept. 29, 1969 (Monday)
Wounded: Hartnell, Sept. 27, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 105907
Time of attack: Approximately 6:15 p.m. | Sept. 27, 1969 (Saturday)
Place of attack: The shoreline of Lake Berryessa near Napa, California
Cecelia Shepard, age 22, was stabbed 10 times, five in the front and five in the back. Bryan Hartnell, age 20, was stabbed six times in the back. The knife had a wooden handle and a blade approximately 10 to 12 inches long. There was no indication of robbery or sexual molestation. There were no witnesses. According to the police report, the couple was relaxing on a blanket at a very remote location by the lake. Shepard noticed a man approaching them wearing an unusual costume and holding a gun. He appeared to be more than 6'0" tall with a heavy build. The man claimed he was a prison escapee from either Montana or Colorado and needed money and a car to flee to Mexico. Hartnell offered his wallet and car keys, which weren't taken. After several minutes of conversation, the man tied the couple with plastic clothesline and began stabbing them. Hartnell was attacked first, then Shepard. After several minutes, a nearby fisherman heard the couple screaming and alerted park rangers. By the time help arrived, Shepard and Hartnell had managed to untie their restraints. It took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive, at which time both victims were in critical condition. Just over an hour after the attack, the Napa Police Department received a call from a man claiming responsibility for the stabbing. The call was quickly traced to a phone booth in downtown Napa and fingerprints were later recovered.They found that the attacker had written a message on the victim's car door. The message included the dates of the Faraday-Jensen and Ferrin-Mageau attacks and was signed with a cross-circle symbol. Tire Tracks indicated the killer had parked behind the victim's car. Size 10 1/2Wing Walker shoe prints were recovered from the scene, indicating a suspect weighing more than 210 pounds. Detectives later located three young women who had noticed a strange man in the general area just a couple of hours before the attack.
Paul Stine-
Killed: Oct. 11, 1969 (Saturday)
Case number: 696314
Time of attack: Approximately 9:55 p.m.Place of attack: The northeast corner of Washington and Cherry streets in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Cab driver Paul Stine, age 29, was shot once in the head at point-blank range. The weapon was a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, not the same 9mm used in the Ferrin murder. There were three witnesses from a house on the southeast corner of the intersection. Stine's cab was hailed at Mason and Geary Streets, with the intended destination being Washington and Maple Streets near the Presidio. For reasons unknown, the cab ended up at Washington and Cherry Streets, a block away from the original destination. Stine's wallet and keys were taken and a large portion of his shirt was carefully torn off. Bloody fingerprints, potentially of the suspect, were recovered from the vehicle. According to a police document, a pair of men's Size Seven black-leather gloves was also found. The three witnesses watched the suspect from approximately 60 feet away as he wiped down the cab with a cloth after killing Stine. They called the police and described a white male, 25 to 30 years old, 5'8" to 5'9", stocky build, reddish-brown hair worn in a crew cut, heavy-rimmed glasses and dark clothing. They last saw him casually walking north on Cherry Street. Unfortunately, the police dispatcher mistakingly described the suspect as being a black male adult. As a result, when patrol officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms minutes later observed a white man walking east on Jackson Street, he was never stopped and questioned. The officers did get a good look at him, however. When the correct description of the suspect was finally broadcast, the officers realized they might have encountered him. A search of the area where the man had been observed was conducted, to no avail. The man seen by Fouke and Zelms was very similar to the suspect observed by the three witnesses. He was white, 35 to 45 years old, 5'10", between 180 and 200 pounds, barrel chested, with light-colored, crewcut hair and wearing glasses. The man didn't appear to be carrying anything and no conversation between the man and the officers took place. The Stine murder was initially thought to be a routine cabbie-killing, a robbery gone bad. However, on Oct. 13, 1969, the San Francisco Chronicle received a letter from Zodiac containing a portion of bloody shirt and taking credit for the killing.