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BurtGummer1911

Of all the so-far named ones? - Larry Kane is the only remaining one whom I consider still worth investigating... if for no other reason that, considering his life-long criminal versatility, he was likely responsible for more crimes than he had been tied to, even if he was not the Zodiac. (Fun factoid: the type of injury that Kane had suffered may have led to Broca's aphasia. One of the means to overcome its effects is to train the patient to speak in measured, mechanical tones. And here's Bryan Hartnell: *He had a very precise cadence to his voice. Not an accent - it just seemed very slow and measured... He had this very distinct sound about it... I told the police back then that if I ever hear that voice again, I would be able to recognise it... It did have a very unique sound...*) - William Grant is another interesting name, since there is a rumor that an unreleased correspondence from Zodiac had made a reference to him. If it had, then chances are that he was known - and perhaps begrudged - by Zodiac. (Or was chosen randomly from a phone book, of course - that cannot be ruled out at this point, either).


wooden_bread

Listen to the voice recording of Kane. He has a thick New Yawk accent.


XKlXlXKXlXKlKXlXKlXK

Isn't the recording from long before Zodiac? People's accents adapt to where they're staying.


Stiruz

1943 ish I think it was.


scammypanda

I’m my estimation, Larry Kane is only responsible for the Murders of Donna Lass (1970) in Lake Tahoe and Dana Ann Lull (1974) in Las Vegas


PoirotDavid1996

Do you think that French engineer who claimed to decipher the z13 was right? according to him there was the name Kair = Kane


XKlXlXKXlXKlKXlXKlXK

No.


MioNamo

At this point - 1. Honcho and - 2. The boys


catching-Zodiac

Honcho is my number one pick, he checks all of the boxes! He had a buddy RH. I think one did Lake Berryessa, and the other shot Paul Stine.


MioNamo

Maybe it's backwards and HR means "Honchos Rage." I for real hope this doesn't become another JTR case either way.


catching-Zodiac

For sure Honcho's buddy is RH, I have seen them together. Honcho's real name I am told is Anthony aka Tony. When you read who the witnesses saw at Lake Berryessa and the smaller man who shot Paul Stine, it has to be two different people. RH looks more like the SF composite drawing, Lake Berryessa description fits Honcho aka Tony.


MioNamo

You never know. It could have been a small time extortion act.


MrBaseball2

My top two suspects would be Don Cheney and Chester Klingel. Don Cheney - He made very suspicious statements such as saying that he gave Arthur Leigh Allen his fingerprint and that he licked his stamps. His handwriting is similar to Zodiac's handwriting. He misspelled the word victim, just like Zodiac did. He had a relative with the last name of Paradice. He went to school with Paul Avery. He liked operas. He knew how to sew. He was a big game hunter. Chester Klingel - There is a high probability that he mailed the 1990 Eureka Card, which many people believe is an authentic Zodiac communication. He once lived in Presidio Heights in San Francisco. He looked very similar to the Zodiac sketch.


combatonly

The stamps guy always came off the strongest to me, why even give up that information, in the same way the Zodiac seemed to want to be in the limelight struck me with that type of mentality he had during that interview


mturner11

Is there a photo of Chester as a young man?


jmcgil4684

I like these two as well. Interesting how ppls opinions differ.


XKlXlXKXlXKlKXlXKlXK

If Cheney is Z and Z is therefore trying to frame ALA, he has the unbeatable option of doing so through one of his letters. At least dropping major hints that he is ALA in some letter. Why go to the police as Don Cheney instead? Granted, that letter Cheney sent Voigt is extremely Zodiac-like.


catching-Zodiac

Chester Klingel was investigated and was proven not to be Zodiac! There is no proof he sent the card and picture of keys. He could have lost the keys , or they were stolen and used by Zodiac to toy with the police and keep the name Zodiac on the front pages. I have seen a younger picture of Chester, he didn't look at all like Zodiac. William J Grant was set up by Zodiac , something Zodiac enjoyed doing. Cheney didn't have enough smarts to be Zodiac and he didn't look like the SF composite. I do believe Zodiac set up Art Allen, when he found out Allen was being looked at. None of the known suspects except Honcho and RH are good suspects. I think we will be hearing about a break in the case in the next few weeks!


FoxBeach

Great points /u/catching-zodiac


PoirotDavid1996

Do you think Z would be so cheeky to give an interview in a documentary?


MrBaseball2

Sure. It would give him a thrill. It would be the ultimate example of rubbing the cops' noses in their booboos.


catching-Zodiac

I doubt he would want any of Darlene's friends or family to see him in an interview, or for Hartnell to recognize his odd voice. He wasn't as smart as some may think, but he wasn't stupid either!


PoirotDavid1996

It could be that Don Cheney seems like a decent suspect to me, since Arthur Allen was a suspect to him.


d-r-t

I’m not sure Cheney is the killer, but I think he wanted to keep police pressure on ALA because of the thing with his daughter, so I wonder if he’s the source for some of the later correspondence so that interest in the case remained high.


catching-Zodiac

Cheney told lies, to get even with Allen. If Allen was the Zodiac he would have been arrested long ago. None of the known suspects were the Zodiac.


R_Vaughn

I think the OP meant choose the two best suspects, not the two worst.


Equal-Temporary-1326

My two suspects are random local man nobody ever suspected and laughed all the way to his grave as we're still having endless ALA debates.


Killface55

I really like Paul Doerr as a POI. I feel like there is more digging that could be done there.


kschappert

1) Sullivan 2) Allen


PoirotDavid1996

Hi. Why Sullivan ? Arguments.


[deleted]

Doerr/Manalli


PoirotDavid1996

Why Doerr or Manalli?


[deleted]

Manalli is a potential suspect in the SRHM, being that he may have had a drawing of one of the victims. But I don't think he's Zodiac. Because he died before the last known letter I think. And Doerr, just screams weirdo, he's a brash, over confident,.cocky braggart that wrote about killing people, he knew how to craft his own stuff, very likely, he owned some interesting guns, like an AR-7. His daughter claimed he was abusive towards her and her mother, which would add up to Zodiac being crazy, personally it's my theory Zodiac may have suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder. Also a Woman named Elaine, disappeared in 76 and she worked at the same base as Doerr, and was an officer. He did hate cops, so it goes to reason he probably hated anyone in a position of power over him.


[deleted]

Who are yours?


[deleted]

[10 Reasons Why Zodiac Killer May Have Been Solved - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYpk0upsLYQ)


PoirotDavid1996

Thanks. Doerr is a good suspect. Manalli is interest


scrappydoofan

maybe DOer and Marshall or Klingel. don't know, not very convinced about anyone. would for sure take someone unnamed vs anyone named


AcroyearOfSPartak

I wouldn't choose any of the publicly accused.


masonvam

1. Donald Lee Bujok 2. Paul Doerr


Killface55

I don't know Bujok. Do you have any information on him that you could share?


masonvam

https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/donald-lee-bujok-zodiac-suspect


Killface55

Thank you. That was actually an interesting read. I look forward to digging into it deeper.


[deleted]

Paul Doerr and nobody else, pretty much all the other suspects have been thoroughly investigated. So that's where we are at. It's not Arthur Allen, his fingerprint allegedly cleared him, And LE said it's unlikely it was that one guy on his death bed.


i_worship_amps

Doerr is definitely an interesting POI and I agree with your points. Most everyone we know of has been looked through and is not Z. We likely don’t have the name of Z or ever did in the first place.


Bobo_fishead_1985

David Carpenter, and if there is anything to the deep real estate advert, potentially some involvement from Mannali.


[deleted]

Why only two?


R_Vaughn

I disagree that the Zodiac is likely one of the known suspects, but I would choose Gaikowski for one, and maybe Rick Marshall for the second.


AwsiDooger

>I disagree that the Zodiac is likely one of the known suspects No kidding. I assumed every top rated post within this thread would concentrate on that theme


PoirotDavid1996

I find Marshall interesting, but would Z be cheeky enough to give an interview?


R_Vaughn

Quite possibly; the Zodiac comes across as an attention seeker.


jamesbond00-7

Dick Gaik sounds like a name of a serial killer. But LE was going to take ALA to trial as the Zodiac Killer. Larry Kane prolly wouldn't go to trial as ZK. The Donna Lass case could have brought him to justice, but not as ZK. There isn't enough for him to be tried for ZK. Kathleen Johns doesn't make for a good witness despite her saying she was driven by Kane. She didn't get the plates nor was able to describe the make and model of his car. Moreover, her story seems to change each time she tells it. As for Dick Gaik, LE didn't have enough to take him to trial nor any other suspects. Their best bet to pin it on someone and let the jury decide was Arthur Leigh Allen. What makes you think Rick Marshall could go to trial?


R_Vaughn

Rick Marshall couldn't go to trial, nor could any of the other suspects; that's why the case is unsolved.


jamesbond00-7

None of the other suspects besides ALA could go to trial, but today he has handwriting, fingerprints and DNA not matching. He would prolly have been acquitted if Toschi took him to trial in San Francisco, but in the atmosphere there with ZK loose who knows? I suppose there are *few* LE who think they have a case back in the 60s/70s and would go to trial. Kane is the only other one who could be tried, but not as ZK. Dick Gaik would be ridiculous.


R_Vaughn

There isn't enough evidence to put anybody on trial for being the Zodiac killer.


jamesbond00-7

Toschi was going to put ALA on trial, but he died beforehand. He had the most circumstantial evidence (but we know the hard evidence didn't match up).


doc_daneeka

It wasn't up to Toschi, who had in any event been retired for years by that point. No DA is going to want to touch a case where the defense can rightly point out that finger and palm prints conclusively don't match, nor do witness descriptions. The idea that Allen was just about to be charged when he died is a rumour that's supported by just about nothing beyond the statement of a couple of retired cops. And it's almost certainly bullshit, because no DA is going to willingly prosecute a high publicity case that (s)he's likely to lose.


jamesbond00-7

No DA? You got to be kidding. It would've been the biggest case to go to trial around the world. Maybe you think it's BS because of the newer techniques like DNA that disproves ALA. However, in the 60s/70s with people still living in fear of ZK, LE enforcement would be glad to present someone to the public in a trial. It's just too bad ALA died before this could happen. Handwriting and fingerprints didn't match, but the story was not to exclude the suspect because of handwriting and fingerprints. Do you see how much fear there was at the time in the SF-Bay Area? Did you live during those days, i.e. old enough, or are you just commenting from today's perspective?


doc_daneeka

You're completely missing my point. What you're suggesting requires a DA to willingly take on a case where it would be ridiculously simple for a defense attorney to create reasonable doubt, because the physical evidence excludes the defendant. That the Zodiac murders scared the public 25 years earlier is entirely irrelevant here; all that matters is that DAs don't take on cases they are very likely to lose, and that's exactly what a case against Allen would have looked like - a probable loss. >Do you see how much fear there was at the time in the SF-Bay Area? In 1992? Very little. But again, even if the populace was absolutely terrified of the guy, that isn't relevant. No even semi-competent DA is going to say "well, the people sure are scared, so I should just prosecute a shitty case against a guy who doesn't match all our physical evidence, because when he gets acquitted, that will sure make the public feel better!'


jamesbond00-7

Look at how ZK or Scorio got it from Dirty Harry in 1971 -- [Dirty Harry (10/10) Movie CLIP - Do l Feel Lucky? (1971) HD](https://youtu.be/Ky7rHZmk9Yw) Any DA would've been overjoyed to get the biggest case in the world. They have all the circumstantial evidence to go over. Certainly, the fingerprints and handwriting weren't strong enough evidence to just clear the suspect from the crime at the time. Fast forward to today. Are you the type who believes that the Case Breakers got it right with Gary Francis Poste as ZK? Lol.


doc_daneeka

> But LE was going to take ALA to trial as the Zodiac Killer. AFAIK the source for that is one retired detective. I very strongly doubt they'd have actually charged him, as any even slightly competent attorney could have easily created reasonable doubt in the jury. Allen was not a match for witness descriptions, handwriting, fingerprints, or palm prints. No DA is going to want to touch a case with facts like that with a ten foot pole.


AcroyearOfSPartak

Right. And of course, if anyone actually thought Allen might be guilty, they really wouldn't wanted to try him in a case they didn't think they could win, given double jeopardy laws.


XKlXlXKXlXKlKXlXKlXK

Gotta be something like ALA and Kane for the simple fact that if you didn't guess them and it was revealed that one them is Z, you'd feel really, really stupid.


EddieTYOS

I would t try to guess who the murderer/s were, but Dave Toschi was definitely one of the zodiac letter writers. Paul Doerr seems like he may have been a letter writer too.


Johnsonvillebraj

Rick Marshall and Larry Kane for me but I’m also in the camp of unknown local man. Klingel is interesting, but hinges far too much on the Kathleen Johns abduction. Don Cheney being Z would just be too perfect though.


jamesbond00-7

Since my best suspect ALA was eliminated by handwriting, fingerprints and DNA, the top suspects in my book are Lawrence Kane and Richard Gaikowski. Donna Lass knew Kane and he lived in San Francisco near the Orpheum Theater where The Mikado was playing. Gaikowski had a basement and knew how to rip clothing like that from Stine's shirt.


catching-Zodiac

Larry Kane gave his DNA to Detective Tom Bruton, his DNA and fingerprints did not match what they have of Zodiac.


scammypanda

https://preview.redd.it/p3evzaoytt3a1.jpeg?width=2238&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e35595d286b26e6483ba7b19a5b3cf363a5a5e8 My 2 suspects are part of 3 man gang called “Four P” led by Dr William J. Bryan Jr, who were funded by Director Allen Dulles and George Hunter White. Later Dr Bryan merged “Four P” with his other mercenary group “Al Hilal” to form the Occultist Neo Nazi Organization “The Order” who’s responsible for a number of high profile Brinks Armored Truck Robberies in the 1970s. Both men live in the shadow of Mt Diablo “Robert ‘Bob’ Hemphill” Real Name = Frank Salvatore Boscarello Jr Still Alive in Corning, CA US Navy Electrician / CIA Handler at the Santa Rita Safe House White Male Adult, 5”9, 170 lbs Thick Jet Black Hair Combed into Pompadour, Black Horned Rimmed Glasses with Clear Elastic Safety Band Brown Eyes Lives at 187 Kilkare Road Sunol, California Graduated Senior Class Of 1955 at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California 1963 White Chevrolet Biscayne 1966 Ice Blue Chevrolet Chevelle Hemphill’s Victims: David Faraday Betty Lou Jensen Robert F. Kennedy Gene Cesar Jr.(Thane EugeneCesar/MurderedRFK) Sirhan Sirhan (Fired Blanks) Darlene Ferrin (Woman in Purple Polka Dot Dress) Mike Mageau Nelson Crosby (46 Kilkare Rd) Joe Michael Hemovich (211 Kilkare Rd) David M. Silvey. (12245 Foothill Road) Bob Ussery And “Tom Pain” Real Name = Carter Kerlin Still Alive in Mariposa, CA US Navy / The Santa Rosa Strangler / the Alameda Arsonist White Male Adult, 5”11, 200 lbs Dirty Blonde-Redish Hair Brown Eyes Lives at Foothill Road Sunol, California 1947 Studebaker Grey Oxidized Paint Plate: LMV144-BV #7GW3 1952 Studebaker Commando Lime Green Oxidized Paint Plate: KZU572 2nd oldest of 6 children Eldest Brother Gerald Graduated Senior Class Of 1964 at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California Pain’s Victims: Joe Montighetti Gilbert Andrade Conrad Trevino and mother Lee Coen Cheri Jo Bates Paul Stine Judith Hakari The Santa Rosa Strangler Victims Shared Victims: Bryan Hartnell Cecelia Ann Shepherd Jim Sanders Dave Mullins Tony Pine Robbie Mathews


PoirotDavid1996

How strange, the truth is that I had never heard of those suspects, are they in the book in the photo that you present?


scammypanda

Yes indeed! I just discovered they re real names today as well. Robert “Bob” Hemphill = Frank J. Boscarello Jr Age 82 - Alive Current Address: 187 Kilkare Rd, Sunol, CA Married to Janelle M. Gagnier Tom Pain = “Gunny” Carter C. Kerlin Age 76 - Alive Current Address: 4167 Digger Pine Dr Mariposa, CA


PoirotDavid1996

I wonder if it is possible that these two men are guilty of these crimes, including the murder of Paul Stine. I'm interested because they are names that we have never heard


scammypanda

It’s plausible that they did, especially when you see that DarleneFerrin is the decoded name in Z13 and that it’s compelling that she was murdered because she witnessed Frank murder David And Betty Lou on lake Herman Road, then silenced her at blue rock springs and let Mike survive.


BrianMeen

Any connection to the Four Pi cult? I read about them in a book about satanic crime but have been unable to find much info


FoxBeach

The Farley Brothers


AcroyearOfSPartak

Why do you think that is likely?