The serial killer directly linked to five murders in Northern California between December 1968 and October 1969 (although he claimed to have murdered 37) taunted police through letters sent to newspapers in code, accompanied by a cipher. The letters began in 1969 until ceasing communication imminently in 1974.
All letters were closed with a symbol, a circle with a cross through it, which became known as the Zodiac Killer’s symbol. Despite years of searching and an intense investigation that has become notorious in pop culture, no one was arrested for the murders and the case remains open. However, recently a group claims it has solved the identity of the Zodiac Killer.
A team who call themselves The Case Breakers, a collection of former law enforcement members, have claimed they have managed to identify the serial killers responsible for the string of murders in the 1960s.
They have claimed to identify the man using both new forensic and physical evidence as well as information from eyewitnesses. The group also filed for a court affidavit, managing to secure photographs from the apparent Zodiac’s former dark room which show him with a forehead scar that match the PD sketch of the Zodiac.
The Case Breakers claim that the killer was a former US air force military member named Gary Francis Poste, who died in 2018, who lived in San Francisco (the area in which the murders took place) after his separation from the military. The Case Breakers also claim to have forensic evidence including DNA which link Poste to the murders, and state that if you remove the letters of Mr Poste’s name from the ciphers by the Zodiac, it reveals a different message.
However, the San Francisco Police Department, who still oversee the case, have confirmed that the case is still an open investigation. The FBI also did not acknowledge the claims and supposedly refused to assist the team in their investigation. So, whilst some believe the long-awaited identity of the Zodiac Killer has been revealed, others are still unsure of whether to believe the Case Breakers; perhaps the identity of the Zodiac Killer will always remain a mystery.