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11 Facts About The Zodiac Killer
Despite the best efforts of law enforcement officers and amateur internet sleuths, there are still many unidentified serial killers. But two anonymous murderers stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of notoriety: Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer. The latter terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late '60s and early '70s, making a name for himself by leaving cryptic clues in letters to taunt police. Here are 11 fascinating facts about the Zodiac case.
The Zodiac Killer murdered at least five people.There are five confirmed murder victims of the Zodiac Killer, plus two people who were attacked but survived. Teenage couple David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were both shot and killed by the unidentified murderer while they were parked on Lake Herman Road near Benicia, California, on December 20, 1968. Then, in the early minutes of July 5, 1969, the Zodiac shot Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin while they were parked at Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo; Mageau survived the shooting.
The killer changed his M.O. When he attacked another couple on September 27 that year: Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were both stabbed at Lake Berryessa, but Hartnell survived. The last confirmed victim of the Zodiac was taxi driver Paul Stine, who was shot in his cab on October 11 in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood.
There's also a huge list of other potential victims whose murders are currently unsolved. For instance, the murders of Ray Davis in 1962 and Cheri Jo Bates in 1966 bear some similarities to the Zodiac killings, but there isn't enough evidence to definitively tie them to the infamous murderer.
The Zodiac Killer taunted the police with letters containing cryptograms.
Diagram on Coded Document from Zodiac Killer. / Bettmann/GettyImages Between 1969 and 1974, the Zodiac sent letters—sometimes containing cryptograms—to the press, taunting the police over their failure to catch him. The first letters were sent on July 31, 1969, to the Vallejo Times-Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Francisco Examiner. The writer took credit for the shootings of Faraday and Jensen the previous year and of Mageau and Ferrin earlier that month.
Each of the letters also included one-third of a cryptogram, which, if cracked, would supposedly reveal the killer's identity. He threatened to go on a killing spree if the papers didn't print their portion of the coded message and then signed off with a crosshairs symbol. Alongside the Chronicle's printing of the cipher, Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz voiced his doubts over the letter having been penned by the murderer and asked for a second letter "with more facts to prove it."
The killer was happy to oblige: In a follow-up letter, he provided details about the murders that the public didn't know. Over the next few years he continued to send letters, postcards, and even a map that dropped clues and mocked authorities. In one of his last letters he claimed to have murdered 37 people.
The Zodiac Killer named himself.Many killers get their moniker thanks to the media—the Night Stalker and the Boston Strangler being two famous examples—but the Zodiac Killer came up with his own pseudonym. In the first batch of letters sent to the press, he simply referred to himself as "the murderer" and "the killer," but in the letter sent at Chief Stiltz's request, he started with the words that became his catchphrase: "This is the Zodiac speaking."
Only two of the Zodiac Killer's ciphers have been solved so far.On August 8, 1969—just six days after the Zodiac's cipher was printed—Donald Harden, a teacher, and his wife Bettye cracked the code. Dubbed the 408 cipher (because it has 408 symbols), it didn't reveal the killer's identity, but it did reveal his motivation. "I like killing people because it is so much fun," the error-filled message started, and later stating, "when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves." It ends with 18 seemingly random letters—"ebeorietemethhpiti"—the meaning of which is still unknown.
It wasn't until 2020 that another of his ciphers was decoded thanks to the efforts of American cryptographer David Oranchak, Australian mathematician Sam Blake, and Belgian software engineer Jarl Van Eycke. Although the 340 cipher also didn't reveal the killer's identity, it did confirm "that wasnt me on the TV show," in reference to the man who called into A.M. San Francisco falsely claiming to be the Zodiac.
The other two ciphers remain unsolved to this day. The map code is related to the position of a bomb (at least, according to the accompanying letter), while the other cryptogram will apparently reveal the most sought after piece of information: His real name.
There were leads besides the letters—none of which helped police to track the Zodiac Killer.
Fingerprints didn't help lead to the Zodiac. / Micha Pawlitzki/GettyImages Detectives were able to collect a palm print from the pay phone the killer used to tell the police that he had committed the Lake Berryessa attack, partial fingerprints from Paul Stine's cab, as well as prints from the letters and envelopes that he sent to newspapers—but none of them matched with any suspects. One print matched Stine and another matched a police officer or newspaper worker, while the rest could just as easily have come from other people who touched the phone, cab, or letters. However, Detective David Toschi was confident they had the Zodiac's prints.
Eyewitnesses also gave descriptions of the killer. Mageau said his attacker was a white male who had a beefy build and short, light brown hair. At Lake Berryessa, the Zodiac wore a black hood over his face, clip on glasses, a crosshairs symbol on his chest, and was described by Hartnell as "kind of heavy." The three teenagers who saw Stine's murder and called it in reported that the killer was a stocky white man wearing glasses and dark clothes. But the dispatcher mistakenly told police to look for a Black man, allowing the Zodiac to slip past officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms. Fouke described the bespectacled man he saw as 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a "medium heavy build" and "light colored hair."
The famous wanted poster sketch of the Zodiac Killer was created from descriptions from the night of Stine's murder. The Zodiac claimed that he actually spoke to police just three minutes after shooting Stine. When asked if he had seen anything suspicious, he apparently told the officers that a man waving a gun had run past him.
Only one suspect has ever been publicly named by police.There have been more than 2500 suspects considered over the years, but only one man has ever officially been named by authorities: Arthur Leigh Allen. Detective Toschi was convinced that Allen—a sex offender who fit the killer's profile—was the murderer. According to Mark Ruffalo, who played Toschi in David Fincher's Zodiac (2007), the detective told him, "As soon as that guy walked in the door, I knew it was him." But Toschi never found any hard evidence to prove his hunch.
In 1991, Mageau identified Allen from a photo line-up as the man who shot him, but not all eyewitnesses were in agreement. Officer Fouke, for instance, said that Allen "outweighed the person that I saw that night by about 100 pounds." Allen's handwriting and DNA also weren't a match, with Lloyd Cunningham, the handwriting expert on the case, saying that "none of his writing even came close to the Zodiac. Nor did DNA extracted from the envelopes."
Most suspects were ruled out right away, but new names are constantly being put forward …A few high profile criminals were considered—and quickly cast aside—by police when searching for the Zodiac, including the Manson Family, the cult headed by Charles Manson, whose August 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate, her houseguests, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca made front-page news when the Zodiac was also actively killing. Domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, a.K.A. The Unabomber, who was arrested in 1996, was later suggested as a suspect on the basis of having lived in the Bay Area when the Zodiac was active and for similarly sending letters about his crimes to papers.
Other suspects who are still hotly debated by Zodiologists include journalist Richard Gaikowski and Lawrence Kane. According to Nancy Slover—the dispatcher who spoke to the killer on the phone after the Blue Rock Springs attack—Gaikowski's voice was similar to the one she heard. Kane was first identified as a suspect by Kathleen Johns, who in 1970 was briefly kidnapped by a man on Highway 132 near Patterson. She later identified her kidnapper as the Zodiac from the sketch and then as Lawrence from a photo line-up. (While the Zodiac did take credit for the kidnapping in a letter, he failed to provide details to confirm it.) Some believe Kane's handwriting is comparable to the Zodiac's. Amateur sleuths also suspect he might be connected to the disappearance of Donna Lass, who is thought to be a possible Zodiac victim "because of a postcard depicting a Sierra scene sent to authorities and a Christmas card sent to her sister after her disappearance," according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Authorities are still receiving tips and names to this day. For instance, in 2021, the Case Breakers—an independent group of sleuths with backgrounds in law, academia, the military, and the police who attempt to crack cold cases—put forward their case for Gary Francis Poste. They point to Poste's forehead scars matching the wanted poster sketch, as well as anagrams of his name popping up in the Zodiac's letters. Police remain unconvinced.
… Including politician Ted Cruz.
Ted Cruz. / Win McNamee/GettyImages In 2016, a meme took off about Texas Senator Ted Cruz being the Zodiac Killer. Cruz wasn't born until 1970—after the murders were committed—so it's impossible for him to have been the Zodiac, but the meme gained traction because, as reported by NPR, some people "think he's creepy. And they want to point that out, as clearly as they can."
A restaurateur directed a movie as part of a bizarre plot to catch the Zodiac Killer.Much like the rest of America, restaurateur Tom Hanson was fascinated by the Zodiac case, but unlike most people, he hatched his own plan to catch the killer. Hanson directed a film about the killings—simply titled The Zodiac Killer—for just $13,000 and booked a week-long premiere for it in April 1971 at the RKO Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. "I thought he'd go see a movie about himself," Hanson told Mental Floss in 2016.
The plan was that patrons would fill out an entry card to win a motorcycle and their handwriting would be compared to the Zodiac's there and then. Hanson had six of his friends stationed throughout the cinema, but it was Hanson himself who believes he had an encounter with the killer. While using the urinal, a man came in and commented on the gore in the movie, saying it wasn't realistic. Hanson turned to face the man and says that he "saw the same face that was on the wanted poster. Same eyes, nose, mouth, hair, everything."
But Hanson didn't have the legal power to hold the man—the police didn't even know his sting operation was happening—and he simply walked out of the cinema.
The Zodiac Killer inspired a copycat killer.In 1990, New York City police started being taunted by a killer who selected victims based on their zodiac signs and sent cryptic notes under the name "the Zodiac." They initially considered whether the Zodiac Killer had left the West Coast and started murdering on the East Coast, but that was quickly disproven—the handwriting on the new notes didn't match the original Zodiac killer's letters.
Three people were killed and more were injured, but unlike the original Zodiac Killer, the New York copycat was caught and sentenced to life in prison. In 1996, Heriberto Seda was arrested after shooting his sister and holding her boyfriend hostage; the hostage negotiator, Detective Joseph Herbert, had previously worked on the copycat killer's case and recognized the handwriting of Seda's confession.
The Zodiac Killer has inspired movies, songs, and video games.In addition to being the subject of numerous true crime documentaries and books, the Zodiac Killer has also inspired films, songs, and videos games. Along with Zodiac (2007)—which was based on the case—the killer also inspired fictional onscreen killers, including Scorpio from Dirty Harry (1971), the Gemini Killer from The Exorcist III (1990), and the Riddler from The Batman (2022). Netflix's documentary, This Is the Zodiac Speaking, hits the streaming service October 23; you can watch the trailer above.
The Grateful Dead were the first to release Zodiac-inspired music, with "Dire Wolf" in 1969 featuring the refrain "Don't murder me, I beg of you, don't murder me," in reference to the killings. Machine Head later released "Blood of the Zodiac" (1997), while the cover art for The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) by Guns N' Roses features a message written using the Zodiac's cipher (a fan deciphered it as "fuck em all").
Sections of multiple video games have also been based on the killings (including Watch Dogs 2 and Cause of Death) but 2020's This is the Zodiac Speaking is entirely based on the case. Gamers play as journalist Robert Hartnell—a reference to Zodiac survivor Bryan Hartnell—as he tries to track down the killer.
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2024 Moon Transit In Zodiac Signs
The Moon is our closest celestial neighbor and the fastest moving heavenly body. The Moon transits through the twelve signs of the zodiac over the course of a month, spending approximately two and a half days in each sign. The effects of the Moon's transit can be short-lived but it has a powerful impact on our emotions, moods, and energy levels. Some astrologers use Moon transits as one factor among many when making daily horoscope or short-term predictions for an individual.
What sign is the Moon in right now?Moon entered the Scorpio zodiac today at 07:22 AM
The Moon is currently in the Scorpio zodiac sign and will remain in this sign for 2 days before moving to Sagittarius on October 06, 2024 when.
Scroll down to view the full list of moon transit dates in 2024
New York City, New York, United StatesEDT(-04:00)
Moon Transits 2024Complete list of Moon transits during the year 2024 with accurate date and timing. Make sure to enter your exact location → Change location. Showing Moon transits in October 2024. Swipe to choose other months to view transit in 2024.
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Moon Transit 2025 →New York City, New York, United StatesEDT(-04:00)
The following list below gives the current tropical planetary positions for the location New York City, United States.
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October 2024 – Western Planetary Transits, Dates, and Aspects
Mercury in Libra: Words in balance!
Venus in Scorpio: The sting will be pleasurable!
Sun in Libra: The crown is not shiny these days!
Mercury in Virgo- Heightened Intelligence Guaranteed!
Mars in Cancer: Mars will try to be homely this time!
Your 2024 Solar Eclipse And New Moon Horoscope: How Each Zodiac Sign Will Be Affected
As we shift from the balmy days of summer into the brisk, cool chill of autumn, eclipse season will continue to bring shocking changes and shake ups to your life. Just two weeks after the full moon and lunar eclipse might have rocked your world, we're about to embark on a new chapter in a story that's been ongoing since April 19-20, 2023: the solar eclipse and new moon in Libra.
The final of four major lunar events of 2024, the solar eclipse will be exact on Wednesday, October 2 at 2:49 p.M. ET/11:49 a.M. PT, falling at 10 degrees of Libra, the cardinal air sign ruled by Venus, the planet of relationships and beauty. In turn, this vibrant astrological event will invite more creativity and energy you can channel toward building bonds, especially partnerships. If you've been needing to resolve a difficult situation or seek harmony, perhaps related to a narrative you've been immersed in since early 2023, this eclipse can fuel more harmony and balance. This is helped by the fact that the ruler of this eclipse, Venus, syncs with go-getter Mars and hardworking Saturn, fueling your drive and industriousness to make the most of this dynamic event. Here, all you need to know about this game-changing lunar event so you can take advantage of it to the fullest, according to your zodiac sign.
What is a new moon and solar eclipse?New moons happen once—and rarely, twice—a month when the moon and the sun meet up at the same exact spot in the sky and the zodiac. Because they're sitting so closely together, the sun's vibrant light doesn't reflect off of the moon and we're greeted with a vast, dark sky. You can think of the night sky at the time of a new moon as a blank canvas on which you can envision whatever reality you'd love to begin to manifest, given that the new moon kicks off a whole new lunar cycle.
In astrology, the moon helps inform your emotions, intuition and nurturing style as well as how you want to be nurtured. When it's new, you could feel a magnified sense of possibility, anticipation and self-awareness. In general, new moons invite you to plant seeds that you want to see come to fruition over the following two weeks (up until the next full moon) and the following six months (when we'll experience the corresponding full moon). However, during a solar eclipse, the moon passes over the sun, blotting out its light. This only happens twice a year and each time, the typical new moon energy you feel on a monthly basis is stunningly amplified.
You could feel restless, inexplicably emotional, confused or unmoored. While the effects of a regular new moon last about four days, a solar eclipse's energy lingers for a week before and after, with lasting influences for months.
What is the 2024 new moon and solar eclipse in Libra?One of just four game-changing eclipses in 2024, the Libra solar eclipse is far from your run-of-the-mill new moon. It represents a fresh beginning and new cycle, however, it's also the fifth in a series of six eclipses on the Libra-Aries axis that we've been immersed in since April 19-20, 2023 and that culminates on March 29, 2025 with an Aries new moon and solar eclipse. That said, it's a chance to take stock of how your life has evolved over the course of all of the events in this series. For a sense of that storyline, you can look back on the following key dates:
April 19-20, 2023: Solar eclipse in Aries
October 14, 2023: Solar eclipse in Libra
March 24, 2024: Lunar eclipse in Libra
April 8, 2024: Solar eclipse in Aries
Associated with the seventh house of partnership, Libra-ruled lunar events encourage us to think about themes like finding more balance in our relationships, negotiating, our experience of beauty and what we find just and fair.
What signs will the solar eclipse in Libra affect the most?While it might be hard to ignore the effects of this powerful lunation no matter your sun sign or other major birth chart placements, the signs who will feel it the most are the cardinal signs: Aries (cardinal fire), Cancer (cardinal water), Libra (cardinal air) and Capricorn (cardinal earth). You'll feel this lunation's impact especially if you have any major placements (in other words, your moon, your Mercury, rising, etc.) around 10 degrees of a cardinal sign.
The 2024 Libra new moon and solar eclipse revs up your passionAlthough Libra is known for being diplomatic and peace-loving, the Libra new moon and solar eclipse will form a tense but activating square to Mars, the planet of action, energy and aggression, sitting at 15 degrees of fellow cardinal sign, Cancer. In turn, you could be even more fired up than usual to move the ball forward on your most burning desires and feel like taking on forces that are at odds with your goals in a fierce, feisty way. This planetary clash could also set up defensiveness, self-protectiveness and impulsivity, so consider doing your best to proceed with caution, courage and measured thinking to preempt outbursts and accidents.
The 2024 Libra new moon and solar eclipse can support your long-term visionJust ahead of the solar eclipse, action-oriented Mars in Cancer will form a harmonizing trine to taskmaster Saturn in psychic, mystical Pisces, on Sunday, September 29 at 9:06 p.M. PT/Monday, September 30 at 12:06 a.M. ET, which can fuel your progress on whatever you want to accomplish in a grounded and intuitive way. You'll be more in tune with your heart and your spirit—and capable of integrating knowledge you acquire from both into a masterful action plan for the future.
You can make the most of the 2024 new moon and solar eclipse in Libra by pursuing a sense of inner peace and balanceWith the cardinal air sign at the helm of this lunation and its ruler, sweet Venus, now in Scorpio, harmonizing with Mars in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces, this solar eclipse can be romantic and supportive of your imagination, dreams and emotional bonds. Use the power of this planetary lineup to smooth over conflicts with loved ones and find ways to infuse your life with more harmony and pleasure, as efforts along these lines are sure to have a positive, resounding effect for months—and possibly even years—to come.
Here, how the 2024 Libra new moon and solar eclipse will affect you based on your sign. (Be sure to read both your sun and your rising sign if you know it. If you don't, you can find it in your birth chart or by using this CafeAstrology calculator.)
AriesAriana Created/Getty
The new moon and solar eclipse both fall in your partnership zone, nudging you to think about how you want to show up within your closest one-on-one bonds, whether romantic, platonic or professional. Prepare for illuminating realizations related to an ongoing narrative, dating back to early 2023, regarding your sense of self and your bonds. You could be reflecting on issues of reciprocity, balance and even justice.
Click through for more on Aries.
TaurusAriana Created/Getty
This lunation activates your wellness sector, which could fuel eye-opening epiphanies related to your day-to-day routine. It's possible something needs to shift in order for you to feel more centered, balanced and on-track. You might be especially empowered to say "no" to commitments that you've been simply signing off on out of habit. This is also a fruitful time to dive into new mind-body practices that enhance your vitality.
Click through for more on Taurus.
GeminiAriana Created/Getty
This eclipse is a continuation of a story related to your self-expression, pleasure and owning your voice as well as connecting with groups of like minded people who support your long-term wishes. You'll be fired up to make moves to bring more fun-loving, playful energy into your day-to-day life and to set better boundaries to keep work from inhibiting your creativity. At the same time, you'll be more in tune with your artistic impulses and imagination. Following your heart is the key to making the most of this moment.
Click through for more on Gemini.
CancerAriana Created/Getty
This solar eclipse and new moon falls in your home zone, bringing your focus to emotional challenges with loved ones or unhealed wounds that you've been called to work on addressing. You could also be trying to reconcile your work or public life with your inner world, reflecting on ways in which you can find more balance between the two. Tapping into not only your intuition but your drive—given the fact that go-getter Mars is currently moving through your sign—will enhance your experience of this intense energy that you can't help but feel more than others, given that your ruler is the moon.
Click through for more on Cancer.
LeoAriana Created/Getty
This lunar event illuminates your desire to learn and connect with others, because it falls in your communication sector. Your mental energy is sure to be running high, and you could feel like you're inundated with texts, emails and calls right now—all of which can't help but feed a sense of frenetic buzziness. Give into any urge to satiate your spiking curiosity, but be sure to take a step back if necessary, in order to protect your inner peace.
Click through for more on Leo.
VirgoAriana Created/Getty
The solar eclipse and new moon falls in your money zone, inspiring you to think differently about how you're bringing in cash flow. You could find that your self-worth is shifting, and in turn, you're able to reframe what you deserve and how you want to offer up your skill set on the job. It's also possible you're prepared to go to bat for more recognition, higher pay or greater responsibilities. By next spring, you could be on a fulfilling new path in this area of your life.
Click through for more on Virgo.
LibraAriana Created/Getty
This eclipse hits your sign and self-image zone spot-on, stirring up desires related to your confidence, aspirations, drive, purpose and sense of self. You've been crafting a message you want to share with the world over the last year and a half, and now, you could be feeling especially self-assured about how you want to proceed. With the moon squaring off against bold Mars in your public image zone, you're also sure to be thinking about how you're perceived professionally, as well. Trusting and honoring your desires and needs now can help you to cultivate the sense of balance and inner peace you so deserve.
Click through for more on Libra.
ScorpioAriana Created/Getty
Prepare for more vivid dreams and for your intuition to be particularly tuned into any emotional subtext, because this lunar event activates your spirituality sector. Tapping into the power of either your dreams and/or your intuition can help you set thrilling new goals. And when intense emotions come to the fore, you'll do well to lean on a physical practice that brings you clarity and peace, like meditation, deep breathing or even swimming or spending time near your favorite body of water.
Click through for more on Scorpio.
SagittariusAriana Created/Getty
This eclipse series has been impacting your networking zone and self-expression sector, and this go-round is all about the groups and communities you associate with. Prepare for eye-opening moments in which you're able to feel even more deeply connected with the people with whom you share platonic bonds, whether that's friends or colleagues. You could also make connections outside of your typical circle. Either way, feeling like you're bonding with people with whom you see eye-to-eye can be enlivening and help you to feel truly seen and understood.
Click here for more on Sagittarius.
CapricornAriana Created/Getty
This new moon and solar eclipse is the second to last in a series that's been shaking up your career and home. Over the course of the last year and a half, you've likely made big picture changes to both aspects of your life, and this lunation serves as the next chapter in that story, likely revolving around your responsibilities on the job, relationship to authority figures and even your own inner sense of authority. Consider reflecting on how you want this particular narrative to land ultimately—as it culminates next spring—then open yourself up to stunning changes that could help make that vision a reality.
Click through for more on Capricorn.
AquariusAriana Created/Getty
Falling in your higher learning and adventure sector, this solar eclipse and new moon has you feeling restless and even more eager than usual to shake things up and get out of your comfort zone. With the moon squaring off against go-getter Mars in your daily routine zone, you could be inspired to hit pause on your everyday to-dos in order to learn something new, travel somewhere you've never been or flirt with philosophies and perspectives that are quite different from your own. Any of these pursuits sets the stage for personal growth.
Click through for more on Aquarius.
PiscesAriana Created/Getty
This solar eclipse and new moon activates your emotional bonds and joint resources zone, so think about how you can bring an even greater sense of comfort, security and balance into your closest relationships. You can hit the ground running on new investments, savings plans or budgeting for the future. And with go-getter Mars in your self-expression zone harmonizing with taskmaster Saturn in your sign, allowing your heart to have more say than usual could actually be the most pragmatic move of all.
Click through for more on Pisces.
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