Zodiackiller.com Message Board: Zodiac Media: KOVR Channel 13 Sacramento

I just watched the report on the new Zodiac info on the news. The only new thing that I saw was a sillouette of a man that supposedly thinks that his brother was Zodiac. They didn't give his name. The only reason that they stated is that his brother looks like the composite. Other than that I didn't see anything new. They talked briefly to Ed Rust, Ken Narlow and Joann West about the case. No new details. Just brief comments on Zodiac letters, Lake Berryessa, Blue Rock Springs, and Lake Herman Rd. They did say that VPD has sent something to the lab that they will examine with new technology. Sounds like DNA on envelopes maybe?

Esau,Did they make explicit references to what Vallejo may be sending to the lab. With the current forensics that we have today, DNA is our only hope to solve these crimes. So let's all keep our fingers crossed.
Bruce D.

Below is a transcription of the story, taken from KOVR13.com.

By the way, there is no testing going on.


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The murders happened more than 30-years ago. And yet, authorities are still trying to find the so-called Zodiac Killer. The Zodiac Killer terrorized the Bay Area in the late 60's and early 70's. Now, police hope science can help bring him to justice. I-Team reporter Jon Baird has learned that some evidence has been sent to the laboratory.
The question is, what evidence? Police won't say, but they do confirm that some new work is being done on the case. The Zodiac is suspected in several bay area murders, and possibly another in southern California. Officers say the killings were brutal.
The killer struck at a roadside turnout more than 30-years ago. He also claimed he killed a San Francisco cab driver and that he brutally attacked a young man and a young woman as they sat in a car in a Vallejo park.
Ed Rust / Former Vallejo Police Officer: "I never seen anything like this. He sat there and shot two young people and just shot them to pieces, and kept shooting."
Ed Rust was a detective sergeant for Vallejo PD that night.
Ed Rust / Former Vallejo Police Officer: "Obviously, there was blood all over the place."
According to Rust, the killer himself called in to report the shooting.
Ed Rust / Former Vallejo Police Officer: "This is the Zodiac speaking. I just shot these two people."
Michael Mageau lived, but Darline Ferrin died from the bullet wounds. A couple of months later the Zodiac struck again, along the shores of Lake Berryessa near Napa. He attacked a couple lounging on a blanket.
Retired detective Ken Narlow said the killer made sure the victims were all tied up, and then pulled a knife.
Ken Narlow / Former Napa Co. Investigator: "He said, you know I'm going to have to kill you. The boy said, stab me first, I can't stand to see her die. So he stabbed him five times, and the blood rolled off... bleeding profusely. Then he turned his wrath on the girl, stabbing her 10 times.
Cecilia Shepard died two days later, and Bryan Hartnell survived. And once again, the killer himself called authorities.
Ken Narlow / Former Napa Co. Investigator: "He said he was the one."
The man claiming to be the Zodiac wrote letters claiming responsibility for his murders, and used the notes to taunt police.
Ken Narlow / Former Napa Co. Investigator: "I don't think I'll ever forget his handwriting. His R's, his E's, the three legged K, the slant of the D's."
Police never caught the Zodiac killer. Yet after all these years, they're dusting off their files in an attempt to solve the murders.
Lt. Joann West / Vallejo Police Department: "Lot of techniques available today that weren't available in 1969 for processing evidence. So we may be able to come up with DNA evidence or fingerprints that we couldn't do before."
Lt. Joann West says there have been a number of suspects, including Arthur Lee Allen, also known as Lee Allen, who died in 1991.
Lt. Joann West / Vallejo Police Department: "He's still a suspect in the case, but at this point there's no evidence that says he's the Zodiac.
Former Vallejo cop Ed Rust doesn't think Allen committed the murders. He has his own theories. Like many other people. And one man called the I-Team recently, because he believes one of his relatives was the killer. He thinks the relative bares a strong resemblance to this sketch of the Zodiac.
Voice Of Interpreter: "I dug some pictures out, looked very similar."
Authorities say the case is interesting, but there's no hard evidence to connect anyone to the case at this time. Some former cops think authorities should put much more effort into solving the crimes, and bringing the killer to justice. Even after 30-years, the Zodiac attracts plenty of attention, and occasional leads. There are even Websites dedicated to the Zodiac case. It's an unsolved crime that refuses to fade away.
Ken Narlow / Former Napa Co. Investigator: "Some things you can't just let go."
Ed Rust / Former Vallejo Police Officer: "It's like one sheep that's lost. Thousands of cases solved, one that haunts you the most is unsolved."
The Zodiac has beaten teams of investigators for over 30-years, but now authorities hope science will finally catch up with him.
Investigators are refusing to say exactly what they're testing for, but they are running tests. And perhaps in the next weeks or months, we'll find if they're any closer to solving these murders, than they've been over the past 30-years.

Tom wrote:
"By the way, there is no testing going on."

Well that's kind of a loaded statement, seeing as how VPD just "confirmed" that there was testing going on.

--Jake
http://members.aol.com/Jakewark/index.html
"This is the Zodiac Speaking..."

VPD also claimed my visit last May with Ken Narlow was a "task force" meeting.

That doesn't exactly address your casual dismissal of what sounds like important information.

This is the second time in 3 months that I've heard about VPD processing some kind of evidence, and from seperate sources no less, which leads me to believe that something is in fact going on out there. Now, given her prior remarks to the press, it doesn't sound as if she likes you very much, so why should we take your word over KOVR's? If you know something, we'd all love to hear it, but the simple fact that you weren't told first doesn't rule it out.

--Jake
http://members.aol.com/Jakewark/index.html
"I'm your Gadfly, Baby..."

What would VPD have to test, anyway?
They still haven't gotten around to comparing Allen's hunting knife to the wounds of Cecelia Shepard, so why would they waste the time, money and effort on other "testing" when a conclusion to the case could potentially be reached by merely consulting with the Napa County SD?

I don't buy it. The odds are VPD is telling the press what they need to in order to look like they are actually doing something with the case.
If I'm wrong, that would be great, too.

Why would VPD not want the public to know what they are testing, and while we're talking about testing Riverside should be entered in the Guiness Book of World Records for the length of time they have ben testing the DNA in the Bates' killing.
Bruce D.

I was thinking of the prints on their letters -- the last go-round appears to have been in 1991, so maybe there's something going on there. The only other thing would be the shell casings, but they'd need an actual suspect and his 30-year-old gun for that.

The explanation for the DNA stonewall could go either way -- RPD could be pouting that it didn't match their suspect, or they could be preparing an extradition for "Barnett." Chances are he won't be coming home for Thanksgiving next year.

--Jake
http://members.aol.com/Jakewark/index.html
"This is the Zodiac Speaking..."

As far as comparing Allen's knife with Shepherd's wounds the results wouldn't be 100% conclusive or inconclusive. A DNA match on Allen's knife would be. I could see why they would go for a DNA match. Who's to say they haven't done a comparison to Shepherd's wounds anyway? Logic tells me that this website has made the Lt. West era of the VPD look like a bunch of careless morons. Solving this case would help to repair VPD's reputation. Would a political agenda support the cost of a DNA test? I think so.

The VPD of the Z time frame looks far worse than just "careless morons": they look complicit. The drug angle makes the VPD look very very dirty.

While I was driving to Oakland tonight, I happened to tune in to the news on KVYN 99.3 just before 7, and caught the tail-end of a report on Z. They mentioned something about VPD testing (presumably) Z's DNA against Allen's, which seems to go hand-in-hand with KOVR's recent story.

This also confirms what Lt. Bruton mentioned to me back in October 1999 concerning Z, that the only thing that would get his interest was handwriting, fingerprints, or DNA. I must admit that caught me by surprise, because even if there was DNA from saliva used for the stamps or to seal the envelopes, I didn't think it would still be viable after so long, especially after being presumably treated with ninhydrin for fingerprints (as the letters were, according to Graysmith anyway).

Ed,you mentioned Graysmith. Is his new Z book coming out soon? I hope he's not waiting for Riverside to reveal their DNA testing results.
Bruce D.

Bruce, I know as much as you do, so that means, no, I don't know when it's coming out. Actually, I was referring to his first book (Zodiac, pp. 104, 210), and speculating that perhaps the envelopes were treated with ninhydrin for fingerprints as some of the letters apparently were.

I will just say that some time ago it was 'arranged' so that letters from my suspect could have the DNA tested against Zodiac's purported DNA from the stamps/flaps.I was informed it was pretty well assured this would happen due to the status of our source.

After a long period of time our law enforcement source was told -to his amazement (he was well connected)-that it would not be done . It was very hard to get my one of a kind materials back ;and it took several letters and calls to get my papers returned!

The nightmare question every Zodiacologist wants to avoid-did Z lick those stamps/flaps himself?With Zs statements ,MO and awareness relative to "fake clews,he had to have known salvia could be checked/matched. This is one reason butts would be collected at crime scenes so that the salvia could be analyzed for a possible future match with the suspects.

Howard, Can DNA be collected from paper saturated with oils from the fingers/hands? What about skin cells which we shed, they offer DNA?

This thread is for commenting on the KOVR segment, not asking questions about DNA.

Tom, I was told you enjoyed your trip down here. That you accomplished a lot ! Can you tell us about your trip and what or who you saw? When will it be shown ?

KOVR is going to save the interview until their May sweeps.
I should be back down within three to four weeks, and hopefully it will be a longer trip.

Ed and I met with the Napa newspaper, too. They should be publishing a Z-related story any day.

tom, has kovr scheduled an airtime for the interview?

As soon as I know, I'll post that information.

Tom, I just received a phone call telling me kovr will be doing the "Zodiac" tomorrow night at 6pm and 10pm.