Is This The Face of the Zodiac?

Whilst reading about the crimes of EAR/ONS/The Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo I was struck by how much he seemed to have in common with The Zodiac, as I further investigated, the similarities kept cropping up and I was finding it harder and harder to separate the personalities as such, especially when looking at M.O and the movements of Zodiac against those of GSK.

I felt that due to The Golden State Killers age he must have started his criminal activity much earlier due to the prolific nature of the crimes commited and it did'nt seem to sit quite right with me so I went searching.

I came across the Murder of Taxi Driver Ray Davis on the 9th April 1962 in Oceanside, California. Jospeh James Deangelo was 17 years of age at the time of this murder and I'm guessing he was in training with the Navy as he probably left for Vietnam around 1963/64 when 18.

What first intrigued me were the calls made to the Police stating " I'm going to pull something here in Oceanside and you will never be able to figure it out". Also calling a few days later stating "Do you remember me calling you last week and telling you that I was going to pull a real baffling crime? I killed the cab driver and I am going to get me a bus driver next".

GSK is well known for calling and taunting victims as well as the Police, Ray Davis was shot to the back of the head and back from the back seat, he was 28 years old, had only recently moved to the area, the attack is so alike The Zodiac's last crime in 1969 when he killed Paul Stine at Presido Heights, it's hard not to draw comparisons but in EAR attack 30 he JJD says to his victim "This is how me fuck". I find this language quite specific and do wonder if this could be a key in linking this crime to the Golden State Killer.

In 1962 the taxi was taken and left a short distance away alongside a book on the front seat called Dance with the Dead which is what this Killer could have been planning all along. Ray's body had been pulled out the taxi, he had money on him so robbery was not the motive.

GSK is well known for leaving money behind too and I feel that GSK did not only have rage against women, he also had much rage for men too. To me this crime stands out as one of his first. We know Joseph James DeAngelo was in Vietnam during the years between 63/64 and 67 and I find it a little strange that Zodiac appears in 1968 fully fledged.

There has been a new development regarding the above murder which may be another connection to the Golden State Killer thanks to JBoosime on Reddit.

This happened on January the 2nd 1978 Victim #1 from june 1976 attack had been receiving odd phone calls since around christmas. The police gave her a tape recorder

Victim Hello Caller Is Ray There? Victim Pardon Caller Is Ray There Victim I'm Sorry, you must have the wrong number Caller Sorry

If police still have the tape of the above and they had recorded the calls in 62 but I don't think the Oceanside Police paid much attention to the calls at the time thinking it was a crazy person though it does appear they were transcribed. It may be worth trying to find more evidence if possible as this would change everything and it may just bring some peace to another family.

I have found the book which was laying on the front seat of Ray Davis's taxi cab, the book was called Dance with the Dead by Richard S Prather, the review here from Amazon makes for interesting reading and one I shall have to buy, here is the review

Published in 1960, "Dance With the Dead" is the 21st book in the Shell Scott series by Richard Prather, one of the best-selling detective series of all time. In all, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 Shell Scott books published. Scott is a Los Angeles area private eye, somewhat of a goofy, screwball, campy version of Mike Hammer.

I listened to the audio version of this book and found the narration disappointing. The narrator seemed to read in a goofy manner and was especially annoying when he used a falsetto voice to make women's parts of the conversation. Generally, as one listens to an audiobook, one tends to get used to the narrator's voice even if it is not how you would have imagined the character to sound, but no so here.

The story concerns a friend of Scott's, who happens to run a men's magazine featuring monthly centerfolds. That friend, a playboy in his own right, is murdered within hours of getting married in Hawaii, and Scott takes it upon himself to chase down the killer with his only clue being that the woman his friend married was one of the twelve centerfolds and a photo from his friend's camera displays some freckles on the wife's derriere. Of course, Scott is now stuck with tracking down the twelve centerfolds and determining which one had the freckles and this involves countless drinks and innuendo. Meanwhile, a bunch of hoods, including one named Biff Baff and one named Slobbers O'Brien are chasing Scott down and generally beating on him. The goings-on here are sort of an Austin Powers meets Phillip Marlowe kind of affair.

The book is filled with wisecracks and double entenderes and is quite juvenile in places, particularly with Scott at one point falling out of a treehouse in nothing but a grass skirt and getting chased by the police. It all culminates in a party in Medina (which has to be Pasadena) where all twelve centerfolds are to pose for a photo wearing a sweater and matching heels and nothing else. Yes, as he salivates over the possibilities, Scott realizes this is his chance to figure out who the bride was.

All in all, it was not terrible, but perhaps too over-the-top campy for my taste.

Hmmm, interesting

I just had to read this book ,so purchased a copy and found some interesting dialect as well as scenarios. What I noticed about the many books Richard Prather was writing at this time is they all include scantily clad women and murder in many forms with Detective Shell Scott as the saviour.

The books are of their time and can see where Zodiac & JJD's fantasies could arise whilst reading but what is interesting is that he actually uses a line from the book when he calls the Police the night of Ray Davis's murder. There are also a few words you'll recognize as Zodiac but some of the scenario's are GSK in style so make if it what you will. I have uploaded some photographs of excerpts from the book Dance with the Dead, with the insert showing other titles published.

As you will notice the reference to having a gun in his right hand and torch in his left, hiding in the bushes, are all things that are Zodiac/GSK

There are many titles which were very similar in the 60's and 70's with varied authors. I do think the Zodiac/GSK inherited some of Detective Shell Scott's qualities