The Zodiac Killer

This weekend I was watching a movie that mentioned the notorious Zodiac Killer.  That name peaked my interest because it was brought up a lot during the U.S. president election, as a result of the resemblance Ted Cruz bore to the Zodiac Killer eye witness sketches.  (Just to clarify, Cruz wasn't alive during the killings, so case closed.) I decided to satisfy my curiosity with research on who the killer was and what they did.

Ted Cruz x Perp Sketch

Victims

Countless articles and conspiracy-theory documentaries later, I found out that:

• The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in northern California in the late 1960's and early 1970's. 

• The killer's identity remains unknown.

• Killed at least 5 and claimed to have killed 37 people.

• The killer originated the name "Zodiac" in a series of taunting letters sent to the local Bay Area press. These letters included four cryptograms. Of the four cryptograms sent, only one has been definitively solved.

• People have taken it into their own hands to offer propositions as to what the real identity of the killer is and what their motive for murder would have been.

Mark of the Zodiac; signature used on the cryptic letters 

As you'd expect, popular hypotheses arose surrounding the Zodiac Killer.  This documentary video provides a clear explanation to the top three theories. ~video contains vulgar language and content~



I mostly concur with theory #2, that Arthur Leigh Allan was the killer.
Evidence against Arthur Leigh Allan:

Arthur Leigh Allan

• Bloody knife and clothes found in Allan's car after one of the murders had occurred.

• The letters from the Zodiac provides bomb plans and talked about murdering children; Allan owned bomb plans and was arrested for child molesting.

• Allan called himself the Zodiac before the letters were received by the press.

• Fits 1 of the 3 eye witnesses descriptions.

• Allan also wore a Zodiac brand watch that bore the same symbol used by the killer.

• Allan told his friends he was planning to hunt people with a gun.

• Allan told police in an interview that his favorite book was "The Most Dangerous Game" (book about hunting people) which was referenced in the Zodiac letters.

• A cellmate of Allan told police that Allan admitted to one of the Zodiac murders.

• A surviving victim of the murders identified Allan as the Zodiac killer.  

However I find that suspect Best Jr. is eerily similar to the perp sketch:

Suspect Earl Van Best Jr. and his uncanny resemblance