The Zodiac Killer is one of the most notorious serial killers in history.

The killer and his unsolvable ciphers are known not only for the gruesome murders he committed in Northern California in the late 1960s, but also for the cryptic letters he sent to the media extolling their own crimes. Even more than 60 years later, the murderer and his unsolvable ciphers still puzzle detectives.

According to the San Francisco Chroniclewas the recipient of 17 of the 22 letters known to have been sent by the Zodiac, the unknown perpetrator whose crimes have been the subject of numerous film and television projects, including that of Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry2007 Zodiac (Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) and 2024 This is the zodiac speakingHe was responsible for the deaths of at least five people.

Teenagers Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday, wife and mother Darlene Ferrin, student Cecila Shepard and taxi driver Paul Stine were tragically killed by the Zodiac, while Michael Renault Mageau and Bryan Hartnell narrowly escaped death.

Ferrin's sister Pam Huckaby opened up about it Vallejo Times-Herald about her late sibling in July 2019, noting that Ferrin's daughter Deena is now a mother herself. “Darlene would have been a great mother to her,” she said. “Darlene loved her family and was very family oriented.”

Huckaby added: “If that hadn’t happened, Darlene would be with me. With us. With the family.”

And while investigators have only confirmed five murders linked to the Zodiac, the killer reportedly claimed in his various letters that it took the lives of up to 37 people San Francisco Chronicle.

Read on to learn more about the Zodiac Killer's victims and what happened to them.

Who is the Zodiac Killer?

The Zodiac Killer is a mass murderer who terrorized the city of San Francisco from 1968 to 1970. While many theories have emerged over the years about the killer's identity, only one suspect has been named by investigators in connection with the crimes San Francisco Chronicle.

The outlet reported that Arthur Leigh Allen, a convicted child molester who lived in the Vallejo area, owned boots that matched the killer's footprints and, in a police interview, had referenced a short story that the Zodiac had written in one of her letters had mentioned.

Zodiac survivor Mageau also positively identified Allen as the man who shot him years earlier based on a series of photographs. According to the chronicleAllen died of a heart attack in 1992 and was never charged in connection with the Zodiac murders.

In May 2014, business owner Gary Stewart claimed in his book that his father, Earl Van Best Jr., was responsible for the murders The most dangerous animal of all, and in October 2021, a team of more than 40 former law enforcement investigators known as The Case Breakers claimed that they had identified another man as Zodiac: Air Force veteran Gary Francis Poste, who died in 2018, according to Fox News.

The FBI confirmed this Newsweek However, in May 2023 it was said that the identity of the killer was not yet known.

As of October 2024, no one has been charged with the Zodiac's crimes.

Who were the victims of the Zodiac Killer?

Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday

16-year-old honor roll student Jensen and 17-year-old wrestler Faraday were the first known victims of the Zodiac Killer. Accordingly This is the zodiac speaking, The high school students had been out on their first date before David drove them to a secluded area on Lake Herman Road in Benicia, California, to be alone.

The couple were shot by the Zodiac on December 20, 1968, and their bodies were later discovered outside their vehicle by a passerby.

Darlene Ferrin

The killer's next victim was 22-year-old Ferrin, a waitress who was both a wife and a new mother. Ferrin and 19-year-old Mageau were shot to death on July 4 as they sat in Ferrin's car in a remote parking lot at Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California, about 15 minutes from where the previous victims were found were, 1969.

After abruptly entering and exiting the parking lot, the Zodiac reportedly stopped behind Ferrin's car and then approached the passenger side with a flashlight before opening fire. Mageau survived the attack, but Ferrin did not.

Ferrin's sister spoke about her oldest sibling Vallejo Times-HeraldHe said: “She was a great sister. There were ten of us – eight girls, two boys. She was the oldest and my idol.”

Accordingly Times-Heraldthe Zodiac Killer called 911 after attacking his third and fourth victims on July 4 to claim responsibility for the incident. “I want to report a double murder,” they said. “If you drive a mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the children in a brown car. They were shot with a 9mm sled.”

During the call, Zodiac also confessed to the murders of the two high school students that had occurred a year earlier. “I killed those kids last year too,” they said. “Goodbye.”

Cecila Shepard

On September 27, 1969, 22-year-old Shepard became the fourth known victim to die at the hands of the Zodiac while picnicking with her boyfriend Hartnell at Lake Berryessa in Benicia, California.

The Zodiac reportedly held the pair at gunpoint and tied them up before fatally stabbing Shepard 10 to 20 times and injuring Hartnell, who survived the attack. Hartnell told authorities that he initially thought the man, who was carrying a handgun and wearing a hood, was a robber, but refused to receive money when offered, stating, “I don't want the money, I do.” “The only thing I want to do is kill (you).”

After attacking Hartnell and Shepard, the Zodiac marked the vehicle's passenger door with the dates of two of their previous shootings This is the zodiac speaking.

Shepard's obituary in Napa Valley Register revealed that she had been a student at Pacific Union College, where she studied music. Her memorial service was attended by more than 1,000 friends and family who remembered her love for her craft.

Paul Stine

The Zodiac's last confirmed victim was 29-year-old Paul Stine. Stine was killed on October 11, 1969 after taking the Zodiac in a taxi. Radio station KFGO reported that Stine was a San Francisco State graduate student who worked as a taxi driver while attending college.

The Zodiac took responsibility for the life of his final victim in a letter to him San Francisco Chronicle in which he included a bloody piece of clothing belonging to the victim. The letter was printed in an October 15, 1969 edition of the newspaper.

“This is Zodiac speaking. “I am the killer of the taxi driver over at Washington St. and Maple St. last night to prove that this is a bloodstained piece of his shirt,” the killer wrote, adding, “That's me.” The same man, who did it to the people of the North Bay Area.”

Have the Zodiac Killer's crimes been solved?

While parts of the Zodiac Killer's crimes have been solved, including some of the ciphers he sent to the media, others remain a mystery.

The desert sun reported on August 13, 1969 that Donald and Bettye Harden had cracked the killer's first cipher after it was sent to local newspapers. The text, known as the 408 cipher, read in part: “I like killing because it's so much fun.”

In December 2020, web designer David Oranchak cracked another of the killer's ciphers, 51 years after he was sent to the United States chronicle with the help of Australian mathematician Sam Blake and Belgian warehouse operator Jarl Van Eykcke.

In the note, the Zodiac Killer said he hoped authorities would have “a lot of fun” catching him, apparently tipping them off to a 1969 broadcast by Jim Dunbar AM San Francisco An anonymous caller pretended to be Zodiac and said they didn't want to go to the gas chamber.

“THAT WASN’T ME IN THE TV SHOW,” Zodiac wrote. “I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE GAS CHAMBER BECAUSE IT WILL SEND ME TO PARADISE EVEN EARNER BECAUSE I HAVE ENOUGH SLAVES WORKING FOR ME NOW.”

Like the FBI said Newsweek in 2023: “The FBI’s investigation into the Zodiac Killer remains open and unsolved.”