The Zodiac Killer didn’t just haunt Northern California—he haunted the national imagination. With cryptic letters, chilling ciphers, and a smug sense of superiority, he played a deadly game with the public, the press, and the police. More than five decades later, we’re still left wondering: Who was he? Why did he stop? And will we ever know the truth?
🕵️♂️ 13 Chilling Facts About the Zodiac Killer that continue to baffle and fascinate armchair detectives and professionals.
1. The Zodiac Killer was never caught.
Despite decades of investigation, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains unknown, making it one of the most famous unsolved serial killer cases in American history.
2. He claimed to have killed 37 people.
While the Zodiac Killer took credit for 37 murders, only five have been officially confirmed by law enforcement: two in Vallejo, two in Napa County, and one in San Francisco.
3. The first confirmed attack was in 1968.
On December 20, 1968, high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday were shot and killed near Vallejo, California, on Lake Herman Road—marking the beginning of the Zodiac's confirmed killing spree.
4. He taunted the press and police.
The Zodiac called police twice to report murders he had committed and sent dozens of letters to newspapers and law enforcement—often filled with cryptic ciphers, threats, and taunting language. He demanded his messages be published, warning that if they weren't, he would kill again.
5. The ciphers remain a mystery.
Of the four ciphers the Zodiac sent, only one (known as the 340-character cipher or Z340) was definitively solved, in 2020 by amateur cryptologists. The others remain unsolved or disputed.
6. He coined his own nickname.
In his letters, the killer signed off with a crosshair symbol and called himself “the Zodiac,” linking himself to astrology and possibly to the Zodiac brand of watches.
7. He attacked couples in isolated locations.
Most of his attacks were on young couples parked in secluded areas, fueling fear among Northern California communities in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
8. He once wore a hooded costume.
During the attack at Lake Berryessa in 1969, the killer wore a black executioner-style hood and a chest symbol, terrifying his victims in broad daylight.
9. The Zodiac called the police himself.
After one of the murders, the Zodiac called the police from a payphone and reported the crime in eerie detail before hanging up.
10. He threatened school buses.
In one letter, the Zodiac threatened to shoot out the tires of a school bus and "pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out." This led to heightened fear and police escorts for children.
11. A 2007 movie revived public interest.
David Fincher’s Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., reignited interest in the case and introduced a new generation to the killer’s crimes.
12. Multiple suspects—but no arrest.
Over the years, several suspects have emerged, including Arthur Leigh Allen, a convicted child molester. But no one has ever been charged or proven to be the Zodiac Killer.
13. A man’s search for his father led to a shocking theory.
In 2014, Gary L. Stewart published a memoir titled The Most Dangerous Animal of All, claiming his biological father, Earl Van Best Jr., was the Zodiac Killer. Stewart, adopted at birth, had spent years searching for his biological parents. His investigation turned personal when he noticed striking physical similarities between Van Best and the police sketch, found handwriting matches, and tied him to the San Francisco area during the killings. Though not confirmed by authorities, the theory gained national attention and was even featured in an FX documentary series.
One thing is certain: the Zodiac case endures not just because of its brutality, but because it exposed the limits of our justice system—and our need to understand evil.
