Zodiac Killer Essay

A serial killer is defined as “a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern” (Dictionary.com). This definition perfectly describes the Zodiac killer who wreaked havoc on Northern California for years. The killers identity has never been revealed, but some have their suspicions on who this mysterious killer could be. Some of the most popular suspects include Arthur Leigh Allen, Earl Van Best Jr., and Lawrence Kane “Kaye”. He named himself through his letters to the police and most of his letters included his signature which was a circle with a line through it.

The Zodiac killer sent pieces of evidence and even parts of the victims clothing to police.

Some say that Arthur Leigh Allen was the killer because it was alleged that he was scuba diving on the same day that Shepard and Hartnell were by the Lake. Allen supposably came out of the lake covered in blood while holding a knife. After a search of his trailer, police found several disturbing things including “bloody knives, sexual objects, and dissected animals.In a later search, they found homemade bombs” (Morrison). After Allen was sent to jail in 1974 for Child Molestation, the mysterious letters stopped. This had some people questioning weather the similarities of Allen and the Zodiac killer were a coincidence, or if he was the man terrorizing California for

There was never a murder weapon found, and he often went to secluded locations to kill his victims.His preferred weapon seemed to have been a gun, but sometimes he killed using a knife. A common theme amongst his murders was that he would later call or write letters claiming responsibility for the murders. He would taunt the police and make them think that they were so close but missing something right in front of their faces. He may have had a strong dislike for women considering that two out of his five known victims that he allowed to survive were