In a world that has given us such horrific criminals such as Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, and Ed Gein, there is one case that still plagues citizens. Between the late 1960s and the early 70s, San Francisco citizens found themselves in a state of panic. A serial killer was on the loose. Known for murdering female, and young couples, the Zodiac Killer claimed the lives of at least seven victims. In the process, the Zodiac sent in letters to the local newspaper about the murders. The case became so popular that it ultimately spawned two books by crime author Robert Graysmith. The first novel entitled Zodiac (1986), the other Zodiac: The Identity of America’s Most Elusive Serial Killer (2002). The former of the two ended up being adapted into the 2007 film Zodiac, directed by David Fincher and starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr. The case of the Zodiac Killer is one that’s left a major mark in history and still remains a mystery today.
“Famous for peach, love, and tie-dye, San Francisco in the late 1960 was also the setting for one of the creepiest real-life murder mysteries in history” (Campbell 45). On a late October night, the Zodiac claimed his first victim. Cheri Jo Bates was found murdered outside of her college library, “There were reports of a white male driving old car in the area at the time of the murder and police found a man's watch at the scene” (Biography.com). The California town was left in pure shock. Following the murder, the killer sent letters to authorities as well as newspapers and other media sources, and the victim’s. One letter in particular was the most chilling that would leave anyone at a loss for words, “’Bates had to die. There will be more’” (Biography.com). As if the murder itself wa...
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...still affects many today.
Work Cited
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“The Zodiac Killer.” Wark, Jake. Trutv.com. nd. Web. 27 November 2013. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/zodiac/river_1.html
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“Zodiac killer’s identity revealed by newly-discovered evidence in cold case?” Lane, Edward. Examiner.com. 2010. Web. 27 November 2013. http://www.examiner.com/article/zodiac-killer-s-identity-revealed-by-newly-discovered-evidence-cold-case
Schechter, Harold. The serial killer files: the who, what, where, how, and why of the world's most terrifying murderers. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. Print.
Serial Killer Floats Theory." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Dee, C. (2007). Serial killers, up close and personal: inside the world of torturers, psychopaths, and murderers. Berkeley, Calif: Ulysses Press.
According to federal law The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors. Throughout history serial killers have always been a fascination among many individuals. On numerous of occasions law enforcement has tried to dive into the psyche of these killers to determine why they kill. There have also been numerous stereotypes placed on serial killers. Typical stereotypes are serial killers are all white males, loners, and that there crimes are driven by sex. However, through the capture of these individuals we have found said stereotypes incorrect. One of the most interesting cases being of the Beltway sniper attacks.
As if molded directly from the depths of nightmares, both fascinating and terrifying. Serial killers hide behind bland and normal existences. They are often able to escape being caught for years, decades and sometimes an eternity. These are America’s Serial Killers (America’s Serial Killers). “Even when some of them do get caught, we may not recognize what they are because they don’t [sic] match the distorted image we have of serial killers” (Brown). What is that distorted image? That killers live among everyday life, they are the ones who creep into someone’s life unknowingly to torture and kill them. The serial killers that are in the movies, Norman Bates, Michael Myers, and the evil master mind of SAW, these characters are just that characters. They have been made up as exaggerated fictional characters from the Hollywood imagination.
The Cheri Jo Bates murder would have been believed to have been committed by a spurned lover, were it not for a bizarre twist occurring almost a month after the murder. On November 29, 1966 an anonymous letter was sent to both the Riverside Police and the Riverside Enterprise, a local newspaper. The letter, entitles “The Confession”...
The mysterious person did not have a real name because no one was able to identify him. The murder gave his a name which was the Zodiac Killer. The Zodiac Killer was responsible for five murders in California during the late 1960s. The Zodiac Killers first two murders was on December of 1968 in Benicia, California. David Farraday, who was 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, who was 16, were the first two of a series of murders by the Zodiac Killer. The two of them were inside a parked, when the Zodiac Killer came up behind them and shot them. A similar case happened to the next victim of the mysterious killer. The following year, on July 4, 1969, another couple were shot dead in their car, in Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California. 22 year old Darlene Ferrin was shot dead, but Michael Mageau, who was 19 years old survived the shots. The strange thing after these murders is that the police received a phone call from an unidentified person that confessed to murdering those people. The next killings occurred two months later, on September 27, 1969. Two couples were also in a parked car in Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Cecelia Shepard and Brian Hartnell were shot at by the killer, but Brian Hartnell, who was 20 years old survived the mu...
Kass-Gergi, Yara (2012), Killer Personalities: Serial Killers as Celebrities in Contemporary American Culture. Wesleyan University p. 4-8
2011. “Serial Killers and Mass Murderers.” American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 9:
This paper is talking about “The Serial Killer,” but focus on Gary Ridgway- “The Green River Serial Killer.” He earned his nickname because the first five victims that he killed were found in the Green River. He was one of the most famous serial killers in the United States. Ridgway raped, chocked, killer and discarded 48 women, including many teenagers as young as 15 years old (Silja J, 2003). In Ridgway’s mind, he even believed that he was helping the police out, as he admitted in one interview with investigators (Silja J, 2003).
In California, December 20, 1968, Zodiac attacked Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday. This was his first significant criminal act. In a matter of 2 or 3 minutes, the attack was finished and he drove casually away from the scene. He showed no signs of remorse and seemed very calm about all of his actions. After the attack of these two people-murdering the female-Zodiac would have read about his actions in local newspapers, listened to it on a radio report, or watched it on a local news report on the tv. Seven months later he attacked Darlene Ferrin and Micheal Mageau on July 4, 1969, killing the woman of course. Afterward he phoned the Vallejo Police departement to brag about what he did. He also wrote to three newspapers to brag.
Due to a strong cultural bias, society often disinvolves or denies the very existence of a female serial killer. Whereas the male serial killer has been regularly lionized by his outrageous exploits, the female serial killer is typically ignored, viewed as an anomaly (Kelleher p.xi)
Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous, sadistic serial killers known to man. During his tenure as a killer, Bundy confessed to the murders of 30 women, though the official number of kills is unknown to this day. Bundy’s sadistic habits began at an early age due to his rough upbringing and abusive parents. His tactical methods of killing left miniscule amounts of evidence, which remained undetectable by the “still rudimentary forensics techniques of the 1970s” (Crime Museum). Bundy also managed to uphold an impressive “clean-cut appearance” and portrayed characteristics of an “upstanding character” (Crime Museum). Ted Bundy, through the course of a troubled childhood and keen wit, managed to successfully become known as one of the most infamous
Introduction: On the spectrum of criminal activity, serial killers are rather rare. Rarer still is a serial killer like Ted Bundy. Bundy confessed to killing 28 women in the 1970s in ghastly fashion and some believe he may have killed far more. It is hard to imagine what could cause any person to cross the mental boundary into such macabre behavior as Bundy perpetrated. Nevertheless, it is important to try to understand that behavior because only though such an understanding would society be able to identify and deter mass murderers in order to save lives.
There are multiple serial killers and merciless murderers throughout the history of the United states. Yet the most intelligent and intriguing of them was the Zodiac Killer. The mystery of his personality has been supported by the fact the killer was never caught by law enforcement agents. Despite joined efforts between the police and the FBI, the Zodiac killer managed to foil their efforts for a very long time. Nevertheless, the personality and image of the killer became the nominal cast that caught huge public attention and transcended into the influence of movie villeins. Given the relevance of the topic, John Doe, a former detective of the case who wishes to remain anonymous, describes in detail the mystery that surrounds the Zodiac Killer’s