![]() The driver, a young man called Paul Stine, picked up the killer and was shot in the head during the journey. Instead of preying on a couple in a secluded rustic setting, he chose a cab driver in the bustling heart of San Francisco. One month later, in October 1969, came the last of the canonical killings, and the odd-one-out of the lot. He wrote the dates of the previous attacks, the date of this latest attack, and the chilling words: “by knife”. Before leaving the scene, the assailant used a marker pen to leave a message on the couple’s car door. Cecelia Shepard would die, but Bryan Hartnell would fortunately survive, providing police and press with the description of their freakishly attired attacker. But, once the couple were tied up, the man’s true intentions became horrifically clear when he suddenly started stabbing them repeatedly. The couple were more than willing to comply, and Bryan Hartnell even made conversation, asking the “convict” questions about his past, and offering to help however he could. The calm was abruptly obliterated by the appearance of a man wearing a black, executioner’s hood bearing a striking symbol: a crossed circle, like a target, which would become known as the emblem of the Zodiac.Īiming a gun at the couple, the man claimed to be an escaped convict, and put them at ease by saying he was just after their money and car to make a quick getaway. ![]() It happened in broad daylight on the shores of a lake, where young couple Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were having a lazy, languid day out. Darlene Ferrin was killed, but Michael Mageau miraculously survived the onslaught.Ī few months later, in September of that year, came the most brazen and bizarre of the Zodiac attacks. After this initial attack, the killer walked back to his car, only to suddenly return and fire more bullets into the bleeding couple. Then, without uttering a word, without a single warning, the man started shooting into the couple’s car. Its driver stepped out, wielding a bright torch, like a police officer. Minutes later, the car returned and stopped again. While sitting in the car, they noticed another vehicle drive out of the night, park briefly behind them and then drive away. The victims, Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau, were again a young couple parked on a remote road. The next attack came in July 1969, and the MO was almost identical. The cold, execution-style slayings initially made local police think it may have been related to drug dealers in the area, but the crime would later be confirmed as the work of the Zodiac. Faraday was shot in the head, while Jensen was gunned down as she tried to run from the car. Parked on a remote lovers’ lane, the pair were attacked out of the blue and stood no chance of escape. The Zodiac made his brutal debut in December 1968, swooping on a young couple, David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, who were on their first date. But, as with Jack the Ripper, there is a list of “canonical victims” most experts agree on. There’s some debate over how many victims the Zodiac had, partly because he liked to take credit for various crimes.
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