Has The Zodiac Killer’s Identity Finally Been Revealed?
Investigative group believes they’ve cracked the case of the Zodiac Killer, FBI disagrees
The Zodiac Killer often created cryptograms for authorities to solve, along with the infamous signature he would leave at the bottom of his letters.
After decades of trying to decipher the puzzle, during which thousands of people have been suspected, a group called The Case Breakers believe that they’ve solved the infamous case of the Zodiac Killer.
The self-proclaimed Zodiac Killer operated in southern California, and possibly Nevada throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The Zodiac is directly linked to at least five murders and two cases of injury. Although, it’s important to note that he could be linked to over 20 murders, and he has claimed to kill 37 people.
What made the Zodiac so intriguing and elusive was his openness with the media. After killing, he would write letters to local newspapers and demand they be published. Some of these letters included physical evidence and cryptograms, which he claimed contained clues to his identity. Yet after all of this candor, the identity of the Zodiac Killer has stayed at large for 53 years.
A group of over 40 former law enforcement members, prosecutors, journalists, and intelligence officers known as The Case Breakers are insistent that they’ve figured out the identity of the Zodiac Killer. With their advanced technology and combined skill sets, they claim to have new physical and forensic evidence, along with eyewitnesses that will solve the case of the Zodiac after all this time.
The man they believe to have been behind these murders is Gary Francis Poste, a former U.S. Air Force veteran and house painter who recently died in 2018. They also have linked Poste to another killing of a teenage girl, hundreds of miles away, that was not originally connected to the Zodiac.
The Case Breakers claim to have deciphered letters from the Zodiac, some of which reportedly contain anagrams of Poste’s name. They have also found similarities between Poste and a 1969 police sketch of the Zodiac, in particular, the “irrefutable” likeness of scars on their foreheads.
In a press release, the group states that they’ve “signed up eyewitnesses, filed court affidavits, and secured decades of pictures from Poste’s former darkroom,” all within the span of a 10-year investigative period.
Among the evidence presented, The Case Breakers believe that a Timex watch found at a crime scene, which had been purchased on a military base and had paint splattered on it, belonged to Poste. Poste was working as a painter at the time of this murder, and with his veteran status, it’s easy to see how The Case Breakers linked the two together.
The FBI and local police dispute all claims made by The Case Breakers and say that the case is still open. Law enforcement regularly receives tips about the Zodiac Killer, particularly from people who claim to know his identity.
“The FBI’s investigation into the Zodiac Killer remains open and unsolved,” the FBI’s San Francisco office claims. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”
So, what to believe? The FBI makes it clear that the case is still open and no new information has been discovered at this time. The Case Breakers disagree, and they’re adamant that they’ve finally found the Zodiac.
As time goes on, more evidence will possibly be released, and the Zodiac Killer will have a definite identity. But until The Case Breakers can surely prove their discoveries, the case remains unsolved.