Victim vs High Profile
In the Zodiac case, online researchers have paid attention over the years to the Zodiac’s M.O., but rarely do we see focus given to the Zodiac’s signature. A signature refers to a set of behaviors that fulfill a criminal’s psychological or emotional needs. Unlike an M.O., which may evolve over time based on practical needs, a signature remains consistent across crimes and is not required for the completion of the crime itself. Identifying a signature can be crucial for linking multiple crimes and/or unconfirmed letters, particularly in the online Zodiac research community, where evidence is limited.
In the Zodiac’s case, signature behaviors include sending taunting letters and ciphers to the media, making phone calls to law enforcement, wearing a hood with unique symbol, writing on a victim’s car door, and collecting swatches of the victims’ clothing. The signature is not just in the actions themselves but in the underlying emotional drive behind them. For example, his letters and phone calls may reflect a need for recognition, while his hood could symbolize a desire for power and intimidation, or perhaps a way to transform into a symbolic persona during his crimes. By understanding the motivations behind his actions, we may gain insight into the deeper workings of the Zodiac’s mind.
A particularly striking aspect of the Zodiac’s communications is his consistent refusal to name his victims, even though they were widely covered in the media. He refers to them with descriptor text such as “two teenagers”, “the girl”, “the boy”, and “the taxi driver”. When he writes of his victims in this way, he is depersonalizing his victims - robbing them of their identity. This depersonalization could serve several purposes. By refusing to acknowledge his victims by name, the Zodiac could be distancing himself emotionally from the individuals he kills, reducing them to nothing more than a description rather than acknowledging them as real people. The press might attempt to humanize his victims or elicit public empathy, but by refusing to name them, the Zodiac is showing that public sentiment or moral expectations have no influence on him.
The Zodiac’s refusal to name his victims could also be an attempt to avoid revealing any personal knowledge he may have about the victim. While there is no definitive evidence suggesting that the Zodiac knew his victims personally, this behavior could indicate that he did. Naming the victims, especially if emotionally charged, could lead investigators to make connections or form a victim profile, possibly helping to solve the case. By not naming a victim, the Zodiac avoids even the smallest hint of familiarity.
In the early stages of his crimes, the Zodiac adopted a persona that likely reinforced his cosmic identity as a predator or “hunter”. This is reflected in his 408-cipher, in which he describes humans as “the most dangerous animal of all.” By dehumanizing his victims – referring to them as nameless “others” or potentially viewing them as “animals” – the Zodiac is conveying detachment, making his violence seem arbitrary rather than driven by personal grievances. This detachment, combined with the seemingly random nature of his crimes, complicates efforts by law enforcement and online researchers to discern his motivations or target selection.
Interestingly, the Zodiac demonstrates the ability to name or address specific individuals in his letters, such as Melvin Belli in the December 20, 1969, letter, Paul Avery in the October 27, 1970, and March 22, 1971, letters, and a collective group of people – Darrel Gates, Ed Davis, Pat Boone, Susan Atkins, and Eldridge Cleaver – in the May 1978 letter. These individuals were all high-profile figures in the media at the time, which may indicate a distinct difference between how the Zodiac views them and his victims. By naming these individuals, the Zodiac is elevating them, acknowledging their status in a way that contrasts with the depersonalization of his victims.
Melvin Belli, a famed attorney and actor, represented intelligence, authority, power, influence, and the ability to manipulate rules to one’s advantage. To the Zodiac, Belli may represent the ultimate mastery of the system.
Paul Avery, a journalist, represented intelligence, media influence, and public visibility. Avery had the power to shape public perception, and to the Zodiac, who craved recognition, Avery’s role might symbolize an elevated voice that he so desired.
Darrel Gates and Ed Davis, both in law enforcement, represent authority, leadership, and institutional power. They are the enforcers of social order. For someone like the Zodiac, who manipulated perception through fear, the two could represent the kind of dominance and control he sought to achieve in life, albeit in his own twisted, subversive way.
Pat Boone, an entertainer, represents fame, charisma, widespread appeal, and influence. To the Zodiac, who sought attention and notoriety, Boone’s fame might represent the recognition he coveted but could not achieve through legitimate means.
Susan Atkins, a Manson family member, represents infamy, rebellion, and ideological conviction. She is the Zodiac’s kindred spirit, someone who, like he was attempting to do, gained infamy by defying conventional morality and law.
Eldridge Cleaver, a political activist and prominent member of the Black Panther party, represented a direct challenge to authority. He was the poster child of resistance, courage, and sharp critique of society’s establishment. To the Zodiac, Cleaver may have embodied someone who used his voice and actions to confront the status quo, although in a far more structured way than the violence expressed by the Zodiac himself.
The named public figures in his letters seem to represent qualities the Zodiac admires or wishes to emulate. By addressing these individuals, the Zodiac is aligning himself with a group of people that he views as the elite, figures that stand apart from the ordinary people, including his victims. In contrast, his victims appear to symbolize what the Zodiac may perceive as qualities of powerlessness and failure – not just in society but likely within himself.
“Teenagers” represent youth, vitality, and the promise of a future. Their social dynamics - including group hierarchies and popularity – may be a reminder of rejection or inadequacy from his own youth. A “waitress” represents subservience and economic dependency. The job likely signifies low status, unfulfilling work, and perhaps echo’s the Zodiac’s own frustrations and failures. A “college student” embodies education, ambition, and upward mobility – qualities that may symbolize missed opportunities the Zodiac feels denied to him. Like a waitress, a “taxi driver”, serves others. It too likely represents low status and unfulfilling work. Given Paul Stine’s age and occupation, the Zodiac may have seen Stine as a version of his future self – trapped in a life of mundane service work until he dies.
By choosing these victims, and I do believe he chose them, the Zodiac may be expressing his own insecurities, failures, or frustrations and projecting them onto his victims. These victims are not hated for who they are, but for what they represent to him - a mirror image of self that he feels powerless to overcome. Regardless of witness interpretation of age, the Zodiac’s age, is within this victim pool. Teenagers are a remembrance of youth gone by. He recognized where he was with the waitress, where he could be with the college students, and where he likely thought he was heading with the taxi driver.
The youngest victim in the Lake Herman Road murders in December 1968 was 16 years old. When Paul Stine was killed in October 1969, he was 29. If the Zodiac selected victims who reflected aspects of himself, this range suggests he may have been between 16 and 29 years old during the span of these crimes. Based on that range, a midpoint estimate would place the Zodiac’s age at approximately 22 or 23 years old between his first confirmed murder and his last in that series.