Zodiac Killer’s Ciphers and His Cryptic Letters to the Press, Decoded
- The Zodiac Killer sent four letters, threatening to kill if not published.
- Two ciphers were cracked, revealing his twisted psychology and arrogance.
- Mystery remains as two ciphers still await decryption after decades.
Just imagine it’s the late 1960s. There’s a mysterious person in Northern California known as the Zodiac Killer. He didn’t just commit terrible crimes—he also loved to play mind games with the police and the media.
He sent creepy letters filled with threats and complex codes, almost like he was challenging them to catch him. Fast forward to today, and we’re still trying to understand who he was. Netflix has just released a documentary called This Is The Zodiac Speaking, which explores this infamous case.
The docuseries looks at the Zodiac Killer case and focuses on Arthur Leigh Allen, the only main suspect identified by police. Despite being a former teacher and convicted s*x offender, he was never charged due to lack of evidence.
The series features old footage and interviews with people who knew Allen, including a local reporter and friends of the victims. A key part of the story is about the Seawater family, who say Allen took care of them and even visited murder sites before the crimes happened. They plan to share new information that law enforcement hasn’t seen before.
1. How Many Letters Did the Zodiac Killer Send?
The Zodiac Killer sent four letters between 1969 and 1974. Each letter was filled with threats, including claims that he would kill more innocent people if his letters didn’t get front-page coverage.
He even named some potential victims. It’s as if he needed the spotlight! Each letter came with a complicated code, or cryptogram. He claimed that if the police could solve it, they would find him.
One of the most notorious letters was sent on November 9, 1969. It was a seven-page document where he admitted to killing Paul Stine and bragged about how he got away from the police after they mistakenly let him go. He even made a bizarre threat about blowing up a school bus.
2. Who Cracked the Zodiac Killer’s Cipher?
The first one, called Z408, was solved pretty quickly by two schoolteachers, Donald and Bettye Harden. They cracked it using a method that seemed straightforward, but the content was pretty disturbing.
The Zodiac compared killing to a fun day hunting. Then there’s the Z340 cipher, which took an astonishing 51 years to decode (as reported by The Register). An international team of tech experts finally cracked it in 2020.
They used a special program called AZdecrypt that tested over 650,000 possible solutions. The Z340 revealed even more about the Zodiac’s twisted mindset, including his delusions about the afterlife.
3. Only Two of Zodiac Killer’s Four Ciphers Have Been Decoded
Out of the four ciphers the Zodiac sent, only two have been solved. The Z408 was simpler, while the Z340 was a complex puzzle. Both ciphers exposed chilling insights into the Zodiac’s psyche, showcasing his arrogance and need for control.
Despite 65 years passing, the mystery remains unsolved, and new sleuths are still on the case. Who knows? Maybe the next big discovery will finally reveal the identity of this infamous killer.
This wild story of letters and codes keeps us hooked and eager for answers. The Zodiac Killer may have slipped through the cracks, but his legacy lives on in the puzzles he left behind.
This is Zodiac Speaking is available to watch on Netflix!
