Why the Zodiac Killer was not just one person

The Zodiac Killer remains unidentified to this day. There have been several theories and alleged suspects, but almost six decades later, the Zodiac remains one of the most debated mysteries of criminal history. Despite extensive leads, evidence, and suspect descriptions, the Zodiac Killer continued to evade capture. So, is it possible that the Zodiac was not a single person but a notorious brand-based criminal collective who carefully crafted their crimes so that the suspect looked like a solo murderer?

The serial killer was active during 1968 and 1969 and murdered around five people in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the stabbing of a eighteen year college student in 1966 has also been linked to one of the earlier crimes of the Zodiac killer.

A teenage couple, Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday, was shot to death near their car in North San Francisco in 1968. A year later, in 1969, another couple, Darlene and Mageau was attacked, where the male victim survived. The Zodiac killer contacted the police and took responsibility for the 1968 and 1969 murders. However, the fear of the Zodiac killer did not end there; it attacked another young couple, Cecelia Shepard and Hartnell where the male managed to survive. His last known victim was a taxi driver who was shot in 1969.

However, what made the Zodiac Killer different from the other serial killers was the taunting letters to newspaper outlets and phone calls he made to the cops. His letters usually began with a phrase, 'Hi, this is Zodiac speaking,' and were usually signed with a symbol of the crosshairs of gunshots. The letters included ciphers or cryptograms containing a hidden message.

Here's more about it.

Disclaimer: Contains the author's opinion

Was the Zodiac killer a part of a collective?

The Zodiac was not one person but a decentralised criminal collective. If the notorious killer were a single person, he/she could have been easily tracked down due to the availability of multiple forensic evidence and extensive investigation. However, traditional profiling would fail if the Zodiac were a platform for a criminal collective. The Zodiac platform might have helped the perpetrators to elevate the local petty crimes to a national media phenomenon. Interestingly, according to Police1, there has been no clear-cut DNA evidence, the Zodiac's sketches are irrelevant due to differing descriptions, and the letters did not provide ample evidence.

Secondly, if the Zodiac were a collaborative platform, it could have been easy for the members to manipulate evidence. For instance, the first responders, media, or law enforcement who might be associated with the platform helped to destroy or even plant fake evidence.

After the death of the cab driver in 1969, the San Francisco police found a letter and a blood-soaked piece of clothing. The letter read,

"I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St. and Maple Street last night."

During the initial investigation, the piece of cloth matched the cab driver, Paul Stein's shirttail. Thus, critics often argue that this was a vital piece of evidence, but unfortunately, it led to no arrests. What if the piece of shirt was planted evidence or a proof of authenticity for the criminal collective platform?

So, if the brand-based criminal collective is true, why has nobody defected yet? The reason is simple: Deflecting such extremist groups can be fatal.

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