Much is known about the two infamous serial killers never caught: Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer. What is talked about less are the similarities between the cases.
Both cases involved five confirmed victims, letters taunting officials, and weekend killings that ended abruptly without a clear reason. There are also unconfirmed victims associated with both killers.
The Zodiac killer claimed he killed as many as 37 people, although authorities have tentatively connected four others to his MO: Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards (1963), Cheri Jo Bates (1966), and the disappearance of Donna Lass (1970).
Jack the Ripper has been connected to another four murders through his signature and MO: Annie Millwood (attacked 25 February 1888), Ada Wilson (attacked 28 March 1888), Emma Elizabeth Smith (attacked 3 April 1888), and Martha Tabram (attacked 7 August 1888).
Was the Zodiac killer a copycat of Jack the Ripper? Stranger things have happened in the world of True Crime.
Lake Herman Road Attack
When Betty Lou Jensen (16) and David Arthur Faraday (17) were discovered on 20 December 1968, the police had little to go on. The scene was devoid of physical evidence; it was simply two teenagers who went for a romantic drive and never returned.
A passing driver spotted them on the roadside, their bodies illuminated by their headlights. David had been shot behind the left ear, execution-style, but was still breathing; he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Betty had made a run for it and was gunned down 8.5 metres from the rear of their car. Bullets had hit her torso from a skilled marksman, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no other evidence; no sign of a struggle, and no tyre tracks.
Blue Rock Springs Attack
On 4 July 1969, Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin (22) and Michael Renault Mageau (19) were sitting in their car when a light brown Corsair or Mustang pulled up at an angle to them. This was not unusual, as the area was known locally as a “lovers’ lane”. The couple expected an officer to ask to see their ID.
Darlene reasoned she might even know the officer, as she worked in a diner popular with local law enforcement. She was described as friendly with many people in the town—some would say too friendly and trusting.
Michael’s window was lowered, and a man approached from that side, shining a bright light into the cabin that blinded the couple. Almost immediately, the unknown man started shooting into the car. Nine bullets tore through the vehicle, many passing through Michael and striking Darlene, who slumped against the steering wheel.
The killer turned and began walking away, before returning to discharge another four bullets. Michael attempted to hide from these shots by pushing himself into the back of the car.
That same night, switchboard operator Nancy Slover received a call stating there had been a shooting at Blue Rock Springs. The man reporting the shooting gave Slover the creeps; she noted he spoke with a flat, calm tone and no distinct local or regional accent. It was during this call that the killer mentioned the two previous unsolved killings of Betty and David.
Right after the shooting, three teenagers looking for their friend happened upon the car. Michael had crawled out of the vehicle by this point. They called emergency services and Michael survived his injuries; Darlene was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Lake Berryessa Attack
Bryan Calvin Hartnell (22) and Cecelia Ann Shepard (22) were supposed to be in San Francisco, but they left too late and decided to head to a local picnic area instead. The lake was not completely deserted, but it was quiet on that fateful evening.
The couple abandoned their car and strolled to a small peninsula, spreading their blanket and discussing their future. Neither saw the figure lurking by a cluster of oak trees until it was too late.
Cecelia first noticed the stranger, but Bryan ignored her until she shouted that he had a gun. The stranger approached wearing an executioner’s hood featuring a crosshair symbol. He told them he was an escaped convict from a state prison and tied them both up with a plastic clothesline. Bryan asked if the gun was loaded and was shown that it contained bullets, though the firearm was never fired.
The assailant then produced a wooden-handled knife and stabbed them both repeatedly. Bryan survived the savage attack, but Cecelia died from her injuries two days later in hospital.
Presidio Heights Attack
Similar to Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac’s last confirmed kill was in complete contrast to his previous crimes. On 11 October 1969, cab driver Paul Stine picked up his murderer at Mason and Geary Streets in San Francisco. He was asked to drive to Maple Street, before continuing one block further to the darker intersection of Washington and Cherry Streets.
It was here that a gun was placed against the back of his head, and he was shot dead.
Again, in an eerie parallel to Jack the Ripper, the killer took a grisly souvenir which he would later mail to a local newspaper alongside his taunting letters. This was not a piece of a victim’s kidney, but a bloodstained swatch of Stine’s shirt.
Letters
One of the greatest similarities between the two serial killers is how they taunted the public and authorities through written correspondence. Much has been written about the complex cyphers the Zodiac sent. In 1969, high school teacher Donald Harden and his wife, Betty, decoded the first of the four major cyphers, the Z408.
Both killers sent threatening letters to newspapers, demanding publication. We assume these letters were genuine. Forensic evidence supports the Zodiac’s letters, while many historians suspect Jack the Ripper’s were hoaxes. However, the public and police believed the Ripper letters were authentic when they were received.
In these communications, both killers gave themselves names. The Zodiac’s name was taken from a watch brand, not astrological signs, as many initially thought. Both sets of letters have strange spelling errors, which researchers believe were deliberate misspellings meant to hide the killer’s intelligence and education level.
Investigations
The Zodiac killer’s investigation was led primarily by Inspectors Bill Armstrong and Dave Toschi of the San Francisco Police Department. It grew into a complex, multi-agency homicide investigation spanning several cities and counties.
Because the Zodiac committed crimes in different geographical jurisdictions, it created an immediate administrative headache. The Ripper had caused a similar crisis when he murdered Catherine Eddowes in Mitre Square. While his other canonical murders occurred within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police, the Mitre Square murder fell under the jurisdiction of the City of London Police. This cross-border friction created significant operational hurdles 81 years before the Zodiac terrorised California.
In both eras, officers from different departments were often reluctant to share information, leads, and suspect files smoothly. There was no central coordination, so vital clues weren’t shared in real time. The slow pace of justice was further hindered by administrative friction in these two famous cases.
Suspects
Three main figures often dominate discussions surrounding the Zodiac’s identity. The first and most prominent is Arthur Leigh Allen. Allen became a suspect ten days after the Blue Rock Springs attack and was investigated thoroughly again in August 1971. A mountain of circumstantial evidence pointed towards him, alongside a background of severe criminal behaviour. However, fingerprints and partial DNA samples retrieved from the letters failed to match him. Allen died in 1992 without ever being charged.
Jack Tarrance was another name publicly linked to the case. Tarrance was accused in 2007 by his stepson, Dennis Kaufman, who claimed to have found damning evidence among his late stepfather’s belongings. However, official DNA and forensic comparisons once again ruled out a definitive match.
A former state trooper also came forward suspecting real estate salesman George Russell Tucker, but concrete forensic evidence failed to support the claim.
The Zodiac case seems destined to remain unsolved. The last known letter from the killer was received in January 1974. Like Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac’s identity remains a mystery. While a direct copycat link is unlikely, the Zodiac probably knew the Victorian killer well and used media manipulation to create public fear. Using the playbook of Jack the Ripper.
Be sure to check out our deep-dive article on Monday, where we examine the horrific crimes of the Phantom of Texarkana.
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