Zodiac Case: Every Suspect That Was Seriously Considered

The Zodiac is perhaps the most famous unsolved case, if not in the world then certainly in America. The serial killer's sprees lasted for less than a year beginning in 1968, officially murdering five victims but claiming to have killed many more.

While serial killers are two-for-a-penny, what really captured the public's imagination were the letters sent to Californian newspapers claiming to be from the 'Zodiac,' a moniker which the press ran with that really sensationalised these crimes. Each letter contained, among other things, an updated kill count, confessions to recent murders, and cryptograms that supposedly led to the identity of the Zodiac.

Despite this unusually frequent communication and the best efforts of law enforcement, the identity of the Zodiac was never uncovered. But with over fifty years since the first killings, there has been plenty of time for everyone and anyone to look over the available evidence and try their own hand at solving this case; few other investigations have as big a pool of suspects from which to pick, leaving us with innumerable posited solutions.

But which of these speculations have any logical backing to them? Even officials had a list of hundreds of persons of interest, but thanks to their due diligence the number of people seriously considered can be reduced to this comprehensive list. Whether or not the true identity of the Zodiac lies in one of these individuals is still unknown, and so his victims and the countless residents of Northern California remain without justice or peace.

Why not kick off an investigation into an unsolved serial killer with an unnamed suspect?

The most mysterious revelation in the Zodiac case came in 2009, when retired lawyer Robert Tarbox alleged that his office was visited by a man claiming to be the Zodiac back in 1975.

The potential killer came to Tarbox seeking legal advice after he had confessed comprehensively to the infamous crimes. Tarbox claims that this man's profession was of a merchant mariner; apparently the lifestyle of a mariner is said to fit the suspect profile built by police. This lends further credence to Tarbox's tale.

If true, it means that one of the most wanted murders in history may, at some point, have wanted to own up to his crimes. Unfortunately, life imprisonment or the death penalty was not appealing, and so the suspect left Tarbox's office never to be seen or heard from again.

Tarbox only made this potential encounter public in 2009 in an effort to clear the name of other accused men that he believed to be unfairly hounded and, ultimately, innocent. Tarbox has since passed away, making any future identification impossible. Whether or not Tarbox actually encountered the real Zodiac Killer will remain a mystery.