While discussing the September 25th 1990 Celebrity Cypher in an earlier article on this site, Rubislaw32 discovered the identity of the postcard, described by Zodiac researcher Lyndon Lafferty as "Driftwood on Ocean Beach", whereas the face of the card featured a rooted tree on a beach in Carmel, California. Any doubt that this discovery by Rubislaw32 was not of Carmel Beach in California has been seemingly quashed, when the John Hinde alphanumeric publishing code in the top left corner of the address side, was compared to the alphanumeric publishing code on the original Celebrity Cypher mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald in 1990. This discovery is now available on the Project MK Zodiac website here.
Carmel-by-the-Sea. To visit the Project MK Zodiac site, click the image. The address side of the original 1990 Celebrity Cypher contained the alphanumeric code 2CG 66-B, as did the Carmel postcard on the left, effectively tying the two together and strengthening the case regarding the image portrayed on the face of the postcard. If anybody has information to the contrary in respect to these alphanumeric codes, please let me know in comments. The only thing left to speculate upon, was whether the 1990 Celebrity Cypher was authored by the Zodiac Killer or somebody attempting to mimic the Zodiac Killer.
There have been numerous theories put forward, including from Sandy Betts, who has expressed her reservations on whether the Celebrity Cypher has Carmel Beach on the face of the card. She believes there may be a connection to the John and Joyce Swindle murder, alongside Ocean Beach, San Diego on February 5th 1964. She stated on Zodiac Killer Site forum "On Wednesday, February 5, 1964, Navy radio-man third class Johnny Ray Swindle and his newlywed wife Joyce were violently murdered along the "Ocean Beach" Boardwalk next to the Silver Spray Apartments. Swindle had married his childhood sweetheart on January 18, 1964 and they stayed in a three room cottage nine blocks from where they would eventually be slain. According to the San Diego Union Newspaper, five shots were fired from the sniper position above. Police said two more were fired at close range. Indicating that the killer fired the last two shots into their heads in a kind of coup de grâce. Their murder case remains unsolved to this day, however, there are many persons who believe the murders were committed by the infamous Zodiac Killer". She further elaborated on Zodiac Killer Forumotion "The "Ocean Beach" that I believe it is was, is in San Diego Ca. I knew about two murders there on Feb. 5th 1964. They were John and Joyce Swindle. The stamp that was used backs up what I believe. The stamp is of Marianne Moore who died on Feb. 5th 1972, I do not think that was coincidence".
There have been numerous theories put forward, including from Sandy Betts, who has expressed her reservations on whether the Celebrity Cypher has Carmel Beach on the face of the card. She believes there may be a connection to the John and Joyce Swindle murder, alongside Ocean Beach, San Diego on February 5th 1964. She stated on Zodiac Killer Site forum "On Wednesday, February 5, 1964, Navy radio-man third class Johnny Ray Swindle and his newlywed wife Joyce were violently murdered along the "Ocean Beach" Boardwalk next to the Silver Spray Apartments. Swindle had married his childhood sweetheart on January 18, 1964 and they stayed in a three room cottage nine blocks from where they would eventually be slain. According to the San Diego Union Newspaper, five shots were fired from the sniper position above. Police said two more were fired at close range. Indicating that the killer fired the last two shots into their heads in a kind of coup de grâce. Their murder case remains unsolved to this day, however, there are many persons who believe the murders were committed by the infamous Zodiac Killer". She further elaborated on Zodiac Killer Forumotion "The "Ocean Beach" that I believe it is was, is in San Diego Ca. I knew about two murders there on Feb. 5th 1964. They were John and Joyce Swindle. The stamp that was used backs up what I believe. The stamp is of Marianne Moore who died on Feb. 5th 1972, I do not think that was coincidence".
The Zodiac Killer began his cipher mailings to the Vallejo Times-Herald on July 31st 1969, to which he mailed part one of a three-part cipher to Bay Area newspapers. So this 1990 offering in ciphertext (if Zodiac) would mean the only two confirmed mailings to the Vallejo Times-Herald would both have contained code. The characters of the code are certainly recognizable, but not difficult to replicate for anybody who knows something about the Zodiac Killer. The Bay Area murderer gloried in his narcissism, parading himself in an executioner's costume at Lake Berryesssa on September 27th 1969, so designing a postcard based on the Celebrity Ciphers of Luis Campos would not be beyond him. These ciphers were published regularly in the newspapers featuring well-known people, past and present. The reader had to identify the person and quote from the encoded text. The idea that the Zodiac Killer, deeming himself a celebrity, would then tease us a further time with his name, is not so far-fetched.
You can see that the foot of the Luis Campos cipher solution on the right is reserved for the celebrity's name (in this case, John Lee Hooker). Bearing in mind the positioning of the characters shown above, with the left side of the postcard normally reserved for the name and address - and with the final 5 and 8 characters identical to the beginning of the cipher, we should expect the red rectangles to contain the name of the postcard author. The blue rectangle to contain the address and the green rectangle to harbor the message. If this were the Zodiac Killer, being the celebrity that he is, what better way to encipher this message with one of his old quotes.
The communication that most springs to mind when we are attempting to discover the name of the Zodiac Killer, is the April 20th 1970 "My Name Is" 13 symbol cipher. That being 2 letters, followed by 4 letters, followed by 2 letters and finally his name of 13 letters (split into forename and surname). Well look at that. The 1990 Celebrity Cipher ends in a formation of 2,4,2 and 13. This was a Zodiac quote so good, they even named the correspondence after it. But what about the first four words in the Celebrity Cypher message. What Zodiac communication was this chosen from?
You would expect the revelation of his name to be preceded by a question, such as "do you know me" or "if you want me", followed by the answer. This is obviously assuming there is a second letter obscured by the stamp. He teased us similarly in the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card stating "you ache to know my name. And so I'll clue you in", and in the 408 cipher with "in this cipher is my idenity". But he always failed to deliver. If we combine part of the 'Halloween' card phrase with the April 20th 1970 letter, we get "you ache to know my name. My name is". Replacing the first "my name" with "me" in the form of a question, it is my guess the Celebrity Cypher reads something along the lines of "do you know me. My name is".
If the 1990 Celebrity Cypher was truly by the Zodiac Killer, his name should be 5 and 8 letters in length, mirroring the '13 Symbol' cipher - but forgive me for being skeptical.
The communication that most springs to mind when we are attempting to discover the name of the Zodiac Killer, is the April 20th 1970 "My Name Is" 13 symbol cipher. That being 2 letters, followed by 4 letters, followed by 2 letters and finally his name of 13 letters (split into forename and surname). Well look at that. The 1990 Celebrity Cipher ends in a formation of 2,4,2 and 13. This was a Zodiac quote so good, they even named the correspondence after it. But what about the first four words in the Celebrity Cypher message. What Zodiac communication was this chosen from?
You would expect the revelation of his name to be preceded by a question, such as "do you know me" or "if you want me", followed by the answer. This is obviously assuming there is a second letter obscured by the stamp. He teased us similarly in the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card stating "you ache to know my name. And so I'll clue you in", and in the 408 cipher with "in this cipher is my idenity". But he always failed to deliver. If we combine part of the 'Halloween' card phrase with the April 20th 1970 letter, we get "you ache to know my name. My name is". Replacing the first "my name" with "me" in the form of a question, it is my guess the Celebrity Cypher reads something along the lines of "do you know me. My name is".
If the 1990 Celebrity Cypher was truly by the Zodiac Killer, his name should be 5 and 8 letters in length, mirroring the '13 Symbol' cipher - but forgive me for being skeptical.