Jim Dunbar In the early morning hours of October 22nd 1969, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer called the Oakland Police Department and requested that Francis Lee Bailey or Melvin Mouron Belli appear on the Jim Dunbar Show at KGO Radio in San Francisco, to which he would ring in. Somebody did ring the chat show, but this caller was later identified as mental patient, Eric Weill. However, we still don't know to this day whether the original caller to the Oakland Police Department was the Zodiac Killer or not, because the genuine Zodiac Killer only stated "That wasn't me on the TV show" in his now decrypted 340 cipher. At no point did he deny being the caller to the Oakland Police Department.
Probably the most important question to ask, is why would the Zodiac Killer choose to ring the Oakland Police Department above any other. There appeared no connection between the Zodiac Killer and Oakland prior to October 22nd 1969. However, this was also the case on October 15th 1969, when the Zodiac Killer almost certainly phoned the Santa Rosa Police Department to threaten schoolchildren on buses, who then implemented the routine checking of every school bus for hidden bombs. This caller, claiming to be the Zodiac Killer, was threatening schoolchildren two days before the details of "School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning" was released into the newspapers.
On October 21st 1969, the day before the Oakland Police Department call, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer rang the Palo Alto Times newspaper. The Palo Alto Times reported on October 22nd 1969, that Patrol cars convoyed school buses around Palo Alto yesterday after a telephoned murder threat by a man claiming to be the Zodiac killer of five persons. The caller to the Palo Alto Times said he intended to "pick the kids off as they get on the school bus". The weird slayer, who signs himself "The Zodiac", made a similar threat in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle last week after the Oct. 11 shooting of a taxi driver. This would come only six days after the Santa Rosa threat on schoolchildren. The caller also stated to the Palo Alto Times that he had left San Francisco "because I'm too hot there". On December 8th 1969, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer rang commercial radio station KTOK in Oklahoma City, claiming he left California "because it got too hot for me". There was a further call on December 19th 1969, the day before the Melvin Belli letter, threatening "I am going to kill five of you officers and a family of five between now and Monday". This call was received by Shirley Searey, a police dispatcher at the San Jose Highway Patrol.
Probably the most important question to ask, is why would the Zodiac Killer choose to ring the Oakland Police Department above any other. There appeared no connection between the Zodiac Killer and Oakland prior to October 22nd 1969. However, this was also the case on October 15th 1969, when the Zodiac Killer almost certainly phoned the Santa Rosa Police Department to threaten schoolchildren on buses, who then implemented the routine checking of every school bus for hidden bombs. This caller, claiming to be the Zodiac Killer, was threatening schoolchildren two days before the details of "School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning" was released into the newspapers.
On October 21st 1969, the day before the Oakland Police Department call, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer rang the Palo Alto Times newspaper. The Palo Alto Times reported on October 22nd 1969, that Patrol cars convoyed school buses around Palo Alto yesterday after a telephoned murder threat by a man claiming to be the Zodiac killer of five persons. The caller to the Palo Alto Times said he intended to "pick the kids off as they get on the school bus". The weird slayer, who signs himself "The Zodiac", made a similar threat in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle last week after the Oct. 11 shooting of a taxi driver. This would come only six days after the Santa Rosa threat on schoolchildren. The caller also stated to the Palo Alto Times that he had left San Francisco "because I'm too hot there". On December 8th 1969, somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer rang commercial radio station KTOK in Oklahoma City, claiming he left California "because it got too hot for me". There was a further call on December 19th 1969, the day before the Melvin Belli letter, threatening "I am going to kill five of you officers and a family of five between now and Monday". This call was received by Shirley Searey, a police dispatcher at the San Jose Highway Patrol.
Captain Martin Lee Captain Martin Lee stated, after the Zodiac Killer's October 13th 1969 letter: "His boast of being in the area we were searching was a lie. We had the whole area flooded with lights. We had seven police dogs and a large number of patrolmen searching the area tree by tree and bush by bush. The dogs are the best in the country". Captain Lee added that Zodiac's failure to mention the dogs and floodlights was proof "he wasn't anywhere in the vicinity". The Zodiac Killer responded on November 9th 1969 with "I have grown rather angry with the police for their telling lies about me. The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west + there was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west".
However, this ire likely began on October 15th 1969, when the San Francisco Chronicle failed to publish his threat on schoolchildren, resulting in his phone call to the Santa Rosa Police Department. The call to Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969 may have been triggered by these perceived slights from law enforcement. By avoiding the San Francisco Police Department and calling the Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969, the Zodiac Killer could request a prominent attorney to represent him on the Jim Dunbar Show, and set the record straight on the misinformation and lies spoken about him by Captain Martin Lee to the San Francisco Chronicle. This TV audience on the popular Jim Dunbar Show in San Francisco may have been the ideal way to set the record straight, circumventing the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Chronicle and receiving maximum exposure. Ultimately, the Zodiac Killer may have had second thoughts, surmising that it could have led to somebody identifying him. This hesitancy opened the door to hoaxer Eric Weill.
However, this ire likely began on October 15th 1969, when the San Francisco Chronicle failed to publish his threat on schoolchildren, resulting in his phone call to the Santa Rosa Police Department. The call to Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969 may have been triggered by these perceived slights from law enforcement. By avoiding the San Francisco Police Department and calling the Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969, the Zodiac Killer could request a prominent attorney to represent him on the Jim Dunbar Show, and set the record straight on the misinformation and lies spoken about him by Captain Martin Lee to the San Francisco Chronicle. This TV audience on the popular Jim Dunbar Show in San Francisco may have been the ideal way to set the record straight, circumventing the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Chronicle and receiving maximum exposure. Ultimately, the Zodiac Killer may have had second thoughts, surmising that it could have led to somebody identifying him. This hesitancy opened the door to hoaxer Eric Weill.
Nancy Slover, David Slaight and Bryan Hartnell Despite the phone call to the Jim Dunbar Show having been roundly dismissed as the Zodiac Killer "by three who knew", the murderer of five still felt compelled to disassociate himself from being the caller to the TV show, by mailing a cryptogram and greeting card on November 8th 1969. If the Zodiac Killer had rang the Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969 with the intention of appearing on the Jim Dunbar TV show and setting the record straight concerning Captain Martin Lee and the San Francisco Police Department - then having not done so - one would have expected his next communication to do exactly that. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Bus Bomb letter on November 9th 1969 was the Zodiac Killer's longest communication of them all, attacking the police with the venom he so wanted to do with a captive TV audience. The two communications on November 8th 1969 and November 9th 1969, inextricably bound by his failure to appear on the Jim Dunbar Show just over two weeks earlier.
The phone calls wouldn't stop there, when Daniel Williams (24), a Salesian High School teacher, started to receive malicious phone calls to his 1234 Bush Street, Martinez residence on October 23rd 1969. These calls continued for ten days and culminated with somebody breaking into his residence on November 2nd 1969 and lacing his 7-Up soft drink with enough arsenic to kill. The caller, claiming to be the Zodiac Killer, told Daniel Williams over the phone that he "had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but left when he found police there", mocking law enforcement by stating “I’m too smart for them". This was considered particularly relevant because of the language Zodiac adopted on November 9th 1969 in the Bus Bomb letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle of "The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them".
On Wednesday, November 5th 1969, somebody rang the Martinez Police Department at 12:30 am stating "There's going to be a shooting at 1234 Bush Street", before immediately hanging up. The threat to find victims at a Martinez school, coupled with the menacing phone calls, were not dissimilar to recent Zodiac activity during the month of October. After the threat to shoot Daniel Williams at his residence, police instigated surveillance in the immediate area of Bush Street for the remainder of that morning, but no suspicious activity was detected. The next Zodiac Killer communications would be postmarked just two and three days later, with the promise of more bad news and a victim count left dangling at the end of October. If the perpetrator of the crimes inflicted upon Daniel Williams wasn't the Zodiac Killer, then it was a pretty determined hoaxer claiming to be him. The call to Oakland Police Department was made on October 22nd 1969, with the threats on Daniel Williams beginning just a day later, on October 23rd 1969. The Salesian High School where Daniel Williams worked, only thirteen miles north of the Oakland Police Department. When we place all of this in context, does it indicate that the Zodiac Killer was likely the caller to Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969, or did Eric Weill just spontaneously call law enforcement because he had nothing better to do at the time?
The phone calls wouldn't stop there, when Daniel Williams (24), a Salesian High School teacher, started to receive malicious phone calls to his 1234 Bush Street, Martinez residence on October 23rd 1969. These calls continued for ten days and culminated with somebody breaking into his residence on November 2nd 1969 and lacing his 7-Up soft drink with enough arsenic to kill. The caller, claiming to be the Zodiac Killer, told Daniel Williams over the phone that he "had gone to a Martinez school in search of victims but left when he found police there", mocking law enforcement by stating “I’m too smart for them". This was considered particularly relevant because of the language Zodiac adopted on November 9th 1969 in the Bus Bomb letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle of "The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them".
On Wednesday, November 5th 1969, somebody rang the Martinez Police Department at 12:30 am stating "There's going to be a shooting at 1234 Bush Street", before immediately hanging up. The threat to find victims at a Martinez school, coupled with the menacing phone calls, were not dissimilar to recent Zodiac activity during the month of October. After the threat to shoot Daniel Williams at his residence, police instigated surveillance in the immediate area of Bush Street for the remainder of that morning, but no suspicious activity was detected. The next Zodiac Killer communications would be postmarked just two and three days later, with the promise of more bad news and a victim count left dangling at the end of October. If the perpetrator of the crimes inflicted upon Daniel Williams wasn't the Zodiac Killer, then it was a pretty determined hoaxer claiming to be him. The call to Oakland Police Department was made on October 22nd 1969, with the threats on Daniel Williams beginning just a day later, on October 23rd 1969. The Salesian High School where Daniel Williams worked, only thirteen miles north of the Oakland Police Department. When we place all of this in context, does it indicate that the Zodiac Killer was likely the caller to Oakland Police Department on October 22nd 1969, or did Eric Weill just spontaneously call law enforcement because he had nothing better to do at the time?