San Francisco Chronicle, October 27th 1970 On the morning of October 27th 1970 the San Francisco Chronicle featured an article by Paul Avery entitled "A Jack the Ripper Theory on Slayings", highlighting the recent murder of Jackie Truss (16) on October 24th 1970, whose tortured, slashed and beaten nude body was discovered in the early morning hours on the "tree-lined" Laurel Street (between Jackson & Pacific Streets) in Presidio Heights. She had ligature marks on her wrists, her throat and eyelids had been slit with a knife, she had been partially disemboweled and her killer had tortured her "by fire".
Jackie Truss was the third in a series of similar murders, beginning with Brenda Joyce Vance (23) on August 4th 1970, who had also been tortured, burnt and bludgeoned to death, and found on the sidewalk of Golden Gate Avenue. On August 30th 1970 Janice Smith was discovered in a condemned dwelling on Webster Street, having been tied, slashed with a long-bladed dagger and burnt. In 1973 somebody was eventually charged with the first two murders and was thought to be responsible for the third. The final murder was unlikely to have been committed by the Zodiac Killer, but did he mail the Halloween card to Paul Avery on the afternoon of October 27th 1970 in response to the newspaper article by Paul Avery from that morning, entitled "A Jack the Ripper Theory on Slayings"? After all, the Zodiac Killer wasn't immune to insinuating his involvement in murders he played no part in. He never outright claimed the murders of Donna Lass, Kathie Snoozy and Debra Furlong, but left many cryptic clues throughout his campaign of literary terrorism suggesting he was the responsible.
Jackie Truss was the third in a series of similar murders, beginning with Brenda Joyce Vance (23) on August 4th 1970, who had also been tortured, burnt and bludgeoned to death, and found on the sidewalk of Golden Gate Avenue. On August 30th 1970 Janice Smith was discovered in a condemned dwelling on Webster Street, having been tied, slashed with a long-bladed dagger and burnt. In 1973 somebody was eventually charged with the first two murders and was thought to be responsible for the third. The final murder was unlikely to have been committed by the Zodiac Killer, but did he mail the Halloween card to Paul Avery on the afternoon of October 27th 1970 in response to the newspaper article by Paul Avery from that morning, entitled "A Jack the Ripper Theory on Slayings"? After all, the Zodiac Killer wasn't immune to insinuating his involvement in murders he played no part in. He never outright claimed the murders of Donna Lass, Kathie Snoozy and Debra Furlong, but left many cryptic clues throughout his campaign of literary terrorism suggesting he was the responsible.
Paul Avery The Little List letter on July 26th 1970 (but not released to the public until October 12th 1970 by Paul Avery) told of the Zodiac Killer's desire to "torture all 13 of my slaves that I have waiting for me in Paradice" and that "Others shall have pine splinters driven under their nails + then burned". The Zodiac Killer continued his infatuation with torture, writing that "Others will hang by their thumbs + burn in the sun". The newspaper article below about Jackie Truss, released in the days before the Halloween card, told of a girl "tortured by fire", with a fractured skull and slit eyelids, lying on a "tree-lined" street, that were all key ingredients on the Halloween card, which contained a victim count above the skull, thirteen eyes (with eyelids and eyelashes) and the four methods of death "By Fire, By Gun, By Rope and By Knife". The Halloween card also had red eyes added to the skull on the card outer. A card that was personally addressed to Paul Avery, who had written about the knife slaying of Jackie Truss, whose body was found in Presidio Heights days earlier, who had been tortured "by fire".
Jackie had been living with a man in the Marina District at the time of her death, who police were attempting to trace at the time of this newspaper article. It was suspected that she had been murdered at a residential location and dumped adjacent to 55 Laurel Street near the Presidio Park, evident by the lack of blood at the crime scene, not withstanding the fact that this location was not conducive to such a depraved murder. It was estimated that she had been dead for less than one hour when her body was discovered by two college students on Saturday, October 24th 1970 at 2:45am.
Thanks to Zodiac researcher Cragle for sending me this information.
Jackie had been living with a man in the Marina District at the time of her death, who police were attempting to trace at the time of this newspaper article. It was suspected that she had been murdered at a residential location and dumped adjacent to 55 Laurel Street near the Presidio Park, evident by the lack of blood at the crime scene, not withstanding the fact that this location was not conducive to such a depraved murder. It was estimated that she had been dead for less than one hour when her body was discovered by two college students on Saturday, October 24th 1970 at 2:45am.
Thanks to Zodiac researcher Cragle for sending me this information.
