For almost 30 years, about once a year, somebody has contacted me with some version of the same story:
“I know who the Zodiac Killer was.”
My father.
My uncle.
My grandfather.
Usually they have old letters, photographs, family stories and a theory they’ve been working on for years. Parking tickets. Old glasses. A good story.
And eventually they ask me the obvious question:
Will you compare his handwriting to the Zodiac letters? (For free of course. LOL)
I used to be tempted.
Eventually I told my team to not even show those emails to me anymore. Not because the case isn’t fascinating. It is. It’s just a very hard case and I don’t have 20 hours to spare.
But a theory isn’t evidence. And handwriting examination must stand alone without a good story.
The unusual thing about the Zodiac case is that the killer taunted the police and the media with pages and pages of his own handwriting.
That’s a lot of evidence that could get him caught.
Letters. Envelopes. Ciphers. Notes. Even writing on a victim’s car door.
California questioned-document examiner Sherwood Morrill examined many of those writings and concluded that several came from the same writer. Helpful, but which suspect. Jake Gyllenthal was terrific in the second movie… but the writers pointed all fingers at Arthur Leigh Allen. I took one look at Arthur’s handwriting and thought “This isn’t the guy.”
Allen was ambidextrous, so investigators obtained handwriting from both hands. Morrill concluded that Allen’s writing did not match the Zodiac writing. I agreed 20 years later.
And this is where the real forensic lesson gets more interesting than the movie version.
Other examiners and investigators debated how much weight should be given to that exclusion.
Could someone deliberately disguise his writing?
Could an ambidextrous person make comparison more difficult?
Those are legitimate forensic questions.
There’s another wonderful irony in this case.
And now there’s one more wrinkle I can’t tell you much about yet.
I have been given inside information connected to an upcoming TV series about the Zodiac case.
It involves a suspect whose name has never been part of the usual public list of Zodiac suspects. I’ve seen the evidence.
It got my attention.
I wish I could tell you more.
And of course, I might or might not be in the TV show. Who knows?
After almost 30 years of people sending me their fathers, uncles and grandfathers, it takes quite a bit to make me raise an eyebrow at another Zodiac theory.
This one did.
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HandwritingExpertUSA.com · bartbaggett.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Zodiac Killer handwriting case?
Between 1969 and 1974, the Zodiac Killer mailed letters and ciphers to California newspapers. Sherwood Morrill, California’s top document examiner, compared the Zodiac letters to the leading suspect’s handwriting and excluded him as the writer.
When did the Zodiac Killer case and handwriting examination take place?
The Zodiac letters began in July 1969. The handwriting comparisons were conducted in the early 1970s, during the main investigation. The case remains open.
What was the outcome of the Zodiac handwriting examination?
Sherwood Morrill and other examiners concluded that the leading suspect’s handwriting did not match the Zodiac letters. The suspect was never charged. Later, DNA evidence also failed to match the suspect.
Was the handwriting or document ever questioned, and what role did document examination play?
Yes, the Zodiac letters were central to the investigation. Document examination was used to compare the main suspect’s handwriting to the letters, and experts ruled him out as the writer.
How does a document examiner compare handwriting in cases like the Zodiac Killer?
Examiners look at letter shapes, slant, spacing, pen pressure, and natural variation. They compare questioned documents to known samples to see if they were written by the same person.
What should someone do if they have a questioned document today?
Keep the original safe and unaltered. Contact a qualified document examiner early to maximize the chances of a clear answer.
If you’re dealing with a questioned will, signature, or document, Handwriting Experts Inc. can help. Visit HandwritingExpertUSA.com or call 1-800-980-9030.
