For our last project, I have decided to create an e-portfolio using Wix. The features on the website builder are super easy-to-use, which is important to consider due to my lack of experience with personalized websites. I like the flexibility that Wix offers as well because I tend to be creative. Also, I like the opportunity of creating a website that will never be restricted after graduating from Penn State, which is another benefit because I plan to present myself to internships and medical schools in the future. The benefits of Wix clearly align with all of my preferences, so it will be the platform of my choosing.
While creating my e-portfolio, I plan to highlight my extracurricular activities, academics, and interests. My goal is to present myself in a way that will give my future applications for internships and medical schools an extra boost. To present myself in a professional way, I plan to use artifacts that showcase my dedication to academics, such as several awards or a resume. I also plan to use artifacts that highlight my leadership experience, which is an important interest of mine. For example, I plan to emphasize leadership conferences that I have attended and leadership positions that I have held in the past. I would like to incorporate artifacts that emphasize my passion for hobbies or extracurricular activities as well because internships, schools, and places of employment like to look for balance across multiple areas of interest.
Those are all of my ideas for my e-portfolio! Hopefully this gives you enough insight into what I’m planning to do!
I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t believe that the semester is almost over! Working with all of you has been an absolute blast and I hope we stay in touch! With that being said, I hope you enjoy my last blog post too!
Coroner Sam Gerber analyzing the bones of a victim of the Cleveland Torso Murder. Sadly, the case is not solved and not all of the victims have been identified. Image SourceA fitting picture of case expert, James Badal. Image Source
In my last blog post, we delved into the evidence that led reputable detective, Eliot Ness, to his secret suspect of the Cleveland Torso Murders. The suspect, Dr. Sweeney, perfectly fit the profile of the Cleveland Torso Murderer and had the medical expertise required for dismembering human bodies. On top of the evidence gathered by Eliot Ness, another case expert found separate evidence to implicate Sweeney. What’s even more chilling is that the case expert, James Badal, had found his evidence after spending more than 18 years of research on the Cleveland Torso Murders as of 2014. Let’s look into Badal’s portfolio for the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
Badal’s evidence not only confirms that Dr. Sweeney fits the profile of the Cleveland Torso Murderer, but also surpasses the evidence gathered by Eliot Ness. First, Badal uncovered a mysterious report about a vagrant, Emil Fronek, who lived in Kingsbury Run. In the report, the vagrant claimed that a doctor tried to drug him, which occurred in 1934. Badal was initially intrigued by the report because the Cleveland Torso Murders took place from 1934 to 1938. The vagrant also told authorities that the doctor practiced in a building located on Broadway Street. The authorities never found Sweeney’s office, so the report was dismissed. After looking into the story, however, Badal discovered that Sweeney did practice in a modest-looking building on Broadway Street. The vagrant’s report intensifies the suspicion hovering over Sweeney, especially since a victim of the Cleveland Torso Murderer was drugged as well. Despite the profound connection between the vagrant’s story and Dr. Sweeney, it’s hard to believe that a person would risk bloody and gruesome murders while in a public setting. Nonetheless, Badal found more evidence that dismisses this afterthought.
An image of an embalming room used by a funeral home. Image Source
After an interview with David Cowles, head of the scientific identification bureau, Badal realized that Sweeney potentially had an agreement with a funeral home right next to his office. The funeral home may have permitted the practice of surgeries on unclaimed bodies, which is a perfect opportunity for a lunatic. The funeral home also had a ramp that conveniently led to the basement, which may have provided coverage for Sweeney. To give you more goosebumps, the funeral home was also not far from any of the disposal sites for the victims of the Cleveland Torso Murderer.
In the end, Ness and Badal have put together astonishing cases against Dr. Francis E. Sweeney. Unfortunately, all of the evidence is only circumstantial, which is not considered to be concrete proof. As a result, Sweeney was never charged for the Cleveland Torso Murders and the case is not solved. On the other hand, do you believe that Dr. Francis E. Sweeney is the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run? Or do you have any other ideas as to what may have happened? Let me know in the comments section!
In my last blog post, we explored the crimes of the Cleveland Torso Murderer or the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Today, the case is considered “sorta-unsolved,” a classification created by Ryan and Shane, my favorite dynamic duo on Buzzfeed Unsolved Network. The case is considered to be partially solved because detective Eliot Ness collected astonishing circumstantial evidence that implicated a prime suspect. Despite the clues, however, the detective was not able to apprehend the suspect. Before we dive into the details, who exactly is Eliot Ness? If you recall, the last victims of the Cleveland Torso Murderer were found in front of the detective’s office window.
Back in the day, Eliot Ness was a “law enforcement legend.” He led the Untouchables, a group of special agents associated with the U.S. Bureau of Prohibition, and ended the illegal activities of mafias, crooked police, and labor racketeers. The Untouchables largely contributed to the fame of Eliot Ness due to the group’s uncorrupted efforts against Al Capone’s breweries during the Prohibition Era. As a result of the success and fame, Eliot Ness was pressured by authorities to catch the Cleveland Torso Murderer and the heat intensified as the murders progressed. After the last victims of the serial killer were placed in front of his house as a way to mock him, Ness panicked. Several days after the incident, Ness ordered authorities to scour the shantytowns for any evidence that would reveal a serial killer. During the investigation, 63 vagrants were arrested and entire shantytowns were burned to the ground, which was also ordered by Ness. The unethical response to the last victims of the serial killer ultimately ruined the detective’s reputation, but others have reasoned that the extreme action was intended to protect the vagrants from the murderer. Some believe that this opposing explanation is far fetched, but the more you think about it, the more it starts to sense. Despite the backlash that Eliot Ness faced in regard to the detainment of innocent vagrants and the vandalization of shantytowns, he led a secret investigation that uncovered chilling clues.
The secret suspect investigated by Eliot Ness. Image Source
The secret suspect of Eliot Ness was Dr. Francis E. Sweeney. The doctor fit the profile of the serial killer and had the proper anatomical skills required for the dismemberment of human bodies. Dr. Sweeney ended his practice right before the Cleveland Torso Murders as well, which is suspicious. The doctor’s wife also claimed that he was an alcoholic, abusive, and would leave for days without any explanations. The doctor’s extended absences are another red flag. To make the matter even more interesting, Ness secretly apprehended Sweeney and privately interrogated him for 10 to 14 days in a hotel. During the interrogation, Sweeney was asked to take several polygraph tests, which he absolutely failed. Despite the evidence stacked against Sweeney, Ness had violated civil liberty laws by apprehending Sweeney without permission. In addition, Sweeny was the cousin of a congressman, which complicated the matter. As a result, Ness decided to let Sweeney go.
Guess what?
Several months after Sweeney was dismissed by Ness, the last two victims of the Cleveland Torso Murderer appeared in front of the detective’s house (quite the coincidence to say the least). Immediately after the last murders, Sweeney admitted himself into a mental institute. Can you guess what happened next? No more murders were committed by the Cleveland Torso Murderer.
So what do you think so far? Let me know in the comments section and be ready for Part 3 because there’s even more!
Hello, everyone! I hope you are doing well! Throughout the process of writing an issue brief, I have brainstormed several ideas for the advocacy project that I would like to share with all of you. After researching, blogging, deliberating, and talking about food waste, I have decided that it would be appropriate to use the next project as another platform for advocating limited food waste. I think that creating an advocacy project about this topic would also be a great opportunity to complement finished projects. For example, I could create an infographic that exemplifies one of our approaches to limiting food waste on college campuses: educating the students through passive approaches. I could also create an infographic for restaurants or fast food chains, which coincides with the bulk of my issue brief. I am interested in creating an infographic because I think it would effectively grab the attention of my audience – consumers – and would be a realistic approach to influencing the food waste habits of ordinary people. Let me know what you guys think!
When it comes to the photos displayed in the photo essay, “Photographer as Witness: A Portrait of Domestic Violence,” I think that the photos are works of art and platforms for advocating domestic violence. The photos are a form of artwork because each one portrays an abstract idea – a key aspect of art – through people and places. All of the abstract ideas are intangible emotions that unify all of us, including love, hate, patience, mistrust, anger, joy, sorrow. The snapshots of the domestic violence are also pieces of advocacy because each one pulls on the heartstrings of its onlooker, which may inspire that person to take a stand against domestic violence. The emotions emanating from the photos engender advocacy, and the advocacy leads to persuasion. On another note, I have a hard time believing that the photos are an insult to ethics for several reasons. First of all, the people allowed the photographer to document the ebb and flow of their lives by taking photos. Also, I’ve seen and heard so many worse things through all forms of media. The photographs ultimately reveal the difficulty of life and the existence of particular issues that need to be addressed, including domestic violence. The photos are indeed sensitive, but at least they don’t create the impression that life is perfect.
The front page of a newspaper about the Cleveland Torso Murders. Image Source
Cleveland, Ohio, one of the largest cities in the U.S., was plastered on the front page of a gazillion newspapers for the best and worst reasons during the 1930s. Despite the Great Depression, the city was teeming with excitement and bustling with activity after hosting both the Republican National Convention and the Great Lakes Exposition. In addition, the city was promoting Higbee’s Department Store, Standard Oil, and General Electric, which were booming industries back in the day. Amidst all the glory and success, the city was in a panic too. Why? A gruesome serial killer was on the loose.
Starting in 1934, dismembered bodies were found scattered throughout the city of Cleveland, especially in Kingsbury Run. At the time, Kingsbury Run was extremely dilapidated, impoverished, and overrun by shantytowns for the poverty-stricken. Unsurprisingly, the place was also notorious for drugs, alcohol, and sex work. Kingsbury Run was the perfect spot for a serial killer because crime plagued the sector of the city and the police department had become a “corrupt, lazy unit of political patronage.” The killer dismembered the bodies of vagrants and sex workers by decapitating heads and severing torsos. Due to the nature of the serial killer’s crimes, the criminal was referred to as the “Cleveland Torso Murderer” or the “Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run.” By 1938, the serial killer had dismembered 13 people, including 6 women and 7 men. Here is a timeline of all the murders:
A team of investigators, including coroner Sam Gerber, examining one of the body parts left by the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Image Source
September 5, 1934 – An unidentified woman was found on the shore of Lake Erie. The 30-year-old woman was extremely dismembered and the police only found part of her torso, thighs, and other remnants. Oddly, the body parts were “red and leathery” due to a chemical preservative that was lathered on the skin by the serial killer.
September 23, 1935 – Edward Andrassy, a 28-year-old man, was found at the bottom of a hill. His body was naked and completely drained of blood. His head was missing and his genitalia was mutilated as well.
September 23, 1935 – After the body of Edward Andrassy was uncovered, an unidentified 40-year-old man was also found. The body was decapitated, the genitalia was mutilated, and the skin was covered in the same chemical preservative found on the first victim.
January 26, 1936 – The body parts of a woman, Florence Polillo, were found amidst piles of newspaper inside half bushel baskets, which were placed in front of the Hart Manufacturing Building.
June 5, 1936 – The head of an unidentified man was found in a pair of trousers. The rest of the body was found in front of the Nickel Plate Railroad Police Building.
July 22, 1936 – The body of an unidentified 40-year-old man was uncovered in the woods near Clinton Road.
September 10, 1936 – An unidentified man was found near a set of train tracks in Kingsbury Run. The body was cleanly decapitated.
February 23, 1937 – The body parts of a woman in her 20s were found on the shore east of Brahtenahl.
June 5, 1937 – The skull and bones of a woman, Rose Wallace, were found underneath the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.
July 6, 1937 – An unidentified man in his mid-to-late 30s was found in the Cuyahoga River. The man’s heart was completely missing and all the abdominal organs had been removed from the body.
April/May 1938 – The body parts of an unidentified woman were found in the Cuyahoga River.
August 16, 1938 – Two unidentified bodies were found in front of the house owned by Eliot Ness.
Due to the grizzly murders, the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run was “one of the most gruesome serial killers of all time.” To put insult to injury, the serial killer sent a letter to the Cleveland police after all the murders, which told the police to “rest easy now” and revealed the serial killer’s new location: California. As of today, the Cleveland Torso Murders are unsolved, but suspects have been identified and clues have been uncovered. Most importantly, why were two bodies placed in front of the house that belonged to Eliot Ness? Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run!
In the last blog post, The Zodiac Killer, we delved into the crimes of the infamous criminal. Despite the direct evidence, the letters, and the encrypted codes that manifested the existence of the Zodiac Killer, the case turned cold. During the investigation, however, the authorities identified several suspects that complicated the mystery of the Zodiac Killer. In this blog post, we will explore the clues that led authorities to the particular suspects.
A comparison between Earl Van Best Jr. and one of the sketches of the Zodiac Killer. Image Source
Earl Van Best Jr. is the first suspect identified by the authorities. The suspect’s son, Gary L. Stewart, engendered the suspicion after publishing a book that was intended to convince people that his father was the Zodiac Killer. According to Stewart, his father strongly resembled several of the sketches of the Zodiac Killer, which were based on the accounts of witnesses. Also, Stewart realized that the number of symbols in one of the encrypted codes was equal to the number of letters in his father’s name. Lastly, Stewart uncovered a marriage certificate that allegedly displayed his father’s handwriting, and claimed that the handwriting matched the penmanship of the Zodiac Killer. Despite the circumstantial clues that made Earl Van Best Jr. a suspect, the evidence is severely flawed. For example, the authorities discovered that Earl Van Best Jr.’s priest completed the certificate, so the handwriting was not Earl Van Best Jr.’s penmanship. Also, Earl Van Best Jr. matched some descriptions of the Zodiac Killer, but not all of them. To elaborate, several of the witnesses claimed that the Zodiac Killer was stocky, but Earl Van Best Jr. was not a heavy set man. Therefore, Earl Van Best Jr. is not likely the serial killer, but is an interesting suspect nonetheless.
A comparison between Arthur Leigh Allen and one of the sketches of the Zodiac Killer. Image Source
The second suspect was identified by Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Graysmith claimed that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac Killer based on a plentitude of direct and circumstantial evidence. Before I go into detail about this next suspect, I will admit that the evidence is uncanny. On the day of the third Zodiac Killer attack, Allen told his family that he was going scuba diving at Lake Berryessa, the location of the specific crime. That night, Allen returned home with blood stains on his clothes and with a bloody knife, which is extremely odd because the victims of the Zodiac Killer were ruthlessly stabbed on the same day. On another note, Allen’s friend revealed to the authorities that Allen’s nickname was “The Zodiac” before the public referred to the mysterious serial killer as “The Zodiac.” In addition, the police discovered dissected animals in Allen’s freezer and an assortment of bloody knives. Interestingly, Allen was also arrested for child molestation in 1974 and was sentenced to prison for 3 years. The fact is interesting because during those 3 years, the authorities never received letters from the Zodiac Killer. Also, Allen confessed to killing Paul Stine, one of the Zodiac Killer’s victims, while serving his sentence in prison. One of the inmates told the police about Allen’s confession, which spurred them to perform a lineup. During the lineup, an individual who survived one of the Zodiac Killer’s attacks was asked to identify the man who had shot him. Surprisingly, the victim instantly recognized Allen. All of the evidence that implicated Arthur Leigh Allen is highly convincing; however, there are some inconsistencies that prevented the authorities from detaining Allen for the crimes of the Zodiac Killer. For example, Allen’s DNA did not match any of the DNA collected from the letters and Allen’s fingerprints did not match the fingerprints found at the crime scenes. Also, Allen does not resemble any of the sketches of the Zodiac Killer and his handwriting did not match the penmanship of the Zodiac Killer.
The final suspect is Lawrence Kaye or Kane. A police officer, Harvey Hines, engendered the suspicion because he may have witnessed the Zodiac Killer walking from his final crime and Hines believed that Kane most closely resembled the man that was seen near the vicinity of the crime. Kane is an intriguing suspect because he suffered from permanent brain damage due to a car accident. According to a psychologist, Kane was mentally unstable and struggled to feel self-gratification as a result of the car accident. In addition, a girl related to one of the Zodiac Killer’s victims claimed that Kane was the man stalking her sister before the night of her murder. Despite the chilling circumstantial evidence, Kane’s DNA or fingerprints were never compared with the DNA or the fingerprints of the Zodiac Killer. Also, Kane does not resemble most of the sketches of the Zodiac Killer.
So here’s the final lineup: Earl Van Best Jr., Arthur Leigh Allen, and Lawrence Kaye. Who do you think may have been the Zodiac Killer? Or… do you think more than one person was involved?
The United States wastes approximately 40% of the food supply on an annual basis.1 To put the matter into perspective, the nation nearly consumes half of the food that is generated and squanders the other half each year. Steadily wasting the bulk of food production is a major concern and deserves to be a prioritized issue due to the implications of food waste. Food waste is not only indicative of the concerning level of discarded food, but it also leads to greenhouse gas emissions that spur global climate change, splurges precious water, land, and labor resources, and engenders a missed opportunity to combat food insecurity across the entire country.2 As a result, the issue of food waste demands instant mitigation. The problem is indeed extensive since food waste is generated throughout all levels of consumption, yet it can be properly addressed by focusing on the sectors of consumption that are largely contributing to the issue. One of these sectors of consumption is restaurants. The food distributors produce about 22 to 33 billion pounds of food waste each year, which is a large portion of all the food wasted by the United States on an annual basis.3 Due to the food waste procured by restaurants, focusing on the particular level of food distribution from the perspective of policy will effectively initiate the mitigation of food waste and its resulting consequences. The implemented policy can take the form of capacity builders, system changes, and enhanced inducements.
References
1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Loss and Waste, https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste (Feb. 23, 2021).
2 Move for Hunger, About Food Waste, https://moveforhunger.org/food-waste (2021).
3 FoodPrint, The Problem of Food Waste, https://foodprint.org/issues/the-problem-of-food-waste/ (2021).
Restaurants are significantly contributing to food waste. Image Source
After blogging about food waste and deliberating with students about food waste on college campuses, the next step is writing an issue brief about the problem as well. Due to personal experiences as an employee at a fast food chain, convincing policymakers that restaurants are wasting an excessive amount of food and proposing ways to limit food waste at this level of food distribution are the overarching goals of the issue brief. Research clearly shows that restaurants are collectively not avoiding food waste to an extent that will successfully reverse the negative implications of the issue, which leads to several questions that should be addressed before tackling an issue brief. How much food do restaurants waste? Why are restaurants avoiding ways to decrease the amount of wasted food? What can restaurants do to limit food waste?
According to FoodPrint, restaurants waste approximately “22 to 33 billion pounds of food each year.” As a result, food waste in restaurants is far from negligible. In addition, the statistic reveals that restaurants are significantly contributing to all of the food wasted in the United States, which is roughly 40% of the food supply on an annual basis. Therefore, addressing food waste in restaurants is extremely important because it will lead to other benefits besides less waste, such as less production of greenhouse gas emissions, less squandering of precious resources, and more support for those struggling with food insecurity.
Donating food will help decrease food waste. Image Source
Restaurants are major generators of wasted food, so devising ways to reduce food waste at this level of food distribution is extremely important. Donating leftover food from restaurants to local food banks is an instinctive way to limit the waste produced by restaurants, and most individuals support the idea. The proposal is naturally a win-win situation; however, the goal is difficult to accomplish for the majority of restaurants. In 1996, Congress addressed the difficulty of donating food to organizations by enacting the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act. The purpose of the act is to ensure that donors, including restaurants, do not face any legal consequences for donating leftover food that may lead to unintentional foodborne illnesses. To elaborate, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act did not enact new liabilities for food donors; instead, the act changed the type of claims that can be settled against donors. Unless the donors intentionally harm the well-being of others through the act of donating food, no claims “arising out of the nature, age, packaging, or condition of the donated food” can be settled. On another note, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act also suggests that donated food should be “wholesome food” or “an apparently fit grocery product,” the act of donating should be charitable, and food banks should disperse the food to individuals struggling with food insecurity. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act properly enhances the ability to donate food from restaurants, leading to mitigated food waste; however, many other hurdles exist that prevent restaurants from donating leftover food.
The main reason as to why most restaurants refrain from donating leftover food is unawareness of the laws that protect acts of food donation. If you ask a restaurant owner about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, chances are the restaurant owner will have no idea what you are talking about. Most restaurant owners do not understand that the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act protects those that charitably donate food, which is an unfortunate issue because the lack of awareness is cultivating a missed opportunity, an opportunity to mitigate food waste. Educating restaurant owners about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act is a simple way to simultaneously increase food donations and decrease food waste, but the lack of awareness is not the only barrier preventing restaurants from donating food. Despite the approval of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, each state has created different laws concerning food donations, which complicates the entire process of donating food. To complicate the process of donating food even further, most food banks have also implemented strict rules about food donations that are all different from on another. As a result of the confusion engendered by the state laws and the rules established by food banks in regard to donating leftover food, most restaurants prefer to avoid food donations altogether. Simplifying the process of donating food or helping restaurants understand the legal aspect of donating food will also simultaneously increase food donations and decrease food waste. The National Restaurant Association has also voiced this thought and suggests that educating restaurants about proper food management is the ‘”key to safe donation.”‘ Most of the laws enacted by the states or the rules implemented by the food banks focus on the storage of the food and the handling of the food. If food is not stored or handled properly, then food banks will not accept donated food. Therefore, educating more restaurants on proper food storage and handling will transform food that is always wasted, into food that is always eaten because donations will become a feasible option for those restaurants.
According to FoodPrint, 17% of consumers leave their meals uneaten on average. Image Source
Donating food is a great way to decrease the amount of food that restaurants throw away on a nightly basis; however, there are other ways to decrease food waste in restaurants. According to FoodPrint, consumers leave 17% of their meals uneaten on average, which is contributing to the accrual of wasted food in restaurants. To diminish the amount of food that consumers leave uneaten, restaurants can find ways to encourage consumers to abide by the cliché phrase, “take only what you can eat.” Did you know that restaurants have typically been serving portion sizes that are “two to eight times larger” than the standard serving sizes approved by the Federal Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture? Crazy! Not only can restaurants encourage consumers to “take only what you can eat,” but the restaurants can also decrease portion sizes. Both modes of action will effectively limit food waste, and will even promote healthier lifestyles.
Food waste is an issue, and restaurants are one of the biggest contributors to the problem. Restaurant owners should be more aware of food waste and should find ways to resolve the problem, which will be the focus of my next project. I am eager to create my issue brief and to help people become more aware of food waste!
Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your feedback on my last post! I agree that the issue of food waste is a broad topic, so I thought intently about the audience that I would like to target. Since I currently work at a fast food restaurant and have directly witnessed food waste at my employment, I have decided to direct my issue brief at fast food chains and other restaurants. Such places lack regulations that strive to limit food waste and rarely encourage others to diminish personal food waste too, so this will hopefully be a good direction to steer my issue brief into.
As I develop my issue brief, I plan to establish exigence by focusing on my personal experiences while working at my place of employment. On more than one occasion, I have been asked to dump giant garbage bags full of fresh food into a humongous dumpster that overflows with trash in only a matter of days. Garbage is a normal part of life, but food waste appears to be extreme in the fast food industry, let alone all the other restaurants that discard food on a nightly basis across the entire nation. Therefore, I believe that my personal experiences, my drive to increase awareness of the issue, and my willingness to influence change when it comes to food waste will be a great source of exigence for my issue brief.
I also plan to concentrate on the rhetorical situation. A formal tone and a reliance on research will be the most effective way to communicate the issue of food waste and the changes that should be implemented to diminish the problem with those that oversee the restaurants. Most restaurants are also cautious about addressing the amount of food waste that takes place within their doors, so I also plan to respectfully approach the issue of food waste when speaking to my audience; however, I also have to make sure that I convince restaurant owners that food waste is an important issue to tackle.
My plan so far appears to be achievable and a topic that engenders policy discussion, so I am excited to see where this project goes. Once again, any feedback or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
On December 20, 1968, a suspicious crime marked the start of a serial killer’s chilling game. At the crime scene, 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Betty Lou Jensen, were clearly shot while sitting in a car. The car was parked near Lake Herman Road, which is located on the outskirts of Vallejo, California. Betty Lou Jensen deceased at the crime scene and David Faraday passed away on his way to the hospital. The crime scene confused police officers because the killing had no detectable motive. Unfortunately, the tragic deaths of the teenagers was the first act of a dangerous serial killer who would baffle authorities even more.
Several months later on July 5, 1969, the disguised criminal targeted 22-year-old Darlene Ferrin and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Mike Mageau. Ferrin and Mageau were shot while sitting in a car that was parked in a parking lot. Coincidentally, the parking lot was also located on the outskirts of Vallejo. Ferrin passed away at the crime scene, but Mageau survived the brutal attack. Mageau described the killer as a young white male with light brown curly hair and a large face. Mageau also stated that the man was about 26-30 years old, stocky, and approximately 5′ 8″ tall. Despite the detailed description, authorities were not able to apprehend any suspects.
On August 1, 1969, the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Vallejo Times-Herald all received a strange letter with no return address. On a side note, the letters were identical. In the letters, the writer claimed to have killed the young couples and provided extremely specific details that only the killer and the authorities would have known about the crime scenes. Also, the letters were signed with strange symbol, a circle with a large cross in the the middle. The symbol inspired the famous name of the serial killer, which is the Zodiac Killer. Lastly, all the letters contained a unique code. The serial killer took advantage of the indecipherable letters by using them to threaten the newspaper companies. If the newspaper companies failed to print the codes, the killer vowed to strike again. As a result, the codes appeared in newspapers and the authorities frantically scrambled to catch the Zodiac Killer.
The sketch of the killer that attacked Shepard and Hartnell. Image Source
Unfortunately, the authorities had no luck and the Zodiac Killer indeed struck again. On September 27, 1969, another young couple was attacked. While picnicking on the shore of Lake Berryessa in Napa, California, a man wearing an executioner hood emblazoned with the Zodiac symbol approached the young couple. 22-year-old Cecelia Shepard and her 20-year-old boyfriend, Bryan Hartnell, were tied up with rope and brutally stabbed by the killer. Both teenagers were alive after the authorities arrived on the scene, but Shepard passed away. Hartnell survived the horrific event and was also able to describe the attacker. Hartnell claimed that the man was 5′ 8′ to 6′ tall, stocky, and had dark brown hair. Expectantly, the description corresponds to Mageau’s description; however, the Zodiac Killer was nowhere to be found.
On October 11, 1969, the Zodiac Killer attacked his last victim. During the evening, 29-year-old Paul Stine was shot and killed in his taxi. Authorities believed the attack was initially a robbery, but the Zodiac Killer confessed to killing Paul Stine several days after the shooting in another letter.
Only 5 victims have been linked to the Zodiac Killer, but the mysterious man claimed to have killed 37 people in one of his letters. To this day, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery. The case may be unsolved; however, interesting clues have been uncovered that lead to chilling suspects, so stay tuned for Part 2 of the Zodiac Killer!
Here is the link to the video that inspired this blog post. The beginning is hilarious.
