RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: A renowned author has floated a fresh terrifying theory that contends the infamous Zodiac Killer's first murder was carried out by two individuals who had "actual motives." Thomas Henry Horan broke down his theory in the new Peacock docu-series ‘Myth of the Zodiac Killer’ that offers new insight into the petrifying unsolved murders that wreaked-havoc upon Northern California's Bay Area in the late 1960s.
After more than 50 years, the case has still been described as the most famous unsolved murder case in American history. While investigators are yet not able to apprehend the culprit behind the murders, one suspect has taken responsibility for the atrocities. Referring to himself only as “the Zodiac,” along with the symbol of a circle with a cross through it, the killer claimed to have committed the murders of 37 victims. However, only seven murders have been confirmed to be executed by the Zodiac Killer. Victims in his confirmed murders included, David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, Cecelia Ann Shepard, Paul Lee Stine, and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin.
Who is Zodiac Killer?
The notorious killer became a nightmare for the public after sending local news outlets a slew of confessional letters, as well as four complex ciphers to the San Francisco Chronicle. For half a century, the Zodiac was believed to be the sole predator but now Horan has claimed that he has chilling evidence, proving that the murderer had at least one person working with him in one of the murders – the very first one. The Zodiac’s first victims are believed to be 17-year-old David Faraday and 18-year-old Betty Jensen, who were shot and killed on Lake Herman Road in December 1968. The young couple was hanging out in a car when they were murdered by the predator.
Helmed by Andrew Nock, Peacock’s new docu-series revisits the brutal killings and describes how the couple was attempting to escape their killer. Police reports from the time state that a second car pulled up next to David and Betty, parking only about ten feet away. At some point, the driver of the second automobile exited the vehicle, and opened fire on the young couple, putting bullet holes in the back window and roof of their car. The youngsters eventually tried to escape the scene but were caught in the firing. Jensen was ultimately shot in the back while Faraday was shot in the head. Authorities have long held the opinion that just one individual was responsible for their deaths.
'That is the motive for this murder'
However, Horan now contends it is implausible because of a stray gunshot casing. According to police files shown in the documentary, while most of the bullet shells were discovered only centimeters from the youngsters' automobile, one was discovered around 20 feet away, close to the side of the second car. “This suggests someone got out of the passenger side of the second car, stepped around right about here, fired over the top of his car into the back of the station wagon,” Haron said, according to the Sun. The author claimed it wouldn’t make sense for the driver of the car to step out of the vehicle, walk around the opposite side, fire at the teenagers, then walk back around to fire the remaining gunshots.
Previously, police noted that there was no motive behind Jensen and Faraday’s death. But Haron said that he had discovered evidence supporting a motivation, which pointed to the emergence of violent gangs in the area. According to the old police report, David apparently got into a "physical altercation" with a student from his high school days before his death. The teenager allegedly confronted his peer about pushing drugs at the school, telling him he would put a stop to it. “That is the motive for this murder,” Horan said, claiming “drug dealing biker gangs” were behind the killing. Zodiac aficionados and authors have contested the hypothesis, with some claiming that the encounter wouldn't have been particularly "provocative" or "unusual.”
