With what we have so far compiled, we can propose a certain overall profile for The Zodiac Killer. This is a profile based on clues, not on guessing psychological makeup.

       Physical appearance

     He was under 6 feet tall, about 5’ 8” to 5’10”. He had a slight paunch.  He had light brown to blondish hair with tint of red (chestnut) in it. He was of heavy build.

     He was observed three times. He always wore a dark blue top. Mike Mageau (Blue Rock Springs, July 4, 1969) described his assailant’s shirt as dark blue, short sleeved. Bryan Hartnell (Lake Berryessa, September 27, 1969) described him wearing a thin cotton dark blue track jacket and, interestingly, black or dark (charcoal) pleated pants. SFPD Officer Don Fouke (Washington & Maple Murder, October 11, 1969) described him similarly. His jacket was possibly a Derby (Derby of San Francisco), waist length cotton jacket, with elastic cuffs and waistband. The pants were the same obsolete fashion— baggy, pleated but in this case rust brown in color. His shoes at Lake Berryessa were military Wing Walkers. Size 10.5. Fouke says The Zodiac was wearing 3/4 length shoes, tan in color— a high lip shoe.

     This is an odd amalgam. It translates to the following:    

   Two possibilities for The Zodiac’s look at Lake Berryessa (September 27, 1969). Left, a 1960s track jacket and charcoal pleated baggy pants from the late 1950s, with cuffs. Due to the hood, Bryan Hartnell could not see the collar. Right, a vintage 1960s Derby with shawl collar, elastic waistband and cuffs. Fouke saw the collar of the jacket on the suspect in San Francisco. He said it was the standard fold down collar. Below, a 1960s Derby with fold down collar, dark blue. The Zodiac wore the same type of obsolete pleated pants, but here in San Francisco (October 11, 1969) he wore rust colored ones. Fouke thought they were wool (dress pants). If they weren’t, then they perhaps were cotton “gardening pants.”

   Mike Mageau said his assailant wore a short sleeved dark blue shirt. If Zodiac had the sleeves rolled up, he may have been wearing the same thin cotton Derby. Zodiac claimed in his November 9, 1969, letter to the San Francisco Chronicle that he only looked like the description when he we went out killing, and this may indeed be true.  

This may or may not be the case. But one thing is for certain. The Zodiac was a young man. Three witnesses independently heard his voice and confirm it was a young man’s voice. He was between 20 and 30 years old.

   The Zodiac’s most dramatic ensemble was the executioner’s hood. This was worn only at his attack at Lake Berryessa.  The police sketch shows how heavyset Zodiac was.

When the Zodiac was next seen (San Francisco, Stine Murder, October 11, 1969), he appeared in the above rust brown pants and casual blue Derby. His face and hair were now seen. This gives us, BELOW, the following composite.

   The Zodiac had a crew cut. His hair was light brown to blondish, with a
red or chestnut tint to it.  Don Fouke said he was heavier than the teenagers
had estimated in the first composite, and older too. He walked with a
shuffling lope (he was, however, walking downhill when seen by Fouke).
Fouke would later say that The Zodiac had a “widow’s peak.”

     If he is correct, this feature is a genetic feature that is often associated with widely spaced eyes. I loath to link to Wikipedia, but the pictures may at least help the reader to visualize it. The widow’s peak does not appear on the first composite.

     The widow’s peak could have been a hairpiece. We cannot discount that. The Zodiac went to great lengths to make that hood and wear it at Lake Berryessa. Anybody who would go to that level of theatricality for his own amusement is capable of preplanning a disguise that would consist of makeup and a hairpiece, especially since he was planning on killing in a crowded area like San Francisco. But all the composites show widely spaced eyes. This is not a feature The Zodiac could adjust. Also, it seems indisputable The Zodiac had a thin nose. A thin nose might be disguised by a prosthetic, but a thick nose cannot be disguised as a thin nose.

     We must also add into the equation that at San Francisco Zodiac still wore essentially the same outfit he had worn at Lake Berryessa. Since he retained his outmoded fashion, he may not have bothered to adjust his facial appearance. After the composite came out, he never struck again.

     Voice and Words

     Zodiac revealed only a cursory knowledge of the back roads. His lack of knowledge of Blue Rock Springs Park’s name should not be regarded as feigned ignorance. When he gave directions to the police (during his phone conversation), he was terribly inaccurate. Blue Rock Springs Park was not a mile east of where Springs Road enters Columbus Parkway. It is northeast. This same inaccuracy in judging distance was repeated after Lake Berryessa, when he called Napa Police and said the crime scene was 2 miles north of park headquarters. It was, in fact, only 7/10ths of a mile. He also called Napa Police rather than the sheriffs. He did not specify Lake Berryessa, but said the crime took place at “the park.” He also had a certain precise way in speaking, according to Bryan Hartnell, the survivor at Lake Berryessa. Whether this was intentional on his part due to the fact he had to speak through a bag and hood, we cannot be sure. Those two others who reported hearing him (Nancy Slover, Vallejo dispatcher; Officer Slaight, Napa dispatcher) did not report this. However, they did report a youngish voice.

     Letters

       Zodiac followed an interesting pattern in his letters.  The paper he used first and predominantly was Eaton marked paper. It was determined to be Monarch cut (7.25 x 10.5 inches).  The paper was not white, but a light parchment color. Very frequently, a diamond shape can be seen through the paper when it is held to light. This could be stickem from the envelopes, but only if the paper reacted to some other moisture than saliva. He may have used a sponge.  

   Eaton also made Zodiac-themed stationary. It was available is varying colors and textures. Each month and therewith each sign was available. The Zodiacal sign was on the left upper corner of the stationary. If Zodiac used this stationary, one explanation for why his letter paper seemed cut irregularly at times may be that he needed to excise the Zodiacal symbol to prevent the paper from being traced. It also might have identified his birth month. He used plain common white envelopes. The Zodiac-themed stationary came with envelopes upon which was pasted (on the inside) the symbol of that particular sign. It was impossible to remove.          

   If Zodiac was inspired by this stationary to come up with his name and game of Murder and Seek, this would explain why he trimmed his writing paper (to remove the sign) and why he had to use separate envelopes.

   I personally find it probable that The Zodiac did not live in the immediate Bay Area. His first set of letters, 3 sets in number, all near-identical, and all sent to rival Bay Area newspapers, introduced himself as the murderer of the Vallejo victims, David Faraday, Betty Lou Jensen and Darlene Ferrin.  He used Eaton marked paper. His next letter, a very significant one, was written on Woolworth’s “Fifth Avenue” paper. This is the letter in which he first introduced himself by the salutation “This is the Zodiac speaking.” It was written quickly in response to Vallejo Police Chief Jack Stiltz’s request in the newspapers for him to send more details in order to prove he was really the killer. He wrote the letter off the very day Stiltz’s request appeared in the papers.

     After this he reverted back to Eaton marked paper. This makes that hasty letter a significant break in his pattern. The pattern suggests he did not live around the Bay Area but visited on business trips. He was not in a position to answer Stiltz’ request on his own stationary, so he bought paper at a local Woolworths. Robert Graysmith notes there was one not far from the San Francisco Chronicle. 

     This page will be updated as more paper tests are done to determine the type of sealant used, its reaction to the correct paper, and whether the amount time the letter remained sealed in the envelope was a factor. If the latter is a factor, it would indicate that his letters were actually written and sealed days before being sent (in some instances), which would suggest he brought them with him on his trips but prepared them beforehand.

     All in all, the evidence gives us a profile of a rather young man who dressed in a repeated manner to make himself look older. The pleated pants suggest this. He may have used another method to seal a stamp than licking it. There is no particular evidence that he wrote his letters on a flat surface. Therefore the penmanship in the letters might not reflect his actual printing. He only had a cursory knowledge of East and North Bay back roads. Fingerprints on the paper and a palm print have been traced to no known murderer or suspect. The same can be said for a partial DNA print taken from one of the stamps.

     Zodiac appears to have started his crime spree out of nowhere, had no previous record, stopped it suddenly, and never had a record thereafter.