Unsolved - Blog Posts

The killing of Elsie Frost is one of the UK’s most violent unsolved murders. On Saturday 9 October 1965, Elsie, 14, set off home on the outskirts of Wakefield from a nearby youth club sailing event. Dressed in a bright red anorak, yellow cardigan and floral skirt, Elsie walked along the canal towpath – so she didn’t get her new leather shoes muddy. But she never made it home.

As she walked through a 30ft tunnel beneath a railway embankment she was attacked. Struck from behind and stabbed – twice in the back, twice in the head and once through the hand. One of the blows pierced her heart. Fatally injured Elsie stumbled through the tunnel to the bottom of a steep flight of stone steps – known as the ABC steps as there are 26 – that led up to the main road.

That’s where she was found, dying by a local dog-walker. Others soon appeared on the scene. An ambulance was called, but Elsie was dead by the time they arrived. The hunt for the killer was national news. Elsie was intelligent, bookish, close to her family – police couldn’t establish any motive.

Officers went door-to-door, interviewed 12,000 men and teenage boys – but her killer was never found. Decades past, her parents, Arthur and Edith, died without seeing justice for their daughter. The case is still one of the UK’s most violent unsolved murders, and Elsie’s family continue to push for justice. Still, over half a century on, the killer, murder weapon and motive remain unknown.

Susan Margaret Long was born and lived with both her parents in Aylsham, Norfolk.

At about 5.15am on the 11 March 1970, Susan’s body was found by a milkman approximately 1 ½ miles from Aylsham Market Place on the Burgh Road.  She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Susan was 18 and employed as a clerk at Norwich Union in Norwich. She had a boyfriend who also lived in the city. She would therefore regularly travel into Norwich by bus for work and to see him.

On the evening of 10 March 1970 she went with her boyfriend to the Gala Dance Hall in Norwich. She left at about 10.25pm to catch the bus back to Aylsham. The bus arrived in Aylsham Market Place at 11.10pm.  Other passengers confirmed that Susan had got off the bus.

It is believed that Susan was driven to where her body was found but officers do not know if she went voluntarily or was abducted. However, it is generally believed she would not accept a lift from strangers.

A full scale murder enquiry was launched, led by New Scotland Yard.

Following forensic recovery of semen left at the scene, it was established that the offender was from a rare blood group and blood samples were taken from men living in the Aylsham area. Another significant line of enquiry was linked to car paint flakes found on Susan’s clothing which showed that the paint had originally been pompadour blue and then been re sprayed metallic maroon. These lines of enquiry did not reveal the offender

The Zodiac Killer: A Jungian and Typological Analysis #1

Introduction to The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer was a Californian serial killer who took the lives of a confirmed five victims and a speculated seven to thirty-seven victims from December 20th, 1968 to October 11th, 1969. To this day he remains unidentified.

Murder (December 20th, 1968 - Lake Herman Road): David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen are both shot at 10:15pm. 

Murder (July 4th, 1969 - Blue Rock Springs Park Grounds): Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau are both shot with a 9mm luger. Mageau survives and later recalls the suspect as a short, heavyset male with short brownish-blonde hair and a round face.

Event (August 1st, 1969): The killer, now operating under the name “The Zodiac”, sends three letters written in code to the Vallejo Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. 

Murder (September 27, 1969 - Lake Berryessa): Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard are approached by The Zodiac who binds them with fishing line under the false pretense he was a recently escaped prison convict. Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard are then promptly stabbed a total of sixteen times before the perpetrator vanishes. Hartnell survives and later recalls the suspect as a heavyset man clad in a black, executioner style hood and cross-hair symbol drawn on his torso with greasy brown hair.

Murder (October 11th, 1969 - Geary Street): At 9:35 The Zodiac enters the cab of Paul Stine, directing him to drop him off at Cherry Street. At 9:55pm Paul Stine is shot and killed by Zodiac; at the same time the murder is witnessed by three teenagers. The teenagers and other witnesses later recall the suspect as a 35-45 year old male with reddish-brown crew-cut hair, a medium to heavy-build and who was wearing heavy rim glasses. This description is used as the basis for the police sketch.

Event (October 14th, 1969): Another letter is received by the Zodiac containing a portion of Paul Stine’s shirt and multiple threats.

Aftermath: More letters by The Zodiac were received by newspapers, most prominently the chronicle. Notable highlights of these letters include The Zodiac claiming to have taken the lives of up to 37 victims, a letter that supposedly had his name coded into it, a plan to use a technically plausible bomb, a letter claiming the murder of one Sgt. Radetich, a letter written entirely in cypher stating he believed his victims will work as his slaves in the afterlife, a custom made halloween card meant to be received by reporter Paul Avery and a letter that alluded to the idea he was the kidnapper of Kathleen Johns thus giving credence to the Lawrence Kane hypothesis. The Zodiac Killer has also been the main suspect in multiple other cases, such as Betsy Aardsma case where a college-aged girl was murdered by a stab wound to the torso.

Typological Analysis

Serial killers can usually be organized into six typologies each with their own unique incentive, ideas, thoughts and methods of killing. These types are the organized killer, the disorganized killer, the visionary killer, the mission-oriented killer, the hedonistic killer and the power-oriented killer. 

Typology of the Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer is an example of a mixture between two types, mainly a visionary and hedonistic (thrill variety) killer. The visionary killer is driven not usually by thrill or enjoyment but rather by a break from reality. In some cases, this type of killer shows the unique trait of remorse. On the other hand, the hedonistic thrill killer is driven by the thrill of murder, this type is similar to the power-oriented killer as they both commit murder out of enjoyment, however, the hedonistic killer does not derive gratification from dominating the victim.

An example of his visionary side was displayed in one of his many letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle where he gloated that he wasn’t afraid of the gas chamber as his murders have already secured him enough slaves for paradise. From this we can assume his dominant incentive for killing was the belief that he needs a certain amount of servants for the afterlife. However, his hedonistic thrill seeker side is usually what is focused on when psychologists or people interested in the case first point out when discussing his psychology. For example, in The Vallejo Times letter he stated that killing was the most thrilling experience and was, “better than getting your rocks off with a girl”, though reasserted his belief in paradise afterward. An interesting thing to note is the Zodiac’s connection between sex and murder.

The organized vs. disorganized concept is another system of criminal typology that uses crime scene analysis. Using this system we can use conjecture to determine certain personality traits (organized killers might have a higher IQ, for example). I’ll use this rating system to figure out his orientation on the O/U scale:

-Restraints: 1

-Victim known: 0

-Stranger targeted: 1

-Poisoned: 0 

-Chaotic scene: 1

-Controlled scene: 0 

-Weapon planned: 1 

-Weapon left: 0

-Body transported: 0

-Act focused: 0

From this ranking we can determine that the Zodiac Killer was directly in between a disorganized and organized killer. However, he matches 5/11 descriptor of a disorganized killer (minimal conversation, sloppy crime scene, minimal use of restraints, body left at crime scene, body left in open) and only 4/11 descriptors of the organized variety (planned offense, victim a stranger, aggressive acts prior to death, absent weapon).

For personality factors we can use the OCEAN model:

-Openness: High. Inquisitive and creative. Created his own suit, strapped a flashlight to his gun and sent coded letters.

-Consciousness: Low. Disorganized and spontaneous. Left victims alive, allowed his face to be seen multiple times and didn’t hide victims.

-Extraversion: Unknown. Likely low. Introversion is associated with disorganized killers.

-Agreeableness: Low. Uncooperative and hostile. Crime behavior and taunted police.

-Neuroticism: Mid to low. Moderately emotional and anxious. Was possibly anxious during the course of the Mageau attack, however was perceived as calm and monotone in other murders. 

Speculation, Comparisons to Other Killers, Psychological Profiles

We know that the Zodiac Killer could be profiled into both the visionary and hedonistic category based off motivation. However, what could possibly be the cause for these behaviors and what could be gleamed from these classifications? A good method for this type of speculation is by comparing him to other serial killers with similarities in already established psychology. So here are some related speculations. 

-It’s possible that the Zodiac Killer gleamed sexual gratification from murder. Yang Xinhai, another hedonistic killer, stated he felt sexual satisfaction after killing his victims. It’s possible his specific type of victim (teenage couples) gave him the most satisfaction.

-When considering the fact he didn’t assault the victims afterward, his teasing of the police and creation of different methods of murder it could be assumed the Zodiac Killer enjoyed not killing on its own but rather the game of murder. He could’ve been hedonistic in the sense he gleamed pleasure from committing a murder, perfecting it and then getting away with it while receiving ludicrous amounts of media attention.

-It’s possible the Zodiac Killer has some form of schizophrenia, psychosis or a Cluster A personality disorder. David “Son of Hope” Berkowitz was strikingly similar to the Zodiac. Berkowitz and the Zodiac both killed couples, both killed their victims while they were in their cars, both sent letters taunting the police, both used guns to murder their victims, both didn’t assault their victims after and both had aspects of the visionary type. Berkowitz was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Berkowitz also gained sexual gratification from the murders, supporting the previous comparison.

-The Zodiac Killer likely took great pride in his public appearance. In his letter about the attack of Michael Mageau he said that he calmly left the scene as to not attract attention to himself, despite Mageau asserting he had left quickly in a panic. At the Lake Berryessa attack the Zodiac wore a specialized suit complete with a symbol on the torso. Sure this is strange on its own but the stranger part is that there’d be no need to wear the suit if he was planning on killing both victims, which indicates that he wore it because he wanted to tailor his image to his persona. The Zodiac even admitted this himself when he complained that he didn’t believe he got as much media attention as he deserved. All of this culminates with the Zodiac’s statement saying he didn’t look like the police sketch made of him, which could be his attempt to draw the public’s attention away from who he is under the façade of the notorious, mysterious and inventive Zodiac Killer.

-Another comparison could be made to Dennis “BTK’ Radar. Radar and the Zodiac both sent letters and penned their own name. Radar was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, this could very well coincide with the Zodiac’s need for admiration and recognition. 

-If he does fall in line with the “disorganized killer” typology it’s possible he did not travel far from his home to commit the crime, was secluded or asocial and generally worked in a field that didn’t require much talent.

-The female victims of the Zodiac Killer may look like a past girlfriend such as Ted Bundy or any woman associated with pain. 2/3 of his female victims were twenty-two years of age and Betty Lou Jensen and Darlene Ferrin have strikingly similar facial proportions (specifically the spacing between the nose, mouth and eyes and the size of those areas). This could also link to sexual satisfaction being taken from murder.

-He was more focused on killing women over men, evident from him failing to kill the male side of the couple in two murders. Possibly this the result of a damaged ego after rejection as if he’s trying to regain power over women. This could be a result of his introversion linked to unorganized killers. This could also possibly disprove the hedonistic killer theory in favor of the power-oriented killer theory.

From this we can assume three possible motivations: 

-Paranoid or odd beliefs

-Sexual gratification

-Misogyny 

Jungian Analysis

Carl Jung (born July 26th, 1871 - died June 6th, 1961) was an early Swiss psychoanalyst and apprentice of Freud. Many of the concepts he built upon and created are still in use today including the concepts of introversion/extraversion, archetypes, the subconscious, the unconscious and persona.

Use of Intuition 

Intuition, explained simply, is the unconscious process which allows the user to see into or perceive conditions that are not obvious through logical thought. It presents its conclusions as whole or complete in the mind of the user. It's the ability for one to perceive and expect possible motions without logical deliberation. For example, one may get a bad feeling about an apple because it subconsciously reminds them of an apple pie they hated. 

The Zodiac Killer represents the perfect picture of an extroverted intuitive killer. Instead of receding from the object to transpose his internalized view of abstracted images from the subconscious onto the environment around him, the Zodiac Killer’s intuition is in good relation to the object. He’s not oriented toward transposing his view of the abstracted image onto the object but rather interested in the object's pre-existing string of possibilities and abstracted images as if he was searching for chaos.  

We could also see use of intuition in the very concept of The Zodiac Killer. The perpetrator of these crimes comprises his self of the multiple abstracted characteristics of what the symbol of the Zodiac Killer is. He tries to inhabit a single symbol of multiple characteristics including strength, mysteriousness, intelligence, creativity, etc. Though he may or may not inhabit any of these characteristics. 

Archetypes

On the topic of personas or symbols of self, in this paragraph we’ll discuss his use of The Joker symbol. Throughout his violent escapades he takes on the form of someone rather unaffected by conventional morals, beliefs or attention to organization. He rather takes on the persona of someone humorous, who likes playing games and is free form all conventional forms of organization. It seems as if the main archetype he tries to inhabit is the Joker, even if subconsciously.

Outro

The last Zodiac Letter was received in 1974, the last murder was in 1969 and all likely suspects are now dead. Even after all that time the remaining notoriety of this case is staggering, and new suspects are still coming up today. Even more staggering yet, after all that the case is still likely to never be solved.

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307819660_The_Traits_and_the_Thrill_of_Serial_Killers

https://www.zodiacciphers.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/son-of-sam-arrested

https://www.infjs.com/articles/jung-descriptions-of-each-dichotomy-i-e-n-s-f-t-j-p.37/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8929452#:~:text=Serial%20killer%20personality,more%20severe%20psychopathic%20personality%20disorder.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Jung

https://www.marshall.edu/forensics/files/Baber_Seminar2014_ODcsp.pdf

https://zodiackillerfacts.com/ https://www.zodiackiller.com/AllenFile.html

(Notice: I am not a psychologist, but just interested in criminology and versed in Jungian theory) 

I created three photorealistic photos of the Zodiac Killer using eyewitness testimony and police sketches. The first photo is how he was described by witnesses of the Paul Stine murder, the second is how he was described by Michael Mageau and the third is the lake Berryessa sketch (Made in artbreeder)

*Branch snaps*

Normal person: “probably an animal”

Ryan: “oOOOoH MY GOD, CULTISTS!”