The Zodiac Killer: Victim Selection, Investigation Methods & Status

This presentation delves into the infamous Zodiac Killer case, examining the killer's activities, victim selection, and typology. The analysis focuses on the violent nature of the murders, classifying the killer as act-focused. It critiques the police investigation, highlighting its initial ineffectiveness and the challenges posed by the killer's ciphers. The presentation discusses the potential of modern DNA testing to aid in the ongoing investigation and explores the collaboration between police, psychiatrists, and the public. It concludes with the current status of the case, noting the renewed efforts to identify the killer using advanced forensic techniques. This resource is valuable for understanding serial killer investigations and criminal profiling.

THE ZODIAC KILLER

ACTIVITIES AND VICTIM
SELECTION OF THE KILLER
 The individual known as Zodiac Killer is still unidentified. He has
murdered three women and four men, all of them between the ages of
sixteen and twenty nine.
 This points to the fact that he is targeting young people, but those who has
attained their maturity.
 The murders were committed in between the month of December 1968 and
October 1969.

TYPOLOGY OF THE ZODIAC
KILLER
 Serial murderers are usually classified in to different categories depending upon their way
of killing.
 This can be act focused or process focused, missionary or visionary, hedonists or power
seeking killers (Smith, 2018).
 The victims of Zodiac Killer have all been killed in a violent manner, either shot or stabbed.
As such, he can be classified under the typology of act focused that is those who kills their
victims in a quick manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE
INVESTIGATION
 The fact that the Zodiac Killer is yet to be apprehended even after the
death of seven innocent people is a big failure on the part of the police.
 Moreover, the Zodiac Killer has also sent certain number of letters to
the police out of which only one has been solved in a proper manner.
 The case is indeed unique and there is a wild speculation the Zodiac
Killer might be a hoax. However, the death of the people in the hands of
a serial killer is a dent on the power of the police force (Guide, 2015).

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE POLICE
METHODS
 The police were left baffled in the first few instances of the serial killing of the
Zodiac Killer.
 However, they soon started to receive letters from the serial killer. The police
thought that the solution of these letters will help them to catch the killer but
the cryptography was so difficult, they could only solve one of the letters.
 There is now the hope that DNA testing will allow them to apprehend the
serial killer.

PRESENT INVESTIGATION
TACTICS AND THEIR USAGE
• The resource of DNA testing will prove to be invaluable to know
the identity of the unmasked Zodiac Killer.
• The killings started nearly fifty years back in 1968, but even till
today, the killer is yet to be identified (Robinson, 2017).

WORK OF POLICE WITH OTHER
AGENCIES
• The letters provided by the Zodiac Killer were analyzed by
several psychiatrists who tried to identify the character of the
individual.
• According to the psychiatrists, the individual might be very
lonely and these acts are a way to grab the attention of the
people.

ROLE OF THE PUBLIC IN POLICE
INVESTIGATION
 The police warned the people about the existence of the Zodiac
Killer and advised the young people on safety mechanisms.
 Moreover the police asked the public to inform them immediately
if they had any suspicions regarding any individual or any
activity.

CURRENT STATUS OF ZODIAC
KILLER CASE
 The investigation is still ongoing. After 1969, no more killings
occurred until 2007 when rumors about the Zodiac Killer resurfaced.
 There is an attempt on part of the police to collect his DNA from the
stamps of the letters posted by him (Moyer, 2016).

REFERENCES
 Smith, J. (2018). Application of Investigative Psychology to Psychodynamic
and Human Development Theories: Examining Traits and Typologies of
Serial Killers (Doctoral dissertation).
 Moyer, J. (2016). And the Zodiac Killer is…. The Washington Post.
 Robinson, A. (2017). Cryptography: The codes that got
away. Nature, 546(7657), 208.
 Guide, L., 2015. Serial Killers: Jack the Ripper to the Zodiac Killer.

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