All Evidence Arthur Leigh Allen is not the killer

The end of David Fincher Zodiac Reflects the sad truth of a real-life crime – the evidence simply isn’t there to name Arthur Leigh Allen the Zodiac Killer. Allen was a prime suspect in a truly baffling case, but how ZodiacAs the end shows, the mountain of circumstantial evidence is not enough to incriminate Allen before he died of a heart attack. Zodiac is based on the book of the same name by Robert Graysmith, who is a prominent figure in the film. His book chronicles the mysterious serial killer’s reign of terror over Northern California.

in 2007 Zodiac Movie, a police officer and two reporters become obsessed with discovering his identity. Their obsession builds as the killer claims victims and taunts the authorities with letters. As depicted in one of the best David Fincher movies, those investigating the case so badly wanted to end the horror that the killer weakened on their area, to the point of settling on their best guess for the killer, instead of finding someone who matched hard Say. Fear, trauma and heartbreak led to Arthur Leigh Allen being wrongly identified as the Zodiac Killer.

Arthur Leigh Allen is not the Zodiac Killer

The real Zodiac Killer has not yet been identified

Some events may have been a little exaggerated for the sake of the movie, but ultimately the events of Zodiac went down the same way they did in real life. Arthur Lee Allen was a prime suspect for years with hard evidence against him. Just when it looked like the police might have a break in the case, Allen died unexpectedly of natural causes. On paper, it really seemed as if Allen was the famous Zodiac serial killer. But the physical evidence simply wasn’t there, meaning it couldn’t be him.

Investigators and the citizens of Northern California simply believed it was Allen because they needed to repair the damage the Zodiac Killer had caused in their community. The fear, anger, and pain in the Bay Area are tangible, and Zodiac Just demonstrated that through the lens of Graysmith, Toschi and Paul Avery.

These men wanted to save their community so much that they surrendered everything. As Avery was a crime journalist in the ChronicleHe became obsessed with the zodiac case, to the point that he started receiving death threats, and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. Toshi’s obsession led to accusations that he dropped a zodiac letter, causing his department to demote him.

Zodiac Also describes how, once Graysmith went public with his book, his family started getting calls with heavy breathing. His wife was so disturbed by his all-consuming obsession with the Zodiac Killer that she divorced him. The people needed Allen to be the Zodiac Killer because they needed California’s pain to stop. Although there was never any physical evidence, accepting him as the killer put some minds at ease. Unfortunately, the families of the victims depicted in Zodiac Will never have that same comfort.

Arthur Leigh Allen’s handwriting did not match the Zodiac Killer’s handwriting

The infamous letter proves that Allen is not the Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer began to make a name for himself through handwritten letters. Early in the movie, he started to send letters to The San Francisco ChronicleBragging and teasing them. Finding a match for the handwriting would mean the authorities have their man. Police officer Dave Toschi believed they had a good start with Arthur Leigh Allen.

Toshi began to suspect Allen for several reasons. He was wearing a Zodiac watch that bore the same symbol written on all the anonymous letters of the Zodiac Killer. Allen’s personality also fits that of a serial killer. He was on the quiet side, socially awkward and was a known pedophile.

Toshi analyzed Allen’s handwriting and was devastated to find it wasn’t a match. Arthur Leigh Allen was partially ambidextrous, and both hands were tested. Still, there is nothing. Although Allen’s script may not have come back as a match, the accidental evidence was enough to keep Arthur Leigh Allen at the top of his mind throughout the rest of the investigation of the Zodiac case in the real-life-based movie.

Police officers and journalists were harassed by the killer. Several suspects emerged, but none were as strong as Arthur Leigh Allen. The first writing sample did not agree, but he was not dismissed by the authorities. Arthur Leigh Allen was the first ray of light in a dark and terrible time for the people of the San Francisco area – the journalists and police officers taunted by the zodiac were not ready to let it go.

Ballistics and prints from a Zodiac murder scene didn’t match Arthur Leigh Allen

Physical evidence does not point to Arthur Lee Allen being the Zodiac Killer

like Zodiacs movie portrayal of the true story shows, The case against Arthur Leigh Allen lacked physical evidence, But Toshi still couldn’t let it go. He went for a second opinion about the manuscripts and received some encouraging news. The second handwriting analyst shared a theory that a personality change can bring about other changes in a person, such as his handwriting. But a theory based on guesswork is not enough to convict someone as the killer, so Toschi and his team got a search warrant to search Allen’s trailer.

The police officers found enough evidence that would have hypothetically nailed Arthur Lee Allen, who was, of course, the main suspect in the real Zodiac case. He owned the same wind breaker that was found at the scene. His shoe and glove size matched the zodiac’s sizes. He had a gun. Allen was in the area when one of the Zodiac killings occurred. He fits the profile perfectly, but somehow the second script pattern, ballistics and the prints in his trailer don’t match the zodiac.

Toshi, like others involved in the investigation, was obsessed with the idea of ​​Arthur Leigh Allen being the Zodiac Killer. So he was shocked and devastated to learn that there was not an ounce of physical evidence pointing to the fact that Allen was the murderer. Toshi even admits in the movie that he’s not sure if he really thought Allen was the Zodiac, or just wanted it to be him.

Fear and uncertainty gripped his hometown. As shown by Robert Graysmith, some people are too afraid to ever let their children out of their sight. Toshi just wanted the serial killer chase, depicted in the movie, to be over.

What happened to real-life Zodiac killer suspect Arthur Leigh Allen

Allen died before the identity of the Zodiac Killer was discovered

Arthur Leigh Allen, a native of California who was born in 1933, had a checkered past at the time when the Zodiac investigation began. He was in trouble with the law for sexually abusing children, which, among other reasons, made his innocence seem less and less likely. It is also reported that he was dishonorably discharged from the Navy in the 1950s.

Allen died of heart failure in 1992, and a Zodiac Killer-related documentary entitled His name was Arthur Leigh Allen was released a year later, in 2007. Despite everything, there was never actually enough evidence to prove that Allen was the infamous serial killer Zodiac Focused on.

Who are the other Zodiac Killer suspects?

Arthur Leigh Allen was one of several people who could be the Zodiac Killer

The real Zodiac Killer was famously never caught, and although the Zodiac Movie puts its focus on Arthur Leigh Allen, There are actually four main suspects (including Allen) that the police are looking at. The Zodiac Killer has created terror and mystery for years, inspiring characters like the Riddler in The Batman And further – mostly because he was never caught. While Arthur Leigh Allen is the popular choice when identifying the serial killer, there were three other contenders that police believe may have been responsible for the killings.

Richard Gaikowski, for example, was a key suspect on the police’s radar Except Allen, and he looks very similar to police sketches. Gajkowski was born in 1936 and died in 2004 of cancer. He served a short time in the Army as a medic and moved to San Francisco in 1963. The first of the Zodiac murders was less than five miles from his house at the time. When asked for an alibi, he claimed he was out of the country at the time of some of the murders. However, passport records proved that this was a lie.

Another popular choice besides Allen was A man named Rick Marshall, whose real name was Joe Don Dickey. Marshall/Dickie lived in and around the bay for 40 years before he died from issues related to Parkinson’s disease. During the Zodiac murders, he worked in a silent movie theater and also served a stint in the Navy. He became a suspect in 1976 after he made suspicious comments on his ham radio – plus, one of the Zodiac Killer’s letters was written on his birthday.

The final suspect outside of Allen is Lawrence Klein, who was under the alias (one of many) Larry Kane. Kane has an extensive criminal background dating all the way back to the 1940s. Zodiac victim Darlene Ferrin’s sister has claims Kane followed her sister for months leading up to the murder. Additionally, possible Zodiac abductor Kathleen Johns positively identified Kane as her abductor. He eventually died in 2010 in Reno, Nevada. So, while Zodiac Focusing primarily on Allen, there were other suspects who fit the bill.

The Zodiac case is still open

The identity of the Zodiac Killer is still a mystery

It’s been over 50 years since the Zodiac Killer began his reign of terror in California, and the case remains unsolved. However, this does not mean that it is not still being worked on by detectives. The case was thrown into the cultural zeitgeist again in October 2021 when it was reported by TMZ That an investigative team composed of journalists, law enforcement and military intelligence officers known as “the case breakers” has discovered the identity of the Zodiac killer and named him to be Gary Francis Post, further dispelling the Arthur Leigh Allen rumors.

However, the FBI almost immediately spoke out against the report. Both the FBI and California law enforcement disputed that the identity of the Zodiac killer was found out TMZs report, but what is more interesting is that both law enforcement agencies revealed that the case is still open.

This means that even over 50 years in the future, the identity of the Zodiac Killer is still being investigated, which is, of course, great news for the families of the victims. It is unclear exactly how high the investigation goes or how big of a team is responsible for pouring over evidence. However, it is possible that more answers will be found on the subject of Zodiac With another look.

John Carroll Lynch is going to actually play killers

Lynch took on another infamous American serial killer

One of the things that makes Arthur Leigh Allen such a compelling character in Zodiac is the performance given by actor John Carroll Lynch. In the director’s commentary for the film, David Fincher revealed that while filming the scene in which Allen is interviewed by the detectives, He urged Lynch to continue to switch back and forth between playing a man who is completely innocent and a man who is the Zodiac Killer. And is trying to hide it.

Lynch’s role is brief, but he leaves a lasting impact that haunts the movie. However, those familiar with Lynch’s work may not have been surprised by how effective the actor is in the role of a killer. Although Lynch has played a number of likable and warm characters over the years, he is also known for some villainous roles. One of his most underrated performances is as Pruitt in the intense thriller The invitationWith Lynch perfectly playing the role of what begins as an awkward dinner guest only to reveal something more sinister.

Ironically, although Lynch played a man accused of being the Zodiac Killer, Lynch went on to play another infamous real-life serial killer. As one of the regular actors in the anthology horror series American Horror Story, Lynch played John Wayne Gacy in the season of the show, American Horror Story: Hotel. It’s another chilling performance, but one very different from Lynch’s turn as Allen in Zodiac, showing the actor’s amazing talents.