Month: August 2012

900+ Pages of FBI Files on the Zodiac Killer Investigation

Once again, morf of Zodiackillersite has provided previously-unreleased FBI files obtained by Freedom of Information Act requests. Some of the 900+ pages have been presented online over the years, but some of the material has never been available to the public.

Morf has conveniently packaged the documents in 5 files in PDF format for easy downloading and viewing. The first file contains approximately 297 pages, most concerning the events surrounding Gareth Penn and Michael O’Hare during the 1980s. Also includes: letters from Penn as well as a copy of his original article for New West magazine titled Portrait of the Artist as a Mass Murderer. The second file contains approximately 172 pages. Included: the original “Special Report” produced by the California Department of Justice, a letter from the senior editor of New West magazine to the FBI, and a typed draft of Penn’s original article. The third file contains approximately 368 pages of handwriting samples and other material regarding a suspect as well as files regarding the Bureau’s handwriting analysis of various Zodiac letters and other questioned documents (some of this material fills in the gaps in the previously-released collection of FBI files). The fourth file contains approximately 27 pages from a weekly planner belonging to a suspect. The fifth file contains approximately 50 pages of documents regarding the Zodiac crime at Lake Berryessa. Included: a handwritten statement from the man who discovered victims Byran Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard, a report from the man who found Hartnell on the road near the crime scene, and more. (Some of these files have been added to the ZodiacKillerFacts Document Gallery in the Lake Berryessa Documents section.)

While these documents do not appear to contain any shocking revelations or smoking gun clues, the pages of FBI files contribute to the ongoing study of the case. Morf’s consistent generosity in making these files immediately available to researchers and others serves as a fine example of a positive contribution by members of the online community who work to learn more about the the Zodiac story.

CLICK HERE to view and download the previously-unreleased FBI files provided by morf.