Michael Butterfield

MONSTER: THE ZODIAC KILLER – LIVE @ THE DEATH BECOMES US True Crime Festival

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On March 24th, I will be a guest at the “Death Becomes Us” true crime festival in New York City for a live episode of the podcast Monster: The Zodiac Killer with executive producer Payne Lindsey and narrator Matt Frederick, followed by a Q&A session including producer Meredith Stedman and Monster executive producer and Tenderfoot TV co-founder Donald Albright. The 5-day event also features Golden State killer criminalist Paul Holes and legendary FBI profiler John Douglas. Sponsors include: HLN, Audible, Oxygen, and Stitcher. Details below, some tickets for some events are still available.

Tuesday March 19: “Pre-Game” show in partnership with Strand Bookstore: Cara Robertson, author of The Trial of Lizzie Borden, and Harold Schechter, author of Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men talk with Refinery 29’s Leah Carroll, author of Down City: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Memory, and Murder.

Wednesday March 20: Official Death Becomes Us – True Crime Festival Opening Party @ Bar Schimmi, followed by the Yellow Tape true crime trivia show.

Thursday March 21: Death row survivor and author Damien Echols talks about life after serving 18-years in prison, with friend and actor Dave Hill. Then, writer Billy Jensen talks with criminalist/investigator Paul Holes about their work on the Golden State killer case, the completion of Michelle McNamara’s book, and the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo. Later: a screening of David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac.

Friday March 22: Criminalist Paul Holes talks with HLN’s Jax Miller & Sarah Cailean about strategies and investigation techniques in a new true crime series. Later: Forensic Files Uncorked w/ Wine & Crime podcast hosts Amanda, Kenyon, and Lucy.

Saturday March 23: Legendary FBI profiler John Douglas (Mindhunter) talks about wrongful convictions with Amanda Knox and Damien Echols. Later: a live episode Oxygen’s true crime podcast Martinis & Murder hosted by John Thrasher and Daryn Carp.

Sunday March 24: A live episode of Monster: The Zodiac Killer, with producer Payne Lindsey, host Matt Frederick, and writer Michael Butterfield, followed by a Q&A session with producer Meredith Stedman and Monster executive producer and Tenderfoot TV co-founder Donald Albright. Then, the closing show, Murder She Wrote: The Ladies of True Crime, with authors Carolyn Murnick (The Hot One), Piper Weiss (You All Grow Up And Leave Me), and Leah Carroll (Down City) discuss women in the true crime genre, moderated by Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita.

ZODIAC ROUNDTABLE RADIO SERIES

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In June 2018, I traveled to San Francisco to participate in an upcoming Zodiac project. As usual, the trip included some free time between appointments and I took a walk in the city. My hotel was near the intersection of Mason and Geary, where some investigators and researchers believe the Zodiac had selected his last known victim, cabdriver Paul Stine, in 1969.

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The intersection had changed in many ways in the decades since, but one thing remained the same, the PineCrest Diner, established in 1969. I decided to dine at PineCrest. Joining me that evening was software engineer and noted cipher expert David Oranchak, also the owner of the website ZodiacKillerCiphers.com. I had communicated with Dave via emails and online chats, but this was our first in-person meeting. I quickly discovered that Dave was intelligent, insightful, and funny as we discussed various aspects of the Zodiac saga. We met again the next day for another meal and another great discussion.

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As I often note in public interviews, I am not an expert regarding ciphers or cryptography, and, I rely on people like David Oranchak to help me understand the complex issues surrounding the Zodiac’s ciphers. I read Dave’s numerous articles online and watched videos of his presentations to the NSA’s Cryptologic Symposium, but talking with him in person was a very different experience. I was immediately struck by Dave’s ability to simplify some issues and offer accessible explanations. Many of us can examine and reject a proposed cipher solution but Dave could provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the solution’s pros and cons. Like many people, I am fascinated by this part of the Zodiac mystery, and I appreciated Dave’s thoughts and observations.

Shortly after my San Francisco trip, I was planning the next episode of the audio series The Zodiac Files with House of Mystery radio host and author Alan R. Warren. Al mentioned that he wanted to do an extended series of episodes about the Zodiac killer. The expanded format provided time for more in-depth discussion of various issues, and we decided to invite others to join the program. David Oranchak was a natural choice, along with Mike Morford, host of the Murder in the Family podcast and the owner of ZodiacKillerSite.com. The result was a late night, 4-hour marathon recording session, and I enjoyed the interesting and sometimes amusing conversation with Mike, Dave, and Al, covering a range of topics including the Zodiac crimes, the letters, the mysterious ciphers, the theories, suspects, and much more.

The original radio broadcast aired in Los Angeles, California, and the episodes are now available online at the House of Mystery channel on YouTube, Spreaker, and other audio streaming sources.

Click on the links below to listen to The “Zodiac Roundtable” discussion with webmaster Mike Morford (ZodiacKillerSite.com), cipher expert David Oranchak (ZodiacKillerCiphers.com), writer Michael Butterfield (ZodiacKillerFacts.com), and host Al Warren.

ZR EP #1: Zodiac suspects – Arthur Leigh Allen, Ross Sullivan, and more

ZR EP #2: Zodiac Ciphers – The Zodiac’s 408 Cipher and more

ZR EP #3: Zodiac Letters – The Zodiac’s messages and unsolved ciphers

ZR EP #4: Zodiac Connections – Cheri Jo Bates and the “Riverside Connection”

Listen to more interviews and podcasts here: ZODIAC AUDIO

The ZODIAC FILES

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The Zodiac killer is once again in the news after the arrest of The Golden State Killer. Authorities in Vallejo, Napa, and San Francisco have renewed efforts to obtain DNA from stamps, envelopes, and other evidence with hopes that the forensic genealogy techniques used to identify Joseph James DeAngelo as  the Golden State Killer could also identify the elusive “Zodiac.”

Host Alan R. Warren and writer Michael Butterfield discuss the Golden State Killer investigation and the search for Zodiac DNA in the latest episode of HOUSE OF MYSTERY: The ZODIAC FILES. Previous episodes are now available at the new YouTube channel The Zodiac Files with Michael Butterfield.

The new issue of True Crime: Case Files magazine features the new article Devil in the Dark: DNA and the Hunt for America’s Most Elusive Serial Killers.

ZodiacKillerFACTS now includes a collection of selected audio interviews featuring Zodiac cipher expert David Oranchak, podcast host/webmaster Mike Morford, and writer Michael Butterfield.

NEWAIRTALK – “DNA: Zodiac and the Golden State Killer w/ host Larry Mantle – Guests: Anita Chabria, social justice reporter, Sacramento Bee, and Michael Butterfield. [Aired May 4, 2018, NPR affiliate KPCC California]