After Fifty Years The Zodiac Killer’s Secret Code Has Been Cracked


One of history’s most notorious killers from the 1960s and ’70s is still only known today as the “Zodiac Killer.” For years the only thing the police had to go by was an obscure sketch of the suspect, several taunting letters sent to the San Francisco Bay Area press, and a mysterious cipher called the “340 Cipher” that is made up of 340 different letters and characters.

For over 50 years the secret messages baffled the police and anyone who tried to crack its code.

Until now.

A team of code breakers in the United States, Australia, and Belgium claimed to have deciphered the letters and reported their findings to the FBI.

A spokesman for FBI San Francisco, Cameron Rogers Polan said in a statement, “The FBI is aware that a cipher attributed to the Zodiac Killer was recently solved by private citizens. The Zodiac Killer case remains an ongoing investigation for the FBI San Francisco Division and our local law enforcement partners.”

“The Zodiac Killer terrorized multiple communities across Northern California and even though decades have gone by, we continue to seek justice for the victims of these brutal crimes,” Polan continued. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”

Team member and expert code breaker David Oranchak said one of the cipher’s messages includes, “I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me… I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me.”

Oranchak spent many years studying the 340 Cipher. He said in an email to the Chronicle, “Last weekend, a team I’m on solved the 340 and submitted it to the FBI. They have confirmed the solution. No joke! This is the real deal.”

 

The Zodiac Killer is believed to have been responsible for at least five murders in the San Francisco area in 1968 and 1969.

Unlike most other serial killers, the Zodiac Killer sent letters to the newspaper and police taunting them with the strange ciphers and letters in which he claimed to have killed as many as 37 people.

As of today, the identity of the killer remains unknown but he still has a spot on the list of history’s most infamous serial killers.

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