Who Were the Zodiac Killer’s Victims? A Clear Timeline of the Five Confirmed Murders

The Zodiac Killer terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s, committing a series of brutal attacks and taunting police and the public with cryptic letters and ciphers. While the attacker claimed many more victims in his correspondence, investigators have definitively linked five murders to the Zodiac and two surviving victims provided crucial testimony.

Confirmed Victims and Attacks

Dec. 20, 1968 — Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday

Sixteen-year-old Betty Lou Jensen and 17-year-old David Arthur Faraday were on a first date when they were shot to death on Lake Herman Road in Benicia, California. Their bodies were found outside their car by a passerby. This is the earliest attack commonly attributed to the Zodiac Killer.

July 4, 1969 — Darlene Ferrin and Michael Renault Mageau

In Vallejo’s Blue Rock Springs Park, 22-year-old Darlene Ferrin was killed and 19-year-old Michael Renault Mageau was seriously wounded after an assailant reportedly approached Ferrin’s parked car and opened fire. Mageau survived and later identified a suspect in a photo lineup. The attacker later called 911 to claim responsibility for this double shooting and referenced the earlier Lake Herman Road killings.

Sept. 27, 1969 — Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell

While picnicking at Lake Berryessa in Benicia, 22-year-old Cecelia Shepard was fatally stabbed and her companion, Bryan Hartnell, was left wounded but survived. Witnesses and Hartnell reported that the assailant wore a hood and verbally threatened them; the attacker also carved the dates of previous attacks onto the victims’ car door.

Oct. 11, 1969 — Paul Stine

Twenty-nine-year-old Paul Stine, a San Francisco cab driver, was shot and killed after picking up a passenger. The perpetrator later mailed a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle that included a blood-stained piece of Stine’s shirt as proof and signed it, "This is the Zodiac speaking." This murder took place within San Francisco city limits, unlike several earlier northern-bay-area attacks.

Survivors, Letters and Ciphers

Two men survived separate attacks and provided important testimony: Michael Mageau (shot at Blue Rock Springs) and Bryan Hartnell (stabbed at Lake Berryessa). The Zodiac gained notoriety for sending taunting letters, some containing ciphers. The so-called "408" cipher was solved soon after its release by Donald and Bettye Harden and included the chilling line "I like killing because it is so much fun." In December 2020, a long-unsolved cipher was cracked by David Oranchak, Sam Blake and Jarl Van Eycke, revealing more of the killer’s taunts and references to media appearances.

Suspects and the Ongoing Investigation

Over the years several suspects have been publicly named, but none have ever been charged. Arthur Leigh Allen was a long-standing focus of investigators; he died in 1992 and was never prosecuted. Other claims include Gary Stewart’s 2014 book accusing his father Earl Van Best Jr., and a 2021 assertion by a private team called The Case Breakers naming Gary Francis Poste. The FBI has stated the Zodiac case remains unsolved and open; as of December 2025 no one has been formally charged in connection with these crimes.

Why the Case Still Resonates

The Zodiac case remains deeply compelling because it combines unsolved violent crime, surviving eyewitness accounts, tantalizing but incomplete cryptograms, and persistent amateur and professional investigation. It has spawned books, documentaries (including the 2024 Netflix film This Is the Zodiac Speaking), and ongoing scrutiny—yet the killer’s identity has not been legally established.

Note: This article compiles facts verified by press reports, historical records and recent public announcements. Where multiple spellings or minor discrepancies exist in historical sources (for example in given names), commonly accepted forms are used.