Arthur Leigh Allen
- Many believe him to be the Zodiac killer, although there was never any conformation.
- Allen was brought in for questioning, but was eventually dismissed
Reasoning
- Letters to Riverside P.D. were typed on a Royal typewriter, the same brand Allen owned.
- Allen wore a Zodiac Brand wristwatch, inscribed with the same symbol the killer used as a signature.
- Lived in Vallejo, worked minutes away from one of the first murder sites.
Connection Between the Zodiac Killer and Arthur Leigh Allen
The Zodiac Killer
- Between December of 1968 and October of 1969, a serial killer ravaged northern California
- The murderer sent letters to the San Francisco Police Department claiming his kills.
- Each of his letters was encrypted with a code, that he claimed would reveal his identity, and signed with a cross-circle symbol.
- The Zodiac Killer was responsible for at least seven murders (four men and three women)
FBI Profiling Process
Psychology of Profiling
Antecedent: What fantasy or plan, or both, did the murderer have in place before the act? What triggered the murderer to act some days and not others?
Method and manner: What type of victim or victims did the murderer select? What was the method and manner of murder: shooting, stabbing, strangulation or something else?
Body disposal: Did the murder and body disposal take place all at one scene, or multiple scenes?
Postoffense behavior: Is the murderer trying to inject himself into the investigation by reacting to media reports or contacting investigators?
- Psychologist assist detectives in creating a "profile" of the suspects
- Profiling is used when investigating organized crime, in which physical evidence is not typically left behind.
- Profilers rely on behavioral psychology to determine traits of the unsubs.
- Previous Profilers have developed a set of characteristic associated with serial killers based on previous cases
Behavioral Similarities
Allen= Zodiac
- The personality traits Allen displayed identified him as a serial killer, while the physical evidence connected him specifically to the Zodiac Killer.
- Allen had been fired from several of his jobs, due to inappropriate behavior around children
- Allen had missed several days of work around the time that the murders occurred
- According to his brother, Allen had started drinking more regularly and gained weight.
- All of these are behaviors determined by psychologists to be those of a serial killer.