{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/64f1fe0ba21165001136d51e/69976ac14c238f5dca6c92d1?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Zodiac Killer: The Cipher Years and the Bus Bomb Threat","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/64f1fe0ba21165001136d51e/1771962613902-1dacfb90-3cc6-4088-94a9-828e3da0f847.jpeg?height=200","description":"<ul><li>In the weeks after Paul Stine’s murder, the Bay Area waited for the next strike—but what came next wasn’t a confirmed attack. Instead, the Zodiac launched a long, unnerving campaign of letters, ciphers, and threats that kept the region in fear for years.</li><li>In <strong>Episode 7, “The Cipher Years,”</strong> we track the communications that defined the next phase of the case: the <strong>Dripping Pen card</strong>, the infamous <strong>Z340 cipher</strong>, shifting “scorecards,” and messages that escalated from taunting investigators to threatening mass harm.</li><li>We also examine major flashpoints from 1969–1970: the letter to celebrity attorney <strong>Melvin Belli</strong>, the disputed abduction of <strong>Kathleen Johns</strong>, the <strong>“My name is—”</strong> cipher, the <strong>Mount Diablo map</strong>, the <strong>“Little List”</strong> letter, and the chilling <strong>Halloween card</strong> sent to journalist <strong>Paul Avery</strong>.</li><li>This is the story of how the Zodiac may have paused his confirmed killings—but never stopped trying to control the narrative.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>00:00&nbsp;After Stine Fear</p><p>01:06&nbsp;Dripping Pen Card</p><p>01:58&nbsp;Z340 Cipher Arrives</p><p>34:43&nbsp;Building Trust First</p><p>36:55&nbsp;Assembling the Review Team</p><p>37:53&nbsp;Forensic Rethink and DNA</p><p>41:23&nbsp;AI Promise and Pitfalls</p><p>42:51&nbsp;Suspects and Linked Crimes</p><p>44:25&nbsp;Science in the Field</p><p>51:31&nbsp;Why Murders Get Solved</p><p>54:21&nbsp;Assumptions and Outliers</p><p>55:51&nbsp;Managing Media Tip Floods</p><p>01:01:36&nbsp;Ego Games and Wrap Up</p><ul><li><br></li><li><strong>Next episode:</strong> the investigation itself—how multiple agencies coordinated, what evidence they had, and why an arrest never came.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The Robert Black Murders mentioned in this episode can be found in season 1 Episodes 3-8</p><p><br></p><p>You can buy the books mentioned in the podcast's by clicking the links below</p><p><br></p><p>Tom's Best Selling Book:</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruxton-Modern-Murder-Tom-Wood/dp/1901514846/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TCP7L0ILKBXM&amp;keywords=ruxton+the+first+modern+murder+by+tom+wood&amp;qid=1702815892&amp;sprefix=the+ruxton+%25252Caps%25252C104&amp;sr=8-1&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=amapola08-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=5a652d1ba6dce19274f4d787087f701d&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ruxton: The First Modern Murder Paperback Edition</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruxton-Modern-Murder-Tom-Wood-ebook/dp/B08GSS8F98/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1702815892&amp;sr=8-1&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=amapola08-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=43de4ff40e2f816ff3bd3d28c3b09705&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ruxton: The First Modern Murder Kindle Edition</a></p><p><br></p><p>Simon's Best Selling Book:</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-Percent-Scottish-Undercover-Officers/dp/1912885298?&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=amapola08-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=c03180edb0c3a501a460b999ce399c9d&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Ten Percent Paperback Edition</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ten-Percent-Scottish-Undercover-Officers-ebook/dp/B0CM9BFH1R/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=amapola08-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=15f0cb94b3aff13c6ab7327196ffb2e2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Ten Percent Kindle Edition</a></p><p><br></p><p>Our Website: https://crimetimeinc.com/</p><p><br></p><p>If you like this show please leave a review. It really helps us.</p><p><br></p><p>Please help us improve our Podcast by completing this survey.</p><p><br></p><p>http://bit.ly/crimetimeinc-survey</p><p><br></p><ul><li>zodiac killer, zodiac cipher years, z340 cipher, dripping pen card, melvin belli zodiac letter, kathleen johns zodiac, mount diablo map, paul avery halloween card, zodiac killer letters, zodiac killer timeline</li></ul>","author_name":"Crime Time Inc"}