By Robert Scucci | Updated
As a fan of all things true crime, I spent my senior year in high school reading Robert Graysmith’s work. Zodiac And Zodiac unmasked books, unaware that a film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhall as the Zodiac-obsessed author was only a few years away from entering production. Every few years I revisit the case because there is something very seductive about such a high-profile serial killer case – especially one that is still open more than 50 years after the killer’s first alleged crime elusive in 1968. Functioning as an additional element of the actual criminal content, This is the zodiac speaking moves away from the media sensation surrounding the Zodiac murders and focuses on those who were close to the investigation’s main suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen.
Was Arthur Leigh Allen the Zodiac Killer?
Arthur Leigh Allen, who died in 1992, was either a victim of mistaken identity who was hounded by police until the day of his burial, or the real Zodiac Killer. This is the zodiac speaking revisits the case from the Seawater family’s perspective. Siblings David, Connie and Don welcomed Allen into their lives when the Navy veteran turned school teacher began dating their mother, Phyllis.
The Seawater siblings fondly remember their time with Allen back when the Zodiac Killer still regularly made headlines for his crimes, his threatening letters to the police and his cryptic cipher codes. Through their personal accounts of their childhood with Allen, they decided to tell their story, as they remember it over the decades, because there are too many coincidences linking Allen to the murders that only decades of hindsight could. help them replenish.
A series of coincidences and circumstantial evidence
This is the zodiac speaking convincingly demonstrates why Arthur Leigh Allen – the man who was such a positive father figure to David, Connie and Don when they were children – remains the main person of interest. Through Connie’s memories of the events, she reveals how Allen took her and her brothers on a road trip passing Tajiguas Beach in 1963, only to leave them in the car while he inspected the area . When he returned to the car, he had blood on his hands and they quickly left the beach.
Years later, the siblings learned that the timeline of their trip with Allen matched the murder of Robert Domingos and his fiancee Linda Edwards, who were killed in the same area. Forensic evidence suggests the killing fit Zodiac’s modus operandi, including pre-cut lengths of rope to tie up his subjects and their execution with a point-blank gunshot. Although this murder was never “officially” linked to the Zodiac rampage, which canonically began in 1968, the Seawater siblings claim he was in the area when the crime was committed.
In 1966, another incident involving Allen allegedly drugged the siblings during a trip to Riverside Racetrack. During this two-day ordeal, which they did not realize until later in life was a disastrous situation, the siblings learned that Cheri Josephine Bates had likely been stabbed to death while that they were unconscious.
The most overwhelming evidence of This is the zodiac speakingHowever, this was the period during which the elusive serial killer stopped contacting the police. Ironically, Arthur Leigh Allen was serving time for child molestation and was incarcerated at Atascadero State Hospital from 1974 to 1977. Shortly after Allen’s release, the letters to the police resumed.
A compelling argument is presented
It’s the zodiac Speaking is a frustrating watch, not because of any creative failure on the part of directors Ari Mark and Phil Lott, but because if the SeaWater The siblings sincerely try to tell the story of their involvement with Allen in an effort to close the case, they make a very convincing case that he is our man. Unfortunately, this “evidence” is circumstantial, anecdotal, and speculative at best.
Allen was subjected to multiple search warrants that failed to uncover enough physical evidence to properly try him for his alleged crimes, but as Connie opens up throughout this three-part docuseries, you would be hard-pressed to think of anyone else who checks the same boxes as a viable suspect.
If you’re already familiar with the work of Robert Graysmith, the cartoonist-turned-detective who devoted most of his adult life to the Zodiac case, then It’s the zodiac Speaking is an exceptional piece of additional true crime content that you’ll want to dive into. If you are just getting your feet wet, you may want to familiarize yourself with cold case on a more fundamental level, as it is a personal, subjective recollection of events that does not necessarily cover all physical evidence presented in other documentaries on the subject.
THIS IS THE TALKING ZODIAC REVIEW NOTE
You can broadcast This is the zodiac speaking with a Netflix subscription.
