Earl Van Best Jr.: The Zodiac Killer Suspect Who Was Accused By His Son
San Francisco ChronicleA San Francisco Chronicle photo of Earl Van Best Jr. from coverage of his statutory rape trial.
When author Gary Stewart was asked about his thoughts on the Zodiac Killer’s identity, he had a curious response. In his 2014 book The Most Dangerous Animal of All, Stewart alleged that the mysterious murderer had been his biological father, a man named Earl Van Best Jr.
Stewart, who grew up with adoptive parents, was inspired to learn more about his biological father after his biological mother reached out. Van Best had eloped with Stewart’s mother when he was about 27 and she was just 14, and, according to History, later served time for statutory rape. But that’s not why Stewart thought that his father was the infamous murderer.
As SF Gate reports, Stewart learned that Van Best liked ciphers and the opera — especially The Mikado, which the Zodiac referenced in his letters. What’s more, an expert said that he had similar handwriting to the Zodiac.
TwitterGary Stewart thinks that his biological father could be the Zodiac Killer.
Stewart also believed that his father and the Zodiac shared animosity toward the same journalist. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery reported on the Zodiac, and received a Halloween card allegedly from the killer that read: “Peek a boo! You’re doomed. From your secret pal.” Avery happened to be the same reporter who covered Van Best’s statutory rape trial.
But though Stewart’s book promised to solve the mystery of the Zodiac Killer’s identity, critics found his methods lacking. As executive producer Ross Dinerstein and director Kief Davidson started to develop The Most Dangerous Animal of All into a documentary series, their private detective said that Van Best’s handwriting, fingerprints, and DNA didn’t match the Zodiac’s and that Van Best had been in Europe during the killer’s spree.
Still, Dinerstein is keeping an open mind about the Zodiac Killer’s identity. “I don’t think we’re ever going to know who the Zodiac Killer is,” he told Vulture. “I would be surprised if Earl Van Best Jr. is the Zodiac, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if Earl Van Best Jr. was involved or had some connection to it.”
Who Is The Zodiac Killer? The Chilling Case Against Jack Tarrance
YouTubeJack Tarrance was accused by his stepson, Dennis Kaufman.
Like Gary Stewart, Dennis Kaufman claimed that the Zodiac Killer had been a member of his family. In 2007, he alleged that his recently deceased stepfather, Jack Tarrance, had been the infamous murderer.
Kaufman offered the FBI several pieces of evidence, including a hood that his stepfather had owned with the Zodiac’s symbol on it, writing samples, a bloody knife, and a roll of film. In addition, he claimed that his stepfather had killed Kaufman’s mother.
Plus, Kaufman claimed that he had even spoken about the Zodiac Killer’s identity to Tarrance, who never denied that he could be the murderer.
San Francisco Police DepartmentThe Zodiac Killer allegedly wore this symbol during the Lake Berryessa attacks.
“If I wrote a book and said ‘I think my stepdad is the Zodiac Killer,’ they wouldn’t f—ing believe me anyway,” Kaufman allegedly told his stepfather, as reported by KQED. Kaufman says that in response, Tarrance just laughed and then quipped, “Why would you put that ‘I think’ on there?”
Tarrance had also served in the Air Force and the Navy and knew about cryptograms. And a handwriting expert seemed to believe that Tarrance’s handwriting bore a strong resemblance to the Zodiac Killer’s.
But Tarrance has largely been dismissed by law enforcement. The evidence that Kaufman gave the FBI was apparently not very compelling, and some investigators have questioned the credentials of the handwriting expert who examined Tarrance’s penmanship.
