Who Was The Zodiac Killer? Why Some Think Richard Marshall Was The Infamous Murderer
YouTubeRichard Marshall appeared to have multiple things in common with the Zodiac Killer.
Between 1969 and 1974, the Zodiac Killer sent over 20 letters, usually to local newspapers in Northern California. And certain details that he mentioned in the notes have led some to believe that the Zodiac Killer was movie projectionist and ham radio operator Richard Marshall.
According to History, the Zodiac Killer often dropped hints about his life and interests in his letters, and many of them aligned perfectly with Marshall’s. Both liked the film The Red Phantom, both apparently lived in basement apartments, and both liked felt-tip pens and unusually-sized paper.
“I must have a double floating around,” Marshall said during a 1989 TV interview, in which he also professed his innocence. “The characteristics you just mentioned fit me almost to a T.”
YouTubeRichard Marshall admitted that he shared interests with the Zodiac but denied being the killer.
As Voigt explains on his Zodiac Killer website, Marshall first emerged as a Zodiac Killer suspect in 1976 after he made “suspicious” comments over his ham radio. But some investigators don’t think he’s a strong suspect.
“Marshall makes good reading but not a very good suspect in my estimation,” said Napa County sheriff’s detective Ken Narlow.
Voigt also acknowledges that detectives visited Marshall at a care facility shortly before his death in 2008, and they somehow determined that he was not the murderer. But they didn’t — to the best of Voigt’s knowledge — test Marshall’s DNA. “Therefore, in my opinion,” Voigt wrote on his site, “Marshall remains a viable Zodiac suspect.”
