From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, the infamous "Zodiac Killer," who also went by the name "Zodiac," murdered five victims in California. During his murder spree, he left creepy messages to the press, and each letter was written through a particular cipher.

He substituted letters for various letters, numbers, and codes.

'Zodiac Killer' First Messages

The first three letters that the killer sent to the press in the Bay Area contained unique and specific parts of the cipher. The papers decided to print Zodiac's ciphers or cryptograms because the killer threatened everyone that he would start killing again if the press would not follow his instructions.

His first three ciphers were simple and easy to decode. It was solved in one week by Betty June Harden and Donald Gene on August 8, 1969.

The letter stated that he "likes killing people" because it is exhilarating and even more enjoyable than killing wild animals in the forest, mainly because humans are the most dangerous animals.

He said that killing gives him a thrilling experience.

The Zodiac also believed that he will be reborn in a paradise once he died, and everyone he has ever killed will return as his slaves. He admitted that he would never give out his real name because the police will try to stop him from collecting his "slaves."

'Zodiac Killer" Last Messages

According to IFLScience, Faycal Ziraoui claimed that he has finally cracked the code - the Zodiac's last two messages. He has reportedly done this by using the new encryption key that was discovered in December 2020.

The new solution claimed that the cipher does not really have its unique key, and that it only used a key that was already revealed in the previous letters.

Ziraoui stated that the key was the Z340 key that was deciphered in December 2020.

He translated the remaining letters into numerical digits, using A for 1, B for 2, C for 3, and so on. Ziraoui ended up with a set of 13 numbers: 4851414541545.

He then proceeded to solve each number's difference. For example, the difference between the first two digits, 4 and 8, is 4, and so on. After subtracting, he was left with a 12-number code: 434 333 113 411.

Using the Trifid alphabet, he unlocked four individual letters: K A Y R.

Read Also: Zodiac Killer's Cipher 340 Solved by Amateur Decoders Took 65,000 Simulations to Solve

The Real Identity of the 'Zodiac Killer'

It is a significant revelation because one of the probable people who the authorities suspect as Zodiac Killer in the case was Lawrence "Kane" Kaye. He became one of the main suspects of the Zodiac Killer murder spree.

Kaye served in the navy, where he participated in World War 2 right before going to California. As he moved to the city, he picked up several criminal convictions.

He lived in California when the Zodiac Killer was actively murdering people, and IFLScience claimed that he lost the ability to perceive and control gratification.

Several incidents also point to Kane as the real Zodiac Killer.

•  Kane also bothered Darlene Ferrin, one of the victims, at a restaurant identified by Darlene's sister.
•  Kathleen Johns ran from the alleged Zodiac Killer and identified Kane as the abductor.
•  A retired police veteran suggested that Kane's name was embedded in one of the Zodiac Killer's codes.

Related Article: Zodiac Killer's Cipher 340 Solved by Amateur Decoders Took 65,000 Simulations to Solve

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Written by Fran Sanders