PA - Lindy Sue Biechler, 19, fatally stabbed, Lancaster County, 5 Dec 1975 *arrest in 2022*

[morf13]

In his letter writing,this guy sounds like the infamous Zodiac killer of California. He might just be a COPYCAT,but i think he's at least read,or been influenced by the Zodiac letters.Heres why:

1-This writer said ", you print this Letter in the paper along with a Picture in Friday nights Lancaster Paper and saturday mornings paper"

In a letter to the San Fran chronicle,Zodiac said "I want you to print this cipher on the front page by Fry afternoon Aug. 1/1969"
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2-This writer said "Just Eats up your heart knowing you havn't caught me yet" (note the speling error in the word HAVEN'T,Zodiac mispelled words)

Zodiac said "Hey pig doesnt it rile you up to have your nose rubbed in your booboos" in an 11/9/69 letter to the SF chronicle
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3- This writer said "I'll tell you what Chief Pig"

Zodiac wrote "I enjoy needling the blue pigs,hey blue pig" in a letter the SF Chronicle 11/9/69
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4-This writer wrote "but god please chief help me I am loosing my mind help me before I kill again, the headaches kill me Every time it aches, the Drugs only Calm it temporarily. "

Zodiac wrote "the one thing i ask is this,please help me.I am finding it extreamly difficult to hold it in check I am afraid i will lose control again and take my nineth and possibly tenth victom. Please help me i am drownding,please help me, i cannot remain in control for much longer" in a letter to San Fran attorney Melvin Belli on 12/20/60,which was the one year anniversary of the first confirmed Zodiac victims,David faraday & Betty Lou Jensen
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This writer describes himself as "I am 5'10" tall 205 LBS fat and Beautiful "

Zodiac attacked at Lake berryessa,and left a size 10.5 print from a military boot called a wingwalker.The imprints in the soil indicated he weighed more than 210 lbs. One victim,Cecilia Sheppard,died of her wounds,10 stab wounds in all.The surviving witness,Brian Hartnell,described Zodiac as close to 6 ft tall with a heavy build. One description from witnesses at the scene of the Paul Stine attack,said that Zodiac was 25-30 year old white male,5 ft 8 -5 ft 9,with a stocky build.
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This guy either has to be Zodiac,or he was definately influenced by the Zodiac. The stuff he writes,sounds too much like Zodiac. And the way he describes himself,is like the description of Zodiac.


Does anyone have the actual photo of this letter that was written? I would like to compare the writing to Zodiac's. Zodiac's last Confirmed letter to newspaper/police was in 1974. If this is Zodiac,perhaps he moved to this IND. area?
Some opinions please!

 

[gaia227]

Hi Morf - I have thought about the Zodiac in regards to Lindy's murder. I have studied the Zodiac, not as extensively as you have, but enough. I think if anything this person was influenced by the Zodiac and not Zodiac himself. It certainly doesn't fit Zodiac's M.O. to enter someone's house and stab them to death with their own kitchen knife. Of course, M.O.'s can change and serial killers evolve but it doesn't seem right.

I have never been able to find an original copy of the letter sent to police. I don't think they released it. The handwriting is described as loose and loopy. Here is a description of the letter and the handwriting.
http://lindyandchristy.com/articlesstories12.html

 

[morf13]

Hi Morf - I have thought about the Zodiac in regards to Lindy's murder. I have studied the Zodiac, not as extensively as you have, but enough. I think if anything this person was influenced by the Zodiac and not Zodiac himself. It certainly doesn't fit Zodiac's M.O. to enter someone's house and stab them to death with their own kitchen knife. Of course, M.O.'s can change and serial killers evolve but it doesn't seem right.

I have never been able to find an original copy of the letter sent to police. I don't think they released it. The handwriting is described as loose and loopy. Here is a description of the letter and the handwriting.
http://lindyandchristy.com/articlesstories12.html

Actually Gaia,there was a victim in Calif,that alot of people think may have been a Zodiac victim that was abducted/killed,upon entering her Boyfriends' apartment while he was at work. Her name was LEONA ROBERTS.Heres her story:
Leona Roberts, 16, was last seen Nov. 10, 1969 in front of her boyfriend's apartment on Tormey Road in Rodeo. Her body was found at Bolinas Lagoon near Point Reyes on Dec. 28, 1969.

Also,dont forget Donna Lass. She is a nurse who dissapeared from Lake Tahoe area. ALOT of Zodiac sleuths defintaely think she could have been a zodiac victim.Donna Lass worked as a nurse at the Sahara Tahoe resort casino in Stateline, Nevada. On September 6, 1970, she signed her last entry in her log book at 1:50 a.m. She was never seen leaving the Sahara, however her car was found at her apartment complex at Stateline. Lass, then 25, was never seen again. So her car did show up at her apartment complex,which means she may have made it into her apt.

Let me also remind you of one thing that i have been thinking of ever since i read about Lindy's murder earlier today. In the year 2009, cable news shows,and CNN,and cell phones,and the internet,make news real-time. You are almost there while its happening. If you wanted to be a Zodiac copycat,it would be a piece of cake.There are even several sites dedicated to the Zodiac.
But during the mid 70's,during the time Lindy was murdered,there was NO cell phones,emails,CNN,internet,etc. If you read about crimes,you got them on your local news on tv or in the paper,or you read a magazine article. And as a matter of fact,the Zodiac murders were well known.....in California.
Outside of California,Zodiac was not that big a story. So what bothers me,is how did the writer of this letter,take so much from the Zodiac letters,and describe his appearance,as so closely matching the Zodiac appearance,without having all the Zodiac info at his fingertips? You are talking 3000 miles apart on separate coasts!

Like i also said,Zodiac was writing to the papers alot in the late 60's and early 70's. Then after his last confirmed letter of 1971,he didnt write another confirmed letter until 1974. After that letter,there are no more confirmed letters from him. Then we have this murder in PA,a year later. Perhaps he was paranoid and moved to PA. I know its a longshot that Z was responsible for this attack,but its worth a look.

Opinions please.

 

[JulieR]

Morf13

I have never studied the Zodiac, did any of his victims feel they were being stalked before they were murdered (Just wondering)?

You make a lot of great comparisons in the letters, you should drop the local police a line with your thoughts. Maybe they can compare the letters.

 

[morf13]

Morf13

I have never studied the Zodiac, did any of his victims feel they were being stalked before they were murdered (Just wondering)?

You make a lot of great comparisons in the letters, you should drop the local police a line with your thoughts. Maybe they can compare the letters.

YES! One of the victims was darlene ferrin killed 7/4/69. She was a waitress at a restaurant. She had some male "admirers". There were reports of some of them being parked out in front of her house. Her babysitter even said that. Also,there was an infamous "painting party" that was said to occurred at her house,in which an older man dressed in a suit,showed up,and creeped everyone out. Darlene was said to be nervous about this man,and said he once killed someone. Also,on the night she was killed,her passenger,and fellow victim,Mike Mageau stated that she was acting as if she knew the Zodiac before he struck,but she told him not to worry about who he was..
Now the above info about Darlene ferrin,is VERY MUCH DISPUTED within the Zodiac researcher community. Some say it was made up by author Robert Greysmith,who wrote ZODIAC(the book the movie is based on)Also,Darlenes husband has said that there never was a PAINTING PARTY at his house(although there has been speculation by some that this PAINTING PARTY was actually everything from a DRUG party to a OCCULT party to an ORGY) And as far as admirers at her restaurant,they never did nail anyone down conclusively. But with all the chatter of her having a stalker,or knowing Zodiac,i tend to believe that at least some of it is true.

 

[JulieR]

Wouldn't it be wild if after all these years the letter to the Lancaster Co., Pa. police was from the Zodiac. I am sure that is something they never checked. From what the local police said rarely do killers write letters to the police. I would copy and paste your post with the comparisons and send it to them. Maybe it would renew a little interest in the case.

While I am pretty sure it was not him, because the locals said this appeared to be done by someone that didn't kill before (sloppy). It also sounded like the letter was wrote in cursive and from the little I have seen on the Zodiac his were printed, but could be wrong. I do think it is very interesting that someone would say a lot of comparable things.

 

[txsvicki]

I was googling this case and found an article stating that both the killer and the letter writer may have been left handed, according to profilers. According to some studies, left handed men may be able to think more like a woman and are intelligent and creative. A left handed male killer might have the ability to write a letter and appear effiminate.

http://lindyandchristy.com/articlesstories13.html

 

[morf13]

Wouldn't it be wild if after all these years the letter to the Lancaster Co., Pa. police was from the Zodiac. I am sure that is something they never checked. From what the local police said rarely do killers write letters to the police. I would copy and paste your post with the comparisons and send it to them. Maybe it would renew a little interest in the case.

While I am pretty sure it was not him, because the locals said this appeared to be done by someone that didn't kill before (sloppy). It also sounded like the letter was wrote in cursive and from the little I have seen on the Zodiac his were printed, but could be wrong. I do think it is very interesting that someone would say a lot of comparable things.

The odds of it being Zodiac are slim. BUT, he knew (or seemed to know) alot about Zodiac. If he wrote all that stuff,and it was an accident,then that may be the BIGGEST coincidence ever. I really dont think somebody on the east coast,before CNN & The internet,could have had so much Zodiac material to reference,the way this writer seemed to have done. One thing to note,the Zodiac killer also was known to write letters taking credit for other peoples murders that he read about.Perhaps Zodiac may have done that even if he wasnt the actual killer. I would look at other unsolved murders in the PA area during the early to mid 1970's,to see if any of them match Zodiac's style,such as secluded lovers lane murders,and secluded beach murders,those were his two most well known MO's. Also,cabbie murders. He killed San Fran cabbie Paul Stine. It seems like if you want to just kill somebody for fun,kill a cabbie or hooker.It seems like those cases never get solved.



Remember the Zodiac wrote on a regular basis to the papers/police from 1969-1971,then abrubtlt stopped. There wasnt another confirmed Zodiac letter until 1974,and no confirmed letters after that. Perhaps Zodiac moved out to PA in 1971,or got transferred there for work? Then he went back to visit in 1974,and mailed that last letter,dubbed the "exorcist letter" (as it referenced the movie THE EXORCIST) In that letter he wrote " I AM BACK WITH YOU" BACK? Where was he. He could have wrote i am STILL with you.

 

[morf13]

I was googling this case and found an article stating that both the killer and the letter writer may have been left handed, according to profilers. According to some studies, left handed men may be able to think more like a woman and are intelligent and creative. A left handed male killer might have the ability to write a letter and appear effiminate.

http://lindyandchristy.com/articlesstories13.html

There was alot of talk of Zodiac being ambidextrious,and that he could write with both hands,thus explaining why nobody ever came forward to say they recognized Zodiacs writing. Heres are confirmed Zodiac writing samples.I wish we could view the writing that the letter writer sent about Lindy. By the way,in these Zodiac letters,look at how much stuff sounds like Lindy's letter writer.

 

[morf13]

One more thing i noticed. Lindy's letter writer wrote the following:


"but god please chief help me I am loosing my mind"


The Zodiac wrote
"I am afraid i will loose control"

Notice the same spelling error between the Lindy letter writer,and Zodiac?

The correct spellings are LOSING & LOSE

 

[JulieR]

Wow Morf13 you sure put a lot out there. It is worth a look and I hope the local police take a look at it. Just so strange for a killer to write a letter and want it posted in the paper......I wonder what is behind that, some kind of power. This person had to know something about the Zodiac I agree just to many things are alike in the letters.

 

[morf13]

Wow Morf13 you sure put a lot out there. It is worth a look and I hope the local police take a look at it. Just so strange for a killer to write a letter and want it posted in the paper......I wonder what is behind that, some kind of power. This person had to know something about the Zodiac I agree just to many things are alike in the letters.

I agree,its too much stuff alike to be a coincidence. At the very least,the writer may have closely studied Zodiac letters,and the misspellings of LOSE and LOSING, makes it over the top for me. The author misspelling the same words as Zodiac,is undeniable,and more than coincidence IMO. Its right there in plain sight!

 

[txsvicki]

One more thing i noticed. Lindy's letter writer wrote the following:


"but god please chief help me I am loosing my mind"


The Zodiac wrote
"I am afraid i will loose control"

Notice the same spelling error between the Lindy letter writer,and Zodiac?

The correct spellings are LOSING & LOSE

Wow, there are lots of things that might not be coincidences. I wonder if Lindy noticed or told anyone about the person she saw watching in the trees out back of her home. She might have been able to tell how large or tall the person was or others might later have noticed how big around or spaced apart the trees were. A larger man might have been more noticeable.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Do we know where Lindy went to H.S?
Do we know the times of day she suspected she was being stallked?
Were there any other reports of stalking by other women at the time?
Were the groceries unpacked and put away?
What time was stamped on the receipts?
Were paint chips saved so they could be identified to find out where the paint came from?
Does the number 11 mean anything?

 

[morf13]

Wow, there are lots of things that might not be coincidences. I wonder if Lindy noticed or told anyone about the person she saw watching in the trees out back of her home. She might have been able to tell how large or tall the person was or others might later have noticed how big around or spaced apart the trees were. A larger man might have been more noticeable.

Too bad there wasnt a sketch.

 

[morf13]

I think that the info. that i posted as it relates to Zodiac,is so eerily similar,and too much of a coincidence,that I emailed the people at Lindys website. I included every possible similar link between the Lindy letter writer,and the Zodiac. Its worth a shot. Althought Lindys letterwriter may not be her killer, they may have been influenced by Zodiac,or may even be the zodiac. Zodiac would write letters taking credit for murders that he didnt commit,and in which police already had arrests made. If the letter writer,WAS Lindys killer,he may have been a copycat,or Zodiac himself. So thats why i decided to write, to give the police something to go on.Like i said,i find it hard to believe that in 1975,the letter writer could have had as much info from the Zodiac letters, to be a copycat. He didnt have CNN,the internet,etc. Relying only on his local papers,or the nightly news. And the misspelling of the same words,its crazy.

I really find it weird that the police did not release photos of the writing,in hopes the public may recognize the writing.

 

[JulieR]

Morf13

Great job e-mailing the website. You could ask him to join us here on his thoughts about Lindy and he maybe able to give us some more information to go on.

 

[morf13]

Morf13

Great job e-mailing the website. You could ask him to join us here on his thoughts about Lindy and he maybe able to give us some more information to go on.

I guess her brother made the site? Anyhow,i also shot it over to the police dept too,so we will see. It should be pretty easy to look at his handwriting and see if Zodiac is even a possibility,or if its a copycat of some sort

 

[gaia227]

Wow - thanks Morf! I think it is official: I don't know nearly as much about Zodiac as I thought I did.

I had never heard of Leona Roberts and Donna Lass in relation to Zodiac. Apparently there were nine unsolved murders between Dec. 1969 and November 1970 - all women, all dumped in ravines. The Zodiac wrote a letter or sent a postcard to LE that something about how he was going to change up his style or something like that, right?
http://www.geocities.com/verbal_plainfield/coldcases/astrological.html

You make a very good point about the difference in media in the 70's. Unless something made national news people on the other side of the country were not aware of local murders or serial murders.

 

[gaia227]

http://lindyandchristy.com/articlesstories11.html
And for the first time, they are making public an eerie, scribbled letter sent to police a little over a year after Lindy's murder, in the hopes it may shed new light on the slaying of the 19-year-old flower shop worker and young wife.​

The way this sentence is written it sounds like they did make the letter itself public but I can't find it online anywhere. I have done image searches, newspaper searches, website searches, other forums and nothing.

The killer tried to sexually assault her. The article really makes it sound like they have the killer's DNA.

Beyond Belief - unforunately a lot specifics in this case are not available. The article she went to her husband's workplace to pick up his pacheck, went and cashed it and then went to the grocery store from between 6-6:45 and then finally arrived home around 7:00pm.

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