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

[morf13]

I think Lindy's murder has nothing to do with Zodiac. It seems everytime there is an unsolved murder, he is the all purpose boogeyman and I think people need to just let it go.
What I think is that Lindy was terrified of her murderer and I think she knew who he was. I definitely think that it was the same man peeking at her outside her apartment. Was her apt on the ground floor?
I am also surprised that she was married at 19. That seems so young. Was that normal back then? Whatever happened to her husband?
Why did no one ever ask Lindy who she thought was following her and why.
Being from PA and raised near Lancaster, I am shocked this happened there, but not really. Lancaster and Stroudsberg have always given me the spooks for some reason.

You have to understand why I ever brought the name ZODIAC into her case. The writer of that letter to police wrote wordings and phrases just like Zodiac, misspelled words like Zodiac (including some of the same words), demanded that the letter be published in the Newspaper, just like Zodiac.

Its my opinion, that at the very least, the letter writer was copying Zodiac. When you add in her headstone being vandalyzed near the anniversary of her murder that makes it seem like a Zodiac crime, since he often commemorated anniversaries of attacks by writing a letter. In the Biechler letter, the writer used the name JANICE CRUM. Police looked all over but didnt find a JANICE CRUM. In the Cheri Jo Bates case (possible Zodiac victim) there was a letter written by a PATRICIA HAUTZ. Police looked all over and did not locate a woman by that name. There was also talk that one Zodiac victim, Darlene Ferrin, also had a stalker who was never identified.

So you see, there are some strong paralells between Zodiac and the Biechler case. As a matter of fact, if Biechler's murder happened in CA, there is a good chance she would be classified as a "possible Zodiac victim"

It is my opinion that the letter writer in the Biechler case was a Zodiac copycat at the least. Then again, if they wanted people to think they were a Zodiac victim, why didnt they mention the name ZODIAC?

 

[scriptgirl]

As far as I know copycat cases are rare and I still am not buying the Zodiac angle. Anyone can write a letter and misspell words.

 

[morf13]

As far as I know copycat cases are rare and I still am not buying the Zodiac angle. Anyone can write a letter and misspell words.

I dont think you understand what I am saying. You are 100% right, anyone can write a letter and misspell words, but the letter writer in Lindy's case wrote many of the exact same phrases, and used the same words and misspellings as Zodiac, as if they were trying to sound like Zodiac, and just like Zodiac did, they demand to be printed in the Friday paper. It is so much similar material, that it simply IS NOT an accident or coincidence. Therefore, that would make the writer a "Zodiac copycat".
If you would like to see the letters I am talking about, let me know I will be glad to post them.

 

[TheMutt]

Seems like this could have been solved to me. Not that I don't think the police tried, but it looks like they just missed something, or someone. The murderer had to live near her IMO, and probably knew her on a limited basis, which meant a heck of a lot more to him than to her. I'm sure he'd have exaggerated his relationship with her to his family or friends and mentioned her name a lot. Just my opinion and I've been REALLY wrong many times.

 

[scriptgirl]

Mutt, I agree with you on all points. I think it is possible that the killer may have even lived in her building.

 

[TheMutt]

Living in the building is a real possibility. I've always thought he was the same guy that was watching her, which I'm sure everyone does, and I don't think he was there to kill or her or harm her in any way. I get the feeling he was one of those guys that is in love with a girl who barely knows him. She was probably polite and friendly to him in their limited communications and he saw that as a return of love. Maybe he worked at a store close by or was even a maintenance worker at the apartment building,who knows. I think he might have worked up the nerve to tell her of his feelings after watching her for all that time, and went to tell her. He couldn't see her not loving him also, and when she told him to get out, he snapped.

Just my opinion again and I'm grabbing at strings but I wonder if anyone can remember a guy that talked about her a lot before her death, but then didn't go to her funeral.

As for the letter and vandalism, I wouldn't be surprised to hear it was a local journalist or even a cop trying to keep the spotlight on the case and themselves. But to me it looks like a couple of teenagers that probably lived near the shopping center mentioned in the letter.

 

[gaia227]

I think the possibility he lived in her building is a possible one. The only issue I have with it is that Lindy definitely thought she was being watched and followed and even told people she saw a man standing outside her sliding glass door (ooooo, I should NOT be thinking about this at 2am - creepy) if it was someone who lived in the building who she saw on semi-regular basis would she not have recognized him lurking outside her glass door? Would she not have suspected it was him and mentioned that to a family member or friend? We all have intuition and I would suspect this guy came off as a little weird, socially awkward especially when interacting with females and that would have been enough to raise her suspicions as to if it was him or not. She was obviously not shy about telling her family she was scared and why so i am sure there was speculation on who it was and if someone in particular was mentioned the family would have passed that on to LE.

All of that said, I still do agree it is a good possibility. Some people are very charismatic and he could have been one of those people who was charming, came across as confident, socially adept and non-threatening. LE does have foreign DNA from the crime scene. I think it would behove them greatly to go back and try to get samples from the people who lived in the building at the time of her death. I have also wondered many times if LE did not try to get DNA off of the letter that was sent by extracting it from the stamp or the sealent the sender would have licked (and in 1975 they probably did since DNA was not even on the radar) and compared that DNA to the DNA found at the scene to see if they matched. That would prove whoever sent the letter was the same person who left their blood in Lindy's apt which would strongly suggest that person was the killer.

 

[TheMutt]

I always hoped they'd have tried to tie the dna of the letter to that from the crime scene, but I've never heard anything about it. I read somewhere that LE was now thinking the letter was written by the murderer, but didn't say why. Until some DNA link, I'll still doubt it, but who knows. I always had the idea that Lindy never got a good look at anyone watching her because I don't remember reading anything about her describing anyone, or even that it was a man. I think she told people she "thought" she was being watched, but I could be wrong, it's been a while since I've studied this.

 

[scriptgirl]

Any man that is standing outside of your door looking in at you is not charismatic. He is a creepy, maladjusted psycho.

 

[TheMutt]

But he may have had a charismatic personality in social settings, much like Ted Bundy, who at the core was a a creepy, maladjusted psycho. I don't see him that way though.

 

[scriptgirl]

Yeah, I think this guy had no social skills and was an oddball.

 

[TheMutt]

Yeah it looks like such a reactionary murder that I've always come back to the odd acting creepy type guy that everyone made fun of. Sometimes men mistake kindness and friendliness as something more and a "maladjusted" type is likely to take that to an even higher level.

It was just so hateful. A butcher knife is not the most efficient knife you could use to stab someone, but it is the biggest, scariest looking one in anybody's house. I just see a lot of personal feelings here

 

[gaia227]

Any man that is standing outside of your door looking in at you is not charismatic. He is a creepy, maladjusted psycho.[/quote]

I tend to think so as well. I just trying to look at it from different perspectives. Ted Bundy was a monster but he was very socially adept and extremely charismastic. Nothing is absolute.

As far as the letter goes IIRC I think it got lost while in LE's hands and has not been located which of course rules out testing the DNA.

 

[TheMutt]

I think you're right Gaia. I remember reading something about the only thing left was a photo of the letter. I hope I'm wrong.

This is a frustrating case, because it seems like it should have been solved at the time. I know I'm casting stones, but I sometimes wonder if the investigators had any idea what they were doing. It was a different time and not a real big city, so they may have just been in over their heads. I'm sure they did the best they could.

 

[justthinkin]

This is such an interesting case. I had no idea about the remote, but possible connection to the Zodiac. Perhaps the name, Janice Crum has nothing to do with PA, but everything to do with CA? I found 3 Janice Crums in northern CA, one in Ceres, one in Oakland, and one in Rodeo. Crum appears to be the married name for all. Could one of these Janice's have jilted the Zodiac, and prompted the killings? Perhaps he didn't kill her because he knew he would immediately be a suspect. These are just some random thoughts I had, maybe of no importance.

I think the name Janice Crum meant something to Lindy's killer, but what? I just don't think it's a random name.

I don't see Lindy's killing as some infatuation type stalker. I think she was stalked to be killed, pre-selected. I have no idea the insane reasoning behind her death, but insane it is.

I sure wish LE would track down the three Janice Crums in northern CA, if only to see if they resembled Lindy in anyway. It appears a couple of them are in the above age 55 category today which might fit with someone the Zodiac may have been interested in long ago.

Wow, the one in Rodeo is in the Zodiac's old backyard, just across the bay from Vallejo and Benicia.

 

[morf13]

This is such an interesting case. I had no idea about the remote, but possible connection to the Zodiac. Perhaps the name, Janice Crum has nothing to do with PA, but everything to do with CA? I found 3 Janice Crums in northern CA, one in Ceres, one in Oakland, and one in Rodeo. Crum appears to be the married name for all. Could one of these Janice's have jilted the Zodiac, and prompted the killings? Perhaps he didn't kill her because he knew he would immediately be a suspect. These are just some random thoughts I had, maybe of no importance.

I think the name Janice Crum meant something to Lindy's killer, but what? I just don't think it's a random name.

I don't see Lindy's killing as some infatuation type stalker. I think she was stalked to be killed, pre-selected. I have no idea the insane reasoning behind her death, but insane it is.

I sure wish LE would track down the three Janice Crums in northern CA, if only to see if they resembled Lindy in anyway. It appears a couple of them are in the above age 55 category today which might fit with someone the Zodiac may have been interested in long ago.

Wow, the one in Rodeo is in the Zodiac's old backyard, just across the bay from Vallejo and Benicia.

I found those Janice Crums in Northern CA, and i have spoke to the Detective in Lindy's case, and i dont think he is buying Zodiac as a suspect. As I said, even if it wasnt Zodiac, I believe the letter writer definitely wrote letters closely resembling the Zodiac letters to police, and at the very least, he was some sort of copycat.

Now the ironic thing is, i have been looking for Zodiac suspects in CA, and I have developed my own suspect, and guess where he is originally from...Pennsylvania. I have made the Detective in Lindy's case, as well as the Detectives in the Dana Bailey & Betsy Aardsma cases, aware of my POI or suspect, and his previous residence in PA. I know the odds of these case being Zodiac related are slim, but I felt I should share the info with the police since he was from PA, and their cases had Zodiac overtones

 

[justthinkin]

Is it RH?

 

[morf13]

Is it RH?

Haha, lets just say that there is not an R

 

[morf13]

I have been reading thru some of the files in Lindy's case. Some disturbing things come to mind.


1- Police say that she was the victim of an "attempted sexual assault".
This puzzles me bacause of two reasons. First, she was completely clothed. Second, her autopsy report mentioned nothing of rape.

2- Police could have engaged the writer of the anonymous letter. Had they published the letter as the writer requested, two things may have happened. First, the handwriting may have been recognized by a local resident. Second, engaging the letter writer may have led to further communication,more letters, etc, and may have eventually led to more clues. Not only was this NOT DONE, but to add insult to injury, the actual letter itself was lost by the police. Prints,DNA,handwriting etc, all gone.
All that remains is a blurry hard to read photo of the letter in a newspaper article on microfilm at the library, and the text from the letter itself.

This case was doomed early. I feel really bad for her Family. I hope justice will be served, but find it hard to believe that it will be after so many years,and such a weak investigative foundation.

 

[Relentless]

Sometime in the late '70s... I think '77 or '78, another young woman was brutally murdered in her home in Millersville, PA - close to where Lindy Biechler was killed. The woman's name was Elizabeth Clark (maiden name Suttie). Her husband, Mark Clark, was tried and acquitted.

There is very little information about this case on the internet that I have been able to find. It may be colder than most cold cases because there was a trial and many have probably made the assumption that Mr. Clark was guilty despite the lack of a conviction. However, some people who were close to the case feel certain that the real killer was never charged.

This is a cold case that deserves investigation on its own merits. I'm posting it here due to speculation that there may be a connection between Lindy Biechler and Elizabeth Clark.

I'd be very interested in communicating further with anyone who either has information about the Elizabeth Clark case or has the resources and will to look at possible connections between these two cases.

Thanks.