Private investigators claim they have new evidence that potentially unmasks The Zodiac Killer as Gary Francis Poste.
The Case Breakers, an independent team of volunteer ex-law enforcement agents that investigate cold cases, say they have information from a long-time source that has verified the existence of a 'goldmine' of evidence - which could finally solve a crime dating back more than 50 years.
The case of the Zodiac Killer, involving the deaths of at least five people in Northern California from 1968 to 1969, has remained unsolved since the crimes were committed.
Thomas J Colbert, the man behind The Case Breakers, says the new information identifies 'more than a thousand' shell casings, along with pistol parts and gunpowder that Poste had allegedly given to his favourite locals before his death in 2018.
Advert
"Most of these peculiar 'gifts' have remained in basements and closets, untouched, ever since," say The Case Breakers, giving weight to the theory that they are key in solving the Zodiac Killer case.
Colbert has since sent the evidence to be tested by lab teams operating in three different states.
This potential evidence, which Colbert believes could be 'irrefutable', follows The Case Breakers' prior suspicions of Poste, who worked as a house painter.
Aside from the new evidence, Colbert told Fox News that The Case Breakers have the testimonies of six people Poste had told he was the Zodiac Killer. Three of them are named in court affidavits filed by the group.
An ex-girlfriend of Poste's son has also come forward to state that when her relationship with the painter's son ended, Poste ordered members of his gang to assault and harass her in an attempt to drive her out of the state.
Advert
Earlier this year, Fayçal Ziraoui claimed that he managed to crack the Zodiac Killer's mysterious code in just 14 days.
He started his short quest when he spotted an article in a French magazine talking about how no one had managed to solve the cipher left by the killer as he wrought a path of death and destruction in the 60s and 70s.
So he thought 'why not me?' and gave it a go, despite the fact that most people in the know believe no one would ever be able to figure it out.
The 38-year-old claimed he used the encryption key which only became available in December, and a number of code-breaking skills, including a program of his own devising, to break the cipher in two weeks.
Advert
He then went to reveal his findings to the online community but was met with anger, abuse, and disbelief.
Code-breaking boffins rejected his hypothesis though, and one of his posts was even deleted by a community moderator.
Featured Image Credit: