People Who Knew the Zodiac Killer Suspect as Children Say He Confessed to Them in a New Netflix Doc

As a retired detective with over three decades of service, I’ve seen my fair share of intriguing cases that have left me scratching my head. The story of Arthur Leigh Allen and his suspected connection to the Zodiac killings is one such case that has always fascinated me.

One of the most renowned and unresolved serial murder mysteries is the case of the Zodiac Killer, who instilled fear in the Bay Area during the late 1960s. Despite police identifying Arthur Leigh Allen as a suspect, they couldn’t gather enough concrete evidence to apprehend him. Tragically, Allen passed away in 1992, and the enigma of the Zodiac Killer remains unsolved. In a recently released documentary series, individuals claiming to have known Allen as children allege that he admitted his identity as the Zodiac Killer to them, gave them drugs, and possibly even took them along to murder scenes.

In “This is the Zodiac Speaking,” a three-part documentary released on Netflix on October 23, David and Connie Seawater claim they used to take weekend trips with Allen, a local school teacher who was like a father figure to them, in the 1960s. They suspect that Allen could have been involved in the murders that took place during these trips, which occurred before the infamous Zodiac killings that shook San Francisco in the latter part of the 1960s.

As a passionate movie buff, I’ve always been intrigued by the chilling tale of the Zodiac Killer. From December 1968 to October 1969, this enigmatic figure claimed at least five lives in cold blood. The killer had a knack for sending coded messages to taunt authorities and demanded these cryptic notes be splashed across the front pages of San Francisco’s newspapers, warning that more would die if they didn’t comply. At one particularly chilling moment, he even threatened to detonate a bomb on a school bus carrying innocent children. However, despite the ominous threats and the mounting evidence, the police admitted they never amassed enough concrete proof to apprehend a suspect.

The documentary titled “This is the Zodiac Speaking” features interviews with Allen’s former students who were known as the Seawater children, along with their personal videos and letters from him. Additionally, it includes investigative background on the case provided by Robert Graysmith, a journalist whose book “Zodiac” served as inspiration for the 2007 film bearing the same name.

Ari Mark, one of the co-directors, explains that his goal with the series is to immerse viewers in an earlier, tech-free era of California, only to later instill fear. “Initially, I want the audience to be captivated by the nostalgia of a carefree California,” he says. “But then, I want them to feel genuine terror. A fear for the victims and their families who endured such horrific stalking and brutalization. I don’t want the audience to view this unpredictable, lurking evil as something distant or incomprehensible, but rather, as something relatable, innocent, and truly terrifying—as though it could happen to any tight-knit group of siblings who trusted their teacher, Allen.”

Let’s explore the key insights from this documentary series that could potentially provide new leads on the still-unresolved mystery of the Zodiac Killer.

Arthur Leigh Allen before he was the suspected Zodiac killer

In the early 1960s, David Seawater, Connie Seawater, and their younger brother Don Seawater encountered Allen. At that time, their father was residing in a mental institution. Despite this, Allen developed a close relationship with their mother, Phyllis, regularly joining them for family meals. An enthusiastic diver, Allen would often lead the children on diving adventures, such as clam digging, and also to movie theaters.

Allen was a cherished school teacher, recognized for occasionally breaking into song and dance to tunes such as “Tom Dooley” by The Kingston Trio and the musical score of The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan in class.

Previously educated pupil, Darin Alvord, recounts that their teacher, Allen, showed them methods for understanding coded messages, which he believed was merely a means for Allen to demonstrate various forms of communication.

Other former students recall the way he called the girls in his class “my beautiful.”

Field trips that were followed by murders

As I reflect upon the chilling events of June 4, 1963, the tragic deaths of Robert Domingos, aged 18, and Linda Edwards, aged 17, remain a haunting enigma in the Zodiac Killer case, unofficially linked but profoundly felt by the Seawater community who believe they were in close proximity.

At the close of the 1963 school year, they remember Allen dropping by their house to propose a diving outing. Upon reaching Tajiguas Beach, they claim that Allen swiftly disappeared. The children were left to amuse themselves, only for Allen to return breathlessly and pantingly, with red stains on his hands, herding the kids into the car, and hastily driving away. The documentary briefly switches to headlines about the simultaneous deaths of Domingos and Edwards, causing the Seawaters to suspect that Allen might have been involved in the double-murder.

In October of 1966, when David Seawater was a sophomore in high school and Connie was a freshman, Allen arrived at their home to take them for a drive to a racetrack in Riverside. On October 30th, Connie discovered her brother David unconscious in the motel room and was unable to rouse him. She remembers going on a drive with Allen during which he made an inappropriate gesture. Upon returning to the motel, she drank some juice and then fell into a deep sleep, only recalling Allen leading them to the car on October 31st. On the same day, October 30th, a woman named Cheri Jo Bates was found dead, and the Seawaters suspect that Allen may have been involved, although the case remains unsolved.

Advocates suggesting Allen as the Zodiac killer often bring up the fact that the Zodiac killings ceased following his arrest for child molestation in 1974, which led to him spending three years in prison. After this, he was on felony probation until 1982 for a total of five years.

The suspected Zodiac killer’s confessions

In the documentary series, Connie states that she now feels Allen may have been suggesting he was the Zodiac Killer. She continued to maintain contact with Allen and even introduced him to her son. During a sailing trip in 1991, she questioned him about his identity as the Zodiac Killer. He responded by saying if he revealed the truth, he’d have to kill her. However, Connie explains in the series that she believed it was just a playful joke at the time.

David shares that in 1992, he received a more explicit response from Allen after his mother urged him to phone him due to Allen’s deteriorating health. Throughout the years, she had remained loyal to Allen, even amidst rumors suggesting he was the Zodiac killer. On the call, a tearful Allen confessed to drugging and molesting his sister Connie as children. When asked if he was indeed the Zodiac killer, Allen admitted it. Sadly, Allen passed away on August 26, 1992, at the age of 58.

Upon watching the 2007 film “Zodiac,” I found myself captivated by the performances, particularly that of John Carroll Lynch as Arthur Leigh Allen. His portrayal was so uncanny, it reminded me strikingly of the real man. In fact, before the murders began, I had visited all the sites where these horrific events would later unfold. As Connie from “This is the Zodiac Speaking” put it, “So much in that movie that was frighteningly familiar.

In the show, the Seawater kids claim that their mother Phyllis was convinced Allen wasn’t the Zodiac killer or a child molester. Following her passing on April 23, 2017, they stumbled upon a box filled with numerous letters between them. These letters were highlighted in the series. In one letter, he admitted, “Every time someone mentioned police to me, I’d jump.” In another, he wrote, “Seeing a murder headline would make my hands sweaty.” The most telling letter stated, “the most dangerous thing is when I almost decided to confess.

Graysmith posits that Allen may have been drawn to the Seawater family and their children due to his longing for a partner and family, yet he resided in a basement with his mother. Remarkably, the Zodiac killer’s victims were typically married individuals, leading Graysmith to hypothesize: “They are content, while he is not.

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2024-10-23 11:06