Arthur Leigh Allen

Arthur Leigh Allen (December 18, 1933 – August 26, 1992) was the prime suspect in the Zodiac murders. Although he was never charged in the case, many believed him to have been the infamous Zodiac serial killer.

While being investigated, Allen passed a polygraph test, had his fingerprints compared to those at the murder scene of known Zodiac victim Paul Stein (they did not match), and had his handwriting examined (it did not match those of the letters claiming to be from the Zodiac). In 2002, a DNA comparison to a sample found on one of the stamps of the Zodiac letters was also not a match.

Life

Allen was born in Hawaii in 1933 and later moved to California. Allen had originally been employed as an elementary school teacher in Calaveras County, California teaching grades 6 and 7. However, in late 1968, Allen was fired from his job because of allegations that he molested a student (for which he later served a several year jail sentence). Allen was a diabetic and died in 1992 of a heart attack at the age of 58. Allen had been working at a hardware store for over a decade before his death. [ [http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/zodiac.php Zodiac Movie vs. Zodiac Killer True Story - Robert Graysmith ] ]

uspect in Zodiac case

Much of the case for Allen as the serial killer is based on a considerable amount of circumstantial evidence. Most of this evidence has been outlined and explored in Robert Graysmith’s book "Zodiac". Allen’s shoe size (10.5) and glove size were the same as the killer’s. He owned and regularly wore a sports watch that was a Zodiac brand with the same logo as the killer. Allen lived in Vallejo worked across the street from where one of the first victims (Darlene Ferrin) lived and where one of the killings took place. When interviewed by police, Allen mentioned that he had bloody knives in the car on the day of one of the Lake Berryessa murders in Napa County claiming they were covered in chicken blood. Allen also stated that he was a fan of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game," which the Zodiac killer had alluded to several times in his letters.

In July 1971, a friend of Allen reported his suspicions about him to the Manhattan Beach Police Department, and the report was forwarded to the SFPD. When questioned later, Allen claimed without prompting that the bloody knives he had in his car the day of the Lake Berryessa attack had been used to kill chickens; and when asked if he had read "The Most Dangerous Game," he replied affirmatively and said it had made an impression on him.Wark, Jake, [http://members.aol.com/Jakewark/allen.html The Case Against Arthur Leigh Allen] ; 2001, accessed on 2007-03-01] This interested the police, as the 408 character cipher appears to reference that short story. Allen was the only suspect in the case whom police had enough evidence against to execute not just one, but three search warrants: on 14 September 1972; 14 February 1991; and 28 August 1992, two days after he died. [http://members.aol.com/Jakewark/allen.html The Case Against Arthur Leigh Allen ] ] [Voight, Tom, [http://www.zodiackiller.com/AllenFile.html The Arthur Leigh Allen File] ; 2003; accessed on 2007-03-01] Allen denied his guilt in interviews but there was much circumstantial evidence against him. [http://www.se7en-x.com/zodiac/bio.htm Zodiac case overview by Clint Vander Klok] ; accessed on 2007-03-01] [ [http://www.olesin.50megs.com/zodiac/allen.htm Suspect profile of Arthur Leigh Allen] ; accessed on 2007-03-01] Police found no physical evidence to prove that Allen was the Zodiac Killer, and the Vallejo PD chose not to press charges against Allen, a felon, despite finding weapons and explosive components in his home following the 1991 search. Ultimately, Allen's fingerprints and handwriting did not match the Zodiac's, no concrete evidence linking him to the Zodiac killings was ever found, and DNA testing on the Zodiac letters in 2002 did not provide a match. [Matthias Gaffni, [http://timesheraldonline.com/ci_5280766 Vallejo police send three letters for DNA testing] ; Times-Herald; 2007-02-22; accessed 2007-03-01] [ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0210/27/sm.30.html CNN Interview With Kelly Carroll] ; Aired 2002-10-27; accessed 2007-03-01] However, neither Vallejo nor SFPD ruled Leigh out after the test results. [Matthias Gafni, [http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_5288950 Ex-coach, teammate recall Zodiac suspect] ; Times-Herald; 2007-02-23; accessed 2007-03-01]

Book and film

Robert Graysmith’s book identifies Allen as the Zodiac killer, under the name "Robert 'Bob' Hall Starr". In 2007, the film "Zodiac", directed by David Fincher, dramatizes Graysmith's attempts to build a case for Allen as the killer. In the film Leigh Allen is portrayed by John Carroll Lynch.One theory, presented in the film and in Graysmith's books, is that Allen knew and dated Darlene Ferrin, one of the first victims of the Zodiac killer.

References

External links

* [http://www.zodiackiller.com/AllenFile.html Zodiackiller.com file on Arthur Leigh Allen]
* [http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/allen.htm Facts about Arthur Leigh Allen]
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