Post by ophion1031 on Aug 6, 2018 22:52:00 GMT -8
www.zodiacciphers.com/blue-rock-springs-attack.html
*by Richard Grinnell
On July 4th 1969, shortly before midnight, Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin (22) and Michael Renault Mageau (19) pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, approximately 6 months and four miles apart from the Lake Herman murder site. Their decision not to visit Mr Ed's diner, proved unbeknownst at the time, a decision that would have the gravest of outcomes just a few short minutes later.
The Independence Day celebrations were in evidence, reinforced by the arrival of some boisterous youngsters into the parking lot and the sound of firecrackers being let off. The interruption however was short lived and the revelers would soon move on, to leave the couple alone once again. Shortly thereafter, another car pulled into the parking lot alongside the couple's car, the occupant of which briefly extinguished the headlights, before finally moving off again, exiting the parking lot and heading in the direction of Vallejo and Springs Road. Michael Mageau stated "Dee turned the lights and motor off and had the radio playing. They were there just a very short time, a few minutes, and three cars pulled into the parking lot where they were. They were apparently young kids and they heard some laughing and carrying on and a few firecrackers were set off, then the three vehicles left within a short time. This was just a short space of time, a few minutes. Shortly after this and about 5 minutes before the shooting occurred, a vehicle pulled into the lot, coming from the direction of Springs Road and Vallejo. The driver turned the lights off on the car and pulled around to the left or east side of their car, approximately 6 or 8 feet away and sat there for a minute. He asked Dee if she knew who it was and she stated 'Oh, never mind'."
According to Mageau approximately five minutes later the same brown car, thought to be a Chevrolet Corvair or Ford Mustang returned, but this time drew up to within 10 feet of the rear of their car, slightly to the right side. Only this time the lone driver exited the vehicle carrying what Michael Mageau described as a 'high powered flashlight, the type you carry with a handle' and although not known at the time, was in possession of a 9mm Luger, as he casually approached the couple's car.
Michael Mageau believing the person to be a policeman, because of his demeanor, went for some personal identification, at which point the man raised the handgun and without uttering a word fired a volley of five rounds at point blank range through the window, striking Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin several times. Mageau stated he heard a muffled sound, surmising that the gun 'sounded like it had a silencer on it'.
At this precise moment George Bryant, the son of a caretaker at Blue Rock Springs Park was in bed at his house located just 800 feet from the parking lot. He would recall these details "He could hear laughing and a few firecrackers being shot off, but he couldn't see anybody. At approximately midnight he heard what appeared to be a gunshot. This was much louder than any of the firecrackers. A short time later he heard what appeared to be another gunshot. After another short pause he heard rapid fire of what appears to be gunshots. He then heard a car taking off at super speed and it burned rubber and was squealing its tires as it sped along the road. He wasn't sure of its direction of travel. He didn't check as it was the Fourth of July and thought it was just somebody celebrating."
The fact George Bryant seemingly heard gunshots tends to negate the premise the weapon had a suppressor attached, the more reasonable suggestion being that Michael Mageau was temporarily deafened by the first gunshot so close to his head.
The sequence of gunshots remembered by Michael Mageau and George Bryant also differs, although what is clear is that 9 shots were fired, with seven casings retrieved from the right side of the Corvair, with two expended bullet casings discovered on the back passenger floorboard of the vehicle, indicating the killer ultimately leaned into the vehicle when concluding his senseless attack on Michael Mageau, as the young man took refuge in the back of the vehicle.
When the merciless attack began Michael Mageau in a bid to prevent further injury or blind terror propelled himself to the rear passenger seats. After the initial volley of five shots the assailant retreated, but upon hearing Mageau start to yell returned once again to shoot both victims each twice more. The assailant then calmly walked away and got back in his vehicle. Michael Mageau then stated he grappled for the outside door handle and fell out onto the Blue Rock Springs car park. At which point the assailant sped away, 'at a high rate of speed', from the scene in the direction of Vallejo and Springs Road. This would later be countered by the Zodiac Killer in a letter he sent to the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969, exactly one month after this attack. In the letter the Zodiac Killer wrote "The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time, thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; that's how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealing tires + raceing engine as described in he Vallejo paper. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car."
Michael Mageau went on to state; in an interview conducted at Kaiser Hospital on 6th July 1969, with Detective Ed Rust, that he thought the assailants car was the same or similar type to Darlene Ferrin's car, a Corvair, although lighter brown and California license plates.
Richard Hoffman and Ed Rust were two of the first responding officers that night. Both having separately made their way to the scene of the crime, after reports of shooting being heard at Blue Rock Springs. When Ed Rust arrived he noticed Hoffman tending to Michael Mageau, who was lying on his back on the ground by the open door of the car, Darlene Ferrin was observed motionless behind the steering wheel of the car. Ed Rust tried to ask Darlene Ferrin what happened, but could not distinguish what she mumbled, due to the severity of her injuries. Both were rushed to hospital, but despite Darlene Ferrin receiving extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the ambulance crew that night, she finally succumbed to her multiple injuries. Sadly Darlene Ferrin was pronounced dead at 12.38 am, upon her arrival at the hospital.
Miraculously, Michael Mageau, who took the initial brunt of the cold blooded attack, survived and was later at his bedside able to give a description of the killer to investigating detective Ed Rust, stating he was a heavyset man standing at about 5'8'' tall, beefy build, but not blubbery fat, possibly 195-200 pounds, short curly hair, light brown almost blond. He added that the man was not wearing glasses, but stressed that his assailant did possess a particularly large face. A description that would appear to contradict the first composite sketch of the Zodiac Killer recalled from initial eyewitness testimony after the murder of Paul Stine at Presidio Heights some three months later. However an amended composite of the Presidio Heights murderer, being closer to the description given by Officer Donald Fouke, appears to align more closely to the observations of Michael Mageau at Blue Rock Springs.
On July 5th at 12.40 am, approximately forty minutes after the attack, a call was received from a phone booth at the gas station of Springs Road and Tuolumne, close to Ferrin's home, where the assailant claimed responsibility for the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park and the previous Lake Herman Road murders. The police dispatcher who took the call in the early hours of July 5th 1969 was 26 year old Nancy Slover. She was to become one of only three people to speak directly to the Zodiac Killer, the other two being surviving eyewitness Bryan Hartnell from the attack at Lake Berryessa and Dave Slaight, the police radio dispatcher who took the second phone call the evening of September 27th 1969. Nancy Slover described his voice and tone, as though he was mocking and taunting her for shock value, claiming "it worked".
The caller spoke the following words in a monotone, rehearsed fashion, "I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye". Despite claims by certain individuals, this call was never recorded, as police dispatcher Nancy Slover did not have the equipment at her disposal to record incoming calls at the time.
Many Zodiac enthusiasts and police officials have questioned the directional accuracy of the Zodiac phone call. Read or heard without breaks give the impression that the directions given by Zodiac are incorrect, however, despite his distances being off slightly, simply adding a comma or pause changes the whole meaning of the phone call. Nancy Slover, the police dispatcher, attempted to talk over Zodiac to acquire details and in addition had to recall the phone conversation word for word, in context, at a later time, so we can assume it may not have been the original message verbatim.
Let us add the breaks or pauses into the passage, and other than 'one mile east', which should be 2 miles east from the payphone (see here), the rest is pretty much correct. "I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye." The Zodiac was either not a master of the English language or toyed with authorities, so unless Nancy Slover recalled the message slightly incorrectly, then ideally the phrase should have read "on Columbus Parkway by the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car."
Considering Zodiac's compass accuracy at Lake Herman Road and Presidio Heights (Bus Bomb letter), it is highly doubtful he was was suggesting Blue Rock Springs Park was east on Columbus Parkway and the likely answer can be found in a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the phone call under stressful conditions.
The Sheriff's Office was located at the junction of Virginia and Tuolumne Streets, and the Vallejo Police Department at 111 Amador Street, so if the Zodiac was giving directions in relation to these, then the journey is still east to Columbus Parkway.
One month after the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park the killer sent the 'Debut of Zodiac' Letter and recalled his version of events in the last hour of July 4th 1969 and run up to the phone call to Nancy Slover. 'This is the Zodiac speaking. In answer to your asking for more details about the good times I have had in Vallejo, I shall be very happy to supply even more material. By the way, are the police having a good time with the code? If not, tell them to cheer up; when they do crack it, they will have me. On the 4th of July I did not open the car door. The window was rolled down all ready. The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time, thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; that's how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealling tires + raceing engine as described in the Vallejo paper. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car. The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car.
Last Christmass In that epasode the police were wondering how I could shoot + hit my victims in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night + I could see silowets on the horizon. Bullshit that area is srounded by high hills + trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or ceiling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights. I was not happy to see that I did not get front page coverage.'
*by Richard Grinnell
On July 4th 1969, shortly before midnight, Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin (22) and Michael Renault Mageau (19) pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, approximately 6 months and four miles apart from the Lake Herman murder site. Their decision not to visit Mr Ed's diner, proved unbeknownst at the time, a decision that would have the gravest of outcomes just a few short minutes later.
The Independence Day celebrations were in evidence, reinforced by the arrival of some boisterous youngsters into the parking lot and the sound of firecrackers being let off. The interruption however was short lived and the revelers would soon move on, to leave the couple alone once again. Shortly thereafter, another car pulled into the parking lot alongside the couple's car, the occupant of which briefly extinguished the headlights, before finally moving off again, exiting the parking lot and heading in the direction of Vallejo and Springs Road. Michael Mageau stated "Dee turned the lights and motor off and had the radio playing. They were there just a very short time, a few minutes, and three cars pulled into the parking lot where they were. They were apparently young kids and they heard some laughing and carrying on and a few firecrackers were set off, then the three vehicles left within a short time. This was just a short space of time, a few minutes. Shortly after this and about 5 minutes before the shooting occurred, a vehicle pulled into the lot, coming from the direction of Springs Road and Vallejo. The driver turned the lights off on the car and pulled around to the left or east side of their car, approximately 6 or 8 feet away and sat there for a minute. He asked Dee if she knew who it was and she stated 'Oh, never mind'."
According to Mageau approximately five minutes later the same brown car, thought to be a Chevrolet Corvair or Ford Mustang returned, but this time drew up to within 10 feet of the rear of their car, slightly to the right side. Only this time the lone driver exited the vehicle carrying what Michael Mageau described as a 'high powered flashlight, the type you carry with a handle' and although not known at the time, was in possession of a 9mm Luger, as he casually approached the couple's car.
Michael Mageau believing the person to be a policeman, because of his demeanor, went for some personal identification, at which point the man raised the handgun and without uttering a word fired a volley of five rounds at point blank range through the window, striking Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin several times. Mageau stated he heard a muffled sound, surmising that the gun 'sounded like it had a silencer on it'.
At this precise moment George Bryant, the son of a caretaker at Blue Rock Springs Park was in bed at his house located just 800 feet from the parking lot. He would recall these details "He could hear laughing and a few firecrackers being shot off, but he couldn't see anybody. At approximately midnight he heard what appeared to be a gunshot. This was much louder than any of the firecrackers. A short time later he heard what appeared to be another gunshot. After another short pause he heard rapid fire of what appears to be gunshots. He then heard a car taking off at super speed and it burned rubber and was squealing its tires as it sped along the road. He wasn't sure of its direction of travel. He didn't check as it was the Fourth of July and thought it was just somebody celebrating."
The fact George Bryant seemingly heard gunshots tends to negate the premise the weapon had a suppressor attached, the more reasonable suggestion being that Michael Mageau was temporarily deafened by the first gunshot so close to his head.
The sequence of gunshots remembered by Michael Mageau and George Bryant also differs, although what is clear is that 9 shots were fired, with seven casings retrieved from the right side of the Corvair, with two expended bullet casings discovered on the back passenger floorboard of the vehicle, indicating the killer ultimately leaned into the vehicle when concluding his senseless attack on Michael Mageau, as the young man took refuge in the back of the vehicle.
When the merciless attack began Michael Mageau in a bid to prevent further injury or blind terror propelled himself to the rear passenger seats. After the initial volley of five shots the assailant retreated, but upon hearing Mageau start to yell returned once again to shoot both victims each twice more. The assailant then calmly walked away and got back in his vehicle. Michael Mageau then stated he grappled for the outside door handle and fell out onto the Blue Rock Springs car park. At which point the assailant sped away, 'at a high rate of speed', from the scene in the direction of Vallejo and Springs Road. This would later be countered by the Zodiac Killer in a letter he sent to the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969, exactly one month after this attack. In the letter the Zodiac Killer wrote "The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time, thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; that's how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealing tires + raceing engine as described in he Vallejo paper. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car."
Michael Mageau went on to state; in an interview conducted at Kaiser Hospital on 6th July 1969, with Detective Ed Rust, that he thought the assailants car was the same or similar type to Darlene Ferrin's car, a Corvair, although lighter brown and California license plates.
Richard Hoffman and Ed Rust were two of the first responding officers that night. Both having separately made their way to the scene of the crime, after reports of shooting being heard at Blue Rock Springs. When Ed Rust arrived he noticed Hoffman tending to Michael Mageau, who was lying on his back on the ground by the open door of the car, Darlene Ferrin was observed motionless behind the steering wheel of the car. Ed Rust tried to ask Darlene Ferrin what happened, but could not distinguish what she mumbled, due to the severity of her injuries. Both were rushed to hospital, but despite Darlene Ferrin receiving extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the ambulance crew that night, she finally succumbed to her multiple injuries. Sadly Darlene Ferrin was pronounced dead at 12.38 am, upon her arrival at the hospital.
Miraculously, Michael Mageau, who took the initial brunt of the cold blooded attack, survived and was later at his bedside able to give a description of the killer to investigating detective Ed Rust, stating he was a heavyset man standing at about 5'8'' tall, beefy build, but not blubbery fat, possibly 195-200 pounds, short curly hair, light brown almost blond. He added that the man was not wearing glasses, but stressed that his assailant did possess a particularly large face. A description that would appear to contradict the first composite sketch of the Zodiac Killer recalled from initial eyewitness testimony after the murder of Paul Stine at Presidio Heights some three months later. However an amended composite of the Presidio Heights murderer, being closer to the description given by Officer Donald Fouke, appears to align more closely to the observations of Michael Mageau at Blue Rock Springs.
On July 5th at 12.40 am, approximately forty minutes after the attack, a call was received from a phone booth at the gas station of Springs Road and Tuolumne, close to Ferrin's home, where the assailant claimed responsibility for the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park and the previous Lake Herman Road murders. The police dispatcher who took the call in the early hours of July 5th 1969 was 26 year old Nancy Slover. She was to become one of only three people to speak directly to the Zodiac Killer, the other two being surviving eyewitness Bryan Hartnell from the attack at Lake Berryessa and Dave Slaight, the police radio dispatcher who took the second phone call the evening of September 27th 1969. Nancy Slover described his voice and tone, as though he was mocking and taunting her for shock value, claiming "it worked".
The caller spoke the following words in a monotone, rehearsed fashion, "I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye". Despite claims by certain individuals, this call was never recorded, as police dispatcher Nancy Slover did not have the equipment at her disposal to record incoming calls at the time.
Many Zodiac enthusiasts and police officials have questioned the directional accuracy of the Zodiac phone call. Read or heard without breaks give the impression that the directions given by Zodiac are incorrect, however, despite his distances being off slightly, simply adding a comma or pause changes the whole meaning of the phone call. Nancy Slover, the police dispatcher, attempted to talk over Zodiac to acquire details and in addition had to recall the phone conversation word for word, in context, at a later time, so we can assume it may not have been the original message verbatim.
Let us add the breaks or pauses into the passage, and other than 'one mile east', which should be 2 miles east from the payphone (see here), the rest is pretty much correct. "I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye." The Zodiac was either not a master of the English language or toyed with authorities, so unless Nancy Slover recalled the message slightly incorrectly, then ideally the phrase should have read "on Columbus Parkway by the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car."
Considering Zodiac's compass accuracy at Lake Herman Road and Presidio Heights (Bus Bomb letter), it is highly doubtful he was was suggesting Blue Rock Springs Park was east on Columbus Parkway and the likely answer can be found in a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the phone call under stressful conditions.
The Sheriff's Office was located at the junction of Virginia and Tuolumne Streets, and the Vallejo Police Department at 111 Amador Street, so if the Zodiac was giving directions in relation to these, then the journey is still east to Columbus Parkway.
One month after the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park the killer sent the 'Debut of Zodiac' Letter and recalled his version of events in the last hour of July 4th 1969 and run up to the phone call to Nancy Slover. 'This is the Zodiac speaking. In answer to your asking for more details about the good times I have had in Vallejo, I shall be very happy to supply even more material. By the way, are the police having a good time with the code? If not, tell them to cheer up; when they do crack it, they will have me. On the 4th of July I did not open the car door. The window was rolled down all ready. The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time, thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; that's how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealling tires + raceing engine as described in the Vallejo paper. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car. The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me + my car.
Last Christmass In that epasode the police were wondering how I could shoot + hit my victims in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night + I could see silowets on the horizon. Bullshit that area is srounded by high hills + trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or ceiling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights. I was not happy to see that I did not get front page coverage.'