Zodiac Killer may be tied to Black Dahlia case after 'code cracked,' DNA taken
8 hours ago
- #Zodiac Killer
- #Cold Case
- #Black Dahlia
- An independent investigator claims to have cracked the Zodiac Killer's 'Z13' cipher, decoding it as 'Marvin Merrill', an alias for Marvin Margolis, a suspect in the 1947 Black Dahlia murder of Elizabeth Short.
- Alex Baber used AI and cryptography to link the Zodiac and Black Dahlia cases, noting Margolis dated Short and was on the LAPD's suspect list; Margolis's son provided handwriting samples with phonetic errors matching the Zodiac's.
- Baber shared findings with the FBI and experts; one revealed the cipher's key was the victim's name 'Elizabeth', generating a numerical sequence to decrypt it.
- Margolis had a roommate, Bill Robinson, a WWII cryptographer for General MacArthur, connecting Margolis to encryption expertise during Short's murder.
- Criminal profiler John Kelly reviewed Baber's materials, finding the suspect credible, especially as Margolis served as a WWII medic, a field linked to serial killers, and was among 22 persons of interest in Short's case.