If you’re an avid follower of true crime podcasts, movies and investigations, you may already be intimately acquainted with the name Arthur Leigh Allen. Despite memes and pop culture references which malign public figures such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Allen is currently considered the prime suspect in the still-unsolved murders of the Zodiac Killer. Since the Zodiac slayings are such a massive piece of Americana, researchers are still working tirelessly to uncover new data each day, leaving many to wonder exactly where the Hawaii-born criminal resides in 2024. Unfortunately for those seeking concrete answers, Arthur Leigh Allen has been dead for many years, meaning we may never have a firm understanding of what role he played in the attacks, if any. Still, it’s worth looking into Allen’s personal history, connection to the case, and final days, in order to see what we can glean from the unsolved mystery.

Who Is the Zodiac Killer?

The Zodiac Killer true story pictured: Zodiac killer message — (Wikimedia Commons)

For those not familiar with the real life crimes of the unidentified criminal, the Zodiac Killer is the title which has been given to an unknown individual responsible for at least five known murders. These slayings occurred within the San Francisco Bay Area in California from 1968 through 1969, and culminated in a series of cryptic letters taunting the police. Though there have been five confirmed bodies associated with the killer, Zodiac has claimed responsibility for dozens more, leaving some to believe that the bodies of his victims have still not been discovered, or have been attributed to other causes. Despite the enigmatic killer leaving behind two surviving victims and a laundry list of bizarre codes and riddles, no investigative organization has ever been able to properly identify him or bring justice to those impacted by his heinous acts.

The case was officially labeled inactive by local authorities in 2004, though true crime enthusiasts have continued cracking ciphers left behind as recently as 2020. Many individuals were investigated for the slayings, but Arthur Leigh Allen is the only suspect to ever be named by the police. While there are numerous supposed connections between Allen and the murders, neither the police nor the FBI have been able to officially convict him, as several inconsistencies seem to rule him out. This has led to a wide array of conspiracy theories. Some believe that the Zodiac slayings were conducted by multiple individuals, while others believe the government was somehow involved in a mass cover-up. Any way you slice it, the inconsistent details of the investigation, the failure to yield a conviction and the bizarre messages left behind by the killer make the whole tale rife for a horror movie adaptation.

Arthur Leigh Allen’s Early Life and Criminal Conviction

Not much is known about Arthur Leigh Allen’s upbringing, though by all accounts, he is said to have had a fairly normal childhood. After being born in Honolulu, Allen’s family relocated to Vallejo, California, where the young man graduated high school and worked a few odd-jobs including a summer as a lifeguard. By 1951, Allen had joined the United States Navy, where he received formal firearm training and briefly saw active duty. His tenure with the armed forces came to an end in 1959, however, after the soldier courted controversy by bringing a loaded weapon onto a secured naval base. Though Allen was found not guilty after receiving a special court-martial, he was discharged honorably shortly thereafter. During his time in the reserves, Allen studied art and engineering at Vallejo College and California Polytechnic, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1960.

Long before he was ever accused of being a cryptic serial killer, Arthur Leigh Allen ran into serious trouble with the law. In 1968, Allen was fired from his job as a teacher at Valley Springs Elementary School, and charged with molesting students. According to a report in Thought Catalogue, he eventually plead guilty to acts of child molestation and spent three years detained at Atascadero State Hospital. Prior to his arrest, he was fired from another teaching job for bringing a loaded firearm on the premises, similar to the aforementioned naval base incident. Despite being made to complete five years of felony probation, Arthur Leigh Allen continued owning and operating firearms throughout the remainder of his life, which is partially why he became the subject of so much intrigue when investigators sought answers for the Zodiac slayings.

Investigation and Search Warrant

As authorities began investigating the Zodiac Killer, a close personal friend of Arthur Leigh Allen reported him to the police, suggesting that he fit the killer’s profile. Specifically, Don Cheney, claims that Allen expressed his wish to murder young couples using a gun with a flashlight mounted to the barrel, which sounded oddly similar to reports about the ongoing Zodiac murders in the news. To make things even stranger, Cheney alleged that the convicted felon expressed the intention to write to police under the name “Zodiac,” which all but confirmed that Allen was guilty. Apparently Cheney immediately stopped hanging out with the convicted felon after this encounter, and quickly reached out to the local authorities to inform them of this alarming interaction.

In September of 1972, investigators procured a search warrant for Allen’s Santa Rosa property, and subsequently tore apart his home, trailer and cars in search of any evidence of his involvement in the Zodiac case. Per police records, they were searching for a pair of 9-millimeter handguns which had been used in the slayings, ammunition and any other weapons outfitted to affix a flashlight to the barrel. Investigators were also searching for any trophies which the alleged killer may have taken from his victims, including a bloodied shirt belonging to a slain taxi cab driver, which the killer had been sending in small pieces along with his cryptic letters. When the police arrived, Allen was nowhere to be found, leaving some to believe that he was given advanced notice of their impending arrival.

Findings and Evidence

During the search of Arthur Leigh Allen’s trailer, investigators found a number of bizarre items which continued to raise suspicion, but nothing that coincided with their initial goals. According to a write-up in The True Crime Database, Allen was in possession of numerous blow-up dolls, violent pornographic imagery and other uncleaned sexual instruments. He also had a map of Lake Berryessa taped to his wall, which depicted the general area that one of the murders took place. Police uncovered a number of blood-stained shirts in the trailer, none of which matched the description of any of the Zodiac victims. The bloody shirts were hand-waved as having been acquired from hunting, which Allen was known to do often. This also partially explained why Allen’s freezer was full of butchered animals and animal organs. Still, investigators were reviled by the discovery of several mutilated rodents within the residence.

When Arthur Leigh Allen returned to the residence, authorities made note of the fact that he was wearing a ring with the letter “Z” emblazoned upon it, along with the same Zodiac watch which the killer used to originate his signature. Needless to say, Allen was combative when he saw the way that authorities had torn apart his home, though he claimed to have no knowledge of their arrival, and even expressed that he thought the Zodiac Killer had already been apprehended. Police subsequently took impressions of Allen’s fingerprints, and demanded that he provide a handwriting sample copying some of the key phrases and signatures of the killer. Allen, who was ambidextrous, offered written samples from both his left and right hand.

Allen’s Dismissal From the Case and Additional Coincidences

Despite the many contributing factors leading to police suspicion of Arthur Leigh Allen, he was seemingly ruled out as a suspect in the Zodiac slayings after his fingerprint impressions and handwriting samples failed to match those left at the scene. Handwriting experts came to a unanimous agreement that Allen’s scribbling was not even close to the writing submitted by the killer, and the lack of hard evidence in his abode made it functionally impossible for any judge to okay a second warrant. Still, some theorists believe that Allen was able to dispose of any evidence linking himself to the crimes when he departed his home shortly before the police arrived. All in all, the entire search raised more questions than answers, and served to do nothing more than place Allen’s sexual peccadilloes and twisted treatment of small animals on full display.

Even though evidence linking Arthur Leigh Allen was dubbed circumstantial, there were several more coincidences which came up in the following years. According to a comprehensive argument on Allen’s guilt published in Thought Catalogue, a Riverside woman was stabbed to death on the one and only sick day Allen ever took during his time as an educator. While the murder of Bates is not officially listed as a Zodiac slaying, many experts agree that the incident closely resembles the modus operandi of the famed killer. It was also later discovered that Allen owned the exact same typewriter that was used to craft some of the killer’s letters to law enforcement, and that Allen’s favorite book was The Most Dangerous Game, which centers on a wealthy hunter who hunts and kills human beings for sport. Given Allen’s hunting background and the nature of the slayings, this left some investigators on edge.

Where Is Arthur Leigh Allen Today?

As stated above, Arthur Leigh Allen is no longer alive to tell his story. In the Summer of 1992, the eccentric felon was found unresponsive in his Vallejo home, having perished from arteriosclerotic heart disease. Medical examiners say that the condition was a sudden side effect from diabetic renal failure. Former employers of Allen have since gone on the record to say that the man had an extreme drinking problem, which likely exacerbated his illness and caused him to exhibit certain erratic behaviors in his final years.

While Arthur Leigh Allen was ruled out of the Zodiac Killer search after 1972, his name continued to come up for many years to come, making him one of the most prominent figures in the ongoing search for the true killer. Most notably, Allen was picked out of a police lineup just 1 month before his death, with a Zodiac Killer survivor firmly stating that he was certain Allen was the man who shot him. A second Zodiac survivor stated that Allen’s voice and posture were consistent with his attacker, though both men were inconsistent in their recollection of events, as they had occurred over 20 years beforehand.

Circumstantial evidence surrounding Allen’s claim to the Zodiac slayings has since served as the basis of many projects covering the cold case, including the 2007 movie Zodiac, directed by David Fincher and Netflix’s new arrival, This is the Zodiac Speaking. While we may never know the truth about the Zodiac Killer’s identity, Arthur Leigh Allen’s life and personal history will forever be tied to the historic case.

Arthur Leigh Allen

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