Arthur Leigh Allen is a familiar name among amateur investigators who delve into the darker side of human nature. In this case, his name is often associated with one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, the Zodiac Killer.
In the grand scheme of things, the Zodiac Killer was a minor figure, at least in terms of victims, dwarfed by the likes of Gary Ridgeway, Gerald Stano, Ted Bundy and Dennis Rader.
The only difference is that Zodiac was never arrested. Of the atrocities committed by the Zodiac between December 1968 and October 1969, only theories, circumstantial evidence and innuendo remain.
Americans are fascinated by serial killers and even more so by the unknowns associated with them. Whether this is a healthy obsession is a topic for another day.
With the Netflix documentary This Zodiac Talk about to be released, the trailer manages to bring Arthur Leigh Allen back into the public spotlight. Some believe he is a zodiac sign. But who is he?
Arthur Leigh Allen – Background
Arthur Leigh Allen was born in 1933, a resident of Hawaii, and his family later moved to Vallejo, California, where Arthur spent many of his formative years.
While there may be similarities between Arthur’s childhood and that of other serial killers (animal abuse, sexual deviance, etc.), most of what is known about him begins with his adult life and subsequent child molestation charges.
After being dishonorably discharged from the Navy (carrying a gun on base) in the 1950s, he returned home and attended school at Vallejo Junior College and Caltech.
This was a turning point in Arthur Leigh Allen’s life, where different stories branched off and went in different directions.
In fact, he was fired for bringing a gun onto campus. For example, some publications claimed that Arthur was fired from his job as an elementary school teacher for molesting children.
In fact, he brought the gun to the school grounds, repeating the same mistake he made while serving in the Navy. It was not until later, when he was working as a teacher at Valley Springs Elementary School, that he lost his job because of child molestation.
The conflation of these two different situations is not just a matter of chance. It clouds Arthur Leigh Allen’s past and a major mystery surrounding the Zodiac Killer. Or rather, if Arthur is indeed the Zodiac Killer.
Child molestation became a theme in Arthur’s life. In the mid-1970s, he pleaded guilty to new charges but did not go to jail.
Will Netflix claim Arthur Leigh Allen is the Zodiac Killer?
It’s hard to say, although the trailer for This Is the Zodiac certainly hints at Arthur being the notorious killer.
The problem with entertainment is entertainment. Subverting expectations is not a surprising strategy in the industry these days. There is no doubt that Arthur is a twisted man.
But the Zodiac doesn’t create a twisted person. Unfortunately, he’s no longer involved in the countless interviews and fictional investigations that the Netflix documentary will undoubtedly facilitate.
Arthur Leigh Allen died in August 1992 of a heart attack, a side effect of atherosclerotic heart disease. People are willing to openly oppose him.
Whether it was the potential for screen time or the true emotional and personal drive that compelled them to do the interview, only they know.
That being said, barring some surprising revelations in Netflix’s new series, there isn’t much evidence linking Arthur Leigh Allen to the murders other than very loose circumstantial evidence.
Arthur as evidence for the zodiac
Most of the evidence supporting Arthur being the Zodiac comes from Robert Graysmith, thanks to his book Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation’s Most Elusive Serial Killer.
Graysmith makes some at least interesting arguments in his book.
Two pieces of evidence are most striking. Arthur’s friend at the time, Don Cheney, told police that Arthur essentially confessed. According to Cheney, Arthur claimed he wanted to kill lovers in Lovers Lane.
He also told police that Arthur admired the pseudonym “Zodiac.” The second is the police lineup. Mike Mageau, one of the Zodiac Killer’s surviving victims, chose Arthur from a set of photos.
Handwriting analysis rules out Allen as the author of the Zodiac Letters. However, Allen is ambidextrous with both hands, which Graysmith claims is enough to fool experts.
Graysmith also claimed that letters to police stopped when Arthur was arrested on child molestation charges. Arthur also owns a Zodiac watch, whose symbolic meaning matches the symbols on the Zodiac letters.
Graysmith makes it clear that Arthur’s family firmly believes Arthur is indeed the Zodiac, which fits well with the overall vibe given by the Netflix trailer. His shoes matched the size of the footprints found at the scene.
Arthur also owns the same trench coat found in one scene and was in the area where one of the murders occurred.
The list goes on and on, including claims for witness identification, speech recognition, and location convenience.
Evidence against
The biggest issues in the Arthur Leigh Allen case are ballistics and fingerprints. These are no match for Arthur. Of course, DNA testing was not yet an established police procedure at the time, although it has since become an important issue.
Don Cheney was the catalyst that turned Arthur into a suspect, changing his story multiple times over the next few years. He incorporated new facts that he hadn’t mentioned in his original interview. These “facts” coincide with revelations of book releases and emerging theories.
Cheney even told an interviewer what Arthur “told him” about the crime scene, something Cheney had never mentioned in previous interviews. This seems to be a very important story told in interviews one, two, three, four and five.
Looking through the evidence painstakingly collected over the years, it becomes clear that Arthur was indeed the murderer. However, social media and the media are often very good at spreading overly insinuations and terminology.
Here’s the reality: Unless Netflix has something up their sleeve, there is no tangible source of physical evidence linking Arthur Leigh Allen to the Zodiac Murders. Not one. Environmental factors? certainly. Physical evidence? nothing.
Graysmith also makes some claims in his book that were later refuted by eyewitnesses.
For example, Graysmith claimed that Arthur’s sister-in-law saw that Arthur’s ciphers were similar to those in the Zodiac’s handwritten letters. Under hypnosis, she copied the codes, which Graysmith published in his book.
The only problem? Arthur’s sister-in-law said the incident never happened. Most of the hoopla surrounding Arthur Leigh Allen seems more like “give me a man and I’ll find the crime” than an actual pursuit of justice.
What angle is Netflix pursuing?
It looks like the new This Is Zodiac will focus primarily on Zodiac, played by Arthur Leigh Allen.
We know that some of the stuff in Robert Graysmith’s book turned out to be completely fabricated reality. However, Ali Mack and Phil Lott, the directors of Netflix’s new documentary, are pretty convinced by Graysmith’s claims.
“We had access to him in a way that no one really had. He really thought about that for us.
– Ali Mark, Co-Director This is what the Chinese zodiac signs say
Robert Graysmith’s advantage as a published author is that it gives him a level of credibility and authority on the subject. He was convinced of Arthur Leigh Allen’s guilt, as were most people who followed Graysmith’s work.
It doesn’t help that the media prefaces any mention of him with the word “expert,” and there’s no doubt that Ali Mack and Phil Lott’s version of events will also enhance Graysmith’s standing. To be fair, the directors claim to have new evidence that law enforcement has yet to uncover.
Robert Graysmith’s mistake
In order to determine whether Netflix is leading us down the right path when it comes to Arthur Leigh Allen’s crimes, it’s necessary to put their inspiration under a magnifying glass.
‣ Robert Graysmith’s book provides evidence that Arthur is a highly credible suspect. However, after the 1970s, investigators lost all interest in Arthur.
‣ Despite Graysmith’s claims, the FBI, Vallejo Police Department, Napa County Sheriff’s Department, Solano County Sheriff’s Department and San Francisco Police Department all determined that Arthur was not a viable suspect.
‣ Robert Graysmith’s books on the zodiac have been widely criticized and missourced, but his books and he were powerful inspirations for this documentary series.
‣ Investigators Bill Armstrong (San Francisco Police Department) and Fred Besago (California Department of Justice) both investigated Arthur Leigh Allen. Both filled Robert Graysmith’s chapter on Arthur with colorful derogatory remarks.
‣ Officer Don Falk (who responded to the scene as one of the Zodiac victims) claimed that Graysmith’s book was fiction.
‣ This statement was repeated by several officers and investigators who worked on the case at the time, including Armand Pelissetti of the SFPD, Ken Narlow of the Napa County Sheriff’s Department, Vallejo Police Department dispatcher Nancy Slover, and others.
‣ Graysmith uses the changing story of a young man who allegedly recognized Arthur Leigh Allen’s voice in the book, changing the dates of the statement to account for the witness’s changing statements.
‣ Graysmith suggested that the suspect used a car to commit a crime, ignoring the fact that police had determined that the suspect was extremely unlikely to do so.
‣ Graysmith claimed to have “discovered” an unknown road that Arthur Leigh Allen had used to leave his home, commit murder, and return. The road does not exist.
Unfortunately, the list goes on and on.
Ultimately, who was Arthur Lee Allen?
If there’s one thing Graysmith, the film’s director David Fincher, and Netflix documentarians Ali Mack and Phil Lott have accomplished, it’s convinced the world that Arthur Leigh Allen is the Zodiac Killer.
Arthur Leigh Allen was a child molester and a disorderly man. He thinks very highly of himself, even though, overall, he is a nobody.
He reveled in the idea that people thought he was the Zodiac Killer, until the accusations became a burden rather than the red carpet of fame.
Arthur was lucky to avoid a lengthy prison sentence, as prison is not a good place for child molesters. He broke the law when it suited him, such as bringing guns into schools and military bases. In the end, he died of a heart attack, leaving too much shame on the world.
There may be new revelations in Netflix’s upcoming documentary series. However, the reality remains that Arthur has yet to be physically connected to the Zodiac Murders in any way shape or fashion.
This is Zodiac, and it could be an interesting exploration into the mind of a serial killer.
Unfortunately, like Jack the Ripper, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery.
“This Is the Zodiac Speech” will be released on Netflix on October 23.
