Cecelia Shepard (pictured) and Bryan Hartnell were attacked on ...

<strong>Cecelia</strong> <strong>Shepard</strong> (<strong>pictured</strong>) <strong>and</strong>
<strong>Bryan</strong> <strong>Hartnell</strong> <strong>were</strong> <strong>attacked</strong>
on September 27, 1969 on the
shores of Lake Berryessa.
Chapter title: header right
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The Case of the Zodiac Killer
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small peninsula of l<strong>and</strong>. There they spread a blanket under the
trees. <strong>Hartnell</strong> remembered,“It was really beautiful out there. . . .
I lay down on my back <strong>and</strong> she lay down on her stomach, you
know, kind of resting her head on my shoulder, <strong>and</strong> we <strong>were</strong>
talking, kind of reminiscing about old times, <strong>and</strong> stuff.” 12
Hooded Killer
The spot was somewhat remote, but it was only 4:00 p.m. when
they arrived, <strong>and</strong> both felt perfectly safe. Sometime around 6 p.m.,
however, <strong>Hartnell</strong> heard a noise behind him <strong>and</strong> asked <strong>Shepard</strong>,
who was facing that way, what it was. She looked <strong>and</strong> saw a man
st<strong>and</strong>ing behind a tree. A few seconds later, <strong>Hartnell</strong> heard her
exclaim, “Oh my God, he has a gun!” 13
Call from a Killer
The Zodiac not only made an anonymous call taking credit for the
Ferrin/Mageau attack, but he also claimed responsibility by phone for
the <strong>Shepard</strong>/<strong>Hartnell</strong> attack. At 7:40 p.m. on September 27, 1969,
he called the Napa Police Department switchboard. The operator heard
a voice state calmly, “I want to report a murder, no, a double murder.
They are two miles north of Park Headquarters. They <strong>were</strong> in a white
Volkswagen Karmen-Ghia.” When the operator asked “Where are you
now?” the caller ans<strong>were</strong>d “I’m the one that did it.” The phone was put
down, not hung up.
Police <strong>were</strong> not quick enough to catch the Zodiac that night, but
they consoled themselves at the thought that he was not infallible.
He believed he had killed <strong>Hartnell</strong> <strong>and</strong> he had not. If he had made one
mistake, it was likely he would make more. Then they would catch him.
D. Slaight, “Napa Police Department Supplementary Report,” September 27, 1969.
Zodiackiller.com. www.zodiackiller.com/LBReport32.html.

The man not only had a gun, but also
a black cloth hood covering his face <strong>and</strong>
extending over his chest.The hood was flat
<strong>and</strong> rectangular, like a paper bag on top. A
white crossed-circle symbol was stitched
across the chest. The man’s eyes <strong>were</strong> hidden
by a pair of clip-on sunglasses. He also
had a foot-long (0.3m) knife in a riveted
sheath hanging at his waist.
As the intruder approached, he pointed
the gun at the couple, explaining that he
had just escaped from prison <strong>and</strong> needed money <strong>and</strong> a car.
<strong>Hartnell</strong> thought the incident was just a robbery, <strong>and</strong> was not
alarmed when the intruder ordered him <strong>and</strong> <strong>Shepard</strong> to lie
down. <strong>Shepard</strong> was ordered to tie <strong>Hartnell</strong>’s h<strong>and</strong>s behind his
back, then the stranger tied <strong>Shepard</strong>’s.
“He Was Killing Me”
<strong>Hartnell</strong> had no money on him, but, in an attempt to maintain
friendly relations with the stranger, he offered to help in some
other way. The stranger refused. Then, without warning, the
stranger swiftly drew his knife <strong>and</strong> began plunging it viciously
<strong>and</strong> repeatedly into <strong>Hartnell</strong>’s back. <strong>Hartnell</strong> tried to describe the
scene:“CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP . . . you know,
that kind of sound . . . <strong>and</strong> <strong>Cecelia</strong> turned to see . . . <strong>and</strong> she just
about fainted. She went hysterical.” 14 Rather than try to fight,
<strong>Hartnell</strong> lay still.“I didn’t holler, I didn’t move. I was just waiting
for him to finish—for it to be over. He was killing me.” 15
Worked into a frenzy, the stranger turned from <strong>Hartnell</strong> to
<strong>Shepard</strong>, who was writhing <strong>and</strong> screaming. Furiously, he stabbed
her over <strong>and</strong> over in the back, chest, side, <strong>and</strong> lower abdomen.
Then, just as abruptly as he started, he stood up <strong>and</strong> walked
away. <strong>Hartnell</strong> estimated that the attack had lasted about fifteen
minutes. He struggled to his feet <strong>and</strong> called to a couple in
a boat just offshore, asking for help.They indicated they would
go for a park ranger. <strong>Hartnell</strong> then tried to walk to his car.
Good-bye, Young Lovers
By the Numbers
2,500
Number of suspects
interviewed in the
Zodiac case
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<strong>Hartnell</strong> was
repeatedly <strong>attacked</strong>
with a knife, but
he survived.
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Finally a passerby in a pickup truck stopped to help, <strong>and</strong> shortly
thereafter, an ambulance <strong>and</strong> the police arrived. <strong>Shepard</strong> died
within two days of the stabbing, but <strong>Hartnell</strong> survived <strong>and</strong> was
able to give a rough description of their attacker.
Paul Stine
Two weeks later, the killer struck again. This time he changed
his method of operation <strong>and</strong> targeted a single person instead of
a couple. Twenty-nine-year-old Paul Lee Stine was working as