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Hey #nostr
Interesting article about the Zodiac killer case.. A self-taught codebreaker claims he's finally cracked it, and the twist is that his solution also connects to the Black Dahlia murder from 1947. Former NSA cryptographers and retired LAPD homicide detectives are backing him up. Whether you're a true crime fan or not, this one's semi-interesting.
The Codebreaker
Alex Baber, a 50-year-old self-taught cryptographer from West Virginia with autism, claims to have cracked the Zodiac killer's infamous Z13 cipher—a 13-character code the killer sent in 1970 that has stumped experts for decades.
The Method
Baber used AI to generate 71 million possible 13-letter names, then cross-referenced them against military, census, and other records using known details about the Zodiac killer. After nine months of 18-20 hour days, he narrowed candidates from millions to one name: "Marvin Merrill."
The Connection
Marvin Merrill was an alias used by Marvin Margolis—a man who had been a suspect in the 1947 Black Dahlia murder. Margolis was a WWII Navy corpsman and premed student who had lived with victim Elizabeth Short shortly before her death. He changed his name and moved after her murder.
Supporting Evidence
Two retired LAPD homicide detectives and three former NSA cryptographers have endorsed the findings. They point to additional links, including a 1992 sketch Margolis made before his death depicting a woman named "Elizabeth" with the word "Zodiac" allegedly hidden in the shading. The detectives view it as a deathbed confession to both crimes.
The Status
While the retired detectives consider the cases solved with "overwhelming circumstantial evidence," the LAPD has not prioritized investigating further. The findings are explored in a new podcast called "Killer in the Code."
