No one can declare with an absolute degree of certainty that Theodore
Kaczynski committed the crimes attributed to the Zodiac. There exists, however, an
undeniable inference that the sheer weight and number of the similarities argue for a
genuine connection between the two. The cogence of the similarities cries out for a
forthright answer to the question "was Theodore Kaczynski the Zodiac
Killer?"
Though the questions are not amenable to a definite answer, one may reach a
satisfactory and logical conclusion based on the probabilities inherent in the
comparisons. A recapitulation of the evidence shows that both Kaczynski and the Zodiac are
"disaffected" killers, driven by sexual frustration and the need to take
symbolic vengeance. Each uses the notoriety achieved by murder to seek publicity on a
national scale. Each forwards taunting letters to the media demanding publication on pain
of further killings. Each places taunting calls to the police, while each creates an
outdoor graffiti consisting of crossed lines within a circle. Each mails a letter to the
editor of the San Francisco Chronicle threatening mass murder, then issues a
wryly-worded retraction once panicked authorities have given the appropriate response.
Both moved in key areas during several occurrences relating to Zodiac events. Their
descriptions are strikingly similar, particularly regarding their heavy facial structure
and prominent lower jaw. Both display intellectual versatility and show bomb-making skills
approximately at the same level in 1969. Both employed elaborate cryptosystems, while both
used literary allusion to cast hints regarding their whereabouts and motives. Both show
numerous similarities in compositional tone and style, which practically mirror one
another. The handprinting style of Kacyznski may easily be disguised to form the hand of
Zodiac.
Statistically, the probability that any two individuals share the qualities listed
above is very small. To calculate such a probability, one would have to begin with the
relatively tiny population of known murderers, estimated at roughly .0089 percent of the
entire population, or around 19,669 individuals out of the 221 million people living in
the U.S. in 1969. From this figure must be deducted all females, all non-Caucasians, all
those not in the age ranges of 25–45, all those not classified as "disaffected
killers" (mass murder types), and all those not using murder as a vehicle for
national publicity. Having done so, one will arrive at a figure of .62 (sixty-two
one-hundredths) of an individual out of the original 221 million that was started with.
That is, however, before accounting for specific, hard-to-quantify factors such
as intelligence quotient, bomb-making, cryptography, mathematical abilities, simliarities
in appearance, handwriting, and the lengthy list of quirks in style and tone that are
manifested by Kaczynski and the Zodiac. One must also account for the existence of the
line-in-circle graffiti left by both killers in conjunction with their crimes, and both
killers' use of literary allusion, a very rare quality indeed.
In the final analysis, the likelihood of any one person possessing all the qualities
that identify both of these famous killers can be conservatively estimated at billions to
one. And while this may not be tantamount to a "smoking gun," it nonetheless
speaks volumes in terms of providing objective support to what comprises a very good
subjective case for Kaczynski as a suspect.
A detailed picture of the similarities is presented in The
Unabomber and the Zodiac, by Zodiologist and Kaczynski theorist Douglas
Evander Oswell. This work is now available in standard book format.
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