Don't Count Him Out, William Thoresen III

[Winward1]

It’s long been suspected Zodiac had some sort of military connection.

You may remember officer Fouke described the suspect he saw minutes after Stein was killed as being approximately 5 foot 11, and walking with his head down, slightly bent forward. William Thoresen was six foot one. If viewed from the street, walking with his head down, and slightly bent forward, one would expect him appear to be a few inches shorter than he actually was. In other words, about five foot eleven.

That said… a military connection…walking with his head down.

What do we have here? (see pic in post below) A photo of Thoresen, who just so happens to be walking with his head down while at a military base (Fort Bragg, 1966).

The same Thoresen who:

hired Melvin Belli in 1964
lived in San Francisco during the Zodiac attacks
was a suspect in numerous brutal murders by 1966
started traveling to Southern California in 1962
had received speech therapy from his wife (to overcome stuttering)
had red in his hair like the Stein witnesses saw
walked with his head down like the suspect described by Fouke
looked like the Zodiac sketch
lived northeast of the Stein crime scene (the directions witnesses saw the suspect walking in)
drove a rare sports car that would have been harder to I.D. at Blue Rock Springs Park
died exactly when the word editor and the second stamp vanished from the envelopes
bought tons of military weapons from a dealer who supplied militia groups
was a VIP at Fort Bragg before the Zodiac crimes occurred
hailed from the midwest

And whose:
wife had left him when Zodiac wrote to Belli pleading for help
wife tried to ship him bayonets after the Percy murder
house was both in distance and direction from the park where Zodiac said he was when the cops were searching for him after the Stein murder
wife said he didn’t stutter when he “played a role”
height matches Fouke’s suspect description
signature looks like the handwriting on the Hautz letter’s envelope, and documents linked to the murderers of no less than eight people in the midwest

 

[Winward1]

Pic below: William Thoresen walking at Ft. Bragg, 1966.

 

[Winward1]

Pic

 

[Winward1]

It appears the footprint at Lake Berryessa was about 12 inches long (which puts the Zodiac’s shoe size in the neighborhood of what? A US men’s 11, maybe 11 and a half?)

The photo of Thoresen at Fort Bragg was published eight years after it was taken. I did not find it while looking for further evidence of him having connections to things military (there are so many of them as it is) or Fouke’s description of a Stein suspect, though more evidence that Thoresen was Zodiac is always welcome.

That said, did you at Thoresen’s left shoe in the picture? You might want to zoom in a bit on it. I don’t know about you, but to me it looks bigger than his right shoe, a lot bigger, almost comically so.

That means, if the shoe size reckoning above is correct, and if Thoresen was Zodiac, from the photo above (if not altered) it might be determined that his shoe size was in neighborhood of 11. From the picture, you can see he was a big guy (the phrase barrel chested might even come to mind.)

Now, examine his left pant leg at the knee. (You might have to zoom in a bit and turn up the brightness on your screen.) To me this area looks to have been retouched. The same is true of the layers of the bottom of the jacket he’s carrying. The shading, or shadow doesn’t quite look kosher.

Also, why is he carrying a jacket when the picture was taken in August in North Carolina? His wife and the military official are clearly dressed for summer. No one else is wearing a jacket, carrying one, or an umbrella. So why would he? (The jacket looks too big to have been his wife’s.)

The answer is, he wasn’t carrying that jacket. The shoe was retouched so that anyone who might suspect he was Zodiac would see a shoe that’s clearly larger than an 11. The jacket was added because the out sizing of the shoe would make the shoe stand out, and not in a good way, without it. The jacket used is a light color in order to draw one’s eye from the oversized looking shoe, and make what otherwise wouldn’t look balanced, balanced.

If you think this sounds crazy, ask yourself why would anyone do this to a picture of a guy who had been dead for four years when the book containing that picture was published. Then ask yourself why the FBI planted a story implying Thoresen’s former neighbor was killed by home invading jewel thieves who smashed their way into her father’s home when they were known coming in quietly and attacking no one, and the FBI’s files prove they suspected Thoresen. Then ask yourself why the SFPD declared Zodiac mailings that arrived in envelopes that lack Zodiac’s MO in two significant ways legit. And why there is endless churn today about suspects and leads that go nowhere.

There’s only one answer. Thoresen was Zodiac.

 

[Winward1]

Sorry for the typos. Wish we could correct on here after an hour.

 

[Winward1]

Q: Before publishing it in a book, why would one alter an image, enlarging the shoe of a guy who had died four years earlier, the same guy who died just before the envelopes to the mailings changed?

A: Because the book was a whitewash, and he wore shoes the same size as the prints found at Lake Berryessa.

 

[Winward1]

When I read Thoresen's wife's book, I suspected Thoresen merely of having killed Valerie Percy.

I didn't think this when starting the book but wasn't far into it when red flags started to appear. By the time I finished it, I thought her trial sounded like a sham, and the book was a whitewash.

Though I still only thought, in addition to the murders she mentions in it, the only person unnamed who he killed was Percy. That was enough to suspect a whitewash given Percy's father became a US senator little more than a month after his daughter was killed. And was a senator when the book was published.

That said, her book was published in New York. It was given significant push from its publisher (M. Evans) and was distributed by Mifflin. It received feature-length reviews in major newspapers, some of which like The NY Times also ran interviews with her. It was also carried by book of the month clubs.

It all seems quite legit except for one thing: there are no photo credits in it, none whatsoever. Though clearly some of the photos may have been owned by Thoresen's wife, even for those any reputable NY publisher would have required something like a "used by permission" line.

As for the Fort Bragg photos, which look to have been taken by a pro, possibly for a military or local news source, consider why there would be no photo credits in the book, and the photo that includes his shoes doctored.

A sham, followed by a whitewash...unravelling 50 years later.

 

[Winward1]

Tomorrow is the 54th anniversary of the case that I believe will one day be looked upon as the one that ended the mystery surrounding Zodiac's identity, and which revealed authorities have known who he was since 1970: the Valerie Percy murder.

A recent, related review:

Bob S.
5.0 out of 5 stars New Zodiac candidate you've never heard about....
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020

Any true crime fan needs to get acquainted with the strange life and history of William Thoresen, arguably one of the most under-the-radar psychopaths in the annals of crime. Author Glenn Wall's first book introduces the reader to Thoresen in his terrific book, "Sympathy Vote - The Reinvestigation of the Valerie Percy murder", the baffling murder of the daughter of soon to be Senator Charles Percy in 1966.

As a young boy living in the Chicagoland area, I vividly remember the fear and fascination this horrific murder had and continues to have, as the case has inexplicably never been solved. Wall presents a compelling case for suspecting that Thoresen was the shadowy figure seen in the bedroom on that tragic night. A person of means, Thoresen was the son of a wealthy family living just blocks from the Percy residence and was well known to the local police.

Wall's follow-up book, "Zodiac Maniac" continues to follow Thoresen's travels through other suspected crimes/murders and his curious hobby of collecting roomfuls of old WWII era weapons. His wealth leads to a new life in Northern California, which becomes the backdrop for another unsolved string of crimes, the notorious Zodiac murders. Now, the author presents a new Zodiac candidate who never was considered due a fascinating mixture of legal maneuvering thanks to wealth, bureaucratic bungling, federal vs state/local inter-department non-cooperation and good ol' cover your *advertiser censored* incompetence. I recommend picking up both books. You'll not want to put them down.

 

[Richard]

Valerie Percy, 21,
Murdered 18 September 1966

 

[Winward1]

This looks like Sharon, Valerie's twin.

 

[Winward1]

Two days after the Lake Berryessa attacks, three women in their early twenties told police they saw a white male suspect the same day as the stabbings.

They believed they saw him twice. The first time after he pulled his car, possibly a silver blue Chevrolet, up behind their’s after they parked alongside the road at which time he remained in the car. The second time they believed they saw him was about a half hour later which was about four p.m. They estimated the suspect was between forty and fifty feet away and was standing near some trees. The witnesses said he looked to be/have:

Witness 1:

Six feet tall, between 200 and 210 pounds. He had a muscular build and was rather nice looking.

Witness 2:

Black hair, possibly styled with a part on the left, rounded eyes, thin lips, a medium nose, straight eyebrows, and small ears. Well built, rather nice looking, approximately 28 years old, between six feet and six feet two inches tall and weighed between 200 to 225 pounds.

Witness 3:

Six feet tall, had a stocky build and was about 200 pounds. Straight dark hair neatly combed, approximately 30 years old, with a rounded face. Fairly nice looking and was not wearing glasses.

William Thoresen (pictured in late August,1967) was 31 in September, 1969. He was six foot one and did not wear glasses. Eleven years earlier (at age 20, in 1958) he weighed 175 pounds. He had dark brown hair with flecks of red in it.

Not only do I believe he passes the “fairly nice looking” test re: these witnesses, there’s tons of evidence that points directly at him as having been Zodiac. That said, if the suspect the witnesses saw was Zodiac (trolling for victims along roads and parking behind them was standard MO, and walking down from the road to observe the above witnesses is what he did with Shepard and Hartnell) and Zodiac was Thoresen, these women could not have described him better than they did. They were outstanding witnesses.

 

[Winward1]

For whatever reason, this pic didn't appear, or disappear. But it's referred to above as:

It’s long been suspected Zodiac had some sort of military connection.

You may remember officer Fouke described the suspect he saw minutes after Stein was killed as being approximately 5 foot 11, and walking with his head down, slightly bent forward. William Thoresen was six foot one. If viewed from the street, walking with his head down, and slightly bent forward, one would expect him appear to be a few inches shorter than he actually was. In other words, about five foot eleven.

That said, a military connection and walking with his head down, here's a photo of Thoresen at Ft. Bragg in July, 1966 walking with his head down.

 

[Winward1]

It's no coincidence that the Lake Berryessa witnesses described a man who looked exactly like William Thoresen.

 

[Winward1]

This is a link to William Thoresen's signature, which I obtained from a source while researching the investigation into the murder of Valerie Percy.

Below it is handwriting from the envelope on the Hautz letter, long believed to have been written by the killer of Cheri Jo Bates, whom many believe was Zodiac.

In a nutshell, it is just more proof that Thoresen was Zodiac.

comparison — Postimages

 

[Winward1]

A thumbnail:

 

[Winward1]

I have interviewed several people who knew, and knew of, Thoresen. They all call him Bill, as he signed his name.

The answer to the 13 character "my name is" cipher is:

Bill E Thoresen

 

[Winward1]

Fifteen months after release, a revised and expanded edition (available for pre-order now) reveals Thoresen was responsible for, at minimum, 47 murders in six states. Also included is additional information on the coverup. Amazon lists it as 232 but the print version (soon to be released) is 250 pages: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TV4N6F...&keywords=zodiac+maniac&qid=1611441793&sr=8-2

 

[Winward1]

According to Tom Voigt, a former SFPD investigator admitted that he created the Sierra Club postcard.

Dave Toschi was pulled off the Zodiac case for forging letters (and was accused of forging Zodiac letters.)

I revealed that the envelope from a purported Zodiac mailing, and three that followed, veer far from Zodiac’s established MO yet it and the other three were deemed to be genuine by SFPD. You might recall the first just so happens to postmarked 16 days after Thoresen died and was the first “Zodiac” mailing to arrive after his death.

So the FBI released a statement on the 340 cipher that “…was recently solved by private citizens.” It says “the Zodiac case remains an ongoing investigation for the FBI San Francisco division and our local law enforcement partners.”

Do they mean the partners who counterfeit postcards?

Or the partners who forge letters?

Or the partners who deem mailings with manifest signs of being bogus to be genuine?

They say they are seeking justice for Zodiac’s victims while private citizens are the ones cracking ciphers.

You may ask why would police create a counterfeit mailing (the aforementioned post card) that implies a link between a missing woman (Donna Lass) and Zodiac when there’s nothing to indicate her disappearance had anything to do with Zodiac.

The answer is because Lass disappeared after Thoresen died.

 

[Sharistoddard]

It’s long been suspected Zodiac had some sort of military connection.

You may remember officer Fouke described the suspect he saw minutes after Stein was killed as being approximately 5 foot 11, and walking with his head down, slightly bent forward. William Thoresen was six foot one. If viewed from the street, walking with his head down, and slightly bent forward, one would expect him appear to be a few inches shorter than he actually was. In other words, about five foot eleven.

That said… a military connection…walking with his head down.

What do we have here? (see pic in post below) A photo of Thoresen, who just so happens to be walking with his head down while at a military base (Fort Bragg, 1966).

The same Thoresen who:

hired Melvin Belli in 1964
lived in San Francisco during the Zodiac attacks
was a suspect in numerous brutal murders by 1966
started traveling to Southern California in 1962
had received speech therapy from his wife (to overcome stuttering)
had red in his hair like the Stein witnesses saw
walked with his head down like the suspect described by Fouke
looked like the Zodiac sketch
lived northeast of the Stein crime scene (the directions witnesses saw the suspect walking in)
drove a rare sports car that would have been harder to I.D. at Blue Rock Springs Park
died exactly when the word editor and the second stamp vanished from the envelopes
bought tons of military weapons from a dealer who supplied militia groups
was a VIP at Fort Bragg before the Zodiac crimes occurred
hailed from the midwest

And whose:
wife had left him when Zodiac wrote to Belli pleading for help
wife tried to ship him bayonets after the Percy murder
house was both in distance and direction from the park where Zodiac said he was when the cops were searching for him after the Stein murder
wife said he didn’t stutter when he “played a role”
height matches Fouke’s suspect description
signature looks like the handwriting on the Hautz letter’s envelope, and documents linked to the murderers of no less than eight people in the midwest

I’m trying to learn all I can about him and my brothers father, my step father Dale Stoddard. Any info or pics would be appreciated. I’ve only see two pics of Dale. No one in my family remembers what he looked like he kept my mom away from her family for the most part and she committed suicide at 39.

 

[Sharistoddard]

I exchanged emails with a talented Zodiac researcher. We discussed books and authors. He stated most writers, in their books, have argued that one suspect, or another, was Zodiac. He’s right.

He explained these writers are biased towards whomever their suspect is. But me? Guilty as charged. Yet, he told me, he’s not biased. He looks at everything, and every suspect without bias.

At some point, while being highly biased, and likely arguing Thoresen was Zodiac, I brought up one of two things. It was either evidence found at the Percy crime scene (a unique clue that had the cops, and me before I was looking at Zodiac, baffled) or it was the Morrison-Means case, on which I had recently stumbled, and that at least one other researcher agrees has Zodiac written all over it.

Whatever it was, my researcher friend flat out refused to discuss these things. (I believe I suggested one of these topics would be good for him to feature in his blog.) I then asked why he won’t. The reason, he explained, is he refuses to believe, 50 years on, that another case could turn up that was likely, if not irrefutably, the work of Zodiac!

At the same time, he explained Thoresen as Zodiac would nullify a large percentage of his work (I seem to recall it was in excess of 50 percent.) This for a case where it seems to me the average observer has been expecting a new Zodiac case to arrive any moment… for decades. This is not to mention others before me have made strong arguments Zodiac was responsible for cases in the midwest.

Meanwhile, my researcher friend has written about all kinds of cases, in the context of Zodiac, which (he explains) can be proven to not be the result of Zodiac. But Morrison-Means? No. Percy? Absolutely not.

Means was tied up with laundry line. Morrison was shot with a .22. The two teens preyed upon by a killer who came across them in a rural area, late at night, when they were in their car. One account says they were run off of the road by their slayer. Like Johns, they were abducted by a killer who claimed (insincerely) he offered to help them. After he killed them, he called police and took credit for the crime, and wrote a letter to one of the victims’ parents. The handwriting in the letter is a dead ringer for that on the Hautz envelope (which ties him to Bates’ killing.) And this happened smack dab between the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park attacks.

But…hey, it’s 50 years later. I’m not biased! It just couldn’t have been Zodiac. Especially not in Thoresen’s home state. All of which indicates it was Zodiac, and Zodiac was Thoresen, a killer who not only meets anyone’s expectations of who Zodiac was, but exceeds them.

Did u mention in your book that F Lee Bailey was one of Williams early lawyer and someone the Zodiac mentioned by name, I believe requesting an interview with him of sorts? Don’t quote me on the last part but indeed mentioned by name in louise’s book and the Zodiac killer ask for him by name in a letter.