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The murder of Cheri Jo Bates


JonathanVonErich

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CHERI JO BATES

Killed: Oct. 30, 1966 (Sunday)

Case number: 352-481

Time of attack: Approximately 9:30 p.m.

Place of attack: An alley on the campus of Riverside City College, Riverside, Calif.

Method of attack: A 1966 graduate of Riverside's Ramona High School, 18-year-old Cheri Jo Bates was beaten and stabbed multiple times with a short-bladed knife. There was no evidence of robbery or sexual molestation. There were no witnesses.

Details: Bates had been studying in the college library prior to the attack. Her car was found intentionally disabled approximately 100 yards from the alley. A men's Timex watch with a band suggesting a seven-inch wrist was found at the scene, along with a military-style heel print indicating a size 8 - 10 shoe. The origin of the watch was eventually traced to a military post, possibly in England. The shoes could have been sold at nearby March Air Force Base. Investigators established the watch was ripped from the attacker's wrist during the struggle. Although the watch stopped at 12:24, it's believed the crime occured a few hours earlier and that Bates died very quickly.

Zodiac victim? Zodiac was first considered a suspect in the Bates murder in October 1969, when the Riverside Police Department noted similarities between the Bates case and Napa County's Zodiac killing of Sept. 27, 1969. By November 1970, the news media had gotten wind of the possible Zodiac-Bates connection and both the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times published lengthly stories. Zodiac sent a letter to the Los Angeles Times postmarked March 13, 1971, accepting responsibility for the Bates crime. However, he might have been falsely taking credit. As in the known Zodiac attacks, the Bates case saw police-taunting letters written to the newspapers. A confession letter was mailed anonymously from Riverside on Nov. 29, 1966 (Tuesday) to both the Riverside Police Department and the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper. However, it wasn't necessarily written by her killer. Although this confession did contain details of the crime that weren't widely known, it's quite possible that the letter was simply the work of a hoaxster. In December 1966, a desk with a morbid poem scratched into the surface was discovered in the college library. The writing was eventually attributed to the Zodiac killer. Additionally, three other letters sent anonymously from Riverside on April 30, 1967 to the above recipients, as well as to the victim's father Joseph, have been attributed to the Zodiac. (In November 1967, yet another suspicious letter was received by the local newspaper, however its origin is unknown.)

Conclusion: The Riverside Police Department is confident it knows who killed Cheri and its suspect is not Zodiac. If true, while Zodiac didn't kill Bates he most probably wrote the confession, desk-top poem and three letters, indicating he had ties to the Riverside area.

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Perhaps Ted Bundy.

Not a chance. Doesn't match Ted's M.O. Ted always hid the bodies and always acted out sexually.

edited to add info

Edited by OverSword
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Not a chance. Doesn't match Ted's M.O. Ted always hid the bodies and always acted out sexually.

edited to add info

Not always.

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I don't know, I mean it could be the Zodiac killer, but the MO doesn't really fit. Most of his other victims were shot, although two were stabbed, and they were usually couples out alone. Although, the shoes interest me because they kind of fit the description of what the Zodiac wore. Who knows?

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The Shadow knows.

I thought that one of the reasons that the M.O did not completely fit Zodiac was because it was very early in his career . From the stuff I've read , Ithinki t was Zodiac...by the way did anybody read the book ( I gorget the author's name ) by the guy who claimed his Father was the Black Dahlia Avenger...not that book, but the one where he claims his Dad was Zodiac too? Pretty goofy stuff!

Working Class AL.

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Well the reason i said it might be Ted Bundy is because i've heard this girl's name connected with him before. But this was years ago during my Bundy phase. He was going to Stanford which i believe is in California and that would put him near her maybe. Also, he didn't always hide the bodies very well. It would appear that way if looking at the main ones in the beginning of his timeline, but he is suspected of and had confessed to murders wherein the bodies weren't hidden so well. This girl might be one of his early ones. It doesn't really fit Zodiac i don't think, but it says she was beaten and stabbed, both of which fit Bundy's MO at different times. It's definitely interesting but i don't think anyone will ever solve this one, barring a confession of some sort.

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Well the reason i said it might be Ted Bundy is because i've heard this girl's name connected with him before. But this was years ago during my Bundy phase. He was going to Stanford which i believe is in California and that would put him near her maybe. Also, he didn't always hide the bodies very well. It would appear that way if looking at the main ones in the beginning of his timeline, but he is suspected of and had confessed to murders wherein the bodies weren't hidden so well. This girl might be one of his early ones. It doesn't really fit Zodiac i don't think, but it says she was beaten and stabbed, both of which fit Bundy's MO at different times. It's definitely interesting but i don't think anyone will ever solve this one, barring a confession of some sort.

Yeah Brother...Stanford is not really far from Riverside. If you look at how many folks are coming forward to say their Dad, Step Father, Brother, Uncle was Zodiac...its pathetic. Recently ( within the past year or so) there was one lady that said she sowed the infamous "circled cross" on the Zodiac mask for her father. She also said that she accompanied him on a few murders....if I remember right she claimed she was with him on the Paul Stein cabbie murder. That ex-cop has some interesting theories on why his Dad ( the BlackDahlia Avenger) was also the ZODIAC too...oh yeah, I remember the author's name now...GEORGE HODEL. Don't know if I believe he was the ZODIAC as well , but it would be pretty crazy. His Dad looks like a number of sketches though and lived in the vicinity of The Stein Cabbie Murder that the Zodiac did. Check out the book and tell me what you think.

WORKINGCLASS AL

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three other letters sent anonymously from Riverside on April 30, 1967 to the above recipients, as well as to the victim's father Joseph, have been attributed to the Zodiac.

Zodiac_Bates_Letter_1S.JPG

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Why did the killer disable the car if it was his intention to kill her outside?? to me it sounds like a contract killing. When performing a kill first thing you do is cover all exits right? plus a short bladed knife is much more easily concealed,and the fact that she died quickly,perhaps the killer knew the correct places to rupture ensuring a fast death?

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He disabled the car so Cheri Jo will need help, it was a way for the killer to talk to her.

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He disabled the car so Cheri Jo will need help, it was a way for the killer to talk to her.

ahhh i seee :ph34r:

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The guy had a plan, so i think the killer knew Cheri Jo. Maybe he was in love with her and she didn't love him, classic story of the loner falling in love with a very popular girl who don't care about him....He saw her in the library and decided to kill her...he disabled the car and waited for her...She needed help so he offered her help, then killed her....

Maybe it was Zodiac's first murder, maybe it was simply a guy who had a plan.

The murder of Cheri Jo is The only unsolved murder in Riverside.

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Ok, back with the topic...

Just received a email by a former Zodiac investigator and he think that Zodiac was the killer of Cheri Jo....he thinks this was Zodiac's first murder.....very credible man....

Edited by JonathanVonErich
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Ok, back with the topic...

Just received a email by a former Zodiac investigator and he think that Zodiac was the killer of Cheri Jo....he thinks this was Zodiac's first murder.....very credible man....

I agree. If the M.O. varied just a bit, I believe it was because it was early in Zodiac's career. He also bragged to Police that he changed up his method of "Hunting" and do you guys remember the flat tire freeway incident with that lady and her baby? It was not the classic Zodiac M.O. , but was deemed a Zodiac incident. I think Bates was Zodiac.

Working Class AL.

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I just don't know why Zodiac never talked about Cheri jo's murder in one of his letters....this killer loved to talk about the murders he did and i don't know why he never talked about this first murder....And good point about Kathleen Johns(lady and her baby)Al... About the Johns encounter some Zodiac investigators still think that Zodiac was not the abductor, that he lied about committing this crime and that Kathleen only identified Zodiac as her abductor because she was stressed....me i think it was in fact the Zodiac Killer....sadly Kathleen Johns died so we will never know the answer...

Edited by JonathanVonErich
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I just don't know why Zodiac never talked about Cheri jo's murder in one of his letters....this killer loved to talk about the murders he did and i don't know why he never talked about this first murder....And good point about Kathleen Johns(lady and her baby)Al... About the Johns encounter some Zodiac investigators still think that Zodiac was not the abductor, that he lied about committing this crime and that Kathleen only identified Zodiac as her abductor because she was stressed....me i think it was in fact the Zodiac Killer....sadly Kathleen Johns died so we will never know the answer...

From the stuff I've read I figure it was the Zodiac also. The perp's description fit Zodiac, we know he was working Northern California at this time and the calm cool demeanor of the guy who who went after Mrs. John's and her baby betray a person who was very comfortable and cool in commiting this crime. Couple this with the fact that at this point he had already warned he was going to change up his methodology. Do you know if there were any other serial or repeat offender's in the SF Bay Area at this time? This is another reason I think it was Zodiac.

Hey....didn't most experts think that Cheri Jo Bates was a Zodiac job because of the Halloween card sent to Riverside Police? They say it was a stylistic match for cards he sent later to the Chronicle I believe. It was on on the first anniversary ..yeah? If my memory serves me correctly there were some handwriting matches on the cards and even in the leter styles taken from The Riverside College Library table/desktop

In my opinion this is the most interesting of all the Serial Killer cases. Zodiac was a bit of an egomaniac wasn't he?

Later

WORKING CLASS AL YOUR BLUE COLLAR PAL!

Edited by WORKING CLASS AL
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He was a huge egomaniac....At one point the murders were a way for him to make headlines in every newspaper....This guy wanted to be famous and you know what? he did.

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He was a huge egomaniac....At one point the murders were a way for him to make headlines in every newspaper....This guy wanted to be famous and you know what? he did.

Hey ...JVE ,do you think he is dead by now???...figure maybe he in his 30 's or 40's at the time of the murders.

W.C. AL

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