The secret code written by the serial killer Zodiac Killer is claimed to have been cracked by the FBI. The message with the strange symbol has been a mystery for more than 50 years. So, what's the message?
The killer, who goes by the pseudonym 'Zodiac', often sends ridicule messages to the press written in cipher, in the case of the Zodiac killer, a series of symbols.
The first letters were sent on three media in the Bay Area, each containing a different part of the cipher. The media then printed the Zodiac Killer cipher (or cryptogram) because he threatened to kill again if his instructions were not followed.
On August 8, 1969, Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden claimed to have deciphered the text with its gruesome content. But as it turned out, the version of the FBI investigation was quite different from the content Gene and Harden solved.
Previously, a team of codebreakers decided to try and decode the Zodiac Killer. It was David Oranchak, Sam Blake, and Jarl Van Eycke who used software to crack passwords. As a result, the following contents were found which were later verified by the FBI:
I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING LOTS OF FUN IN TRYING TO CATCH ME
THAT WASNT ME ON THE TV SHOW
WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT ABOUT ME
I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE GAS CHAMBER
BECAUSE IT WILL SEND ME TO PARADICE ALL THE SOONER
BECAUSE I NOW HAVE ENOUGH SLAVES TO WORK FOR ME
WHERE EVERYONE ELSE HAS NOTHING WHEN THEY REACH PARADICE
SO THEY ARE AFRAID OF DEATH
I AM NOT AFRAID BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY NEW LIFE IS
LIFE WILL BE AN EASY ONE IN PARADICE DEATH
"The FBI is aware that the password associated with the Zodiac Killer was recently cracked by a civilian," the FBI said in a statement. They added that the Zodiac Killer is still being investigated.
"The Zodiac Killer remains an ongoing investigation for the San Francisco division of the FBI and local enforcement partners. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time."
Furthermore, despite the success of cracking this code, the code-breaking team said they were disappointed that the cipher did not contain any information that could be used to identify the killer. Thus launched IFL Science.