Customer Reviews

Corroborating Evidence II

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Despite its oversized format and glossy cover, William T. Rasmussen's "Greatly Expanded" book could certainly use a lot of refining. Perhaps the best place to start, given the book's title, after all, would be with the evidence itself. Unfortunately, the sources into the Zodiac case that Rasmussen relies upon for his research are the book of an easily discredited author and a website comprised of amateur investigators whose theories range from 'my father did it' to 'the Manson Family did it.' Normally I wouldn't be surprised to see this kind of peripheral study being written by someone with little to no knowledge of the subject matter, but I honestly expected something far more probing and in keeping with the facts given that it was written by an author with a juris doctorate. Apparently I was allowing my interest in the subject matter to determine my purchase instead giving in to my gut instincts that told me this book would be a waste of far too many trees. Nevertheless, I purchased it, and can now say without equivocation that not only is Rasmussen demonstrating his lack of knowledge in the subject/s and therefore is forming conclusions that should be taken with a serious dosage of salt, but also that I'm so diametrically opposed to his investigative techniques given the chapters on a supposed Zodiac/Phantom Killer of Texarkana connection that I realize any time spent wading through his Torso/Lipstick/Black Dahlia connection can only be time wasted in which I could have been doing something more productive, such as watering my plants. I'll give it 1 star because it has that lurid appeal that we true crime readers seem to crave, but if you are interested in a serious expose into the true nature of these tragically unsolved crimes based on a wholehearted study of the facts, then plowing through Rasmussen's uninformed ramblings isn't the solution.

I was so looking forward to this book, as it purports to offer new information about some of my favorite cases...well, the information is new, but only because it largely consists of wild conjecture & speculation, not fact. Why not just come out & say that aliens were responsible (& while you're at it, they probably killed JFK, as well)? The book does contain photos & material not seen elsewhere, but the fantastic stretches it goes to trying to establish a link between some of these crimes are laughable. In the Notes (there are no references, which should have warned me about the quality of scholarship), it becomes apparent that the author has drawn primarily on popular books, newspaper accounts, & Internet sites to formulate his theories, not police reports or any official documents, running the risk of perpetrating errors & myths. Terribly shoddy work & a total disappointment!

I read Rasmussen's first book several months ago and liked it and decided to give the seond book a try. In the first book Rasmussen names Jack Anderson Wilson as the main suspect in the Cleveland Torso Murders, as well as, the Black Dahlia. He points out that in 1937 a lady in the Cleveland Workhouse told Detective Orley May that the person who was committing the Cleveland Torso Murders was a former butcher and sodomist by the name of Jack Wilson. Several years later in Los Angeles one of the suspects in the Black Dahlia case is named Jack Anderson Wilson and he is also a former butcher and sodomist. It seems very strange that this person is named in two separate cases several states away but not impossible. Afterall the cases are separated by 20 years and a serial killer does not stop killing just because he re-located. Apparently this man moved from on place to another because he was originally from Canton Ohio.

In the second book Rasmussen finds connections between the Zodiac Killer and the Phantom Killer of Texarkana. When the Phantom Murders were being committed a letter was sent to the step-father of one of the victims. The letter was typed in all capital letters as if to signify an urgent situtation. It seems that all of the Phantom Killer's letters were typed this way and mention "there will be more." In the Zodiac case there was letter sent to the victim father typed in all capital letters and included the phrase "there will be more." It seems to me that this was the first time anyone mentioned the similar letter styles and content connecting the two cases. There are other similarities in the book connecting the two cases like show size, cloth-hood over the head, etc... Rasmussen does not come out and say that only one person committed the crimes he describes but he does present new information that may be beneficial in solving these murders. For example, Rasmussen compares the "bus bomb" drawing the Zodiac drew to a sewing machine. This seemed a little far fetched to me until I read the reasoning behind it. If this intrigues you pick up a copy of the book for yourself or a loved one.

Despite the supposed "corroborating evidence" provided by the author, there is absolutely nothing to connect the Phantom Killer of Texarkana to the Zodiac killer. "Corroborate" is defined as that which 'gives or represents evidence of the truth of something' and there is not one example of evidence provided in Rasmussen's book to even suggest that there's any truth connecting these two, still-at-large, serial killers. First of all, Rasmussen uses some letters written to the stepfather of one of the Phantom Killer's victims and compares them to letters written by the Zodiac. This would be a fine approach if in fact it was known whether or not the letters were actually written by the Phantom Killer, but there's absolutely no proof whatsoever that the letters in question were written by the killer, so what's the point in comparing them? Rasmussen also tries to draw a parallel between these supposed letters from the Phantom Killer to a letter sent to the father of a young woman who was murdered in Riverside, CA. in 1966. However, this victim may not have been murdered by the Zodiac Killer, and it has long been the Riverside Police Department's assertion that she wasn't. Therefore, Rasmussen is not making just one leap in his logic, but several: The Phantom Killer may or may not have written the letters to the murdered victim's stepfather, and the Zodiac may or may not have written the letters to the Riverside victim's father, and may not have even committed that particular crime. Secondly, Rasmussen also notes that both killers wore hoods over their heads when they committed their crimes, but the fact of the matter is that the Zodiac only wore a hood at one crime scene and definitely didn't wear a hood during the commission of at least two other crimes where there were either eyewitnesses or a surviving victim to convey what the killer looked like. Thirdly, the Phantom Killer sexually assaulted and or violated his victims in ways which the Zodiac was never known to do. Rasmussen also points out that both killers had a similar shoe size, the Phantom's being anywhere from 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 and the Zodiac's being approximately 10 1/2. So what? All that this comparison does is narrow the suspect list down to something like 25,000,000 or more. This is hardly "corroborating evidence," as the author suggests. Finally, if the eyewitnesses in the Zodiac case are to be believed when they claimed that the Zodiac was between the ages of 35 and 45 in 1969, are we really supposed to believe that the Phantom Killer of Texarkana was as young as 12 years old when he started his rampage in 1946? It seems kind of strange, and is also very telling, that Rasmussen is willing to ignore this fact. Furthermore, given Rasmussen's bibliography, it's obvious that the only source of research that was used in his study of the Zodiac was a book written by a discredited political cartoonist who was once found guilty of plagiarism. Essentially, this is sloppy research of the highest order. How can Rasmussen claim that he's found "corroborating evidence" when he never even bothered to verify the veracity of the discredited political cartoonist's claims? On page 214 of Rasmussen's book he writes, "In different attacks in California in 1969, the Zodiac wore a hood over his head that did not interfere with his vision and he used a rifle with a flashlight attached to the barrel, thus freeing the other hand." As already explained above, it's only known for sure that the Zodiac wore a hood at one of his crimes, and it was black, not white like the Phantom Killer's was. The Phantom Killer wore a white hood at a number of his crimes. Secondly, the Zodiac never used a rifle to commit any of his crimes, he always used a pistol and at one crime scene used a knife and, unlike the Phantom Killer of Texarkana, the Zodiac never sexually assaulted any of his victims. It's this type of uninformed authorship that gives true crime writers a bad name. If you, as a reader, are interested in spending money on a book that blatantly ignores a plethora of facts in order to propagate an absurd theory, then this book is for you. On the other hand, if you are interested in reading a book that forms its conclusions using hard facts, then this book is to be ignored at all costs.

I was reviewing this book on Amazon after seeing it advertised elsewhere.

In the description, a murder victim by the name of Cheri Jo Bates was mentioned and apparently included by the author as a confirmed Zodiac murder.

However, the Riverside Police Department had their own prime suspect that they monitored for about 25 years who was clearly not the Zodiac. Furthermore, as I recall, other law enforcement agencies also looked at the murder in Riverside to see if there was a Zodiac link and could find none despite clear similarities. In other words, the murder of Cheri Jo Bates only had similarities but was not the Zodiac. The Zodiac retard.... oh, sorry.... the Zodiac killer did reference the case and inferred that he had been involved... but he was a proven liar in other statements that he made.

So, if the author of this book says her murder was linked when various Federal, State, and local police agencies said there was no link, the reader then has to question the validity of his other assumptions presented in his book.

Aftering reading Corroborating Evidence II I found it to be extremely interesting. The possible connections Mr. Rasmussen makes between the Cleveland Torso Murders and the murder of the Black Dahlia, along with the possible connections between the Phantom Killer of Texarkana and the Zodiac Killer, are compelling to say the least. Why didn't anyone pick up on these connections before? Mr Rasmussen is on an amazing track and in my eyes may just solve these puzzling crimes. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading famous unsolved true-crime.

Corroborating Evidence and its sequel Corroborating Evidence II are great examples of spectacular investigative work by its author, William T. Rasmussen. This book will keep your mind wanting to know more about the serial killers and their victims, and how William T. Rasmussen's clues corroborate with who the killer may be.

This book includes some gory pictures and vivid accounts of some gruesom unsolved murders but the factual accounts presented by the author follow in the footsteps of the killer. Several other theories about the murder of the Black Dahlia seem a little far fetched. Rasmussen's theory seems not only logical but also believable. His in depth research about the Phantom Killer of Texarkana and the Zodiac Killer are fascinating! I highly recommend this book and look forward to future page turners by Mr. Rasmussen..in my opinion his evidential discoveries and knowledge on these monsterous men are on an expertise level.