Arthur Leigh Allen

Allen was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 18, 1933. He grew up in Vallejo, California, and had a strained relationship with his mother. Allen entered the U.S. Navy on December 13, 1951, and served until his honorable discharge on December 12, 1959. During his time in the navy, he served mostly in the reserves but spent some time on active duty. He served on multiple submarines and earned the China Service Medal for his service in Southeast Asia. On April 4, 1958, Allen faced a special court-martial at Treasure Island for bringing a loaded .45 pistol onto the naval base. He was found not guilty. Allen attended California Polytechnic State College, where he was the California collegiate trampoline champion in 1959.

In the early 1960s, Allen moved to Atascadero, California, where he worked as a teacher and later as a mechanic. He was fired from his teaching job at an elementary school in March 1968 for molesting a student.

At the time of the Zodiac murders, Allen lived not far from several crime scenes and close to where victim Darlene Ferrin worked. On October 6, 1969, Allen was interviewed by Detective John Lynch of the Vallejo Police Department. Allen had been reported in the vicinity of the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27. He told Lynch that he was going to go to Lake Berryessa but changed his mind and went scuba diving at Salt Point State Park instead.

In 1971, Allen's former friend, Donald L. Cheney, reported to Manhattan Beach police that Allen had spoken of his desire to kill people, used the name Zodiac, and secured a flashlight to a firearm for visibility at night. Cheney said this conversation occurred no later than January 1, 1969. Allen was interviewed again on August 4, 1971, this time by Detective Mulanax of the Vallejo Police Department and Inspectors Toschi and Bill Armstrong of SFPD. Allen claimed he didn't recall the alleged conversation with Cheney. He brought up the previous interview he had after the Lake Berryessa murder; he admitted to having possession of bloody knives that day, claiming he used the knives to "kill a chicken". He also admitted to being in Riverside during the time of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates. Allen also talked about a book he enjoyed reading in high school called "The Most Dangerous Game", which Zodiac referenced in his first solved cipher. Allen owned and wore a Zodiac Watch, a brand that uses a logo similar to the killer's symbol. Allen and the Zodiac also both had shoes sized 10.5.

In September 1972, the SFPD obtained a search warrant for Allen's Santa Rosa trailer. Nothing incriminating was found. The SFPD took samples of Allen's handwriting, as well as obtaining his fingerprints; his handwriting couldn't be definitively linked to the Zodiac's, and his fingerprints didn't match the ones found in victim Paul Stine's cab.

In 1974, Allen was arrested for lewdness with a nine-year-old boy. After pleading guilty he was sent to Atascadero State Hospital for pre-sentence evaluation and treatment. On May 13, 1977, Allen was given a suspended prison sentence and five years of felony probation. He completed probation successfully in 1982.

Department of Justice Agent Jim Silver had asked Zodiac survivor Bryan Hartnell to observe Allen as he worked in a Vallejo hardware store. …