Serial Killer Open Tournament
Disclaimer: I don't really mean any of this, it's the 14-year old in me talking.
Now that the BTK killer has been apprehended after 30-some-odd years, there can be no debate: the murders committed by the Zodiac killer must be considered the crime of the century. Well, last century. It doesn't look like we'll ever know the killer's true identity, since he has most likely passed away & left no evidence behind that anyone knows of. While the two serial killers had similar M.O.'s in that they both wrote taunting letters to the police & media, we can see now that, however strange it seems, a confused & disturbed individual (Zodiac) with a tenous grip on reality was able to elude numerous law enforcement agencies in a major metropolitan area, while an organized, inconspicuous, respected man about town (BTK) couldn't get past local authorities in a suburb of a small Midwestern township. Strange. So now we go to the scoreboard.
Zodiac
--------------- Zodiac
Manson
-------------------------------------------Zodiac
Dahmer
----------Night Stalker
Night Stalker
----------------------------------------------------------winner: Zodiac
BTK
---------------BTK
Son of Sam
--------------------------------------------BTK
Ted Bundy
-----------Green River
Green River
Quick recap: Zodiac defeated Manson simply by knowing when to play it cool & subsequently evading authorities, while Richard Ramirez earned a unanimous decision by surviving prison life, outliving an incarecerated Jeffrey Dahmer & even getting married as he sat on death row. BTK held on to a strong lead as Sam Berkowitz was forgotten on Rykers Island. And Green River looked like he was going to run away with it, racking up huge numbers & eluding authorities for years, in what many considered an upset over the "Hollywood-serial-killer-prototype" Bundy.
In the semi's, Zodiac made short work of Ramirez; it was over before it started....sticking to his simple, conservative gameplan of knowing "when to say when" after the stunning display that earned him his 1st place seed, Zodiac seemd unbeatable. BTK made it past Green River when authorities finally closed in on the Pacific Northwesterner, & made a strong showing by renewing his correspondence with the police.
Ultimately, it was this last ploy that cost BTK in the finals, as Zodiac's complete lack of evidence shut out the Wichita resident we now know as Dennis L. Rader. With BTK in custody & literally truckloads of evidence having been confiscated, even if reports that Rader has already confessed to more crimes than originally attributed to him are true, Zodiac will take home the honors & is bestowed the 20th century Serial Killer Open Tournament title.
Stay tuned for out next installment, as Zodiac earns a well-deserved seat alongside Jack the Ripper on the roster of the much-anticipated "Tournament of Champions".
Now that the BTK killer has been apprehended after 30-some-odd years, there can be no debate: the murders committed by the Zodiac killer must be considered the crime of the century. Well, last century. It doesn't look like we'll ever know the killer's true identity, since he has most likely passed away & left no evidence behind that anyone knows of. While the two serial killers had similar M.O.'s in that they both wrote taunting letters to the police & media, we can see now that, however strange it seems, a confused & disturbed individual (Zodiac) with a tenous grip on reality was able to elude numerous law enforcement agencies in a major metropolitan area, while an organized, inconspicuous, respected man about town (BTK) couldn't get past local authorities in a suburb of a small Midwestern township. Strange. So now we go to the scoreboard.
Zodiac
--------------- Zodiac
Manson
-------------------------------------------Zodiac
Dahmer
----------Night Stalker
Night Stalker
----------------------------------------------------------winner: Zodiac
BTK
---------------BTK
Son of Sam
--------------------------------------------BTK
Ted Bundy
-----------Green River
Green River
Quick recap: Zodiac defeated Manson simply by knowing when to play it cool & subsequently evading authorities, while Richard Ramirez earned a unanimous decision by surviving prison life, outliving an incarecerated Jeffrey Dahmer & even getting married as he sat on death row. BTK held on to a strong lead as Sam Berkowitz was forgotten on Rykers Island. And Green River looked like he was going to run away with it, racking up huge numbers & eluding authorities for years, in what many considered an upset over the "Hollywood-serial-killer-prototype" Bundy.
In the semi's, Zodiac made short work of Ramirez; it was over before it started....sticking to his simple, conservative gameplan of knowing "when to say when" after the stunning display that earned him his 1st place seed, Zodiac seemd unbeatable. BTK made it past Green River when authorities finally closed in on the Pacific Northwesterner, & made a strong showing by renewing his correspondence with the police.
Ultimately, it was this last ploy that cost BTK in the finals, as Zodiac's complete lack of evidence shut out the Wichita resident we now know as Dennis L. Rader. With BTK in custody & literally truckloads of evidence having been confiscated, even if reports that Rader has already confessed to more crimes than originally attributed to him are true, Zodiac will take home the honors & is bestowed the 20th century Serial Killer Open Tournament title.
Stay tuned for out next installment, as Zodiac earns a well-deserved seat alongside Jack the Ripper on the roster of the much-anticipated "Tournament of Champions".