'American Version of Memories of Murder' Zodiac's Cipher Solved by Amateur Detective Team After 51 Years

[Image source = FBI SanFrancisco Twitter capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The cipher of the 'Zodiac Killer,' a serial killer who terrorized the area by murdering 37 people in California in the late 1960s, has been cracked after 51 years.

On the 11th (local time), foreign media including CNN reported that an amateur detective team from the United States, Australia, and Belgium succeeded in deciphering the '340 cipher' left by the Zodiac in 1969.

The Zodiac is known as a serial killer who murdered 37 people mainly around San Francisco over 50 years ago. He primarily targeted young men and women and was called the 'Zodiac Killer' because he committed murders wearing clothing with the Zodiac symbol. He is also famous for the 2007 movie of the same name.

After the murders, he left bloodstained clothing pieces and letters to the police, and sent encrypted messages and letters multiple times to the police and media under the name Zodiac, warning of his next crimes, gaining notoriety.

American police worked hard for decades to capture him, and many people were considered suspects, but due to lack of decisive evidence, he was never caught, leaving the case permanently unsolved to this day.

Decoded 340 Cipher [Image source = The Washington Post]

The recently deciphered Zodiac '340' cipher was sent by the Zodiac to the American newspaper San Francisco Chronicle in 1969.

David Oranchak, a Virginia-based software developer who cracked the Zodiac cipher, said, "I have been interested in the Zodiac cipher since 2006 and started decoding it using various computer programs," adding, "I solved it with the help of experts, including a mathematician from Australia and a computer programmer from Belgium."

The decoded Zodiac cipher reportedly contains messages such as "I hope you enjoy trying to catch me," and "I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise soon."

Oranchak said, "I was really lucky to find part of the answer," and added, "I have not given up hope that the remaining two unsolved ciphers can also be cracked."