The unsolved mystery of the identity of the Zodiac Killer has captivated the true crime world for decades. The notorious murderer, who killed at least five victims in the Bay Area in the late 1960s, was infamous for writing messages in code that he sent to local news outlets. He terrorized the community and, at one point, even threatened to blow up a school bus filled with children.
The police never had enough evidence to arrest someone for the crimes, but they did name at least one suspect in the case, Arthur Leigh Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender. There are plenty of theories circulating online about the Zodiac Killer’s true identity. However, some people who knew Allen when they were young are convinced that authorities identified him correctly from the start.
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Netflix’s new three-part documentary, This Is the Zodiac Speaking, centers on the Seawater family, who viewed Arthur Leigh Allen as a father figure during their childhood. “We realized we had been to all the murder sites before the murders,” David Seawater said in the trailer.
The docuseries also features interviews with several of Allen’s former students, surviving friends of the Zodiac’s victims, and local TV reporter Williams, who conducted Allen’s final on-camera interview before his death in the early ’90s. Investigative reporter Robert Graysmith, who extensively covered the case in his 1986 book Zodiac, is also included in the docuseries.
Continue reading to discover more about Arthur Leigh Allen and why the Seawaters firmly believe that the person who helped raise them was the Zodiac Killer.
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Who Was Arthur Leigh Allen?
Arthur Leigh Allen was a Navy veteran who lived in Atascadero, Calif. and worked as a school teacher at Santa Rosa Elementary School in the early 1960s.
Allen’s former students revealed he was known for teaching how to decipher codes. He also played music in his classroom, including “Tom Dooley,” a song about a woman’s murder, and “I’ve Got a Little List” from the dark opera The Mikado. Some students recalled that he referred to girls as “my beautiful” and noted his tendency to bring dead animals into class.
For example, David Seawater recalled a deceased frog that Mr. Allen brought in, which he named “Forg.” David, his sister Connie, and their younger brother Don met Allen in the early 1960s when their father was in a mental institution.
Allen formed a friendship with their mother, Phyllis, and frequently joined the family for dinners and outings. He took the kids on trips that included clam digging and watching movies at the theater. “He treated us like royalty, like his own kids. We thought he was just the best,” David explained in the series.
Why Do The Seawater Children Believe That Arthur Leigh Allen Was The Zodiac Killer?
Before Allen relocated to Northern California in June 1963, he took David, Connie, and Don to Tajiguas Beach outside Santa Barbara, Calif. Allen told them to stay in the car, but when he returned, Connie said that he had come back huffing and puffing and that his hands were covered in red stuff. The kids recalled that this was the same day as the suspected first Zodiac killing—when Robert Domingos and his fiancé, Linda Edwards, were shot dead on the same beach.
Three years later, on Oct. 28, 1966, when David Seawater was a high school sophomore, and Connie was a freshman, Allen picked them up to take them to a racetrack. They spent two nights in Riverside, and on Oct. 30, David was allegedly in a deep sleep in the motel and couldn’t be woken up. Connie recalled going on a drive with Allen, and when she returned to the motel, she drank some juice and fell into a deep sleep. All she remembers is Allen leading them to the car on Oct. 31. The siblings believe that it’s no coincidence that on Oct. 30, Cheri Jo Bates, a student at Riverside City College, was found stabbed to death.
Eventually, the Zodiac murders ceased, and those who believe Allen was the killer point out that he was arrested for child molestation in 1974. He spent three years in prison and then served five years of felony probation until 1982, according to Time.com.
Did Arthur Leigh Allen Confess To The Seawaters That He Was The Zodiac Killer?
In This Is the Zodiac Speaking, Connie believes that Allen hinted to her that he was the Zodiac killer. As she got older, she maintained contact with Allen, who even met her son. In 1991, while sailing together, she asked him if he was the Zodiac killer. He allegedly responded that if he told her, then he’d have to kill her. “I thought it was a big joke,” Connie said in the documentary.
Meanwhile, David was instructed by his mother—who supported Allen despite the speculation surrounding his identity—to call him in 1992 after hearing about his declining health. During their conversation, David recounted that Allen was crying and confessed to drugging him and molesting his sister, Connie. When David asked Allen if he was the Zodiac Killer, he admitted he was.
David said he told his family what Allen told him, but they didn’t believe him. They were estranged for years until they saw the 2007 film Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo. “The three of us started piecing together these jigsaw puzzle pieces of our childhood, and a hundred things finally fell into place,” Connie said in the documentary.
“We started researching things and realized that we had been to all the murder sites before the murders,” David added. In 2023, after filming for This Is the Zodiac Speaking concluded, David passed away from cancer at the age of 73.
Where Is The Zodiac Killer Now?
The whereabouts of the real Zodiac Killer are unknown, but he is believed to have passed away. Arthur Leigh Allen, the only suspect named by police, died on August 26, 1992, at the age of 58.
After Phyllis died on April 23, 2017, the Seawaters discovered a box containing countless letters their mother exchanged with Allen.
“Every time someone mentioned police to me I’d jump,” he reportedly wrote in one. “Seeing a murder headline would turn my palms sweaty,” he penned in another. However, one of the most revealing notes stated, “The most dangerous thing is when I almost decided to confess.”
This Is The Zodiac Speaking is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer, below.
