One of mysterious ciphers penned by the infamous Zodiac killer has been decoded, 51 years after it was sent to a San Francisco newspaper.
The San Francisco Chronicle received what's been dubbed the '340 Cipher' on November 8, 1969. It got its name from the number of characters and symbols it contained - 340.
The Zodiac killer operated in northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He's known to have killed at least five people, but once claimed to have killed at least three dozen. The case, which is still open, was the subject of a 2007 thriller by Hollywood director David Fincher, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as cartoonist Robert Graysmith, who investigated the case and went to write two books about it.
The San Francisco Chronicle says the 340 Cipher was solved by a team of private code-breakers from the US, Australia and Belgium.
"Last weekend, a team I'm on solved the 340 and submitted it to the FBI," spokesperson David Oranchak told the Chronicle.
"They have confirmed the solution. No joke! This is the real deal."
It reads: "I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me - that wasn't me on the tv show - which brings up a point about me - I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me where everyone else has nothing when they reach paradise - so they are afraid of death - I am not afraid because I know that my new life is life will be an easy one in paradise death."
The TV appearance the message refers to an incident in October when a man claiming to be the Zodiac called into a televised chat show.
The FBI told the Chronicle the cipher had been solved.
"The Zodiac Killer terrorized multiple communities across Northern California and even though decades have gone by, we continue to seek justice for the victims of these brutal crimes," said spokesperson Cameron Polan.
"Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time."
It's only the second of the Zodiac's four ciphers to be solved. The first was cracked just a week after it was sent in 1969.
"I like killing people because it is so much fun," it began, continuing in a similar vein.
Neither solved cipher revealed the killer's name.
