Not only is the Zodiac Killer's identity known, but the man responsible for at least five murders in the 1960s is still alive, according to a new book.
The Zodiac Killer Cover-Up: The Silenced Badge, by former California Highway Patrol Officer Lyndon Lafferty, claims the murderer is a 91-year-old alcoholic living in Solano County, Calif., according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lafferty told the paper he used a pseudonym for the murderer out of security concerns.
The book's description claims the killer's identity has been known for decades by a group of retired law enforcement officers, federal agents, a minister and a district attorney.
"Official corruption and political intervention forced the investigation into a top-secret, covert status, giving the insane ZODIAC killer immunity and a license to kill," the book description reads. "Of the over 2,500 suspects cleared by the local authorities and the Department of Justice, this man is the only suspect who had the uncontrollable and powerful motive -- adultery!"
The killer was driven by jealousy over his wife's philandering, which put him on "a mission to redeem his shattered ego, to prove that he is better, smarter, and more clever than all the judges and police put together," the book's description asserts.
The Los Angeles Times reports that genetic evidence helped exonerate the only suspect ever identified by police.
The Zodiac killer was named for the various taunts and riddles he sent to news outlets, including the Chronicle. There have been plenty of publicized theories about who the murderer is.
In 2009, the daughter of Guy Ward Hendrickson claimed he was the murderer, according to Yahoo News.
Unsolved Realm has compiled a list of other past suspects.