An independent investigator asserts that they have solved the enigma surrounding two of America’s most notorious murders, claiming they are linked.
Recent investigations by consultant Alex Baber have connected two seemingly unrelated murder cases.
Unlike many amateur sleuths who claim to have identified elusive serial killers, Baber has gained credibility as law enforcement officials are seriously considering his findings.
In a discussion with Mail Online, Baber, co-founder of Cold Case Consultants of America, claims to have identified the person behind the Black Dahlia murder and the Zodiac killer.
The Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short, a victim of a brutal crime whose body was discovered in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, California.
Originally from Boston, Short relocated to California to live with her father and was found dead on the morning of January 15, 1947.
Short, aged 22, was found with her body skillfully severed in half at the waist, a procedure deemed by authorities to have required surgical precision. Her cheeks had also been slashed into a smile.
The absence of blood at the scene suggested to investigators that Short was killed and dismembered elsewhere.
After her death, the press coined the term “Black Dahlia” for Short.
The suspect began contacting local media, initially reaching out to Jimmy Richardson, the editor of the Los Angeles Examiner.
The suspect sent letters made from newspaper clippings and claimed possession of Short’s belongings, which they later sent in.
Although they promised to surrender, they never did. Despite 22 suspects being considered in Short’s murder, no one was ever convicted.
Years later, between 1968 and 1969, northern California was terrorized by an unidentified murderer known as the ‘Zodiac killer,’ who claimed at least five victims and suggested there were more.
The Zodiac killer frequently teased both media and law enforcement with cryptic ciphers, demanding they be published under threat of further violence, including bombings.
In a cipher sent in April 1970, known as the Z13 cipher, the Zodiac hinted at containing his real identity.
The last letter to the media was sent in 1974 to the San Francisco Chronicle, where the Zodiac claimed responsibility for 37 murders.
His killing spree remains one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries worldwide.
Baber believes the Zodiac and Black Dahlia murders were committed by the same individual.
Through extensive research into law enforcement records and legal documents, Baber claims to have gathered considerable circumstantial evidence pointing to one suspect.
This theory has been supported by former law enforcement officials who have reviewed Baber’s findings.
Baber identifies Marvin Margolis as the perpetrator of these crimes.
Using AI, newly released census data, and traditional cryptography, Baber claims to have cracked the Z13 cipher to uncover Margolis’s name.
Marvin Skipton Margolis, also known as Marvin Merrill, was born in Chicago in 1925. He joined the Navy in 1943, serving as a corpsman with the 1st Marine Division during World War II, where Baber suggests he acquired his surgical and shooting skills.
Baber also suggests that Margolis was a suspect in Short’s death, allegedly having been romantically involved with her before her murder.
As media attention on Short’s murder grew, Margolis left Los Angeles, living in various U.S. cities before returning to California just before the first confirmed Zodiac attack.
Before succumbing to terminal cancer, Margolis allegedly created a disturbing sketch featuring a woman named Elizabeth and the word “Zodiac.”
Baber considers this sketch a confession, stating, “It’s irrefutable. It’s just mathematically impossible for it not to be him.”
“With all the connections, either he’s the unluckiest man in the history of the world – in the wrong place at the wrong time, every time – or he’s the perpetrator.”
Baber has presented his findings to California police departments involved in the Zodiac case, and they are reviewing the evidence.
He was invited to present his case to an interagency group overseeing the Zodiac crimes, which includes the SFPD, Napa County Sheriff’s Office, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.
Baber’s team also shared their findings with LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell, prompting further investigation into the Black Dahlia case.
Ed Giorgio, a former Chief US Codemaker and Chief US Codebreaker at the National Security Agency, believes Baber has successfully deciphered the cipher.
Retired LAPD homicide detectives Mitzi Roberts and Rick Jackson have also reviewed Baber’s work, expressing confidence that Margolis is indeed the suspect.