On 1966-11-29, about one month after the murder of Cheri Josephine Bates, two identical type-written letters arrived — one at Riverside Police Department headquarters and one at the editorial offices of the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Contents
The author described luring Bates from her car after disabling it, claiming he had offered her assistance before walking her to a dimly lit alley and killing her. The letter attributed the murder to resentment over “the brush-offs that she had given me during the years prior.”
Significance
Because the letters included details about how the vehicle had been disabled that had not been released publicly, investigators initially considered the possibility that the author was the actual murderer. The style of writing to police and press, including withheld details, has been cited as reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer.