The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer
2017 · History · 60 min · 1 season
S01E05 · The Code Is Cracked
Wed, 13 Dec, 2:00 pm
Sal and Ken investigate San Francisco, the epicenter of the Zodiac Killer murders; the Code Team announces a team member has solved the Zodiac's infamous Z340 code, which has eluded codebreakers for 50 years.
About
Throughout the early 1960s and 1970s, the Zodiac Killer, one of history's most famous unidentified serial murderers, terrorized America in a spree of heinous attacks, sending taunting letters and codes filled with bizarre and ancient symbols. This code has baffled some of the greatest minds in cryptology for over 50 years. HISTORY's new nonfiction limited series, The Hunt For The Zodiac Killer opens up a new investigation into the mystery of this twisted serial assassin.
The Z340 code ranks with the Nazi's Enigma Code as one of the most difficult in history to break, and the FBI, CIA and thousands of citizens have tried and no one has been able to crack it. Its tangled mix up of ancient and modern symbology has left many to consider it unbreakable, until now.
The team of experts leading the investigation are retired LAPD homicide detective, Sal LaBarbera, who is one of the most decorated homicide detectives in the country, former FBI task force member, Marine Corps vet, and cold case detective Ken Mains, and University of Southern California Professor of Computer Science and code-breaker Kevin Knight. Together they utilize their unique expertise and one of the most powerful computers on earth to work on solving the code. On the ground and in the lab, these brilliant minds will attempt to finally bring one of America's most notorious monsters to justice.
Episodes
- E01
The New Suspect
Wed, 15 Nov· 60 minA new hunt for the mysterious Zodiac Killer gains unprecedented access to files, unearthing a complicated cypher that may contain the killer's name, and links between the Zodiac Killer and an unsolved case. A prime suspect with code training emerges.
- E02
The Military Connection
Wed, 22 Nov· 60 minThe hunt uncovers clues that the Zodiac Killer may have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, as the team's supercomputer identifies strange symbols in the killer's code that would have been known to only a few when it was written. Sal and Ken find new evidence that may lead to the killer.
- E03
A New Code Uncovered
Wed, 29 Nov· 60 minThe team uncovers a mysterious new cipher related to the Zodiac Killer, while the supercomputer uncovers a strange lunar pattern linking the killings; a taunting riddle by the killer may lead to a body; a second prime suspect emerges.
- E04
The Secret FBI Files
Wed, 6 Dec· 60 minThe hunt goes into high gear as the FBI releases secret files on the killer; a handwriting analyst connects the Zodiac's letters to a taunting letter mailed 3,000 miles away in Albany, N.Y.; the code team has a massive breakthrough on the Z-340.
- E05
The Code Is Cracked
Wed, 13 Dec· 60 minSal and Ken investigate San Francisco, the epicenter of the Zodiac Killer murders; the Code Team announces a team member has solved the Zodiac's infamous Z340 code, which has eluded codebreakers for 50 years.
