Gareth Penn
Encyclopedia
Gareth Sewell Penn is an American
true crime author
and amateur detective
known for being among the first non-journalists to write about the famous Zodiac Killer
case. He published a theory about the killer's motives, publicly accused a noted UC Berkeley public policy professor of the crimes, and labeled himself a one-time suspect.
Reviewing the 2007 David Fincher
film Zodiac
for the Las Vegas Weekly, Mike D'Angelo
wrote, "I think the movie erred in selecting author Robert Graysmith
as its source and nominal protagonist. Zodiac buffs know well that the true obsessive is a fellow named Gareth Penn."
in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree (BA) in Germanic languages and again in 1965 with an Master of Arts
(MA) in Medieval Germanic languages. He received a Master of Library Science (MLS) from U.C. Berkeley in 1971.
In 1965, Penn entered the United States Army
in Berlin, Germany and received basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey
. He received artillery survey training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he became an Artillery Surveyor Instructor. He received the National Defense Service Medal
and the designation of Expert Rifle Marksman. In 1967, Penn moved back to Berkeley, California
, where he was transferred to the Army reserves. He was honorably discharged in 1971.
, the newsletter of the San Francisco chapter of Mensa International
, which had a peak readership of 700 and was published between 1981 and 1995 A 1972 piece he wrote while attending UC Berkeley, Gottfried von Strassburg
and the Invisible Art was published in the peer-reviewed journal of Germanic studies Colloquia Germanica. The piece is a reflection on the legend of Tristan
, a 12th century hero of Celtic folklore.
Penn says his father, Hugh Scott Penn, who had been a U.S. Army cryptographer during World War II
, introduced him to the Zodiac case
while he was working for the California Department of Justice
.
His self-published book Times 17: The Amazing Story of the Zodiac Murders in California and Massachusetts, 1966-1981 was released in 1987.
In Portrait, Penn theorized that the Zodiac crime scenes were selected by the killer in order to create a geometric shape over the surface of the San Francisco Bay Area as a sort of "murderous art project." Part of Penn's commentary about that theory included the observation that, "Other artists had sought to remove their work from the ordinary human perspective. Zodiac trumped them all."
Penn then spent the better part of two decades publicly accusing University of California, Berkeley public policy professor Michael O’Hare of the Zodiac murders.
public policy professor Michael O’Hare of the Zodiac murders in amateur newsletters and self-published books. Penn openly accused O'Hare on at least two occasions. The basis for these accusations was Penn's cryptographic analysis of a Zodiac letter, which he claimed yielded the name "Mike O." He also accused O'Hare of the murder of Joan Webster, a graduate architecture student at Harvard who disappeared in 1981 and whose remains were found near Boston in 1990. Penn argued that a "geometric design" yielded similarities between the Webster murder and the Zodiac killings in California. On that basis, he accused O'Hare of murdering Webster.
O'Hare denied being involved in any murder, and has written about his strange experience.
O'Hare filed an FBI complaint against Penn and in May 1981, the Bureau investigated Penn for possible extortion. According to FBI memos, an agent “contacted Penn by telephone and told him that if he was responsible for the correspondence to [O'Hare] he should immediately cease and desist, pointing out that it could jeopardize any investigation and he could possibly be subject to both civil and criminal penalties.”
In a May 1981 meeting with FBI agents, Penn “freely admitted sending material to [O'Hare] but stated he had no intent to extort anything.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
true crime author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and amateur detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
known for being among the first non-journalists to write about the famous Zodiac Killer
Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Zodiac murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women...
case. He published a theory about the killer's motives, publicly accused a noted UC Berkeley public policy professor of the crimes, and labeled himself a one-time suspect.
Reviewing the 2007 David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
film Zodiac
Zodiac (film)
Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
for the Las Vegas Weekly, Mike D'Angelo
Mike D'Angelo
Mike D'Angelo is the chief film critic for Esquire. He regularly contributes film reviews to Las Vegas Weekly and Nerve, and maintains a personal website, The Man Who Viewed Too Much....
wrote, "I think the movie erred in selecting author Robert Graysmith
Robert Graysmith
Robert Graysmith is an American true crime author. He was working as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when the Zodiac Killer case came to light. Graysmith attempted to decode letters written by the killer...
as its source and nominal protagonist. Zodiac buffs know well that the true obsessive is a fellow named Gareth Penn."
Education and background
Penn graduated from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree (BA) in Germanic languages and again in 1965 with an Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(MA) in Medieval Germanic languages. He received a Master of Library Science (MLS) from U.C. Berkeley in 1971.
In 1965, Penn entered the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Berlin, Germany and received basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey
Fort Dix, New Jersey
JB MDL Dix , better known as Fort Dix, is a United States Army base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Dix is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Reserve Command...
. He received artillery survey training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he became an Artillery Surveyor Instructor. He received the National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
and the designation of Expert Rifle Marksman. In 1967, Penn moved back to Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, where he was transferred to the Army reserves. He was honorably discharged in 1971.
Writing
Penn's writing, mostly focused on the Zodiac case, was largely published in the The EcphorizerThe Ecphorizer
The Ecphorizer was a literary journal originally published from 1981 to 1995 by members of , a local chapter of . Annual subscription price of The Ecphorizer was $5.00...
, the newsletter of the San Francisco chapter of Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, which had a peak readership of 700 and was published between 1981 and 1995 A 1972 piece he wrote while attending UC Berkeley, Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg
Gottfried von Strassburg is the author of the Middle High German courtly romance Tristan and Isolt, an adaptation of the 12th-century Tristan and Iseult legend. Gottfried's work is regarded, alongside Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Nibelungenlied, as one of the great narrative...
and the Invisible Art was published in the peer-reviewed journal of Germanic studies Colloquia Germanica. The piece is a reflection on the legend of Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
, a 12th century hero of Celtic folklore.
Penn says his father, Hugh Scott Penn, who had been a U.S. Army cryptographer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, introduced him to the Zodiac case
Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Zodiac murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women...
while he was working for the California Department of Justice
California Department of Justice
The California Department of Justice is the department in the California executive branch under the leadership of the California Attorney General.-Description:It has 5344 employees and a budget of $791 million...
.
His self-published book Times 17: The Amazing Story of the Zodiac Murders in California and Massachusetts, 1966-1981 was released in 1987.
Zodiac Killer Writings and Interest
Gareth Penn started writing about the Zodiac case in a 1981 article for California Magazine entitled Portrait of the Artist as a Mass Murderer.In Portrait, Penn theorized that the Zodiac crime scenes were selected by the killer in order to create a geometric shape over the surface of the San Francisco Bay Area as a sort of "murderous art project." Part of Penn's commentary about that theory included the observation that, "Other artists had sought to remove their work from the ordinary human perspective. Zodiac trumped them all."
Penn then spent the better part of two decades publicly accusing University of California, Berkeley public policy professor Michael O’Hare of the Zodiac murders.
Accusation against Michael O'Hare
Starting around 1981 Penn began publicly accusing University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
public policy professor Michael O’Hare of the Zodiac murders in amateur newsletters and self-published books. Penn openly accused O'Hare on at least two occasions. The basis for these accusations was Penn's cryptographic analysis of a Zodiac letter, which he claimed yielded the name "Mike O." He also accused O'Hare of the murder of Joan Webster, a graduate architecture student at Harvard who disappeared in 1981 and whose remains were found near Boston in 1990. Penn argued that a "geometric design" yielded similarities between the Webster murder and the Zodiac killings in California. On that basis, he accused O'Hare of murdering Webster.
O'Hare denied being involved in any murder, and has written about his strange experience.
O'Hare filed an FBI complaint against Penn and in May 1981, the Bureau investigated Penn for possible extortion. According to FBI memos, an agent “contacted Penn by telephone and told him that if he was responsible for the correspondence to [O'Hare] he should immediately cease and desist, pointing out that it could jeopardize any investigation and he could possibly be subject to both civil and criminal penalties.”
In a May 1981 meeting with FBI agents, Penn “freely admitted sending material to [O'Hare] but stated he had no intent to extort anything.