Was the Zodiac Killer an elementary school teacher in Atascadero?
October 28, 2024
Arthur Leigh Allen and four children
By KAREN VELIE
In a new documentary series by Netflix, three people who attended grade school in Atascadero describe their long-time relationship with a former teacher, a man suspected of killing at least five people as the Zodiac Killer.
In 1961, three siblings – David, Connie and Don Seawater – started Santa Rosa Elementary School after they moved to Atascadero with their mother. David, the eldest, was in Arthur Leigh Allen’s fourth grade class.
Shortly afterwards, the children’s mother began socializing with Allen. The children said he treated them “like royalty.”
In June 1963, Allen took David, Connie, and Don to Tajiguas Beach near Santa Barbara. Allen told the children to stay in the car. When he returned, he was out of breath and his hands were covered in blood, according to the documentary.
The children believe their trip to the beach was on the date of the Zodiac’s first killing, when Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards of Lompoc were shot.
Allen later moved to Northern California. On Oct. 28, 1966, Allen took David and Connie to a racetrack. They later spent two nights in Riverside. The Seawater’s believe Allen drugged them during the trip, and then murdered Riverside City College student Cheri Jo Bates while they slept.
In 1974, Allen was convicted of child molestation. He spent three years in Atascadero State Hospital. And while the Zodiac murders stopped at the onset of his incarceration, a letter was sent to the media shortly after his release.
For decades, the mystery of the Zodiac Killer has captivated law enforcement and those interested in unsolved murders. Even though investigators suspected Allen was the Zodiac, there was never enough evidence to prompt an arrest.
In 1992, David’s mother asked him to reach out to Allen, who was in poor health. David recalls Allen confessed to drugging him and his sister, molesting his sister and admitting he was the Zodiac Killer.
On Aug. 26, 1992, Allen died at 58 years old.
“This Is the Zodiac Speaking” is now streaming on Netflix.
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