MURDER INC EXCLUSIVE: Did The Zodiac Killer Don His Disguise for a Shooting in 1954?

November 28 1954 East Los Angeles





On November 28 1954 30 year old Manuel Villanueva was visiting Cecilia Morret at her home in East Los Angeles. As the couple were watching TV a man entered the room wearing a black hood with goggles, a black jacket and dark trousers holding a small caliber pistol. The intruder warned “stay put or I’ll shoot” and as Villanueva started to stand up he was shot twice by the hooded gunman who then fled. Villanueva suffered one superficial gunshot wound in his side. The gunman’s disguise resembles Hartnell’s description of the Zodiac’s goggles at Lake Berryessa in 1969. Cecilia Morret’s home on Eagle in East Los Angeles is 45 miles west of Riverside City College where Cheri Jo Bates was murdered by the Zodiac in 1966.







Bryan Hartnell stated that the attacker had brown hair and when asked to explain he said, “‘Cause I saw it from where the goggles fit… I looked so closely to find out. And when he turned you know they kind of flittered… I could see his hair. It looked kinda greasy.” Bryan told me, “I remember when I was first talked to, I mean, I had the guy being a walrus, you know… He had one of those Sears-type of jackets, you know, those can be either lined or unlined, and if it’s lined, a person could be thin, if it’s unlined the person would be heavy… I mean, he’s not obese.”





DIALOGUE BETWEEN AN UNKNOWN ASSAILANT AND BRYAN HARTNELL ( and Cecelia Shepard )

CECELIA: What do you want?

ASSAILANT: Now take it easy– all I want’s your money. There is nothing to worry about– all I want is your money.

BRYAN: O.K.– whatever you say, I want you to know that I will cooperate so you don’t have to worry – whatever you say we’ll do. Do you want us to come up with our hands up or down?

ASSAILANT: Just don’t make any fast moves– come up slowly.

BRYAN: But we don’t have any money – all I have is 75 cents.

ASSAILANT: That doesn’t matter– every little bit helps ( pause )– I’m on my way to Mexico– I escaped from Deer Lodge Prison in Montana, Deer Lodge. I need some money to get there.

BRYAN: You’re welcome to the money I have, but isn’t there something else I can do for you? Give you a check or get some more?

ASSAILANT: No.

BRYAN: I can give you my phone number and you can call me.

ASSAILANT: ( no reply )

BRYAN: I want to get in contact with you. I am a sociology major and maybe I can even offer you more help than you think you need.

ASSAILANT: No.

BRYAN: Well, is there any other thing you need?

ASSAILANT: Yes. One more thing– I want your car keys. My car is hot.

BRYAN: (Reaching into pockets, then patting his first front then back pockets) I guess in all the excitement I don’t remember where I put them. Let’s see. Are they in my shirt, in the ignition, on the blanket… Say! Would you answer a question for me? I’ve always wondered. On TV movies and in an article in the Reader’s Digest they say that thieves really keep their guns loaded?

ASSAILANT: ( excited slightly ) Yes, it is! ( then calmed and matter-of-fact ) I killed a couple of men before.

BRYAN: What? I didn’t hear you…

ASSAILANT: I killed a couple of guards getting out of prison. And I’m not afraid to kill again.

CECELIA: Bryan– do what he says!

ASSAILANT: Now I want the girl to tie you up.

[A]: (reaches for rope that he pulls from back pocket)

BRYAN: This is really strange. I wonder why someone hasn’t thought of this before. I’ll bet there’s good money in it.

ASSAILANT: ( no reply )

BRYAN: What was the name of that prison?

ASSAILANT: ( no reply )

BRYAN: No really, what did you say the name of it was? I’m just curious.

ASSAILANT: ( begrudgingly ) Deer Lodge in Montana.

( There must have been some dialogue at this point but I can’t remember any until we are both tied up. )

ASSAILANT: Now I want you both to lay face down so I can tie up your feet.

BRYAN: Come on– we could be out here for a long time and it could get cold at night.

ASSAILANT: Come on– get down!

BRYAN: Listen, I didn’t complain when you tied our hands, but this is ridiculous…

ASSAILANT: I told you…

BRYAN: We aren’t going anywhere– Anyway, I don’t think that it’s necessary ( or – Aw, come on, we don’t want to. )

ASSAILANT: ( pointing gun directly at me at point blank range ) I told you to get down!

BRYAN: Your hands are shaking? Are you nervous?

ASSAILANT: Yes, I guess so. ( laughs in a very relaxed manner )

BRYAN: Well, I guess that I’d be nervous, too.

( Then after we were tied and hog-tied )

BRYAN: Now that everything is all said and done, could you show me that your gun is loaded? (Or, and probably this: “Now that all is said and done, was that gun really loaded?”)

ASSAILANT: Yes, it was! ( or ) Sure, I’ll show you. ( He then opened cartridge or whatever )

(That was the last thing I remember him saying.)

( signed ) BRYAN HARTNELL

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