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In solving the one Zodiac Killer cypher, what correct assumptions did Don Harden make?
Question
#109243. Asked by Zbeckabee. (Sep 28 09 1:16 PM)
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serpa
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The Zodiac Killer kould nut spel to goode.
"As you can see," Harden said, "his spelling is rather poor and in some places he has made errors in the use of his own cipher."
These errors, Harden said, showed in incomprehensible groupings of letters, but the gist of the writer's message was fairly clear.
As Harden broke it, the cipher reads:
"I like killing people because it is so much fun it is more fun than killing wild game in the forrest because man is the most hongertue animal of all to kill something give eryetheyo a thrilling experience it is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl the best part of it I athae when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves I will not give you my name because you will trs to sloi down or atop my collecting of slaves for my afterlife ebeo riet emeth hpiti."
Harden said the writer tried to make the cipher more difficult by using 12 different symbols for "e," the most commonly used letter in the language.
To further throw cryptoanalysts off the track, Harden said, the writer used a backward "q" 16 times, in an effort to make an analyst think that stood for "e," as, indeed, Harden first thought it did
Harden said he broke the code by looking for four-letter patterns which would fit in with the word "kill."
"We felt that 'kill' would be used more than once," he said.
In the message, the writer used "kill" once, but "killing" twice and "thrilling" and "killed" once each.
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanutbutter/2462841231/
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Zbeckabee
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There was yet another assumption...
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Zbeckabee
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Yes...the letter 'I'...
Harden's break came when he started with an assumption that the killer's ego might cause him to begin his message with the letter "I" and that he would most likely be using the words "kill" and "killing" both of which contain a double-L. His assumptions proved correct, and the cipher soon began to form an erie confession of sorts.
http://www.re-quest.net/mystery/zodiac/
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