The identity of the infamous Zodiac Killer has never been solved, and likely never will. With so many competing theories, this one is the coldest case in the true crime books.
Now, one TikTok creator has developed a theory that involves his grandfather as the prime suspect. J. Foy recently posted on the social media outlet his concerns that one of the Bay Area’s most famous serial killers was none other than his very own kin. With many comments addressing the claim, Foy followed up his first video with a second, adding more evidence.
The creator introduced a clip from a documentary in which his grandfather, Richard Hoffman, was interviewed. The clip features his grandfather describing a ride to the hospital with a female victim and describing her undergarments in excruciating detail. The next clip shows an interview with Mike Mageau, who was with Darlene Ferrin in 1969 when she was killed at Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California by the Zodiac Killer. Mageau was shot 4 times but survived the encounter. Ferrin allegedly told Mageau about a man that she was afraid of. Mageau quoted Ferrin, saying she said the man was, “‘A friend of hers and not to worry about it. That he was just jealous.’ That’s all she said about him, that he was just jealous.”
Mageau then said he recalled Ferrin naming the man as Richard.
“I think that was his name. She referred to him as Richard.”
As hard evidence goes, this isn’t exactly a smoking gun, but it does add another layer of intrigue to this decades-long mystery.
TikTokker cleared the air on his stance on the Zodiac Killer
This TikTok content creator came out with the following response after commenters suggested he was essentially too engaging with the material. J. Foy clarified that he wasn’t proud or excited that he was potentially related to the killer.
“I’m simply sharing information with you guys on the internet.”
He went on to contextualize for viewers that he had no lasting relationship with his maternal grandfather. He now has no connection to his mother’s side of the family and also briefly detailed that the house had abusive aspects to it. Probably the most shocking detail of the video is the role that Hoffman had in the case, as commenter, Miriam, pointed out.
“Wait the first man of the interview was him? Richard? And he was working on the case? His own case?”
J. Foy simply responded: “Yes.” Hoffman was indeed an officer on the case and it has been long believed that the Zodiac Killer was part of law enforcement. The TikTokker took issue with his grandfather’s strange demeanor during this interview.
According to History, as many as 8 potential suspects, many named Richard, have been tied to the case at one point or another, but all of them were ruled out. Keeping that in mind, there’s another theory as to why this killer has never been caught. The theory posed in the documentary Myth of the Zodiac Killer suggests that the original Zodiac Killer wasn’t as prolific as we might have thought. There may have been a copycat who took up the crimes of their predecessor. Nevertheless, J. Foy certainly brings up some interesting trains of thought.