The perplexing, decades-long case of the Zodiac Killer—a notorious serial murderer active in Northern California in the 1960s and 1970s—remains an open one to this day. At the height of his lethal spree, he even taunted police with perplexing letters and cryptograms, but he was never identified.
Nevertheless, sleuths both professional and amateur have their theories as to who Zodiac was—or is. Any number of names have been proposed. And one suspect in particular has come to the fore of late. I’m talking, of course, about Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
https://twitter.com/Lindzeta/status/689929680359677952
This particular hypothesis seems to have originated back in 2013, long before Cruz had announced his presidential run, when he made an unexpected speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
#CPAC Alert: Ted Cruz is speaking!! His speech is titled: ‘This Is The Zodiac Speaking’
— Steppin’ Razor (@TakeItDeeDee) March 14, 2013
Since then, the evidence against Cruz has mounted with alarming speed, and Twitter detectives are offering new clues with the hashtag #ZodiacTed.
Ted Cruz was born in CALGARY. The Zodiac Killer’s first two victims were named CAL and GARY. #ZodiacTed
— kneel jung (@ZeppoWilbury) January 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/Cryptoterra/status/689948191693873154
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/562990983856783362
https://twitter.com/chrisjoonior/status/580005416882454528
https://twitter.com/MasonProbably/status/580465132339347457
https://twitter.com/MasonProbably/status/580889842680258560
How would Ted Cruz deal with immigrants, I think he would do what he did when he was zodiac killer
— w00ting softly (@Look1Waffles) September 17, 2015
messed up that Ted Cruz gets a spot onstage at the main #GOPDebate despite the fact that he was proven to be the infamous Zodiac Killer
— eric [USER NOT FOUND] (@KosherBosherDr) September 17, 2015
Ted Cruz busts into the studio and rushes onstage, yanking Lincoln Chafee’s mic out of the podium. “I’m seriously the Zodiac Killer.”
— As seen on joshcrowley.bsky.social (@jdcrowley) October 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/realdaveimboden/status/689926351135100928
movie fact: bill murray whispers “ted cruz is the zodiac killer” to scarlett johansson at the end of lost in translation
— adam (@burgerkrang) January 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/CorCorMac/status/689623732701163522
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/688483031410208768
I find it suspicious that no records of Ted Cruz’s whereabouts or activities exist for the time that the Zodiac Killer was active
— Zach Wilson (@covernode) September 17, 2015
While Cruz himself has failed to repudiate these disturbing claims, he does appear to have a few defenders, including faceless Facebook users Pamela Wagner and Marcia Rose Beachler Woodham.
https://twitter.com/JNoFieri/status/679772159216992256
Whether or not there’s any truth to this line of reasoning, it speaks to a broader issue: Is America ready for a Zodiac Killer president? Perhaps once Donald Trump reveals that he’s literally the Boston Strangler. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/PD-US-NO-NOTICE
