Chapter 10: New Age Sherlock
Summary
This episode profiles amateur sleuth Alex Baber, who cracked the Zodiac’s Z13 cipher to identify Marvin Margolis as a suspect in both the Zodiac and Black Dahlia cases. Host Michael Connolly examines Baber’s controversial methods, his autism, and the intense online backlash he faces from critics. Despite the vitriol, Baber’s findings were independently verified by retired LAPD investigators and former NSA codebreakers, lending credibility to his groundbreaking, albeit contentious, solution.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The villain is the investigator
Alex Baber breaks the Zodiac Z-13 cipher
Linking Zodiac to Black Dahlia and public backlash
Baber's personality, autism, and perception of arrogance
Rick Jackson defends Baber's evidence and drive
Baber's background, family lore, and Sherlock Holmes
Alan Turing as Baber's inspiration and hero
Early failures and the Lawrence Klein rabbit hole
Refining cryptology skills and starting over
Using AI to filter 70 million name candidates
NSA experts confirm Marvin Merrill as the solution
Conclusion: Inspiration from Turing and credits
Listen ad-free on Castria