Netflix’s True Crime Docuseries Unpacks the Secret Life of a Serial Killer

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 3 seconds ago

As a fan of all things true crime, I spent my senior year of high school reading through Robert Graysmith’s zodiac sign a Zodiac Unmasked books, not knowing that a film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhall as the obsessed author of the Zodiac was only a few years away from going into production. Every few years, I revisit the case because there’s something so magical about a well-publicized serial killer case – especially one that’s still open more than 50 years after the elusive killer’s alleged first crime in 1968. Acts as a supplementary piece of true crime content, This is Zodiac Talk moves away from the media sensation surrounding the Zodiac murders and draws attention to those who were close to the still suspected person in the investigation, Arthur Leigh Allen.

Was Arthur Leigh Allen the Zodiac killer?

Arthur Leigh Allen, who died in 1992, was either a victim of mistaken identity haunted by the police until the day he was buried, or the real Zodiac Killer. This is Zodiac Talk revisits the case from the Seawater family’s perspective. They welcomed siblings David, Connie, and Don Allen into their lives when the school teacher turned Navy vet started dating their mother, Phyllis.

The Seawater siblings look back fondly on the time spent with Allen during the time when the Zodiac killer was still making regular headlines for his crimes, threatening letters to the police, and cryptic cipher codes. Through their personal stories of growing up with Allen, they set out to tell their story, as they remember it through the decades, because there are too many coincidences linking Allen to the murders that only decades of looking back could help bring together.

A Series Of Coincidences And Circumstantial Evidence

This is Zodiac Talk makes a compelling case for why Arthur Leigh Allen – the man who was such a positive father figure to David, Connie, and Don when they were children – is still the main person of interest. Through Connie’s recollection of events, she reveals how Allen took her and her brothers on a road trip passing through Tajiguas Beach in 1963, only to leave them in the car while he surveyed the area. When he returned to the car, he had blood on his hands and they immediately left the beach.

Years later, the siblings learned that the timeline of their trip with Allen coincided with the murder of Robert Domingos and his fiancee Linda Edwards, who were killed in the same area. Forensic evidence suggests that the killing was in keeping with Zodiac’s modus operandi, involving pre-cut pieces of rope to tie his subjects, and executing them with a gun shot at point blank range. Although this murder was never “officially” linked to the Zodiac rampage, which canonically began in 1968, the Seawater brothers and sisters claim to have been in the area when the crime was committed.

In 1966, another incident occurred involving Allen allegedly drugging the brothers and sister while on a trip to Glan yr Afon racetrack. During this two-day ordeal, which they only realized later in life was a messy situation to be in, the siblings learned that Cheri Josephine Bates had probably been stabbed to death while they were unconscious.

The most damning piece of evidence in This is Zodiac Talkhowever, is the period of time when the shy a serial killer stop contacting the police. Ironically enough, Arthur Leigh Allen was serving a sentence for child abuse, and was incarcerated at Atascadero State Hospital from 1974 to 1977. Shortly after Allen was released, the letters to the police resumed.

A Compelling Case is made

This is the zodiac Talk is a frustrating watch, not because of any creative failure on the part of directors Ari Mark and Phil Lott, but because if the SeaWater brothers and sisters are seriously trying to tell the story of their involvement with Allen in order to close the case, they are making a very compelling case that he is our guy. Unfortunately, this “evidence” is circumstantial, anecdotal and speculative at best.

Allen was the subject of numerous search warrants that couldn’t find enough relevant evidence to properly try him for his alleged crimes, but as Connie opens up throughout this three-part documentary, you’d be hard pressed think of anyone else who checks. off all of the same boxes as a viable suspect.

If you’re already familiar with the work of Robert Graysmith, the cartoonist-turned-cipher-cracking-sleuth who devoted most of his adult life to the cause of the zodiac, then This is the zodiac Talk is an exceptional piece of supplementary true crime content that you will want to dive into. If you are just getting your feet wet, you may want to familiarize yourself with the cold case on a more basic level as this is a personal and subjective memory of events that does not necessarily cover all the physical evidence as stated in other documentaries on the subject.

THIS IS THE ZODIAC SPEAKING REVIEW SCORE

You can stream This is Zodiac Talk with a Netflix subscription.