The Lake Berryessa murder site.

This is the site where Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were stabbed by the Zodiac Killer.

Hartnell managed to survive the attack. However, Shepard died from her injuries.

The area is situated on the western side of Lake Berryessa, about three miles north of a small community called Spanish Flat.

The crime took place on a small island that is connected to Twin Oak Ridge by a sand spit. This island becomes inaccessible between December and February when the level of the lake rises due to increased rainfall.

On September 27th, 1969, the two university students were relaxing on the island and reminiscing about old times when they heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby tree.

Because Bryan wasn't wearing any glasses, he asked Cecelia to look over and see what was happening.

When Cecelia turned around, she could see that a man was standing in the distance. While she was studying this stranger and trying to figure out what he was doing, he stepped out of sight and hid behind the tree for a brief moment.

Seconds later, she became panicked and grabbed Bryan's arm.

"Oh my God, he has a gun!"

At that point, the Zodiac Killer approached the two students. He was holding a pistol and wearing a hooded disguise with a crossed-circle on the front.

After assuring his victims that he was only there to rob them, the killer ordered Cecelia to tie up Bryan with some clothesline that he had brought.

Once that was done, he proceeded to tie up Cecelia himself.

While they lay there, hog-tied on their stomachs, the killer proceeded to take out a knife and stab them multiple times.

He then left the crime scene and walked 500 meters up the road, where he drew the crossed-circle symbol on Bryan's car.

Roughly one hour later, the Zodiac Killer claimed responsibility for the attack during an anonymous phone call to the Napa County Sheriff's office.

Although Bryan Hartnell managed to survive, Cecelia Shepard wasn't as lucky, as she was stabbed 10 times.

Sadly, the 22-year-old fell into a coma and died two days later.

Lake Berryessa murder site location.

Below, you will find the address and the GPS coordinates for this location.

GPS coordinates.

The latitude and longitude coordinates for the site are:

38.563619, -122.231938

Map.

To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below:

Google Maps Link

Address.

The full address for this location is:

Zodiac Island
Knoxville Rd
Napa
California
CA 94558
United States

Directions.

To find the exact island, you will need to use the GPS coordinates above. Following the murder, it was unofficially renamed "Zodiac Island." At the time, locals also knew it as "Goat Island".

Photos.

Photos of the site and other related images.

Zodiac Island.

Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were lying on the northern side of the island when they heard the sound of rustling leaves.

At that point, Shepard turned around and saw that a strange man was standing by a tree that was approximately 20–25 meters away.

These days, it seems as though the trees that were originally on the island no longer exist.

In the past, people used to meet up on the island on the anniversary of the murder. Before social media became a thing, this was one of the few ways that amateur crime detectives could discuss the case and share their ideas about who the Zodiac Killer was.

Car door.

The Zodiac Killer was so eager to prove that he was behind the attack that he drew the crossed-circle symbol on Bryan Hartnell's car.

He also listed the dates of the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs murders.

Napa Car Wash.

At 7:40 p.m., the killer called the police from a pay phone at the Napa Car Wash. These days, the car wash no longer exists.

During the call, he claimed responsibility for the "double murder" and described the make and model of Hartnell's vehicle.

Napa's Main Street is exactly 27 miles south of the island where he stabbed the two students. Judging by Google Maps, it would have taken him roughly 45 minutes to travel between the two locations.

It is worth pointing out that this was not the first time that he made such a call. Following the Blue Rock Springs shooting, he was so desparate for attention that he contacted the police from a pay phone in central Vallejo.

Zodiac (2007).

The brutal stabbing is dramatized during a memorable scene in the film Zodiac (2007).

Disguise.

The killer's disguise in the 2007 movie is pretty accurate.

According to Hartnell, he wore a hood, sunglasses, and gloves. There was a crossed-circle on the part of the hood that draped down over his chest.

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