The street where Paul Stine was shot by the Zodiac Killer

This is the street where cab driver Paul Stine was shot dead.

It is situated in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, near the intersection of Washington Street and Cherry Street.

Stine is believed to be the last known victim of an unidentified serial killer called the Zodiac Killer.

On the night of October 11th, 1969, the cab driver picked up a man close to Union Square in downtown San Francisco.

Judging by the entry that Stine logged, the passenger originally asked him to drive to the corner of Washington Street and Maple Street. However, for some reason or another, he drove roughly 350 feet west of that location before stopping at this point near Cherry Street.

The discrepancy between the log entry and the spot where Stine parked his taxi remains a mystery. However, it seems likely that the killer directed him to park further up the street. For example, he may have realized that there was a potential witness standing in the area.

When the cab pulled over to the side of Washington Street, the Zodiac Killer pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot Stine in the back of the head, killing him almost immediately.

After taking his victim's wallet and car keys, the killer also decided to rip off a piece of his bloodstained shirt. By removing a piece of Stine's shirt, he could mail it to one of the local newspapers at a later date and proudly take responsibility for the crime.

While all of this was unfolding, three teenagers in a house across the street spotted the "robbery" and called 911.

They noted that the man, who had a crew-cut hairstyle, turned the corner and walked north along Maple Street, towards the park at the Presidio.

Shortly afterwards, two patrol officers who were responding to the "robbery" noticed a white male with a similar haircut on Jackson Street, which is just one block north of the crime scene. The man was walking eastward while they were driving in the opposite direction.

Sadly, there was a mix-up during the 911 call, and the suspect was originally described as being a black male.

As a result, this man with the crew-cut hairstyle was not stopped and questioned.

Although detectives initially believed that Paul Stine's murder was a robbery gone wrong, that notion was shattered when the Zodiac Killer sent a piece of his shirt into a local newspaper, along with a letter that mocked the police's ineptitude.

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the street and other related images.

3898 Washington Street

This Google Street View image of the southern side of 3898 Washington Street was taken in December of 2020.

On the night of October 11th, 1969, taxi driver Paul Stine was shot dead by his passenger shortly after he pulled over at this location.

He was 29 years old at the time of the murder.

Crime scene

After shooting Stine in the back of the head with a 9mm handgun, the killer stole his wallet, a piece of his shirt, and his car keys. He then wiped the vehicle down and left.

You can see a police photograph of the crime scene in the top left-hand corner.

Washington and Cherry

After wiping down the crime scene, the Zodiac Killer turned the corner and walked north up Cherry Street.

Aerial map

This aerial map shows all of the relevant areas.

It seems as though Stine was supposed to bring his passenger to the corner of Washington Street and Maple Street. However, he ended up parking closer to Cherry Street.

It is possible that the Zodiac Killer saw someone hanging around at the original destination and was worried that he might be spotted.

If he did feel too exposed, then he may have asked Stine to drive further west.

Following the shooting, the killer walked north along Cherry Street before turning right and walking eastward along Jackson Street.

A passing patrol car saw a white male with a crew cut walking in the area shortly after the attack. Had the original description not messed up the killer's skin color, there is a very good chance that he would have been apprehended there and then.

When he saw the patrol car driving in his direction, he must have thought that he was done for.

Sadly, he got extremely lucky due to someone's mix-up.

This close call may have been enough to convince the killer to "hang up his boots," so to speak.

Following Stine's murder, it appears as though the Zodiac never killed again.

At night

Image source: James Lawlor

This photograph of the crime scene shows what it would have looked like at night.