Police in San Francisco, California are one step closer to unmasking the city serial killer who inspired Jake Gyllenhaal movie ZODIAC after a woman claiming to be the stepdaughter of the sick murderer agreed to speak to investigators.
Deborah Perez claims spectacles she snatched from Guy Ward Hendricksen's last victim will prove that he was the fiend who terrorised San Francisco, California in the late 1960s and avoided capture.
The police investigation into the Zodiac Killer murders was revisited in the 2007 film, which starred Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr.
Perez has kept her dreadful memories to herself for 40 years - because she witnessed at least two of her father's slayings and even helped pen several of the mocking notes he sent to police.
And she reveals that, as a child, she embroidered a mask the Zodiac Killer wore on his killing sprees.
Hendricksen died in 1983 after losing his battle with cancer.
Perez, now a real estate broker, insists she never realised her late stepfather was the Zodiac Killer until the film prompted fresh interest in the case, and U.S. TV news show America's Most Wanted revisited the killings. Upon seeing a police sketch of the sick murderer, she realised it was her father.
The 47 year old met with homicide detectives on Wednesday (17Jun09) after top forensic experts declared handwriting analysis and psychological evidence proves Perez's participation in the infamous Zodiac Killings.
Perez has been asked to participate in further questioning and police have confirmed the Zodiac case is open.
Her spokesman Edward Lozzi says, "Deborah feels she owes it to the families of the victims to put this case to rest."
Perez tells WENN, "I am very pleased with the professional and official behaviour of the SFPD's Zodiac Killer detectives. I have made myself available to them as per their request.
"It has been a tremendous sacrifice for me and my family and hopefully the case will be solved soon."
Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...
As Tilda Swinton reteams with her Snowpiercer director, Korea's Bong Joon Ho, it's perhaps unsurprising...
There's something about national tragedy that has the ability to unite human beings and incite...
Like a mash-up of Alien and Gravity, this ripping sci-fi horror movie is very effective...
It's been seven years since designer Tom Ford made a splash with his award-winning writing-directing...
On board the International Space Station, a group of astronauts and scientists are risking their...
For a short time, Edward and Susan had a happy marriage, they lived in a...
With its darkly emotive themes and brittle humour, this well-made drama by Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas...
With visually stunning imagery and a solid A-list cast, this film just about transcends its...
Davis Mitchell is very successful in what he does for a living, though he's not...
Quite possibly the most ambitious films of the year, Everest tells the true to life...
When two different climbing parties set out on the expedition of their lives, they knew...
Slick direction and meaty performances may be enough for some viewers, but this boxing drama's...
Alice Eckle is a roller-skating waitress deeply in love with Indiana State Trooper Scott. Before...