Sandy Loyd Popular Books

Sandy Loyd Biography & Facts

The Zodiac Killer is the pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s. The Zodiac murdered five known victims in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969, operating in rural, urban and suburban settings. He targeted three young couples and a lone male cab driver. The case has been described as "arguably the most famous unsolved murder case in American history", and has become both a fixture of popular culture and a focus for efforts by amateur detectives. The Zodiac's known attacks took place in Benicia, Vallejo, unincorporated Napa County, and the city of San Francisco proper. Five of his known wounded victims died, and two survived. He coined his name in a series of taunting messages that he mailed to regional newspapers, in which he threatened killing sprees and bombings if they were not printed. Some of the letters included cryptograms, or ciphers, in which the killer claimed that he was collecting his victims as slaves for the afterlife. Of the four ciphers he produced, two remain unsolved, and one was cracked only in 2020. The last confirmed Zodiac letter was in 1974, when he claimed to have killed 37 victims. While many theories regarding the identity of the killer have been suggested, the only suspect authorities ever publicly named was Arthur Leigh Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender who died in 1992. The unusual nature of the case led to international interest that has been sustained throughout the years. The San Francisco Police Department marked the case "inactive" in 2004, but re-opened it at some point prior to 2007. The case also remains open in the city of Vallejo, as well as in Napa and Solano counties. The California Department of Justice has maintained an open case file on the Zodiac murders since 1969. Murders and correspondence Confirmed attacks The Zodiac Killer claimed in messages to newspapers to have committed thirty-seven serial murders. Investigators agree on seven confirmed assault victims, five of whom died and two survived. They are: David Arthur Faraday (17) and Betty Lou Jensen (16) were shot and killed on December 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road, within the city limits of Benicia, California. Michael Renault Mageau (19) and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin (22) were shot around midnight between July 4 and 5, 1969, in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California. Mageau survived the attack; Ferrin was pronounced dead on arrival at Kaiser Foundation Hospital. Bryan Calvin Hartnell (20) and Cecelia Ann Shepard (22) were stabbed on September 27, 1969, at Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California. Hartnell survived, but Shepard died as a result of her injuries on September 29. Paul Lee Stine (29) was shot and killed on October 11, 1969, in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.Lake Herman Road murders The first murders widely attributed to the Zodiac were the shootings of high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday on December 20, 1968. Jensen was a 16-year old student at Hogan High School, and on the night of the 20th, a Friday, she had a date with Faraday, a 17-year old student from the neighboring Vallejo High School. Faraday drove his mother's car to Jensen's house at 8 p.m., and they left in it at 8:30. They had both told their parents they were going to a Christmas carol concert at Hogan High School, but instead, they drove to the house of one of Jensen's friends. Sometime after 9, they drove to the outskirts of Vallejo, and parked at a lover's lane on Lake Herman Road. A passing motorist noticed the couple between 10:15 to 10:30, parked on the side of Lake Herman Road, on a gravel runoff near the gate to a water pumping station. They were spotted again at 11.The couple were attacked sometime between 11:05 and 11:10. Police determined that an unknown assailant pulled his car up next to Faraday's, about 10 feet away from the passenger's side of the vehicle. He left his vehicle and approached the couple's car, firing several shots inside. The bullets hit various car parts, but not the couple; he may have been trying to force them to leave the vehicle. They both attempted to leave through the passenger door. Jensen was able to get out. As Faraday was leaving, the assailant shot him in the head with a .22-caliber handgun. The assailant began to chase Jensen, who was running away. He fired six shots at her, hitting her in the back five times. The assailant then left in his vehicle. The police theorized the whole attack took two to three minutes.A passing motorist spotted the couple's bodies at 11:10. She drove down the road and flagged a police patrol car to report the scene. The officers in the car immediately went to the scene. Jensen was pronounced dead, and Faraday was still breathing. He was taken to the hospital, but died from his wounds. Police could find no usable tire or foot prints of the assailant, and there were no witnesses. They were unable to find a motive other than the killer being a "madman". An intensive investigation took place over the following months, but a viable suspect was never developed.For seven months afterwards, the Zodiac Killer is not confirmed to be active. Author Michael Kelleher and David Van Nuys suggest this was a "cooling off period" to reflect on his actions, experienced by most serial killers. The murders were extensively covered by the media. Blue Rock Springs murder Background The couple Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau were shot around midnight between July 4 and 5, 1969. Ferrin was fatally wounded, and Mageau survived. Ferrin was 22, and was popular with many in the community due to her job at a local restaurant. There, she met Michael Mageau, who was 19. They became friends, and went on a date on July 4, despite the fact that Ferrin was still married to Dean Ferrin. After 11:30 p.m. that night, Ferrin received a phone call in her house, probably from Mageau. She left and arrived at Mageau's house around 11:50.Afterwards, the facts in the case become "clouded with conflicting statements and speculation". Some information comes from Zodiac researcher Robert Graysmith's work. Allegedly, immediately after Ferrin and Mageau left the house, they started believing or noticed that they were being followed by a man in a light-colored car. For some reason, Darlene started driving out of town in the direction of Lake Herman Road. Shortly before midnight, she turned her car into an empty parking lot of Blue Rock Springs Park. It was another popular area for couples, two miles from Lake Herman Road. She parked 70 feet from the lot entrance, and soon, another vehicle parked around 80 feet to her left. The unknown driver, a man, turned the headlights off and sat motionless at the steering wheel. Mageau asked who the driver was, and Ferrin vaguely replied to not be worried about it. The driver then left the parking lot, likely at a high speed. Shootin.... Discover the Sandy Loyd popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Sandy Loyd books.

Best Seller Sandy Loyd Books of 2024

  • Shattered Dreams synopsis, comments

    Shattered Dreams

    Sandy Loyd

    It's all fun and games until someone dies. . .  Claire doesn’t miss her lying, cheating husband, but that doesn’t mean she killed him. Someone else committed the crime and fra...

  • Temptation synopsis, comments

    Temptation

    Sandy Loyd

    Disguised as a maid, Lady Penelope Lytton sails to America to escape her abusive guardian with secret plans to meet and marry her childhood sweetheart in order to regain her inheri...

  • Deadly Misconceptions synopsis, comments

    Deadly Misconceptions

    Sandy Loyd

    PI Lucy Maddox, former thief, liar, and havenot, has worked hard to rise above her past as a runaway and now uses her survival skills in a more honest way.  Yet when the repor...

  • The Promise of Tomorrow synopsis, comments

    The Promise of Tomorrow

    Sandy Loyd

    War is hell, especially for those left behind. When an IED explosion devastates the lives of Roberto ‘Cam’ Camareno and Nicole Murphy, both believe their promise of tomorrow has be...

  • Games synopsis, comments

    Games

    Sandy Loyd

    Life is but a game to be played and all the characters are playing theirs in different ways.  The principal game that Giselle Franklin and Simon Harrington engage in is the on...

  • A Christmas Miracle synopsis, comments

    A Christmas Miracle

    Sandy Loyd

    An uplifting short Christmas story to warm the heart on this cold holiday season… Megan Jenkins isn’t looking forward to Christmas. The holidays will forevermore remind her of what...

  • DC Badboys Series - A Romantic Mystery Set synopsis, comments

    DC Badboys Series - A Romantic Mystery Set

    Sandy Loyd

    THE SIN FACTOR: BOOK ONE DC BADBOYS SERIES In this intriguing mystery, Jeffrey Sinclair has a thief in his midst. One of his highly sensitive prototypes has gone missing and in hi...

  • Running from Love synopsis, comments

    Running from Love

    Sandy Loyd

    When Michelle Matthews decides to quit running from her past and meet it head on, nothing goes as planned, starting when she returns to her hometown to meet her exbest friend, who ...

  • Time Will Tell synopsis, comments

    Time Will Tell

    Sandy Loyd

    Romance and adventure...and a trip to where an American tradition began…  Libby Edwards, a gifted horsewoman, unwittingly wishes herself back in time to Louisville, Kentucky j...

  • Winter Interlude synopsis, comments

    Winter Interlude

    Sandy Loyd

    Do you remember your mother telling you when you were little that you’d never meet Mr. Right if you were spending all your time and energy with Mr. Wrong? And what about the book o...

  • Tropical Spice synopsis, comments

    Tropical Spice

    Sandy Loyd

    In this fun, flirty beach read, runaway heiress, Pepper Grady, is in charge of her own destiny, one that doesn’t include being ruled by an overbearing man like her father. Pepper w...

  • A Lowcountry Christmas Miracle synopsis, comments

    A Lowcountry Christmas Miracle

    Sandy Loyd

    Considering the bad blood between father and son, it will take a miracle to get Cade Duval to return to the Lowcountry for Christmas. Lacey Barnes has loved Cade since…forever…and ...

  • Raising The Stakes synopsis, comments

    Raising The Stakes

    Sandy Loyd

    Las Vegas bound for a destination wedding, Terry and Des have promised to be friends thanks to their relationships with the bride and the groom.     When the exlover...

  • The Sin Factor synopsis, comments

    The Sin Factor

    Sandy Loyd

    When Jeffrey Sinclair is forced to unravel the puzzle of who is stealing from his company and why, he gets caught up in a deadly game, one perpetrated by those who’ve vowed to prot...

  • Hidden Agendas synopsis, comments

    Hidden Agendas

    Sandy Loyd

    She stomped on his heart once. Only a fool would let her do it again. Yet, a lady in need is irresistible, even to someone as jaded as Eric Coleman, the sexiest and most charming o...

  • On The Edge synopsis, comments

    On The Edge

    Sandy Loyd

    RUNNING FROM LOVE: Michelle Matthews has decided to quit running from her past and meet it head on. Yet, nothing goes as planned, starting when she returns to her hometown to meet ...

  • California Series - Book 2 thru 4 synopsis, comments

    California Series - Book 2 thru 4

    Sandy Loyd

    Book Two: PROMISES, PROMISES A wild party culminated in two very different perceptions. The minute things heated up, she ran.  He chased and tried everything he could think of...

  • A Quickstep to Romance synopsis, comments

    A Quickstep to Romance

    Sandy Loyd

    Dirty dancing is the last thing on Mary Ann Murphy’s mind, especially when the partner is Kyle Davidson, as flirty, fun, and sexy as they come. After all so was the last guy who br...

  • James synopsis, comments

    James

    Sandy Loyd

    James Morrison is a man women love.  Good looking.  Talented.  Great fun to be with.  And of course he loves women.  But he has one flaw.  He can’t co...

  • Running Out Of Fear synopsis, comments

    Running Out Of Fear

    Sandy Loyd

    Michelle Matthews has decided to quit running from her past and meet it head on. Yet, after driving three hundred miles to meet her exbest friend so she can forgive and move on wit...

  • A Matter Of Trust synopsis, comments

    A Matter Of Trust

    Sandy Loyd

    Thrilling suspense that takes place in the Montana wilderness as ExCIA operative, Josh Buchannan struggles to keep Cat Tyler, his student alive when it's obvious someone wants him ...

  • Promises, Promises synopsis, comments

    Promises, Promises

    Sandy Loyd

    They met at a wild party and neither forgot the experience. Each came away with a different perception of what happened that night when Dev McAllister succeeded in breaking through...

  • Timeless Series synopsis, comments

    Timeless Series

    Sandy Loyd

    Three heartwarming romances… Time Will Tell Romance and adventure...and a trip to where an American tradition began when a she journeys back in time to Louisville, Kentucky just be...

  • Sandy City v. Lloyd E. Larson synopsis, comments

    Sandy City v. Lloyd E. Larson

    Court of Appeals of Utah

    The dispositive issue presented by this appeal is whether the admission into evidence of defendants refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test offends the right against selfincrimina...