I recently learned about the California true crime case of Forest Ray Colson, a bank robber known as the "Man from Mars". In the early 1950s Colson went on a crime spree robbing gas stations in the city San Gabriel, becoming notorious for his bizarre Nazi-inspired costume. He was eventually shot dead in a standoff with police, aged 27.

Colson's criminal alter ego bears a striking resemblance to Zodiac's strange "executioner" costume at Lake Berryessa in 1969. Colson's biographical details might give some kind of insight into the kind of person Zodiac was. He had an unnoteworthy naval career during WW2 and later became a police officer (also similar to EARONS/JJD). Colson gives the impression of someone leading a double life and stoking fear in the general public to compensate for his feelings of inadequacy.