Kathleen Johns

Zodiac wrote in a letter dated 7/24/70, "So I now have a little list, starting with the woeman (Kathleen Johns) and her baby (Jennifer) that I gave a rather interesting ride for a couple of howers one evening (3/22/70) that ended in my burning her car where I found them".

It was evening and Kathleen Johns and her baby were in route to her mother's home, traveling down lonely Highway 132 near Tracy, CA. A man pulled up behind Kathleen and began honking the horn and blinking the headlights. Ms. Johns pulled off the road near Highway 5.

The concerned motorist, who Kathleen describes as wearing a dark jacket, bell bottom pants and a white shirt, came over to her car and said that her right rear wheel was wobbling and that he would fix it. She consented, he completed the "repair" and left. As she pulled away the wheel came loose and she had to stop. The man backed up, came up to Kathleen's car and said that it was "worse than he thought." But he said he would take her to a nearby gas station.

She took her baby daughter and got into the car. But instead of taking her to a nearby station, the stranger took them on a slow, two-hour terror ride on winding roads. During this time the man threatened Kathleen by saying in a monotone voice, "You know you're going to die - You know I'm going to kill you". At one point he looked at Kathleen and said, "I'm going to throw the baby out"!

During the terror ride the driver took a wrong turn and had to stop. Kathleen saw this as her only chance to get away and that she did. After telling the driver she was "going to be sick," she jumped out of the car and began to run with her infant in her arms. The man got out of his car with a light and began to chase after her. (Just like he did with Betty Lou Jensen at Lake Herman Road.) As he did he saw a large truck approaching so he jumped back into his car and fled.

Later, Ms. Johns was taken to the Patterson Police Station where she told the story of her abduction to the officer on duty. As she was relating her account she looked up and saw a wanted poster for the Zodiac killer and screamed "That's him!" According to her description, the man that had abducted her was approximately 26 to 30 years old with dark brown crew cut hair; pock marks on his chin, weighed approximately 166 pounds  and stood about 5 ft. 8 in. tall. ("He wasn't a real big guy.") He wore black horn rimmed glasses, fastened with an elastic band, such as the ones welders used.

Later it was learned by the police that the man had, as Zodiac's letter said, "burned her car"! For a full account of Ms. Johns abduction and startling information about the crime read

The Zodiac / Manson Connection.

______________________________

The following recent (2008) photos are of the house where Kathleen Johns lived in the 1970s on Campus Way in San Bernardino, California.

Photos taken by Nick Rose

We were sorry to hear that Kathleen Johns passed away from a massive heart attack on May 1, 2002. We firmly believe that she was abducted by Zodiac and given, as Zodiac said, "a rather interesting ride." Though she has left this life her testimony remains.

Back         Top of page