A bombshell new investigation claims to have solved two of America's most infamous and enduring criminal mysteries, revealing the alleged perpetrator behind the Zodiac killer and the Black Dahlia Avenger as one and the same man.
The Man Behind the Monikers
According to an exclusive investigation by cold case consultant Alex Baber, detailed by the Daily Mail, the man responsible for the horrific murders was Marvin Margolis, who also used the alias Marvin Merrill. On the surface, Margolis appeared unremarkable: a twice-married father of five, a Second World War veteran, and a convicted fraudster. Yet Baber's findings suggest he led a terrifying double life.
Margolis's alleged crimes span two decades of American history. The first was the gruesome murder of Elizabeth Short, the aspiring actress known as the Black Dahlia. On 15 January 1947, her mutilated body was found severed at the waist in Los Angeles, with a grotesque smile carved into her face. Her killer, who called himself the Black Dahlia Avenger, taunted police and the press with letters.
Then, between 1968 and 1969, the Zodiac killer terrorised Northern California, murdering at least five people and wounding two others, primarily targeting young couples. The Zodiac also craved the spotlight, sending complex ciphers and boastful letters to newspapers.
A Troubled Veteran and Serial Entrepreneur
Marvin Skipton Margolis was born on 25 March 1925 in Chicago. Military psychiatric records noted a troubled childhood, including fears of dark closets and sleepwalking. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943, aged 18, later transferring to the 1st Marine Division's medical corps, where he gained surgical and marksmanship skills.
His wartime experience was deeply traumatic, involving a cave collapse that nearly buried him alive. Veterans Affairs records describe him emerging with depression, aggression, and mental health issues, a stark contrast to a cheerful local newspaper interview he gave upon returning home.
After the war, Margolis's life was one of constant reinvention. He briefly studied medicine at the University of Southern California in 1946—giving him anatomical knowledge—before abandoning his surgical ambitions after Short's murder. He then began using the alias Marvin Merrill and flitted between careers: used car salesman, insurance manager, artist, real estate developer, construction boss, and even a senior engineer at Intel.
Mounting Evidence and a Criminal Record
Baber's investigation pieces together several compelling threads. He claims to have solved the Zodiac's Z13 cipher, which reveals the name 'Marvin Merrill'. Handwriting analysis is also being conducted on Merrill's samples compared to the Zodiac's letters.
Perhaps the most chilling piece of evidence is a sketch drawn by Merrill a year before his 1993 death. It depicts a topless woman named 'ELIZABETH', with the word 'ZoDiac' allegedly found hidden beneath layers of ink. Other drawings shared by Merrill's son show technical diagrams resembling the Zodiac's bomb schematics.
While never charged for the murders, Margolis did have a criminal record. He was convicted of fraud in 1953 while working as a car salesman and again in 1971 for grand theft and false advertising related to his car repair business in Oceanside, California.
Throughout his life, Merrill demonstrated a compulsive need for media attention, giving numerous interviews and even writing cryptic letters to editors, mirroring the behaviour of both infamous killers. His stories were often fabulistic, claiming wartime heroics with the Flying Tigers and studying under Salvador Dali.
Family Man with a Dark Side
Despite the horrific allegations, Merrill maintained a family life. He was a father to four biological children and a stepdaughter. However, this facade cracked in 1978 when he allegedly threatened to kill his stepdaughter, leading to his arrest and his wife brandishing a knife in defence of her child.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Merrill's youngest son strongly denied the allegations, calling the theory "fiction" and stating his father lacked the means and mobility to commit the Zodiac crimes. He has, however, provided some of his father's belongings to Baber's team for analysis.
Marvin Margolis, aka Marvin Merrill, died from cancer in 1993 at age 68, taking his secrets to the grave. Now, this new investigation, which is being developed into a documentary series, aims to finally unearth the truth behind two of history's most chilling unsolved cases.
