A startling new investigation claims to have unmasked the perpetrator behind two of America's most infamous and elusive serial killers: the Zodiac and the Black Dahlia Avenger. According to findings exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail by cold case consultant Alex Baber, the man responsible was not two separate phantoms, but one individual: Marvin Margolis, who also used the alias Marvin Merrill.
The Double Life of a Seemingly Ordinary Man
On the surface, Marvin Margolis appeared far from extraordinary. He was a twice-married father, a WWII veteran who served overseas, and a man who flitted between careers in medicine, art, car sales, real estate, and even a senior engineering role at Intel. However, he was also convicted for fraud at his car repair firm. Baber's investigation posits that this was a facade for a monstrous double life.
The first horrific crime linked to him is the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, the aspiring actress known as the Black Dahlia. Her mutilated body was found severed in two in Los Angeles, with a grotesque smile carved into her face. The killer, calling himself the Black Dahlia Avenger, taunted police and the press with letters.
Two decades later, the Zodiac killer terrorised northern California, murdering at least five and wounding two others between 1968 and 1969. This killer also revelled in public attention, sending complex ciphers and boastful letters to newspapers.
From Troubled Youth to War-Torn Veteran
Born in Chicago in 1925, Margolis's early years hinted at trouble. Veterans Affairs records note childhood fears, nightmares, and a threatening, irritable temperament. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943, later transferring to the Marines' medical corps, where he gained surgical and marksmanship skills.
Publicly, he gave a heroic account of his service. A 1945 newspaper article showed a smiling Margolis with a Japanese rifle, claiming his time at the brutal Battle of Okinawa "wasn't too bad." Yet his VA files tell a different story: a man left with depression, aggression, and trauma from being buried alive in a collapsed cave hospital. A neuropsychiatrist documented his resentment and a foreboding statement: "The next time there is a war, two of us are not going - the one who comes after me and myself."
A Chilling Trail of Evidence and Deceit
After the war, Margolis enrolled at USC's medical school in 1946, gaining the anatomical knowledge evident in the Black Dahlia case. He was a suspect and ex-boyfriend of Short but was never charged. He then left Los Angeles, adopting the alias Marvin Merrill and embarking on a series of professions across the country.
Baber's investigation points to several compelling connections:
- The Z13 Cipher: Baber claims to have solved the Zodiac's cryptic Z13 code, which reveals the name "Marvin Merrill."
- Forensic Sketches: A sketch drawn by Merrill a year before his death in 1993 depicts a topless woman named "ELIZABETH," with the word "ZoDiac" found beneath layers of ink.
- Pattern of Attention-Seeking: Like both killers, Merrill frequently sought media attention, giving interviews filled with proven falsehoods, such as claiming to be a Flying Tiger and a student of Salvador Dali.
- Violent Tendencies: His son recounted a 1978 incident where Merrill threatened to kill his stepdaughter, leading to his arrest and his wife pulling a knife in defence.
- Geographic and Temporal Links: His movements and business ventures in construction and car repairs placed him with means and opportunity in the relevant areas during the murder periods.
Despite this, Merrill's youngest son has rejected the theory, calling it "fiction" and stating his father was broke and not travelling during the Zodiac killings. He has, however, provided some of his father's belongings for analysis.
A Legacy of Secrets Taken to the Grave
Marvin Margolis, aka Marvin Merrill, died of cancer in 1993 at age 68, having never been formally charged for either series of crimes. His only criminal convictions were for fraud. Alex Baber's investigation, now being developed into a documentary series, aims to finally connect the dots that law enforcement could not, suggesting that the elusive figures of the Zodiac and the Black Dahlia Avenger were, in fact, the same deeply troubled man living a shocking double life.
