Thinking about childhood friends

24 Apr, 2026

This is going to sound strange, but the topic of this post stemmed from research into the Zodiac Killer.

If you aren't aware, the Zodiac Killer operated in the San Francisco Bay Area between Dec. 1968 and Oct. 1969. He, as far as investigators are aware, murdered five people, but may have a higher kill count. He was never caught. And, presently, he is one of the most infamous individuals in the annals of serial killer history.

One of the main suspects in the case was Arthur Leigh Allen, who was born on Dec. 18, 1933 in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Paul Avery, a journalist working at the San Francisco Chronicle at the time of the killings, was born on April 2, 1934 also in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

On Halloween, 1970, the Zodiac sent Avery a card taunting him. The Zodiac, calling himself Avery's "secret pal," more-or-less threatened the journalist, writing "Peak-a-boo! You are doomed!"

It's here where things get interesting.

As mentioned above, Allen and Avery were both born in Hawai'i around the same time. Only a few months apart. It may be feasible the two knew each other as kids, or might have even been "pals" as one might say. Circumstantial evidence largely implicated Allen, though there never was anything truly concrete. But this connection does point to an interesting theory: if Allen really was the Zodiac, he may have realized Avery was a childhood acquaintance or friend and sent him that letter.

But here's something else.

A friend of Allen, Donald Lee Cheney, tipped off Manhattan Beach police about Allen and his desire to kill and use of the name "Zodiac." As I understand it, Cheney, also named "Lee" funnily enough, went to Bakersfield Junior College. While at the college, the play "The Mikado" was performed. The Zodiac killer incorporated references and or parodies of The Mikado in his letters.

Guess who also went to Bakersfield Junior College? Paul Avery, the above-mentioned journalist who was sent a threatening letter from the Zodiac.

How weird is that?

Allen, Avery and Cheney - three people involved in the Zodiac case - were all connected in one way or another.

Allen was one of the main suspects for the Zodiac killings. He may have been childhood friends with Avery, a central figure in the case by virtue of his journalistic standing and involvement. Avery was directly sent a letter by the Zodiac. Allen's friend Cheney went to school with Avery, where a play later referenced by the Zodiac was performed. Strange stuff.

Some researchers have even posited that Cheney may have had a deeper involvement in the Zodiac case. Maybe it was Cheney who was that "secret pal" in that Halloween card sent to Avery.

Now, I'm not making any grandiose claim here or anything. I don't know who the Zodiac was, but as I was researching this, and getting my mind blown by these coincidences and connections ¹, I started thinking about old friends from childhood.

I was thinking, "How many people from school do I genuinely remember?" The answer? Not a whole lot. Especially from earlier school days, such as elementary. It's totally feasible none of the three even remembered or realized they were connected.

It's possible I'll run into someone in some far-flung corner of the Earth, get to talking and realize they were in the same math class during middle school in that small town in that small state.

I was thinking about this because in elementary school I had two friends that stood out. I was friendly enough with other classmates, sure, but these two I considered friends. Let's call one John and the other Jane. They're the only two I remember the names of.

I remember riding the bus to school with John and we'd always have fun and mess around. I was a quiet kid, but felt comfortable enough around him.

Jane, I remember, had something bad happen to her and was crying on the first day of school. Her and I got friendly and we would always play on the monkey bars. At some point, it felt like we were two peas in a pod. We'd always hang out during recess.

My family moved around a bit before settling down, but I always remembered John and Jane. They were two constants in my hazy memory. Funnily enough, years later as a teen I actually looked up Jane out of curiosity (she had a fairly unique name). The person I found had a different surname, but they looked exactly the same. Like an older version of Jane. I wondered if there was a change in family name. Maybe her parents re-married or she took one of her parents' name or something. Interestingly enough, she lived in a state over.

Nothing came of it, as I obviously wasn't going to go on a road trip and find my childhood friend in a narrative you'd certainly find in a Young Adult novel. But I thought that was interesting. Eventually, I just forgot about it. Kept on with my life.

Until this week while researching the Zodiac Killer.

And I thought that was really funny in a weird way. How researching brutal killings in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s unlocked a childhood memory.

Shit can be strange like that.