Awsi Dooger
01-20-2006, 12:32 AM
I found this disturbing summation on zodiackiller.com, a retired inspector on the case, Michael Maloney, placing blame on the leader of the San Francisco homicide department, saying his ego got in the way and "it's crystal clear that he should not be a homicide leader." The Zodiac case was officially closed not long after a significant advance a few years ago, a partial DNA match that apparently excluded top suspect Arthur Leigh Allen: http://www.zodiackiller.com/ZStatus.html
Here are the opening paragraphs:
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. -- "The Zodiac case will not be solved until the current San Francisco Police Dept.'s manager in the homicide section is transferred.
"Unfortunately, John Hennessey has involved his ego in this case. He could not tolerate the attention this case brought to the inspectors working it. He closed it and ordered one of the most informed and capable police inspectors in the SFPD, Kelly Carroll, to return the case to the file and never respond to questions about it in the future from anyone, forever. As long as he is an employee of the SFPD, and since the case is such a complex one, the lieutenant in charge cannot manage it very well since he knows little about it. So Hennessey closed it -- kind of like sweeping dirt under a rug. And, rather than re-assign the case to another team, Hennessey put the case to bed after the first significant lead advancement in 30 years.
"My partner and I were the first team to be able to apply forensic DNA techniques to the Zodiac case.
"We were the first team to solve a cold case, 25 years old, with DNA. We know what we do, and we did it well.
"We could have torn that case apart with DNA testing, but we were thwarted with all kinds of excuses from Hennessey."
Here are the opening paragraphs:
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. -- "The Zodiac case will not be solved until the current San Francisco Police Dept.'s manager in the homicide section is transferred.
"Unfortunately, John Hennessey has involved his ego in this case. He could not tolerate the attention this case brought to the inspectors working it. He closed it and ordered one of the most informed and capable police inspectors in the SFPD, Kelly Carroll, to return the case to the file and never respond to questions about it in the future from anyone, forever. As long as he is an employee of the SFPD, and since the case is such a complex one, the lieutenant in charge cannot manage it very well since he knows little about it. So Hennessey closed it -- kind of like sweeping dirt under a rug. And, rather than re-assign the case to another team, Hennessey put the case to bed after the first significant lead advancement in 30 years.
"My partner and I were the first team to be able to apply forensic DNA techniques to the Zodiac case.
"We were the first team to solve a cold case, 25 years old, with DNA. We know what we do, and we did it well.
"We could have torn that case apart with DNA testing, but we were thwarted with all kinds of excuses from Hennessey."