Canonical murder 3: LB vol.1. Byknife on the door of Bryan Hartnell car part 1

 

Canonical murder 3_LB_vol_1_Byknife on the door of Bryan Hartnell car part 1

Introduction

The third canonical murder of the self-proclaimed “zodiac killer” took place on September 27, 1969 in the area of Lake Berryessa. Under oak trees, by the water, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were stabbed by the costumed executioner. The stabbing took place “at the beach south of the Ranch Monticello Resort” (source: https://www.zodiackiller.com/LBReport7.html). Tom Voigt’s Zodiac Killer site features extensive files of the LB report courtesy of the Napa County Sheriff’s Department. The murderous attack took place around 6:15 in the afternoon. A message was retrieved from the door of Bryan Hartnell’s car, left by the killer, indicating a “time stamp” of 6:30 (obviously pm). The “Zodiac Cross” infamously at the start of the “message” is followed by “Vallejo” then the two dates of the first canonical attacks.

Figure 1. Message on Bryan Hartnell’s door left by the killer (source: https://www.zodiackiller.com/KarmannGhia.html)

What immediately strikes out is that the killer changes protocol when referencing the attack that took place minutes before the car door message. As SolidSnake1990 has pointed out, Sept stands out not because of the calendar attribute but because it opens the way for further avenues to be considered. Sept, as a notion of “sect” or “clan”.

I have studied the genealogical aspect of both canonical and non-canonical victims. It provides the basis for what is, up to now, the sole connection between the victims: even more so, the connection of the victims on a genealogical basis also connects them to the Northern English roots of the Pennington family, of whom “Peek-a-boo” Pennington is a descendant. Soze has researched thoroughly the aspects of both genealogy and steganography in relation to this case. It is my opinion that the Hartnell door message touches upon both these fundamental pillars of the killer’s “modus operandi”. And it is precisely where he states the literal “mo”: by knife. The phrase with which he signs off the message.

Byknife: a hint at steganography?

At the definition of “byknife” (one word without blank character) one reads (source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/byknife) :

byknife (plural byknives)

1. A secondary knife carried beside a dagger or short sword. quotations ▲
• 1987, Church Monuments: Journal of the Church Monuments Society, volume 2, page 5:

This may represent either the top of some form of closure, or the pommel-cap of a byknife in the front of the sheath of the dagger, the remains of which are represented as if hung between the two suspension loops, its haft in front of the belt and its sheath behind the body of the pouch. It is of a type known to contemporaries as a ballock knife, that is a dagger with a phalliform haft or grip. An example of a byknife with just such a fleur-de-lis pommel is in the collection of the Canterbury City Museum.

Figure 2. Byknife sample (source: https://landsknechtemporium.com/products/daggers/Byknife/Lyse)

Can a “dagger inside a sword” be considered as a “message within a message”, if this killer’s messaging was first and foremost via murder?

The outliers of the message are Latin alphabet and numerical data.

Richard Grinnell has produced yet another thoughtful piece of work, documenting factual evidence and interesting outliers concerning the message (source: https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/the-car-door-at-lake-berryessa). The dominant E-letter in plaintext is certainly in unison with the Z408 frequency of letters, something I should like to comment on further in another note.

“Vallejo” is a seven-letter plaintext offered right after the zodiac cross. However it is inaccurate, since the first murder was in the City of Benicia edge, actually in jurisdiction of Solano County Sheriff’s Department. Lake Herman Pumping Station, accessed right through the gate of the Rambler vehicle (Faraday) position (LHR murder site), where the two teenagers were murdered, was indeed City of Benicia property, and the new pipelines installed at the time were part of Benicia’s upgrade of the former Arsenal site as an Industrial Park with Humble Oil refinery being the very stellar at the time.

So the “Vallejo” bland description is insufficient, if the dates and message are taken at face value.

“Sept” would be certainly fitting the “September” word but one cannot help but wonder if the “subdivision of the clan”, mentioned by Altug in the Zodiac theory discord discussion as per September 2024, related also to the “building of the second temple” (source: https://discord.com/channels/1260505612131897375/1260699395939373136/1289989543617101825).

Concerning the numerical data, SolidSnake1990 has offered not only a comment on the “Sept” but also his attempt to decipher the numerical information as “a layer for something else”.

Figure 3. SolidSnake1990 decipher of numerical data from Hartnell’s door message (source: https://discord.com/channels/1260505612131897375/1260699395939373136/1289902997807042614)

A method for murder: a motive for murder?

I have claimed, time and time again, that genealogy is not only, in general terms, a key to unlocking this mystery, but indeed the only (thus far) connecting outlier between canonical victims. At the same time, the common root of this outlier provides a direct historical link to the Pennington family. In the attempt to develop a multi-tier historical system, where not all descendants of the original 1400’s are slain, but specific descendants, one comes across, once more, sept as a sub-division of clan: a specific branch of descendants is targeted. Identifying the “pit-stops” along the way of historical events (for example: the Great Puritan Migration, the early colonial settlements of New England, the Mexican American war and the creation of the State of California as part of the more perfect union, the Civil War) will allow the researcher to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

If genealogy is pivotal in the motive for the murders, then it should also manifest itself as a method for the murder: that would be the killer’s actual modus operandi.

In search of such information being projected at the Hartnell’s car door message, I would have to treat it as the only letter that the killer left for the Lake Berryessa attack; indeed, no other communication exists in written form.

This means that one would have to apply, for the car door message, the same meticulous method of scrutinizing every word and every digit offered by the killer. This would also mean that such a message would have been pre-decided: the element of “improvisation” simply cannot be considered, for practical and indeed logical reasons. This would also mean that the killings cannot be random: a pre-determined message cannot be applied in randomly picked victims.

With this in mind, I tried to concentrate the semantics of “Sept” as follows.

The Concept of Sept and Genealogy in Celtic Culture

Genealogy and kinship have played a crucial role in shaping societies throughout history. Among the Celtic peoples, particularly in Ireland and Scotland, the concept of the sept was a fundamental social structure that organized families and clans into cohesive units. Understanding the sept system and its relationship with genealogy provides insight into how Celtic societies maintained identity, inheritance, and loyalty over generations. This essay explores the meaning of septs, their role in genealogy, and their significance in Celtic culture.

A sept (from the Irish sliocht, meaning "progeny" or "offspring") refers to a subdivision of a larger clan or family group. Unlike the more familiar term clan, which denotes a broad kinship group often linked by a common ancestor, a sept was a smaller, more localized branch of that clan. Septs typically consisted of related families who shared a surname or a variation of it, living in the same territory and swearing allegiance to the clan chief.

In medieval Ireland and Scotland, clans were powerful political and social entities, and septs functioned as their building blocks. For example, the O’Neill clan in Ireland had numerous septs, such as the MacShanes or the O’Donnellys, each with its own distinct lineage but still united under the greater O’Neill name.

Genealogy was essential in Celtic societies for several reasons:

1. Land and Inheritance – Rights to land and titles were often determined by bloodline. Detailed genealogies ensured that property and leadership remained within the correct family lineage.
2. Political Alliances – Marriages between septs and clans were strategic, strengthening alliances. Knowing one’s ancestry was crucial in negotiations and treaties.
3. Social Identity – A person’s status, rights, and even legal standing were tied to their lineage. Bards and historians (seanchaí) memorized genealogies to preserve family histories.

In ancient Ireland, genealogies were recorded in texts such as The Book of Invasions (Lebor Gabála Érenn) and The Annals of the Four Masters, which traced noble families back to mythical or semi-legendary ancestors. These records reinforced the legitimacy of ruling dynasties and maintained cultural continuity.

The sept system began to weaken with English colonization, particularly after the 16th and 17th centuries, when laws like the Statutes of Iona (Scotland, 1609) and the Plantations of Ireland disrupted traditional clan structures. Surnames were anglicized, and land ownership shifted away from hereditary chiefs. Despite this, many modern descendants of Celtic clans still take pride in their sept associations.

It is interesting to note that the notion of sept as well as clan connects to an Irish and Scottish region of the world and a respective concept of heraldry, very important for identity. The killer himself taunted and wrote not about his name but his “identity”. The genealogical connections of the canonical victims (and more) go through Ulster-Scott lineages: Irish immigrants from a loyalist-northern British backdrop.

All canonical victims have a background lineage that identifies with the regions of the world where sept and clan hold such significance and tie to identity, estate/land and social perception (and indeed, position) of family.

It is also interesting to note that the social aspect of sept and identity is diminished after the events linked to the plantations of Ulster as well as the overall context of the Anglo-Irish conflict. In subsequent notes I will try to highlight the overlap of dates where “killer’s events” coincide with significant historical moments of that conflict.

From myth and legend to heraldry: ancient texts and identity

Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Invasions of Ireland) is a medieval Irish text that recounts the mythical history of Ireland, describing a series of invasions by different supernatural and human groups.

Lebor Gabála Érenn is one of the most important works of medieval Irish literature, blending mythology, pseudo-history, and tradition. Compiled between the 9th and 12th centuries, it synthesizes earlier oral traditions into a cohesive narrative, presenting Ireland’s origins through successive waves of settlers, each contributing to its cultural and spiritual landscape.

The text is structured around six major invasions, each led by a different group. These include the people of Cessair, the Partholónians, the Nemedians, the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha Dé Danann, and finally the Milesians (Gaels). The narrative draws from biblical lore, classical learning, and native Irish legends, creating a hybrid origin story that legitimizes Ireland’s place in Christian and European history.

The first settlers, led by Cessair (a granddaughter of Noah), perish in the biblical Flood, establishing a link between Ireland and sacred history. Next, the Partholónians arrive, introducing agriculture and law but eventually dying out from plague. These early cycles emphasize themes of creation and destruction, framing Ireland as a land shaped by divine forces.

The Nemedians, who follow the Partholónians, battle oppressive Fomorians—mythical sea raiders—before their society collapses. Survivors scatter, with some returning as the Fir Bolg, who are later displaced by the Tuatha Dé Danann. These cycles reflect struggles for sovereignty and the cyclical nature of power in Irish myth.

The Tuatha Dé Danann, often interpreted as Ireland’s divine race, arrive with magical prowess, wielding artifacts like the Stone of Fál and the spear of Lugh. Their reign is marked by epic battles, including the First Battle of Mag Tuired against the Fir Bolg and the Second Battle against the Fomorians, symbolizing order triumphing over chaos.

The final invasion is led by the Milesians, ancestors of the modern Irish. They defeat the Tuatha Dé Danann, who retreat into the Otherworld (the sídhe), becoming Ireland’s fairy folk. This transition from divine to human rule legitimizes Gaelic dominance, tying their lineage to biblical and classical figures like Míl Espáine (a descendant of Noah).

Lebor Gabála Érenn reflects medieval Ireland’s Christianization, framing its pagan myths within a biblical chronology. The text aligns Irish kings with the genealogy of Adam and Noah, while preserving native deities as fallen angels or ancient heroes. This syncretism allowed Ireland to retain its cultural identity while integrating into Christendom.

The text survives in multiple recensions, including those in the Book of Leinster and the Book of Fermoy. Later versions expand or modify the story, showing how the narrative evolved over time. These variations highlight the fluidity of medieval Irish historiography, where oral and written traditions intertwined.

Lebor Gabála Érenn served as a foundational myth for medieval Irish identity, justifying political dynasties and territorial claims.

From Wikipedia one reads

(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebor_Gab%C3%A1la_%C3%89renn):

“The LGE seems to have been influenced by four major Christian works in particular:

• St Augustine's De Civitate Dei, (The City of God), (413–426 AD)
• Orosius's Historiae adversum paganos, "Histories", (417)
• Eusebius's Chronicon, translated into Latin by St Jerome as the Temporum liber (379)
• Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae ("Etymologies") (early 7th century)”

It is interesting that Saint Augustine is brought up. In a follow up note I will try to establish a connection between his works and another of the killer’s canonical communications. For the time being, it should be also important to underline the connection between the work of St. Augustine and St. Jerome: his epistle begins the very first printed work – the bible of Gutenberg.

Key-point

It seems that a line can be drawn from the Old Testament figures of Noah, of whom Cessair (or Cesair) is a grand-daughter, linking thus to the origins of sept and the very identity of the Irish – Celtic – Gaelic heritage and heraldry, to Christianity, expressed in the early scholars of the Latin-Christian tradition, whose legacy was maintained, after the split, in the Roman Catholic Church.

The murder attack was committed on St Vincent de Paul’s day (September 27) observed by the Roman Catholic calendar. Cesair, “according to the Lebor Gabála, she was the leader of the first inhabitants of Ireland, arriving before the Biblical flood” (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessair). 

Sept and the Old Testament

By seeking a link between the specific word (term) of “Sept” and the Old Testament, I came across this blatant piece of information:

From Wikipedia (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint):

“The Septuagint (/ˈsɛptjuədʒɪnt/ SEP-tew-ə-jint),^[1] sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (Koinē Greek: Ἡ μετάφρασις τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα, romanized: Hē metáphrasis tôn Hebdomḗkonta), and abbreviated as LXX,^[2] is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew.^[3][4] The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BC) by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.^[5][6][7]”

The manuscripts (as saved in the Greek bible of the Codex Vaticanus) offer a variable of 16-18 letters per line: that would be an average of 17 columns, which is the killer’s method for the Z408 and Z340 (24x17 and 20x17 respectively).

The Codex Alexandrinus offers a variable of 20 to 25 letters per line which converges to the row-lengths of Z340 and Z408.

Sept 27 – 6:30: Proverbs

The aforementioned Codex Alexandrinus features a complete list of the Septuagint index of Old Testament books translated into Greek.

Table 1 features an analytical list (source: https://4marksofthechurch.com/biblical-canon-of-the-septuagint/) of the “Greek Old Testament”.

Table 1. Translation of the Seventy (εβδομήκοντα) of the Old Testament (non-Hebraic canon) unto Greek

The 27^th book is the Proverbs.

Regardless and independent of this indexing, Proverbs is identified as the 27^th book of the “Greek Old Testament” ecclesiastic canon.

The original canon agreed by both the Eastern Church and agreed (eventually) by the Pope was agreed upon in the Quinisext Council (Latin: Concilium Quinisextum; Koinē Greek: Πενθέκτη Σύνοδος, romanized: Penthékti Sýnodos, literally meaning, Fifth-Sixth Meeting), i.e., the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council in Trullo, Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at Constantinople. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinisext_Council)

According to the Orthodox Church, this was the canon agreed upon with the Roman Catholic Church (pre-schism). Another validated source is https://www.oca.org/questions/scripture/canon-of-scripture.

Table 2 features the analytical canon of the Old Testament books (Greek Septuagint translation).

 

Table 2. Canon of the Old Testament books (Greek Septuagint translation)

Greek name	Transliteration	English name
Law
Γένεσις	Genesis	Genesis
Ἔξοδος	Exodos	Exodus
Λευϊτικόν	Leuitikon	Leviticus
Ἀριθμοί	Arithmoi	Numbers
Δευτερονόμιον	Deuteronomion	Deuteronomy
History
Ἰησοῦς	Iēsous	Joshua
Κριταί	Kritai	Judges
Ῥούθ	Routh	Ruth
Βασιλειῶν Αʹ[d]	1 Basileiōn	Kings I (I Samuel)
Βασιλειῶν Βʹ	2 Basileiōn	Kings II (II Samuel)
Βασιλειῶν Γʹ	3 Basileiōn	Kings III (I Kings)
Βασιλειῶν Δʹ	4 Basileiōn	Kings IV (II Kings)
Παραλειπομένων Αʹ	1 Paraleipomenōn[e]	Chronicles I
Παραλειπομένων Βʹ	2 Paraleipomenōn	Chronicles II
Ἔσδρας Αʹ	1 Esdras	1 Esdras
Ἔσδρας Βʹ	2 Esdras	Ezra-Nehemiah
Ἐσθήρ	Esthēr	Esther[f]
Ἰουδίθ	Ioudith	Judith
Τωβίτ[g]	Tōbit[h]	Tobit
Μακκαβαίων Αʹ	1 Makkabaiōn	Maccabees I
Μακκαβαίων Βʹ	2 Makkabaiōn	Maccabees II
Μακκαβαίων Γʹ	3 Makkabaiōn	Maccabees III
Wisdom
Ψαλμοί	Psalmoi	Psalms
Ψαλμός ΡΝΑʹ	Psalmos 151	Psalm 151
Προσευχὴ Μανασσῆ	Proseuchē Manassē	Prayer of Manasseh
Ὠδαί	Odai	Odes
Παροιμίαι	Paroimiai	Proverbs
Ἐκκλησιαστής	Ekklēsiastēs	Ecclesiastes
Ἆσμα Ἀσμάτων	Asma Asmatōn	Song of Songs or Song of Solomon or Canticle of Canticles
Ἰώβ	Iōb	Job
Σοφία Σαλομῶντος	Sophia Salomōntos	Wisdom or Wisdom of Solomon
Σοφία Ἰησοῦ Σειράχ	Sophia Iēsou Seirach	Sirach or Ecclesiasticus or Wisdom of Sirach
Prophets
Ὡσηέ Αʹ	I. Hōsēe	Hosea
Ἀμώς Βʹ	II. Āmōs	Amos
Μιχαίας Γʹ	III. Michaias	Micah
Ἰωήλ Δʹ	IV. Iōēl	Joel
Ὀβδιού Εʹ[i]	V. Obdiou	Obadiah
Ἰωνᾶς Ϛ'	VI. Iōnas	Jonah
Ναούμ Ζʹ	VII. Naoum	Nahum
Ἀμβακούμ Ηʹ	VIII. Ambakoum	Habakkuk
Σοφονίας Θʹ	IX. Sophonias	Zephaniah
Ἀγγαῖος Ιʹ	X. Angaios	Haggai
Ζαχαρίας ΙΑʹ	XI. Zacharias	Zachariah
Μαλαχίας ΙΒʹ	XII. Malachias	Malachi
Ἠσαΐας	Ēsaias	Isaiah
Ἱερεμίας	Hieremias	Jeremiah
Βαρούχ	Barouch	Baruch
Θρῆνοι	Thrēnoi	Lamentations
Ἐπιστολὴ Ἰερεμίου	Epistolē Ieremiou	Letter of Jeremiah
Ἰεζεκιήλ	Iezekiēl	Ezekiel
Δανιήλ	Daniēl	Daniel[j]
Appendix
Μακκαβαίων Δ'	4 Makkabaiōn	Maccabees IV
Ψαλμοὶ Σαλομῶντος	Psalmoi Salomōntos	Psalms of Solomon

We can see that Proverbs is the 27^th book. The deviation from the original list concerns the “4 Maccabees” book, featured in the Appendix of Bible editions. Further editions of the Roman Catholic Bible have also removed Psalm 151 from the Canon. In any case, the index 27 which also satisfies the “6:30” verse existence concerns the Proverbs. To confirm that, I searched all books of the “Wisdom” for a possible existence of a “6:30” verse (Table 3).

Table 3. Query of the “Wisdom” books as per 6:30 verse existence

Proverbs 27 – 6:30: A warning against adultery

The verse is part of the 6:30-35 end of Proverbs 6 and reads (source: https://biblehub.com/sep/proverbs/6.htm):

30It is not to be wondered at if one should be taken stealing, for he steals that when hungry he may satisfy his soul:

31but if he should be taken, he shall repay sevenfold, and shall deliver himself by giving all his goods.

32But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul.

33He endures both pain and disgrace, and his reproach shall never be wiped off.

34For the soul of her husband is full of jealousy: he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35He will not forego his enmity for any ransom: neither will he be reconciled for many gifts.

From: The English translation of The Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton (1851)

This is the final section of Proverbs 6 and deals with the issue of adultery. For a proper understanding of context, the whole second section of Proverbs 6 (6:20-6:35) reads as such (source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%206&version=NIV):

Is this a message directed at the victims of the murderous attack, lying under the oak trees by the water, tied up and left to bleed to their deaths?

Either from the Septuagint canon index or – more importantly – the ecclesiastic synod canon of Old Testament (from Greek) that places Proverbs in any case at index 27 (and the only of the three Wisdom books with such a verse that can identify with that index), the “6:30” section begins the accusation (and warning) against adultery.

Was the wanton destruction of human life, the senseless, unjustified, insane brutal attack, a scheme of the killer that points out at the “sin of adultery” for two young people who were once together, had since moved on and who re-united briefly when they met again at Pacific Union College - Angwin? Only to be fiercely attacked by a madman who saw himself as Lord High Executioner and the hand of his own misplaced mad version of “divine retribution”?

Did the killer stalk them and knew of this information?

 

Sunday April 20, 2025

SDS