Dave Toschi, The San Francisco Detective Who Hunted The Zodiac Killer
Wikimedia CommonsDavid Toschi spent nearly a decade pursuing the Zodiac Killer while working in the homicide division of the San Francisco Police Department.In the late 1960s, a killer began terrorizing Northern California. He targeted young couples and taunted police with cryptic letters. He called himself the Zodiac. And Detective Dave Toschi spent years trying to track him down. A sharply dressed homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department, Toschi was known for both his flashy suits and his commitment to the Zodiac investigation. He spent years chasing the elusive Zodiac Killer after the 1969 murder of a San Francisco taxi driver, but was ultimately taken off the case following a terrible lapse in judgement. In the end, the Zodiac Killer was never caught. And Toschi was haunted by both the case, and his errors during it, for the rest of his life. David Toschi Before The Zodiac KillerDavid Ramon Toschi was born on July 11, 1931, in San Francisco, California. His father, Sam Toschi, worked as a school janitor, while his mother, Millie Toschi, was employed at a candy factory. After his parents separated, Toschi was largely raised by his mother and his stepfather.He graduated from Galileo High School in 1951, after which he enlisted in the United States Army. During the Korean War, Toschi served in the 24th Infantry Division and helped defend the Pusan Perimeter. He was honorably discharged in 1952 and returned home to San Francisco, where he then joined the San Francisco Police Department.Toschi worked for the department for more than three decades, ultimately working his way into the homicide division. But while most detectives preferred to blend in, Toschi stood out. He wore bow ties, vibrant sports coats, colorful shirts, and a distinctive shoulder holster.KRON 4/YouTubeDetective David Toschi inspired Hollywood legends like Bullitt and Dirty Harry.Then, in the 1960s, Dave Toschi was drawn into the most notorious case of his day: the search for the Zodiac Killer.The Hunt For The Zodiac KillerBetween 1968 and 1969, the Zodiac Killer murdered at least five people in northern California, mostly young couples. He also sent cryptic, taunting letters to the police, yet managed to evade capture. San Francisco Police DepartmentA depiction of the Zodiac killer, based on the testimony of a surviving victim. And in October 1969, after the murder of cab driver Paul Stine the Zodiacs final known victim and the only person to be killed in San Francisco the case landed on Detective Dave Toschis desk. Working alongside Inspector Bill Armstrong, Toschi became the chief investigator on the case. For years, the two detectives sifted through evidence, interviewed witnesses, and attempted to decipher the killers cryptic messages. According to Toschis obituary in The New York Times, he once estimated that hed spoken to 5,000 people during the investigation.Indeed, Toschi followed countless leads but one suspect stood out above all others. Of all the Zodiac Killer suspects, Toschi believed that a man named Arthur Leigh Allen was the most likely candidate. Toschi had a feeling about Allen the moment he met him, and Allen had reportedly told a friend he was writing a novel about a killer called Zodiac who murdered couples. Public DomainThe drivers license of Arthur Leigh Allen, one of the top Zodiac Killer suspects. However, investigators were never able to prove Allen was responsible. Fingerprints and handwriting analysis failed to conclusively tie him to the murders, and the Zodiac Killer remained free.Then, in 1978, Dave Toschi was forced to resign from the case.How Scandal Ended Dave Toschis Hunt For The Zodiac KillerDuring his search for the Zodiac Killer, Dave Toschi drew widespread attention. He was the inspiration for Steve McQueens character in the 1968 film Bullitt, and also helped inspire the character Harry Callahan in the 1971 film Dirty Harry. But in 1978, he drew attention for a different reason. Solar Productions/Warner BrothersSteve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt, in which his character was inspired by Dave Toschi.That year, Toschis involvement in the Zodiac Killer case came to an abrupt and unexpected end. It turned out that Toschi had been sending letters to the San Francisco Chronicle under a fake name, in which he praised his own performance in the Zodiac investigation. Toschi later called his letters a foolish thing to do, and an ill-advised indulgence. But the damage had been done. Toschi was removed from the Zodiac investigation and reassigned to the robbery detail. While he remained with the police force until his retirement in 1985, the scandal effectively ended his chances of rising further within the San Francisco Police Department. Whats more, it also raised the question of whether Toschi had written at least one of the Zodiac Killer letters himself. The detective vehemently denied it, and no evidence has been uncovered to definitively link him to the Zodiac letters. But though hed been removed from the case, Dave Toschi never fully walked away from the mystery of the Zodiac Killer.The Unsolved Case That Haunted Dave ToschiAfter retiring from the San Francisco Police Department, Dave Toschi worked in private security. But he never forgot the Zodiac Killer case, and spent many hours discussing it with Robert Graysmith, a former political cartoonist with the San Francisco Chronicle who wrote two books on the Zodiac Killer.Instead, the mystery lingered, unresolved and deeply personal. In the 2007 film Zodiac, directed by David Fincher, actor Mark Ruffalo plays Toschi, capturing the detectives determination as he works to track down the Zodiac Killer. Ruffalo portrays Toschi as both confident and increasingly frustrated, showing how the case slowly wears on him over the years.Indeed, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Toschis friends said that the case weighed so heavily on him that he developed a stomach ulcer from the stress. Toschi had spent years chasing leads, interviewing thousands of suspects, and working decode the killers cryptic messages.Paramount PicturesMark Ruffalo portrays homicide detective David Toschi in David Finchers 2007 film Zodiac.Tosci believed he knew who the Zodiac was. But without enough evidence, the case slipped through his grasp. And he never stopped thinking about it.Every year on the anniversary of Paul Stines murder, Toschi returned to the quiet Presidio Heights street in San Francisco where the crime took place back in 1969. Sitting in his car, sometimes for hours, he would replay the case in his mind, wondering what he had missed.Why didnt we get this guy? he once asked. It still haunts me. It always will.Dave Toschi died on Jan. 6, 2018, at the age of 86. The Zodiac Killer, however, was never identified, and the case that defined his life remains unsolved.After reading about Dave Toschi, the detective that chased the Zodiac Killer until scandal unraveled his career, discover the stories of some of Californias most terrifying serial killers. Or, learn about Gary Francis Poste, one of the Zodiac Killer suspects. The post Dave Toschi, The San Francisco Detective Who Hunted The Zodiac Killer appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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