The connection between the impostor Joseph Chandler's arrival in Ohio around 1978 and the possible beginning of a series of violent murders of couples shortly thereafter in 1979 is hard for me to ignore. In spite of the authorities in Ohio not wanting to see a connection, in spite of apparent differences in the way the couples were killed.
I keep returning to the strange stare of the older man in that photograph from the Doe network's page on him. Wondering just bloody his secrets really were. What memories of screams and dreams of blood he took to his suicide's grave.
(The original version of this article can be found in a different form at my true crime blog, The Dark Side of Planet Huff.)
Article comments
1 - Donald E. Schultz
The story of Todd Schultz and Annette
Cooper (she was never addopted by Dale) is way out of line. They were both shot and didn't come from a drive in to the corn field.To blame it on some one other than Dale N.Johnston who was found guilty in a court of law with three judges is ridiculus. Take it from me the young man's father. It wasn't the Zodiac that killed Todd. It was Dale N. Johnston
2 - lorie
I know who the man was who claimed to be Joseph Chandler III, I met the man several times during my life and he is related to my ex-husband. Both he and my ex have lived lives of crime dating back to when they were teens. "Chandler" said that he had dated the Black Deliah" and had been the one who cut her body in half...she'd jilted him because he was younger than her. He is the man in the photos of her...she was Elizabeth Short. Contact me back if you want more info. Thanks.
3 - Steve Huff
I am interested, Lorie. Please go to planethuff.com/darkside and write me via the contact form, and I will e-mail you back.
4 - David Schultz
This Chandler thing is funny. Todd Schultz and Annette Cooper were murdered by Dale N. Johnston.
A three judge panel in a court of law convicted and sentenced Mr. Johnston for this crime, Unanimously. He was later released from prison on a technicality, never declared innocent, but was in fact granted a new trial. The only reason he is loose today is because of lack of funding for the re-trial. The Chandler thing is still funny to me. It would make a great class-b thriller chiller drive in movie for teens.Can anyone explain to me the significance of the geographical "triangle" (Toledo, Akron & Logan)?
As a work of fiction this is interesting. If you want really scary stuff I would invite you to get my perspective on those murders. Todd was my first cousin & only 4 years younger than me when
he was murdered. Do you want to know the horror a family goes through when something of this magnitude strikes at your soul? We're not talking fiction and fantasy anymore now. The loss is real. It doesn't regenerate with a screen refresh or attaining the next level. Would you like to share the real faces of death with me? The real faces of death were the ones I saw when the news was broken to Todds' parents. I was there when the news was broken to them. That was the moment I consciously recognized what death really looks like. It's not pink wax and flowers at the funeral home.It'a deafening silence colder than you could ever imagine. It is the sharpest reality to the point of madness.It hurts when someone outside and not affected likes to twist it for pleasure or worse yet, profit by my familys' loss. I respect the freedom of speech. I will defend your right to it with my own life, even if I disagree with what you're saying. I wanted all who run across this to know that there are people living with the knowledge that horror is very real and live those lives changed forever.
5 - Mike
When I was 6 years old I saw The Zodiac Killer right after he killed a cab driver. I didn't know who he was at the time. When I saw the pic of Joe Chandler I realized that he is the man I saw in October 1969. No doubt about it.
6 - Debbie Fleming
I been reading on the internet that this "Joseph Chandler" could possibility be "John Victor Dial" he has been missing since 1966 John Victor Dial is my uncle so at this point not sure what to think there has not been no reported earnings on him since 1968 also had a private investigator do some searching he has no background is like he does not exist no paper trail.
I want to mention my uncle was a civil engineer which consisted of mechanical,
electrical, plumbing, jack of all trades
he was in the military and orginally from
Texas he married a cuban woman from Panama.