Heriberto 'Eddie' Seda

Eddie Seda

Twenty-two-year-old Heriberto Eddie Seda lived with his mother and half sister in East New York. He was clean-cut, handsome and kept his room spotless. He didnt work, had no friends and he had dropped out of high school at sixteen after being suspended for carrying a weapon.

Seda took no public assistance the way his mother did. He obtained money by shoving plastic bags up the return slots of pay phones and vending machines. After a few days, he would return and remove the bag and the lodged change.

Seda didnt date girls. He was deeply religious and devoted his life to God. He attended church regularly, which made his mother proud.

Seda and his school-age sister Gladys Chachi Reyes didnt get along. Reyes had a personality in direct opposition to her brothers. She was outgoing, personable and had many friends in the neighborhood. When she was a small child, Seda doted on her. However, as she grew, her brother physically and mentally abused her. She went to school with bruises and teachers sent social workers to check on her.

Around 1989, the abuse stopped. The two still didnt get along, but Seda no longer beat her regularly. He stayed in his room most of the time and pursued his hobbies.

Seda loved to read, particularly about guns and violence. He liked magazines like Soldier of Fortune and books on serial killers. He idolized Ted Bundy, who in addition to being a rapist and murderer was also a clean-cut man and a good citizen who did volunteer work.

 But, the killer Seda most admired was the Bay Areas Zodiac. He was a mystery because hed never been caught. He was smarter than the cops. Movies like Dirty Harry had been made about him. He was a servant of God and his sinner victims would serve him in the afterlife.

One of the many books on that subject which sat on Eddie Sedas shelf was a well-worn copy of Robert Graysmiths Zodiac. Considered by many to be the definitive book on the original Zodiac case, it provided the blueprint for Sedas carefully constructed identity. He was the new Zodiac.

Since the press coverage began after the Proce killing, Seda had lovingly compiled a scrapbook of the New York Zodiac Case. He proudly kept that scrapbook next to ones he had earlier compiled on Ted Bundy, The Zodiac and other famous serial killers.

He had a small arsenal of homemade weapons and explosives. He ordered ammunition from catalogs, but he crafted a collection of zip guns himself. He knew that with the zip guns, he could change barrels and thus avoid a ballistics match.

He would not be caught. Not only because he was smart, but because he believed the magic was on his side. Yet, he feared the magic was wearing off. The police had his fingerprints. If he were arrested for anything at all, the police would know he was the Zodiac. Seda was scared, but he had a course of action.

He would stop killing.

The San Francisco Zodiac stopped. Seda decided he would stop as well. That way, they would never catch him.

When the Operation Watchdog mobilized for an August Zodiac attack, nothing happened. Soon, the Zodiac task force was reduced from 50 cops to 18. In a few months, people calmed down and the city stopped worrying about the Zodiac.

Since Proce had died and there is no statue of limitations on murder, Ciravolo and other detectives pursued the Zodiac when they had time, but the case was no longer a top priority.