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Corey Starliper claims to have solved the 340-character Zodiac Killer cipher by applying a Caesar code to an alphabetic interpretation of the symbols in the cipher text. Here is his solution:

	KILL/SLF/DR/HELP/ME/KILL/MYSELF/GAS/CHAMBER/AEIOUR/DAY
	S/QUESTIONSABLE/EVERYY/WAKING/MOMENT/IM/ALIVE/MY/PR
	IDE/LOST/I/CANT/GO/ON/LIVING/IN/THIS/WAY/KILLING/PEOPLE/I/
	HAV/KILLD/SO/MANY/PEOPLE/CANT/HELP/MYSELF/IM/SO/AN
	GRY/I/COULD/DO/MY/THING/IM/ALONE/IN/THIS/WORLD/MY/W
	HOLE/LIFE/FUL/O/LIES/IM/UNABLE/TO/STOP/BY/THE/TIME/YOU
	/SOLVE/THIS/I/WILL/HAV/KILLD/ELEVEN/PEOPLE/PLEASE/HELP/
	ME/STOP/KILLING/PEOPLE/PLEASE/MY/NAME/IS/LEIGH/ALLEN
	

His solution is a hoax. The plaintext message above was created not by detecting patterns in Caesar shift values, but by inserting arbitrary words into the solution by using arbitrary Caesar shift values. The analysis below shows the assignments of Caesar shift values to each line of cipher text. Here are the meanings behind each section:

Encryption schemes that use Caesar shifting use a fixed or repeating set of shift values. For example, ROT-13 ciphers perform a Caesar shift of 13 steps on every character in the plain text. Vigenére ciphers, on the other hand, use a sequence of Caesar shift values that are consistently repeated throughout the entire cipher text. But in the results below, pay careful attention to the sequences of Caesar shift values that correspond to Corey's solution. There is no pattern to them. That means you can simply replace Corey's solution with ANY plain text you wish, and generate another sequence of meaningless Caesar shift values. Additionally, Corey claims that the Caesar shift sequence "346" has a special significance at the very beginning of the decoded cipher text. But as you can see below, there is no such repeated sequence.

Confronted wth the lack of a proper system of Caesar shifts, Corey claims that he used other methods in addition to Caesar shifts. He admits that he adjusted his decryption method as he got stuck trying to fit words using Caesar shifts. But he claims that each word selection was based on some other methods that he has yet to disclose in a "30-page paper" describing his methodology. It is likely to contain long descriptions of very tenuous links between the words he selected for his solution, and various aspects of the Zodiac Killer case. He may also attempt to use pseudomathematics such as numerology to connect his word choices with the Caesar shift values. Using these techniques, one can easily demonstrate the selection of a great number of possible guesses for the solution, none of which would have any special merit or significance over any other. I will demonstrate this when his "30-page paper" is made available.

To summarize: Corey's system allows him great freedom to guess words that fit his preconceived notions of the Zodiac case. His guesses are no better than any one else's guesses, and his solution has no significance.

012345678910111213141516
Ciphertext, line 1:                  
Corey's interpretation:HERVPLAVPKIOLTGOD
Corey's solution:KILLSLFDRHELPMEKI
Corey's Caesar shifts:34634634634347445
Actual Caesar shifts:346103058234347245
Comparison:
 
Ciphertext, line 2:                  
Corey's interpretation:NPTBOODWYVKFO
Corey's solution:LLMYSELFGASCHAMBE
Corey's Caesar shifts:24734-?-346-14-2410
Actual Caesar shifts:24734 3 346 12 2410
Comparison:-?---
 
Ciphertext, line 3:                  
Corey's interpretation:BYICMTUZGWOOLZHJ
Corey's solution:RAEIOURDAYSQUESTI
Corey's Caesar shifts:10266213462?29--?1
Actual Caesar shifts:10246213462429 7121
Comparison:?--?
 
Ciphertext, line 4:                  
Corey's interpretation:SPPAALAVOPOTTRKO
Corey's solution:ONSABLEEVERYYWAKI
Corey's Caesar shifts:?230104-01029?77-6
Actual Caesar shifts:4230104 01021053906
Comparison:?-?-
 
Ciphertext, line 5:                  
Corey's interpretation:AMTZTJDIOFPTPOKI
Corey's solution:NGMOMENTIMALIVEMY
Corey's Caesar shifts:-6-7215410-2446610210
Actual Caesar shifts: 6051311410025411610210
Comparison:---
 
Ciphertext, line 6:                  
Corey's interpretation:PARAFLODCKFVODO
Corey's solution:PRIDELOSTICANTGOO
Corey's Caesar shifts:-994?--ST5-1082811-
Actual Caesar shifts:0993100  5010828110
Comparison:-?--ST--
 
Ciphertext, line 7:                  
Corey's interpretation:OTKQIOUCXGVZLI
Corey's solution:NLIVINGITHWAYKILL
Corey's Caesar shifts:N311118N26151?3-6-3
Actual Caesar shifts: 311118 2615163 903
Comparison:NN?--
 
Ciphertext, line 8:                  
Corey's interpretation:OGOJFJOTNYZTLA
Corey's solution:INGPEOPLEIVEKILLE
Corey's Caesar shifts:6??616P?15-62??-??
Actual Caesar shifts:678615 311 861111 04
Comparison:??P?-??-??
 
Ciphertext, line 9:                  
Corey's interpretation:DVMTBTZROFBCYAOOK
Corey's solution:DSOMANYPEOPLECANT
Corey's Caesar shifts:-3216612109129621419
Actual Caesar shifts:03271612109129621219
Comparison:-
 
Ciphertext, line 10:                  
Corey's interpretation:ZLUVTAJTOPAVFBY
Corey's solution:HELPMYSELFIMSOANG
Corey's Caesar shifts:115L59585897123912G
Actual Caesar shifts: 50595858971239111 
Comparison:1G
 
Ciphertext, line 11:                  
Corey's interpretation:UTRIOTEIDYBPBTMKO
Corey's solution:RYICOULDDOMYTHING
Corey's Caesar shifts:3596-175-10?9312458
Actual Caesar shifts:35960175010119812438
Comparison:--?
 
Ciphertext, line 12:                  
Corey's interpretation:OVCLRJIOTOMTPBF
Corey's solution:IMALONEINTHISWORL
Corey's Caesar shifts:692L345??674531?6
Actual Caesar shifts:6920344 1074 31106
Comparison:??5?
 
Ciphertext, line 13:                  
Corey's interpretation:ZOASYTNIOFBCOIAR
Corey's solution:DMYWHOLELIFEFULLO
Corey's Caesar shifts:11?24908936-3363113
Actual Caesar shifts:42249 893603363113
Comparison:?0-
 
Ciphertext, line 14:                  
Corey's interpretation:LGFNAFOOOBCVOTTT
Corey's solution:LIESIMUNABLETOSTO
Corey's Caesar shifts:L215?M?114-L22-1-5
Actual Caesar shifts:02158761120 220105
Comparison:??-L--
 
Ciphertext, line 15:                  
Corey's interpretation:YBXOIOACEVVUZOT
Corey's solution:PBYTHETIMEYOUSOLV
Corey's Caesar shifts:?-15H?5710-37-7-L2
Actual Caesar shifts:9015 45810037070 2
Comparison:?-H?---L
 
Ciphertext, line 16:                  
Corey's interpretation:ICOZBKOOPAFMQGO
Corey's solution:ETHISIWILLHAVEKIL
Corey's Caesar shifts:49?6171263417A168623
Actual Caesar shifts:49 677126347 108623
Comparison:?A
 
Ciphertext, line 17:                  
Corey's interpretation:RCTTLOOCVTFLWBIOL
Corey's solution:LEDELEVENPEOPLEPL
Corey's Caesar shifts:621615-1072341371041-
Actual Caesar shifts:621011010728413710410
Comparison:--
 
Ciphertext, line 18:                  
Corey's interpretation:TTOWCZWCPOSHTIOOP
Corey's solution:EASEHELPMESTOPKIL
Corey's Caesar shifts:1174851011133?-125P464
Actual Caesar shifts:1174855111331001257464
Comparison:?-
 
Ciphertext, line 19:                  
Corey's interpretation:IFKDWVATBYOBCC
Corey's solution:LINGPEOPLEPLEASEM
Corey's Caesar shifts:3633797410?9310AS210
Actual Caesar shifts:33337912410 933  210
Comparison:?AS
 
Ciphertext, line 20:                  
Corey's interpretation:VMDHNPKSZZOAAIKIT
Corey's solution:YNAMEISLEIGHALLEN
Corey's Caesar shifts:3135?68??987A3137
Actual Caesar shifts:31359787598703146
Comparison:???