Killer In The Code – Chapter 6: A Mind For Murder

Host: Michael Connelly
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the life and identity of Marvin Margolis, aka Marvin Merrill, the man whom Alex Baber and a team of experts believe was responsible for both the Black Dahlia and Zodiac killings. Connelly and his guests examine Margolis’s troubled and elusive life, chart his movement across the country, and explore the psychological traits and patterns linking the two infamous murder cases. The narrative weaves together law enforcement records, family accounts, and Baber's investigative breakthroughs—including the breaking of a long-uncrackable Zodiac cipher—to build the case that Margolis was the killer the authorities could never quite catch.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Profile Parallels: Black Dahlia and Zodiac (01:32–03:02)

• The episode opens by noting the striking similarities in the psychological profiles of the Black Dahlia and Zodiac killers.
  • Quote: “A mania for publicity. That detective certainly got that right.” —Michael Connelly (02:47)
• Despite the apparent differences, Connelly and his collaborators argue both crimes were driven by the perpetrator’s need to gloat and engage the media, suggesting a singular mind at work.

2. Baber’s Investigation and Cryptology Breakthrough (03:21–04:13)

• Alex Baber, self-taught cryptologist, is credited with breaking the Zodiac’s Z13 code, believed to reveal the killer’s identity.
• The decoded name: Marvin Merrill (an alias of Marvin Margolis), suspected much earlier in the Black Dahlia case.
• Baber’s solution has been independently validated by leading cryptanalysts.

3. Tracking Margolis: Life of Evasion and Reinvention (04:19–07:00)

• Margolis/Merrill constantly changed names and locations, making tracking him difficult for law enforcement.

• Notable Moment: Margolis’s family nickname, “Skippy,” refers to his habit of disappearing for long periods.

• He switched jobs frequently: artist, mechanic, engineer, salesman, computer programmer.

• Quote: “Many things, but he wasn't good at any of them.” —Family member/expert commentator (05:11)

• Expert Insight:

  • Rick Jackson, Homicide Detective: “When you couple [moving around] with constantly changing names, then it brings it to a higher level of concern about why that's being done.” (05:31)

4. Family Background and Early Identity Shifting (06:10–08:33)

• Margolis’s father changed their family name, introducing young Marvin to the concept of fluid identity.

• Enrolled at the University of Illinois, dropped out, joined the Navy as a corpsman during WWII, served at Okinawa.

• Returned home diagnosed (now would be PTSD) and treated for mental illness for the rest of his life.

• Family Account:

  • Family relied on a brother in Chicago to track Margolis based on where his prescriptions were filled.
  • “You have a family ... You need to get back to where you belong.” (08:04)

• Detective Mitzi Roberts:

  • “He came back from that war just a damaged man for sure. Mentally just damaged.” (08:41)

5. Black Dahlia Case and Academic Life (09:27–13:28)

• Margolis attended USC postwar, was reportedly involved in cadaver dissection around the time of Elizabeth Short’s murder.

• He used an alias even in academic settings: Marvin Henry Margolis vs. true middle name Skipton.

• Early police suspicion: interviewed twice, gave a shaky alibi confirmed by his wife.

• The police could neither rule him out nor tie him definitively.

• Grand jury attempts to find him were unsuccessful—Margolis had already fled LA.

  • Quote from Finis Brown, Lead Detective:
    • "[It] was impossible to throw him out as a suspect. It was impossible to tie him in." (12:02)

6. Repeated Pattern: Fraud, New Cities, and Name Changes (13:16–15:00)

• Margolis appears in Chicago as a crooked used car salesman; avoids jail via fines, then vanishes.
• Emerges as Marvin Merrill, insurance salesman, in Atlanta, starts a youth auto club and seeks publicity.
• Keeps moving—Ohio, Arizona, Kansas—each time adopting a new persona (artist, art dealer).
• Margolis/Merrill blends truth and fiction in self-presentation, claiming to have studied under Salvador Dali (no evidence), and falsely claiming to have been a Flying Tiger (war pilot).

7. Media Manipulation and Crime Parallels (15:00–16:38)

• Merrill’s newspaper embellishments appear to drop coded hints, making sly allusions to Elizabeth Short’s fate and her fiancé’s service in the Flying Tigers—a possible sign of jealousy or another psychological taunt.

  • Analysis by Expert Commentator:
    • The lie about the Flying Tigers is a “unique and obvious connection ... that he's making to Elizabeth and himself. In my opinion, that's a dirty deed. ... That's obsession.” (17:16)

• Possible artistic inspirations for the crimes: Margolis referenced Dali, whose work sometimes mirrored the violent themes of the Dahlia murder.

8. The Ray Davis Murder and Zodiac Evolution (19:01–21:45)

• Margolis resurfaces in Oceanside, CA, around the mysterious 1962 murder of taxi driver Raymond Davis.
• The murder bore Zodiac-like hallmarks: advance media taunt, public threat of more killings, obsession with attention.
• The abandoned taxi was just 800 feet from Margolis/Merrill’s residence.
• Later Zodiac murder of Paul Stein in San Francisco is compared—possibly linked by method and psychology.
• Rick Jackson:
  • “It could be part of the game, wondering, okay, are they gonna be able to put this all together, that it's me, the Zodiac, working before I became the Zodiac ...” (21:03)

9. Lines of Evidence: Margolis at the Scene (22:04–22:29)

• Baber’s investigation places Margolis/Merrill in proximity to several murder sites (Black Dahlia, Ray Davis, Sherry Jo Bates, Zodiac victims).
• In each, the killer craved publicity and left taunting messages.
  • Quote: “He's either the most unluckiest guy on the planet or he's the killer.” —Expert commentator (22:29)

10. Later Life: Failed Ventures, Family Strife, and Fading Into Obscurity (23:34–26:36)

• Temporary business success with hotel project, fizzles amid lawsuits and financial struggles.
• Family describes Margolis as moody, abusive; frequent financial insecurity.
• Maintained multiple residences, at least one linked to Intel (docs support, but unverifiable).
• In and out of jail/probation for fraud; Zodiac’s communication “goes dark” for the exact duration of his probation.
• After second marriage ends, fades from family, moves north in California, lives hand-to-mouth, using various aliases.

11. Final Years and Creepy Legacy (26:08–27:34)

• In 1992, facing terminal cancer, Margolis (as “Marty Merrill”) rents an art studio in Santa Barbara.
• There, creates a sketch titled “Elizabeth” featuring a nude woman tagged with the word “Zodiac” hidden in the shading—a deliberate “calling card.”
• Quote: “I think it's his calling card so that someday someone would come along and discover it and put the pieces together. ... He wanted the world to know that he hadn't forgotten Elizabeth.” —Expert commentator (26:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Profiling the Killer:
  • “A mania for publicity. That detective certainly got that right.” (02:47, Michael Connelly)
• Law Enforcement Insight:
  • “When you couple that with constantly changing names, then it brings it to a higher level of concern...” (05:31, Rick Jackson)
• Psychological Analysis:
  • “He's either the most unluckiest guy on the planet or he's the killer.” (22:29, Expert commentator)
• Coded Legacy:
  • “I think it's his calling card so that someday someone would come along and discover it...” (26:42, Expert commentator on Margolis's final sketch)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Killer’s Profile Discussion: 01:32–03:02
• Baber’s Breakthrough and Confirmation: 03:21–04:13
• Details of Margolis’s Many Identities: 04:19–07:00
• PTSD and Family Background: 07:00–08:41
• Academic and Black Dahlia Connections: 09:27–13:28
• Chicago Fraud & Repeated Reinvention: 13:16–15:00
• Media/Crime Parallels: 15:00–16:38
• Ray Davis & Zodiac Link: 19:01–21:45
• Evidence of Presence at Crime Scenes: 22:04–22:29
• Later Life and Sketch “Elizabeth”: 26:08–27:34

Conclusion

Chapter 6 paints a portrait of Marvin Margolis as a chameleon, defined by a zigzagging path through life and a compulsion for reinvention. The evidence presented builds a compelling argument that he was the elusive mind behind both the Black Dahlia and Zodiac killings, forever taunting investigators and the public with a puzzle only partially assembled—until Alex Baber’s work connected the final pieces. His legacy is a chilling mixture of egomania, violence, and coded messages, promising both notoriety and the final curtain on two of America’s most infamous unsolved crimes.