Key Takeaways
- Alex Baber, a self-taught codebreaker, says he solved the Zodiac Z13 cipher and that the plaintext reads a 13-letter name: \”Marvin Merrill\” (an alias tied to Marvin Margolis) — reported by the Los Angeles Times (Dec 23, 2025).
- Baber reports using AI to generate and filter roughly 71 million 13-letter name candidates; some retired detectives have publicly said the circumstantial links merit investigation, but no major law-enforcement agency has validated the claim.
- Open and critical questions remain: short ciphers like Z13 are prone to ambiguous solutions; independent cryptographers have not produced a public, reproducible verification; and non-cipher corroboration tying Marvin Margolis to Zodiac or the Black Dahlia has not been publicly confirmed.
A Cold Case, an Online Video, and a Long Silence
Shadows stretch across decades of unanswered questions. The Zodiac Killer struck in the late 1960s, claiming lives and mailing cryptic messages that haunted Northern California. Confirmed murders from 1968 to 1969 left five victims, with more suspected. Then there’s the Black Dahlia—Elizabeth Short, found mutilated in 1947, her case a magnet for endless theories.
Enter the digital age. Armchair investigators pore over scans of old letters, trading leads in forums. That’s the world where Alex Baber’s claim surfaced. A YouTube video on Grant Warrington’s channel, titled \”Florida Man Solves Zodiac Killer Cold Case After 56 Years!\”, thrust it into view. Victims’ families wait, theories clash, and the silence from official channels grows heavier.
What Witnesses and Analysts Report
Alex Baber steps forward with a bold assertion. He claims the Z13 cipher reveals \”Marvin Merrill,\” an alias he connects to Marvin Margolis, as detailed in the LA Times. His method? AI crunching through about 71 million 13-letter name possibilities, narrowed by cryptanalytic steps, covered in the SF Chronicle.
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Baber shared his work with retired detectives and experts, including an NSA mathematician. Some former LAPD officers say the ties look worth probing. This fits a pattern—groups like The Case Breakers pushed Gary Francis Poste as Zodiac in 2021, stirring debate without closure.
Online, reactions vary. Reddit threads and forums buzz with curiosity, but skepticism runs deep. Short ciphers invite multiple readings, and past claims have fizzled. Investigators in these communities weigh in thoughtfully, respecting the effort while questioning the fit.
Timelines, Tracks, and Hard Data
Let’s map the facts. Dates and sources anchor this story, cutting through the noise. Here’s a breakdown:
What exactly did Alex Baber claim to have solved? How did Baber arrive at his solution? What has been the official response to this claim? Why is there skepticism around the Z13 solution? Has anything like this happened before with Zodiac ciphers?
