After five murders and a decent amount of fieldwork I feel comfortable that I have a profile of the Tarot Killer. Not only that, but I have a suspect. An overwhelming number of all known serial killers are white and male and the sheer violence of these deaths make it overwhelmingly likely that the suspect is between the ages of 18-35. The wandering and apparently random nature of the crimes indicates to me that the unknown subject (UnSub) is either independently wealthy or more likely, unemployed or itinerant.

Additionally, the theatrical nature of the crimes (large amounts of blood in plain sight, the Tarot card clues, increasingly public sites of the killings) all lead me to believe that the killer is an extrovert in his everyday life, perhaps a performer of some kind or a politician. The latter of these is rather unlikely, largely due to their frequent interactions with others. The dementia required for serial killers would likely show its face. Then again, how do I explain Dick Cheney....

As for the bird remains found at the scene, using animals in ritual slaughters is a hallmark of cult activity and as you'll see in this issue, I am have confirmed that there is a cult associated with at least one of these murders. Clearly the perpetrator is intelligent and careful, as there have been no sightings of the killer and killers involved in ritualistic animal slaughter often anoint themselves with the blood of the animal and/or human victim. I daresay I might have heard of a young man running though one of these cities covered in blood and feathers.

Not only that, but apart from blood, there are no human remains found at the scene at all. What is he doing with the bodies? Who is he killing? The lack of missing persons associated with these crimes leads me to believe the hapless victims are likely homeless or transients. But what is he doing with their bodies? I shudder to imagine. While in some cult rituals, the blood is the important element but in that case, the body would likely be at the scene. Then again, what if the victims are killed elsewhere and only the blood and birds are transported to what we've been treating as murder scenes?

This doesn't seem to be the m.o. of a Dahmer-like cannibal, nor do I think this is a simple "bump and dump" killing. No, the cult we're looking at has been involved in some pretty advanced science throughout history, so my bet is, they've got labs somewhere and are performing experiments on these nearly bloodless bodies. Gak! That adds a whole new level of evil to this (these?) bastards. Seriously, the term "sick fuck" doesn't even begin to cover what's starting to emerge, here.

Combining all of these elements leads me to feel comfortable about announcing my lead suspect's name. His name is Kevin Cosby and until last summer, he was a resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I am by no means certain of his guilt of course, but much of the evidence collected in Chapel Hill following the most recent murder points to this troubled young man. The thing is, I am also almost certain that he's not acting a lone and if the Chorazos cult is as widespread as it seems, we may have as many as five (or more!) killers on our hands. That said, due to the relative consistency of the crimes, I am still backing a single killer theory.

There is a hitch, however. I can't seem to locate the suspect, so I can't question him to either confirm my suspicions or rule him out. If any of you, my loyal readers can be of assistance, I would be eternally grateful. I am, as ever, convinced that there is deepest, darkest evil at work in the land and with the help of you, my faithful and vigilant readers, Eddie Pope will bring light to the darkness!