Killer In The Code artwork

True Crime · Michael Connelly

Killer In The Code

by Michael Connelly

Killer In The Code: Solving The Black Dahlia & Zodiac Cases, a new podcast from bestselling author Michael Connelly. Self-styled cold case consultant Alex Baber believes he has a set of life skills that allow him to find the hidden beneath the hidden. These skills took him down a two-year path to solving two of the most infamous murder cases in history, The Black Dahlia and Zodiac killer cases. With no badge and no law enforcement training, has Baber closed the cases that have baffled law enforcement for more than half a century? Some of the top minds in homicide and code-breaking work believe so and stand by his findings. Killer In The Code follows Baber on his investigative journey across the country as he uses cryptology, genealogy, AI, and finally long hours of basic gumshoe work to identify a suspect that has taunted and eluded authorities for decades. Along the way startling new evidence in both cases is discovered, all of it pointing unequivocally toward one man who lived in a dark world and may have intentionally left a “smoking gun” behind so that one day he would be discovered by someone who viewed the open cases as one puzzle missing just a few key pieces. Alex Baber found those pieces and solved the puzzle. Killer In The Code tells the story. Learn more on killerinthecode.com.

Latest episodes

Showing 13 · updated from the feed

Chapter 13: It Goes Where It Goes

The investigation leads to an examination of a murder in Los Angeles two years before Elizabeth Short was killed. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Sep 10
35 min

Chapter 12: Probable Cause

Two long experienced judges weigh in on the case against Marvin Margolis. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Aug 26
32 min

Chapter 11: From The Grave

Marvin Margolis’s military file is a gold mine of information, including his own description of the harrowing wartime experience that sent him down a dark path. Learn mor

Aug 26
41 min

Chapter 10: New Age Sherlock

Inspired in equal parts by Alan Turing and Arthur Conan Doyle, Alex Baber is a citizen sleuth who believes no case is unsolvable. A profile of this unconventional investi

Feb 19
23 min

Chapter 9: Last Man Standing

An update on the investigation and an interview with William J. Mann, author of Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood. Learn more on KillerI

Feb 12
29 min

Chapter 8: The Round Table Part 2

Part 2 of the discussion amongst the investigators answering questions from listeners. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com

Feb 5
34 min

Chapter 7: The Round Table Part 1

An update on the investigation. Part 1 of the discussion amongst the investigators answering questions from listeners. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Feb 5
31 min

Chapter 6: A Mind For Murder

Who was Marvin Merrill? A deep dive into the suspect’s life reveals possible connections to unsolved cases from every place he ever lived.  Learn more on KillerInTheCode.

Jan 29
26 min

Chapter 5: The Zodiac Motel

Alex Baber’s search for the ‘torture room’ where Elizabeth Short was murdered. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Jan 15
21 min

Chapter 4: Code Makers and Breakers

When Ed Giorgio’s cryptology team confirmed Alex Baber’s codebreaking, they uncovered a key piece of evidence themselves and a startling connection to Elizabeth Short. Le

Jan 8
37 min

Chapter 3: El Diablo

Alex Baber finds a clue in the last Zodiac cipher that unlocks a direct connection to the Black Dahlia. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Jan 6
42 min

Chapter 2: The Smoking Gun

Alex Baber’s gumshoe work leads to the discovery of undeniable physical evidence linking two of most infamous murder cases in history. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com.

Dec 23 2025
23 min

Chapter 1: The Hidden Beneath The Hidden

Cold case consultant Alex Baber cracks the Zodiac Killer’s most difficult cypher and it leads to a stunning revelation. Learn more on KillerInTheCode.com

Dec 22 2025
30 min

Chart trend

Position in the True Crime chart (US), last 90 days.

#16
all-time peak
44
days in the top 50 since Dec 2025

Chart positions

Where Killer In The Code ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 17, 2026).

#200 ▼ 3 True Crime US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I am a career prosecutor with over 30 years experience in LA County. I have worked with Rick Jackson on homicide cases; he is the real deal and scrupulously objective. When I first heard that they were connecting these 2 murder cases together, I was highly skeptical, but gave it a listen because of Rick and Mitzi. IMHO their case is beyond compelling. You should give it a listen and reach your own conclusions.

mrboii1 · Mar 2026

I love Michael Connelly’s books and stumbled across this podcast yesterday. I’m hooked! Very well written and the facts/ info is laid out clearly and concisely. It’s definitely a must listen!

Alry24 · Feb 2026

Five stars, because even when the storytelling gets jumpy and the “more on that later” teases show up too often, the substance keeps winning. This show does the rare thing. It brings in actual experts who do not just smack down internet myths. They replace them with clearer context, better evidence, and details you will not get from a late-night search spiral. You may not love every narrative choice, but you will love what happens to your certainty. It gets shaken and rebuilt on something sturdier. If you want expertise that can out-muscle your online “research,” this is the one.

BeechtreeManningcroft · Feb 2026

A fascinating deep dive and just the binge-able distraction from all that is terrible in the news of late.

BeedleJM · Feb 2026

When you get to the point that you are finding it significant that the Zodiac Killer killed two people on the same day that Elizabeth Short arrived in Vallejo from Florida, then you have found yourself knee deep in confirmation bias. There are many examples of this throughout the series but this is the first one that made me audibly groan, “Come on!” It is entertaining in points, but there are times when the conjecture stretches logic beyond its breaking point. Oh hey, there was a hotel called the zodiac near where some unproven tips came from. Does it have a bathtub? No. But it may have had one if it was remodeled. Does a registry exist? No. When you waste time of this sort of “material” you lose credibility in your original premise.

Crossworder Jen · Feb 2026

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