Alleged Zodiac Killer Gary Poste Revealed to Be the Leader of Group of Men He Trained to Be "Killing Machines"

Gary Poste, the man alleged to be the Zodiac Killer, reportedly recruited a group of troubled young men and ordered one to shoot an enemy dead.

Poste was claimed to have let alleged apprentice Chris Avery watch as he ordered another unidentified boy to shoot an enemy dead after luring the unidentified man to a remote lake near his home in California, according to a Daily Mail report.

Avery said that Poste just did not have a conscience, adding that Poste could kill indiscriminately.

Poste was the man believed to be the notorious Bay Area killer by a group of 40 private investigators.

Avery revealed to the group of independent sleuths, Case Breakers, that he had served under the alleged serial murdered after he had migrated from San Francisco to Groveland in 1970.

Avery said that Poste had to continue to kill, even if it was small animals, just to make himself feel better.

Avery said that Poste oversaw a group of 10 men whom he trained as assassins over the course of several decades. The alleged Zodiac Killer died in 2018.

Avery noted that he fled Groveland in 2010 after coming across Zodiac sketches, seeing a likeness to Poste.

Group of Troubled Young Men

The Case Breakers team is led by Thomas J. Colbert. The group also consists of former cops, forensic analysts, academics, and retired military, according to the New York Post report.

Colbert said that Poste had fronted as a mild-mannered house painter and was well-liked by the locals.

Meanwhile, the alleged killer has also started recruiting young men in their late teens and early 20s as his own personal gang, and had trained him as "killing machines."

Colbert said that some 10 men were part of what locals labeled as "The Posse." He noted that the young men stayed loyal to Poste for decades until he died.

The Case Breakers head noted that Poste would take the young men deep into the mountains, where they learned to "hike and kill."

Colbert described Poste as a type of "Fagin," which is the child-gang leader from Oliver Twist. He said that there was no indication that Poste had a sexual interest or sexual relationship with the young men.

Gary Poste as The Zodiac Killer

The Case Breakers linked Poste to the killings after they uncovered new forensic evidence and photos from Poste's darkroom. One image shows scars on the forehead of Poste that match scars on a sketch of the Zodiac, according to a Fox News report.

The team also believed Poste also killed Cheri Jo Bastes on Oct. 31, 1996, in Riverside, California. Bates was found dead in an alleyway on the Riverside City College campus after her father reported her missing to police.

Poste was an Air Force veteran when he received medical check-ups for a gun incident at a hospital located 15 minutes away from the Bates murder scene.

The group of internet sleuths noted that Poste painted homes for more than four decades. They added that detectives found a heel print from a military-style boot, which matched the same style and size that were found in other Zodiac crime scenes and of Poste.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Cold case team says it has identified Zodiac Killer - from FOX 9 KMSP