The Mysterious Journey of Heriberto Seda: Unraveling the Enigma of the New York Zodiac Killer

The third season, second episode of Netflix's docuseries Catching Killers delves into the story of Heriberto "Eddie" Seda, known as the New York Zodiac Killer. Seda was a calculated murderer who targeted his victims through surprise attacks using a homemade pistol during a series of violent incidents in the 1990s. Inspired by the original enigmatic Zodiac Killer, he adopted star signs and basic astronomy to carry out his crimes, leaving law enforcement puzzled and struggling to apprehend this astrology-driven killer.

Driven to frustration by Seda's taunting encrypted messages, detectives and police officers tirelessly worked to track him down. Eventually, through a stroke of luck and perhaps Seda's own arrogance, law enforcement authorities unintentionally captured the serial killer during an unrelated incident. Interestingly, it was one of the very detectives investigating the New York Zodiac Killer case who apprehended him. However, the series disappointingly does not delve into the aftermath of Seda's arrest and capture, leaving the audience in the dark regarding his current whereabouts.

Heriberto "Eddie" Seda Is Currently In Jail

Captured in June 1996, Heriberto Seda was found guilty of first-degree murder two years later. He remains in prison and has formed a romantic relationship with a trans woman named Synthia-China Blast while being incarcerated. Seda, who identifies as the Zodiac and occult killer, has accepted his life behind bars and now spends time reciting biblical passages to fellow inmates.

Arrested at 26 years old, Seda, who is now 55, is currently serving his sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. His daily routine includes folding origami animals, working as a porter, reading the Bible, and watching hunting programs. It is worth noting that despite the satanic and occult image portrayed by Catching Killers, Seda was raised Catholic and would frequently report suspected drug dealers in his neighborhood to the police. In an interview with Unforbidden Truth, he even mentioned, "I could apologize, but that alone cannot make up for anything. If you truly want to overcome this tragedy, read the Bible."

How The New York Zodiac Killer Was Caught & How Long His Prison Sentence Is

Heriberto gained notoriety through a string of seemingly unrelated gun violence incidents, but what set him apart was his use of cryptic and encoded messages. These messages were sent to the New York Post and left among his victims, challenging the police to decipher them. The authorities, determined to catch this enigmatic killer, formed a special task force known as the Zodiac task force. However, Seda's sporadic and unpredictable acts of violence proved to be more challenging to track down than initially anticipated. Adding to the difficulty was Seda's clean criminal record, which made it impossible to compare the partial fingerprint found at the crime scenes to any existing database. In 1994, law enforcement apprehended Seda for carrying one of his homemade guns, but he managed to escape criminal charges as the weapon was deemed non-functional. However, this fact was left out of the Netflix series coverage.

Eventually, Seda's luck ran out when he was arrested for unrelated charges. During a domestic dispute with his sister and her boyfriend, Seda shot his sister, who managed to flee to a neighbor's apartment and contact the police. After a standoff, Seda surrendered himself to the authorities. It was during this time that the detectives assigned to his case recognized that his written confession matched the handwriting of the New York Zodiac Killer, providing them with the evidence they needed. Seda was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy 232-year prison term for his brutal crimes of assault and murder. He currently serves his sentence in Clinton Correctional Facility, previously having spent time in the notorious Attica Correctional Facility, located approximately 30 miles outside the city of Buffalo.

(Source: NY Mag, Unforbidden Truth)