Heriberto "Eddie" Seda (born July 31, 1967), often referred to as The New York Zodiac, is an American serial killer who struck New York City from 1990 to 1993. Before being caught on June 18, 1996, Seda killed three people and wounded six others (four critically). Seda is believed to have admired San Francisco's Zodiac Killer for avoiding capture. Police described Seda, a Brooklyn resident, as a recluse obsessed with astrology and death. Seda was formally charged in the case on June 21, 1996, convicted in 1998, and sentenced to 232 years imprisonment. Crimes Seda attacked people throughout New York City, sending taunting messages to the police and media after each crime. The messages included codes based on International maritime signal flags, which New York Post journalist Kieran Crowley decoded with the assistance of his father-in-law, a veteran of World War II cryptography and signals intelligence. The killer's letters to police claimed that he was selecting his victims based on their signs of the zodiac and implied he would act only at certain times when specific stars were visible in the night sky. Police consulted a professional astronomer, whose predictions about when the killer would strike proved somewhat accurate. He used an improvised firearm, explaining in his messages that the lack of rifling marks on the bullets would prevent his capture. New York police considered the possibility that the notorious Zodiac Killer may have relocated to the East Coast and resumed his crimes after two decades of inactivity. In the late 1960s the Zodiac Killer murdered at least five people and injured another two in the San Francisco area. He sent taunting letters and coded messages to local media and was never identified. However, a handwriting analyst and consultation with California authorities ruled out that possibility. Capture In March 1994, Seda was arrested for possession of a deadly weapon after police noticed a suspicious bulge in his jacket pocket that concealed one of his zip guns. Police determined that the weapon was not functional, and Seda's public defender got all charges dropped and his arrest record sealed. Seda interpreted this turn of events as an omen proving that he was beyond consequences. At 26 years of age, Seda was an unemployed high school dropout living with his mother and half-sister. He had been a good high school student but was expelled after bringing a starter pistol to school. He had