Where is the New York Zodiac Killer now? Netflix's Catching Killers subject today

The "Zodiac" name comes from the original killer's, who gave himself the title in the cryptic messages he sent to police. Over 20 years later, Seda carried out very similar crimes.

So, who exactly is the New York Zodiac Killer? And where is he now?

Here's everything you need to know.

Who is the New York Zodiac Killer?

Not to be confused with the original Zodiac Killer, whose identity remains unknown, the New York Zodiac Killer is Heriberto "Eddie" Seda, who has been identified as a "copycat" killer.

Between 1990 to 1993, Seda fatally shot three people and wounded at least six others. He was eventually arrested in June 1996.

Seda was charged with six counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and seven counts of weapons possession, and sent to prison.

Seda is believed to have admired the San Francisco Zodiac Killer for avoiding capture.

Years after Seda's arrest and conviction, New York magazine reported that Seda had become interested in the Zodiac Killer after "watching a PBS special" on their crimes.

According to the New York Times, Seda wrote messages to police ahead of his crimes and included notes about his victims' horoscopes. While most of his victims had different birthdays, one survivor recalled being asked when their birthday was by a stranger.

Seda targeted his victims based on their star signs and sent cryptic messages to the police regarding his killings. However, his messages were not as advanced as the original Zodiac Killer's.

Because of this, New York police considered the possibility that the original Zodiac Killer may have relocated to the East Coast and resumed their crimes after two decades of inactivity.

Where is the New York Zodiac Killer now?

Seda, now 55, is currently serving a 232-year sentence in prison.

He was arrested on 18th June 1996, after an altercation with the boyfriend of his half-sister, Gladys "Chachi" Reyes.

During the confrontation with Gladys and her boyfriend, Seda pulled out a weapon and began threatening the couple. While Reyes's boyfriend hid in the bedroom, she tried to escape through the front door, but Seda shot her from behind. She managed to make her way to a neighbour's house to call the police, and after an hour long stand-off with the police, Seda gave up his firearms and was arrested.

Initially, police made no connection between Seda's arrest for this incident to the series of unsolved murders. However, he closed his handwritten statement with a symbol resembling one written on the letters to the police by the unidentified killer, leading the police to focus on Seda as a suspect.

"The way he wrote his s's and t's, the way he had all these words underlined, I knew it in a second," Detective Joe Herbert revealed.

On 24th June 1998, after a six-week trial, Seda was convicted by a jury. The prosecution presented the testimony of 45 witnesses and introduced 150 pieces of evidence.

Seda was first sent to the Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo. There, he began a relationship with the prisoner in the cell next door, a trans woman who was jailed for a gang-related murder and the murder of a child.

Seda is currently serving his remaining sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

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