Exploring Forensic Astrology: The Secrets Behind Famous Family Murders

By B D SALERNO

Law enforcement often struggles to connect the dots to identify someone as a killer beyond a reasonable doubt.

Forensic astrology can serve a much-needed civic and legal functionit helps connect dots between the crime and the perpetrator.

The stars, after all, do not lie.

Real crime meets astrology in this revealing book that seeks to get to the bottom of who committed the crime and why. Join the author as she aims to answer questions such as:

Who murdered JonBenet Ramsey?

Did Bob Crane know his killer?

Was Natalie Woods death really an accident?

Did Robert Blake get away with murder?

Was Dr. Sam Sheppard guilty or innocent?

Did Lizzie Borden act alone?

Using techniques from ancient astrologers, author/astrologer B.D. Salerno analyzes these murder cases and more, sharing how forensic astrology can help us understand the nature of the crimes as well as identify the likely killers. An appendix includes information on the planets, their meanings, the zodiac signs, the essential dignities of the planets, degrees of danger, fixed stars, and more.

Get to the bottom of law enforcements greatest mysteries, and discover how reading the stars can solve crimes with Exploring Forensic Astrology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491792742

B D SALERNO

BD Salerno attended Rutgers University in New Jersey and also obtained professional secondary education in New York City. Her eclectic interests include alternative healing, true crime, music, and astrology.

Book preview

EXPLORING FORENSIC ASTROLOGY

THE SECRETS BEHIND FAMOUS FAMILY MURDERS

Copyright © 2016 B.D. Salerno.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-9272-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9273-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9274-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016905225

iUniverse rev. date: 06/22/2016

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 Mariticide: Till Murder Do Us Part

Bonnie Lee Bakley: Death by Baretta?

Phil Hartman: Murder by Wife

Natalie Wood: A Farewell to Splendor

Scott Peterson: A Talent for Deception

The Sam Sheppard Case

Chapter 2 Filicide: The Sins of the Father

Andrea Yates: Closer to God?

Marvin Gaye: Death by Father

JonBenet Ramsey and the Killing Planet

Diane Downs: Murder by Mother

Darlie Routier: The Greater Part of Them

Alice Crimmins: Guilty by Lifestyle?

Susan Smith: Anything for Love

Chapter 3 Parricide: The Sins of the Children

Lizzie Borden Took an Ax

The Menendez Brothers: Implacable Hatred

Charles Whitman, the Tower Sniper

Teenage Son Shoots Mother

Teenage Daughter Kills Mother

Parents Murdered by Daughter

Chapter 4 Familicide: Murder, a Family Affair

John List: The Bogeyman of Westfield

Butch DeFeo and the Amityville Murders: From High Hopes to Horror

Boy Kills Family Members

Chapter 5 Murder by Friend: The Devil You Know

Bob Crane: Was His Best Friend Guilty?

Did Gianni Versace Know His Killer?

Afterword

Appendix

Bibliography

Astrology is the oldest and truest science of which mankind has any knowledge, and whoso doubts its truth and reliability can prove it, if they will test it fairly and truthfully. Let them learn the natures and influence of the Planets, and their co-mingled influence in aspect to each other, then take these factors as their key, and see if it will not unlock some of those serious problems which are always troubling unenlightened humanity. This is the Key to let you into Light; it will unlock those occult laws which, when once seen and understood, will bring with irresistible force such a revelation to your mind, that you will recognize it as the highest and truest that will ever be offered you on this sphere.

—W. J. Simmonite, Horary Astrology:

The Key to Scientific Prediction

Acknowledgments

T HE PLANNING AND PREPARATION OF this book pushed me in directions I had not gone before as a writer/astrologer, and the support and encouragement of a few dear friends made all the difference along the way. For this I wish to thank fellow writers Cheryl Salerno, of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Lorraine Grassano, of San Francisco, California; and Maggie Paul, of Santa Cruz, California. Your encouragement at critical times was pivotal in the completion of this book.

I also thank astrologers Deborah Houlding, for her permission to reprint the Table of Essential Dignities from her informative website, www.skyscript.co.uk, and Dr. Ben Dykes, for his permission to quote from his translation of Persian Nativities.

The astrology software used for the calculation of astrology horoscopes was provided by Time Cycles Research Inc., and all birth data was obtained from the website www.astrodatabank.com. These tools were essential to the preparation of this book.

Preface

F ORENSIC SCIENCE PROVIDES US WITH evidence collected from crime scenes and autopsies. These are the hard facts in crime solving. But criminology becomes a softer science as it considers the testimonies of suspects and witnesses, which can vary widely from person to person.

The human element—always fraught with biases, hidden motives, and varying powers of observation—can turn the path of discovery into a blind alley or a never-ending investigation that grows colder by the day.

In the process of determining whodunit, from evidence to indictment, law enforcement struggles to connect the dots effectively and identify the criminal beyond a reasonable doubt. Perhaps this is where forensic astrology can serve a much-needed civic and legal function—to help connect those dots between the crime and the perpetrator.

Because the stars do not lie.

Follow the cases of famous crimes—some still unsolved in the courts of law, some gone cold to the delight of criminals. In these pages you will see how a synthesis of classical astrology, forensic horoscopes, and birth charts can reveal whodunit, and often, why.

Introduction

Woman shot in car waiting for ex-husband. Was it a random act of violence?

Forensic astrology suggests involvement by the ex, actor Robert Blake.

Woman found drowned near yacht. Was it purely accidental?

Forensic astrology points to sudden violence in the death of actress Natalie Wood.

Wife of respected doctor found slain in bed—did the husband really do it?

Forensic astrology shows the error in Dr. Sam Sheppard’s tragic conviction.

See chapter 1, Mariticide: Till Murder Do Us Part.

Child found tortured and killed in basement of family home. Was it an intruder or someone known to her?

Forensic astrology suggests family involvement in the death of JonBenet Ramsey.

See chapter 2, Filicide: The Sins of the Father.

Man found bludgeoned to death in hotel room. Was he killed by a stranger, or did a former friend, who was acquitted at trial, get away with murder?

Forensic astrology portrays a friendship gone wrong between the former friend and his murder victim, actor Bob Crane.

See chapter 5, Murder by Friend: The Devil You Know.

I S FORENSIC ASTROLOGY FOR REAL? Can the sun, the moon, and the planets really tell us who committed a crime?

In my previous book, Forensics by the Stars: Astrology Investigates, I analyzed the event horoscopes, also called forensic horoscopes, of famous crimes, disappearances, and disasters and presented my conclusions on the kidnapping-murder of the Lindbergh baby, the death of Marilyn Monroe, the Haiti earthquake, the sinking of the Costa Concordia, and many other cases.

Those case studies illustrated how the sun, the moon, planets, Arabic Parts, and fixed stars all provide valuable clues in understanding tragic incidents and their participants.

After the book was done, many questions continued to pique my curiosity, especially in regard to murder. If a crime horoscope can describe a crime, what else can it tell us about victim and perpetrator? Can it give more insight into the relationship between them? Can it profile a person of interest? Can it really tell us whodunit?

Inspired by these questions, I began to comb through old astrology texts in search of techniques that might help to identify killers. I was astounded at the volume of information that I found.

The writings of famous ancient astrologers, among them Vettius Valens, Firmicus Maternus, Masha’allah, Jerome Cardan, and William Lilly, are replete with aphorisms concerning the likelihood of one person to commit murder. Natal interpretations are even so specific as to indicate whether the murder victim would be the spouse, the child, or one or both parents.

As an amateur sleuth and crime astrologer, I decided to put these aphorisms to the test by analyzing famous murders committed against spouses, children, and parents, in which the identity of the offender was known or suspected. If such precepts held true, then they might be valuable when applied to the crime charts of cold cases where the identity of the offender was uncertain or unknown.

I have included the relevant aphorisms in each chapter and a compendium of the aphorisms in the appendix, which may serve as a useful reference guide for readers wishing to conduct their own research. For the sake of simplicity note that I have sometimes used the term planet when addressing the moon and sun, even though they are not considered planets.

So began my journey into the deeper realms of forensic astrology. Aided and abetted by the early classical astrologers, I was able to find ample correlations between the aphorisms concerning murder and the forensic horoscopes of modern crimes. These techniques give us even more tools with which to understand and analyze murder cases.

It’s still just a beginning, but my journey continues. Please join me in taking a look at some of the amazing revelations passed down to us that help to explain the murders of Bonnie Lee Bakley, Phil Hartman, Laci Peterson, Marvin Gaye, JonBenet Ramsey, Jose and Kitty Menendez, Bob Crane, Gianni Versace, and many more.

1

MARITICIDE: TILL MURDER DO US PART

M ARITICIDE IS THE MURDER OF one spouse by the other. The tendency to commit spousal murder is described by the qualities of the planets and stars in the birth horoscope of the murderer, as well as in the event horoscope of the crime itself.

In forensic astrology, spousal murder is difficult to determine because the seventh house, which represents the offender in a crime chart, also represents the victim’s spouse. But not all spouses kill their partners—even though that delightfully wicked idea may cross our minds from time to time!

So how do we differentiate between the two when analyzing a crime chart? The cases discussed in this chapter provide some answers.

In murder cases, the Ascendant and Descendant rulers represent the victim and murderer, respectively. But in spousal murder cases, we must also consider the traditional rulers of husband and wife—the sun and the moon.

I’ve found that the sun as male figure, husband, and father, and the moon, with her domicile over the mother, home, and family, figure prominently in the horoscopes of mariticides. As a natural ruler of women, Venus also contributes to the narrative.

The nativities of the parties involved in spousal killings indicate afflictions to the seventh house, its ruler, and the sun and moon. And the fixed stars and Arabic Parts tell their own stories of tragic destiny at the hands of one’s spouse.

The essential dignities of the planets—rulership, triplicity, exaltation, detriment, fall, and term—also play a significant role in telling the story behind the events portrayed in the event chart.

Please refer to the Dignity section of the appendix in the rear of this book for more precise definitions on the essential and accidental dignities.

House placement is also significant in the crime chart. The victim’s significator or the moon in the seventh house can suggest a spousal relationship if other strong connections between the parties are present.

With all of these astrological tools at our disposal, we can narrow down the field of likely suspects to the spouse or significant other of the victim.

In the following cases of spousal murder, the planets representing victim/husband/wife and offender/husband/wife share multiple connections by virtue of their essential dignities. When the planets are connected, so are the people that they represent.

Some well-wishers have challenged the point of my research: We already know that Phil Hartman was shot by his wife! So what? It’s a valid point, but they are missing a more important point—that the astrology of the crime supports the facts of the case.

So, if we hadn’t known that the wife did it, we could have drawn inferences from the crime chart that would have pointed us in her direction.

Many of her fans still wonder about the untimely death of actress Natalie Wood. Does the forensic horoscope of her drowning emphasize a purely random accident or the tragic result of domestic violence?

The reader is also invited to review the chapters on JonBenet Ramsey, Dr. Sam Sheppard, and Bob Crane, murders that, sadly, went cold long ago. The crime horoscopes in these cases offer viable clues to the real perpetrators of the crimes, who got off scot-free because of misguided or incomplete investigations.

Forensic astrology can’t indict or convict anyone of a crime, but it offers us a way to obtain clues to the identity of the killer, and in so doing, it provides law enforcement with leads. Just ask any frustrated detective working a cold case of the value of a fresh lead!

The renowned seventeenth-century French astrologer Jean-Baptiste Morin de Villefranche, also known as Morinus, tells us that nothing happens in the life of an individual that is not revealed by the nativity. So it is useful to have the birth