Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s documentary series ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking’ revolves around the Seawater family’s relationship with Arthur Leigh Allen, a Vallejo-based schoolteacher who was suspected of being the infamous Zodiac Killer. Like her siblings, David and Don Seawater, Connie Seawater was close to the person who presented himself as a loving and caring man. His presence in their lives was significant for her and her brothers, especially in the absence of her dad, Paul Seawater. She realized there could be more about Allen than she knew decades after their original meeting. This realization turned her life around and led her on a path that delved deep into the secrets he possibly harbored!
Arthur Leigh Allen Was a Father Figure to Connie Seawater
Connie Seawater was introduced to Arthur Leigh Allen in the early 1960s when he joined her school as a teacher. According to ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking,’ it didn’t take long for him to take a special interest in her family. He filled the gap created by Paul Seawater’s absence in Connie and her brothers’ lives. The teacher took them to the movies and gave them swimming lessons as he became a constant presence in their lives. Connie’s memories with Allen include two trips she embarked on with him. In 1963, she joined her brothers to visit Tajiguas Beach, California, to see their teacher dive.
The Seawaters stated that after arriving at the beach, Allen disappeared, leaving Connie and her brothers on their own. After a while, he returned frantically with something “red” on his hand, as per the siblings. The dead bodies of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards were found in the vicinity soon after this incident allegedly took place. According to Connie, Allen wanted to take her to Riverside, California, in 1966. David then joined the two since he didn’t want the sister to go with their teacher alone. In the series, she accused him of putting his hand down her pedal pushers during the trip.
Connie and David revealed in the docuseries that they were in a deep sleep on October 30, 1966, the day Cheri Jo Bates was killed in Riverside, amid the trip. They also shared their suspicion that Allen might have committed the murder. Connie eventually left California for New York to build her own life. Still, she remained in touch with Allen. She even introduced her children to him. In 1991, around a year before he died, she asked him whether he was the Zodiac Killer. In the show, she revealed that her teacher replied he’d have to kill her if he answered the question, only for her to see it as a “big joke” at the time.
Connie Seawater is Committed to Finding Out Whether Arthur Leigh Allen Was the Zodiac Killer
While appearing in ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking,’ Connie Seawater expressed her belief that the Zodiac Killer wanted to kill her because he named “Connie Henley” in one of his cryptic letters as his next target. The Seawater siblings’ mother’s maiden name was “Phyllis Hensley,” which made her name “Connie Hensley.” Connie became convinced that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac Killer after watching David Fincher’s 2007 crime drama film ‘Zodiac.’ In the Netflix series, she said that she realized she had been to the sites where the serial killer murdered his victims before the same crimes took place. In 2017, after Phyllis’ death, Connie came across a letter Allen wrote to the former, in which he stated, “I almost decided to confess.”
Connie remains hopeful that the truth about the Zodiac Killer and Allen will surface. She is determined to be part of any efforts that will help remove the clouds of mystery that hang above the identity of the serial killer. She even joined her son, David Prueter, to send a knife that once belonged to Allen to forensic examination. The results of the preliminary examination conducted based on the sample found on the knife were sent to multiple police departments in California, and she is eagerly waiting for a breakthrough. Meanwhile, she continues to share her life with her family members.
Connie Seawater is Leading a Private Life in California
Connie is now a great-grandmother, as her daughter, Tammie Lee Prueter, became a grandmother. She is currently based in Dobbins, a census-designated place in Yuba County, California. Connie lives only around thirty miles away from Tammie. She joined her siblings to celebrate the memory of her brother Boomer Seawater after his passing back in 2015. In 2021, she started collaborating with Don and David to share her experiences with Arthur Leigh Allen through a series of videos titled ‘We Called Him Mr. Allen.’ These videos, which were uploaded on YouTube, are currently inaccessible, possibly because of the release of ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking.’ In August 2023, she had to bid adieu to David, who passed away after battling terminal cancer.
As the truth about the Zodiac Killer’s real identity is awaited, Connie is leading a private life with extremely minimal social media presence. From what we can share, she is interested in crystal balls, which are mainly associated with fortune-telling. Apart from that, she hasn’t opened any windows to her current life for the public or the press.
Read More: David Toschi: How Did the Detective Who Pursued the Zodiac Killer Die?
