Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s documentary series ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking’ sheds light on the suspicions that fell on Arthur Leigh Allen following the murders committed by the Zodiac Killer. The former school teacher and convicted child molester became the subject of the press’ intense scrutiny. However, he could dismiss the reporters who dropped by his house, except for Rita Williams of KTVU. She interviewed the suspected Zodiac Killer and shared his response to the accusations against him with the country. The infamous conversation became a significant part of the notorious serial killer’s history, but it was only one of the several chapters of the reporter’s illustrious career.
Rita Williams Had a Trailblazing Career as a Reporter
By the time Rita Williams interviewed Arthur Leigh Allen not long before his death in 1992, she had established herself as a prominent reporter and journalist in California. She joined KTVU, based in Oakland, in 1978. After two years, she was chosen by the network’s then-director, Fred Zehnder, to start a bureau in San Francisco. In her words, she turned a corner of the city’s Hall of Justice into her base, becoming the “first TV person” and the “first TV broad” in the establishment. She allegedly had to deal with sexist remarks and gestures from police officers in the line of duty. According to Williams’ 2013 interview with The Almanac, she was also the “first on-air reporter to have a baby and be pregnant on the air.”
Williams’ career overview is also part of the history of San Francisco. She reported the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake upon running onto the iconic Bay Bridge. In 1993, the journalist was part of the group of witnesses who watched the last gas chamber execution at San Quentin. She won the Pathways Hospice Foundation’s One From the Heart Award in 2005 for shedding light on the issues in the San Francisco Bay Area. The honor celebrated her 2005 feature ‘Death with Dignity,’ which revolves around one of the patients of the establishment, William Cassidy. Williams was among the KTVU journalists who extensively covered the death of Oscar Grant, who was shot by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle.
Like she did with Allen, Williams found a way to interview Mehserle while the officer was in jail. According to her interview with The Almanac, she received “lots of death threats,” which stopped her from “[going] out on the streets of Oakland” for a few months. Her efforts were recognized by a Peabody and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Williams also received two Emmy Awards: one for breaking the news about the baseball player Barry Bonds’ indictment on perjury and obstruction charges and another one for a feature she did about the death of two Marines who were killed in Iraq.
Rita Williams is Leading a Private Retired Life Today
Rita Williams’ 35-year-long career as a reporter for KTVU came to an end in February 2013. Even though she was immensely loved by the San Francisco community and her colleagues, she had her reasons to retire as a journalist. “I’ve seen people stick around too long, and then they start declining,” she told SFGate. “I still love what I do. I love the people I meet and feel privileged to tell their stories. I don’t want to walk away, but I also don’t want to be someone who people snicker about behind their back,” Williams added. To celebrate her career, KTVU broadcasted several of her stories as part of the program ‘A Second Look.’
At the time, Williams wanted to spend her retired life writing a memoir and mystery novels. She was cheerful about embracing a life devoid of schedules and enjoying the changing seasons. A year after her retirement, in June 2014, she received the Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ San Francisco/Northern California division. According to a 2012 profile, she served as the board member of Stanford University’s John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship program. Williams has also been involved in the initiatives of Friends of Faith, an organization committed to fighting breast cancer, founded by her KTVU colleague, Faith Fancher.
As far as Williams is concerned, her family is her first priority. She is married to Lindsay Bowen, with whom she has a son named Brad Bowen. Since her retirement, the former journalist has been leading a private life, seemingly with her beloved family based in Oakland. Her appearance in ‘This Is the Zodiac Speaking’ deservedly opens a window into her highly commendable life and career that inspired many to pursue truth despite the challenges associated with the profession of journalism.
Read More: Don Seawater: Where is Arthur Leigh Allen’s Student Now?
