A smiling and friendly at heart Jigsaw John is shown in his uniform.
Aquarian John St. John was born on February 8, 1918, in Los Angeles. He deeply loved his illiterate Irish mother who provided him with a sense of structure. Meals were served at precise times. He later remembered the roast beef, mashed potatoes, and peas that were inevitably served on Sundays.
John’s father grew bitter after a series of failures and began to beat his wife. St. John stepped in and stopped him. Later he was particularly interested in solving cases the involved the murder of elderly women living alone.
Jigsaw John’s nickname was derived from a murder case in which the victim had been dismembered and from his uncanny ability to piece the evidence chain together to solve crime. He was patient, doggedly determined, very adept at reading clues at a crime scene and later remembering them no matter how much time had elapsed. St. John did not need a map to find any location in L.A. He had driven on its thoroughfares since he was a teen.
John St. John began his career in 1942 as a beat cop. He later stated that walking his prescribed territory was invaluable, for he got to know all the people dwelling there.
While minding the juvenile jail in 1947, Jigsaw was viciously attacked from behind by a youth named Walter McKissick who hated cops. He had managed to twist a 30-inch steel leg from his bed until the weld broke. “McKissick crept up behind me, raised the iron bar over my head, and brought it crashing down with such force I fell to the floor. I yelled for help, but no one came. McKissick screamed, ‘You son of a b—-, motherf—–. Die!” (Jigsaw and Jane by Jane Howatt, p. 53-54)
John threw up his hands to protect his face. His assailant straddled his chest and continued to hit him in the head with the pipe. One of the inmates shouted, “That’s enough!” His concentration broken, McKissick stopped, got up, and began to look for St. John’s gun locker. John was able to press the alarm bell on his desk. Ibid, 54-55.
St. John lost an eye, had three broken teeth and several broken vertebrae. After that he never let anyone get close to his face. If his other eye was damaged, Jigsaw would have been blind. (56)
John St. John knew what it was like to be the victim of a violent crime. He had great empathy for other victims.
Jigsaw became a detective in 1949. During his career—he retired in 1993– John worked on a thousand homicides and solved over two thirds of them.
Serial Killers
Twelve of Jigsaw John’s cases involved serial killers. They included Harvey Glatman, a 1950s killer who was a Sagittarius with an IQ of 130, Richard Ramirez, the Nightstalker, a Pisces, the Hillside Stranglers (a Gemini and Libra), and the Southside Slayer. (Wikipedia, “John P. St. John”)
Hundreds of predominantly black women were murdered in L.A. in the 1980s and 1990s. These killings were erroneously thought to have been all done by one individual, the Southside Slayer. In fact, six unrelated persons were responsible. Of these, perhaps Daniel Lee Siebert, a Gemini and Scorpio Chester Turner were the worst. (Ibid)
Jigsaw John captured William Bonin, the Freeway Killer, just as he was about to do horrible things to a young boy. Bonin was a Capricorn with a Sun/Mars conjunction.
What Makes a Serial Killer
As children serial killers often receive little or no love from their mothers. They are frequently belittled and physically abused by their parents. The result is they feel empty inside, hate women and themselves, and violence and killing turns them on.
Markers in a child’s makeup that indicate serious problems of this nature include enuresis (bed wetting), killing animals, and starting fires. The child may be a lone wolf and is essentially unable to form meaningful relationships.
Jigsaw and Jane
Aquarians often have a serious, conscientious personality, and they can be abrupt. Virgo Jane Howatt, an affluent suburban housewife, suddenly decided she wanted to write a book about Jigsaw John after reading an article about him in The L.A. Times. She phoned the police department six times. Jane had to summon her courage to make those calls. Jigsaw was on vacation the first time. She spoke with him on her second try. This is her account:
“St. John,” a voice on the other end growled in a no-nonsense voice that would have made me think twice about running a yellow light. “Mr. St. John, my name is Jane Howatt, and I’m interested in writing on your Freeway Killer investigation. Has anyone approached you about that idea?” (Jigsaw and Jane, p. 22-23)
“Before I answer your question, I have a few of my own.” “What’s your background?” “Have you published anything?” (She had not.) “The Freeway Killer case, John said, was a multi-jurisdictional investigation with multiple killers and a four-month murder trial. Even an experienced crime beat journalist would have a hard time getting all the facts straight. I know first-hand how difficult writing a big story can be because I have several friends who write for the L.A. Times.” (Ibid, p. 23)
Jane tried to persuade him she was up to the task but no dice! “I’m sure you are a nice lady…but you have no idea what’s involved in writing a book like this, and as I have said before, “I’m very busy.” Click. John hung up on her. (23)
Jane persisted. Eventually she met Jigsaw at a steakhouse, his favorite restaurant. He had told her to meet him at the bar. She sat next to an older nondescript man with thinning hair and waited. Unbeknownst to her, that man was Jigsaw. He had tricked her so he could size her up.
Jane and John became close friends. She rode with him in his Crown Vic for thirteen years to crime scenes. Jane met him at his desk in Homicide. Jane probably had a sensitive personality on the DSM. She was afraid to drive on the freeways. Sensitive people are homebodies as Jane was. They worry a lot. Their life is centered around their family. Jane had two children. Her more outgoing husband, an ER doctor, often drove and accompanied her. They socialized with John and his wife. Aquarians can form unusual relationships, but they invariably want to help others. Later he tried to find a publisher for her.
Jane last saw Jigsaw in a hospital bed where he had been receiving chemo for pancreatic cancer. She asked “What’s going on with you? John replied in a whisper. “I’ve told you before in my own way but now you’ve got to hear it straight. You loved homicide and you loved me. That’s all I ever wanted. I want you to remember what I just said. Always.” (362-363)
Horoscope Analysis
Five of John St. John planets were in fixed signs. This shows he was quite stubborn. Aquarians believe in telling the truth. He had a stellium there. That trait would have been amplified.
Four planets are in Cardinal ones. Jigsaw liked riding around in his Crown Vic, meeting witnesses, victims’ family members—he wanted to give them solace–and analyzing crime scenes.
Five planets are in air signs. This indicates a rational, intellectual approach to problems. He was able to deal with gruesome murders in a cognitive way and not let it impact his emotions. The negativity of his job never made him cynical. He was helping the public at large.
One of the keys to the nativity is the conjunction of Venus with Uranus to the Sun. The first can indicate a wild social life. John probably intuitively understood what happened when things went amiss in relationships, with neighbors, and at social gatherings.
Jigsaw’s Moon was dutiful, diligent Capricorn, Mercury was there as well. Both positions are good placements for law enforcement. Capricorn does particularly well in large organizations such as police departments. It is also a sign that is exceptionally task oriented and good at bringing those to completion.
Another key to the nativity is the grand trine in Mercury coupled with its opposition to Neptune. Mercury trine Jupiter provided Jigsaw’s affability, the same aspect to Mars gave him common sense, bravery, and made him an assertive driver. The opposition to Neptune probably permitted him to understand the deception and scheming of others.