The Murder of 'The Black Dahlia'
4.1.18
Today we'll be discussing the murder of Elizabeth Short, or more commonly known as 'The Black Dahlia'.
On January 15, 1947, the remains of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short were found by Betty Bersinger. She was found near Leimert Park in Los Angeles, in the grass beside the sidewalk. Dahlia was found nude with her body severely mutilated and cut clean in half. She was cut with surgical precision leaving no damage to internal organs or bones. Her face had been cut from her mouth toward each ear, resulting in an ever-present, horrific smile. In spite of this gruesome scene, there was no blood anywhere near the body- meaning Short was moved to the location after her death.
Nine days after the discovery of The Black Dahlia, the medical examiner received an enveloped addressed using clippings from newspapers and movie ads. It read, "Los Angeles Examiner and other Los Angeles papers. Here is Dahlia's belongings, letter to follow." As promised, the envelope contained Elizabeth's social security card, birth certificate, snapshots, and an old address book with pages missing. Gasoline was rubbed on the contents of the envelope, removing any fingerprints there may have been.
Following the envelope, many notes were sent to the police. One, handwritten, said, "Turning in Wednesday, January 29, had my fun with police, Black Dahlia Avenger."
Before arriving in LA, Elizabeth spent time with a man named Robert Manly in San Diego. Manly drove her from San Diego to LA and helped her check into the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angles. Many claim this is the last place Elizabeth Short was seen alive. Much like the Ceaser Hotel, the Biltmore is reportedly haunted. Some state they've seen the Black Dahlia roaming the first floor in a black dress only to disappear into walls. She has also been seen on the tenth and eleventh floor.
Others state that after Manly dropped her off, Short went to the nearby Crown Grill Bar, which has been confirmed to be the last place Elizabeth was seen alive.
Now that the facts of the case have been covered, let's get into the suspects.
The first suspect was Robert Manly. However, Manly had returned to San Diego for nearly a week before the Dahlia's death. He was also given a polygraph test, which he passed. But, it's worth noting that in 1954, Robert Manly was admitted to a mental hospital due to 'hearing voices'. After being given sodium pentothal, a reported truth serum, he was cleared as a suspect.
The next suspect was Joseph Dumas. Dumas claimed to be "blackout drunk" with Elizabeth in San Francisco just days before her death. When taken in and asked if he thought he killed her, Joseph actually confessed to the murder. However, it was later proven that he was on his military base the day of her death, thus falsely confessing.
The third suspect, arguably the most intriguing, was George Hodel. It's worth noting that Hodel's son, Steve Hodel, who was 5 years old at the time of the Black Dahlia Murder, later became a police investigator for 17 years. After retiring, he became convinced his father killed the Black Dahlia.
It was discovered that the Hodel Residence held a secret room where his children were not allowed to enter. George was highly intelligent having studied surgery in medical school and scoring a 186 on an early IQ test. Hodel also ran LA county's Venereal Disease Clinic. This allows George the capability of the surgical disembowelment and mutilation of Elizabeth Short's body. Also, despite being a busy doctor, George Hodel was also a busy bachelor, having had eleven children from five different women.
Additionally, Steve Hodel also found photos of a woman who appeared to be Elizabeth Short in one of his father's photo albums. However, a forensic artist determined that there was an 85% chance the photos were not the Black Dahlia. Despite that, in 2014, a separate expert used facial recognition technology to determine a 90-95% chance it was the Black Dalhia. Nonetheless, both tests were found to be inconclusive.
Also worth noting is that George Hodel was accused by his daughter of sexually assaulting her, but he was ultimately found not guilty.
By this time, police had already begun suspecting George Hodel. In an effort to gain usable evidence against him, they planted listening devices in his home. Hodel was heard on tape saying, "Supposing I did kill the Black Dahlia, they couldn't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary anymore because she's dead." He was also caught saying, "This is the best payoff I've seen between law enforcement agencies. And I'd like to get a connection made in the DA's office."
Steve Hodel tracked down an LAPD case file which contained a female witness who stated George and Elizabeth knew each other. It's worth noting now that the LAPD was notoriously corrupt at this time, which might explain why the case was dropped, even though George was an emerging suspect. This might also give an explanation as to why all physical evidence from the case magically disappeared. Some believe George paid off the police. Others believe it's a classic case of police incompetence. But neither can be confirmed.
In 2012, Steve Hodel returned to his childhood home with police dogs that indicated the scent of human remains. Soil samples were taken from the alley behind the former Hodel residence that came back positive for human remains. Although this doesn't directly link George to the Dahlia murder, as she was not buried, it does indicate that Geoge Hodel was likely no stranger to murder. Steve wants to continue digging on the property, but can not, as it is privately owned, and he does not have permission to. The LAPD has since refused to follow up on the new evidence.
"Based on the results of Steve's investigation, I would have no reservations about filing two counts of murder against Dr. George Hodel." - LA District attorney, Stephen Kay (2003), speaking for himself, not the D.A.'s office.
The case remains closed.
Information gathered from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gM6NG2PN4Q
https://www.biography.com/people/black-dahlia-21117617
https://www.prairieghosts.com/beth.html
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/george-hill-hodel-35441.php
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2006/october/dahlia_102006
https://www.historicmysteries.com/the-black-dahlia/
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/the-crime-scene-2/
Photo Gallery
Please be aware some photos are actual crime scene photos and are sensitive.
Today we'll be discussing the murder of Elizabeth Short, or more commonly known as 'The Black Dahlia'.
On January 15, 1947, the remains of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short were found by Betty Bersinger. She was found near Leimert Park in Los Angeles, in the grass beside the sidewalk. Dahlia was found nude with her body severely mutilated and cut clean in half. She was cut with surgical precision leaving no damage to internal organs or bones. Her face had been cut from her mouth toward each ear, resulting in an ever-present, horrific smile. In spite of this gruesome scene, there was no blood anywhere near the body- meaning Short was moved to the location after her death.
Nine days after the discovery of The Black Dahlia, the medical examiner received an enveloped addressed using clippings from newspapers and movie ads. It read, "Los Angeles Examiner and other Los Angeles papers. Here is Dahlia's belongings, letter to follow." As promised, the envelope contained Elizabeth's social security card, birth certificate, snapshots, and an old address book with pages missing. Gasoline was rubbed on the contents of the envelope, removing any fingerprints there may have been.
Following the envelope, many notes were sent to the police. One, handwritten, said, "Turning in Wednesday, January 29, had my fun with police, Black Dahlia Avenger."
Before arriving in LA, Elizabeth spent time with a man named Robert Manly in San Diego. Manly drove her from San Diego to LA and helped her check into the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angles. Many claim this is the last place Elizabeth Short was seen alive. Much like the Ceaser Hotel, the Biltmore is reportedly haunted. Some state they've seen the Black Dahlia roaming the first floor in a black dress only to disappear into walls. She has also been seen on the tenth and eleventh floor.
Others state that after Manly dropped her off, Short went to the nearby Crown Grill Bar, which has been confirmed to be the last place Elizabeth was seen alive.
Now that the facts of the case have been covered, let's get into the suspects.
The first suspect was Robert Manly. However, Manly had returned to San Diego for nearly a week before the Dahlia's death. He was also given a polygraph test, which he passed. But, it's worth noting that in 1954, Robert Manly was admitted to a mental hospital due to 'hearing voices'. After being given sodium pentothal, a reported truth serum, he was cleared as a suspect.
The next suspect was Joseph Dumas. Dumas claimed to be "blackout drunk" with Elizabeth in San Francisco just days before her death. When taken in and asked if he thought he killed her, Joseph actually confessed to the murder. However, it was later proven that he was on his military base the day of her death, thus falsely confessing.
The third suspect, arguably the most intriguing, was George Hodel. It's worth noting that Hodel's son, Steve Hodel, who was 5 years old at the time of the Black Dahlia Murder, later became a police investigator for 17 years. After retiring, he became convinced his father killed the Black Dahlia.
It was discovered that the Hodel Residence held a secret room where his children were not allowed to enter. George was highly intelligent having studied surgery in medical school and scoring a 186 on an early IQ test. Hodel also ran LA county's Venereal Disease Clinic. This allows George the capability of the surgical disembowelment and mutilation of Elizabeth Short's body. Also, despite being a busy doctor, George Hodel was also a busy bachelor, having had eleven children from five different women.
Additionally, Steve Hodel also found photos of a woman who appeared to be Elizabeth Short in one of his father's photo albums. However, a forensic artist determined that there was an 85% chance the photos were not the Black Dahlia. Despite that, in 2014, a separate expert used facial recognition technology to determine a 90-95% chance it was the Black Dalhia. Nonetheless, both tests were found to be inconclusive.
Also worth noting is that George Hodel was accused by his daughter of sexually assaulting her, but he was ultimately found not guilty.
By this time, police had already begun suspecting George Hodel. In an effort to gain usable evidence against him, they planted listening devices in his home. Hodel was heard on tape saying, "Supposing I did kill the Black Dahlia, they couldn't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary anymore because she's dead." He was also caught saying, "This is the best payoff I've seen between law enforcement agencies. And I'd like to get a connection made in the DA's office."
Steve Hodel tracked down an LAPD case file which contained a female witness who stated George and Elizabeth knew each other. It's worth noting now that the LAPD was notoriously corrupt at this time, which might explain why the case was dropped, even though George was an emerging suspect. This might also give an explanation as to why all physical evidence from the case magically disappeared. Some believe George paid off the police. Others believe it's a classic case of police incompetence. But neither can be confirmed.
In 2012, Steve Hodel returned to his childhood home with police dogs that indicated the scent of human remains. Soil samples were taken from the alley behind the former Hodel residence that came back positive for human remains. Although this doesn't directly link George to the Dahlia murder, as she was not buried, it does indicate that Geoge Hodel was likely no stranger to murder. Steve wants to continue digging on the property, but can not, as it is privately owned, and he does not have permission to. The LAPD has since refused to follow up on the new evidence.
"Based on the results of Steve's investigation, I would have no reservations about filing two counts of murder against Dr. George Hodel." - LA District attorney, Stephen Kay (2003), speaking for himself, not the D.A.'s office.
The case remains closed.
Information gathered from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gM6NG2PN4Q
https://www.biography.com/people/black-dahlia-21117617
https://www.prairieghosts.com/beth.html
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/george-hill-hodel-35441.php
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2006/october/dahlia_102006
https://www.historicmysteries.com/the-black-dahlia/
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/the-crime-scene-2/
Photo Gallery
Please be aware some photos are actual crime scene photos and are sensitive.
Elizabeth Short (circa 1947)
Steve Hodel (present day)
George Hodel (circa 1947)
The photos found by Steve Hodel in his father's photo album.
The letter received after the envelope.
The contents of the envelope received by the Examiner.
The envelope received by the Examiner.
Actual Crime Scene Photo: Elizabeth's covered body.
Actual Crime Scene Photo: Elizabeth's upper half, showing the deep gashes across her face.
Actual Crime Scene Photo: SIde view of Elizabeth's body.
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