CA CA - Elizabeth Short 'Black Dahlia', 22, Los Angeles, 15 Jan 1947

[jaejae]

Wasn't this case solved?

As far as I know the case has never been conclusively solved and it is a very old one and there may not be DNA evidence. One man is convinced his father George Hodel committed the crime and I have recently see adverts for a TV series about him:

'I Am the Night': 5 Things to Know About the True Story Behind the TNT Series

George Hodel - Wikipedia

 

[meanmaryjean]

Wasn't this case solved?

Nope!

 

[PastTense]

Wasn't this case solved?

No. But there have been a large number of suspects:
Black Dahlia suspects - Wikipedia
This is a very interesting Wikipedia article. Did you know that "About 60 people confessed to the murder, mostly men but including a few women"?

Perhaps you are vaguely remembering an article about one of these suspects. Or perhaps a movie:
Find - IMDb

And things turn out differently in the movies than in real life.

 

[Feme98]

Yesterday i saw a video from Steve Hodel, it said that it was "confirmed" based on officers accounts from the year the crime was committed, that his father, the doctor, was responsible. I'm unsure if this tip has reach LAPD as for now.

 

[jaejae]

Yesterday i saw a video from Steve Hodel, it said that it was "confirmed" based on officers accounts from the year the crime was committed, that his father, the doctor, was responsible. I'm unsure if this tip has reach LAPD as for now.

Interesting. With a very old case like this though I think it will be impossible to get a definitive answer though after all these years. Of course he may be right and I think his father is a good suspect but he likes the sound of his own voice and to sell books etc. As I say in a case like this it will always really be open as a mystery similar to a case like the Jack The Ripper one. Thanks.

 

[Feme98]

Interesting. With a very old case like this though I think it will be impossible to get a definitive answer though after all these years. Of course he may be right and I think his father is a good suspect but he likes the sound of his own voice and to sell books etc. As I say in a case like this it will always really be open as a mystery similar to a case like the Jack The Ripper one. Thanks.

Until we get an official announcement from law enforcement, we can only speculate.

 

[jaejae]

Until we get an official announcement from law enforcement, we can only speculate.

If he leads them to bodies, I would think its real. As that series showed, he does not typically take credit for things he didnt do. He is oddly honest in his accounts. Although skewed... he doesnt think its rape if he tells her it's her choice but he will kill her, if she rejects it. Sick.

It would be nice to have bit I do not think LE will ever be able to do it in this case

 

[hippiemama]

I'm reading Steve Hodel's first book now. While I don't think it is likely that GH committed all the murders that Steve claims, he does present some compelling evidence for the BD and a couple of others.

 

[ColyH]

At first look George Hodel seems to fit the bill as the murderer of Elizabeth Short but after looking into it deeper wonder if he was ever a prime suspect at all. I would take a harder look at Walter Bayley and Patrick O'Reilly.

I went to YouTube and saw some interviews done with some of Hodel's family and they seem to like the spotlight. I would also take Steve Hodel more seriously if he didn't also claim that his father was also the Zodiac Killer and the Lipstick Killer. He also states that his father had two photos of Elizabeth Short which turned out to be false in fact, one woman came forward and claimed to be the subject of one of the photos. He sounds like someone with a grudge with his father.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Until we get an official announcement from law enforcement, we can only speculate.

Exactly.
And remember, “The Black Dahlia” mystery is a money maker. Lots of opportunists come out of the woodwork. I am *not* suggesting the fellow claiming his father committed the gruesome murder is a charlatan, I am just agreeing we need confirmation from LE.

Regardless, I have never forgotten this horrid murder, or the final humiliation of display this beautiful girl suffered.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[jaejae]

Exactly.
And remember, “The Black Dahlia” mystery is a money maker. Lots of opportunists come out of the woodwork. I am *not* suggesting the fellow claiming his father committed the gruesome murder is a charlatan, I am just agreeing we need confirmation from LE.

Regardless, I have never forgotten this horrid murder, or the final humiliation of display this beautiful girl suffered.

Amateur opinion and speculation

I agree with you but I think the case is so old there will never be a conclusive answer. You could argue one suspect, I could argue another and someone else another as in the Jack The Ripper case and in a way this will keep the case going of course and people writing books etc. As you touch on very brutal crime.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I agree with you but I think the case is so old there will never be a conclusive answer. You could argue one suspect, I could argue another and someone else another as in the Jack The Ripper case and in a way this will keep the case going of course and people writing books etc. As you touch on very brutal crime.

If they have DNA that isn’t too degraded, you just never know.

 

[jaejae]

If they have DNA that isn’t too degraded, you just never know.

They might do but I am not sure is DNA evidence goes back that far I do not know. This is an interesting subject because it is my opinion there cannot really even be a conclusive answer in the Zodiac case but I might be wrong.

 

[rosesfromangels]

They might do but I am not sure is DNA evidence goes back that far I do not know. This is an interesting subject because it is my opinion there cannot really even be a conclusive answer in the Zodiac case but I might be wrong.

I think both will be resolved, bit of course that is just amateur speculation. Forensics have come a long way.

Another case that has always fascinated me is the disappearance of Jean Spangler.

 

[jaejae]

I think both will be resolved, bit of course that is just amateur speculation. Forensics have come a long way.

Another case that has always fascinated me is the disappearance of Jean Spangler.

Again you may well be right but I am not sure forensics can always been father time retrospectively but we will see. Thanks

 

[rosesfromangels]

Again you may well be right but I am not sure forensics can always been father time retrospectively but we will see. Thanks

Yes, Father Time is a strong force, hard to oppose.

 

[Richard]

The element of "time" is often something which will help in solving a crime. Perpetrators of a specific offense have often done the same thing before and are likely to continue doing it for some period afterward. We are often trying to link one murder to another in an attempt to determine patterns or similarities.

Over time, some criminals do change their signature patterns or MO, and others die, leaving open ends on many cases. But, often a killer will screw up and get caught, charged, tried, and convicted of a murder. With knowledge of that known case, others might be solved by looking forward and backward in time from that one in an attempt to link and solve others.

 

[JohnnyChicago]

It would have been if George Hodel wasn't giving illegal abortions to LAPD police and also judges, celebrities etc
Major coverup. "let our pal Georgie off, who cares about some he butchered, we got to protect our own, he knows too much dirt on us" Is what I imagine them saying. I often wonder how many more women were murdered while George Hodel was living overseas in the Philippines

 

[JohnnyChicago]

In the latest book by Director David Lynch titled "Room to Dream" David discusses how a retired LAPD detective by the name of Det. John St. John at Musso & Franks showed him a photo of Elizabeth Short at the crime scene (severed/dead already) while it was still dark outside. So whoever took that nighttime photo was most likely the killer. I am curious if John St. John got that from another cop or from some LAPD file on George Hill Hodel. I can easily see Hodel doing that.

I contacted Steve Hodel back in April of 2019 and asked him about the night time photo and if he personally had any knowledge of it or if he has seen it himself. His email response is below:

Hodel: "I have not seen the book, "Room to Dream" but someone sent me a magazine article where he mentions those very facts. He Met with Det. John St. John at Musso & Franks and was shown the photo.

I made the drive on Jan 16th (one day after crime day) some years ago. Left the rear alley of the Sowden House at 6am and drove to the vacant lot location. Still dark out and daylight broke about 6:40am. So, depending if the story is true, it could have been taken at the crime scene while still dark. I can see my father wanting to "memorialize" his "masterpiece".
Love to see the photo if it exists?
Thanks,

Steve Hodel
Los Angeles "

 

[Richard]

Regarding night time photos; Cameras back then had flash bulb attachments and bulbs which were the size of golf balls. The flash could illuminate an area up to about 25 feet.