Today is Jan. 15, the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark.
Trim your roses in her memory.
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Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short
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Black Dahlia: Elizabeth Short’s ‘Lost Week’ and the Latest Alleged ‘New Evidence’
Oh dear. A self-styled “expert” has “new evidence” in the Black Dahlia case. I’m not even linking to this tacticool fool.
On the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, Chicagoland TV could apparently not resist some bizarre claims of “new evidence” in the Black Dahlia case, by a self-styled “expert.” Oh dear. Did they run their story past anyone who knows anything about the case? Well, this is Fox, so you can pretty much guess the answer is: “No, why would we do that?”
The Jan. 15 anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder was marked by two dubious events. The first was Steve Hodel insisting, as he often does, that there was no “lost week” and that there were numerous sightings of Elizabeth Short before her murder. As proof, he cites newspaper accounts of purported sightings — she was reportedly seen all over Los Angeles and in San Diego. And then in a bizarre twist of reason, he goes on to blame the press for creating the myth of the “lost week.”
The reality, which is what we deal with here, is that nobody saw Elizabeth Short after Robert Manley left her at the Biltmore on Jan. 9, 1947. Here we have the testimony of Homicide Detective Harry Hansen under oath before the Los Angeles County Grand Jury:
“We have never been able to find anyone that saw the victim after Robert Manley dropped her at the Biltmore Hotel at – on the 8th day of January (it was actually Jan. 9).”
I would expect Steve Hodel has seen this testimony – he certainly has access to it – so why he ignores it is beyond me.
In another trip to reality, I would note that Patrolwoman Myrl McBride, whom Steve Hodel interviewed many years after the fact, identified Elizabeth Short based on a description. When investigators showed McBride a photo of Elizabeth Short, she was far less confident in her story. The story, widely reported in the papers at the time, is long and the young woman wasn’t Elizabeth Short so I won’t rehash it here.
Executive summary on “new evidence” in the Black Dahlia case: Alex Baber, founder of Cold Case Consultants of America, has compiled a database of “serial killers’ letters” (no, I am not making this up). And he ran the so-called Black Dahlia letters through his Serial-Killer-Vac 3000 and determined similarities to other serial killers, both conveniently dead.
Forgetting that:
1) Only the first “letter” (addressed with cut-out letters and containing items from her purse) was from whoever killed Elizabeth Short. All the rest were pranks — All Of Them. Sorry, that means you, too, Black Dahlia Avenger. Think of it — a “true” crime franchise two decades in the making based on a prank letter.
2) The murder of Elizabeth Short wasn’t a serial killing. (What?) No, really, there’s nothing like it. That’s another post, but, truly, there is not another case like the murder of Elizabeth Short. Not Suzanne Degnan, not Jeanne French. Not anybody.
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Black Dahlia: Larry Harnisch Reviews Steve Hodel on ‘Black Dahlia Avenger’
I made a “reaction” video of me watching a Steve Hodel Zoom session sponsored by Sisters in Crime of Atlanta.
I have been fact-checking Steve Hodel since Black Dahlia Avenger was published in 2003 and even I was amazed by some of his lies. Notice that Elizabeth Short is barely mentioned in Steve’s presentation. It’s all about his “journey.”
Steve is a skilled liar and in this video, he unintentionally gives a master class in how police officers lie: He is always confident, self-assured, if he sees an inconvenient fact coming his way, he sidesteps it. He gives out the minimal information and nothing extra. He never gets rattled or loses his cool. He is always in control of the narrative. When he cannot dispute the facts, he attacks the individual, which is what he does with me. I’m the “sour grapes” hardcore “naysayer” who dares to question the great LAPD homicide detective.
Part 1 runs 112 minutes. I’ll post Part 2 in a few days.
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Black Dahlia: BethShort.com Domain Listed for $5,499
BethShort.com c. 1998, platform for the late, lying John Gilmore and many graphic crime scene photos.
If you were on the Infobahn in the dial-up modem days and were interested in the Black Dahlia case, you may recall Pamela Hazleton’s now-defunct website BethShort.com, with its color scheme of black backgrounds, white type and bright yellow links. The website launched in the late 1990s and had a curious affiliation (always denied) with the late, lying John Gilmore (d. 2017).
I clashed with Pamela in 1997 over her display of so many photos of Elizabeth Short’s body (provided by the late, lying John Gilmore) and for being a platform for so many lies by the late John Gilmore. Sadly, she did not share my concerns and was more than happy to post the images (provided by the late, lying John Gilmore) so that they spread all over the world and have appeared on record covers, outsider art, cellphone cases, you name it.
Pamela later got into the habit of asking readers for money to keep her rarely updated website going (I think we all know the cost of maintaining a website is virtually nil these days). For a long time, the website was down, but Pamela kept the domain.
So I am happy to report that the domain BethShort.com is up for sale. For only $5,499 on Go Daddy.
Bye, Pamela.
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Black Dahlia: A Personal Message to Steve Hodel
A short personal message to Steve Hodel. And have a cinnamon roll.
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Black Dahlia: Doug Laux on ‘Selling the Black Dahlia’
Here’s Doug Laux’s “story behind the story” on the Black Dahlia. You may have listened to Doug’s Black Dahlia podcast, released in January. Doug spent years on the Dahlia project, pitching it to various people. That “true” crime podcast you loved so much? Yeah, it’s a business and like anything else in the entertainment industry, it can be sleazy.
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Black Dahlia: Halloween and Why Murder Victim Cosplay Is Wrong
Halloween is coming up, so I’ll issue my annual warning: Don’t dress up like “The Black Dahlia.” It’s not honoring the memory of Elizabeth Short. It’s not “Justice for Beth,” however you might define it. Just don’t do it.
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Black Dahlia–Why I Don’t Give Black Dahlia Interviews and a Progress Report on My Book
I decided to start the year with something different — a video update.
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Black Dahlia: How to Read a Story on the Murder of Elizabeth Short, and the Traps That Await Unwary Writers
Oxygen posted a story for the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, so I thought I would go through it and point out the sorts of errors that writers usually make.
Christina Coulter falls into many of the traps that await writers who assume that published articles, even from reputable sources, are accurate. And if you want to honor the memory of Elizabeth Short on the anniversary of her murder – trim your roses.
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Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel vs. His Mom – Dorothy Hodel Interview Exposes Son’s Lies
I, in the persona of NOT Dr. Alan Campbell with “Boxy,” posted a brief video on Dorothy Hodel’s statement to Dist. Atty’s Lt. Frank Jemison. For those who aren’t up for my dramatic reading, here are a few key points and the actual interview:
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Dorothy Hodel says that Dr. George Hodel never practiced surgery. His specialty was VD and administrative medicine.
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Dorothy Hodel says that she and George Hodel obtained an interlocutory divorce in 1944 (when Steve Hodel was about age 3) and final divorce decree in 1945 (when Steve Hodel was about 4).
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Dorothy Hodel says that she was living with her brother – not at the Franklin House — when Elizabeth Short was killed.
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Dorothy Hodel says that George Hodel was never interested in earning money, only in medicine.
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Dorothy Hodel says she is a housewife, not a writer; that she has worked as a writer but not at the present time (1950).
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Dorothy Hodel says that Lillian Lenorak was a “mental case.” Lenorak was the woman who said George Hodel “dated” Elizabeth Short and was the only person to say so. Everyone else Jemison interviewed said there was no connection between George Hodel and Elizabeth Short.
If you have been paying attention, Steve Hodel has been claiming the opposite of all this: That his father was a prominent surgeon (sorry, no); he and his brothers were “princes” in the Sowden House; that they were living there in 1947, when Elizabeth Short was killed – though conveniently away that time; that George Hodel was rich and powerful; that his mother was a screenwriter; and that Lillian Lenorak (though never identified by name) clinches that George Hodel “dated” Elizabeth Short.
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Black Dahlia: Larry Harnisch–Ask Me Anything!
I’ll be live tomorrow (March 1) at 10 a.m. on my YouTube channel! (YouTube.com/LMHarnisch)
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything
Coming next week: Ask me anything about the Black Dahlia case, Tuesday, April 4, at 10 a.m.
Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them!
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything on YouTube for April 2023
Here’s my latest “ask me anything” on the Black Dahlia case.
I talked about John Gilmore, Steve Hodel, Piu Eatwell, the crime scene and the LAPD investigation, among many other Dahlia-related subjects.
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything – May 2, 2023
Coming next week: Ask me anything about the Black Dahlia case, Tuesday, May 2, at 10 a.m.
Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends.
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything – May 2023
Here’s my latest Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case.
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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is June 6
Reminder: I’ll be doing an “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, June 6, at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends.
One of the more intriguing questions: Where is Steve Hodel?
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything for June 2023
Here’s the Ask Me Anything for June 2023. Thanks to everyone who stopped by.
Anyone seen Steve Hodel lately?
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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is July 4
Reminder: I’ll be doing an “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, July 4, at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends.
Our big mystery of last month? Where is Steve Hodel? I think we found him. Temporarily.
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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, July 2023
Here’s the Ask Me Anything for July. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello!
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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is August 1
Reminder: Boxy and I will be doing a live “Ask Me Anything” on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
I’ll give an update on the book and talk about two popular subjects: Carl Balsiger — a viable suspect? And allegations of corruption in the LAPD in the 1930s and ’40s.
Can’t make the live session? Email me your questions and I’ll answer them! The video will be posted once the session ends so you can watch it later.
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