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Black Dahlia: Zoom Sessions on the Black Dahlia Case
Because so many people are using Zoom to connect in these uncertain times, I thought it would be interesting to host a series of Zoom sessions on the Black Dahlia. I envision weekly meetings with a...
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Memorial Day in Los Angeles — 1907
Note: This is an encore post from 2006. May 31, 1907 Los Angeles In one Memorial Day observance, Col. James H. Davidson of Pasadena addresses the crowd at Memorial Hall. He says, in part: “Another...
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Black Dahlia: ‘The Murder Squad’ Botches the Black Dahlia Case
I have a longstanding aversion to podcasts, especially “true crime” podcasts and particularly when it comes to “true crime” podcasts about the Black Dahlia. “The Murder Squad,” with Billy Jensen and...
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Black Dahlia: Jacob Edward Fisk, Victim of Long-Running Wikipedia Prank
I decided to randomly surf Wikipedia this morning and I’m never disappointed with how bad it is. Example: Some bozo has restored Jacob Edward Fisk as a “suspect” in the Black Dahlia case. Fisk’s name...
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Black Dahlia: Annual Halloween Reminder
Note: This encore post from 2018 is still timely. Alas. Somewhere, somebody is already thinking about a Black Dahlia costume for Halloween, so here is my annual reminder: Dressing up like the victim...
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Black Dahlia: My 24 Years With L.A.’s Coldest Cold Case
UC Irvine professor Miles Corwin, an old friend from the L.A. Times, spent months interviewing me about the Black Dahlia case. Here is Miles’ deep dive, published in the Delacorte Review, into my...
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Black Dahlia: Dec. 23, 1949 — Jury Finds Dr. George Hodel Not Guilty of...
The Los Angeles Mirror-News, Dec. 23, 1949. Today is the anniversary of a jury of eight women and four men finding Dr. George Hodel not guilty on two counts of molesting his daughter Tamar. I’ll have...
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Black Dahlia: My Annual Donation in Memory of Elizabeth Short
As longtime readers know, I always begin a new year with an annual donation in memory of Elizabeth Short to Heading Home, which works with the homeless in the Boston area. Partly because of my...
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Black Dahlia: On the Anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s Murder, a Guide for the...
My Page 1 story on the Black Dahlia case. Now behind the Los Angeles Times pay wall. The full version of the story (expanded by two-thirds) is available on my old, old website. The anniversary of...
View ArticleBlack Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short
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: Norton Avenue and a Lesson in L.A. Geography Via EBay
An EBay vendor has listed a sign from South Norton Avenue with an asking price of $500, stating that: Elizabeth Short, the infamous Black Dahlia was found brutally murdered, severed in two, just down...
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Black Dahlia: Jean Spangler and the Dr. George Hodel Non-Connection
Executive summary: A story in Entertainment Weekly looks at the 1949 disappearance of bit actress Jean Spangler. The author lists purported suspects, including Dr. George Hodel, whom Steve Hodel has...
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Black Dahlia: Elizabeth Short and the Hotel Cecil — No Connection
Sorry, Netflix. But once again. There is no connection between Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia and the Hotel Cecil. This is Arty, 634 S. Main St., former location of the Dugout Cafe, where bartender...
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Black Dahlia: ‘Bosch’ Author Michael Connelly Says Dahlia Case Is Unsolved
Former L.A. Times reporter and Valley Edition colleague Michael Connelly, author of the “Bosch” novels and TV series, among many other achievements, talks to Tai Freligh of the Wonderland Murders...
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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...
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Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Lies, Some Old, Some New
To the Oct. 26, 2021, audience at the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Public Library who attended Duffy Hudson’s performance delivering the words of Steve Hodel: You should know that virtually everything you...
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George Hodel: ‘Wings of Evil’
I’m told that Steve Hodel has published the last two volumes in his life’s work of accusing his father, George Hodel, of every unsolved killing between 1907 and 1999. The Black Dahlia Avenger has gone...
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Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Many Lies About His Father, Dr. George Hodel
Someone asked me to write a one-paragraph rebuttal to Steve Hodel’s claims about his father, Dr. George Hodel. My reply: Steve Hodel has been lying about his father and the Black Dahlia for nearly 20...
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Black Dahlia: My Annual Donation in Memory of Elizabeth Short
Note: This is an encore post from 2021. As longtime readers know, I always begin a new year with an annual donation in memory of Elizabeth Short to Heading Home, which works with the homeless in the...
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Black Dahlia: When New York Times Reporters Rely on Faulty Memories
Do reporters check the clips when writing for publication? Or do they rely on a faulty memory? In the case of Jill Abramson, reviewing Carl Bernstein’s Chasing History for the New York Times, faulty...
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