The Murder Of 'The Black Dahlia' And The Man That Is Convinced His Father Was The Killer
On the morning of January 15, 1947, Betty Bersinger, a mother out for a morning walk with her child, stumbled upon a sight so ghastly it would haunt Los Angeles for decades. As she walked down Norton Avenue, she spotted what she initially believed to be a discarded mannequin in an empty lot. Upon closer inspection, Bersinger realised with horror that she had found the severed corpse of a young woman. She quickly ran to alert the authorities, setting in motion one of the most infamous murder investigations in American history.
The victim was soon identified as Elizabeth Short, who would become known posthumously as the Black Dahlia. Short’s body had been gruesomely mutilated, cut in half at the waist, with pieces of flesh removed from her thighs and breasts. Her intestines were placed neatly under her buttocks, and her stomach contained feces, suggesting she had been forced to consume them before her death. The most chilling aspect was the lacerations on her face, with cuts extending from the corners of her mouth to her ears. The meticulous cleaning of her body before being posed in the lot indicated she had been killed elsewhere.
The LAPD and the FBI quickly got involved. Elizabeth Short’s fingerprints were on file due to her prior application for a job at the U.S. Army’s Camp Cooke and an arrest for underage drinking. The media swiftly picked up the case, and soon every sordid detail of Short’s life was splashed across headlines, branding her as a sexual deviant and coining the moniker “The Black Dahlia,” inspired by her preference for black clothing and the then-popular film “The Blue Dahlia.”
Elizabeth Short’s mother, Phoebe Short, learned of her daughter’s tragic fate in the most callous manner possible. Reporters from The Los Angeles Examiner tricked her into believing Elizabeth had won a beauty contest, only to pump her for information before revealing the grim truth. The media frenzy turned Elizabeth Short’s life into a lurid tale, suggesting she was promiscuous and a tease, which only served to muddy the waters of the investigation.
The murder investigation was one of the largest and most intense in LAPD history, with over 750 investigators on the case and more than 150 potential suspects interviewed. Despite receiving numerous confessions, none were deemed credible. The case went cold, leaving behind a legacy of theories and speculation.
One of the most compelling theories came from retired LAPD detective Steve Hodel, who, after his father’s death in 1999, found photographs resembling Elizabeth Short among his father’s belongings. Hodel’s father, George Hodel, was a prominent doctor with a dark history. Steve Hodel’s investigation led him to believe his father was the Black Dahlia killer. George Hodel had the medical knowledge to perform the precise hemicorporectomy seen in Short’s mutilation, and a receipt for a concrete bag found at the crime scene linked him to the murder. Chillingly, George Hodel was recorded in a bugged conversation with a mysterious admission of guilt.
Despite the compelling evidence, George Hodel was never formally charged, and the case remains open. Steve Hodel’s book, “Black Dahlia Avenger: The True Story,” posits that his father may have been responsible for other murders as well, painting a picture of a possible serial killer shielded by his status and connections.
Another intriguing theory was proposed by British author Piu Eatwell in her 2017 book “Black Dahlia, Red Rose: The Crime, Corruption, and Cover-Up of America’s Greatest Unsolved Murder.” Eatwell argued that Leslie Dillon, a bellhop and former mortician’s assistant, killed Short at the behest of Mark Hansen, a nightclub owner infatuated with her. Dillon’s knowledge of the crime scene details, coupled with his connection to Hansen and the discovery of a blood-stained room at a local motel, provided a plausible scenario. However, alleged police corruption and Hansen’s influence led to Dillon’s release without charges.
The mystery of the Black Dahlia endures, with each theory adding layers of intrigue to an already convoluted case. Whether it was George Hodel, Leslie Dillon, or another unknown assailant, the truth remains elusive. Seventy-seven years later, the murder of Elizabeth Short continues to fascinate and horrify, a dark chapter in the annals of true crime. As new theories and evidence occasionally emerge, the hope persists that one day, the Black Dahlia’s killer will finally be unmasked, bringing closure to one of America’s most enduring mysteries.
Comments