The Black Dahlia Murder: An Investigation Gone Wrong!
Below is a research paper about the Black Dahlia’s Death.
The Black Dahlia’s Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder: An Investigation Gone Wrong!
Could wealth and political connections have shielded a doctor from justice for a brutal and sadistic murder? On January 15, 1947: Elizabeth Short, a 22- year-old aspiring actress, is found brutally murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. Her body had been bisected at the waist, her torso drained of blood, and her face slashed with the "Glasgow smile." One can identify the patterns and trends of this gruesome murder that was never solved by looking at the following facts: Elizabeth was young and attractive, the murder was brutal and sadistic, the body was displayed in a public place, and the killer was never identified. Was this the work of a serial killer? Who Killed Elizabeth Short? The Los Angeles police department did not arrive at the scene first, but two reporters did. The reporters took photos of the crime scene, and there is speculation that the scene may have been contaminated. January 16, 1947: The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) begins their official investigation into the murder of Elizabeth Short. They quickly identified several suspects including George Hodel, Walter Bayley, and Leslie Dillon. The suspects listed here are just few of the many that have been listed to the present day.
This research investigation will focus mainly on George Hodel. Who was George Hodel? And why should we look at this suspect a bit closer? Gorge Hodel had a history with LAPD.
Dr. Hodel had been a crime reporter in LA before he trained as a doctor in San Francisco. He had led an unconventional life, fathering children by different women, living in ménage à trois—
In 1949, he was prosecuted for incest and oral copulation with the then 14-year-old Tamar. She gave evidence that he had made her take part in orgies at their home (Duncan). The fact that Dr. Hodel was acquitted of molestation of his daughter leads to believe he had connections that made it possible for the charges to be dropped. Let’s look at another fact, that points to Dr. Hodel as the primary suspect. Dr. Hodel had medical training, and the police determined the killer had a sophisticated medical background that included a special training called hemicorporectomy. Hemicorporectomy refers to the surgical removal of the lower portion of the body, including the pelvis, pelvic contents, and the lower extremities. The term originated from the words "corpus" which means body and "ectomy" meaning excision (Taber’s Cyclopedic). Hemicorporectomy is radical surgery that is performed only if the individual is facing sepsis or has advanced cancer. In addition, the body had been drained of blood and only a small amount of blood and water that belong to Short was found at the scene. Dr. Hodel specialty was treatment of venereal disease, and he had a reputation for falsifying health records and lying about patient’s diagnosis to make money. One last factor to consider for culpability is that Dr. Hodel was having an affair with Short. The relationship between short and Hodel was often volatile. Hodel was controlling and possessive, and he would often become jealous of Short’s other relationships. Short on the other hand, was resentful of Hodel’s wealth and status. The affair came to an end in December 1946, just few weeks before Short was murdered (Hodel).
On the other hand, we can look at Dr. Hodel and ascertain factors that released him from being a prime suspect in the murder of Elizabeth Short. The first factor was lack of physical evidence tying him to the murder. The only evidence that the LAPD had was their tumultuous, circumstantial relationship and the doctor’s history of violence towards women. The case was plagued from day one with the inability of LAPD to secure and process evidence in a safe manner. For example, two fingerprints were recovered at scene and sent to a forensic lab for analysis, but they were destroyed during transportation to the lab. The autopsy revealed that Short’s rectum had been dilated to 1-3/4” but no sperm evidence was found in the rectum either. Also, LAPD secretly bugged Hodel’s home and recorded him saying Supposin ' I did kill the Black Dahlia. They can't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary anymore because she's dead. They thought there was something fishy. Anyway, now they may have figured it out. Killed her. Maybe I did kill my secretary. This semi-confession was not enough to convict Hodel for the crime due to the lack of physical incriminating evidence. The last fact is that many believe the LAPD was unwilling to charge Dr. Hodel with the murder because he was wealthy and well connected politically (Hodel).
Therefore, identifying the patterns and trends are critical to help solve the Black Dahlia’s brutal and sadistic death. We can determine that the amount of detail given to the body of Elizabeth Short postmortem by the killer had a significant amount of detail and medical skill. The killer used Short’s body like a canvas portraying anger with all the mutilations, the arms were used as exclamations, and the face was painted with a joker’s smile, as to say I am going to show you to laugh at me! The detail given to the corpse means that the assailant new the victim and possibly had much hate and resentment because the relationship ended. Dr. Hodel was a skilled surgeon and had the money to support a made-up surgical room in his large luxury home or property. In addition, Dr. Hodel’s character and behavior made him a suspect in the eyes of the LAPD but not even the half secretly recorded confession was concrete enough to charge him with the murder of Elizabeth Short. Also, the two mishandled fingerprints left at the crime scene were not admissible in court. The evidence strongly suggests that Dr. George Hodel was the primary or sole perpetrator of the brutal and sadistic murder. Someday, we may discover DNA forensic evidence hidden in George Hodel’s home that will finally convict him of this crime.
Works Cited
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles. "Black Dahlia killer trail leads to my father, says ex-cop: Former LA detective claims parent was a Ripper figure who probably killed many other women". The Guardian (London), April 19, 2003. advance-lexis-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:48D9-CRP0-00VR-R485-00000-00&context=1516831. Accessed May 29, 2023.
“Hemicorporectomy.” Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Jan. 2005, p. 958. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=21230346&site=eds-live.
Hodel, Steve. Black Dahlia Avenger: The Uncensored story of the Black Dahlia Murder and the man Who Got /Away with it. HarperCollins, 2009. Accessed May 30, 2023.