A question that has lingered in the West since its occurrence is, “Who killed the Black Dahlia?” This is an intriguing case that raises suspicion because of its title, the amount of time it has taken to solve the case, and its sensational nature of murder. A woman by the name of Betty Bersinger discovered the body on January 15, 1947. What appeared to be a dummy was not a dummy at all; in fact, it was the body of Elizabeth Short, mangled and detached. There are many speculations that remain unproven or unanswered about the murder; for instance, why was the crime scene so clean; how did Elizabeth Short get the name “The Black Dahlia”; and who is the killer? Everyone knows Hollywood as the world of movies. Millions of people move there to become …show more content…
A follow up article revealed that Lopez’s own confidential source guaranteed that LAPD files linked Dr. George Hodel to Dahlia murder as a suspect, along with making him a second murder of his secretary. LAPD would not release any information of the second victim. A retired LAPD homicide detective, Steve Hodel, began to adjust to the case. George Hodel, his father, which is a respected Los Angeles doctor, is a suspect of the Black Dahlia. There was a confession, and his father was involved with her. “There was no prosecution probably because of his position of authority and also maybe authorities were bribed.” (CNN News 2003) In today’s time, the crime would have already been solved. Investigation would have been done thoroughly, and the killer probably would have told off on his self. The killer may have also become skeptical and thought that inspectors were getting closer. It’s also possible that he would have kept something for a souvenir. So, Did George Hodel kills Elizabeth Short? This question may never get answered, why? Because George Hodel is dead, and his secret is dead with him. In 2013, the case made its appearance again. An article, San Bernardino Sun, provide recent investigation on the case. Steve Hodel, Officer Paul Dostie, and a dog named Buster had already found incriminating evidence against the late Mr. Hodel, so they figured it could help with this case as well. Buster was taken to the basement where he had previously found decomposing body scents before. Soil samples were taken, and there was a recording of George and an unknown person. The recording stated, “Supposin ' I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn 't prove it now. They can 't talk to my secretary because she 's dead." That’s enough evidence in
On June 19th of 1990, Robert Baltovich’s girlfriend Elizabeth Bain went missing. Elizabeth told her family that she was going to check the tennis schedules at her school, the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. She never returned, but her car was eventually recovered. It was found with blood on the backseat, with forensic tests showing that it was Elizabeth’s. With no clear evidence, the “solving” of the case was completely based on eyewitness testimonies, which eventually had Robert arrested for the murder of his girlfriend.
While Williams Heirens is known for many crimes, his most famous ones are the murders of 3 females. On June 5, 1945, 43-year-old Josephine Ross was found dead in her apartment. She was found with multiple stab wounds across her torso and neck. Her head was wrapped in one of her dresses (Blanco). On December 11, 1945, 31-year-old Frances Brown was found naked in the bathtub of her apartment. Her head was wrapped in her nightclothes, with a knife jammed into her neck, and a bullet in her head. Her neck was slit when she discovered a 17-year-old in her apartment robbing her. After he cut her throat, he shot her in the head to make sure that she was dead. He then proceeded to wash the blood off of her body and wrap her head in her pajamas. After he killed her, he took her lipstick and scrawled on the wall, “Catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself.” On January 7, 1946, 6-year-old Suzanne Degnan was reported missing from her home. Police later found dismembered parts of her body scattered throughout Chicago’s sewage drains. When sewage workers first found her head, they thought it ...
"The True Story of The Black Dahlia Murder." About.com Crime / Punishment. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. .
The next victim that shows the same modus operandi is Annie Chapman. On September 8, 1888 Chapman’s body was found on a walkway leading to a stable yard. Chapman was between the ages of 45-47, was a widow, and a prostitute. She was found to have tuberculos...
On the morning of July 4, 1954, Marilyn Sheppard was violently beaten in her home in Bay Village, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. She was four months pregnant and had been felled by 35 vicious blows (Quade). Right away Sam Sheppard was accused of being the victim to do this. Sheppard had told investigators that he had been asleep downstairs and was awakened by his wife’s screams. Sheppard said when he went upstairs and entered the room he was knocked unconscious by the intruder. He denied any involvement and described his battle with the killer he described as “bushy-haired” (Linder). After a police investigation, Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. With the hectic media covering it, they were quick in decision that it was him that committed the murder. This was an unfair trial, ruined a man’s life, and gave him no time for a career.
Crimelibrary.com, (2014). The Mystery of Howard Hughes — Psychological Autopsy helps us understand controversial deaths — Crime Library. [online] Available at: http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/psych_autopsy/4.html [Accessed 5 May. 2014].
One of three women, whose cases the documentary-markers followed for a year, from the moment emergency phone calls were placed was Sabrina. The second was Helen, who met Lawrence 10 years ago. For a brief period of time he was nice to her and her son, however when her son turned 12, he was having to run for help to stop Lawrence’s beatings. In between those years, there were assaults, promises to change, letters begging forgiveness. Police photographs show the imprint of his shoe on her face. Jemma was punched, dragged and strangled to unconsciousness by Dwayne, who would wait for her to come around each time before he started
Sue Grafton once stated: “Except for cases that clearly involve a homicidal maniac, the police like to believe murders are committed by those we know and love, and most of the time they're right.” This is clearly the thought the Boulder Colorado police conceived in the case of little beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. As many have observed from the onslaught of media coverage, the day after Christmas 1996, six year old Jon Benet Ramsey was found buried under a white blanket, bound, beaten, and strangled to death in the wine cellar of their Boulder home. With such a strikingly rare and glamorous story of a six year old beauty queen dead, who was a part of a “perfect American upper-middle class family”, combined with a lack of a lead and ever mounting suspicion piling up against the parents it was no surprise to find that it was fuel to the media and soon stories sold and became a matter of competition between the press. So, like wildfire, this heart-breaking story spread, stretching across the nation, shattering the souls of the world. News broadcasts, magazine and newspaper articles, and television specials all shaped and molded peoples perceptions of this beautiful child’s murder, especially her parents, John and Pasty Ramsey’s involvement or lack there of. The police and FBI’s merciless quest to connect Jon Benet’s murder to her parents, seemed to cause the them to overlook important evidence, or at the very least dismiss suspicious findings that would otherwise send red flags to investigators. There are many contributors as to why this case remains unsolved including lack of investigative expertise, failure to protect valuable evidence, and focusing too much on the parents as suspects but, ultimately, the over involvement of...
Reporter, Daily Mail. "Police Exhume Bodies of Killers from Truman Capote's In Cold Blood to
These murder cases stayed unsolved for decades, and their resolution may give some sense of closure to the long-suffering families of the victims. But these triumphs are largely symbolic. By congratulating ourselves too much for them, we risk neglecting the challenges of the present.
Davies, K. (2008). The Murder Book: Examining Homicide. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Scott Peterson was an educated man from California Polytechnic State University where he graduated with a B.A. in Agricultural Business. He was married to his wife Laci Peterson who was also pregnant with their unborn son. In December of 2002 Laci Peterson went missing in the Modesto, California area where she shared a home with Scott. Once the investigation of Scott’s missing wife started authorities began to suspect Scott as a suspect in her disappearance. In April of 2003 a fetus and a female torso that was missing hands, feet, and a head were found on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Bay area was where Scott was boating the day of Laci’s disappearance. The body was later identified as Laci Peterson and the fetus as Laci and Scott’s unborn son. Scott was also arrested in the month of April shortly after the discovery of Laci and their son’s body and was later sentenced to the death penalty. Over the course of this paper I will cover the whole event of the disappearance of Laci Peterson, relating it to a sociological theory, the impact the event had on our society and how the media had influence over this national event.
Bardsley, Marilyn. "Murder!" Charles Manson and the Manson Family — — Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
...lice or lawyers used their integrity. The police skirted around the law and use evidence that the witnesses said was not correct. They had a description of the suspect that did not match Bloodsworth but, they went after him as well. They also used eyewitness testimony that could have been contaminated.
Annie Chapman, “Dark Annie”, was a 47 year old homeless prostitute. Suffering from depression and an alcoholic, she mainly sold flowers. Eventually she turned to prostitution despite her basic features such as missing teeth and round figure. She was found murdered on Saturday, September 8, 1888. Her throat was severed and she was very mutilated. Her abdomens had been ripped open and the intestines had been detached and placed on...