This is the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for September 2026.

The Black Dahlia Book Club will meet September 15, 2026. The next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case will be October 6, 2026.

I am auctioning for charity a signed, inscribed first edition of Michael Connelly’s The Narrows starting today and ending with the Black Dahlia Book Club on September 15. The winner will donate the bid amount to a charity of their choice in memory of Elizabeth Short. Send me proof of the donation, and the book will be in the mail.

Send bids to LMHarnisch@Gmail.com with “The Narrows” in the subject field. I will post the bids (if any) once a day.

Reminder: Do NOT dress up like the Black Dahlia for Halloween.

In this episode, I discussed the complicated backstory of Killer in the Code and the roles of Mr. Alex Baber, Rick Jackson, Mitzi Roberts, Michael Connelly and the possible role of someone in the Marvin Merrill family.

I also discussed:

–Is Deconstructing Dahlia worth seeing?
–Could Elizabeth Short’s killer be a complete unknown?
–What AI says about George Hodel putting the Sowden House up for sale to cover his legal expenses.
–Can DNA solve the Black Dahlia case?
–What is Rick Jackson’s reputation within the LAPD?
–Is there any proof of Walter Bayley’s decline?
–Are there any transcripts of Cleo Short’s interview? Any record of letters he sent to the family?
–Why would Marvin Margolis/Merrill name a sketch “Elizabeth” when she didn’t go by that name?
–Have I ever spoken to the current custodian of the Black Dahlia files? (I didn’t answer this one completely and I’ll have to go back and pick it up later).
–Did I see the movie Saw?
–Did Harry Hansen believe that the LAPD had spoken to or indexed the killer?
–Would I like to see a movie made on the Black Dahlia case?

Links:

Did the Zodiac Kill the Black Dahlia? This Crime Writer Thinks So, by Alexander Nazaryan in The New York Times (paywall).

The Unraveling of Podcaster Ashley Flowers’ True Crime Empire, Ashley Carman, Bloomberg.

The Roby Heard case in the L.A. Daily Mirror.

The Real L.A. Confidential, by Pete Noyes, discussing the Roby Heard case.

CrimeHQ video of Alex Baber running his mouth for an hour about how brilliant he is and how many cases he has solved.

Eligibility Requirements for Private Security Investigator and/or Security Guard in West Virginia.

Additional Requirements for Licensing as a Private Investigator in West Virginia.