Category Archives: Homicide

Black Dahlia: Larry Harnisch–Ask Me Anything!

Posted on February 28, 2023 by lmharnisch

Here’s my first Ask Me Anything. Also on my YouTube channel! (YouTube.com/LMHarnisch)

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Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel vs. His Mom – Dorothy Hodel Interview Exposes Son’s Lies

Posted on February 19, 2023 by lmharnisch

I, in the persona of NOT Dr. Alan Campbell with “Boxy,” posted a brief video on Dorothy Hodel’s statement to Dist. Atty’s Lt. Frank Jemison. For those who aren’t up for my dramatic reading, here are a few key points … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: How to Read a Story on the Murder of Elizabeth Short, and the Traps That Await Unwary Writers

Posted on January 14, 2023 by lmharnisch

Oxygen posted a story for the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, so I thought I would go through it and point out the sorts of errors that writers usually make. Christina Coulter falls into many of the traps that await … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Black Dahlia: Doug Laux on ‘Selling the Black Dahlia’

Posted on May 30, 2022 by lmharnisch

Here’s Doug Laux’s “story behind the story” on the Black Dahlia. You may have listened to Doug’s Black Dahlia podcast, released in January. Doug spent years on the Dahlia project, pitching it to various people. That “true” crime podcast you … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: A Personal Message to Steve Hodel

Posted on May 17, 2022 by lmharnisch

A short personal message to Steve Hodel. And have a cinnamon roll.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: BethShort.com Domain Listed for $5,499

Posted on April 12, 2022 by lmharnisch

BethShort.com c. 1998, platform for the late, lying John Gilmore and many graphic crime scene photos. If you were on the Infobahn in the dial-up modem days and were interested in the Black Dahlia case, you may recall Pamela Hazleton’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Larry Harnisch Reviews Steve Hodel on ‘Black Dahlia Avenger’

Posted on March 30, 2022 by lmharnisch

I made a “reaction” video of me watching a Steve Hodel Zoom session sponsored by Sisters in Crime of Atlanta. I have been fact-checking Steve Hodel since Black Dahlia Avenger was published in 2003 and even I was amazed by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

William Desmond Taylor Shot!

Posted on February 1, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Mary Mallory points out that this is the 90th anniversary of William Desmond Taylor’s death. I did several posts when the Daily Mirror was at The Times: William Desmond Taylor, Mystery Guest … Continue reading →

Posted in 1922, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2022 by lmharnisch

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.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: When New York Times Reporters Rely on Faulty Memories

Posted on January 7, 2022 by lmharnisch

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 memory wins out, along with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Many Lies About His Father, Dr. George Hodel

Posted on December 24, 2021 by lmharnisch

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 years, so it’s impossible to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, books, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Black Dahlia: Steve Hodel’s Lies, Some Old, Some New

Posted on October 26, 2021 by lmharnisch

  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 heard was a lie. The fault is not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

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.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: My 24 Years With L.A.’s Coldest Cold Case

Posted on September 10, 2020 by lmharnisch

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 decades-long journey exploring the life and death … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Jacob Edward Fisk, Victim of Long-Running Wikipedia Prank

Posted on August 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

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 was added as a prank … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: M.E. Firman, Lady Detective

Posted on June 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

In the early 1900s, most women in the United States lacked the right to vote. Groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association organized to actively campaign for enfranchisement. Winning the vote would lead to other reforms regarding child … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: ‘The Murder Squad’ Botches the Black Dahlia Case

Posted on June 12, 2020 by lmharnisch

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 retired Detective Paul Holes, released an episode earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Zoom Sessions on the Black Dahlia Case

Posted on April 20, 2020 by lmharnisch

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 fairly small group, maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Zoom | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on Jan. 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

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.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: BlackDahliaSolution.Org Is Utter Nonsense

Posted on January 14, 2020 by lmharnisch

I usually don’t publish the crackpot comments I get about the Black Dahlia case, but the anniversary of the killing (Jan. 15) is bringing out more than the usual amount of crazy stuff. So I’ll make an exception for this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Chicago, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments