Category Archives: Homicide

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 2 Not Guilty of Morals Charges

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT mini-series “I Am the Night” or listening to the eight-part podcast accompanying the production. Reason No. 2: George … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, 1950, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 1 Not a Prime Suspect

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT mini-series “I Am the Night” or listening to the eight-part podcast accompanying the production. Reason No. 1: Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, 1950, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

Posted on December 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 18, 1907 Los Angeles Los Angeles County Coroner Roy S. Lanterman was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly at the Navajo, a bordello run by Ida Hastings, 309 Ord … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: “Little Shoes,” about the murders of three little girls, may not be everybody’s idea of an appropriate holiday gift, but it is more than a “true crime” book. In “Little Shoes” Pamela Everett explores her family’s tragic history in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 2, 1938: California’s First Use of Gas Chamber Horrifies Witnesses; Hanging Is ‘Quicker and Better’

Posted on December 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.   The Times editorialized: Kessel and Cannon were two of five convicts who twisted a wire around the warden’s neck and dragged him into the prison … Continue reading →

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Dec, 7, 2006: Note to "Dahlia Avenger" Fans

Posted on December 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Here’s a publicity still of “Maddy” Comfort from “Kiss Me Deadly” for sale on EBay. Her name is also spelled “Mattie” and “Mady.” Comfort is referred to in the Los Angeles County … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Found on EBay, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec, 7, 2006: Note to "Dahlia Avenger" Fans

Dec. 3, 1907: Gunman Kills LAPD Officer; Dies in Slow Agony Awaiting the Gallows

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 3, 1907 Los Angeles Officer Patrick Lyons had been on the force for four months when he was shot in the head while trying to arrest two robbers a little after … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Crackpot Theory of the Day

Posted on November 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Every so often, my curiosity gets the better of me and I venture out on the Internet to take the pulse of Black Dahlia theories.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Reddit, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nov. 23, 1907: Baby Murdered With Ax, Half-Eaten by Pigs in Garbage Heap

Posted on November 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 23, 1907 South Pasadena Warning: This is a grotesque, tragic story with graphic details. Pasadena Detective Wallace H. Copping is investigating the murder of a young baby boy, whose half-eaten body … Continue reading →

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Nov. 21, 1907: Mother, 17, Throws Baby From Train to Hide ‘Shame’ From Family

Posted on November 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 21, 1907 Los Angeles The woman who threw her baby from an inbound train was arrested at her mother’s home at 12th Street and San Pedro after the girl’s nurse contacted … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 20, 1947: Bobby-Soxer Kills Girl, 5

Posted on November 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Joyce, 13, came home that afternoon and told her father and stepmother what she had done. Her father, an auto body mechanic, ordered his wife and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

Posted on November 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 16, 1907 Los Angeles Mrs. Amanda Cook (she is also identified as Jennie and Mary) came to Los Angeles from Boston in 1906 with two of her children in search of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 10, 1947: Remains of Kidnapped Girl Found in Orange County Ravine

Posted on November 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Bits of clothing found with a child’s skeleton in a small ravine in Orange County yesterday were identified as belonging to 6-year-old Rochelle Gluskoter, who was … Continue reading →

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

Oct. 14, 1907: ‘In 9 cases out of 10, Where There Is a Shooting, There Is Also a Woman’

Posted on October 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 14, 1907 Los Angeles “In nine cases out of ten, where there is a shooting, there is also a woman,” said The Times. In this case, there was Oscar E. Otto, … Continue reading →

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May 23, 1945: Woman Killed Outside Sanitarium; Ex-GI Arrested

Posted on October 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Echoes of Georgette Bauerdorf…. Paging through the Oct. 15, 1947, edition of The Times offers so many choices: meatless Tuesdays to send food to the starving … Continue reading →

Posted in 1945, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Oct. 13, 1907: 2 Die in Tong War

Posted on October 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 13, 1907 Los Angeles Gunmen imported from out of town by the Hop Sing Tong entered the tailor shop of Lem Sing at 806 Juan St. in Chinatown and under the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education, Food and Drink, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Oct. 13, 1907: 2 Die in Tong War

Oct. 5, 1947: Santa Monica Police Link Killing of Teenage Girl to Earlier Stabbing of Teenage Girl

Posted on October 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. It was a response to Kim Cooper’s post on the stabbings of Lillian Dominguez and Barbara Jean Morse. I’m really glad you picked this one, Kim, … Continue reading →

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Feb. 29, 1932: Body Found in Closet of Vacant Home

Posted on September 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Nailed up in the closet of an unoccupied house at 2318 Pontius Ave.., West Los Angeles, the body of Tomas Moreno, 43-year-old Japanese, was discovered yesterday … Continue reading →

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Brian De Palma’s ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on September 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Further note: Rotten Tomatoes, gives this film 32% on the Tomatometer. “The Black Dahlia,” directed by Brian De Palma, screenplay by Josh Friedman based on the novel by James Ellroy. Starring Josh … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: EBay Avenger

Posted on September 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. OK, I’ve had my fun with Ellroy’s copies of the “Avenger” books. The hardback stands at $38 and the paperback at $29. Despite my minimum bids, there is always the risk that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: EBay Avenger