Category Archives: Homicide

Feb. 1, 1907: A Look at Lynchings

Posted on February 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 1, 1907 Los Angeles I was all set to write about Leroyxez, “The Human Pincushion,” being nailed to a cross promptly at 4 p.m. at Chutes Park, and then a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment

New York City’s Homicide Rate – And a Lesson in Using FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Posted on December 28, 2017 by lmharnisch

Actually, no. Ashley Southall of the New York Times has it wrong in saying that the current homicide rate of 286 is “the lowest since reliable records have been kept.” We can say this because the FBI Uniform Crime Reports … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, Another Good Story Ruined, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on New York City’s Homicide Rate – And a Lesson in Using FBI Uniform Crime Reports

L.A. Murders 1991 – 2014

Posted on May 19, 2016 by lmharnisch

Here is a useful infographic from the spring issue of Blueprint, published by UCLA. Jim Newton has the cover story on Jerry Brown and an interview with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

Posted in 1991, 2014, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Murders 1991 – 2014

Today Is Jan. 15 — The Daily Mirror Sabbatical Begins (Updated)

Posted on January 15, 2015 by lmharnisch

As I wrote in 2014, this year I’m taking a sabbatical from blogging. The mystery photos will continue and Mary Mallory will be writing Hollywood Heights as usual. But the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death seemed to be an appropriate … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 37 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 30

Posted on December 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 21, 1944: Fred Atwood, left, Los Angeles Times. Lulu Atwood, in a photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. In this series of posts on the Georgette Bauerdorf case, we have looked at the history of El Palacio … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 29

Posted on December 2, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 15, 1944: A handout photo of Georgette Bauerdorf, Oakland Tribune. We have been examining the behavior of Georgette Bauerdorf’s killer to see if we could distill something about him, going from least speculative to most speculative rather than chronological … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 28

Posted on November 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Garner Brown and John Schilling examine the Bauerdorf car for fingerprints, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. So far we have been looking at the behavior of the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf to see if we can distill … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf, an Unsolved Murder, Part 26

Posted on November 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

We don’t know much about the man who killed Georgette Bauerdorf, but let’s see what we can infer. The way he killed her was quite unusual (more about that later) and his behavior after the killing was also somewhat unusual. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940, 1944, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Black Dahlia: Ronald Reagan and the Dead Milkmen

Posted on November 7, 2014 by lmharnisch

Wow. Just when I thought I had seen everything — and I mean everything — about the Black Dahlia case.

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

Georgette Bauerdorf: An Unsolved Murder, Part 7

Posted on October 13, 2014 by lmharnisch

  Georgette Bauerdorf found dead, Oct. 13, 1944, Los Angeles Times. Oct. 13, 1944 This account has been assembled from newspaper stories that generally agree, but contradict one another on some details. Newspapers of this era often published long excerpts … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Homicide | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf: An Unsolved Murder, Part 4

Posted on October 8, 2014 by lmharnisch

Jan. 23, 1947: The Herald-Express publishes an article headlined “Werewolves Leave Trail of Women Murders in L.A.” (The obnoxious watermark is so that people who see this image after it has been swiped by Pinterest, skyscraper.com and all the Black … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Wealthy Carmel Woman, 37, Accused in Love Slaying of Ranch Hand, 19

Posted on October 3, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 3, 1944 The sensational trial of Frances Andrews, 37, in the shooting death of Jay Lovett, 19, prompts a crackpot confession letter (a popular pastime in the 1940s, as found in the Black Dahlia case).  This one included receipts … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Suicide | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf: An Unsolved Murder, Part 2

Posted on October 1, 2014 by lmharnisch

The crime scene, 8493 Fountain Ave., via The Times Mapping L.A. Project. Surveys have shown that most L.A. Daily Mirror readers live in Los Angeles or at least in Southern California, so the majority will already know this. I’m including … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Georgette Bauerdorf: An Unsolved Murder, Part 1

Posted on September 30, 2014 by lmharnisch

The unrecommended reading list. Not shown: Donald Wolfe’s “The Black Dahlia Files,” Scotty Bowers’ “Full Service,” Howard Blum’s “American Lightning,” Wikipedia, etc. These are curious times to be a diligent researcher in Los Angeles history. There is more of Los … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Daily Mirror Reader Survey — Georgette Bauerdorf (Updated)

Posted on September 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

Georgette Bauerdorf, from the New York Sun, Oct. 13, 1944, via Fultonhistory.com. In the readers’ choice between “Laura” and Georgette Bauerdorf, the response has been almost universal in favor of looking into the Bauerdorf killing of October 1944. As longtime … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Daily Mirror Reader Survey

Posted on September 26, 2014 by lmharnisch

Here’s a quick question as we head into October: I can keep doing the posts on the making of “Laura.” Or I can cover the unsolved killing of Georgette Bauerdorf (Oct. 13, 1944). But I cannot do both. Which would … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 41 Comments

Wife Stabs Venice Man to Death, Sept. 12, 1944

Posted on September 12, 2014 by lmharnisch

Sept. 12, 1944 Charles Holdren, 45, lived at 1515 Trolleyway, Venice, with his wife, Ellen, and daughters from a previous marriage: Virginia, 20, Peggy, 18, and Lois, 13. He worked as a fish cutter and after Charles and Ellen had … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Wife Stabs Venice Man to Death, Sept. 12, 1944

Dead Man’s Last Words: ‘Here’s a Good Spot to Shoot, Baby,’ July 25, 1944

Posted on July 25, 2014 by lmharnisch

“Here’s a good spot to shoot, baby” are the probably the last words spoken by William B. Smith, 39, a dental technician (or a shipyard worker, depending on the story) who was confronted by his angry girlfriend, waitress Mildred Cook, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Out of the Past: An LAPD Cold Case From 1948

Posted on May 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

The northwest corner of Central and Manchester avenues, as shown on Google Earth. Notice the alley behind the stores. In nine years of blogging about Los Angeles, I have learned that families often launder the past and, understandably, murder is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1948, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

LAPD Officer Accused of Hitting Handcuffed Prisoner, March 5, 1914

Posted on March 17, 2014 by lmharnisch

March 5, 1914: Spring training! I jumped back to 1914 to see if I could find out anything about the Police Commissions order against non-Asian women in Oriental cafes. No luck, alas, but I did find a couple of goodies. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1914, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on LAPD Officer Accused of Hitting Handcuffed Prisoner, March 5, 1914