Category Archives: LAPD

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, August 2026

Posted on August 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

This is the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for August 2026. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1907: A day at the beach ends in a fight over beer. Evelyn Ferguson is accused of shooting newsboy Charles ‘Winnipeg’ Wilson with a policeman’s gun because Wilson was attacking her friend, who ‘was not in a condition to remember much about how it happened.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is August 4

Posted on July 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: Boxie and I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case next Tuesday, August 4, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. Have questions? Leave them in the comments. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper Calls for More LAPD Officers, New Library, More Schools

Posted on July 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper lists his 20 recommendations, including the Owens River aqueduct, more LAPD officers, a public library, more schools and ‘purification’ of billboards. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Leave a comment

July 26, 1947: Son Cleared of Killing Father During Attack on Mother

Posted on July 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 26, 1947: Son cleared of killing father during attack on mother. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on July 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 25, 1944: William B. Smith’s last words to his angry girlfriend were “Here’s a good spot to shoot, baby,” after he said he was going back to his wife. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Dead Man’s Last Words: ‘Here’s a Good Spot to Shoot, Baby,’ July 25, 1944

July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Vesta Belle Sapenter, an honor student at Jefferson High, is found partially undressed and strangled. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

July 23, 2009: Darryl Thomas Kemp, Paroled Sex Killer Strikes Again, Gets Death Penalty for the Third Time

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 2009: Darryl Thomas Kemp, paroled sex killer, is sentenced to death in the 1978 killing of Armida Wiltsey. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on July 23, 2009: Darryl Thomas Kemp, Paroled Sex Killer Strikes Again, Gets Death Penalty for the Third Time

July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1907: Police capture a burglar who entered a jewelry store through a skylight. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Black Dahlia Book Club for July 2026

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Black Dahlia Book Club for July 2026: an examination of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s files on the murder of Elizabeth Short. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia Book Club for July 2026

July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

Posted on July 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1907: Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Environment, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

July 17, 1907: Hollywood Organizes to Catch Serial Arsonist

Posted on July 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 17, 1907:
A serial arsonist has been at work in Hollywood, setting six fires in the last three weeks. The community’s small volunteer fire department has been overwhelmed by the crimes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Fires, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 17, 1907: Hollywood Organizes to Catch Serial Arsonist

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

Posted on July 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon is found murdered. The Times and the Examiner have different accounts of the killing and the actions of her husband, Antonio. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

July 9, 1907: L.A. Converts Abandoned Church to House Inmates From Crowded Jail

Posted on July 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 9, 1907: The city rents an abandoned church for a temporarily jail. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on July 9, 1907: L.A. Converts Abandoned Church to House Inmates From Crowded Jail

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, July 2026

Posted on July 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

My Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for July 2026. Did filmmakers really find the hidden room where Elizabeth Short was killed? (No, they did not). Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, July 2026

July 5, 1927: Voices — Christine Collins

Posted on July 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 5, 1927: The prison warden replies to Christine Collins regarding parole for her husband, Walter. Christine Collins’ tragedy inspired the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Changeling.’ Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on July 5, 1927: Voices — Christine Collins

July 5, 1907: Beer Is the Health Drink, Like ‘Liquid Bread’

Posted on July 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 5, 1907: See here, you pesky temperance workers, beer is “liquid bread!” It’s good for you! Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 5, 1907: Beer Is the Health Drink, Like ‘Liquid Bread’

July 2, 1947: Man Held in Strangling of Mary Tate

Posted on July 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 2, 1947: Oscar Hallgren is held in the killing of Mary Tate at 107 Weller Street, now Onizuka Street in Little Tokyo. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 2, 1947: Man Held in Strangling of Mary Tate

Voices — Christine Collins, June 30, 1931

Posted on June 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

June, 30, 1931: Police Chief R.E. Steckel tells the parole board that Walter Collins should be considered a habitual criminal. Collins’ wife, Christine, was the inspiration for Clint Eastwood’s film ‘Changeling.’ Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Changeling, Christine Collins, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Comments Off on Voices — Christine Collins, June 30, 1931