Category Archives: LAPD

August 28, 1958: Intruder kills former actress

Posted on August 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1958: Helene Jerome, described as a retired actress, is found strangled in her apartment at the Las Palmas Hotel. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Cemeteries, Dodgers, Film, Forest Lawn, Front Pages, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | Leave a comment

August 28, 1947: Diamond Street Gang Member Takes Murder Rap ‘for the Gang’

Posted on August 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1947: Earl Bush, 19, member of the Diamond Street gang, says he’s taking a killing rap for the gang. Continue reading →

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

August 27,1958: Woman kills husband over singing, Reds win against Dodgers

Posted on August 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 27, 1958: Anne Benyon was arguing with her husband, Ben, about his singing, and as he hummed a tune, she rolled her wheelchair into the kitchen, got a knife and stabbed him. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | Leave a comment

Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is September 1

Posted on August 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder, Boxie and I will be doing an Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

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August 25, 1907: Death at the Lummis House Over a Garden Hose

Posted on August 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 25, 1907: Death at the Lummis House in a fight that began over a garden hose. Continue reading →

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

Black Dahlia Book Club for August 2026

Posted on August 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Black Dahlia Book Club for August 2026, focusing on the Los Angeles City Archives. Continue reading →

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

Fugitive couple attack LAPD officer, August 17, 1958

Posted on August 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 17, 1958: Fugitive couple from Milwaukee attack LAPD detective during attempted arrest at Alexandria Hotel.
Continue reading →

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August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1907: The L.A. Times describes the Bismark Cafe, known to police as the Bucket of Blood, as “drunken debauchery among girls of tender ages, painted women and men.” It is an “immoral pesthole” where “young girls are enticed nightly do drink and listen to a band concert.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Main Street, Music, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming August 18, 2026

Posted on August 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The next session of the Black Dahlia book club is next Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDPnehmoI4eLqSyfkMxw8FvXBpXHL54I4 I will discuss research resources at the L.A. city archives and elsewhere. Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 | Comments Off on July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper Calls for More LAPD Officers, New Library, More Schools

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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