Tag Archives: lapd

September 18, 1933: Bandit Killed, LAPD Officers Wounded in Burlesque Theater Shootout

Posted on September 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 18, 1933: Jack Keating, 30, and John Melvin Early, 35, had a plan to rob the Girlesque Theater at 510 S. Main St., but when the shooting was over, Keating was dead and Early and two men who helped plan the robbery were in jail. Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, September 2025

Posted on September 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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September 13, 1963: Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1963: Joseph Lewis of Highland Park wasn’t terribly concerned when his wife, Anna, disappeared. It was only when her daughter returned from vacation that police were notified. Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

September 13, 1942: Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1942: Retired Lt. George H. Williams,who held LAPD retirement Badge 1, dies at the age of 84. He retired in 1912 after serving with the department for 23 years and was in charge of the detail that brought bodies out of the Times Building after the 1910 bombing. Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Obituaries, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on September 13, 1942: Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Black Dahlia: William J. Mann’s ‘Murders, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood’ — Not a Better Answer in the Dahlia Case, Just a Different One

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, 464 pages, January 27, 2026, $31.   Like a game of Clue with an actual cold case to solve, a well-worn list of suspects … Continue reading →

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

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, September 2025

Posted on September 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and look at the “Black Dahlia” edition of “Clue” based on the infamous list of 22 suspects. Continue reading →

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September 1, 1947: 1,000 World War II Veterans Now in LAPD Uniforms

Posted on September 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 1, 1947: More than 1,000 new LAPD officers are World War II veterans. “We’re going to have a young and strong Police Department,” Assistant Chief Joe Reed says. Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 28, 2025 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 →

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August 25, 1947: Police Investigate Death of Doctor’s Wife

Posted on August 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 25, 1947: Susanne Castillo is found dead in a bathtub and her husband, Dr. Manuel de J. Castillo, is suspected. Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, August 2025

Posted on August 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 12, 2025 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 Aug. 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Aug. 11, 1947: Two Men Found Shot to Death in Bizarre Mystery

Posted on August 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 11, 1947: Two men are found shot to death in a motel room on Cahuenga Boulevard. They were fully clothed except for their shoes. Continue reading →

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L.A. Welcomes Harbor Freeway Extension With Four-Block Traffic Jam

Posted on August 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 8, 1953: If you build it, they will drive. New extension of Harbor Freeway results in four-block traffic jam. And a Marine deserter is killed by a liquor store owner during an attempted robbery. Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, African Americans, Comics, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Welcomes Harbor Freeway Extension With Four-Block Traffic Jam

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, August 2025

Posted on August 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and look at William Mann’s forthcoming “Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood.” 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, 2025 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 →

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

Posted on July 25, 2025 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, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Jefferson High honor student Vesta Belle is found strangled in her bedroom. Continue reading →

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

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

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, July 2025

Posted on July 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, July 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a summary of the forthcoming book that “solves” the Black Dahlia case, Eli Frankel’s “Sisters in Death.” Continue reading →

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