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{\an1}(dramatic music)
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{\an1}- Tonight, a mysterious
and gruesome crime
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{\an1}that’s haunted the
public for decades.
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{\an1}- The tragic story
of Elizabeth Short,
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{\an1}known as the Black Dahlia,
is a murder mystery
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{\an1}that just doesn’t go away.
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{\an1}- The victim is a young beauty,
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{\an1}and like Jack the Ripper
or the Zodiac Killer,
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00:00:26,652 --> 00:00:31,072
{\an1}her murderer has never been
caught or even identified.
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00:00:31,114 --> 00:00:33,704
{\an1}- The police are definitely
working off the idea
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00:00:33,742 --> 00:00:35,162
{\an1}that this is a
personal vendetta.
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{\an1}- How many bad men does it
take to kill one 22-year-old?
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{\an1}- A young wannabe starlet
in Hollywood contrasted
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{\an1}with this very horrible death.
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{\an1}- Now we explore
the top theories
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{\an1}surrounding one of history’s
most notorious unsolved crimes.
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{\an1}- You’ve got this very violent,
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{\an1}very vicious killer out
there and nobody knows
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{\an1}when he’s gonna strike again.
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{\an1}- Back then, when you
had power, you had money,
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{\an1}you had prestige, you
could get away with murder.
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{\an1}- Who killed the infamous
Black Dahlia and why?
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{\an1}(dramatic music)
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{\an1}For over seven decades,
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{\an1}the Los Angeles Police
Department has kept
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{\an1}the Black Dahlia
murder case open.
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{\an1}Each new detective assigned
to this legendary cold case
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{\an1}must first review the evidence.
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{\an1}Los Angeles, California,
January 15, 1947.
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{\an1}It’s an uncharacteristically
cool morning
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{\an1}in Leimert Park.
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{\an1}- There’s a local
resident who’s walking
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{\an1}in the early morning hours
about 10:00 with a toddler,
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{\an1}and she sees something
that looks like a mannequin
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{\an1}in an open field.
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{\an1}- Mannequin that appears
to be broken in half.
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{\an1}She thinks it’s a prank.
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{\an1}She calls the police.
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{\an1}Police come and it ends up
being anything but a mannequin.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] What
they’re really looking at
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{\an1}is the bisected corpse
of a young woman,
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{\an1}naked, scrubbed, cleaned,
and drained of all her blood.
43
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{\an1}- This was a very brutal murder.
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{\an1}The body’d been
severed at the waist
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{\an1}and had likewise been mutilated.
46
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{\an1}- One of her breasts
has been removed.
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{\an1}There is an incision or
a gash above her genitals
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{\an1}resembling a hysterectomy scar.
49
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{\an1}The body was left in a position
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{\an1}that is both shocking and
sexual at the same time.
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{\an1}- This tattoo had been
cut away from her thigh,
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{\an1}a tattoo of a rose, and
inserted somewhere else
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{\an1}that I’m not sure if you
want me describing on camera.
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{\an1}There were signs of torture.
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{\an1}There were signs
she had been beaten
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{\an1}and maybe most importantly,
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{\an1}there was no blood at the
scene of this homicide.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Her face
was severely beaten.
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{\an1}Her mouth has been
slashed from ear to ear
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{\an1}in a grisly smile.
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{\an1}- The police initially believe
that she had been killed
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{\an1}sometime between 10 to
12 hours before her body
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{\an1}was most likely dumped
at that location.
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{\an1}- The medical
examiner, upon autopsy,
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00:03:03,892 --> 00:03:07,152
{\an1}determined that the individual
died from a concussion,
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{\an1}hemorrhaging, and
trauma to the body.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Mercifully,
she was already dead
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{\an1}when the killer carved
up the rest of her.
69
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{\an1}- The way the body has been
cut in half is very specific.
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{\an1}The body has been cut
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{\an1}between the second and
third lumbar vertebrae.
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{\an1}It’s called a hemicorporectomy.
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{\an1}- This is the exact point
where you would cut someone
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{\an1}without having to
go through bone.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators
believe the killer
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{\an1}has to be someone
with medical training
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{\an1}or at least
expertise in anatomy.
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{\an1}- There were people that
the LAPD interviewed
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{\an1}that were doctors.
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{\an1}They actually investigated
300 medical students at USC
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{\an1}to find out if one
of them had done it.
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{\an1}- The very next day, officers
run the victim’s prints,
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{\an1}and within a few hours,
they have a name.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] She is
22-year-old Elizabeth Short
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{\an1}from the Boston suburb of
Medford, Massachusetts.
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{\an1}- Her fingerprints were on file
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00:04:00,824 --> 00:04:03,244
{\an1}with police and FBI databases
’cause she had applied
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{\an1}for a job at a California
military camp in 1943.
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00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:09,543
{\an1}And she had also been
arrested for underage drinking
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{\an1}in Santa Barbara County.
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{\an1}The prior arrest for underage
drinking in Santa Barbara
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{\an1}does become relevant
here because
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{\an1}the arresting officer knew
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{\an1}that she had a rose
tattoo on her left leg,
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{\an1}and that was in the report.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators
begin looking into
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{\an1}Elizabeth Short’s
background for more clues.
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{\an1}She was raised by
a single mother
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{\an1}in a middle-class family.
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{\an1}- At a very early age,
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{\an1}her father faked his
suicide and left the family.
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{\an1}- She was a young
woman who left her home
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{\an1}to come find fame and fortune,
maybe, in Los Angeles.
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{\an1}- A beautiful young woman
cut down in the prime
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{\an1}of her life by this, you
know, shadowy creature.
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{\an1}It’s kind of the archetype
of the kinda crime
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{\an1}that captures the American
public’s attention.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Police and
reporters try to get a lead
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{\an1}on Beth’s life, but
the more they dig in,
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00:05:01,635 --> 00:05:04,355
{\an1}the more of a
mystery she becomes.
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{\an1}- She’s a high school dropout
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{\an1}and she’s kinda bouncing
around from friend to friend,
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{\an1}you know, what the youngsters
call couch surfing now.
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{\an1}So she was really trying
to figure out what it is
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{\an1}that she wants to
do with herself.
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{\an1}When she came to LA,
Beth describes herself
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{\an1}as an aspiring actress.
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{\an1}However, there’s no evidence
that she ever auditioned
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{\an1}for any roles.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] It’s in Long
Beach, California in mid-1946
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{\an1}that Short picks up the nickname
that will stick with her
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{\an1}after her death.
123
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{\an1}- Elizabeth Short liked
hanging out at this diner,
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{\an1}and the customers there had
actually named her Black Dahlia
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{\an1}because she dyed her hair black.
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{\an1}She liked wearing
black clothing.
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{\an1}And a movie called "The Blue
Dahlia" had just come out.
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{\an1}And so they named
her the Black Dahlia.
129
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{\an1}- A month before Beth’s murder,
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{\an1}she told friends that she
was going to the Bay Area
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{\an1}to visit her sister.
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{\an1}But in reality, she
went to San Diego.
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{\an1}- And there, she sleeps
in a movie theater.
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{\an1}One of the women working
at the movie theater
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{\an1}lets Elizabeth Short live
with her and her family
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{\an1}for about a month.
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{\an1}But eventually,
they tire of her,
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{\an1}and that’s when she, you know,
starts up with Red Manley.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] On the
evening of January 9,
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{\an1}six days before her dead body
will be found in Leimert Park,
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{\an1}Beth is given a ride
back to Los Angeles
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{\an1}by a traveling salesman
named Red Manley.
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{\an1}- He said she was very fidgety,
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{\an1}she couldn’t sit still.
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{\an1}She just seemed
very uncomfortable.
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{\an1}Red Manley tells police
that he dropped Beth off
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{\an1}at the Biltmore Hotel
in Downtown Los Angeles,
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{\an1}and then he heads home.
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{\an1}Officers checked out his alibi
and everything rang true.
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{\an1}And so the last time that
Beth was seen by anyone
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{\an1}was about 10:00 p.m.
at the Biltmore.
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{\an1}Doorman said he walked her
out and that was the last time
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{\an1}anyone had seen her.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Six days
later, she’ll be dead.
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{\an1}And the biggest manhunt
in LA history kicks off.
156
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{\an1}- One of the first witnesses
that investigators talked to
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{\an1}was her on-again,
off-again friend,
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{\an1}sometime housemate,
roommate, Ann Toth.
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00:07:09,429 --> 00:07:11,389
{\an1}Toth is the one that
points investigators
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{\an1}in the direction of their first
real suspect, Mark Hansen.
161
00:07:16,311 --> 00:07:18,861
{\an1}- Mark Hansen was the operator
of the Florentine Gardens
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{\an1}on Hollywood Boulevard.
163
00:07:20,649 --> 00:07:23,439
{\an1}It was a very
popular dance club.
164
00:07:23,485 --> 00:07:25,862
{\an1}- He’s this Danish millionaire.
165
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{\an1}He has lots of very
powerful friends.
166
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{\an1}He’s very influential,
167
00:07:29,950 --> 00:07:32,540
{\an1}and he lives in this
house on Carlos Avenue.
168
00:07:32,577 --> 00:07:35,907
{\an1}- This was kind of a haven
for dancers at his club,
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{\an1}for people who would
just come to the city
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{\an1}and wanted to be actresses,
171
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{\an1}just people chasing
the dream of Hollywood.
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{\an1}- [Laurence] Ann Toth is
one of the women who lives
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{\an1}in the Carlos Avenue home.
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{\an1}She tells police that
Beth lived there too,
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{\an1}off and on between May
and November of 1946.
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{\an1}- One of the reasons that
Toth directed officers
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{\an1}to Mark in the first
place is because she knew
178
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{\an1}that he was completed obsessed
and infatuated with Beth.
179
00:08:02,941 --> 00:08:06,491
{\an1}- He would forbid her to
bring other men to the house,
180
00:08:06,528 --> 00:08:09,778
{\an1}which sounds like, you know,
the jealous boyfriend type.
181
00:08:09,823 --> 00:08:12,203
{\an1}- Hansen was described as
fixated on Elizabeth Short.
182
00:08:12,283 --> 00:08:14,953
{\an1}He had this unrequited
sexual interest in her.
183
00:08:14,995 --> 00:08:18,335
{\an1}So she’s trying to find
a way to, you know,
184
00:08:18,373 --> 00:08:21,423
{\an1}kind of shoo him off sexually
without infuriating him,
185
00:08:21,459 --> 00:08:24,549
{\an1}so she comes up with this
fiction that she’s a virgin.
186
00:08:24,587 --> 00:08:28,797
{\an1}- The fact that Beth rebuffed
Mark Hansen with stories
187
00:08:28,883 --> 00:08:32,092
{\an1}of, "I’m a virgin," probably
only fueled his desire
188
00:08:32,136 --> 00:08:34,136
{\an1}to want her all the more.
189
00:08:34,179 --> 00:08:37,230
{\an1}- [Laurence] The stormy
relationship doesn’t end there.
190
00:08:37,267 --> 00:08:39,767
{\an1}- To avoid any
conflict with Mark,
191
00:08:39,811 --> 00:08:41,941
{\an1}it’s rumored that she was
having her gentlemen friends
192
00:08:41,980 --> 00:08:44,070
{\an1}drop her off about a
block away from his house.
193
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{\an1}Now, this just infuriates him,
194
00:08:46,276 --> 00:08:49,066
{\an1}so Mark doesn’t speak to
Beth now for several days.
195
00:08:49,112 --> 00:08:51,112
{\an1}- [Laurence] Things
allegedly come to a head
196
00:08:51,156 --> 00:08:53,816
{\an1}in early November 1946.
197
00:08:53,867 --> 00:08:56,537
{\an1}- Ann Toth had told the
police that the final straw
198
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{\an1}in this relationship between
Mark Hansen and Elizabeth Short
199
00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,460
{\an1}is that Hansen had told
Elizabeth that it was only her,
200
00:09:03,501 --> 00:09:05,041
{\an1}it was all about her,
he was obsessed with
201
00:09:05,086 --> 00:09:06,496
{\an1}or fixated on her.
202
00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:08,046
{\an1}And then he brings
another woman home,
203
00:09:08,089 --> 00:09:11,879
{\an1}and she sees this and
suddenly is now aggravated.
204
00:09:11,926 --> 00:09:13,426
{\an1}And there is some kind of,
205
00:09:13,470 --> 00:09:14,680
{\an1}I don’t know if
they come to blows
206
00:09:14,763 --> 00:09:15,973
{\an1}or it’s just a verbal argument,
207
00:09:16,014 --> 00:09:17,974
{\an1}but something
happens between them
208
00:09:18,016 --> 00:09:21,056
{\an1}and that is kind of where
things completely fall apart
209
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{\an1}between Hansen and Short.
210
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{\an1}The morning after
this explosion,
211
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{\an1}Hansen does evict
her from the property
212
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{\an1}where she’s been staying.
213
00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,940
{\an1}- [Laurence] But Ann tells
police it isn’t the end
214
00:09:29,986 --> 00:09:32,736
{\an1}of Mark and Beth’s
tumultuous relationship.
215
00:09:32,781 --> 00:09:34,411
{\an1}- The night before the murder,
216
00:09:34,449 --> 00:09:36,239
{\an1}Ann said that
Elizabeth had called
217
00:09:36,284 --> 00:09:39,584
{\an1}and that Mr. Hansen had been
acting nervous and restless.
218
00:09:39,621 --> 00:09:42,621
{\an1}She also said that Elizabeth
was going to come over,
219
00:09:42,665 --> 00:09:44,125
{\an1}but she didn’t show up.
220
00:09:44,167 --> 00:09:46,537
{\an1}- So the last night that
anybody sees Elizabeth Short,
221
00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:49,256
{\an1}she does make a phone
call to Mark Hansen.
222
00:09:49,297 --> 00:09:51,007
{\an1}And he tells her,
"Everything’s fine.
223
00:09:51,049 --> 00:09:53,549
{\an1}You still have a place to stay."
224
00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:57,013
{\an1}- But according to Mark,
Beth never came back.
225
00:09:57,055 --> 00:09:58,225
{\an1}- [Laurence] Police question
226
00:09:58,264 --> 00:09:59,934
{\an1}the well connected
nightclub owner,
227
00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:03,064
{\an1}but he downplays his
relationship with Elizabeth.
228
00:10:03,103 --> 00:10:05,403
{\an1}- He says he was never
interested in Beth,
229
00:10:05,438 --> 00:10:07,228
{\an1}he never tried to
have sex with her.
230
00:10:07,273 --> 00:10:10,533
{\an1}He found Beth to be
fair looking, average.
231
00:10:10,568 --> 00:10:13,068
{\an1}- Hansen does himself no
favors with the police.
232
00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:14,913
{\an1}He tells easily
disprovable lies.
233
00:10:14,948 --> 00:10:17,618
{\an1}He says he didn’t speak to
her after he evicted her.
234
00:10:17,659 --> 00:10:19,659
{\an1}- According to Ann,
Mark Hansen told her
235
00:10:19,702 --> 00:10:21,621
{\an1}Beth could come and stay there
236
00:10:21,621 --> 00:10:23,371
{\an1}if she needed a place to stay.
237
00:10:23,414 --> 00:10:26,134
{\an1}But when questioned
by investigators,
238
00:10:26,167 --> 00:10:28,127
{\an1}Mark Hansen said
he turned Beth away
239
00:10:28,169 --> 00:10:29,589
{\an1}and never saw her again.
240
00:10:29,629 --> 00:10:31,959
{\an1}- [Laurence] On January 21,
241
00:10:32,006 --> 00:10:35,046
{\an1}six days after Beth
Short’s body is discovered,
242
00:10:35,093 --> 00:10:38,893
{\an1}an envelope containing the
contents of her purse arrives
243
00:10:38,930 --> 00:10:41,890
{\an1}at the "Los Angeles
Herald Examiner."
244
00:10:41,933 --> 00:10:43,183
{\an1}- Among the materials submitted
245
00:10:43,226 --> 00:10:46,806
{\an1}were Elizabeth Short’s
Social Security card,
246
00:10:46,855 --> 00:10:48,982
{\an1}an address book that bore
the name of Mark Hansen
247
00:10:48,982 --> 00:10:50,192
{\an1}on its cover.
248
00:10:50,233 --> 00:10:52,493
{\an1}At first blush, it looks
like somebody’s trying
249
00:10:52,527 --> 00:10:54,277
{\an1}to set this guy up.
250
00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,910
{\an1}Because you just don’t send
incriminating materials
251
00:10:56,948 --> 00:10:58,118
{\an1}to the police.
252
00:10:58,158 --> 00:10:59,778
{\an1}If you wanna do that,
you might as well go
253
00:10:59,826 --> 00:11:02,036
{\an1}to the front desk
and turn yourself in.
254
00:11:02,078 --> 00:11:03,788
{\an1}- It’s quite believable
and reasonable
255
00:11:03,830 --> 00:11:07,080
{\an1}to suspect Mark Hansen as
the perpetrator of this crime
256
00:11:07,125 --> 00:11:10,635
{\an1}because we know that he was
obsessed with Elizabeth.
257
00:11:10,670 --> 00:11:13,340
{\an1}- [Laurence] But Mark
Hansen has an alibi
258
00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:15,551
{\an1}and witnesses to back him up.
259
00:11:15,592 --> 00:11:17,472
{\an1}- He said that when
the murder occurred,
260
00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:20,640
{\an1}he was at a movie theater
opening in Long Beach.
261
00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,140
{\an1}And he also had a
business associate testify
262
00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:26,393
{\an1}that he was at his home in
Redondo Beach until 3:00 a.m.
263
00:11:26,436 --> 00:11:28,396
{\an1}This would not give
him enough time
264
00:11:28,438 --> 00:11:31,518
{\an1}to kill Elizabeth and
then dispose of the body
265
00:11:31,566 --> 00:11:35,606
{\an1}in the way it had been
and be able to get away.
266
00:11:35,653 --> 00:11:36,823
{\an1}- [Laurence] Hansen’s alibi
267
00:11:36,863 --> 00:11:39,373
{\an1}knocks him down
the suspect list.
268
00:11:39,407 --> 00:11:42,277
{\an1}Police never search his
properties or vehicles
269
00:11:42,327 --> 00:11:44,197
{\an1}for blood or evidence,
270
00:11:44,245 --> 00:11:45,745
{\an1}and the case moves on.
271
00:11:45,788 --> 00:11:47,538
{\an1}- You’ve got this very violent,
272
00:11:47,582 --> 00:11:50,752
{\an1}very vicious killer out there
and nobody knows who he is.
273
00:11:50,793 --> 00:11:52,843
{\an1}Nobody knows when he’s
gonna strike again.
274
00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:53,629
{\an1}(dramatic music)
275
00:11:57,550 --> 00:12:00,050
{\an1}- [Laurence] It’s
January of 1947
276
00:12:00,094 --> 00:12:03,764
{\an1}and Los Angeles is in the
grips of a tabloid frenzy.
277
00:12:03,848 --> 00:12:07,518
{\an1}Everyone wants to know who
killed the Black Dahlia.
278
00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:08,940
{\an1}- Media were all over this case.
279
00:12:09,020 --> 00:12:11,190
{\an1}At that time, there
were four major dailies
280
00:12:11,231 --> 00:12:13,231
{\an1}in the city of Los
Angeles competing.
281
00:12:13,274 --> 00:12:14,784
{\an1}This is the ’40s, so
you’re pre-internet,
282
00:12:14,859 --> 00:12:17,359
{\an1}you’re pre-Twitter, but
you are also at a time
283
00:12:17,445 --> 00:12:18,945
{\an1}when the papers are putting
out two editions each day.
284
00:12:18,947 --> 00:12:20,407
{\an1}They’re putting out
mornings and evenings,
285
00:12:20,448 --> 00:12:21,868
{\an1}trying to just
edge each other out
286
00:12:21,908 --> 00:12:24,618
{\an1}and get, you know, at least
one exclusive per day,
287
00:12:24,702 --> 00:12:26,120
{\an1}twice per day.
288
00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,870
{\an1}- This story had everything
that you would relate
289
00:12:28,915 --> 00:12:30,715
{\an1}to a film noir.
290
00:12:30,750 --> 00:12:33,540
{\an1}You’ve got the seedy
underbelly of Hollywood.
291
00:12:33,586 --> 00:12:36,415
{\an1}You’ve got the gruesomeness
of the killing,
292
00:12:36,464 --> 00:12:39,724
{\an1}and then the great
unknown is who did it.
293
00:12:39,759 --> 00:12:41,929
{\an1}- [Laurence] The
Black Dahlia case
294
00:12:41,970 --> 00:12:44,560
{\an1}even becomes headline
news around the country.
295
00:12:44,597 --> 00:12:46,387
{\an1}- Everyone was watching.
296
00:12:46,432 --> 00:12:48,562
{\an1}Everyone was reading papers.
297
00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:50,641
{\an1}This was a hot story.
298
00:12:50,728 --> 00:12:55,648
{\an1}And the cops were pressured
to find out who done it.
299
00:12:55,733 --> 00:12:59,613
{\an1}- You had, at one
point, 150 suspects
300
00:12:59,654 --> 00:13:02,624
{\an1}that investigators were
looking at, wanting to talk to,
301
00:13:02,657 --> 00:13:03,987
{\an1}had talked to.
302
00:13:03,992 --> 00:13:06,912
{\an1}You had people who were
calling in with tips.
303
00:13:06,953 --> 00:13:09,663
{\an1}And you even had people
who were confessing.
304
00:13:09,664 --> 00:13:11,924
{\an1}- There were certain things
that would only be known
305
00:13:11,958 --> 00:13:13,458
{\an1}to the killer.
306
00:13:13,501 --> 00:13:15,461
{\an1}One of the details that
police kept from the media
307
00:13:15,503 --> 00:13:18,593
{\an1}was the fact that Elizabeth
Short had a tattoo on her leg.
308
00:13:18,631 --> 00:13:20,131
{\an1}It was a rose.
309
00:13:20,174 --> 00:13:21,974
{\an1}Having information
that others don’t have
310
00:13:22,010 --> 00:13:24,010
{\an1}is one way of helping
eliminate folks
311
00:13:24,095 --> 00:13:26,475
{\an1}from like being a
potential suspect.
312
00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:30,434
{\an1}- So, after the initial
excitement of this young woman
313
00:13:30,476 --> 00:13:33,686
{\an1}found in a field and the
several editions a day
314
00:13:33,771 --> 00:13:36,821
{\an1}of newspaper and
all this coverage,
315
00:13:36,858 --> 00:13:40,358
{\an1}a month passes and the
cops are still at a loss
316
00:13:40,361 --> 00:13:42,701
{\an1}of who killed Elizabeth Short.
317
00:13:42,780 --> 00:13:44,700
{\an1}- [Laurence] As their
investigation continues,
318
00:13:44,782 --> 00:13:48,372
{\an1}the LA Police make a connection
to similar grisly murders
319
00:13:48,453 --> 00:13:50,503
{\an1}that occurred a decade earlier
320
00:13:50,538 --> 00:13:53,038
{\an1}and over 2,000 miles away.
321
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,131
{\an1}- [Speaker] Cleveland,
iron and steel center
322
00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:56,498
{\an1}of the Middle West.
323
00:13:56,544 --> 00:14:00,464
{\an1}- The nature and manner of
death of Elizabeth Short
324
00:14:00,506 --> 00:14:03,216
{\an1}tends to lend itself
to a belief that
325
00:14:03,217 --> 00:14:05,847
{\an1}there might be other murders
that are related to this.
326
00:14:05,887 --> 00:14:07,177
{\an1}A dismemberment murder,
327
00:14:07,221 --> 00:14:10,181
{\an1}a brutal, probably
sexual murder of a woman.
328
00:14:10,224 --> 00:14:12,854
{\an1}- Cleveland, Ohio investigators
are beginning to wonder
329
00:14:12,894 --> 00:14:15,897
{\an1}if the Black Dahlia killer is
someone they’ve hunted before.
330
00:14:15,897 --> 00:14:17,227
{\an1}(dramatic music)
331
00:14:17,231 --> 00:14:19,531
{\an1}- Investigators in
Cleveland are looking
332
00:14:19,567 --> 00:14:22,697
{\an1}at all that’s happening
around this young woman found
333
00:14:22,737 --> 00:14:24,987
{\an1}in a field, and
they are wondering,
334
00:14:25,031 --> 00:14:27,575
{\an1}"Is their killer the
same as our killer?"
335
00:14:27,575 --> 00:14:29,865
{\an1}(dramatic music)
336
00:14:31,412 --> 00:14:33,542
{\an1}- About a decade before in 1930,
337
00:14:33,581 --> 00:14:35,831
{\an1}Cleveland also had
a killer who seemed
338
00:14:35,875 --> 00:14:39,745
{\an1}to delight in killing folks
and dissecting the bodies.
339
00:14:39,754 --> 00:14:43,094
{\an1}- [Laurence] It all starts
in September of 1934,
340
00:14:43,174 --> 00:14:45,514
{\an1}when a beachcomber on
the shores of Lake Erie
341
00:14:45,551 --> 00:14:47,091
{\an1}makes a gruesome discovery.
342
00:14:47,178 --> 00:14:50,098
{\an1}- They discover a
female who’s headless
343
00:14:50,181 --> 00:14:52,431
{\an1}with her legs
amputated at the knees,
344
00:14:52,433 --> 00:14:54,523
{\an1}partially covered in sand.
345
00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,438
{\an1}- This body was essentially
a torso with the upper legs
346
00:14:57,438 --> 00:15:00,228
{\an1}still intact, but the rest
of the body was missing.
347
00:15:00,274 --> 00:15:03,904
{\an1}Investigators eventually find
her legs but not the head,
348
00:15:03,945 --> 00:15:06,447
{\an1}and this woman becomes known
as the Lady of the Lake.
349
00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:07,615
{\an1}(dramatic music)
350
00:15:07,615 --> 00:15:09,275
{\an1}- [Laurence] Exactly
one year later,
351
00:15:09,367 --> 00:15:12,447
{\an1}two teenagers discover
the decapitated corpse
352
00:15:12,537 --> 00:15:14,457
{\an1}of a white male in a vacant lot.
353
00:15:15,748 --> 00:15:19,538
{\an1}- The body was found decapitated
with his genitals removed.
354
00:15:19,585 --> 00:15:20,785
{\an1}While searching the crime scene,
355
00:15:20,795 --> 00:15:22,965
{\an1}police find the
body of another man,
356
00:15:23,047 --> 00:15:27,467
{\an1}40 years old, who had also
been decapitated and castrated.
357
00:15:27,468 --> 00:15:28,798
{\an1}- [Laurence] Every few months,
358
00:15:28,886 --> 00:15:31,716
{\an1}more butchered bodies turn up.
359
00:15:31,806 --> 00:15:35,806
{\an1}- The Cleveland killer seems
to target men and women
360
00:15:35,893 --> 00:15:38,233
{\an1}who are down on their luck,
361
00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:41,401
{\an1}folks who maybe a
perpetrator might think
362
00:15:41,441 --> 00:15:44,401
{\an1}they won’t be missed and
were probably vulnerable
363
00:15:44,485 --> 00:15:45,645
{\an1}in the moment.
364
00:15:45,736 --> 00:15:47,986
{\an1}- So we can already
see specific parallels
365
00:15:47,989 --> 00:15:49,157
{\an1}between the Cleveland
Torso Killer
366
00:15:49,157 --> 00:15:50,657
{\an1}and the Black Dahlia case.
367
00:15:50,741 --> 00:15:53,331
{\an1}We see bodies that are
turning up dismembered
368
00:15:53,411 --> 00:15:55,911
{\an1}and disfigured in a way that
involves a certain amount
369
00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:58,995
{\an1}of anatomical and/or
medical skill and knowledge.
370
00:16:00,334 --> 00:16:02,134
{\an1}- [Laurence] Like the
Black Dahlia’s killer,
371
00:16:02,170 --> 00:16:04,760
{\an1}who sent taunting
letters to the newspaper,
372
00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:06,757
{\an1}Cleveland’s mad butcher seems
373
00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:09,009
{\an1}to enjoy goading
the authorities.
374
00:16:09,093 --> 00:16:11,433
{\an1}- A very significant parallel
between the two cases
375
00:16:11,471 --> 00:16:14,851
{\an1}is the fact that the killers
communicated with police
376
00:16:14,932 --> 00:16:16,602
{\an1}after the murders were done.
377
00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:19,982
{\an1}- In the case of the
Cleveland Torso Killer,
378
00:16:20,021 --> 00:16:21,981
{\an1}that killer was taunting
the investigator
379
00:16:22,023 --> 00:16:24,023
{\an1}who at that time was Eliot Ness.
380
00:16:24,025 --> 00:16:26,285
{\an1}Eliot Ness was the investigator
381
00:16:26,319 --> 00:16:29,609
{\an1}who took down Al
Capone in Chicago.
382
00:16:30,615 --> 00:16:32,495
{\an1}- [Laurence] The Cleveland
Torso Killer is believed
383
00:16:32,533 --> 00:16:35,373
{\an1}to be responsible for
the murders of seven men
384
00:16:35,453 --> 00:16:37,123
{\an1}and five women.
385
00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:40,503
{\an1}- In 1938, Cleveland’s
racked up about 12 bodies now
386
00:16:40,540 --> 00:16:43,171
{\an1}as a result of
this Torso Killer,
387
00:16:43,211 --> 00:16:44,631
{\an1}and then it just stops.
388
00:16:44,670 --> 00:16:48,549
{\an1}And so the question is,
why? What happened?
389
00:16:48,549 --> 00:16:50,629
{\an1}The belief was is
that Eliot Ness,
390
00:16:50,676 --> 00:16:52,886
{\an1}during his investigation
of the Torso Killer,
391
00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:57,220
{\an1}had honed in on a guy who
was only known as Dr. X.
392
00:16:57,225 --> 00:17:00,485
{\an1}- This person has
received medical training,
393
00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:05,020
{\an1}and Eliot Ness coaxes this
person, who he calls Dr. X,
394
00:17:05,023 --> 00:17:06,694
{\an1}to talk with him.
395
00:17:06,733 --> 00:17:11,164
{\an1}This Dr. X receives two
polygraph tests and fails both.
396
00:17:11,196 --> 00:17:13,527
{\an1}- There was never enough
evidence to charge him,
397
00:17:13,574 --> 00:17:17,374
{\an1}but Eliot Ness manages to coax
him into an insane asylum,
398
00:17:17,411 --> 00:17:19,661
{\an1}and the torso murders stop.
399
00:17:20,705 --> 00:17:23,076
{\an1}- [Laurence] But some believe
the suspect known as Dr. X
400
00:17:23,166 --> 00:17:25,537
{\an1}wasn’t actually the Torso Killer
401
00:17:25,545 --> 00:17:28,055
{\an1}and that the only reason
the murders stopped
402
00:17:28,089 --> 00:17:30,259
{\an1}is because the real killer moved
403
00:17:30,341 --> 00:17:32,381
{\an1}to a new hunting ground.
404
00:17:32,385 --> 00:17:34,895
{\an1}- Perhaps the killer actually
left the area because
405
00:17:34,929 --> 00:17:37,259
{\an1}a letter had been received
by the police department.
406
00:17:37,265 --> 00:17:39,355
{\an1}In this letter,
he’s kind of cheeky,
407
00:17:39,392 --> 00:17:43,522
{\an1}and he says, "You can relax
now. I’ve left the area.
408
00:17:43,563 --> 00:17:45,193
{\an1}I’ve gone to sunny California,
409
00:17:45,231 --> 00:17:49,277
{\an1}and I’ll be engaging in my
surgical endeavors there."
410
00:17:49,277 --> 00:17:51,607
{\an1}The suspect also
says that he’s buried
411
00:17:51,696 --> 00:17:53,736
{\an1}his most recent
victim in Los Angeles
412
00:17:53,781 --> 00:17:55,741
{\an1}between Crenshaw
and Western Avenue,
413
00:17:55,783 --> 00:18:00,293
{\an1}which is really only about
five miles from Leimert Park.
414
00:18:00,371 --> 00:18:01,956
{\an1}- [Laurence] Did
Cleveland’s mad butcher
415
00:18:01,956 --> 00:18:04,706
{\an1}set his sights on
Elizabeth Short?
416
00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:07,090
{\an1}- The Cleveland Torso Killer
417
00:18:07,128 --> 00:18:10,878
{\an1}and the killer of Elizabeth
Short, the Black Dahlia,
418
00:18:10,923 --> 00:18:13,723
{\an1}had some type of
anatomical training.
419
00:18:13,759 --> 00:18:17,099
{\an1}They knew where to cut,
where to avoid bone.
420
00:18:17,138 --> 00:18:18,558
{\an1}- There are also a
number of differences
421
00:18:18,598 --> 00:18:19,968
{\an1}between the two cases.
422
00:18:20,057 --> 00:18:22,137
{\an1}We see with the
Cleveland torso killings,
423
00:18:22,143 --> 00:18:24,312
{\an1}there are decapitations.
424
00:18:24,312 --> 00:18:26,942
{\an1}Elizabeth Short was
not decapitated.
425
00:18:26,981 --> 00:18:28,941
{\an1}The Cleveland Torso killings,
426
00:18:28,983 --> 00:18:31,653
{\an1}the bodies weren’t
necessarily posed.
427
00:18:31,736 --> 00:18:34,906
{\an1}Also, the Cleveland Torso
killings involved men,
428
00:18:34,947 --> 00:18:37,237
{\an1}which is different victimology
429
00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:39,083
{\an1}than the Elizabeth Short case.
430
00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,908
{\an1}The Cleveland Torso
Killer’s mutilations
431
00:18:40,953 --> 00:18:43,503
{\an1}might have been more
defensively motivated,
432
00:18:43,581 --> 00:18:45,921
{\an1}designed to keep him
from being caught.
433
00:18:45,958 --> 00:18:48,288
{\an1}Versus the Elizabeth Short case,
434
00:18:48,336 --> 00:18:49,586
{\an1}which may have been
more in the service
435
00:18:49,629 --> 00:18:51,129
{\an1}of sexual gratification.
436
00:18:51,172 --> 00:18:54,842
{\an1}- There was no hard
proof that the killer
437
00:18:54,925 --> 00:18:58,295
{\an1}of Elizabeth Short was the
Cleveland Torso Killer.
438
00:18:58,304 --> 00:19:00,434
{\an1}- The MOs feel totally
different to me.
439
00:19:04,185 --> 00:19:08,115
{\an1}- [Laurence] Most old unsolved
murders slip into obscurity.
440
00:19:08,147 --> 00:19:10,517
{\an1}Not so with the Black Dahlia.
441
00:19:10,608 --> 00:19:13,688
{\an1}As the decades go by and
the leads grow colder,
442
00:19:13,778 --> 00:19:17,488
{\an1}the search for answers only
seems to be heating up.
443
00:19:17,531 --> 00:19:20,951
{\an1}In 1997 on the 50th
anniversary of the murder,
444
00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:24,705
{\an1}the "Los Angeles Times" hires
renowned criminal profiler
445
00:19:24,705 --> 00:19:28,325
{\an1}John Douglas to take his
own look at the case.
446
00:19:28,376 --> 00:19:31,036
{\an1}- Douglas believes that the
killer of the Black Dahlia
447
00:19:31,128 --> 00:19:32,378
{\an1}was a male,
448
00:19:32,463 --> 00:19:35,013
{\an1}someone who’s familiar with
surgical equipment.
449
00:19:35,049 --> 00:19:37,049
{\an1}He believes that the
killer was motivated
450
00:19:37,134 --> 00:19:42,224
{\an1}by personal stress, alcoholism,
and romantic rejection.
451
00:19:42,306 --> 00:19:44,466
{\an1}- [Laurence] One of
Douglas’s biggest questions
452
00:19:44,517 --> 00:19:46,637
{\an1}is, why Leimert Park?
453
00:19:46,727 --> 00:19:49,227
{\an1}- The fact that the
killer dumps the body
454
00:19:49,230 --> 00:19:52,730
{\an1}in a residential area
right in the middle of LA
455
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:54,857
{\an1}was notable to John Douglas.
456
00:19:54,902 --> 00:19:57,742
{\an1}Because there’s so many other
places in Southern California
457
00:19:57,822 --> 00:19:59,907
{\an1}to dump a body if you
don’t want it to be found.
458
00:19:59,907 --> 00:20:02,367
{\an1}John Douglas feels
that the perpetrator
459
00:20:02,410 --> 00:20:04,240
{\an1}would have a connection
to this neighborhood
460
00:20:04,328 --> 00:20:05,408
{\an1}and to this spot.
461
00:20:05,496 --> 00:20:07,656
{\an1}Well, who would possibly
have a connection
462
00:20:07,707 --> 00:20:09,667
{\an1}to this neighborhood
that could have the means
463
00:20:09,709 --> 00:20:11,749
{\an1}and the opportunity
to commit this murder?
464
00:20:11,752 --> 00:20:12,920
{\an1}(dramatic music)
465
00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:14,500
{\an1}- [Laurence] Following
up on that theory,
466
00:20:14,547 --> 00:20:17,217
{\an1}an "LA Times" reporter
finds a suspect
467
00:20:17,258 --> 00:20:20,508
{\an1}that has flown under the
radar for half a century.
468
00:20:20,553 --> 00:20:22,763
{\an1}His name is Dr. Walter Bayley.
469
00:20:22,847 --> 00:20:24,927
{\an1}(dramatic music)
470
00:20:25,933 --> 00:20:28,893
{\an1}- Walter Bayley is born in 1880,
he’s a World War I veteran.
471
00:20:28,936 --> 00:20:30,266
{\an1}He is a surgeon
472
00:20:30,271 --> 00:20:32,271
{\an1}at the University of
Southern California,
473
00:20:32,273 --> 00:20:33,443
{\an1}and maybe most importantly,
474
00:20:33,524 --> 00:20:36,074
{\an1}he has an office not
far from the Biltmore,
475
00:20:36,110 --> 00:20:38,570
{\an1}you know, where Elizabeth
Short was last seen.
476
00:20:38,612 --> 00:20:41,282
{\an1}- Dr. Bayley had a young son
who was riding his bicycle
477
00:20:41,282 --> 00:20:43,872
{\an1}and was killed by a driver,
478
00:20:43,909 --> 00:20:46,949
{\an1}and it was a very traumatic
incident in his life.
479
00:20:46,954 --> 00:20:48,584
{\an1}- It’s been said
that at this point,
480
00:20:48,622 --> 00:20:50,958
{\an1}he sort of threw
himself into his career.
481
00:20:50,958 --> 00:20:53,708
{\an1}- He had a private practice
where he specialized
482
00:20:53,753 --> 00:20:56,630
{\an1}in mastectomies
and hysterectomies.
483
00:20:56,630 --> 00:20:58,420
{\an1}- Given the injuries
she suffered,
484
00:20:58,466 --> 00:21:01,256
{\an1}given the specific areas of
her body that were mutilated,
485
00:21:01,302 --> 00:21:03,142
{\an1}there’s a line of thinking
that Bayley would’ve known
486
00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:07,060
{\an1}exactly how to cut, move,
otherwise dismember those parts
487
00:21:07,099 --> 00:21:08,599
{\an1}of a human being.
488
00:21:08,642 --> 00:21:11,812
{\an1}- [Laurence] Dr. Bayley and
his wife lived in Leimert Park
489
00:21:11,896 --> 00:21:13,976
{\an1}in a house just a block away
490
00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:17,234
{\an1}from where Elizabeth Short
will be found murdered.
491
00:21:17,276 --> 00:21:18,986
{\an1}But in the months
before the murder,
492
00:21:18,986 --> 00:21:23,156
{\an1}Dr. Bayley’s marriage and
his life were coming apart.
493
00:21:23,157 --> 00:21:24,907
{\an1}- He has become
estranged from his wife
494
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:27,160
{\an1}about four months before
Elizabeth Short is killed,
495
00:21:27,161 --> 00:21:30,621
{\an1}and kind of shacks up with
this younger physician.
496
00:21:30,664 --> 00:21:32,334
{\an1}- He had a successful
medical practice,
497
00:21:32,416 --> 00:21:35,996
{\an1}and then he sort of broke
bad in a certain way.
498
00:21:36,086 --> 00:21:38,916
{\an1}His personality
changed dramatically.
499
00:21:39,006 --> 00:21:40,166
{\an1}He left his wife.
500
00:21:40,257 --> 00:21:41,757
{\an1}He took up with
this younger woman.
501
00:21:41,801 --> 00:21:44,141
{\an1}He would have these
bizarre kind of habits
502
00:21:44,178 --> 00:21:46,968
{\an1}like watching surgery films
at night while he ate dinner
503
00:21:47,014 --> 00:21:48,434
{\an1}with this younger woman.
504
00:21:48,474 --> 00:21:51,352
{\an1}And that sorta fit the
profile of somebody
505
00:21:51,352 --> 00:21:53,020
{\an1}who might commit this murder.
506
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:54,150
{\an1}(dramatic music)
507
00:21:54,188 --> 00:21:55,808
{\an1}- [Laurence] One
researcher investigating
508
00:21:55,856 --> 00:21:58,436
{\an1}the Black Dahlia case found
evidence of a connection
509
00:21:58,484 --> 00:22:01,534
{\an1}between Dr. Bayley
and Elizabeth Short.
510
00:22:01,612 --> 00:22:04,362
{\an1}- And he obtained
Elizabeth Short’s
511
00:22:04,448 --> 00:22:06,867
{\an1}older sister’s
marriage certificate.
512
00:22:06,867 --> 00:22:08,697
{\an1}And on the marriage certificate,
513
00:22:08,786 --> 00:22:13,036
{\an1}one of the witnesses was
Dr. Bayley’s daughter.
514
00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:16,170
{\an1}And the address that Dr.
Bayley’s daughter listed
515
00:22:16,210 --> 00:22:20,210
{\an1}was only one block
from the crime scene.
516
00:22:20,297 --> 00:22:23,177
{\an1}And that’s where Walter
Bayley’s ex-wife lived.
517
00:22:23,217 --> 00:22:25,047
{\an1}So there’s now a connection
518
00:22:25,135 --> 00:22:29,005
{\an1}between Elizabeth
Short and Walter Bayley
519
00:22:29,056 --> 00:22:31,386
{\an1}and the residence
and the crime scene.
520
00:22:31,392 --> 00:22:32,892
{\an1}(dramatic music)
521
00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:34,687
{\an1}- [Laurence] Adding to the
case against Dr. Bayley
522
00:22:34,728 --> 00:22:37,228
{\an1}is his own medical condition.
523
00:22:37,231 --> 00:22:40,861
{\an1}- Dr. Bayley had a very
specific brain condition
524
00:22:40,901 --> 00:22:43,531
{\an1}known as encephalomalacia.
525
00:22:43,571 --> 00:22:46,571
{\an1}- The neurobiologists said
that this kind of dementia,
526
00:22:46,657 --> 00:22:49,407
{\an1}this could lead to a dramatic
change of personality
527
00:22:49,493 --> 00:22:50,583
{\an1}later in life.
528
00:22:50,661 --> 00:22:52,541
{\an1}It could lead to a
certain kind of violence
529
00:22:52,580 --> 00:22:54,830
{\an1}and hypersexuality that
might be consistent
530
00:22:54,874 --> 00:22:57,884
{\an1}with somebody who would
commit this kind of crime.
531
00:22:57,918 --> 00:22:59,918
{\an1}- [Laurence] Some theorists
contend that Bayley,
532
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:02,260
{\an1}elderly and weakened
by his disease,
533
00:23:02,339 --> 00:23:05,259
{\an1}severed the body to make
it easier to transport
534
00:23:05,342 --> 00:23:07,932
{\an1}and purposely dumped
it just 1/2 a block
535
00:23:08,012 --> 00:23:11,262
{\an1}from the house in which
his ex-wife still lived.
536
00:23:11,265 --> 00:23:13,935
{\an1}- If he’s the suspect
and he left this body
537
00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:15,728
{\an1}within proximity to his wife,
538
00:23:15,769 --> 00:23:19,359
{\an1}it would have been maybe
to perhaps unsettle her
539
00:23:19,398 --> 00:23:21,108
{\an1}and make her feel
that, you know,
540
00:23:21,108 --> 00:23:24,108
{\an1}this place that, you know,
she calls home and feels safe
541
00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:25,946
{\an1}is no longer safe
based on the fact
542
00:23:25,946 --> 00:23:29,616
{\an1}that a nude woman
cut in half was found
543
00:23:29,617 --> 00:23:31,447
{\an1}a block or two away.
544
00:23:31,452 --> 00:23:35,372
{\an1}- [Laurence] Dr. Bayley
dies on January 4, 1948,
545
00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:38,584
{\an1}not even one year after
the Black Dahlia murder.
546
00:23:38,626 --> 00:23:41,456
{\an1}But his death doesn’t
stop speculation
547
00:23:41,545 --> 00:23:43,295
{\an1}that he’s the killer.
548
00:23:43,380 --> 00:23:45,130
{\an1}- Bayley wasn’t a
suspect at the time,
549
00:23:45,215 --> 00:23:48,795
{\an1}but to a number of LAPD
homicide detectives,
550
00:23:48,802 --> 00:23:50,972
{\an1}of all the theories that
had been going around
551
00:23:51,055 --> 00:23:52,265
{\an1}for many, many decades,
552
00:23:52,306 --> 00:23:54,386
{\an1}they felt his was
the most plausible.
553
00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:56,563
{\an1}- There is this thought
process that basically this man
554
00:23:56,602 --> 00:24:00,105
{\an1}is going mad not far
from the Biltmore
555
00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:02,605
{\an1}with the means,
mode, and opportunity
556
00:24:02,650 --> 00:24:04,400
{\an1}to commit a crime like this,
557
00:24:04,443 --> 00:24:06,653
{\an1}and then Elizabeth short
wanders into his path.
558
00:24:06,737 --> 00:24:08,317
{\an1}Walter Bayley’s death
is critical here
559
00:24:08,322 --> 00:24:11,492
{\an1}because if this was to
become a pattern of behavior,
560
00:24:11,575 --> 00:24:13,905
{\an1}he didn’t live long enough
to find another victim.
561
00:24:13,953 --> 00:24:15,329
{\an1}(dramatic music)
562
00:24:15,329 --> 00:24:17,159
{\an1}- [Laurence] Walter Bayley
isn’t the only person
563
00:24:17,247 --> 00:24:21,835
{\an1}who raises suspicions long
after Elizabeth Short’s murder.
564
00:24:21,835 --> 00:24:24,125
{\an1}- In 2006, Don Wolfe
publishes a book
565
00:24:24,171 --> 00:24:25,921
{\an1}in which he advances the theory,
566
00:24:26,006 --> 00:24:28,126
{\an1}what if somebody with
a hair-trigger temper,
567
00:24:28,175 --> 00:24:32,505
{\an1}some infamous violent mobster
killed Elizabeth Short?
568
00:24:32,513 --> 00:24:34,143
{\an1}And not only that he killed her,
569
00:24:34,181 --> 00:24:37,101
{\an1}but he did it at the behest of
a famous and powerful person.
570
00:24:37,142 --> 00:24:39,352
{\an1}(dramatic music)
571
00:24:41,188 --> 00:24:43,518
{\an1}- Bugsy Siegel is
infamous mafia figure,
572
00:24:43,607 --> 00:24:45,357
{\an1}one of the people associated
with the foundation
573
00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:46,529
{\an1}of Murder, Inc. in New York,
574
00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:48,530
{\an1}which is not a
reputation you develop
575
00:24:48,612 --> 00:24:49,862
{\an1}unless you have hurt people.
576
00:24:50,864 --> 00:24:53,664
{\an1}- [Laurence] Siegel moves to
California in the mid-1930s
577
00:24:53,701 --> 00:24:56,161
{\an1}to set up a West
Coast criminal empire.
578
00:24:57,287 --> 00:24:59,707
{\an1}Despite his track record
as a merciless hitman,
579
00:24:59,707 --> 00:25:03,337
{\an1}he soon finds himself
hobnobbing with celebrities.
580
00:25:03,377 --> 00:25:05,707
{\an1}- One of the power
players that Bugsy Siegel
581
00:25:05,713 --> 00:25:09,343
{\an1}is known to associate
with is Norman Chandler,
582
00:25:09,383 --> 00:25:13,387
{\an1}who is at the time the publisher
of the "Los Angeles Times."
583
00:25:13,387 --> 00:25:16,057
{\an1}Chandler is the civic leader
in the second largest city
584
00:25:16,140 --> 00:25:17,220
{\an1}in the U.S.
585
00:25:17,224 --> 00:25:19,734
{\an1}- The rumor is that
Norman Chandler
586
00:25:19,810 --> 00:25:22,900
{\an1}got Elizabeth Short pregnant
and that could not be.
587
00:25:22,980 --> 00:25:25,020
{\an1}- I don’t know if either
she refused an abortion
588
00:25:25,065 --> 00:25:28,145
{\an1}or he never asked, but to cover
up the affair and the baby,
589
00:25:28,193 --> 00:25:30,993
{\an1}Chandler reaches
out to Bugsy Siegel.
590
00:25:31,030 --> 00:25:34,570
{\an1}- And so Bugsy Siegel
gets two of his henchmen
591
00:25:34,658 --> 00:25:36,408
{\an1}to take care of the problem,
592
00:25:36,493 --> 00:25:38,746
{\an1}and the problem is, of
course, Elizabeth Short.
593
00:25:38,746 --> 00:25:39,906
{\an1}(dramatic music)
594
00:25:39,913 --> 00:25:41,413
{\an1}- [Laurence] But most
investigators point
595
00:25:41,498 --> 00:25:43,538
{\an1}to one flaw in this theory:
596
00:25:43,584 --> 00:25:47,254
{\an1}her autopsy report states
that Beth wasn’t pregnant.
597
00:25:47,337 --> 00:25:50,757
{\an1}- Elizabeth’s autopsy did not
show that she was pregnant,
598
00:25:50,758 --> 00:25:52,588
{\an1}that this detail
would’ve been changed
599
00:25:52,593 --> 00:25:55,513
{\an1}by a medical examiner, somebody
that Siegel could reach,
600
00:25:55,554 --> 00:25:58,224
{\an1}or somebody that
Chandler could reach.
601
00:25:58,265 --> 00:26:00,345
{\an1}- [Laurence] There is other
circumstantial evidence
602
00:26:00,392 --> 00:26:03,902
{\an1}supporting the Black
Dahlia murder as a mob hit.
603
00:26:03,937 --> 00:26:07,897
{\an1}- Norman Chandler had a condo
right near the Biltmore Hotel.
604
00:26:07,941 --> 00:26:12,031
{\an1}So maybe, on January 9,
when Red Manley drops
605
00:26:12,071 --> 00:26:15,115
{\an1}Elizabeth Short off
at the Biltmore Hotel,
606
00:26:15,115 --> 00:26:17,615
{\an1}maybe she’s going to
see Norman Chandler
607
00:26:17,701 --> 00:26:19,119
{\an1}at his condo nearby.
608
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,079
{\an1}Maybe she was
walking into a trap.
609
00:26:22,081 --> 00:26:23,871
{\an1}- [Laurence] Siegel’s
movement around the time
610
00:26:23,916 --> 00:26:27,536
{\an1}of the Black Dahlia killing
raises even more questions.
611
00:26:27,586 --> 00:26:30,706
{\an1}- It’s believed that Bugsy
Siegel was in Los Angeles
612
00:26:30,756 --> 00:26:33,425
{\an1}during the time that
Elizabeth Short was killed.
613
00:26:33,425 --> 00:26:36,295
{\an1}But on the day her body
is found in Leimert Park,
614
00:26:36,303 --> 00:26:39,723
{\an1}Bugsy Siegel leaves town
and he goes to Palm Springs.
615
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,310
{\an1}- The LAPD has kept its
most famous cold case open
616
00:26:46,396 --> 00:26:50,436
{\an1}since 1947, and the
detective assigned
617
00:26:50,484 --> 00:26:52,994
{\an1}to the Black Dahlia
murder must evaluate
618
00:26:53,070 --> 00:26:56,280
{\an1}all the new leads and theories
that continue to come in,
619
00:26:56,323 --> 00:26:59,827
{\an1}like the one that comes from
a former homicide detective
620
00:26:59,827 --> 00:27:02,407
{\an1}who believes he’s tracked
the elusive killer
621
00:27:02,454 --> 00:27:05,294
{\an1}right to his own front door.
622
00:27:05,332 --> 00:27:09,252
{\an1}Steve Hodel is a 24-year
veteran of the LAPD,
623
00:27:09,294 --> 00:27:12,264
{\an1}but he never investigated
the Black Dahlia case himself
624
00:27:12,297 --> 00:27:15,087
{\an1}until the death of
his beloved father,
625
00:27:15,134 --> 00:27:18,345
{\an1}Dr. George Hodel, in 1999.
626
00:27:18,345 --> 00:27:20,305
{\an1}- When his father passed away,
627
00:27:20,347 --> 00:27:22,467
{\an1}you know, he started
going through
628
00:27:22,516 --> 00:27:25,846
{\an1}all of his father’s
things and he came across
629
00:27:25,853 --> 00:27:27,773
{\an1}this little black book
630
00:27:27,813 --> 00:27:33,533
{\an1}and saw a picture that
looked like Elizabeth Short.
631
00:27:33,610 --> 00:27:35,610
{\an1}- During some
family conversation
632
00:27:35,654 --> 00:27:39,324
{\an1}with his older step-sister as
he’s looking at these photos,
633
00:27:39,366 --> 00:27:42,696
{\an1}the older sister tells
Steve that, at some point,
634
00:27:42,703 --> 00:27:46,163
{\an1}their dad had been identified
as a potential suspect
635
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:47,866
{\an1}in the Black Dahlia murder.
636
00:27:47,875 --> 00:27:50,045
{\an1}(dramatic music)
637
00:27:51,795 --> 00:27:52,995
{\an1}- In the very beginning,
638
00:27:53,046 --> 00:27:56,046
{\an1}Steve Hodel set out to
prove that his father
639
00:27:56,049 --> 00:27:58,889
{\an1}had no involvement in
Elizabeth Short’s murder.
640
00:27:59,887 --> 00:28:01,137
{\an1}- [Laurence] But over time,
641
00:28:01,180 --> 00:28:03,560
{\an1}Steve Hodel’s investigation
would lead him
642
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,520
{\an1}to a horrifying conclusion
643
00:28:05,559 --> 00:28:08,979
{\an1}and cast his father in
a very different light.
644
00:28:09,021 --> 00:28:12,981
{\an1}- George Hodel was very
wealthy, very charismatic.
645
00:28:13,025 --> 00:28:15,365
{\an1}- He was actually a
genius, if you will.
646
00:28:15,402 --> 00:28:17,902
{\an1}He’s in college at
Caltech when he was 16,
647
00:28:17,988 --> 00:28:20,738
{\an1}and he falls in love
with his professor.
648
00:28:20,741 --> 00:28:24,081
{\an1}- He had an affair with
one of his teachers
649
00:28:24,161 --> 00:28:25,579
{\an1}and got her pregnant,
650
00:28:25,579 --> 00:28:27,909
{\an1}and she didn’t want
anything to do with him,
651
00:28:27,998 --> 00:28:29,918
{\an1}because obviously, you
know, she’s a teacher
652
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:31,750
{\an1}and he’s 16 years old.
653
00:28:31,835 --> 00:28:34,415
{\an1}But it just kinda
goes to show like,
654
00:28:34,421 --> 00:28:36,721
{\an1}that personality that
he had, you know,
655
00:28:36,757 --> 00:28:38,337
{\an1}because as he got
older, you know,
656
00:28:38,383 --> 00:28:40,433
{\an1}he married several times.
657
00:28:41,428 --> 00:28:43,558
{\an1}- [Laurence] He’ll go
on to have 11 children
658
00:28:43,597 --> 00:28:46,177
{\an1}by five different women.
659
00:28:46,225 --> 00:28:48,275
{\an1}- He grows up in
the Los Angeles area
660
00:28:48,352 --> 00:28:50,232
{\an1}and eventually becomes
a medical doctor
661
00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:53,270
{\an1}and even the head of the
LA Department of Health,
662
00:28:53,357 --> 00:28:57,277
{\an1}where he treated STDs
and performed abortions
663
00:28:57,361 --> 00:28:59,071
{\an1}for the rich and
famous and elite
664
00:28:59,112 --> 00:29:00,952
{\an1}around the Los Angeles area.
665
00:29:01,031 --> 00:29:06,241
{\an1}- He had every political,
every police in his pocket.
666
00:29:06,286 --> 00:29:08,956
{\an1}You could say he
was taken care of.
667
00:29:09,039 --> 00:29:10,959
{\an1}- [Laurence] By the 1940s,
668
00:29:11,041 --> 00:29:14,381
{\an1}Hodel is swinging amongst
an elite LA crowd,
669
00:29:14,419 --> 00:29:17,459
{\an1}including surrealist
photographer Man Ray
670
00:29:17,464 --> 00:29:19,804
{\an1}and movie director John Huston.
671
00:29:19,883 --> 00:29:24,053
{\an1}Then in 1945, he’s accused
by his daughter Tamar
672
00:29:24,096 --> 00:29:25,466
{\an1}of sexual abuse.
673
00:29:25,555 --> 00:29:29,055
{\an1}During the trial, Tamar
accuses Hodel of murdering
674
00:29:29,101 --> 00:29:30,441
{\an1}the Black Dahlia.
675
00:29:30,477 --> 00:29:32,727
{\an1}- Despite the fact that
there are eyewitnesses
676
00:29:32,771 --> 00:29:35,151
{\an1}to the incest events,
he is acquitted,
677
00:29:35,232 --> 00:29:38,652
{\an1}but Los Angeles Police
then monitor his home,
678
00:29:38,652 --> 00:29:40,652
{\an1}planting microphones
in the house
679
00:29:40,654 --> 00:29:42,744
{\an1}to see if they can get evidence
680
00:29:42,781 --> 00:29:44,741
{\an1}related to the
Black Dahlia murder.
681
00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:48,123
{\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators spend
the next 40 days and nights
682
00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:50,791
{\an1}monitoring and
recording conversations
683
00:29:50,831 --> 00:29:52,499
{\an1}inside the Hodel home.
684
00:29:52,499 --> 00:29:55,419
{\an1}- At some point,
he is heard saying,
685
00:29:55,460 --> 00:29:57,500
{\an1}"Well, even if I did do
the Black Dahlia murder,
686
00:29:57,587 --> 00:29:59,627
{\an1}they would never catch me."
687
00:29:59,673 --> 00:30:01,173
{\an1}- [Laurence] The
deeper Steve digs
688
00:30:01,174 --> 00:30:03,094
{\an1}into the Black Dahlia evidence,
689
00:30:03,135 --> 00:30:05,805
{\an1}the more convinced he
becomes that his dad
690
00:30:05,846 --> 00:30:09,676
{\an1}is the monster who tortured
and mutilated Elizabeth Short.
691
00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:13,478
{\an1}- Witnesses at the time
report seeing Elizabeth Short
692
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,940
{\an1}in the presence and
company of Dr. Hodel
693
00:30:16,982 --> 00:30:18,782
{\an1}and that she may have
been a patient of his
694
00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:20,987
{\an1}or perhaps even
a dating partner.
695
00:30:21,028 --> 00:30:22,608
{\an1}- [Laurence] Another
clue for Steve Hodel
696
00:30:22,654 --> 00:30:26,867
{\an1}is the concrete bag found at
the Black Dahlia crime scene.
697
00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:28,697
{\an1}- One of the other
reasons that Steve thought
698
00:30:28,702 --> 00:30:30,162
{\an1}maybe his dad has been involved
699
00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:32,873
{\an1}is that this concrete
bag that was found
700
00:30:32,956 --> 00:30:36,836
{\an1}at the scene where Elizabeth
Short’s body had been dumped,
701
00:30:36,877 --> 00:30:39,667
{\an1}Steve said he found a
very similar concrete bag
702
00:30:39,713 --> 00:30:42,466
{\an1}at his dad’s home because
there was some construction
703
00:30:42,466 --> 00:30:43,546
{\an1}being done there.
704
00:30:43,633 --> 00:30:47,053
{\an1}- Steve Hodel found the receipts
705
00:30:47,054 --> 00:30:51,394
{\an1}and he matched the
receipts to the cement bags
706
00:30:51,475 --> 00:30:53,894
{\an1}that were found at
the crime scene.
707
00:30:53,894 --> 00:30:55,144
{\an1}(dramatic music)
708
00:30:55,187 --> 00:30:57,517
{\an1}- [Laurence] Studying
the crime scene photos,
709
00:30:57,564 --> 00:31:01,234
{\an1}Steve also believes he’s
established a motive.
710
00:31:01,318 --> 00:31:04,028
{\an1}- There’s literally
some of Man Ray’s work
711
00:31:04,071 --> 00:31:07,871
{\an1}that almost exactly resembles
the way her body was laid out.
712
00:31:07,908 --> 00:31:09,488
{\an1}And some believe that,
713
00:31:09,534 --> 00:31:12,754
{\an1}if this was George Hodel
who perpetrated this murder,
714
00:31:12,829 --> 00:31:17,417
{\an1}that he was trying to imitate
or perhaps even supersede
715
00:31:17,417 --> 00:31:20,497
{\an1}the work of Man Ray due
to his close relationship
716
00:31:20,545 --> 00:31:22,255
{\an1}and perhaps jealousy of Man Ray.
717
00:31:23,423 --> 00:31:26,183
{\an1}- [Laurence] In 1950, just
when it seems the case
718
00:31:26,218 --> 00:31:28,258
{\an1}against George
Hodel is heating up,
719
00:31:28,261 --> 00:31:30,931
{\an1}the doctor abruptly
moves to the Philippines,
720
00:31:30,931 --> 00:31:35,391
{\an1}which at the time has no
extradition treaty with the U.S.
721
00:31:35,435 --> 00:31:40,105
{\an1}- He goes there and he
creates a whole new family.
722
00:31:40,190 --> 00:31:44,110
{\an1}And he came back many years
later, lived in San Francisco,
723
00:31:44,194 --> 00:31:45,612
{\an1}and then he passed.
724
00:31:45,612 --> 00:31:48,702
{\an1}Steve went on to
write several books
725
00:31:48,740 --> 00:31:53,787
{\an1}and still believes to
this day that his father
726
00:31:53,787 --> 00:31:56,117
{\an1}actually killed Elizabeth Short.
727
00:32:00,085 --> 00:32:01,295
{\an1}- [Laurence] In 2017,
728
00:32:01,461 --> 00:32:04,551
{\an1}the 70-year anniversary of
Elizabeth Short’s murder,
729
00:32:04,589 --> 00:32:07,549
{\an1}a fresh look at the
unredacted records
730
00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:10,142
{\an1}breathes new life
into an investigation
731
00:32:10,220 --> 00:32:12,810
{\an1}that has never
officially been closed.
732
00:32:12,889 --> 00:32:14,219
{\an1}- The fact of the matter is,
733
00:32:14,266 --> 00:32:16,306
{\an1}LAPD still has a very
talented detective assigned
734
00:32:16,309 --> 00:32:17,769
{\an1}to this investigation
with the hopes
735
00:32:17,811 --> 00:32:20,311
{\an1}that a solution still remains.
736
00:32:20,313 --> 00:32:22,107
{\an1}- [Laurence] Some
believe that solution
737
00:32:22,107 --> 00:32:24,227
{\an1}may involve a man
who made headlines
738
00:32:24,276 --> 00:32:26,606
{\an1}in the months after the murder.
739
00:32:26,653 --> 00:32:28,783
{\an1}- This is someone who
investigators had looked at
740
00:32:28,822 --> 00:32:30,282
{\an1}from the very start.
741
00:32:30,323 --> 00:32:32,826
{\an1}- [Laurence] It’s
the fall of 1948,
742
00:32:32,826 --> 00:32:35,656
{\an1}and LAPD’s chief
police psychiatrist,
743
00:32:35,745 --> 00:32:38,915
{\an1}Dr. Joseph Paul De River,
is still determined
744
00:32:38,957 --> 00:32:41,077
{\an1}to find the Black
Dahlia’s killer.
745
00:32:41,126 --> 00:32:42,916
{\an1}- The LAPD, years
on from the murder,
746
00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:44,591
{\an1}starts to get a
little desperate.
747
00:32:44,629 --> 00:32:47,339
{\an1}They’re trying to bait out
the killer any way they can.
748
00:32:47,424 --> 00:32:50,974
{\an1}- So Dr. De River is interviewed
for a true crime magazine
749
00:32:51,011 --> 00:32:53,601
{\an1}where he basically makes
some flattering statements
750
00:32:53,638 --> 00:32:57,138
{\an1}about who the Black
Dahlia killer may be,
751
00:32:57,184 --> 00:32:59,519
{\an1}talking about the
intelligence of the individual
752
00:32:59,519 --> 00:33:02,019
{\an1}who did this and perhaps
the person’s need
753
00:33:02,105 --> 00:33:04,355
{\an1}to brag or boast about it.
754
00:33:04,357 --> 00:33:06,107
{\an1}- [Laurence] Within days,
755
00:33:06,151 --> 00:33:09,029
{\an1}the letter that De River
has been waiting for arrives
756
00:33:09,029 --> 00:33:10,319
{\an1}at police headquarters.
757
00:33:10,363 --> 00:33:12,533
{\an1}(dramatic music)
758
00:33:13,533 --> 00:33:16,493
{\an1}- A man named Jack Sands
contacted De River saying
759
00:33:16,536 --> 00:33:20,326
{\an1}that he had information about
the Elizabeth Short murder.
760
00:33:20,373 --> 00:33:22,333
{\an1}- And the main thing that
is posited in this letter
761
00:33:22,375 --> 00:33:24,495
{\an1}is that someone
named Jeff Connors
762
00:33:24,544 --> 00:33:26,713
{\an1}has committed the homicide.
763
00:33:26,713 --> 00:33:29,508
{\an1}- Sands proposes that the
murderer, Jeff Connors,
764
00:33:29,508 --> 00:33:31,338
{\an1}could’ve been Elizabeth
Short’s ex-lover
765
00:33:31,384 --> 00:33:34,184
{\an1}and perhaps she mocked him
by insulting his manhood,
766
00:33:34,221 --> 00:33:37,557
{\an1}therefore, the murder would’ve
been motivated by revenge.
767
00:33:37,557 --> 00:33:40,727
{\an1}Jack Sands proposes this
as the hypothetical motive
768
00:33:40,810 --> 00:33:43,900
{\an1}of Jeff Connors, but
Dr. De River says,
769
00:33:43,980 --> 00:33:46,570
{\an1}"Oh no, Sands
himself is the guy."
770
00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:48,068
{\an1}(dramatic music)
771
00:33:48,068 --> 00:33:51,068
{\an1}- [Laurence] By now, police
psychiatrist Dr. De River
772
00:33:51,071 --> 00:33:53,701
{\an1}is convinced he’s writing
to the actual killer
773
00:33:53,740 --> 00:33:56,990
{\an1}and that Jack Sands
is not his real name.
774
00:33:57,035 --> 00:33:58,745
{\an1}- So to track down
this Jack Sands,
775
00:33:58,745 --> 00:34:00,825
{\an1}the LAPD dispatches
an officer to Florida
776
00:34:00,872 --> 00:34:02,082
{\an1}to monitor his mailbox.
777
00:34:02,082 --> 00:34:05,252
{\an1}And they soon discover
that this Jack Sands
778
00:34:05,335 --> 00:34:07,845
{\an1}is actually a man
named Leslie Dillon.
779
00:34:09,089 --> 00:34:12,679
{\an1}Dillon is a married man who
bounced between residences
780
00:34:12,717 --> 00:34:14,507
{\an1}and also between jobs.
781
00:34:14,553 --> 00:34:16,893
{\an1}He’d once worked as a
mortician’s assistant,
782
00:34:16,929 --> 00:34:19,179
{\an1}which intrigues
police given the way
783
00:34:19,224 --> 00:34:21,274
{\an1}that Elizabeth Short’s
body was cut up.
784
00:34:22,601 --> 00:34:25,101
{\an1}- [Laurence] De River has
an undercover LAPD officer
785
00:34:25,105 --> 00:34:28,735
{\an1}bring Dillon to a bugged
hotel in El Monte, California,
786
00:34:28,775 --> 00:34:32,025
{\an1}so De River can talk to
him about the murder.
787
00:34:32,070 --> 00:34:34,449
{\an1}- They spend three days in
a hotel room that’s bugged
788
00:34:34,531 --> 00:34:37,741
{\an1}to have a conversation about
the details of this killing.
789
00:34:37,784 --> 00:34:40,583
{\an1}- Dillon tells the police
that he believes Connor
790
00:34:40,620 --> 00:34:43,210
{\an1}had a motive to kill
Elizabeth Short.
791
00:34:43,290 --> 00:34:46,460
{\an1}- Playing on a hunch,
Dr. De River asks Dillon
792
00:34:46,543 --> 00:34:49,303
{\an1}to take off his clothes,
and he’s shocked.
793
00:34:49,379 --> 00:34:51,129
{\an1}Dillon has the
genitals of a child.
794
00:34:51,214 --> 00:34:52,594
{\an1}(dramatic music)
795
00:34:52,632 --> 00:34:54,302
{\an1}This is important because
it might’ve been the reason
796
00:34:54,384 --> 00:34:56,469
{\an1}that Elizabeth Short may
have been mocking him
797
00:34:56,469 --> 00:34:59,139
{\an1}and thus, his reason
for feeling humiliated
798
00:34:59,222 --> 00:35:01,308
{\an1}and wanting to
retaliate and kill her.
799
00:35:01,308 --> 00:35:03,978
{\an1}- De River is seeking to
establish the credibility
800
00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:06,400
{\an1}of Leslie Dillon,
so he tests him.
801
00:35:06,438 --> 00:35:10,317
{\an1}He inquires about the damage
to Elizabeth Short’s body.
802
00:35:10,317 --> 00:35:13,147
{\an1}- One of the things that we
know that police held back
803
00:35:13,153 --> 00:35:15,663
{\an1}was the fact that the suspect
804
00:35:15,739 --> 00:35:20,239
{\an1}had actually cut a portion
of Elizabeth Short’s leg,
805
00:35:20,285 --> 00:35:23,163
{\an1}which contained a
tattoo of a rose.
806
00:35:23,163 --> 00:35:25,999
{\an1}- When asked about the rose
tattoo and its location
807
00:35:25,999 --> 00:35:27,459
{\an1}on Elizabeth Short’s body,
808
00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:29,836
{\an1}without hesitation,
Leslie Dillon states
809
00:35:29,836 --> 00:35:32,296
{\an1}that it was removed
from her left thigh
810
00:35:32,339 --> 00:35:34,299
{\an1}and placed in her pelvis.
811
00:35:34,341 --> 00:35:36,676
{\an1}- This was something only the
killer and the police knew,
812
00:35:36,676 --> 00:35:39,176
{\an1}and he just answered the
question affirmatively.
813
00:35:39,262 --> 00:35:40,972
{\an1}- [Laurence] After four
days of questioning,
814
00:35:41,014 --> 00:35:44,814
{\an1}Dr. De River is convinced
he’s finally solved
815
00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:46,186
{\an1}the Black Dahlia murder.
816
00:35:46,186 --> 00:35:48,266
{\an1}- They go back to Los Angeles,
817
00:35:48,313 --> 00:35:50,693
{\an1}and Dillon is
ultimately arrested,
818
00:35:50,774 --> 00:35:53,444
{\an1}but just when it seems
like the case is a lock,
819
00:35:53,485 --> 00:35:55,535
{\an1}LAPD makes a stunning
announcement.
820
00:35:59,157 --> 00:36:01,077
{\an1}- [Laurence] On
January 10, 1949,
821
00:36:01,117 --> 00:36:03,907
{\an1}Leslie Dillon is
booked on suspicion
822
00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:05,623
{\an1}of killing Elizabeth Short.
823
00:36:05,664 --> 00:36:08,214
{\an1}- Upon inspection of
Leslie’s Dillon’s suitcase,
824
00:36:08,249 --> 00:36:11,999
{\an1}investigators find 700
phenobarbital pills,
825
00:36:12,045 --> 00:36:16,225
{\an1}along with 70 razorblades,
and a dog leash.
826
00:36:16,257 --> 00:36:19,137
{\an1}- The dog leash itself
had been damaged or worn,
827
00:36:19,177 --> 00:36:22,427
{\an1}perhaps as if it had been
bearing a significant weight,
828
00:36:22,472 --> 00:36:24,972
{\an1}as in the weight of the
body of Elizabeth Short.
829
00:36:25,016 --> 00:36:26,426
{\an1}(dramatic music)
830
00:36:26,476 --> 00:36:28,136
{\an1}- [Laurence] Strengthening
the case against Dillon,
831
00:36:28,186 --> 00:36:30,266
{\an1}it’s discovered that a
relative who gave him
832
00:36:30,313 --> 00:36:33,823
{\an1}a place to stay at the
time of the Dahlia murder
833
00:36:33,858 --> 00:36:37,108
{\an1}lived just two blocks
from where Beth’s purse
834
00:36:37,153 --> 00:36:38,953
{\an1}and shoes were dumped.
835
00:36:38,988 --> 00:36:41,868
{\an1}- They found her
handbag and her shoes,
836
00:36:41,908 --> 00:36:44,578
{\an1}just maybe two miles
from where she was left.
837
00:36:44,619 --> 00:36:46,329
{\an1}- [Laurence] Leslie
Dillon has suggested
838
00:36:46,371 --> 00:36:50,331
{\an1}a man named Jeff Connors is
the Black Dahlia murderer
839
00:36:50,375 --> 00:36:53,345
{\an1}and that he lives in the
San Francisco Bay Area,
840
00:36:53,378 --> 00:36:55,708
{\an1}but the cops
believe Jeff Connors
841
00:36:55,755 --> 00:36:58,335
{\an1}is merely Dillon’s alter ego.
842
00:36:58,383 --> 00:37:00,183
{\an1}- And as things turn out,
843
00:37:00,218 --> 00:37:01,928
{\an1}there is a real Jeff
Connors and he really is
844
00:37:01,970 --> 00:37:03,800
{\an1}in the San Francisco Bay Area.
845
00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:06,638
{\an1}- Interestingly
enough, police learn
846
00:37:06,683 --> 00:37:10,653
{\an1}that Jeff Connors, in addition
to knowing Leslie Dillon,
847
00:37:10,729 --> 00:37:12,899
{\an1}he also knows Mark Hansen,
848
00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:14,939
{\an1}one of our suspects
from a previous theory,
849
00:37:14,983 --> 00:37:16,783
{\an1}as well as Elizabeth Short.
850
00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:18,688
{\an1}And that all of these
paths might’ve crossed
851
00:37:18,737 --> 00:37:20,817
{\an1}at some time previously.
852
00:37:20,864 --> 00:37:22,994
{\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators
suspect that those paths
853
00:37:23,032 --> 00:37:24,702
{\an1}might’ve crossed when a jealous
854
00:37:24,743 --> 00:37:27,833
{\an1}and spurned Mark Hansen may
have enlisted their help
855
00:37:27,871 --> 00:37:29,706
{\an1}in killing Beth Short.
856
00:37:29,706 --> 00:37:32,536
{\an1}But when Jeff Connors’
ex-wife gives him an alibi
857
00:37:32,584 --> 00:37:34,464
{\an1}for the presumed
time of the murder,
858
00:37:34,502 --> 00:37:36,752
{\an1}he’s allowed to walk free.
859
00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,506
{\an1}- Mark Hansen was very powerful,
860
00:37:39,549 --> 00:37:42,679
{\an1}and he had a lot of money and
he had a lot of connections.
861
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:47,349
{\an1}What if he used all of that
to make this case disappear?
862
00:37:47,390 --> 00:37:49,890
{\an1}Leslie Dillon had plenty reason
863
00:37:49,934 --> 00:37:52,604
{\an1}to want to get rid
of Elizabeth Short.
864
00:37:52,645 --> 00:37:56,435
{\an1}There’s a theory that
she mocked his manhood
865
00:37:56,483 --> 00:37:57,903
{\an1}or lack thereof.
866
00:37:57,942 --> 00:38:00,572
{\an1}- Leslie Dillon may
have the motivation
867
00:38:00,612 --> 00:38:02,282
{\an1}with humiliation and revenge.
868
00:38:02,322 --> 00:38:05,122
{\an1}Mark Hansen may have the
means and the ability
869
00:38:05,158 --> 00:38:06,868
{\an1}to get Elizabeth Short to him
870
00:38:06,910 --> 00:38:09,870
{\an1}and also the means to get it
all cleaned up afterwards.
871
00:38:10,872 --> 00:38:12,422
{\an1}- [Laurence] All
these years later,
872
00:38:12,457 --> 00:38:15,167
{\an1}newly uncovered witness
statements may finally explain
873
00:38:15,210 --> 00:38:16,880
{\an1}how that happened.
874
00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:22,220
{\an1}- In 2018, the son of one of
the Florentine Garden showgirls
875
00:38:22,258 --> 00:38:25,928
{\an1}reaches out to
investigators and says
876
00:38:25,970 --> 00:38:28,720
{\an1}that his mom, Nanette,
had said to him
877
00:38:28,765 --> 00:38:32,315
{\an1}that she knew exactly who
had killed the Black Dahlia.
878
00:38:32,352 --> 00:38:34,562
{\an1}Nanette also,
according to her son,
879
00:38:34,604 --> 00:38:38,404
{\an1}said to him that she had
seen someone who resembled
880
00:38:38,441 --> 00:38:41,241
{\an1}Elizabeth Short in
Mark Hansen’s home
881
00:38:41,277 --> 00:38:43,067
{\an1}behind the Florentine Gardens,
882
00:38:43,112 --> 00:38:45,702
{\an1}known as the Carlos
Avenue house.
883
00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:47,450
{\an1}- [Laurence] According
to Nanette’s son,
884
00:38:47,492 --> 00:38:49,702
{\an1}she asked Hansen
who the girl was,
885
00:38:49,744 --> 00:38:52,714
{\an1}and he said it was
Elizabeth Short.
886
00:38:52,747 --> 00:38:54,617
{\an1}- So a week after the
Black Dahlia murder,
887
00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:56,376
{\an1}when the story was
all over the news,
888
00:38:56,417 --> 00:38:59,127
{\an1}Mark Hansen apparently
called Nanette and said
889
00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:00,590
{\an1}she shouldn’t mention
this to anyone
890
00:39:00,630 --> 00:39:02,630
{\an1}or her career would be over.
891
00:39:02,674 --> 00:39:04,467
{\an1}- [Laurence] But Beth was out
892
00:39:04,467 --> 00:39:07,427
{\an1}of Hansen’s Carlos
Avenue house by the 10th,
893
00:39:07,470 --> 00:39:09,760
{\an1}so where did she go after that?
894
00:39:09,848 --> 00:39:11,428
{\an1}- According to unredacted
895
00:39:11,474 --> 00:39:14,144
{\an1}district attorney’s
office documents,
896
00:39:14,185 --> 00:39:17,975
{\an1}Mark Hansen, Leslie
Dillon, and Elizabeth Short
897
00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:21,362
{\an1}were all seen at the
Aster Motel together.
898
00:39:21,401 --> 00:39:23,901
{\an1}- Theory has it
that Leslie Dillon
899
00:39:23,945 --> 00:39:27,375
{\an1}and her old friend Mark
Hansen kidnapped her
900
00:39:27,448 --> 00:39:31,868
{\an1}and tortured her in one of
the rooms at the Aster Hotel.
901
00:39:31,911 --> 00:39:35,501
{\an1}Witnesses saw Mark
Hansen leave room three
902
00:39:35,540 --> 00:39:37,790
{\an1}at the Aster Hotel
in Los Angeles.
903
00:39:37,834 --> 00:39:41,254
{\an1}The hotel owner’s wife
walked into room three
904
00:39:41,296 --> 00:39:42,956
{\an1}after everyone had left it,
905
00:39:43,047 --> 00:39:47,177
{\an1}and she found blood
and gore everywhere.
906
00:39:47,218 --> 00:39:48,638
{\an1}(dramatic music)
907
00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:51,010
{\an1}- [Laurence] These witness
accounts, buried for decades,
908
00:39:51,055 --> 00:39:52,555
{\an1}point to the possibility
909
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:56,310
{\an1}that the Aster Motel was where
Elizabeth Short was tortured,
910
00:39:56,352 --> 00:39:58,562
{\an1}murdered, and mutilated.
911
00:39:58,605 --> 00:40:02,695
{\an1}However, by the time the LAPD
examined the Aster Motel,
912
00:40:02,734 --> 00:40:05,404
{\an1}there is no evidence
of a bloody murder.
913
00:40:05,445 --> 00:40:09,165
{\an1}And though the Aster Motel is
ruled out as a crime scene,
914
00:40:09,198 --> 00:40:11,698
{\an1}the detectives
assigned to investigate
915
00:40:11,743 --> 00:40:13,786
{\an1}are quickly removed.
916
00:40:13,786 --> 00:40:17,366
{\an1}- The two detectives who
were working this case,
917
00:40:17,415 --> 00:40:20,665
{\an1}who were working the
Aster Hotel scene,
918
00:40:20,710 --> 00:40:23,130
{\an1}are suddenly excused.
919
00:40:23,171 --> 00:40:25,591
{\an1}Why would they be
kicked off this case?
920
00:40:25,632 --> 00:40:28,426
{\an1}Is it because of
Mark Hansen’s pull?
921
00:40:28,426 --> 00:40:30,046
{\an1}- [Laurence] Is it possible
922
00:40:30,094 --> 00:40:32,894
{\an1}that multimillionaire
Mark Hansen had the clout
923
00:40:32,931 --> 00:40:36,271
{\an1}to bury evidence and
squelch an investigation
924
00:40:36,309 --> 00:40:38,139
{\an1}into his possible guilt?
925
00:40:38,186 --> 00:40:39,976
{\an1}It’s yet another
unanswered question
926
00:40:40,021 --> 00:40:42,521
{\an1}in LA’s most compelling
murder mystery.
927
00:40:42,565 --> 00:40:45,025
{\an1}- The Elizabeth Short mystery
carries on to this day
928
00:40:45,068 --> 00:40:46,608
{\an1}because nobody’s been caught.
929
00:40:47,528 --> 00:40:49,948
{\an1}- Given the nature of the crime,
930
00:40:49,989 --> 00:40:51,489
{\an1}we want an answer.
931
00:40:51,532 --> 00:40:54,032
{\an1}We wanna know why.
We wanna know who.
932
00:40:54,077 --> 00:40:57,197
{\an1}And until we do, I think there
will always be an interest.
933
00:40:57,288 --> 00:40:59,666
{\an1}(dramatic music)
934
00:40:59,666 --> 00:41:03,876
{\an1}- The Black Dahlia murder has
a long, unsavory suspect list,
935
00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:05,880
{\an1}but without solid evidence,
936
00:41:05,922 --> 00:41:09,342
{\an1}there’s still no way to
rule anyone in or out.
937
00:41:09,384 --> 00:41:11,344
{\an1}The file remains open.
938
00:41:11,386 --> 00:41:13,926
{\an1}A detective is
still on the case.
939
00:41:13,972 --> 00:41:18,562
{\an1}Maybe one day a newfound
clue will finally lead
940
00:41:18,601 --> 00:41:21,941
{\an1}to the identity of
Elizabeth Short’s killer
941
00:41:21,980 --> 00:41:26,030
{\an1}and justice at last
for the Black Dahlia.
942
00:41:26,067 --> 00:41:27,937
{\an1}I’m Laurence Fishburne.
943
00:41:27,986 --> 00:41:31,446
{\an1}Thank you for watching
"History’s Greatest Mysteries."
944
00:41:31,489 --> 00:41:33,489
{\an1}(dramatic music)
103747
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