Black Dahlia, Red Rose

by Piu Eatwell

  149 Jimmy Vaus . . . wire recordings: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad.

  150 Thaddeus Brown: San Bernardino County Sun, July 8, 1949.

  Chapter 15: Panic in the Streets

  151 consequences . . . sharp and swift: As recounted by Officers Case and Ahern in testimony before the 1949 grand jury.

  152 “change in administration”: See testimony of Officers Case and Ahern in the 1949 DA grand jury proceedings.

  152 “bad situation over there in the police department”: Long Beach Independent, July 1, 1949.

  152 September 13, 1949, the Herald-Express: The article was picked up on the same day in later editions of local newspapers, e.g., the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

  154 follow-up article: Again, this was picked up in later editions of local newspapers, e.g., The Long Beach Independent, September 15, 1949.

  156 several curious facts: Even more curiously, the day before the Examiner article appeared, September 14, the Los Angeles Times reported that Thad Brown had denied that the Black Dahlia murder occurred in a motel on “S Figueroa Street.” The article claimed that rooms at the motel had been reexamined by LAPD forensic chemist Ray Pinker “two months ago,” because examination of the Black Dahlia file revealed that original tests had only been carried out at some of the cabins. The article clearly was referring to the motel on Flower Street and is of interest in that it suggests that tests were initially carried out at the motel prior to 1949, and again in the summer of 1949. The article also quoted Thad Brown as confirming that the motel was the only location that had ever been identified as the place where the murder was committed. This confirms that no location during the investigation was seriously considered a possible locus for the crime other than the Aster Motel.

  157 Thad who rushed to Hansen’s bedside: See memorandum dated November 17, 1949, to Arthur L. Veitch, “In re Mark Hansen—Lola Titus incident,” DA grand jury documents.

  158 “promised to marry her, and didn’t”: San Bernardino County Sun, September 22, 1949.

  158 “I never touched her”: San Bernardino County Sun, July 27, 1949.

  158 gavel came down: Renner, Joan, Deranged L.A. Crimes/Lola Titus, Deranged L.A. Crimes blog.

  158 short, sad life: Lola Olive Titus (her real name, contrary to some reports) died in November 1958 in an insane asylum. San Bernardino County Sun, November 15, 1958.

  158 “look into sinister reports”: Long Beach Independent, September 19, 1949.

  159 Herald-Express was more explicit: Herald-Express, September 8, 1949.

  PART 3: RAW DEAL

  Chapter 16: Key Witness

  166 Witman in his covering letter: Letter from Fred Witman to Arthur Lutz of the grand jury criminal complaints committee dated September 9, 1949, in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  166 given under oath: Details of Fred Witman’s background and statement taken from his testimony to Veitch and Stanley in the DA grand jury documents.

  167 dog leash: Curiously, the dog leash was not submitted by the LAPD to the FBI for forensic examination, unlike other forensic evidence in the case, such as Mark Hansen’s notebook, the letters sent to the Examiner newspaper, and the brush bristles found on the body. The LAPD’s internal forensic report on the leash has never been released. The actual leash has supposedly, along with all the other real evidence in the case, disappeared. While this raises questions as to the possible suppression of evidence by certain LAPD officers at the time of the events in question, there is no evidence that today’s LAPD has any knowledge of, or involvement in, how this happened. (See the preface of this book.)

  170 “investigation by grand jury”: San Bernardino County Sun, October 14, 1949.

  170 “bungling” . . . “petty chiseling”: Santa Cruz Sentinel, October 14, 1949.

  170 result of a secret meeting: Memorandum from Frank Jemison dated October 28, 1949, in the DA grand jury files.

  170 Los Angeles County grand jury: See Stoker, Charles, Thicker’n Thieves.

  171 Harry A. Lawson: Taken from the recollections of Harry Lawson in the Eagle Rock Sentinel, March 9, 1985.

  172 Dr. Paul De River gave evidence: Report by Frank B Jemison dated November 14, 1950, in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  172 dependent on the reports: As pointed out in Stoker, Charles, Thicker’n Thieves.

  172 Hugh Farnham . . . secret mission: See letters from Inspector Hugh Farnham, addressed to the “Chief” (referring to Thad Brown), dated October 28 and 29, 1949.

  Chapter 17: The Glass Alibi

  177 fired from the Devonshire: Testimony of Woodrow Wood as cited in the undated report on Leslie Duane Dillon by Frank Jemison, DA grand jury documents.

  177 Mrs. Shirly Anderson: Accounts of Dillon’s alibis are taken from report dated November 23, 1949, no author given, “Evidence and Declarations Tending to Connect or Disconnect Leslie Dillon to the Murders of Elizabeth Short, Jeanne French, and Gladys Kern,” DA grand jury proceedings.

  178 El Cortez Hotel in San Francisco: The police reports do not actually identify in which city the “El Cortez hotel” that Leslie Dillon checked into was located. However, given that Dillon moved there after leaving his San Francisco apartment and before moving into his mother-in-law’s house in Los Angeles, it is most likely to have been the El Cortez Hotel on Geary Street, San Francisco.

  178 moved his family: See undated report by Frank Jemison on the movements of Leslie Dillon in the DA documents.

  178 adopt the alias of “Woodrow”: A police report refers to Dillon using the alias W. Wood. (See undated DA document, “Movements and Activities of Leslie Duane Dillon.”)

  180 police officers . . . took the stand: The account of the testimonies of all LAPD officers is taken from the transcripts of their testimonies in the DA grand jury file.

  182 “he was directly concerned with this murder”: Literally in the transcript, “It was directly concerned . . . ,” [my italics], although the meaning is clearly “he.”

  183 one witness had said: An unidentified girl who had stayed at Mark Hansen’s home on Carlos Avenue. See testimony of Willie Burns in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  184 a few days from April 5, 1947: DA document entitled “Movements and Activities of Leslie Duane Dillon.”

  185 “The case could have been solved”: Long Beach Independent, December 2, 1949; see also testimony of Loren K. Waggoner in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  188 seven officers who testified: Herald-Express, December 1, 1949.

  188 Harry . . . stepped into the witness box: Based on the testimony of Lieutenant Harry Hansen at the DA grand jury proceedings.

  189 “little pet theory”: Various names have been posited for a “medical man” who might have killed Elizabeth Short, including those of several known abortionists. From evidence available to date, none has been shown to be a viable suspect.

  190 “She didn’t have any”: Interview in Los Angeles Times West magazine, March 28, 1971.

  194 Captain Francis Kearney . . . not called to give testimony: If Captain Kearney was called to give testimony before the grand jury, his testimony—like that of Officer Jones—seems to have disappeared or to be unavailable.

  195 fully expected indictments: Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 112.

  Chapter 18: The Verdict

  196 Harry Lawson: Los Angeles Examiner, December 7, 1949.

  197 Jemison presented another report: Document entitled “Summary of Elizabeth (Beth) Short investigation” in the DA grand jury files, signed by Jemison.

  199 re-interview . . . Ann Toth: Taken from the statement of Ann Toth interviewed by Frank Jemison and Ed Barrett on December 13, 1949, DA grand jury proceedings.

  200 interviewed Mark Hansen: Taken from the statement of Mark Hansen interviewed by Frank Jemison and Ed Barrett on December 16, 1949, DA grand jury proceedings.

  200 Hansen then backtracked: See final report of DA investigator Frank Jemison dated February 20, 1951, DA grand jury proceedings.

  204 retirement b
anquet . . . Clemence Horrall: King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, p. lx.

  Chapter 19: Detour

  207 trial for incest began on December 8, 1949: Hodel, Steve, Black Dahlia Avenger, Arcade, Kindle edition 2003, 2011.

  207 cross-examination of . . . Tamar: Ibid.

  208 less than four hours’ deliberation: Ibid.

  208 People at the DA’s office wanted revenge: See George Hodel confidential telephone transcripts, ed. Steve Hodel, 2004, p. 26: “They’re out to get me. Two men in the Da’s [sic] office were transferred and demoted because of my trial.”

  208 charges of tax evasion: Ibid., p. 90: comments of DA investigator Walter Morgan, who is listening in on Hodel recording: “This spool and #25 following should be checked with federal income tax man in the future as Hodel’s income tax is computed with this man, and it looks like they are about to ‘take’ Uncle for a few bucks.” Also p. 91, “Spools 25 and 26 and 27 will prove very interesting to income tax investigators.”

  208 allegations that he had killed his secretary: Ibid., p. 27: “They thought there was something fishy. Anyway, now they may have figured it out. Killed her. Maybe I did kill my secretary.” Hodel admits that he performed illegal abortions, “lots of them” (p. 155).

  208 accusations of being a closet Communist: George Hodel refers several times in the recorded telephone transcripts to being investigated by the FBI. His son Steve unearthed his father’s FBI file, which reveals he was being monitored for association with the Severance Club and various other leftist causes (Hodel, Steve, Black Dahlia Avenger).

  208 journalists . . . parked outside his front door: George Hodel confidential telephone transcripts, ed. Steve Hodel, 2004, p. 78.

  209 convinced was hidden somewhere: The transcript of the Hodel house bugging is full of references to the doctor’s conviction that there is a bug in the house. There are repeated searches for it: banging in the basement, the opening and closing of drawers and boxes, Hodel’s orders to his housekeeper, Ellen, to find the bug, the repeated turning up of the radio to drown out conversation. Further explicit references include: “Haven’t been able to find it yet. Must be around somewhere” (p. 25); “Time for research (Lots of pounding)” (p. 27); “Are there any more cops around” (p. 40); “We’re tapped now again” (p. 48); “There must be something” / ”There isn’t anything” / “I’m pretty sure there is something” (p. 48); “He told her to never talk over the phone” (p. 52); “Did you look in the little box in there?” (p. 57); “Hodel ordered Ellen not to answer any questions over the telephone ” (p. 59); various sounds of digging, hammering, and pounding in search for bug (pp. 85–86). “Don’t say anything over the phone—it is tapped” (p. 95). “You’re talking over a tapped line. Oh yes, it’s been tapped for a long time” (p. 110). “Hodel seems to be opening and closing drawers” (p. 116). “Hodel says probably they are watching me” (p. 151). Citations from George Hodel confidential telephone transcripts, ed. Steve Hodel, 2004.

  209 two women believed the doctor had known Elizabeth Short: They were (1) a woman named Lillian Lenorak, who had been persuaded by Hodel not to testify against him in the Tamar incest trial, and was wracked with guilt as a result; and (2) Mattie Comfort, a model who was one of the doctor’s many girlfriends. It is telling that none of Elizabeth’s own friends, relatives, or acquaintances ever mentioned a doctor as one of her boyfriends, or the name of George Hodel.

  210 Dr. Margaret Chung: For an in-depth examination of the extraordinary and colorful life of Mom Chung, see Tzu-Chun Wu, Judy, Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of the Wartime Celebrity, University of California Press, 2005.

  Chapter 20: Fall Guy

  211 knives came out for Dr. De River: The details of the campaign against Dr. De River are taken from King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, pp. lxii–lxviii.

  212 “in retaliation”: See King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal.

  212 pioneering book: See, for example, the modern criminal profiler Roy Hazelwood, who cites from and develops De River’s work.

  213 Councilman Ernest E. Debs: Cited in King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, p. lxiii.

  213 suspended . . . without pay: King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, p. lxiii.

  213 before Municipal Judge Vernon W. Hunt: Details of the trial are taken from King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, pp. lxvi–lxvii.

  215 Parker . . . the top job: See Buntin, John, L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City, Broadway Books, Kindle edition, 2009.

  215 a new era: For the transition to the Parker era generally and the evolution of the LAPD over this period, see Domanick, Joe, To Protect and to Serve, Pocket Books, 1995, pp. 102–3.

  216 “Lieutenant Hamilton”: Account and dialogue from Hamilton’s visit are taken from the memoirs of De River’s daughter, Jacqueline: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, Digital Data Werks, 2004, pp. 1–4.

  217 Lieutenant James Hamilton: For an in-depth investigation of James Hamilton, his friendship with Robert Kennedy, and his appearance on the scene at Marilyn Monroe’s death, see Margolis, Jay, Marilyn Monroe: A Case for Murder, iUniverse LLC, Kindle edition, 2011.

  217 two men trespassing: See King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal, p. lxiii.

  217 patrol car would be waiting to follow: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, pp. 187–88.

  218 “We came to the conclusion”: Ibid., p. 189.

  218 “dead fish on the doorstep”: Author interview with one of Dr. De River’s granddaughters (name withheld).

  218 to tide the family over: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, p. 185.

  218 “seemed to behave differently, nervous”: Cited in Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 114.

  218 “The police had him, and they let him go”: Ibid., p. 114.

  218 Rilla, in a letter to Jacqueline: Cited in Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, introduction.

  219 “Bloody Christmas”: Cited in Wagner, Rob Leicester, Red Ink, White Lies, Dragonflyer Press, 2000, p. 240, from an interview of Himmel by Wagner in 1998.

  220 “In Los Angeles, where glamour”: See Radin, Edward D., 12 Against Crime, Bantam Books, 1951 (first published by Putnam, April 1950), p. 70.

  Chapter 21: Voice in the Wind

  222 It was late 1953: Details of the half dozen visits of Wally Klein and Donald Freed to De River in 1953 are taken from the author’s extensive interviews with Donald Freed in Los Angeles in January and May 2016.

  223 Klein’s nephew, Donald Freed: Wally Klein was in fact the brother of Freed’s stepmother, Beatrice Klein Freed.

  223 recollection . . . Ellery E. Cuff: Freed has a clear recollection that a man from the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office was present at the interviews to lend his support to De River. This was most likely Ellery E. Cuff, who was a close friend and colleague of the doctor, and contributed a chapter to the doctor’s textbook The Sexual Criminal.

  227 float out of the phonograph: Willie Burns in his testimony to the grand jury stated that “all files and records relating to the case had been given over to Homicide, with exception of wax recordings which are in the Crime Laboratory.” Clearly, from Donald Freed’s recollection of the interviews with Dr. De River, the doctor had kept some of the recordings, or copies of them.

  229 “signature” . . . contrasted with . . . “modus operandi”: For detailed discussion of the distinction, see Douglas, John E., and Mark Olshaker, The Anatomy of Motive, Pocket Books, 2000; Turvey, Brent E., Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis, fourth edition, Academic Press, 2011; Turvey, Brent E., and Jerry W. Chisum, Crime Reconstruction, second edition, Academic Press 2011. Also Keppel, Robert D., Signature Killers, Pocket Books, 1997. Keppel gives some examples of “signature behavior”—i.e., acts going beyond what is necessary to commit a crime, and which therefore constitute the killer’s unique cal
ling card —such as carving on the body or leaving messages in blood.

  PART 4: OUT OF THE PAST

  Chapter 22: The Name of the Rose

  235 Zodiac . . . BTK . . . John Reginald Christie: Zodiac: a killer who operated in Northern California in the 1960s and ’70s, whose identity remains unknown. Notorious for sending cryptic “messages” to police and the press. BTK: Dennis Lynn Rader, the self-styled “Blind, Torture, Kill” murderer, who killed ten people in Sedgewick County, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. Sent letters describing the killings to police and the press. John Reginald Christie: British serial killer active in the 1940s and ’50s. Gave detailed testimony that led to the prosecution and conviction of a tenant of his for killings that he probably committed himself. For further case studies of serial killers and communication, see Gibson, Dirk C., Clues from Serial Killers, Praeger, 2004.

  236 “creative writing”: The fragments are unsigned, although, in his testimony to Veitch and Stanley, Fred Witman said they had been written by Dillon.

  236 synopses for stories: There appears to be some confusion as to whether the fragments were found by Officer Jones in Dillon’s room in Miami, or subsequently in his luggage. A police report summarizing Witman’s statement refers to “fragments of letters probably found by Jones in Miami room” (DA police reports, breakdown of Witman’s statement entitled “Letters and Writings”).

  240 that of killing a woman: See DA testimony of Fred Witman to Arthur Veitch and H. L. Stanley dated September 23, 1949.

  241 Keppel . . . “piquerism”: Keppel, Robert D., Signature Killers, Pocket Books, 1997.

  241 an intriguing photograph: The original photograph has disappeared but it may have been among photographs now missing from the collection of the journalist John Gilmore at UCLA.

  242 case against George Hodel was notably weak: A detailed rebuttal of Steve Hodel’s claim that his father, Dr. George Hodel, was the Dahlia killer is beyond the scope of this book. One of Hodel’s more bizarre contentions is that the posing of the body by the killer was an homage to the work of the Surrealist artist Man Ray, a friend of his father. The idea that the posing of the body was some form of “artwork” can be traced to the theory posited by author Mary Pacios, in her book Childhood Shadows, that the killer was the actor/director Orson Welles, and that the bisecting of Elizabeth’s body resembled the dismembered mannequins in the “crazy house” set from the movie The Lady from Shanghai (Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 138). Steve Hodel did at one point convince Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay that his father was the Dahlia killer, although it seems that Kay based his opinion partly on treating Hodel’s contentions as established fact. Steve Hodel has subsequently written further books claiming that his father was responsible for many other lone women killings in Los Angeles, Chicago, and the Philippines, as well the Zodiac murders in San Francisco.