1 00:00:05,677 --> 00:00:09,097 {\an1}(dramatic music) 2 00:00:09,139 --> 00:00:12,019 {\an1}- Tonight, a mysterious and gruesome crime 3 00:00:12,059 --> 00:00:14,186 {\an1}that’s haunted the public for decades. 4 00:00:14,186 --> 00:00:16,566 {\an1}- The tragic story of Elizabeth Short, 5 00:00:16,605 --> 00:00:19,945 {\an1}known as the Black Dahlia, is a murder mystery 6 00:00:19,983 --> 00:00:21,773 {\an1}that just doesn’t go away. 7 00:00:21,818 --> 00:00:23,618 {\an1}- The victim is a young beauty, 8 00:00:23,654 --> 00:00:26,614 {\an1}and like Jack the Ripper or the Zodiac Killer, 9 00:00:26,657 --> 00:00:31,077 {\an1}her murderer has never been caught or even identified. 10 00:00:31,119 --> 00:00:33,709 {\an1}- The police are definitely working off the idea 11 00:00:33,747 --> 00:00:35,167 {\an1}that this is a personal vendetta. 12 00:00:35,249 --> 00:00:38,669 {\an1}- How many bad men does it take to kill one 22-year-old? 13 00:00:38,710 --> 00:00:42,500 {\an1}- A young wannabe starlet in Hollywood contrasted 14 00:00:42,548 --> 00:00:45,058 {\an1}with this very horrible death. 15 00:00:45,092 --> 00:00:47,212 {\an1}- Now we explore the top theories 16 00:00:47,261 --> 00:00:51,341 {\an1}surrounding one of history’s most notorious unsolved crimes. 17 00:00:51,390 --> 00:00:53,150 {\an1}- You’ve got this very violent, 18 00:00:53,183 --> 00:00:55,813 {\an1}very vicious killer out there and nobody knows 19 00:00:55,852 --> 00:00:57,432 {\an1}when he’s gonna strike again. 20 00:00:57,479 --> 00:01:00,449 {\an1}- Back then, when you had power, you had money, 21 00:01:00,482 --> 00:01:03,812 {\an1}you had prestige, you could get away with murder. 22 00:01:03,860 --> 00:01:07,480 {\an1}- Who killed the infamous Black Dahlia and why? 23 00:01:07,531 --> 00:01:09,821 {\an1}(dramatic music) 24 00:01:21,669 --> 00:01:23,430 {\an1}For over seven decades, 25 00:01:23,463 --> 00:01:25,713 {\an1}the Los Angeles Police Department has kept 26 00:01:25,757 --> 00:01:28,097 {\an1}the Black Dahlia murder case open. 27 00:01:28,135 --> 00:01:31,385 {\an1}Each new detective assigned to this legendary cold case 28 00:01:31,430 --> 00:01:33,650 {\an1}must first review the evidence. 29 00:01:36,143 --> 00:01:41,103 {\an1}Los Angeles, California, January 15, 1947. 30 00:01:41,106 --> 00:01:43,606 {\an1}It’s an uncharacteristically cool morning 31 00:01:43,650 --> 00:01:45,150 {\an1}in Leimert Park. 32 00:01:45,193 --> 00:01:46,983 {\an1}- There’s a local resident who’s walking 33 00:01:47,029 --> 00:01:49,909 {\an1}in the early morning hours about 10:00 with a toddler, 34 00:01:49,948 --> 00:01:52,157 {\an1}and she sees something that looks like a mannequin 35 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:53,609 {\an1}in an open field. 36 00:01:53,660 --> 00:01:57,080 {\an1}- Mannequin that appears to be broken in half. 37 00:01:57,121 --> 00:01:58,702 {\an1}She thinks it’s a prank. 38 00:01:58,707 --> 00:02:00,207 {\an1}She calls the police. 39 00:02:00,250 --> 00:02:04,290 {\an1}Police come and it ends up being anything but a mannequin. 40 00:02:04,338 --> 00:02:06,138 {\an1}- [Laurence] What they’re really looking at 41 00:02:06,173 --> 00:02:08,593 {\an1}is the bisected corpse of a young woman, 42 00:02:08,633 --> 00:02:13,344 {\an1}naked, scrubbed, cleaned, and drained of all her blood. 43 00:02:13,388 --> 00:02:15,228 {\an1}- This was a very brutal murder. 44 00:02:15,265 --> 00:02:17,265 {\an1}The body’d been severed at the waist 45 00:02:17,309 --> 00:02:19,069 {\an1}and had likewise been mutilated. 46 00:02:19,102 --> 00:02:21,062 {\an1}- One of her breasts has been removed. 47 00:02:21,104 --> 00:02:23,983 {\an1}There is an incision or a gash above her genitals 48 00:02:24,024 --> 00:02:26,354 {\an1}resembling a hysterectomy scar. 49 00:02:26,401 --> 00:02:28,191 {\an1}The body was left in a position 50 00:02:28,236 --> 00:02:32,576 {\an1}that is both shocking and sexual at the same time. 51 00:02:32,616 --> 00:02:35,496 {\an1}- This tattoo had been cut away from her thigh, 52 00:02:35,535 --> 00:02:37,665 {\an1}a tattoo of a rose, and inserted somewhere else 53 00:02:37,704 --> 00:02:39,494 {\an1}that I’m not sure if you want me describing on camera. 54 00:02:39,539 --> 00:02:40,709 {\an1}There were signs of torture. 55 00:02:40,749 --> 00:02:42,339 {\an1}There were signs she had been beaten 56 00:02:42,376 --> 00:02:43,796 {\an1}and maybe most importantly, 57 00:02:43,834 --> 00:02:46,625 {\an1}there was no blood at the scene of this homicide. 58 00:02:46,672 --> 00:02:48,632 {\an1}- [Laurence] Her face was severely beaten. 59 00:02:48,673 --> 00:02:51,423 {\an1}Her mouth has been slashed from ear to ear 60 00:02:51,426 --> 00:02:53,016 {\an1}in a grisly smile. 61 00:02:53,053 --> 00:02:55,343 {\an1}- The police initially believe that she had been killed 62 00:02:55,346 --> 00:02:57,937 {\an1}sometime between 10 to 12 hours before her body 63 00:02:57,974 --> 00:03:00,224 {\an1}was most likely dumped at that location. 64 00:03:01,144 --> 00:03:03,854 {\an1}- The medical examiner, upon autopsy, 65 00:03:03,897 --> 00:03:07,157 {\an1}determined that the individual died from a concussion, 66 00:03:07,192 --> 00:03:10,862 {\an1}hemorrhaging, and trauma to the body. 67 00:03:10,904 --> 00:03:12,904 {\an1}- [Laurence] Mercifully, she was already dead 68 00:03:12,948 --> 00:03:15,328 {\an1}when the killer carved up the rest of her. 69 00:03:15,409 --> 00:03:18,369 {\an1}- The way the body has been cut in half is very specific. 70 00:03:18,412 --> 00:03:19,572 {\an1}The body has been cut 71 00:03:19,621 --> 00:03:21,911 {\an1}between the second and third lumbar vertebrae. 72 00:03:21,957 --> 00:03:24,207 {\an1}It’s called a hemicorporectomy. 73 00:03:24,251 --> 00:03:26,921 {\an1}- This is the exact point where you would cut someone 74 00:03:26,962 --> 00:03:29,462 {\an1}without having to go through bone. 75 00:03:29,506 --> 00:03:30,926 {\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators believe the killer 76 00:03:31,007 --> 00:03:33,387 {\an1}has to be someone with medical training 77 00:03:33,427 --> 00:03:36,677 {\an1}or at least expertise in anatomy. 78 00:03:36,721 --> 00:03:39,342 {\an1}- There were people that the LAPD interviewed 79 00:03:39,391 --> 00:03:40,851 {\an1}that were doctors. 80 00:03:40,892 --> 00:03:44,352 {\an1}They actually investigated 300 medical students at USC 81 00:03:44,396 --> 00:03:46,736 {\an1}to find out if one of them had done it. 82 00:03:47,733 --> 00:03:50,363 {\an1}- The very next day, officers run the victim’s prints, 83 00:03:50,402 --> 00:03:53,192 {\an1}and within a few hours, they have a name. 84 00:03:53,238 --> 00:03:55,868 {\an1}- [Laurence] She is 22-year-old Elizabeth Short 85 00:03:55,907 --> 00:03:59,417 {\an1}from the Boston suburb of Medford, Massachusetts. 86 00:03:59,453 --> 00:04:00,743 {\an1}- Her fingerprints were on file 87 00:04:00,829 --> 00:04:03,249 {\an1}with police and FBI databases ’cause she had applied 88 00:04:03,290 --> 00:04:06,630 {\an1}for a job at a California military camp in 1943. 89 00:04:06,668 --> 00:04:09,548 {\an1}And she had also been arrested for underage drinking 90 00:04:09,588 --> 00:04:11,088 {\an1}in Santa Barbara County. 91 00:04:11,131 --> 00:04:13,631 {\an1}The prior arrest for underage drinking in Santa Barbara 92 00:04:13,675 --> 00:04:15,765 {\an1}does become relevant here because 93 00:04:15,802 --> 00:04:17,172 {\an1}the arresting officer knew 94 00:04:17,219 --> 00:04:19,180 {\an1}that she had a rose tattoo on her left leg, 95 00:04:19,221 --> 00:04:21,302 {\an1}and that was in the report. 96 00:04:22,684 --> 00:04:24,314 {\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators begin looking into 97 00:04:24,352 --> 00:04:27,562 {\an1}Elizabeth Short’s background for more clues. 98 00:04:27,647 --> 00:04:29,947 {\an1}She was raised by a single mother 99 00:04:29,983 --> 00:04:31,273 {\an1}in a middle-class family. 100 00:04:32,277 --> 00:04:33,617 {\an1}- At a very early age, 101 00:04:33,653 --> 00:04:37,783 {\an1}her father faked his suicide and left the family. 102 00:04:37,824 --> 00:04:40,824 {\an1}- She was a young woman who left her home 103 00:04:40,869 --> 00:04:45,749 {\an1}to come find fame and fortune, maybe, in Los Angeles. 104 00:04:45,791 --> 00:04:49,211 {\an1}- A beautiful young woman cut down in the prime 105 00:04:49,252 --> 00:04:51,832 {\an1}of her life by this, you know, shadowy creature. 106 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,760 {\an1}It’s kind of the archetype of the kinda crime 107 00:04:53,799 --> 00:04:56,809 {\an1}that captures the American public’s attention. 108 00:04:56,843 --> 00:04:59,133 {\an1}- [Laurence] Police and reporters try to get a lead 109 00:04:59,179 --> 00:05:01,599 {\an1}on Beth’s life, but the more they dig in, 110 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,360 {\an1}the more of a mystery she becomes. 111 00:05:04,392 --> 00:05:06,012 {\an1}- She’s a high school dropout 112 00:05:06,061 --> 00:05:09,061 {\an1}and she’s kinda bouncing around from friend to friend, 113 00:05:09,105 --> 00:05:11,895 {\an1}you know, what the youngsters call couch surfing now. 114 00:05:11,942 --> 00:05:13,862 {\an1}So she was really trying to figure out what it is 115 00:05:13,902 --> 00:05:15,652 {\an1}that she wants to do with herself. 116 00:05:15,695 --> 00:05:18,115 {\an1}When she came to LA, Beth describes herself 117 00:05:18,156 --> 00:05:19,576 {\an1}as an aspiring actress. 118 00:05:19,616 --> 00:05:21,956 {\an1}However, there’s no evidence that she ever auditioned 119 00:05:21,993 --> 00:05:23,703 {\an1}for any roles. 120 00:05:23,745 --> 00:05:27,045 {\an1}- [Laurence] It’s in Long Beach, California in mid-1946 121 00:05:27,082 --> 00:05:30,332 {\an1}that Short picks up the nickname that will stick with her 122 00:05:30,377 --> 00:05:31,967 {\an1}after her death. 123 00:05:32,003 --> 00:05:34,793 {\an1}- Elizabeth Short liked hanging out at this diner, 124 00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:38,810 {\an1}and the customers there had actually named her Black Dahlia 125 00:05:38,844 --> 00:05:42,634 {\an1}because she dyed her hair black. 126 00:05:42,681 --> 00:05:44,471 {\an1}She liked wearing black clothing. 127 00:05:44,516 --> 00:05:48,856 {\an1}And a movie called "The Blue Dahlia" had just come out. 128 00:05:48,895 --> 00:05:52,315 {\an1}And so they named her the Black Dahlia. 129 00:05:52,357 --> 00:05:53,947 {\an1}- A month before Beth’s murder, 130 00:05:53,984 --> 00:05:55,864 {\an1}she told friends that she was going to the Bay Area 131 00:05:55,902 --> 00:05:57,402 {\an1}to visit her sister. 132 00:05:57,445 --> 00:06:00,535 {\an1}But in reality, she went to San Diego. 133 00:06:00,574 --> 00:06:03,704 {\an1}- And there, she sleeps in a movie theater. 134 00:06:03,743 --> 00:06:06,533 {\an1}One of the women working at the movie theater 135 00:06:06,580 --> 00:06:09,920 {\an1}lets Elizabeth Short live with her and her family 136 00:06:09,958 --> 00:06:11,458 {\an1}for about a month. 137 00:06:11,501 --> 00:06:14,371 {\an1}But eventually, they tire of her, 138 00:06:14,421 --> 00:06:19,251 {\an1}and that’s when she, you know, starts up with Red Manley. 139 00:06:19,301 --> 00:06:21,841 {\an1}- [Laurence] On the evening of January 9, 140 00:06:21,928 --> 00:06:25,228 {\an1}six days before her dead body will be found in Leimert Park, 141 00:06:25,265 --> 00:06:27,605 {\an1}Beth is given a ride back to Los Angeles 142 00:06:27,642 --> 00:06:31,182 {\an1}by a traveling salesman named Red Manley. 143 00:06:31,229 --> 00:06:33,279 {\an1}- He said she was very fidgety, 144 00:06:33,315 --> 00:06:34,525 {\an1}she couldn’t sit still. 145 00:06:34,608 --> 00:06:36,738 {\an1}She just seemed very uncomfortable. 146 00:06:36,776 --> 00:06:38,986 {\an1}Red Manley tells police that he dropped Beth off 147 00:06:38,987 --> 00:06:41,907 {\an1}at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, 148 00:06:41,907 --> 00:06:43,407 {\an1}and then he heads home. 149 00:06:43,450 --> 00:06:46,330 {\an1}Officers checked out his alibi and everything rang true. 150 00:06:46,369 --> 00:06:48,669 {\an1}And so the last time that Beth was seen by anyone 151 00:06:48,705 --> 00:06:50,705 {\an1}was about 10:00 p.m. at the Biltmore. 152 00:06:50,749 --> 00:06:54,049 {\an1}Doorman said he walked her out and that was the last time 153 00:06:54,085 --> 00:06:55,715 {\an1}anyone had seen her. 154 00:06:55,754 --> 00:06:58,424 {\an1}- [Laurence] Six days later, she’ll be dead. 155 00:06:58,465 --> 00:07:01,635 {\an1}And the biggest manhunt in LA history kicks off. 156 00:07:01,676 --> 00:07:04,096 {\an1}- One of the first witnesses that investigators talked to 157 00:07:04,137 --> 00:07:05,637 {\an1}was her on-again, off-again friend, 158 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,390 {\an1}sometime housemate, roommate, Ann Toth. 159 00:07:09,434 --> 00:07:11,394 {\an1}Toth is the one that points investigators 160 00:07:11,436 --> 00:07:15,316 {\an1}in the direction of their first real suspect, Mark Hansen. 161 00:07:16,316 --> 00:07:18,866 {\an1}- Mark Hansen was the operator of the Florentine Gardens 162 00:07:18,902 --> 00:07:20,612 {\an1}on Hollywood Boulevard. 163 00:07:20,654 --> 00:07:23,444 {\an1}It was a very popular dance club. 164 00:07:23,490 --> 00:07:25,867 {\an1}- He’s this Danish millionaire. 165 00:07:25,867 --> 00:07:28,707 {\an1}He has lots of very powerful friends. 166 00:07:28,745 --> 00:07:29,915 {\an1}He’s very influential, 167 00:07:29,955 --> 00:07:32,545 {\an1}and he lives in this house on Carlos Avenue. 168 00:07:32,582 --> 00:07:35,912 {\an1}- This was kind of a haven for dancers at his club, 169 00:07:35,961 --> 00:07:37,751 {\an1}for people who would just come to the city 170 00:07:37,796 --> 00:07:38,966 {\an1}and wanted to be actresses, 171 00:07:39,005 --> 00:07:41,255 {\an1}just people chasing the dream of Hollywood. 172 00:07:42,550 --> 00:07:44,510 {\an1}- [Laurence] Ann Toth is one of the women who lives 173 00:07:44,552 --> 00:07:46,592 {\an1}in the Carlos Avenue home. 174 00:07:46,638 --> 00:07:49,438 {\an1}She tells police that Beth lived there too, 175 00:07:49,474 --> 00:07:54,354 {\an1}off and on between May and November of 1946. 176 00:07:54,396 --> 00:07:57,196 {\an1}- One of the reasons that Toth directed officers 177 00:07:57,232 --> 00:07:59,692 {\an1}to Mark in the first place is because she knew 178 00:07:59,734 --> 00:08:02,904 {\an1}that he was completed obsessed and infatuated with Beth. 179 00:08:02,946 --> 00:08:06,496 {\an1}- He would forbid her to bring other men to the house, 180 00:08:06,533 --> 00:08:09,783 {\an1}which sounds like, you know, the jealous boyfriend type. 181 00:08:09,828 --> 00:08:12,208 {\an1}- Hansen was described as fixated on Elizabeth Short. 182 00:08:12,288 --> 00:08:14,958 {\an1}He had this unrequited sexual interest in her. 183 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,340 {\an1}So she’s trying to find a way to, you know, 184 00:08:18,378 --> 00:08:21,428 {\an1}kind of shoo him off sexually without infuriating him, 185 00:08:21,464 --> 00:08:24,554 {\an1}so she comes up with this fiction that she’s a virgin. 186 00:08:24,592 --> 00:08:28,802 {\an1}- The fact that Beth rebuffed Mark Hansen with stories 187 00:08:28,888 --> 00:08:32,097 {\an1}of, "I’m a virgin," probably only fueled his desire 188 00:08:32,141 --> 00:08:34,141 {\an1}to want her all the more. 189 00:08:34,184 --> 00:08:37,235 {\an1}- [Laurence] The stormy relationship doesn’t end there. 190 00:08:37,272 --> 00:08:39,772 {\an1}- To avoid any conflict with Mark, 191 00:08:39,816 --> 00:08:41,946 {\an1}it’s rumored that she was having her gentlemen friends 192 00:08:41,985 --> 00:08:44,075 {\an1}drop her off about a block away from his house. 193 00:08:44,112 --> 00:08:46,232 {\an1}Now, this just infuriates him, 194 00:08:46,281 --> 00:08:49,071 {\an1}so Mark doesn’t speak to Beth now for several days. 195 00:08:49,117 --> 00:08:51,117 {\an1}- [Laurence] Things allegedly come to a head 196 00:08:51,161 --> 00:08:53,821 {\an1}in early November 1946. 197 00:08:53,872 --> 00:08:56,542 {\an1}- Ann Toth had told the police that the final straw 198 00:08:56,583 --> 00:09:00,003 {\an1}in this relationship between Mark Hansen and Elizabeth Short 199 00:09:00,045 --> 00:09:03,465 {\an1}is that Hansen had told Elizabeth that it was only her, 200 00:09:03,506 --> 00:09:05,046 {\an1}it was all about her, he was obsessed with 201 00:09:05,091 --> 00:09:06,501 {\an1}or fixated on her. 202 00:09:06,551 --> 00:09:08,051 {\an1}And then he brings another woman home, 203 00:09:08,094 --> 00:09:11,884 {\an1}and she sees this and suddenly is now aggravated. 204 00:09:11,931 --> 00:09:13,431 {\an1}And there is some kind of, 205 00:09:13,475 --> 00:09:14,685 {\an1}I don’t know if they come to blows 206 00:09:14,768 --> 00:09:15,978 {\an1}or it’s just a verbal argument, 207 00:09:16,019 --> 00:09:17,979 {\an1}but something happens between them 208 00:09:18,021 --> 00:09:21,061 {\an1}and that is kind of where things completely fall apart 209 00:09:21,066 --> 00:09:22,446 {\an1}between Hansen and Short. 210 00:09:22,484 --> 00:09:24,194 {\an1}The morning after this explosion, 211 00:09:24,235 --> 00:09:25,905 {\an1}Hansen does evict her from the property 212 00:09:25,945 --> 00:09:27,365 {\an1}where she’s been staying. 213 00:09:27,405 --> 00:09:29,945 {\an1}- [Laurence] But Ann tells police it isn’t the end 214 00:09:29,991 --> 00:09:32,741 {\an1}of Mark and Beth’s tumultuous relationship. 215 00:09:32,786 --> 00:09:34,416 {\an1}- The night before the murder, 216 00:09:34,454 --> 00:09:36,244 {\an1}Ann said that Elizabeth had called 217 00:09:36,289 --> 00:09:39,589 {\an1}and that Mr. Hansen had been acting nervous and restless. 218 00:09:39,626 --> 00:09:42,626 {\an1}She also said that Elizabeth was going to come over, 219 00:09:42,670 --> 00:09:44,130 {\an1}but she didn’t show up. 220 00:09:44,172 --> 00:09:46,542 {\an1}- So the last night that anybody sees Elizabeth Short, 221 00:09:46,591 --> 00:09:49,261 {\an1}she does make a phone call to Mark Hansen. 222 00:09:49,302 --> 00:09:51,012 {\an1}And he tells her, "Everything’s fine. 223 00:09:51,054 --> 00:09:53,554 {\an1}You still have a place to stay." 224 00:09:53,598 --> 00:09:57,018 {\an1}- But according to Mark, Beth never came back. 225 00:09:57,060 --> 00:09:58,230 {\an1}- [Laurence] Police question 226 00:09:58,269 --> 00:09:59,939 {\an1}the well connected nightclub owner, 227 00:09:59,979 --> 00:10:03,069 {\an1}but he downplays his relationship with Elizabeth. 228 00:10:03,108 --> 00:10:05,408 {\an1}- He says he was never interested in Beth, 229 00:10:05,443 --> 00:10:07,233 {\an1}he never tried to have sex with her. 230 00:10:07,278 --> 00:10:10,538 {\an1}He found Beth to be fair looking, average. 231 00:10:10,573 --> 00:10:13,073 {\an1}- Hansen does himself no favors with the police. 232 00:10:13,118 --> 00:10:14,918 {\an1}He tells easily disprovable lies. 233 00:10:14,953 --> 00:10:17,623 {\an1}He says he didn’t speak to her after he evicted her. 234 00:10:17,664 --> 00:10:19,664 {\an1}- According to Ann, Mark Hansen told her 235 00:10:19,707 --> 00:10:21,626 {\an1}Beth could come and stay there 236 00:10:21,626 --> 00:10:23,376 {\an1}if she needed a place to stay. 237 00:10:23,419 --> 00:10:26,139 {\an1}But when questioned by investigators, 238 00:10:26,172 --> 00:10:28,132 {\an1}Mark Hansen said he turned Beth away 239 00:10:28,174 --> 00:10:29,594 {\an1}and never saw her again. 240 00:10:29,634 --> 00:10:31,964 {\an1}- [Laurence] On January 21, 241 00:10:32,011 --> 00:10:35,051 {\an1}six days after Beth Short’s body is discovered, 242 00:10:35,098 --> 00:10:38,898 {\an1}an envelope containing the contents of her purse arrives 243 00:10:38,935 --> 00:10:41,895 {\an1}at the "Los Angeles Herald Examiner." 244 00:10:41,938 --> 00:10:43,188 {\an1}- Among the materials submitted 245 00:10:43,231 --> 00:10:46,811 {\an1}were Elizabeth Short’s Social Security card, 246 00:10:46,860 --> 00:10:48,987 {\an1}an address book that bore the name of Mark Hansen 247 00:10:48,987 --> 00:10:50,197 {\an1}on its cover. 248 00:10:50,238 --> 00:10:52,498 {\an1}At first blush, it looks like somebody’s trying 249 00:10:52,532 --> 00:10:54,282 {\an1}to set this guy up. 250 00:10:54,325 --> 00:10:56,915 {\an1}Because you just don’t send incriminating materials 251 00:10:56,953 --> 00:10:58,123 {\an1}to the police. 252 00:10:58,163 --> 00:10:59,783 {\an1}If you wanna do that, you might as well go 253 00:10:59,831 --> 00:11:02,041 {\an1}to the front desk and turn yourself in. 254 00:11:02,083 --> 00:11:03,793 {\an1}- It’s quite believable and reasonable 255 00:11:03,835 --> 00:11:07,085 {\an1}to suspect Mark Hansen as the perpetrator of this crime 256 00:11:07,130 --> 00:11:10,640 {\an1}because we know that he was obsessed with Elizabeth. 257 00:11:10,675 --> 00:11:13,345 {\an1}- [Laurence] But Mark Hansen has an alibi 258 00:11:13,386 --> 00:11:15,556 {\an1}and witnesses to back him up. 259 00:11:15,597 --> 00:11:17,477 {\an1}- He said that when the murder occurred, 260 00:11:17,515 --> 00:11:20,645 {\an1}he was at a movie theater opening in Long Beach. 261 00:11:20,685 --> 00:11:23,145 {\an1}And he also had a business associate testify 262 00:11:23,188 --> 00:11:26,398 {\an1}that he was at his home in Redondo Beach until 3:00 a.m. 263 00:11:26,441 --> 00:11:28,401 {\an1}This would not give him enough time 264 00:11:28,443 --> 00:11:31,523 {\an1}to kill Elizabeth and then dispose of the body 265 00:11:31,571 --> 00:11:35,611 {\an1}in the way it had been and be able to get away. 266 00:11:35,658 --> 00:11:36,828 {\an1}- [Laurence] Hansen’s alibi 267 00:11:36,868 --> 00:11:39,378 {\an1}knocks him down the suspect list. 268 00:11:39,412 --> 00:11:42,282 {\an1}Police never search his properties or vehicles 269 00:11:42,332 --> 00:11:44,202 {\an1}for blood or evidence, 270 00:11:44,250 --> 00:11:45,750 {\an1}and the case moves on. 271 00:11:45,793 --> 00:11:47,543 {\an1}- You’ve got this very violent, 272 00:11:47,587 --> 00:11:50,757 {\an1}very vicious killer out there and nobody knows who he is. 273 00:11:50,798 --> 00:11:52,848 {\an1}Nobody knows when he’s gonna strike again. 274 00:11:52,884 --> 00:11:53,634 {\an1}(dramatic music) 275 00:11:57,555 --> 00:12:00,055 {\an1}- [Laurence] It’s January of 1947 276 00:12:00,099 --> 00:12:03,769 {\an1}and Los Angeles is in the grips of a tabloid frenzy. 277 00:12:03,853 --> 00:12:07,523 {\an1}Everyone wants to know who killed the Black Dahlia. 278 00:12:07,565 --> 00:12:08,945 {\an1}- Media were all over this case. 279 00:12:09,025 --> 00:12:11,195 {\an1}At that time, there were four major dailies 280 00:12:11,236 --> 00:12:13,236 {\an1}in the city of Los Angeles competing. 281 00:12:13,279 --> 00:12:14,789 {\an1}This is the ’40s, so you’re pre-internet, 282 00:12:14,864 --> 00:12:17,364 {\an1}you’re pre-Twitter, but you are also at a time 283 00:12:17,450 --> 00:12:18,950 {\an1}when the papers are putting out two editions each day. 284 00:12:18,952 --> 00:12:20,412 {\an1}They’re putting out mornings and evenings, 285 00:12:20,453 --> 00:12:21,873 {\an1}trying to just edge each other out 286 00:12:21,913 --> 00:12:24,623 {\an1}and get, you know, at least one exclusive per day, 287 00:12:24,707 --> 00:12:26,125 {\an1}twice per day. 288 00:12:26,125 --> 00:12:28,875 {\an1}- This story had everything that you would relate 289 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:30,720 {\an1}to a film noir. 290 00:12:30,755 --> 00:12:33,545 {\an1}You’ve got the seedy underbelly of Hollywood. 291 00:12:33,591 --> 00:12:36,420 {\an1}You’ve got the gruesomeness of the killing, 292 00:12:36,469 --> 00:12:39,729 {\an1}and then the great unknown is who did it. 293 00:12:39,764 --> 00:12:41,934 {\an1}- [Laurence] The Black Dahlia case 294 00:12:41,975 --> 00:12:44,565 {\an1}even becomes headline news around the country. 295 00:12:44,602 --> 00:12:46,392 {\an1}- Everyone was watching. 296 00:12:46,437 --> 00:12:48,567 {\an1}Everyone was reading papers. 297 00:12:48,606 --> 00:12:50,646 {\an1}This was a hot story. 298 00:12:50,733 --> 00:12:55,653 {\an1}And the cops were pressured to find out who done it. 299 00:12:55,738 --> 00:12:59,618 {\an1}- You had, at one point, 150 suspects 300 00:12:59,659 --> 00:13:02,629 {\an1}that investigators were looking at, wanting to talk to, 301 00:13:02,662 --> 00:13:03,992 {\an1}had talked to. 302 00:13:03,997 --> 00:13:06,917 {\an1}You had people who were calling in with tips. 303 00:13:06,958 --> 00:13:09,668 {\an1}And you even had people who were confessing. 304 00:13:09,669 --> 00:13:11,929 {\an1}- There were certain things that would only be known 305 00:13:11,963 --> 00:13:13,463 {\an1}to the killer. 306 00:13:13,506 --> 00:13:15,466 {\an1}One of the details that police kept from the media 307 00:13:15,508 --> 00:13:18,598 {\an1}was the fact that Elizabeth Short had a tattoo on her leg. 308 00:13:18,636 --> 00:13:20,136 {\an1}It was a rose. 309 00:13:20,179 --> 00:13:21,979 {\an1}Having information that others don’t have 310 00:13:22,015 --> 00:13:24,015 {\an1}is one way of helping eliminate folks 311 00:13:24,100 --> 00:13:26,480 {\an1}from like being a potential suspect. 312 00:13:26,519 --> 00:13:30,439 {\an1}- So, after the initial excitement of this young woman 313 00:13:30,481 --> 00:13:33,691 {\an1}found in a field and the several editions a day 314 00:13:33,776 --> 00:13:36,826 {\an1}of newspaper and all this coverage, 315 00:13:36,863 --> 00:13:40,363 {\an1}a month passes and the cops are still at a loss 316 00:13:40,366 --> 00:13:42,706 {\an1}of who killed Elizabeth Short. 317 00:13:42,785 --> 00:13:44,705 {\an1}- [Laurence] As their investigation continues, 318 00:13:44,787 --> 00:13:48,377 {\an1}the LA Police make a connection to similar grisly murders 319 00:13:48,458 --> 00:13:50,508 {\an1}that occurred a decade earlier 320 00:13:50,543 --> 00:13:53,043 {\an1}and over 2,000 miles away. 321 00:13:53,045 --> 00:13:55,136 {\an1}- [Speaker] Cleveland, iron and steel center 322 00:13:55,173 --> 00:13:56,503 {\an1}of the Middle West. 323 00:13:56,549 --> 00:14:00,469 {\an1}- The nature and manner of death of Elizabeth Short 324 00:14:00,511 --> 00:14:03,221 {\an1}tends to lend itself to a belief that 325 00:14:03,222 --> 00:14:05,852 {\an1}there might be other murders that are related to this. 326 00:14:05,892 --> 00:14:07,182 {\an1}A dismemberment murder, 327 00:14:07,226 --> 00:14:10,186 {\an1}a brutal, probably sexual murder of a woman. 328 00:14:10,229 --> 00:14:12,859 {\an1}- Cleveland, Ohio investigators are beginning to wonder 329 00:14:12,899 --> 00:14:15,902 {\an1}if the Black Dahlia killer is someone they’ve hunted before. 330 00:14:15,902 --> 00:14:17,232 {\an1}(dramatic music) 331 00:14:17,236 --> 00:14:19,536 {\an1}- Investigators in Cleveland are looking 332 00:14:19,572 --> 00:14:22,702 {\an1}at all that’s happening around this young woman found 333 00:14:22,742 --> 00:14:24,992 {\an1}in a field, and they are wondering, 334 00:14:25,036 --> 00:14:27,580 {\an1}"Is their killer the same as our killer?" 335 00:14:27,580 --> 00:14:29,870 {\an1}(dramatic music) 336 00:14:31,417 --> 00:14:33,547 {\an1}- About a decade before in 1930, 337 00:14:33,586 --> 00:14:35,836 {\an1}Cleveland also had a killer who seemed 338 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,750 {\an1}to delight in killing folks and dissecting the bodies. 339 00:14:39,759 --> 00:14:43,099 {\an1}- [Laurence] It all starts in September of 1934, 340 00:14:43,179 --> 00:14:45,519 {\an1}when a beachcomber on the shores of Lake Erie 341 00:14:45,556 --> 00:14:47,096 {\an1}makes a gruesome discovery. 342 00:14:47,183 --> 00:14:50,103 {\an1}- They discover a female who’s headless 343 00:14:50,186 --> 00:14:52,436 {\an1}with her legs amputated at the knees, 344 00:14:52,438 --> 00:14:54,528 {\an1}partially covered in sand. 345 00:14:54,565 --> 00:14:57,443 {\an1}- This body was essentially a torso with the upper legs 346 00:14:57,443 --> 00:15:00,233 {\an1}still intact, but the rest of the body was missing. 347 00:15:00,279 --> 00:15:03,909 {\an1}Investigators eventually find her legs but not the head, 348 00:15:03,950 --> 00:15:06,452 {\an1}and this woman becomes known as the Lady of the Lake. 349 00:15:06,452 --> 00:15:07,620 {\an1}(dramatic music) 350 00:15:07,620 --> 00:15:09,280 {\an1}- [Laurence] Exactly one year later, 351 00:15:09,372 --> 00:15:12,452 {\an1}two teenagers discover the decapitated corpse 352 00:15:12,542 --> 00:15:14,462 {\an1}of a white male in a vacant lot. 353 00:15:15,753 --> 00:15:19,543 {\an1}- The body was found decapitated with his genitals removed. 354 00:15:19,590 --> 00:15:20,790 {\an1}While searching the crime scene, 355 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:22,970 {\an1}police find the body of another man, 356 00:15:23,052 --> 00:15:27,472 {\an1}40 years old, who had also been decapitated and castrated. 357 00:15:27,473 --> 00:15:28,803 {\an1}- [Laurence] Every few months, 358 00:15:28,891 --> 00:15:31,721 {\an1}more butchered bodies turn up. 359 00:15:31,811 --> 00:15:35,811 {\an1}- The Cleveland killer seems to target men and women 360 00:15:35,898 --> 00:15:38,238 {\an1}who are down on their luck, 361 00:15:38,276 --> 00:15:41,406 {\an1}folks who maybe a perpetrator might think 362 00:15:41,446 --> 00:15:44,406 {\an1}they won’t be missed and were probably vulnerable 363 00:15:44,490 --> 00:15:45,650 {\an1}in the moment. 364 00:15:45,741 --> 00:15:47,991 {\an1}- So we can already see specific parallels 365 00:15:47,994 --> 00:15:49,162 {\an1}between the Cleveland Torso Killer 366 00:15:49,162 --> 00:15:50,662 {\an1}and the Black Dahlia case. 367 00:15:50,746 --> 00:15:53,336 {\an1}We see bodies that are turning up dismembered 368 00:15:53,416 --> 00:15:55,916 {\an1}and disfigured in a way that involves a certain amount 369 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,000 {\an1}of anatomical and/or medical skill and knowledge. 370 00:16:00,339 --> 00:16:02,139 {\an1}- [Laurence] Like the Black Dahlia’s killer, 371 00:16:02,175 --> 00:16:04,765 {\an1}who sent taunting letters to the newspaper, 372 00:16:04,802 --> 00:16:06,762 {\an1}Cleveland’s mad butcher seems 373 00:16:06,804 --> 00:16:09,014 {\an1}to enjoy goading the authorities. 374 00:16:09,098 --> 00:16:11,438 {\an1}- A very significant parallel between the two cases 375 00:16:11,476 --> 00:16:14,856 {\an1}is the fact that the killers communicated with police 376 00:16:14,937 --> 00:16:16,607 {\an1}after the murders were done. 377 00:16:16,647 --> 00:16:19,987 {\an1}- In the case of the Cleveland Torso Killer, 378 00:16:20,026 --> 00:16:21,986 {\an1}that killer was taunting the investigator 379 00:16:22,028 --> 00:16:24,028 {\an1}who at that time was Eliot Ness. 380 00:16:24,030 --> 00:16:26,290 {\an1}Eliot Ness was the investigator 381 00:16:26,324 --> 00:16:29,614 {\an1}who took down Al Capone in Chicago. 382 00:16:30,620 --> 00:16:32,500 {\an1}- [Laurence] The Cleveland Torso Killer is believed 383 00:16:32,538 --> 00:16:35,378 {\an1}to be responsible for the murders of seven men 384 00:16:35,458 --> 00:16:37,128 {\an1}and five women. 385 00:16:37,168 --> 00:16:40,508 {\an1}- In 1938, Cleveland’s racked up about 12 bodies now 386 00:16:40,545 --> 00:16:43,176 {\an1}as a result of this Torso Killer, 387 00:16:43,216 --> 00:16:44,636 {\an1}and then it just stops. 388 00:16:44,675 --> 00:16:48,554 {\an1}And so the question is, why? What happened? 389 00:16:48,554 --> 00:16:50,634 {\an1}The belief was is that Eliot Ness, 390 00:16:50,681 --> 00:16:52,891 {\an1}during his investigation of the Torso Killer, 391 00:16:52,975 --> 00:16:57,225 {\an1}had honed in on a guy who was only known as Dr. X. 392 00:16:57,230 --> 00:17:00,490 {\an1}- This person has received medical training, 393 00:17:00,525 --> 00:17:05,025 {\an1}and Eliot Ness coaxes this person, who he calls Dr. X, 394 00:17:05,028 --> 00:17:06,699 {\an1}to talk with him. 395 00:17:06,738 --> 00:17:11,169 {\an1}This Dr. X receives two polygraph tests and fails both. 396 00:17:11,201 --> 00:17:13,532 {\an1}- There was never enough evidence to charge him, 397 00:17:13,579 --> 00:17:17,379 {\an1}but Eliot Ness manages to coax him into an insane asylum, 398 00:17:17,416 --> 00:17:19,666 {\an1}and the torso murders stop. 399 00:17:20,710 --> 00:17:23,081 {\an1}- [Laurence] But some believe the suspect known as Dr. X 400 00:17:23,171 --> 00:17:25,542 {\an1}wasn’t actually the Torso Killer 401 00:17:25,550 --> 00:17:28,060 {\an1}and that the only reason the murders stopped 402 00:17:28,094 --> 00:17:30,264 {\an1}is because the real killer moved 403 00:17:30,346 --> 00:17:32,386 {\an1}to a new hunting ground. 404 00:17:32,390 --> 00:17:34,900 {\an1}- Perhaps the killer actually left the area because 405 00:17:34,934 --> 00:17:37,264 {\an1}a letter had been received by the police department. 406 00:17:37,270 --> 00:17:39,360 {\an1}In this letter, he’s kind of cheeky, 407 00:17:39,397 --> 00:17:43,527 {\an1}and he says, "You can relax now. I’ve left the area. 408 00:17:43,568 --> 00:17:45,198 {\an1}I’ve gone to sunny California, 409 00:17:45,236 --> 00:17:49,282 {\an1}and I’ll be engaging in my surgical endeavors there." 410 00:17:49,282 --> 00:17:51,612 {\an1}The suspect also says that he’s buried 411 00:17:51,701 --> 00:17:53,741 {\an1}his most recent victim in Los Angeles 412 00:17:53,786 --> 00:17:55,746 {\an1}between Crenshaw and Western Avenue, 413 00:17:55,788 --> 00:18:00,298 {\an1}which is really only about five miles from Leimert Park. 414 00:18:00,376 --> 00:18:01,961 {\an1}- [Laurence] Did Cleveland’s mad butcher 415 00:18:01,961 --> 00:18:04,711 {\an1}set his sights on Elizabeth Short? 416 00:18:04,755 --> 00:18:07,095 {\an1}- The Cleveland Torso Killer 417 00:18:07,133 --> 00:18:10,883 {\an1}and the killer of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, 418 00:18:10,928 --> 00:18:13,728 {\an1}had some type of anatomical training. 419 00:18:13,764 --> 00:18:17,104 {\an1}They knew where to cut, where to avoid bone. 420 00:18:17,143 --> 00:18:18,563 {\an1}- There are also a number of differences 421 00:18:18,603 --> 00:18:19,973 {\an1}between the two cases. 422 00:18:20,062 --> 00:18:22,142 {\an1}We see with the Cleveland torso killings, 423 00:18:22,148 --> 00:18:24,317 {\an1}there are decapitations. 424 00:18:24,317 --> 00:18:26,947 {\an1}Elizabeth Short was not decapitated. 425 00:18:26,986 --> 00:18:28,946 {\an1}The Cleveland Torso killings, 426 00:18:28,988 --> 00:18:31,658 {\an1}the bodies weren’t necessarily posed. 427 00:18:31,741 --> 00:18:34,911 {\an1}Also, the Cleveland Torso killings involved men, 428 00:18:34,952 --> 00:18:37,242 {\an1}which is different victimology 429 00:18:37,288 --> 00:18:39,088 {\an1}than the Elizabeth Short case. 430 00:18:39,123 --> 00:18:40,913 {\an1}The Cleveland Torso Killer’s mutilations 431 00:18:40,958 --> 00:18:43,508 {\an1}might have been more defensively motivated, 432 00:18:43,586 --> 00:18:45,926 {\an1}designed to keep him from being caught. 433 00:18:45,963 --> 00:18:48,293 {\an1}Versus the Elizabeth Short case, 434 00:18:48,341 --> 00:18:49,591 {\an1}which may have been more in the service 435 00:18:49,634 --> 00:18:51,134 {\an1}of sexual gratification. 436 00:18:51,177 --> 00:18:54,847 {\an1}- There was no hard proof that the killer 437 00:18:54,930 --> 00:18:58,300 {\an1}of Elizabeth Short was the Cleveland Torso Killer. 438 00:18:58,309 --> 00:19:00,439 {\an1}- The MOs feel totally different to me. 439 00:19:04,190 --> 00:19:08,120 {\an1}- [Laurence] Most old unsolved murders slip into obscurity. 440 00:19:08,152 --> 00:19:10,522 {\an1}Not so with the Black Dahlia. 441 00:19:10,613 --> 00:19:13,693 {\an1}As the decades go by and the leads grow colder, 442 00:19:13,783 --> 00:19:17,493 {\an1}the search for answers only seems to be heating up. 443 00:19:17,536 --> 00:19:20,956 {\an1}In 1997 on the 50th anniversary of the murder, 444 00:19:20,998 --> 00:19:24,710 {\an1}the "Los Angeles Times" hires renowned criminal profiler 445 00:19:24,710 --> 00:19:28,330 {\an1}John Douglas to take his own look at the case. 446 00:19:28,381 --> 00:19:31,041 {\an1}- Douglas believes that the killer of the Black Dahlia 447 00:19:31,133 --> 00:19:32,383 {\an1}was a male, 448 00:19:32,468 --> 00:19:35,018 {\an1}someone who’s familiar with surgical equipment. 449 00:19:35,054 --> 00:19:37,054 {\an1}He believes that the killer was motivated 450 00:19:37,139 --> 00:19:42,229 {\an1}by personal stress, alcoholism, and romantic rejection. 451 00:19:42,311 --> 00:19:44,471 {\an1}- [Laurence] One of Douglas’s biggest questions 452 00:19:44,522 --> 00:19:46,642 {\an1}is, why Leimert Park? 453 00:19:46,732 --> 00:19:49,232 {\an1}- The fact that the killer dumps the body 454 00:19:49,235 --> 00:19:52,735 {\an1}in a residential area right in the middle of LA 455 00:19:52,822 --> 00:19:54,862 {\an1}was notable to John Douglas. 456 00:19:54,907 --> 00:19:57,747 {\an1}Because there’s so many other places in Southern California 457 00:19:57,827 --> 00:19:59,912 {\an1}to dump a body if you don’t want it to be found. 458 00:19:59,912 --> 00:20:02,372 {\an1}John Douglas feels that the perpetrator 459 00:20:02,415 --> 00:20:04,245 {\an1}would have a connection to this neighborhood 460 00:20:04,333 --> 00:20:05,413 {\an1}and to this spot. 461 00:20:05,501 --> 00:20:07,661 {\an1}Well, who would possibly have a connection 462 00:20:07,712 --> 00:20:09,672 {\an1}to this neighborhood that could have the means 463 00:20:09,714 --> 00:20:11,754 {\an1}and the opportunity to commit this murder? 464 00:20:11,757 --> 00:20:12,925 {\an1}(dramatic music) 465 00:20:12,925 --> 00:20:14,505 {\an1}- [Laurence] Following up on that theory, 466 00:20:14,552 --> 00:20:17,222 {\an1}an "LA Times" reporter finds a suspect 467 00:20:17,263 --> 00:20:20,513 {\an1}that has flown under the radar for half a century. 468 00:20:20,558 --> 00:20:22,768 {\an1}His name is Dr. Walter Bayley. 469 00:20:22,852 --> 00:20:24,932 {\an1}(dramatic music) 470 00:20:25,938 --> 00:20:28,898 {\an1}- Walter Bayley is born in 1880, he’s a World War I veteran. 471 00:20:28,941 --> 00:20:30,271 {\an1}He is a surgeon 472 00:20:30,276 --> 00:20:32,276 {\an1}at the University of Southern California, 473 00:20:32,278 --> 00:20:33,448 {\an1}and maybe most importantly, 474 00:20:33,529 --> 00:20:36,079 {\an1}he has an office not far from the Biltmore, 475 00:20:36,115 --> 00:20:38,575 {\an1}you know, where Elizabeth Short was last seen. 476 00:20:38,617 --> 00:20:41,287 {\an1}- Dr. Bayley had a young son who was riding his bicycle 477 00:20:41,287 --> 00:20:43,877 {\an1}and was killed by a driver, 478 00:20:43,914 --> 00:20:46,954 {\an1}and it was a very traumatic incident in his life. 479 00:20:46,959 --> 00:20:48,589 {\an1}- It’s been said that at this point, 480 00:20:48,627 --> 00:20:50,963 {\an1}he sort of threw himself into his career. 481 00:20:50,963 --> 00:20:53,713 {\an1}- He had a private practice where he specialized 482 00:20:53,758 --> 00:20:56,635 {\an1}in mastectomies and hysterectomies. 483 00:20:56,635 --> 00:20:58,425 {\an1}- Given the injuries she suffered, 484 00:20:58,471 --> 00:21:01,261 {\an1}given the specific areas of her body that were mutilated, 485 00:21:01,307 --> 00:21:03,147 {\an1}there’s a line of thinking that Bayley would’ve known 486 00:21:03,225 --> 00:21:07,065 {\an1}exactly how to cut, move, otherwise dismember those parts 487 00:21:07,104 --> 00:21:08,604 {\an1}of a human being. 488 00:21:08,647 --> 00:21:11,817 {\an1}- [Laurence] Dr. Bayley and his wife lived in Leimert Park 489 00:21:11,901 --> 00:21:13,981 {\an1}in a house just a block away 490 00:21:14,069 --> 00:21:17,239 {\an1}from where Elizabeth Short will be found murdered. 491 00:21:17,281 --> 00:21:18,991 {\an1}But in the months before the murder, 492 00:21:18,991 --> 00:21:23,161 {\an1}Dr. Bayley’s marriage and his life were coming apart. 493 00:21:23,162 --> 00:21:24,912 {\an1}- He has become estranged from his wife 494 00:21:24,955 --> 00:21:27,165 {\an1}about four months before Elizabeth Short is killed, 495 00:21:27,166 --> 00:21:30,626 {\an1}and kind of shacks up with this younger physician. 496 00:21:30,669 --> 00:21:32,339 {\an1}- He had a successful medical practice, 497 00:21:32,421 --> 00:21:36,001 {\an1}and then he sort of broke bad in a certain way. 498 00:21:36,091 --> 00:21:38,921 {\an1}His personality changed dramatically. 499 00:21:39,011 --> 00:21:40,171 {\an1}He left his wife. 500 00:21:40,262 --> 00:21:41,762 {\an1}He took up with this younger woman. 501 00:21:41,806 --> 00:21:44,146 {\an1}He would have these bizarre kind of habits 502 00:21:44,183 --> 00:21:46,973 {\an1}like watching surgery films at night while he ate dinner 503 00:21:47,019 --> 00:21:48,439 {\an1}with this younger woman. 504 00:21:48,479 --> 00:21:51,357 {\an1}And that sorta fit the profile of somebody 505 00:21:51,357 --> 00:21:53,025 {\an1}who might commit this murder. 506 00:21:53,025 --> 00:21:54,155 {\an1}(dramatic music) 507 00:21:54,193 --> 00:21:55,813 {\an1}- [Laurence] One researcher investigating 508 00:21:55,861 --> 00:21:58,441 {\an1}the Black Dahlia case found evidence of a connection 509 00:21:58,489 --> 00:22:01,539 {\an1}between Dr. Bayley and Elizabeth Short. 510 00:22:01,617 --> 00:22:04,367 {\an1}- And he obtained Elizabeth Short’s 511 00:22:04,453 --> 00:22:06,872 {\an1}older sister’s marriage certificate. 512 00:22:06,872 --> 00:22:08,702 {\an1}And on the marriage certificate, 513 00:22:08,791 --> 00:22:13,041 {\an1}one of the witnesses was Dr. Bayley’s daughter. 514 00:22:13,045 --> 00:22:16,175 {\an1}And the address that Dr. Bayley’s daughter listed 515 00:22:16,215 --> 00:22:20,215 {\an1}was only one block from the crime scene. 516 00:22:20,302 --> 00:22:23,182 {\an1}And that’s where Walter Bayley’s ex-wife lived. 517 00:22:23,222 --> 00:22:25,052 {\an1}So there’s now a connection 518 00:22:25,140 --> 00:22:29,010 {\an1}between Elizabeth Short and Walter Bayley 519 00:22:29,061 --> 00:22:31,391 {\an1}and the residence and the crime scene. 520 00:22:31,397 --> 00:22:32,897 {\an1}(dramatic music) 521 00:22:32,982 --> 00:22:34,692 {\an1}- [Laurence] Adding to the case against Dr. Bayley 522 00:22:34,733 --> 00:22:37,233 {\an1}is his own medical condition. 523 00:22:37,236 --> 00:22:40,866 {\an1}- Dr. Bayley had a very specific brain condition 524 00:22:40,906 --> 00:22:43,536 {\an1}known as encephalomalacia. 525 00:22:43,576 --> 00:22:46,576 {\an1}- The neurobiologists said that this kind of dementia, 526 00:22:46,662 --> 00:22:49,412 {\an1}this could lead to a dramatic change of personality 527 00:22:49,498 --> 00:22:50,588 {\an1}later in life. 528 00:22:50,666 --> 00:22:52,546 {\an1}It could lead to a certain kind of violence 529 00:22:52,585 --> 00:22:54,835 {\an1}and hypersexuality that might be consistent 530 00:22:54,879 --> 00:22:57,889 {\an1}with somebody who would commit this kind of crime. 531 00:22:57,923 --> 00:22:59,923 {\an1}- [Laurence] Some theorists contend that Bayley, 532 00:22:59,925 --> 00:23:02,265 {\an1}elderly and weakened by his disease, 533 00:23:02,344 --> 00:23:05,264 {\an1}severed the body to make it easier to transport 534 00:23:05,347 --> 00:23:07,937 {\an1}and purposely dumped it just 1/2 a block 535 00:23:08,017 --> 00:23:11,267 {\an1}from the house in which his ex-wife still lived. 536 00:23:11,270 --> 00:23:13,940 {\an1}- If he’s the suspect and he left this body 537 00:23:14,023 --> 00:23:15,733 {\an1}within proximity to his wife, 538 00:23:15,774 --> 00:23:19,364 {\an1}it would have been maybe to perhaps unsettle her 539 00:23:19,403 --> 00:23:21,113 {\an1}and make her feel that, you know, 540 00:23:21,113 --> 00:23:24,113 {\an1}this place that, you know, she calls home and feels safe 541 00:23:24,116 --> 00:23:25,951 {\an1}is no longer safe based on the fact 542 00:23:25,951 --> 00:23:29,621 {\an1}that a nude woman cut in half was found 543 00:23:29,622 --> 00:23:31,452 {\an1}a block or two away. 544 00:23:31,457 --> 00:23:35,377 {\an1}- [Laurence] Dr. Bayley dies on January 4, 1948, 545 00:23:35,419 --> 00:23:38,589 {\an1}not even one year after the Black Dahlia murder. 546 00:23:38,631 --> 00:23:41,461 {\an1}But his death doesn’t stop speculation 547 00:23:41,550 --> 00:23:43,300 {\an1}that he’s the killer. 548 00:23:43,385 --> 00:23:45,135 {\an1}- Bayley wasn’t a suspect at the time, 549 00:23:45,220 --> 00:23:48,800 {\an1}but to a number of LAPD homicide detectives, 550 00:23:48,807 --> 00:23:50,977 {\an1}of all the theories that had been going around 551 00:23:51,060 --> 00:23:52,270 {\an1}for many, many decades, 552 00:23:52,311 --> 00:23:54,391 {\an1}they felt his was the most plausible. 553 00:23:54,438 --> 00:23:56,568 {\an1}- There is this thought process that basically this man 554 00:23:56,607 --> 00:24:00,110 {\an1}is going mad not far from the Biltmore 555 00:24:00,110 --> 00:24:02,610 {\an1}with the means, mode, and opportunity 556 00:24:02,655 --> 00:24:04,405 {\an1}to commit a crime like this, 557 00:24:04,448 --> 00:24:06,658 {\an1}and then Elizabeth short wanders into his path. 558 00:24:06,742 --> 00:24:08,322 {\an1}Walter Bayley’s death is critical here 559 00:24:08,327 --> 00:24:11,497 {\an1}because if this was to become a pattern of behavior, 560 00:24:11,580 --> 00:24:13,910 {\an1}he didn’t live long enough to find another victim. 561 00:24:13,958 --> 00:24:15,334 {\an1}(dramatic music) 562 00:24:15,334 --> 00:24:17,164 {\an1}- [Laurence] Walter Bayley isn’t the only person 563 00:24:17,252 --> 00:24:21,840 {\an1}who raises suspicions long after Elizabeth Short’s murder. 564 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,130 {\an1}- In 2006, Don Wolfe publishes a book 565 00:24:24,176 --> 00:24:25,926 {\an1}in which he advances the theory, 566 00:24:26,011 --> 00:24:28,131 {\an1}what if somebody with a hair-trigger temper, 567 00:24:28,180 --> 00:24:32,510 {\an1}some infamous violent mobster killed Elizabeth Short? 568 00:24:32,518 --> 00:24:34,148 {\an1}And not only that he killed her, 569 00:24:34,186 --> 00:24:37,106 {\an1}but he did it at the behest of a famous and powerful person. 570 00:24:37,147 --> 00:24:39,357 {\an1}(dramatic music) 571 00:24:41,193 --> 00:24:43,523 {\an1}- Bugsy Siegel is infamous mafia figure, 572 00:24:43,612 --> 00:24:45,362 {\an1}one of the people associated with the foundation 573 00:24:45,364 --> 00:24:46,534 {\an1}of Murder, Inc. in New York, 574 00:24:46,615 --> 00:24:48,535 {\an1}which is not a reputation you develop 575 00:24:48,617 --> 00:24:49,867 {\an1}unless you have hurt people. 576 00:24:50,869 --> 00:24:53,669 {\an1}- [Laurence] Siegel moves to California in the mid-1930s 577 00:24:53,706 --> 00:24:56,166 {\an1}to set up a West Coast criminal empire. 578 00:24:57,292 --> 00:24:59,712 {\an1}Despite his track record as a merciless hitman, 579 00:24:59,712 --> 00:25:03,342 {\an1}he soon finds himself hobnobbing with celebrities. 580 00:25:03,382 --> 00:25:05,712 {\an1}- One of the power players that Bugsy Siegel 581 00:25:05,718 --> 00:25:09,348 {\an1}is known to associate with is Norman Chandler, 582 00:25:09,388 --> 00:25:13,392 {\an1}who is at the time the publisher of the "Los Angeles Times." 583 00:25:13,392 --> 00:25:16,062 {\an1}Chandler is the civic leader in the second largest city 584 00:25:16,145 --> 00:25:17,225 {\an1}in the U.S. 585 00:25:17,229 --> 00:25:19,739 {\an1}- The rumor is that Norman Chandler 586 00:25:19,815 --> 00:25:22,905 {\an1}got Elizabeth Short pregnant and that could not be. 587 00:25:22,985 --> 00:25:25,025 {\an1}- I don’t know if either she refused an abortion 588 00:25:25,070 --> 00:25:28,150 {\an1}or he never asked, but to cover up the affair and the baby, 589 00:25:28,198 --> 00:25:30,998 {\an1}Chandler reaches out to Bugsy Siegel. 590 00:25:31,035 --> 00:25:34,575 {\an1}- And so Bugsy Siegel gets two of his henchmen 591 00:25:34,663 --> 00:25:36,413 {\an1}to take care of the problem, 592 00:25:36,498 --> 00:25:38,751 {\an1}and the problem is, of course, Elizabeth Short. 593 00:25:38,751 --> 00:25:39,911 {\an1}(dramatic music) 594 00:25:39,918 --> 00:25:41,418 {\an1}- [Laurence] But most investigators point 595 00:25:41,503 --> 00:25:43,543 {\an1}to one flaw in this theory: 596 00:25:43,589 --> 00:25:47,259 {\an1}her autopsy report states that Beth wasn’t pregnant. 597 00:25:47,342 --> 00:25:50,762 {\an1}- Elizabeth’s autopsy did not show that she was pregnant, 598 00:25:50,763 --> 00:25:52,593 {\an1}that this detail would’ve been changed 599 00:25:52,598 --> 00:25:55,518 {\an1}by a medical examiner, somebody that Siegel could reach, 600 00:25:55,559 --> 00:25:58,229 {\an1}or somebody that Chandler could reach. 601 00:25:58,270 --> 00:26:00,350 {\an1}- [Laurence] There is other circumstantial evidence 602 00:26:00,397 --> 00:26:03,907 {\an1}supporting the Black Dahlia murder as a mob hit. 603 00:26:03,942 --> 00:26:07,902 {\an1}- Norman Chandler had a condo right near the Biltmore Hotel. 604 00:26:07,946 --> 00:26:12,036 {\an1}So maybe, on January 9, when Red Manley drops 605 00:26:12,076 --> 00:26:15,120 {\an1}Elizabeth Short off at the Biltmore Hotel, 606 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:17,620 {\an1}maybe she’s going to see Norman Chandler 607 00:26:17,706 --> 00:26:19,124 {\an1}at his condo nearby. 608 00:26:19,124 --> 00:26:21,084 {\an1}Maybe she was walking into a trap. 609 00:26:22,086 --> 00:26:23,876 {\an1}- [Laurence] Siegel’s movement around the time 610 00:26:23,921 --> 00:26:27,541 {\an1}of the Black Dahlia killing raises even more questions. 611 00:26:27,591 --> 00:26:30,711 {\an1}- It’s believed that Bugsy Siegel was in Los Angeles 612 00:26:30,761 --> 00:26:33,430 {\an1}during the time that Elizabeth Short was killed. 613 00:26:33,430 --> 00:26:36,300 {\an1}But on the day her body is found in Leimert Park, 614 00:26:36,308 --> 00:26:39,728 {\an1}Bugsy Siegel leaves town and he goes to Palm Springs. 615 00:26:43,565 --> 00:26:46,315 {\an1}- The LAPD has kept its most famous cold case open 616 00:26:46,401 --> 00:26:50,441 {\an1}since 1947, and the detective assigned 617 00:26:50,489 --> 00:26:52,999 {\an1}to the Black Dahlia murder must evaluate 618 00:26:53,075 --> 00:26:56,285 {\an1}all the new leads and theories that continue to come in, 619 00:26:56,328 --> 00:26:59,832 {\an1}like the one that comes from a former homicide detective 620 00:26:59,832 --> 00:27:02,412 {\an1}who believes he’s tracked the elusive killer 621 00:27:02,459 --> 00:27:05,299 {\an1}right to his own front door. 622 00:27:05,337 --> 00:27:09,257 {\an1}Steve Hodel is a 24-year veteran of the LAPD, 623 00:27:09,299 --> 00:27:12,269 {\an1}but he never investigated the Black Dahlia case himself 624 00:27:12,302 --> 00:27:15,092 {\an1}until the death of his beloved father, 625 00:27:15,139 --> 00:27:18,350 {\an1}Dr. George Hodel, in 1999. 626 00:27:18,350 --> 00:27:20,310 {\an1}- When his father passed away, 627 00:27:20,352 --> 00:27:22,472 {\an1}you know, he started going through 628 00:27:22,521 --> 00:27:25,851 {\an1}all of his father’s things and he came across 629 00:27:25,858 --> 00:27:27,778 {\an1}this little black book 630 00:27:27,818 --> 00:27:33,538 {\an1}and saw a picture that looked like Elizabeth Short. 631 00:27:33,615 --> 00:27:35,615 {\an1}- During some family conversation 632 00:27:35,659 --> 00:27:39,329 {\an1}with his older step-sister as he’s looking at these photos, 633 00:27:39,371 --> 00:27:42,701 {\an1}the older sister tells Steve that, at some point, 634 00:27:42,708 --> 00:27:46,168 {\an1}their dad had been identified as a potential suspect 635 00:27:46,211 --> 00:27:47,871 {\an1}in the Black Dahlia murder. 636 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,050 {\an1}(dramatic music) 637 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:53,000 {\an1}- In the very beginning, 638 00:27:53,051 --> 00:27:56,051 {\an1}Steve Hodel set out to prove that his father 639 00:27:56,054 --> 00:27:58,894 {\an1}had no involvement in Elizabeth Short’s murder. 640 00:27:59,892 --> 00:28:01,142 {\an1}- [Laurence] But over time, 641 00:28:01,185 --> 00:28:03,565 {\an1}Steve Hodel’s investigation would lead him 642 00:28:03,645 --> 00:28:05,525 {\an1}to a horrifying conclusion 643 00:28:05,564 --> 00:28:08,984 {\an1}and cast his father in a very different light. 644 00:28:09,026 --> 00:28:12,986 {\an1}- George Hodel was very wealthy, very charismatic. 645 00:28:13,030 --> 00:28:15,370 {\an1}- He was actually a genius, if you will. 646 00:28:15,407 --> 00:28:17,907 {\an1}He’s in college at Caltech when he was 16, 647 00:28:17,993 --> 00:28:20,743 {\an1}and he falls in love with his professor. 648 00:28:20,746 --> 00:28:24,086 {\an1}- He had an affair with one of his teachers 649 00:28:24,166 --> 00:28:25,584 {\an1}and got her pregnant, 650 00:28:25,584 --> 00:28:27,914 {\an1}and she didn’t want anything to do with him, 651 00:28:28,003 --> 00:28:29,923 {\an1}because obviously, you know, she’s a teacher 652 00:28:30,005 --> 00:28:31,755 {\an1}and he’s 16 years old. 653 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,420 {\an1}But it just kinda goes to show like, 654 00:28:34,426 --> 00:28:36,726 {\an1}that personality that he had, you know, 655 00:28:36,762 --> 00:28:38,342 {\an1}because as he got older, you know, 656 00:28:38,388 --> 00:28:40,438 {\an1}he married several times. 657 00:28:41,433 --> 00:28:43,563 {\an1}- [Laurence] He’ll go on to have 11 children 658 00:28:43,602 --> 00:28:46,182 {\an1}by five different women. 659 00:28:46,230 --> 00:28:48,280 {\an1}- He grows up in the Los Angeles area 660 00:28:48,357 --> 00:28:50,237 {\an1}and eventually becomes a medical doctor 661 00:28:50,275 --> 00:28:53,275 {\an1}and even the head of the LA Department of Health, 662 00:28:53,362 --> 00:28:57,282 {\an1}where he treated STDs and performed abortions 663 00:28:57,366 --> 00:28:59,076 {\an1}for the rich and famous and elite 664 00:28:59,117 --> 00:29:00,957 {\an1}around the Los Angeles area. 665 00:29:01,036 --> 00:29:06,246 {\an1}- He had every political, every police in his pocket. 666 00:29:06,291 --> 00:29:08,961 {\an1}You could say he was taken care of. 667 00:29:09,044 --> 00:29:10,964 {\an1}- [Laurence] By the 1940s, 668 00:29:11,046 --> 00:29:14,386 {\an1}Hodel is swinging amongst an elite LA crowd, 669 00:29:14,424 --> 00:29:17,464 {\an1}including surrealist photographer Man Ray 670 00:29:17,469 --> 00:29:19,809 {\an1}and movie director John Huston. 671 00:29:19,888 --> 00:29:24,058 {\an1}Then in 1945, he’s accused by his daughter Tamar 672 00:29:24,101 --> 00:29:25,471 {\an1}of sexual abuse. 673 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:29,060 {\an1}During the trial, Tamar accuses Hodel of murdering 674 00:29:29,106 --> 00:29:30,446 {\an1}the Black Dahlia. 675 00:29:30,482 --> 00:29:32,732 {\an1}- Despite the fact that there are eyewitnesses 676 00:29:32,776 --> 00:29:35,156 {\an1}to the incest events, he is acquitted, 677 00:29:35,237 --> 00:29:38,657 {\an1}but Los Angeles Police then monitor his home, 678 00:29:38,657 --> 00:29:40,657 {\an1}planting microphones in the house 679 00:29:40,659 --> 00:29:42,749 {\an1}to see if they can get evidence 680 00:29:42,786 --> 00:29:44,746 {\an1}related to the Black Dahlia murder. 681 00:29:44,788 --> 00:29:48,128 {\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators spend the next 40 days and nights 682 00:29:48,166 --> 00:29:50,796 {\an1}monitoring and recording conversations 683 00:29:50,836 --> 00:29:52,504 {\an1}inside the Hodel home. 684 00:29:52,504 --> 00:29:55,424 {\an1}- At some point, he is heard saying, 685 00:29:55,465 --> 00:29:57,505 {\an1}"Well, even if I did do the Black Dahlia murder, 686 00:29:57,592 --> 00:29:59,632 {\an1}they would never catch me." 687 00:29:59,678 --> 00:30:01,178 {\an1}- [Laurence] The deeper Steve digs 688 00:30:01,179 --> 00:30:03,099 {\an1}into the Black Dahlia evidence, 689 00:30:03,140 --> 00:30:05,810 {\an1}the more convinced he becomes that his dad 690 00:30:05,851 --> 00:30:09,681 {\an1}is the monster who tortured and mutilated Elizabeth Short. 691 00:30:09,813 --> 00:30:13,483 {\an1}- Witnesses at the time report seeing Elizabeth Short 692 00:30:13,525 --> 00:30:16,945 {\an1}in the presence and company of Dr. Hodel 693 00:30:16,987 --> 00:30:18,787 {\an1}and that she may have been a patient of his 694 00:30:18,822 --> 00:30:20,992 {\an1}or perhaps even a dating partner. 695 00:30:21,033 --> 00:30:22,613 {\an1}- [Laurence] Another clue for Steve Hodel 696 00:30:22,659 --> 00:30:26,872 {\an1}is the concrete bag found at the Black Dahlia crime scene. 697 00:30:26,872 --> 00:30:28,702 {\an1}- One of the other reasons that Steve thought 698 00:30:28,707 --> 00:30:30,167 {\an1}maybe his dad has been involved 699 00:30:30,208 --> 00:30:32,878 {\an1}is that this concrete bag that was found 700 00:30:32,961 --> 00:30:36,841 {\an1}at the scene where Elizabeth Short’s body had been dumped, 701 00:30:36,882 --> 00:30:39,672 {\an1}Steve said he found a very similar concrete bag 702 00:30:39,718 --> 00:30:42,471 {\an1}at his dad’s home because there was some construction 703 00:30:42,471 --> 00:30:43,551 {\an1}being done there. 704 00:30:43,638 --> 00:30:47,058 {\an1}- Steve Hodel found the receipts 705 00:30:47,059 --> 00:30:51,399 {\an1}and he matched the receipts to the cement bags 706 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,899 {\an1}that were found at the crime scene. 707 00:30:53,899 --> 00:30:55,149 {\an1}(dramatic music) 708 00:30:55,192 --> 00:30:57,522 {\an1}- [Laurence] Studying the crime scene photos, 709 00:30:57,569 --> 00:31:01,239 {\an1}Steve also believes he’s established a motive. 710 00:31:01,323 --> 00:31:04,033 {\an1}- There’s literally some of Man Ray’s work 711 00:31:04,076 --> 00:31:07,876 {\an1}that almost exactly resembles the way her body was laid out. 712 00:31:07,913 --> 00:31:09,493 {\an1}And some believe that, 713 00:31:09,539 --> 00:31:12,759 {\an1}if this was George Hodel who perpetrated this murder, 714 00:31:12,834 --> 00:31:17,422 {\an1}that he was trying to imitate or perhaps even supersede 715 00:31:17,422 --> 00:31:20,502 {\an1}the work of Man Ray due to his close relationship 716 00:31:20,550 --> 00:31:22,260 {\an1}and perhaps jealousy of Man Ray. 717 00:31:23,428 --> 00:31:26,188 {\an1}- [Laurence] In 1950, just when it seems the case 718 00:31:26,223 --> 00:31:28,263 {\an1}against George Hodel is heating up, 719 00:31:28,266 --> 00:31:30,936 {\an1}the doctor abruptly moves to the Philippines, 720 00:31:30,936 --> 00:31:35,396 {\an1}which at the time has no extradition treaty with the U.S. 721 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:40,110 {\an1}- He goes there and he creates a whole new family. 722 00:31:40,195 --> 00:31:44,115 {\an1}And he came back many years later, lived in San Francisco, 723 00:31:44,199 --> 00:31:45,617 {\an1}and then he passed. 724 00:31:45,617 --> 00:31:48,707 {\an1}Steve went on to write several books 725 00:31:48,745 --> 00:31:53,792 {\an1}and still believes to this day that his father 726 00:31:53,792 --> 00:31:56,122 {\an1}actually killed Elizabeth Short. 727 00:32:00,090 --> 00:32:01,300 {\an1}- [Laurence] In 2017, 728 00:32:01,466 --> 00:32:04,556 {\an1}the 70-year anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, 729 00:32:04,594 --> 00:32:07,554 {\an1}a fresh look at the unredacted records 730 00:32:07,597 --> 00:32:10,147 {\an1}breathes new life into an investigation 731 00:32:10,225 --> 00:32:12,815 {\an1}that has never officially been closed. 732 00:32:12,894 --> 00:32:14,224 {\an1}- The fact of the matter is, 733 00:32:14,271 --> 00:32:16,311 {\an1}LAPD still has a very talented detective assigned 734 00:32:16,314 --> 00:32:17,774 {\an1}to this investigation with the hopes 735 00:32:17,816 --> 00:32:20,316 {\an1}that a solution still remains. 736 00:32:20,318 --> 00:32:22,112 {\an1}- [Laurence] Some believe that solution 737 00:32:22,112 --> 00:32:24,232 {\an1}may involve a man who made headlines 738 00:32:24,281 --> 00:32:26,611 {\an1}in the months after the murder. 739 00:32:26,658 --> 00:32:28,788 {\an1}- This is someone who investigators had looked at 740 00:32:28,827 --> 00:32:30,287 {\an1}from the very start. 741 00:32:30,328 --> 00:32:32,831 {\an1}- [Laurence] It’s the fall of 1948, 742 00:32:32,831 --> 00:32:35,661 {\an1}and LAPD’s chief police psychiatrist, 743 00:32:35,750 --> 00:32:38,920 {\an1}Dr. Joseph Paul De River, is still determined 744 00:32:38,962 --> 00:32:41,082 {\an1}to find the Black Dahlia’s killer. 745 00:32:41,131 --> 00:32:42,921 {\an1}- The LAPD, years on from the murder, 746 00:32:42,966 --> 00:32:44,596 {\an1}starts to get a little desperate. 747 00:32:44,634 --> 00:32:47,344 {\an1}They’re trying to bait out the killer any way they can. 748 00:32:47,429 --> 00:32:50,979 {\an1}- So Dr. De River is interviewed for a true crime magazine 749 00:32:51,016 --> 00:32:53,606 {\an1}where he basically makes some flattering statements 750 00:32:53,643 --> 00:32:57,143 {\an1}about who the Black Dahlia killer may be, 751 00:32:57,189 --> 00:32:59,524 {\an1}talking about the intelligence of the individual 752 00:32:59,524 --> 00:33:02,024 {\an1}who did this and perhaps the person’s need 753 00:33:02,110 --> 00:33:04,360 {\an1}to brag or boast about it. 754 00:33:04,362 --> 00:33:06,112 {\an1}- [Laurence] Within days, 755 00:33:06,156 --> 00:33:09,034 {\an1}the letter that De River has been waiting for arrives 756 00:33:09,034 --> 00:33:10,324 {\an1}at police headquarters. 757 00:33:10,368 --> 00:33:12,538 {\an1}(dramatic music) 758 00:33:13,538 --> 00:33:16,498 {\an1}- A man named Jack Sands contacted De River saying 759 00:33:16,541 --> 00:33:20,331 {\an1}that he had information about the Elizabeth Short murder. 760 00:33:20,378 --> 00:33:22,338 {\an1}- And the main thing that is posited in this letter 761 00:33:22,380 --> 00:33:24,500 {\an1}is that someone named Jeff Connors 762 00:33:24,549 --> 00:33:26,718 {\an1}has committed the homicide. 763 00:33:26,718 --> 00:33:29,513 {\an1}- Sands proposes that the murderer, Jeff Connors, 764 00:33:29,513 --> 00:33:31,343 {\an1}could’ve been Elizabeth Short’s ex-lover 765 00:33:31,389 --> 00:33:34,189 {\an1}and perhaps she mocked him by insulting his manhood, 766 00:33:34,226 --> 00:33:37,562 {\an1}therefore, the murder would’ve been motivated by revenge. 767 00:33:37,562 --> 00:33:40,732 {\an1}Jack Sands proposes this as the hypothetical motive 768 00:33:40,815 --> 00:33:43,905 {\an1}of Jeff Connors, but Dr. De River says, 769 00:33:43,985 --> 00:33:46,575 {\an1}"Oh no, Sands himself is the guy." 770 00:33:46,655 --> 00:33:48,073 {\an1}(dramatic music) 771 00:33:48,073 --> 00:33:51,073 {\an1}- [Laurence] By now, police psychiatrist Dr. De River 772 00:33:51,076 --> 00:33:53,706 {\an1}is convinced he’s writing to the actual killer 773 00:33:53,745 --> 00:33:56,995 {\an1}and that Jack Sands is not his real name. 774 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:58,750 {\an1}- So to track down this Jack Sands, 775 00:33:58,750 --> 00:34:00,830 {\an1}the LAPD dispatches an officer to Florida 776 00:34:00,877 --> 00:34:02,087 {\an1}to monitor his mailbox. 777 00:34:02,087 --> 00:34:05,257 {\an1}And they soon discover that this Jack Sands 778 00:34:05,340 --> 00:34:07,850 {\an1}is actually a man named Leslie Dillon. 779 00:34:09,094 --> 00:34:12,684 {\an1}Dillon is a married man who bounced between residences 780 00:34:12,722 --> 00:34:14,512 {\an1}and also between jobs. 781 00:34:14,558 --> 00:34:16,898 {\an1}He’d once worked as a mortician’s assistant, 782 00:34:16,934 --> 00:34:19,184 {\an1}which intrigues police given the way 783 00:34:19,229 --> 00:34:21,279 {\an1}that Elizabeth Short’s body was cut up. 784 00:34:22,606 --> 00:34:25,106 {\an1}- [Laurence] De River has an undercover LAPD officer 785 00:34:25,110 --> 00:34:28,740 {\an1}bring Dillon to a bugged hotel in El Monte, California, 786 00:34:28,780 --> 00:34:32,030 {\an1}so De River can talk to him about the murder. 787 00:34:32,075 --> 00:34:34,454 {\an1}- They spend three days in a hotel room that’s bugged 788 00:34:34,536 --> 00:34:37,746 {\an1}to have a conversation about the details of this killing. 789 00:34:37,789 --> 00:34:40,588 {\an1}- Dillon tells the police that he believes Connor 790 00:34:40,625 --> 00:34:43,215 {\an1}had a motive to kill Elizabeth Short. 791 00:34:43,295 --> 00:34:46,465 {\an1}- Playing on a hunch, Dr. De River asks Dillon 792 00:34:46,548 --> 00:34:49,308 {\an1}to take off his clothes, and he’s shocked. 793 00:34:49,384 --> 00:34:51,134 {\an1}Dillon has the genitals of a child. 794 00:34:51,219 --> 00:34:52,599 {\an1}(dramatic music) 795 00:34:52,637 --> 00:34:54,307 {\an1}This is important because it might’ve been the reason 796 00:34:54,389 --> 00:34:56,474 {\an1}that Elizabeth Short may have been mocking him 797 00:34:56,474 --> 00:34:59,144 {\an1}and thus, his reason for feeling humiliated 798 00:34:59,227 --> 00:35:01,313 {\an1}and wanting to retaliate and kill her. 799 00:35:01,313 --> 00:35:03,983 {\an1}- De River is seeking to establish the credibility 800 00:35:04,065 --> 00:35:06,405 {\an1}of Leslie Dillon, so he tests him. 801 00:35:06,443 --> 00:35:10,322 {\an1}He inquires about the damage to Elizabeth Short’s body. 802 00:35:10,322 --> 00:35:13,152 {\an1}- One of the things that we know that police held back 803 00:35:13,158 --> 00:35:15,668 {\an1}was the fact that the suspect 804 00:35:15,744 --> 00:35:20,244 {\an1}had actually cut a portion of Elizabeth Short’s leg, 805 00:35:20,290 --> 00:35:23,168 {\an1}which contained a tattoo of a rose. 806 00:35:23,168 --> 00:35:26,004 {\an1}- When asked about the rose tattoo and its location 807 00:35:26,004 --> 00:35:27,464 {\an1}on Elizabeth Short’s body, 808 00:35:27,505 --> 00:35:29,841 {\an1}without hesitation, Leslie Dillon states 809 00:35:29,841 --> 00:35:32,301 {\an1}that it was removed from her left thigh 810 00:35:32,344 --> 00:35:34,304 {\an1}and placed in her pelvis. 811 00:35:34,346 --> 00:35:36,681 {\an1}- This was something only the killer and the police knew, 812 00:35:36,681 --> 00:35:39,181 {\an1}and he just answered the question affirmatively. 813 00:35:39,267 --> 00:35:40,977 {\an1}- [Laurence] After four days of questioning, 814 00:35:41,019 --> 00:35:44,819 {\an1}Dr. De River is convinced he’s finally solved 815 00:35:44,856 --> 00:35:46,191 {\an1}the Black Dahlia murder. 816 00:35:46,191 --> 00:35:48,271 {\an1}- They go back to Los Angeles, 817 00:35:48,318 --> 00:35:50,698 {\an1}and Dillon is ultimately arrested, 818 00:35:50,779 --> 00:35:53,449 {\an1}but just when it seems like the case is a lock, 819 00:35:53,490 --> 00:35:55,540 {\an1}LAPD makes a stunning announcement. 820 00:35:59,162 --> 00:36:01,082 {\an1}- [Laurence] On January 10, 1949, 821 00:36:01,122 --> 00:36:03,912 {\an1}Leslie Dillon is booked on suspicion 822 00:36:03,958 --> 00:36:05,628 {\an1}of killing Elizabeth Short. 823 00:36:05,669 --> 00:36:08,219 {\an1}- Upon inspection of Leslie’s Dillon’s suitcase, 824 00:36:08,254 --> 00:36:12,004 {\an1}investigators find 700 phenobarbital pills, 825 00:36:12,050 --> 00:36:16,230 {\an1}along with 70 razorblades, and a dog leash. 826 00:36:16,262 --> 00:36:19,142 {\an1}- The dog leash itself had been damaged or worn, 827 00:36:19,182 --> 00:36:22,432 {\an1}perhaps as if it had been bearing a significant weight, 828 00:36:22,477 --> 00:36:24,977 {\an1}as in the weight of the body of Elizabeth Short. 829 00:36:25,021 --> 00:36:26,431 {\an1}(dramatic music) 830 00:36:26,481 --> 00:36:28,141 {\an1}- [Laurence] Strengthening the case against Dillon, 831 00:36:28,191 --> 00:36:30,271 {\an1}it’s discovered that a relative who gave him 832 00:36:30,318 --> 00:36:33,828 {\an1}a place to stay at the time of the Dahlia murder 833 00:36:33,863 --> 00:36:37,113 {\an1}lived just two blocks from where Beth’s purse 834 00:36:37,158 --> 00:36:38,958 {\an1}and shoes were dumped. 835 00:36:38,993 --> 00:36:41,873 {\an1}- They found her handbag and her shoes, 836 00:36:41,913 --> 00:36:44,583 {\an1}just maybe two miles from where she was left. 837 00:36:44,624 --> 00:36:46,334 {\an1}- [Laurence] Leslie Dillon has suggested 838 00:36:46,376 --> 00:36:50,336 {\an1}a man named Jeff Connors is the Black Dahlia murderer 839 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:53,350 {\an1}and that he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, 840 00:36:53,383 --> 00:36:55,713 {\an1}but the cops believe Jeff Connors 841 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,340 {\an1}is merely Dillon’s alter ego. 842 00:36:58,388 --> 00:37:00,188 {\an1}- And as things turn out, 843 00:37:00,223 --> 00:37:01,933 {\an1}there is a real Jeff Connors and he really is 844 00:37:01,975 --> 00:37:03,805 {\an1}in the San Francisco Bay Area. 845 00:37:03,893 --> 00:37:06,643 {\an1}- Interestingly enough, police learn 846 00:37:06,688 --> 00:37:10,658 {\an1}that Jeff Connors, in addition to knowing Leslie Dillon, 847 00:37:10,734 --> 00:37:12,904 {\an1}he also knows Mark Hansen, 848 00:37:12,944 --> 00:37:14,944 {\an1}one of our suspects from a previous theory, 849 00:37:14,988 --> 00:37:16,788 {\an1}as well as Elizabeth Short. 850 00:37:16,823 --> 00:37:18,693 {\an1}And that all of these paths might’ve crossed 851 00:37:18,742 --> 00:37:20,822 {\an1}at some time previously. 852 00:37:20,869 --> 00:37:22,999 {\an1}- [Laurence] Investigators suspect that those paths 853 00:37:23,037 --> 00:37:24,707 {\an1}might’ve crossed when a jealous 854 00:37:24,748 --> 00:37:27,838 {\an1}and spurned Mark Hansen may have enlisted their help 855 00:37:27,876 --> 00:37:29,711 {\an1}in killing Beth Short. 856 00:37:29,711 --> 00:37:32,541 {\an1}But when Jeff Connors’ ex-wife gives him an alibi 857 00:37:32,589 --> 00:37:34,469 {\an1}for the presumed time of the murder, 858 00:37:34,507 --> 00:37:36,757 {\an1}he’s allowed to walk free. 859 00:37:36,801 --> 00:37:39,511 {\an1}- Mark Hansen was very powerful, 860 00:37:39,554 --> 00:37:42,684 {\an1}and he had a lot of money and he had a lot of connections. 861 00:37:42,724 --> 00:37:47,354 {\an1}What if he used all of that to make this case disappear? 862 00:37:47,395 --> 00:37:49,895 {\an1}Leslie Dillon had plenty reason 863 00:37:49,939 --> 00:37:52,609 {\an1}to want to get rid of Elizabeth Short. 864 00:37:52,650 --> 00:37:56,440 {\an1}There’s a theory that she mocked his manhood 865 00:37:56,488 --> 00:37:57,908 {\an1}or lack thereof. 866 00:37:57,947 --> 00:38:00,577 {\an1}- Leslie Dillon may have the motivation 867 00:38:00,617 --> 00:38:02,287 {\an1}with humiliation and revenge. 868 00:38:02,327 --> 00:38:05,127 {\an1}Mark Hansen may have the means and the ability 869 00:38:05,163 --> 00:38:06,873 {\an1}to get Elizabeth Short to him 870 00:38:06,915 --> 00:38:09,875 {\an1}and also the means to get it all cleaned up afterwards. 871 00:38:10,877 --> 00:38:12,427 {\an1}- [Laurence] All these years later, 872 00:38:12,462 --> 00:38:15,172 {\an1}newly uncovered witness statements may finally explain 873 00:38:15,215 --> 00:38:16,885 {\an1}how that happened. 874 00:38:16,925 --> 00:38:22,225 {\an1}- In 2018, the son of one of the Florentine Garden showgirls 875 00:38:22,263 --> 00:38:25,933 {\an1}reaches out to investigators and says 876 00:38:25,975 --> 00:38:28,725 {\an1}that his mom, Nanette, had said to him 877 00:38:28,770 --> 00:38:32,320 {\an1}that she knew exactly who had killed the Black Dahlia. 878 00:38:32,357 --> 00:38:34,567 {\an1}Nanette also, according to her son, 879 00:38:34,609 --> 00:38:38,409 {\an1}said to him that she had seen someone who resembled 880 00:38:38,446 --> 00:38:41,246 {\an1}Elizabeth Short in Mark Hansen’s home 881 00:38:41,282 --> 00:38:43,072 {\an1}behind the Florentine Gardens, 882 00:38:43,117 --> 00:38:45,707 {\an1}known as the Carlos Avenue house. 883 00:38:45,745 --> 00:38:47,455 {\an1}- [Laurence] According to Nanette’s son, 884 00:38:47,497 --> 00:38:49,707 {\an1}she asked Hansen who the girl was, 885 00:38:49,749 --> 00:38:52,719 {\an1}and he said it was Elizabeth Short. 886 00:38:52,752 --> 00:38:54,622 {\an1}- So a week after the Black Dahlia murder, 887 00:38:54,671 --> 00:38:56,381 {\an1}when the story was all over the news, 888 00:38:56,422 --> 00:38:59,132 {\an1}Mark Hansen apparently called Nanette and said 889 00:38:59,175 --> 00:39:00,595 {\an1}she shouldn’t mention this to anyone 890 00:39:00,635 --> 00:39:02,635 {\an1}or her career would be over. 891 00:39:02,679 --> 00:39:04,472 {\an1}- [Laurence] But Beth was out 892 00:39:04,472 --> 00:39:07,432 {\an1}of Hansen’s Carlos Avenue house by the 10th, 893 00:39:07,475 --> 00:39:09,765 {\an1}so where did she go after that? 894 00:39:09,853 --> 00:39:11,433 {\an1}- According to unredacted 895 00:39:11,479 --> 00:39:14,149 {\an1}district attorney’s office documents, 896 00:39:14,190 --> 00:39:17,980 {\an1}Mark Hansen, Leslie Dillon, and Elizabeth Short 897 00:39:18,027 --> 00:39:21,367 {\an1}were all seen at the Aster Motel together. 898 00:39:21,406 --> 00:39:23,906 {\an1}- Theory has it that Leslie Dillon 899 00:39:23,950 --> 00:39:27,380 {\an1}and her old friend Mark Hansen kidnapped her 900 00:39:27,453 --> 00:39:31,873 {\an1}and tortured her in one of the rooms at the Aster Hotel. 901 00:39:31,916 --> 00:39:35,506 {\an1}Witnesses saw Mark Hansen leave room three 902 00:39:35,545 --> 00:39:37,795 {\an1}at the Aster Hotel in Los Angeles. 903 00:39:37,839 --> 00:39:41,259 {\an1}The hotel owner’s wife walked into room three 904 00:39:41,301 --> 00:39:42,961 {\an1}after everyone had left it, 905 00:39:43,052 --> 00:39:47,182 {\an1}and she found blood and gore everywhere. 906 00:39:47,223 --> 00:39:48,643 {\an1}(dramatic music) 907 00:39:48,725 --> 00:39:51,015 {\an1}- [Laurence] These witness accounts, buried for decades, 908 00:39:51,060 --> 00:39:52,560 {\an1}point to the possibility 909 00:39:52,645 --> 00:39:56,315 {\an1}that the Aster Motel was where Elizabeth Short was tortured, 910 00:39:56,357 --> 00:39:58,567 {\an1}murdered, and mutilated. 911 00:39:58,610 --> 00:40:02,700 {\an1}However, by the time the LAPD examined the Aster Motel, 912 00:40:02,739 --> 00:40:05,409 {\an1}there is no evidence of a bloody murder. 913 00:40:05,450 --> 00:40:09,170 {\an1}And though the Aster Motel is ruled out as a crime scene, 914 00:40:09,203 --> 00:40:11,703 {\an1}the detectives assigned to investigate 915 00:40:11,748 --> 00:40:13,791 {\an1}are quickly removed. 916 00:40:13,791 --> 00:40:17,371 {\an1}- The two detectives who were working this case, 917 00:40:17,420 --> 00:40:20,670 {\an1}who were working the Aster Hotel scene, 918 00:40:20,715 --> 00:40:23,135 {\an1}are suddenly excused. 919 00:40:23,176 --> 00:40:25,596 {\an1}Why would they be kicked off this case? 920 00:40:25,637 --> 00:40:28,431 {\an1}Is it because of Mark Hansen’s pull? 921 00:40:28,431 --> 00:40:30,051 {\an1}- [Laurence] Is it possible 922 00:40:30,099 --> 00:40:32,899 {\an1}that multimillionaire Mark Hansen had the clout 923 00:40:32,936 --> 00:40:36,276 {\an1}to bury evidence and squelch an investigation 924 00:40:36,314 --> 00:40:38,144 {\an1}into his possible guilt? 925 00:40:38,191 --> 00:40:39,981 {\an1}It’s yet another unanswered question 926 00:40:40,026 --> 00:40:42,526 {\an1}in LA’s most compelling murder mystery. 927 00:40:42,570 --> 00:40:45,030 {\an1}- The Elizabeth Short mystery carries on to this day 928 00:40:45,073 --> 00:40:46,613 {\an1}because nobody’s been caught. 929 00:40:47,533 --> 00:40:49,953 {\an1}- Given the nature of the crime, 930 00:40:49,994 --> 00:40:51,494 {\an1}we want an answer. 931 00:40:51,537 --> 00:40:54,037 {\an1}We wanna know why. We wanna know who. 932 00:40:54,082 --> 00:40:57,202 {\an1}And until we do, I think there will always be an interest. 933 00:40:57,293 --> 00:40:59,671 {\an1}(dramatic music) 934 00:40:59,671 --> 00:41:03,881 {\an1}- The Black Dahlia murder has a long, unsavory suspect list, 935 00:41:03,925 --> 00:41:05,885 {\an1}but without solid evidence, 936 00:41:05,927 --> 00:41:09,347 {\an1}there’s still no way to rule anyone in or out. 937 00:41:09,389 --> 00:41:11,349 {\an1}The file remains open. 938 00:41:11,391 --> 00:41:13,931 {\an1}A detective is still on the case. 939 00:41:13,977 --> 00:41:18,567 {\an1}Maybe one day a newfound clue will finally lead 940 00:41:18,606 --> 00:41:21,946 {\an1}to the identity of Elizabeth Short’s killer 941 00:41:21,985 --> 00:41:26,035 {\an1}and justice at last for the Black Dahlia. 942 00:41:26,072 --> 00:41:27,942 {\an1}I’m Laurence Fishburne. 943 00:41:27,991 --> 00:41:31,451 {\an1}Thank you for watching "History’s Greatest Mysteries." 944 00:41:31,494 --> 00:41:33,494 {\an1}(dramatic music)