Elizabeth Short
USABiography of Elizabeth Short
Elizabeth Short was the victim of an unsolved crime that took place in the vicinity of Los Angeles in 1947. She was born and raised in Massachusetts along with her four sisters by their mother. At the age of 19, Elizabeth moved to Los Angeles, California to live with her estranged father, but their relationship did not work out. After a short period of wandering, she moved to Santa Barbara where she was arrested for underage drinking and sent back to Massachusetts. She spent the next few years primarily in Florida, working as a waitress to earn money. It was in Florida that she met Major Matthew M. Gordon Jr., a U.S. Air Force officer, whom she referred to as her fiancé. Sadly, Gordon died in a plane crash before he could return to the United States and marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth claimed that they were already married at the time of his death and that they had a child together who died in infancy. However, Gordon's family denied any connection between him and Elizabeth after her murder. In 1946, Elizabeth returned to California to visit her former lover, Lieutenant Gordon Fickling, whom she had met in Florida. She spent the last six months of her life in Southern California, mainly in Los Angeles, staying in numerous hotels, rental apartments, and private homes, never staying anywhere for more than a couple of weeks.
On January 9, 1947, Elizabeth Short was seen alive for the last time in the lobby of the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. She was 22 years old at the time. On January 15, 1947, her mutilated body was found on an undeveloped plot of land on South Norton Avenue in Leimert Park, near the Los Angeles city limits. Her body had been severed in half at the waist and was subjected to mutilation, including the removal of her sexual organs and nipples. Her mouth had been cut from ear to ear.
The killer of Elizabeth Short was never found by the police, and the case of the "Black Dahlia" remains unsolved. Elizabeth was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California, instead of Massachusetts because her older sister lived in Berkeley and because, as she said, "Elizabeth loved California." After the discovery of Elizabeth Short's body, several individuals came forward claiming to have seen her during the period between her last public appearance on January 9 and the discovery of her body. However, in each case, the witnesses mistook other women for Elizabeth (none of the individuals who came forward knew Elizabeth during her lifetime).
The media, which extensively covered the crime, reported that Short had been nicknamed the "Black Dahlia" shortly before her death (a play on the popular film "The Blue Dahlia" starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake). The Los Angeles Police Department repeatedly stated that the press invented this story just to "spice up" the murder case in their articles. People who knew Short during her life had never heard of such a nickname. Furthermore, according to the official statement of the Los Angeles City District Attorney's Office and despite numerous quasi-documentary investigations calling her a "call girl," Elizabeth Short was not a prostitute.
Another popular myth was that Short had undeveloped genitals from birth, making her unable to engage in sexual intercourse. The case files of the Los Angeles City District Attorney's Office contain transcripts of the interrogations of three men with whom Short had sexual relationships (including a police officer from Chicago). The final case materials state that Short had "normally developed reproductive organs." The autopsy also confirmed that Short was not pregnant at the time of her murder (nor had she ever been pregnant or given birth). The investigation into the murder of the Black Dahlia by the Los Angeles Police Department, with assistance from the FBI, became the longest and most extensive in the history of law enforcement in the United States. Due to the complexity of the case, the initial investigatory team considered every person who had any connection to Elizabeth Short a suspect. Several hundred people became suspects, and thousands were interviewed. Sensational and sometimes completely falsified reports by journalists covering the investigation, as well as horrifying details of the crime itself, attracted widespread public attention. Approximately 60 people confessed to the murder (including several women), and 22 individuals were identified as suspects at various stages of the investigation. The complete list of suspects was published.
The Black Dahlia Phenomenon in Popular Culture
Renowned crime novelist James Ellroy wrote a novel titled "The Black Dahlia" based on the murder of Elizabeth Short in 1987. This book was the first in his L.A. Quartet series, which depicted the morals of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood, as well as the corruption and debauchery prevalent there.
In 2006, a high-budget film adaptation of Ellroy's novel, also titled "The Black Dahlia," was released worldwide (renamed "The Black Orchid" in Russia). The film was directed by Brian De Palma, with television actress Mia Kirshner portraying Elizabeth Short. Popular actors Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson were also cast in the film, along with two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank.
In 2002, rock musician Marilyn Manson released a series of watercolor paintings based on the murder of Short.
The murder of the Black Dahlia has been referenced in numerous songs, including those by Lamb of God, Lisa Marr, and Bob Belden. There is also a rock band named The Black Dahlia Murder.
In August 2006, Variety reported that New Line Cinema had acquired the rights to another book about the Black Dahlia murder, titled "Black Dahlia Avenger," written by private detective Steve Hodel from Los Angeles. According to his own investigation, Hodel's father was the true killer of Short. After his father's death, Hodel was left a photo album that included a picture of Short's mutilated body. Hodel attempted to establish a connection between his father and Short and concluded that his father was a serial killer who had other victims besides Short. No specific release dates for the film have been announced yet, but Kevin Spacey and Johnny Depp have expressed interest in the project.
