These killings left police stumped and questions lingering for decades. A cops quote made headlines when he said, This girl really got around.. It was a sensation, with the press latching onto the life of the young and attractive victim. A few husbands I wrote about fit the bill, I found it especially interesting the blog I went on That Jen Thornhill granddaughter of Laura Trelstad commented. All Rights Reserved. Even so he was acquitted. In fact, I think there may have been more than one killer. Joan Robinson Hill died at the age of 38 of unknown reasons. The divorce was on, and Betty was so furious with what was happening to her that she became unglued. Eventually, Joan was rushed to the hospital due to the fact that she was getting progressively worse. The killer planned it out, he twisted the globe that lit her entry way, so it was dark in the hallway outside her apartment. Dance Halls were prevalent all over the world during WWII. Many of these killings were of women. Frank was arrested for punching her in the face at one point. Laurence said she closed up shop he went to pick her up from work. These three attacks were likely by the same person who police believed was Mexican. She was a Canadian divorcee whose beaten body was dumped on Torrey Pines Mesa 12 hours after she was seen with a swarthy man wearing a sombrero that said, Sugar Daddy. I only discovered articles in the newspapers, because they were close to another victim I was researching. Author Steve Hodel called them The L.A. lone women murders. It stopped so he did nothing about it until the next day. She was beaten to death, hit in the head with a blunt instrument and then stomped. There was clear evidence that Mary was in love with Taylor but there was absolutely no evidence that Taylor loved Mary. During the late 1940s, America experienced a general panic over the threat of monstrous killers and sex offenders. In fact, when examining Taylor's coat, it appears that the killer was hugging him when he was shot. The victims will not be left at the killing location, and if the victim is a stranger, they will have been coerced through superficial charm. Springer could not do it, so he had Benny Moritz do it. Shyron E Shenko from Texas on July 04, 2017: Wow Glenda, very interesting mysteries here. Murray and her sisterLatonahad gone to a public dance at the Zenda Ballroom on July 26, 1943. Hollywood is a place of glamour but it can also be a dangerous place. Louise closed up her shop in the evening and then waited for the bus at the same place each day. Los Angeles's most famous murder, The Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947. Their involvement in the affair has long been a matter of controversy scandal, and shame, yet there could be no denying that the public was eager to read the latest salacious news on the killing of the young woman. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. However, the police linked the killing to a case just a month prior when 14-year-old Barbara Jean MorseFrank Elizarras was stabbed with an ice pick. The detective quickly discovered that John Hill was having an affair with Ann Kurth, a thrice-married and thrice-divorced mother of three. Life for the Hills should have been happy at this point, but instead their relationship began to sour. In the early 1950s Manley and his wife separated and Manley was committed to an institution after his wife felt unsafe because Robert was hearing voices. Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Billy Wilder's Barton Keyes, and Roman Polanski's JJ 'Jake' Gittes: three iconic private investigators who popularised the Los Angeles crime story in the 20th century - a good man traveling solo through a hot, seedy, grimy city, where bad things happen to bad people. The removal of the tattoo that she liked to show off and the "Glasgow smile" cut into her face are personal attacks against her femininity. At 15-years-old, Dominguez was walking home from a dance with her sister and friend when they were approached by a man. Her coloring was a sight to behold. There was no identification, but an I.D. a. , Fear Felt for Missing Widow, (August 25, 1949). The murderer will approach the victim in one location, kill them in a second location and dispose of the body in the third location. She was home by midnight. She was also getting acting parts on television. A rabid press and corrupt police force only added to the problems with investigations. This is only a preview. An interesting side note about the Trelstad murder is that I found a blog with comments about her murder, and her granddaughter was on the blog discussing it. The jury sent down indictments against vice squad officers and the gangster Mickey Cohen. They stated that there were: "deplorable conditions indicating corrupt practices and misconduct by some members of the law enforcement agencies of this county. Spangler had recently appeared as an extra with Kirk Douglas forYoung Man With a Horn, and he immediately contacted police to eliminate himself as the "Kirk" in the letter. Further investigations found Spangler told friends she was three months pregnant and intended to get an abortion, which was illegal. The group of hippies were soon given the name the Manson Family due to the fact that they were being led by lifetime criminal, Charles Manson. Mabel Normand admitted to visiting Taylor the night before his body was found and was soon discovered to be the last person to see Taylor alive. It seems likely there may have been a brief liaison. Even children who grew up in the 1970s with bad parents actually learned about social graces by watching the old movies that were on television during that era. Associated Press, Jean Spangler Believed Victim in Dahlia Series, (October 12, 1949), St. Louis Star and Times. The violence is disorganized overkill. At first officials thought she had fallen in her tub until someone requested a second look. Short had a known preference for military men. Beyond this, investigators also must also look atthe modus operandiand signature, two different factors that are often confused. Sharon Tate was born January 24, 1943. There is little here to link these killings to the Black Dahlia, and they are often conveniently ignored when the Degnan killing is linked to Short. We are perplexed by what drove that person to kill and how grisly the murders were. However, once they arrived home, the husband did not want to make the trip, and Latona had decided to stay, leaving her sister alone with "Paul.". The other women did not go with her, but she headed out to the Crystal Ballroom. The Axe Man of New Orleans. Her sister-in-law Jean was helping her with Christine, so all the bases were covered. The entire body had been sawed in half at the waist. On May 11, Laura Trelstad was raped, strangled, and murdered. Those people included William Rasmussen, Captain Jack Donahoe of the LAPD, and Steve Hodel. When bibulous gang member Walter Ivans kills a man in a car accident, Paul refuses to help clear him. That same year a second killing happened. All of the killings and disappearances must be taken in the context of the city's criminal and political climate during this period in Los Angeles history. He hadn't been in the city at the time, and police looked elsewhere. She went to pick up her daughter Maycille(15) at a dance recital in the playground. So that night June 27, 1943, Letona, and Ora went dancing at the Zenda Ballroom. Turned out Ralph Kyle had an alibi and was released from custody. Maybe LA's most famous murder of all time: Elizabeth Short was found cut in half in a field in Leimert Park on January 15, 1947. The criminal made no attempt to effectively cover his tracks nor contact the press or police. He was a man of modest means but high ambitionshe wanted to become a doctor. The injury was common amongst street violence from the 1920s onward, spreading to England. Ash was cleared due to insufficient evidence. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Johnny Roselli shot JFK from the storm drain and Chuck Harrelson(Woody's father) shot from a building in that crossfire killing. She was stabbed in the back with a hunting knife, and the killer took her appointment book, likely as it would have given his name. She was beaten about the head and strangled, which was the cause of death. As she passed through the Leimert Park district her daughter said, "What's that?" Really it was dropped in a mailbox in a sealed envelope. Robinson had John investigated, and when he could get nothing pinned on his son-in-law, he eventually backed down. The article points included all three killings, including the victim being beaten, dumped away from the kill site, and being nude or partially nude. He began acting in silent films and by 1914 he was a well-respected director. Many people believe these murders are related, by the same person. Crime The Never-Ending Mystery of the Black Dahlia Murder The gruesome death of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short confounded Los Angeles investigators in the late 1940s and remained a topic. She had been strangled, covered in bruises and abrasions. Despite the popularity of true crime stories, murders are always brutal and disturbing. Maybe she angered the killer by flirting with him, raising his interest, and then his desires being unfulfilled when she had denied him sex. Forget divorce; these murderers lived by the credo "Til death do us part." Her money dwindling, she pawned items to keep up the faade of her previous life with her husband. The MO of the killer may change over time as it is learned behavior as a serial killer becomes more adapt to his crimes; the signature will always remain. Beth was blessed with striking good looks, having stunning high cheekbones, intensely white flawless skin, and raven black hair, paired with blue eyes. On the other hand, disorganized killers frequently leave the victim at the site of the murder. One of the prime suspects in the Black Dahlia murder is George Hill Hodel. She was also raped and was covered in bruises; one large handprint was located on the inside of her right thigh. The killer may have initially intended to carry the mutilations out while she lived. But while in Los Angeles it is clear that Beth did in fact make attempts at a career in the movies. Until I read the story of the Hillside strangler, I would not have believed these were related, now I am not so sure. The case eventually went cold and is now associated with the Black Dahlia murder. There was an exhaustive investigation, with no results. When the police investigated the scene, they determined there was no dirt, or stains on her or her shoes, and that she never left the car. Her husband had left school behind him and was committed to working. Woman Slain in Hollywood Mystery; Police Seek Anonymous Note Writer, Pt. To This day all murders go unsolved. L.A. Times Archives. "TEX" was added underneath, a possible nickname for her killer or a reference to Texas. Like the murder of Elizabeth Short, there have been no leads in Jeanne French's case in decades. It read, I killed the Santa Monica Girl, I will kill others. Steve Hodel (The Black Dahlia III, 2016), includes her murder with the other L.A. Women, most authors do not. This case also remains unsolved. Kirsten Costas. Crime boss Paul Madvig, who has been running the city for ten years, decides to reform and joins the campaign to re-elect Senator John T. Henry, whose daughter, Janet, Paul hopes to marry. She named him as Grant Wyatt Terry and stated after a whirlwind romance that involved a marriage proposal after just two days, he absconded with a diamond ring, $700 in cash and her car. When such detail of mutilation and torture are found on a body, police know that the person who committed the crime was likely to be someone the victim knew very well, perhaps a lover, or more to the point a spurned lover. The message was written in pencil. One such disorganized killer would be Jack the Ripper. The children were hers from another marriage, and they testified against him at trial. Which I find interesting, as she was strangled, a part of a towel shoved down her throat. Once upon a time, there were actual movie stars in the 1920s1950s who had incredible poise, class and glamor. With an alcohol problem, she had become something of a drifter and had last been seen in bars the night before. The killings of two women and a 6-year-old child were brutal and shocking, with the slaughter of the child, Suzanne Degnan, being particularly repugnant. In 1958, 12-year-old Treva Joyce Raper was murdered by her 32-year-old cousin Thomas Everett Rutledge. Writer John Gilmore pointed the finger at this man when he published his bestselling book about the Black Dahlia murder, Severed. There was no evidence of sexual motivation, and it seems more likely that Degnan was killed accidentally or in a fit of anger, the original motive being ransom. Was he angry because Beth was leaving him? The body was severely mutilated, with a gruesome set of cuts on either side of the face, creating it a prop-like smile, and one of the breasts had been mutilated, giving the investigators evidence of torture. This change indicates the killer lost control of the situation before coming to his senses after Short died. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, one of the most well-known silent movie stars of the time, was accused of murdering actress Virgina Rappe, 30, at a Labor Day party in 1921 held to celebrate Arbuckle's. Stella had to cancel due to a business meeting. It's the theory of former detective that as many as 10 long-unsolved slayings of young women in Los Angeles in the 1940's were committed by a single serial killer. ORANGE COUNTY'S OLDEST UNSOLVED HOMICIDES. Forensics were limited at the time, and other than fingerprints there was not a lot of technology in which to solve crime. The Los Angeles times said that on October 7, 1949 the dark haired, blue eyed actress kissed her daughter Christine (5), winked at her sister in law and walked calmly out of her Hollywood home and into the night, never to be seen alive again. The writer claimed he drove Kern and "a prizefighter" to the crime scene, and the two entered. Neither were identified. Sharon Tate in the Home Where She Was Murdered. They will leave significant amounts of evidence, such as blood or fingerprints. The case was sensationalized immediately by the Los Angeles Times and the corpse was named The Black Dahlia. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The Black Dahlia is the most famous unsolved murder in Los Angeles, but there were others..So what happened to women's unsolved murder cases in the 1940's?. There were numerous men investigated after the murder, and as they case became more famous, more chaos was caused by every crackpot in Los Angeles claiming to be the now-famous Black Dahlia murderer. In any case, if the bisection and exsanguination were functional, it is MO and may not be present in other previous killings. She ranted about Dan, and the injustice that the very liberal legal system of California where the wife basically has no rights. He was persuaded to front him a home in Los Feliz, a restricted area. While images show why that could be believed, the police reports clarify this is, in fact, "PD.". Los Angeles was a cruel city, one where dreams of stardom and better city life often came crashing down amongst the seedy underworld of poverty, bars, clubs and organized crime. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners.