Solving the Black Dahlia Podcast with Douglas Laux cover art

Solving the Black Dahlia

 Preview
Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Solving the Black Dahlia

By: Douglas Laux
Narrated by: Douglas Laux
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

About this listen

 In 1947, a young woman named Elizabeth Short was murdered in Los Angeles. The killer bisected her body and placed it on the side of a busy street six miles southwest of downtown. The LAPD questioned an endless line of suspects, some of whom claimed to be the killer. But none proved to know certain critical details about the crime scene. Desperate for a lead, a rogue LAPD team even kidnapped a suspect from Florida and interrogated him to no avail. Police could not identify the killer.

Fast forward 75 years.

Former CIA case officer Douglas Laux boards a bus in Los Angeles for the Black Dahlia tour. Doug, in his early 30s, is whisked to locations around LA related to Elizabeth Short’s murder. He knows virtually nothing about her case. He also isn’t sure why Short’s identity and name have been replaced by a mostly fictional Hollywood narrative of a tragic ingenue called the Black Dahlia who was murdered after visiting the Biltmore Hotel. But the fact that an unsolved murder from 1947 is still popular enough to support its own bus tour tells him there may be a lot of conflicting history to uncover. He’s surprised to discover that there are still many passionately argued different theories about who killed Elizabeth Short. But only one theory can be right, or they are all wrong. Doug decides to find out.

Like many before him, Doug becomes fixated on the case. For eight years he leverages his CIA skillset to try and solve the Black Dahlia murder. Now, he believes he has.©2022 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC True Crime
Episodes
  • Solving the Black Dahlia Trailer

    Solving the Black Dahlia Trailer
    Jan 12 2022
    In 1947, a young woman named Elizabeth Short was murdered in Los Angeles. The killer bisected her body and placed it on the side of a busy street six miles southwest of downtown. The LAPD questioned an endless line of suspects, some of whom claimed to be the killer. But none proved to know certain critical details about the crime scene. Desperate for a lead, a rogue LAPD team even kidnapped a suspect from Florida and interrogated him to no avail. Police could not identify the killer.

    Fast forward 75 years.

    Former CIA case officer Douglas Laux boards a bus in Los Angeles for the Black Dahlia tour. Doug, in his early 30s, is whisked to locations around LA related to Elizabeth Short’s murder. He knows virtually nothing about her case. He also isn’t sure why Short’s identity and name have been replaced by a mostly fictional Hollywood narrative of a tragic ingenue called the Black Dahlia who was murdered after visiting the Biltmore Hotel. But the fact that an unsolved murder from 1947 is still popular enough to support its own bus tour tells him there may be a lot of conflicting history to uncover. He’s surprised to discover that there are still many passionately argued different theories about who killed Elizabeth Short. But only one theory can be right, or they are all wrong. Doug decides to find out.

    Like many before him, Doug becomes fixated on the case. For eight years he leverages his CIA skillset to try and solve the Black Dahlia murder. Now, he believes he has.
    Show more Show less
    Less than 1 minute
    Try for $0.00
  • Episode 1: Photo Evidence

    Episode 1: Photo Evidence
    Jan 13 2022
    When former CIA case officer Douglas Laux takes a Hollywood bus tour about the unsolved 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, he knows virtually nothing about the victim, the crime, and the investigation. But when Doug learns just how many different theories there are about who did it, he decides to leverage his CIA skillset to try and solve it once and for all. The first person Doug seeks out is former LAPD detective, Steve Hodel, whose scandalous and personal theory about the case has become a Hollywood sensation.
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
    Try for $0.00
  • Episode 2: Ok, But…

    Episode 2: Ok, But…
    Jan 13 2022

    Doug and Steve Hodel meet in Griffith Park near the infamous Sowden House, Steve’s childhood home and where he believes Elizabeth Short was murdered in the basement. Steve shares a wealth of information with Doug. In spite of some loose ends and question marks in the decades old case, Doug finds the retired LAPD detective’s story believable, if not entirely verifiable. It seems clear to Doug that no one knows more about this case than Steve Hodel, until Doug talks with former LA Times reporter, Larry Harnisch, who is ready to blow a hole right through Steve’s theories.
    Show more Show less
    25 mins
    Try for $0.00

Go Behind the Scenes of Solving the Black Dahlia

0:00
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup
Douglas Laux
Heather J. Miller
Peter McDonnell
Additional Credits

About the Creator, Writer, and Performer

Douglas Laux is a former case officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, having served undercover in the Middle East and Afghanistan for seven years. Upon leaving the CIA, Doug wrote The New York Times best-selling memoir, Left of Boom, about his experience as a CIA officer in the trenches of the "war on terror," building sources within the Taliban and al Qaeda and uncovering the largest IED network in the world. Doug is fluent in Pashto and speaks Japanese and Spanish. Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden have recognized him for his service. Doug is a creator, executive producer, and on camera investigator in the TV documentary series Finding Escobar's Millions.

About the Executive Producer and Editor

Heather J. Miller is a seasoned writer and producer for audio, scripted and non-fiction shows like Booze Traveler, Deadliest Catch, Hell’s Kitchen, and Exposure on Hulu. She’s a voracious student of the human condition and classically trained vocalist and artist most recently seen at Los Angeles's Eli and Edythe Broad Stage. A native of Houston Texas, Heather now resides in Santa Monica, CA.

About the Executive Producer and Editor

Peter McDonnell is a creator and writer of The New York Times bestseller Evil Has a Name, as well as Call Me God, selected as one of Audible’s Top 10 Listens of 2019, Shootout, Brooklyn North, The Riddle of Emmon Bodfish, A Devil in the Valley, and After the Fall. He’s a co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary series Pandemic and the NBC documentary series The Forgotten West Memphis Three. Peter runs the audio department at XG Productions. He’s a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and has an MFA from Oregon State University, where he also taught writing. A native of St. Louis, he lives in Los Angeles.

Dear Listener,

What makes my story about this infamous case different, and what do I hope listeners will take away from it?
"It was never my intention to solve the Black Dahlia murder. Instead, my initial interest in the case was based upon the fact that in the 75 years since the murder occurred, so many people have come forward, confident that they had solved it. My story is distinctly different because mine is an investigation of all the previous theories and based on one simple premise: only one of the theories can be right, or else they are all wrong. This led me on an exhaustive, eight-year deep-dive into the case. I researched everything from Black Dahlia autopsy reports to suspect handwriting samples. I conducted interviews with the leading experts on the murder and explored our cultural fascination with the horrific crime. I hope listeners will appreciate the level of research that went into my investigation, but mainly I hope they remember that the Black Dahlia was a young woman who had a life, certainly had a future, and had a real name: Elizabeth Short." – Douglas Laux, writer of Solving the Black Dahlia
All stars
Most relevant
Having read several Black Dahlia books over the years, I was intrigued by this title — and it did disappoint. Over 6 episodes this podcast provides a good summary of the essential facts, and an exposition and critique of the leading “solutions.” The author offers his own, persuasive, and non-sensational conclusion, recognizing that conclusive proof is not possible. A must-listen for an Black Dahlia aficionado, and an excellent overview for true crime fans who somehow are unfamiliar with this cold case.

Excellent, and succinct, wrap-up of the Black Dahlia murder

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent telling of this investigative process of one of the most shocking and intriguing murder mysteries of all time. Highly recommend.

A journey of the evidence

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well conceived, researched and written. I very much enjoyed this investigative report and will watch for more.

Compelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
really well written and preformed. Enjoyed very much, look forward to more offerings from Douglas Laux

nice pod cast

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
We hear an awful lot of references to Laux’s history as a CIA guy, and so very much repeated information. Maybe some listeners need to be told something a dozen times. This is a great story and some interesting information padded to within an inch of its life. There is about an hours’ worth of insight in these episodes. It’s like the podcast version of the meeting that could have been an email. That said, look at the stars I’m giving it! It’s because the new insight is really interesting, for people who care about the Elizabeth Short story.

Could have been condensed to 2 episodes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
True Crime die-hard fans should not pass up this well told presentation of the known facts in this podcast, based on perhaps the most gruesome and notorious crime} of the twentieth century. included are interviews with several experts on the subject. The podcaster's professional background make him a skillful and adept interpreter of the information he finds through these interviews.
I couldn't stop listening. I imagined myself taking a week to get through it when I started listening, but I tore through the entire set tonight, wishing only as the last episode ended that there were more to hear.

Riveting and totally engrossing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story was told in an amazing way and seems like it is objective. However, Larry Harnisch, the guy who thinks that he's 95% sure that Walter Bayley did it, has just as loose as facts as the Hodel theory which is also stupid. Piu Eatwell's book was mentioned and I myself have read it. I honestly don't think Larry Harnisch or the author of this book even read it. If they did, they didn't follow up on any of the facts. I call this "hypocritical," as the title of my comment, because it claims to be objective. This CIA author says he knows deception when he sees it but by his own admission believed Hodel until Harnisch came along. Bayley does check a few boxes and a few more than Hodel. Again, it's as if neither the author or Harnisch read Black Dahlia: Red Rose by Piu Eatwell. I would've liked this podcast to be 5 times as long with physical investigation into Eatwell's claim that Leslie Dillon did the murder at the request of Mark Hansen (who didn't mean for her to be brutally murdered the way she did but would definitely be implicated in the murder if Dillon was convicted). Mark Hansen WAS connected to the mob but wasn't necessarily IN the mob. Hansen was close friends with the chief of police who would create roadblocks for the gangster squad. The gangster squad did do what they could but then were taken off for homicide, who should've been put on in the first place in any other, you know, HOMICIDE. Why would a gangster sqaud be put on a single homicide????? The biggest connection to Leslie Dillon being the murderer is the Aster Motel, where on January 15th, 1947, where Dillon was seen to be staying for the week before, in room 3, there was found a human amount of blood with feces scattered all over. They found 800 pills of phenobarbital in Dillon's bags with a dog leash that had brush marks that were the same as on Elizabeth Short's body. The tests they did on room 3, a couple of years later unfortunately, did show a psudo positive result which means that blood was found but another chemical was giving it a pseudo reading. Anyways, theres a lot more to the story but I challenge the author to read Piu Eatwell's story, or listen to it on here with Audible, then do another investigation to see if those facts provided in the book are actually true. If he finds they are not, I may change my mind. However, if everything that Eatwell said is true, then there is no doubt that Leslie Dillon in connection with Mark Hansen would solve the case. Mark Hansen lied about not being called on January 9th, 1947 by Elizabeth Short from the Biltmore Hotel but he did get called by her. It was the only call that WAS confirmed she made from the hotel. That in itself, like other facts provided, does not prove anything. However, everything connects to Elizabeth Short's murder. Elizabeth was seen a few time with Dillon, once at his trailer park in Long Beach called A1 Trailer Park, where the owner and another resident were sure Beth was there. Dillon rushed over to the owner's trailer when cops showed up and the owner was asked what Dillon was doing here just before they came in. The owner said, "He was erasing entries of who was here since we keep a log of everyone, guests, who comes in and out of here." Again, this is a small portion of ALL that is connected with Dillon and Hansen; probably only 8-10%. There WAS a big cover-up by the LAPD, not the gangster squad division, but by homicide and the chief of police. The cover up for Hansen occured at first but then they didn't exactly expect this case to get so big. Dillon threatened to tell all about Hansen and everyone else if he was arrested. They dug themselves too deep. READ Black Dahlia: Red Rose, do the investigation on it (I would be happy to do it with you), and come back with another podcast cirtiquing Eatwell. Dr. Di River (Israel), DID do unethical things in regards to Leslie Dillon. That doesn't mean he wasn't right. I find it ironic that Harnisch dismisses this theory without actually providing evidence that they were wrong. He makes ad hominem claims about him, which were true, to discredit him. Ad Hominem, as everyone knows, does not provide evidence of ANYTHING. Please, please, please, read Eatwell's book, or listen to it, and tell me that it's not true. I'm okay with it if it isn't. The Walter Bayley theory, which I have researched further than just this podcast, is loose at best. I am not 100% sure Eatwell was honest in everything she wrote. However, she did research and if she actually found what she wrote in the book, then it's absolutely Dillon. He was a criminal, who worked for Hansen, committed crimes after the case, who took interest in the Black Dahlia case just like other murderers do: Return to the scene of the crime, help cops investigate who did it, or look for a missing body. Leslie Dillon, contradicting Harnsich, contacted De River (I put an "i" and not an "e" before, sorry), in order to investigate and not the other way around. De River did invite him to do so because he investigated every nook and cranny he could. De River wasn't an actual psychiatrist, but THAT doesn't mean he was wrong. He helped solve a psychosexual murder shortly before Elizabeth Short. Contemporaries of his time said he was amazing at what he did. Even if he created the position, IT DOESN'T MEAN HE WAS WRONG. I am not saying I'm 100%, but again, if Eatwell is correct, then this thing is solved. Especially the Aster Motel connection (the Motel still exists on Flower St in LA). The blood and feces, the witnesses who saw Elizabeth Short there with Hansen and Dillon that same week, and the cover up which would be easily proven if looked into with certain contacts. The gangster squad, and a reporter who later became the first woman executive editor, Agnes Underwood "Aggi," were both taken off the case in two different instances. The Gangster Squad was closing in on the Aster Motel situation and then got taken off, and Aggi was getting close to finding out who did it and was promoted to editor which took her off the case. Both members of the Gangster Squad and Aggi didn't stop investigating afterwards, however, and they both come to the same conclusion: Leslie Dillon murdered and slaughtered Elizabeth Short in connection to Mark Hansen who told Dillon to, "Get rid of her" not knowing he was going to do what he did. Hansen constantly came on to Elizabeth Short while she lived at his Carlos Ave house and she constantly rejected him. He was known to be have violent outbursts. Okay, I could go on and on but please just read Eatwell's story and let's take a different look at the case.

Hypocritical

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well researched by someone not connected to the case but has a background to be credible. Six part podcast was worth the listen.

Interesting theory of who may be the actual killer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
When it comes to having a book complete with everything proven why his father killed black dhalia and then some more murders. Steve Hodel backs everything with facts.

I. Have read and listened to every book paper

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Such a Difficult Case to Crack from so Long Ago. So complicated, along with it being so old. Very good narration and story. Thank you.

Very Fascinating! Finding Clues

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews