Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, November 2025

Welcome! I do the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case on the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube. In case you’re new: I do the Ask Me Anythings because I got tired of the low quality of the “true” crime TV shows and podcasts. This is only Black Dahlia questions. I have another Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel later in the month, in this case November 18 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Today, only Dahlia questions. No George Hodel questions. I usually get a troll, and I’ll report them. After my opening comments, I alternate between live questions and submitted questions. I’ll talk for about an hour and the time should go quickly! The next Dahlia session will be December 2, 2025 at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube. As always, I began with a progress report on the book, discussed a few subjects and then answered questions. In this episode, I discussed: --The Consult, an excellent podcast. --Don't treat the Black Dahlia as a game of "Clue." --Eli Frankel's "Sisters in Death" and why Carl Balsiger didn't kill Elizabeth Short or Leila Welsh. --A reading of Frank Jemison's memo on Carl Balsiger and its errors. Also: --How hard was Elizabeth Short struck in the head? --The possibility that Elizabeth Short was killed by a World War II veteran experienced in medicine, with PTSD. --Did Buddy Lagore see Elizabeth Short at the Four Star Grill? --Why wasn't the Aster Motel a crime scene? --Is there enough evidence on Walter Bayley to satisfy the LAPD and the district attorney? --Why did the killer mail Elizabeth Short's belongings to the newspapers? --Was Red Manley committed to an asylum in later years? --Which Black Dahlia documentary is my favorite? --Am I suspicious about the postcard (actually telegram) sent to Elizabeth Short from Washington, D.C.? --How do selections from the LAPD's files on the Black Dahlia get released? --Was the Black Dahlia ever a political campaign issue? --What's my take on the theory advanced in The Consult that Elizabeth Short was bisected for purposes of transportation rather than any other reason? --Why did Elizabeth Short hide her actual circumstances from her family? --What was Elizabeth Short's ethnic heritage? --Why did James Ellroy make the Black Dahlia movie? --Did Elizabeth Short call anyone from the pay phones at the Biltmore? --What became of the contents from Elizabeth Short's purse mailed to the Examiner? --Do I think Walter Bayley would have had the strength to bisect Elizabeth Short? --Is it possible Elizabeth Short changed her purse and shoes after she left the Frenches home? --Why Patrick O'Reilly isn't a prime suspect. --How did Elizabeth Short deal with not having access to a change of clothing after she checked her suitcases at the bus station?