Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth

Before she became The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short was simply Beth — a young woman with big dreams, an open heart, and a longing for something beyond the ordinary. In Part Two: Becoming Elizabeth, we step back in time to uncover the story of the woman behind the legend.

From her childhood in Medford, Massachusetts, through family tragedy, illness, and the Great Depression, we follow Elizabeth’s journey into adolescence — a girl fascinated by Hollywood glamour and determined to create a better life for herself.

We trace her adventures from the frozen streets of New England to the sun-drenched beaches of Florida and the military bases of California during World War II. Along the way, we meet the men who loved her — and the heartbreaks that would shape her fate.

This episode explores the making of Elizabeth Short: the beauty, the dreamer, and the woman who walked fearlessly into a world that would one day remember her by another name.

About This Series

BROKEN: The Black Dahlia Murder is a six-part Once Upon a Crime original series.

Through extensive research, historical records, and firsthand accounts, Esther Ludlow uncovers the truth behind America’s most infamous unsolved murder, separating fact from fiction to rediscover the real woman behind the myth.

Sources & References

  • Los Angeles Police Department and FBI case archives and reports.
  • “Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood” by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, (Advanced Reader Copy), Publication date: January 13, 2026.
  • “Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder” by John Gilmore.
  • Historic articles from the Los Angeles Times and The Examiner (1947). (Accessed on Newspapers.com.)


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Jaksot(393)

Wild Things: The San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attacks.

Wild Things: The San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attacks.

If true crime stories teach us anything it's that man is the most dangerous animal of all. In this new series I will detail cases where human's behavior results in wild animals becoming involved in crime stories.   This series will NOT detail cases of animal cruelty. First up, a tiger escapes its enclosure at a zoo and attacks three men? Was the tiger provoked? What would cause an animal to attack humans out of the blue?  Resources: Patricia Yollin, Tanya Schevitz, and Kevin Fagan, SFGate.com, "SF Zoo visitor saw 2 victims of tiger attack teasing lions," Jan 3, 2008.  Linda Goldston, San Jose Mercury News, "Tiger attack: San Jose brothers receive $900,000 settlement from San Franciscio Zoo," May 29, 2009. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Heinä 201839min

Bonus Episode: "Dead North"

Bonus Episode: "Dead North"

On this bonus episode I discuss the 4-part documentary series "Dead North" that premiered on A&E in late May.  My special co-host is my brother, Tony.   Ways to watch: https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/dead-north/about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfAvQ-DZtzo https://play.google.com/store/tv/show?id=hJP2D07sNYvoOnuQy60VqA&cdid=tvseason-iDb1vI20xZwH3DauTgXuyw&gdid=tvepisode-gfAvQ-DZtzo https://www.amazon.com/Winter-is-Coming-Part-1/dp/B07DC6WGST/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1530203353&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=dead+north+documentary Today's sponsors: www.campaignliving.com - Use offer code ONCE to get $75 off your order. www.pb.com/once for a 60-day free trial for all C200 models.  www.Talkspace.com/ouac and use offer code OUAC to get $45 off your first month.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Kesä 20181h 53min

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 3

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 3

A young, Canadian college students goes missing from the Cecil while visiting Los Angeles in 2013.  The hotel's surveillance camera captures bizarre behavior by the young woman adding to the mystery.   #ElisaLam #mysteriousdeaths #elevatorvideo  Resources: Elevator video - last sighting of Elisa Lam: https://youtu.be/3TjVBpyTeZM TX Files episode where I discuss the connection between the Elisa Lam case and the film Dark Water. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/27-the-sierra-diablo-murders-part-1/id1153817822?i=1000385825759&mt=2 www.patreon.com/OnceUponaCrime See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Kesä 201826min

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 2

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 2

We continue the series "Infamous Locales" with another true crime story from the infamous Cecil Hotel. This time, I'll tell you about another serial killer who made the Cecil his base of operations -  Jack Unterweger, "The Vienna Woods Killer".  #serialkillers #Austria #Vienna #ViennaWoodsKiller Resources: Books: Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer by John Leake The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us by Gregg O. McCrarySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Kesä 201852min

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 1

Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 1

The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles has been home to at least two serial killers, numerous tragic deaths, a sniper shooting and one mysterious death.  Join me for this first installment of a 3-part episode covering the Cecil Hotel's history. #serial killers #RichardRamirez #TheNightStalker  Resources: Book: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Touko 201852min

Ted Bundy, Jon Benet, and Jodi Arias or What I Learned at CrimeCon

Ted Bundy, Jon Benet, and Jodi Arias or What I Learned at CrimeCon

In this special episode I give a wrap-up of CrimeCon - all the true crime celebrity sightings, the true crime podcast rockstars I got to hang out with, and all the inside gossip and info.  I also discuss a couple of cases related to what I learned in CrimeCon sessions this year. I'll talk about the Patsy Ramsey 911 call, Ted Bundy and Jodi Arias.  Shout outs to many, many podcasts including Southern Fried True Crime, Trace Evidence, InSight, True Crime Fan Club, The Fall Line, Minds of Madness, Misconduct, Crime and Precedents, Undisclosed, Red Wing Audio Drama, and many, many more.  With The Manks (Josh Mankiewicz, Dateline) Resources: The Netflix series I referenced is "Manhunt: Unabomber".   The CBS special I referenced was "The Case of Jon Benet Ramsey".  You can find it at www.dailymotion.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 Touko 20181h 12min

Infamous Locales: Whitechapel and the Jack the Ripper Murders

Infamous Locales: Whitechapel and the Jack the Ripper Murders

The district of Whitechapel in London, England was the location of one of the most infamous, unsolved serial murders in history - the Jack the Ripper Murders. But, there was possibly a second serial murderer operating at the same time. Journey with us to Whitechapel for some historical true crime cases. Warning: This episode details more graphic details than normal. I give you a trigger warning before it begins in the episode if you'd like to skip ahead.  #whitechapel #London #JacktheRipper #historicalcrime #crimehistory #TorsoMurders #ThamesTorsoMurders  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14 Touko 201841min

Infamous Locales: The Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle

Infamous Locales: The Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle

One intersection in Beverly Hills has been the site of many events from airplane crashes, car accidents, and murders. Could it be a coincidence or is the area cursed?  #beverlyhills #bermudatriangle #howardhughes #hollywood #bugsysiegel #ronnichasen  A.J. Benza: Fame is a Bitch - Subscribe on ITunesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Touko 201856min

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