Bonus: Love Letters from The Black Dahlia

Bonus: Love Letters from The Black Dahlia

Before Elizabeth Short became known to the world as The Black Dahlia, she was a young woman searching for love and belonging in a world still recovering from war.

In this bonus episode, Esther reads excerpts from Elizabeth’s personal correspondence with Lt. Joseph Gordon Fickling and Major Matthew “Matt” Gordon — two men who loved her deeply, and who reveal, through their letters, the hopes and heartbreaks of a woman who has too often been reduced to myth.

These intimate writings offer a rare glimpse into Elizabeth’s voice — tender, romantic, and filled with dreams. Through her words, listeners will discover the woman behind the legend: hopeful, vulnerable, and forever chasing beauty in a world that often failed to show her kindness.

📚 Sources and References

William F. Mann, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood (Simon & Schuster, 2026)

John Gilmore, Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder (Ameteur Press, 1994)

Archival letters and family correspondence cited in:

  • FBI Case File 62-00060: “Elizabeth Short Murder (Black Dahlia)”
  • Los Angeles Examiner and Los Angeles Times historical archives (1947)

Testimonies and recollections from:

  • Phoebe Short (Elizabeth’s mother), in interviews compiled in the FBI case file


🔜 Next in the Series:

In the next episode of Broken: The Black Dahlia Murders – Part Three, listeners will hear a detailed timeline of Elizabeth Short’s final months in Los Angeles, leading up to her infamous “lost week.”

We’ll follow her movements across the city — the hotels, the friends, and the mysterious encounters that made up her last days — and begin to uncover the tangled web of people who crossed her path before her death.

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See a list of our sponsors and discount codes on our website:

https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/sponsors/


Visit the new OUAC MERCH SHOP!

For a limited time, get up to 27% off all products — including $16 tees — during our Grand Opening Sale. But hurry, deals end October 31st!

Shop now at onceuponacrime.dashery.com.

✈️ Travel with Us to Mexico City! 🇲🇽

We’re taking Once Upon a Crime on the road—and you’re invited! In March 2026, join us for a fun, fabulous 4-day group trip to vibrant Mexico City. Explore incredible sights, savor delicious food, and connect with fellow true crime fans on an unforgettable adventure.

Reserve your spot today with just 25% down—but hurry, space is limited and will sell out fast!

🔗 Click here to learn more and book your spot now!

Links:

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Episoder(408)

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

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

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Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part One: The Girl in the Empty Lot

Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part One: The Girl in the Empty Lot

In January 1947, a mother walking through a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood made a horrifying discovery — the bisected body of a young woman posed in a vacant lot. Within hours, newspapers had a headli...

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Introducing “Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder” - A Once Upon a Crime Original Series

Introducing “Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder” - A Once Upon a Crime Original Series

In January 1947, Elizabeth Short’s brutal murder shocked Los Angeles — and turned her into the enduring legend known as The Black Dahlia.In this new six-part Once Upon a Crime series, host Esther Ludl...

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Bonus Episode: Hanged: Those She Left Behind

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In this special bonus wrap-up episode of Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion, we step beyond the execution chamber and trace the ripple effects of Ruth’s final act—the shockwaves that forever ...

25 Sep 202514min

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part Seven: The Last Woman

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In this final installment of our seven-part series, we follow Ruth Ellis through her last days and hours at Holloway Prison. Convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, Ruth became the last w...

8 Sep 202537min

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part Six: An Eye for an Eye

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part Six: An Eye for an Eye

In this episode, Ruth Ellis takes the stand in her own defense during her murder trial at the Old Bailey. What unfolds is one of the most disastrous testimonies in British legal history.Ruth answers q...

25 Aug 202546min

Hanged: Ruth Ellis and the Price of Passion – Part Five: Ruth’s Revenge

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On Easter weekend 1955, Ruth Ellis reached her breaking point.After years of jealousy, violence, and betrayal, she spent a long, sleepless night replaying the wreckage of her life — and blaming one ma...

18 Aug 202531min

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