Bonus: The First Suspects - The Black Dahlia Files

Bonus: The First Suspects - The Black Dahlia Files

In this bonus episode, Esther takes listeners back to the earliest days of the Black Dahlia investigation — before the world even knew the victim’s name.

Detectives faced a gruesome and mystifying crime scene in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood. Who was the young woman whose body had been staged so deliberately? And who could have committed such a shocking crime?

Using witness statements, police reports, and historical accounts, Esther reveals how investigators built their first list of suspects — and how each was eventually ruled out.

From Elizabeth Short’s friends and lovers to shady landlords and reluctant witnesses, these early leads laid the groundwork for a case that would haunt Los Angeles for decades.

🎧 Next Time on Broken

In the next episode, we’ll examine the shocking details of the crime scene and autopsy — how Elizabeth Short was killed, the forensic evidence left behind, and what it tells us about her murderer.

We’ll also start piecing together theories about motive — and why her killer may have wanted her body to be found.

Make sure you’re subscribed and that your app is set to automatically download new episodes so you don’t miss what’s next in Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder.

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

Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder by John Gilmore

The Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood by William J. Mann (upcoming)

Contemporary newspaper archives, LAPD records, and witness interviews


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Listener Suggestions: Paulette Gebara Farah

Listener Suggestions: Paulette Gebara Farah

The mysterious disappearance of a 4-year-old from her own bedroom takes a bizarre twist and rumors and conspiracy theories soon follow. This case would come to be known as “The JonBenet Ramsey Case of Mexico.” Resources: “Resignation in Mexican missing girl Paulette case”, BBC News, May 26, 2010 “Mexico Shocked by Discovery of Girl’s Body,” CBS News, April 5, 2010 Misterios favoritos en espanol/Unresolved Mysteries, reddit.com - https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/80s8r6/request_misterios_favoritos_en_espanol_what_are/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1 Nov 202126min

Creepy AF Halloween Tales

Creepy AF Halloween Tales

On this special Halloween episode, I’ll share creepy tales of corpses that were mistaken for Halloween displays. I’ll also share the bizarre tale of a failed outlaw who became a successful carnival oddity…after his death.  Resources: “Was a Suicide Mistaken for Halloween Decoration?” by David Mikkelson for Snopes.com, Oct. 28, 2005.  “75-Year-Old Marina Man Found Dead on Apartment Balcony” by Vince Echavaria for The Argonaut, October 22, 2009. “Body is Mistaken for a Halloween Display” by Rebecca Cathcart for The New York Times, Oct. 17, 2009.  “Dead man slumped on balcony mistaken for Halloween decoration” by Seema Mehta for LA Now, October 16, 2009 “Woman’s Dead Body Mistaken for Halloween Decorations” by Maya Rhodan for Time, October 15, 2015.  “Murdered woman hanging from fence mistaken for Halloween decoration”, WKRC/WSYK/Sinclair Broadcast Group, Oct 15, 2015.  “Man faces murder charges after woman’s body found” by Sara Nealeigh for The Chillicothe Gazette, Oct 13, 2015. “See the Funhouse ‘Mannequin’ that was Actually the Body of an Old Bank Robber”, retrieved from All That’s Interesting, December 20, 2017.  “How a Real Corpse Ended Up in a California Fun Park Spookhouse” by Ella Morton retrieved from Atlas Obscura on Slate.com, April 11, 2014. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Okt 202128min

The Devil Made Me Do It: Arne Cheyenne Johnson

The Devil Made Me Do It: Arne Cheyenne Johnson

In this episode, a family claims a family member has become possessed by a demon. When a young man challenges the demon in an attempt to save his friend, he may have gotten more than he bargained for. He would later claim that demons drove him to commit a brutal murder. Resources: “By Demons Possessed” by Lynn Darling for The Washington Post, September 13, 1981.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/09/13/by-demons-possessed/3479fa6b-eee3-4233-a2fc-b9defa403504/ “The Murder That Inspired The Conjuring III” by Josie Klakstrom for Medium.com, June 8, 2021. https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/arne-johnson-the-devil-made-me-do-it-cf6ff04f611aSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Okt 202132min

The Devil Made Me Do It: Sean Sellers

The Devil Made Me Do It: Sean Sellers

A teenager takes the life of family members as well as a random stranger and then claims his involvement in “satanic rituals” lead him to murder. Was 16-year-old Sean Sellers demon possessed, mentally ill, or simply a cold-blooded killer?  Resources:  "On Thursday He Dies",  The Mirror (London), Jan 30, 1999 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=60226483 "Reaching Out as Time is Running Out" by Lois Romano, The Washington Post, Jan 22, 1999. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/22/reaching-out-as-time-is-running-out/4a28249b-d5e3-4c50-908c-39226d069304/  "Open Letter to Satanists", writings by Sean Sellers. Retrieved from The Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20081120020450/http://www.seansellers.com/open_letter_to_satanists.htm# Sean Richard Sellers - from the files of Clark County Prosecutor http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/sellers512.htm "Sean Sellers: The Devil and Death Row", Doug Mesner for DailyKos.com, June 21, 2013. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2013/6/21/1217873/-Sean-Sellers-The-Devil-and-Death-Row Links: Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime TikTok - @OUACpodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Okt 202150min

Once Upon a Crime + A Psych for Sore Minds LIVE in London

Once Upon a Crime + A Psych for Sore Minds LIVE in London

In this bonus episode, you’ll hear the live show from CrimeCon UK in London. Esther discusses the motivations and psychology behind mass shooters with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Sohom Das, host of the YouTube channel A Psych for Sore Minds. Check out True Crime Week on Stitcher where they are kicking off the spookiest month of the year with the creepiest and crawliest True Crime Podcasts. Check out their curated homepage to find your next True Crime Pod obsession. If you’re on your phone you can download Stitcher in your app store or go to Stitcher.com For tickets to CrimeCon UK, June 11-12, 2022 go to www.crimecon.co.uk. You can still use ONCEUPON21 for 10% off your pre-sale tickets. For info on CrimeCon in Las Vegas in May 2022 go to www.crimecon.com. Dr. Das’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/APsychForSoreMindsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Okt 202135min

Spree Killers: Robert Garrow - Part 2

Spree Killers: Robert Garrow - Part 2

In this conclusion to our 2-part episode on spree killer, Robert Garrow, I’ll detail Garrow’s killing spree in the summer of 1973, his time as a fugitive, and his arrest and convcition.  Resources:  The Garrow Manhunt: A Serial Killer in the Adirondacks https://www.adirondack.net/history/garrow-manhunt/ Crime Library: Robert Garrow  https://web.archive.org/web/20140403090224/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/robert_garrow/2.html Sworn to Silence: The Truth Behind Robert Garrow and the Missing Bodies Case, Jim Tracy, Post Hill Press, March 2021 “When Robert Garrow’s murders, manhunt terrified the Adirondacks”, Mark Frost, Glens Falls Chronicle, July 9, 2021.  “Secrets and Death: Former reporter tackles the Robert Garrow story,” Will Doolittle, Adirondack Daily Enterprise. “Dannemora Manhunt Harkens Back to Robert Garrow, Source of ‘Terror in the Adirondacks’, Bill Carey, New York State, June 16, 2015.  “Garrow Reign of Terror 35 Years Later”, Lohr McKinstry, Press Publican, April 13, 2006.  Music Credit: https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/p/music-credits/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Sep 202155min

Spree Killers: Robert Garrow - Part 1

Spree Killers: Robert Garrow - Part 1

In 1973, a violent sexual predator went on a killing spree in the Adirondack Mountains. In Part 1 of this 2-part series, I detail Garrow’s abusive childhood, history of violence, and the escalation of his crimes from theft, to kidnapping and assault, and ultimately to rape and murder.  Resources: Robert Francis Garrow, Jr: American Spree Killer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu5e4RJKp9s&t=1235s Murderpedia.com: Robert Garrow https://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/garrow-robert-photos.htm The Garrow Manhunt: A Serial Killer in the Adirondacks https://www.adirondack.net/history/garrow-manhunt/ Crime Library: Robert Garrow  https://web.archive.org/web/20140403090224/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/robert_garrow/2.html Sworn to Silence: The Truth Behind Robert Garrow and the Missing Bodies Case, Jim Tracy, Post Hill Press, March 2021 See website for music credits. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13 Sep 202128min

Getting Away With Murder: Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick

Getting Away With Murder: Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick

In 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was the front runner to become the next Presidential candidate on the Democratic Party ticket. But, decisions he would make one fateful night on Chappaquiddick Island would result in the death of a young woman and leave his reputation in tatters. Did Ted Kennedy get away with murder? Resources “‘Kennedy Passenger Dies in Car Plunge’: How Chappaquiddick was covered by The Washington Post”, by Richard Harwood and Paul Blackwell for The Washington Post, July 18, 2019. “‘The Kennedy machine Buried What Really Happened’: Revisiting Chappaquiddick, 50 years later”, by Josh Sanburn for Vanity Fair, July 17, 2019. “The End of Camelot”, Vanity Fair, September 1993.   “Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick Incident: What Really Happened”, by Sarah Pruitt for History, April 6, 2018.  “Why the True Story of ‘Chappaquiddick’ Is Impossible to Tell”, by Lorraine Boissoneault for Smithsonian Magazine, April 2, 2018. Background Cinematic Sad by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8031-background-cinematic-sad License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Misty Lights by Rafael Krux Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5686-misty-lights- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 Sep 202145min

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