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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Avsnitt(398)

Fugitives from Justice: Alex Kelly

Fugitives from Justice: Alex Kelly

A young man from a wealthy family is accused of committing two rapes while still in high school. Before he could be tried on these charges he'd flee the jurisdiction and disappear for eight years before finally being brought to justice. Resources:  "Accused Rapist and His Flight Trouble Darien" by Elizabeth Neuffer for The New York Times, Aug 27, 1987 "From Ski Slopes of Europe to a Rape Trial" by George Judson for The New York Times, Jan 31, 1995.  "Judgment Days" by Bill Hewitt for People.com, Nov 4, 1996. "Son of Darien" by Susan Cheever for The New York Times, April 27, 1997.  Vanity Fair Confidential: Fugitive Son, based on reporting by Jennet Conant for Vanity Fair Magazine, first aired on Jan 24, 2017. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19 Nov 201931min

Fugitives from Justice: Nazira Ugalde and Brenda Delgado

Fugitives from Justice: Nazira Ugalde and Brenda Delgado

In this episode I’ll share two separate cases of women who became part of a very small and exclusive club - women who made the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List.   Nazira Ugalde killed for financial gain and flees to South America.  A young woman in Texas, Brenda Delgado, plans the murder of her romantic rival and disappears soon after being questioned by police.   Resources:  "New details emerge about Reno 'Black Widow', Behind the Crime Tape Blog, Nov. 27, 2012 "Fugitive Black Widow wanted in ex-husband's 2008 murder arrested i Peru", by Nina Golgowski for New York Daily News, Jun 5, 2014.  "Mother of Hygenist at center of deadly love triangle sas her daughter is 'not the jealous type'", by Shekhar Bhatia for DailyMail.com, Sep 12, 2015.  "Duo Behind Killing of Dentist in Murder-for-Hire Plot May be Linked to Drug Cartel", Chicago 5 News, Oct 23, 2015.  "Brenda Delgado: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", Heavy.com, Jun 7, 2019.  "The State of Texas vs Brenda Delgado", Criminal Indictment, October 2, 2018.  Podcast Recommendations:  Crime Machine by Jack Luna and Sam Swenson.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crime-machine/id1484881599  You can now find us on Stitcher Premium! https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/esther-ludlow/once-upon-a-crime See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Nov 201925min

Fugitives from Justice: Jesse James Hollywood

Fugitives from Justice: Jesse James Hollywood

A small time drug dealer kidnaps a rival's younger brother in order to settle a debt.  The unfolding series of events would become one of California's most bizarre and tragic kidnapping cases on record and would even inspire an award-winning Hollywood movie.   Resources: Jesse Katz for Los Angeles Magazine, "The Last Ride of Jesse James Hollywood", February 2002.  Colby Frazier for Daily Sound, "Hollywood tells his story", June 24, 2009.  Henry Chu and Solomon Moore for The Los Angeles Times, "Fugitive Kept Low Profile in Quiet Brazilian Beach Town", March 11, 2005.  Chris Hansen for Dateline, "The Real Story Behind 'Alpha Dog', Jan 15, 2007.  Tyler Hayden for The Santa Barbara Independent, "Meet Mrs. Jesse James Hollywood", Feb 4, 2014.  Music Credits:  Music from https://filmmusic.io "Floating Cities" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) "Life of Riley" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Nov 201948min

Rocktober: Rock and Roll Haunts

Rocktober: Rock and Roll Haunts

In this episode I dig into my file of spooky stories to share some haunted happenings in the world of rock and roll.  #themansionatlaurelcanyon #redhotchilipeppers #slipknot #hauntedhouses #bonscott #joshuatreeinn #halloween #ghoststories  Resources: Corey Taylor, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven (Or How I Made Peace with the Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process), (Da Capo Press, 2013).  Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate, www.wildabouthoudini.com, March 30, 2012.  Funky Monks - Uncut Full Documentary (1st edit uncut w/bonus footage), YouTube, uploaded by MakingMonstersInk, April 10, 2013. https://youtu.be/z0tTJ4SakE0 Music credits from https://filmmusic.io - License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) "Halloween Theme 1" by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/) "Graveyard Shift" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) "Myst on the Moor" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) "Waltz of Treachery" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) "On My Way" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) "Life of Riley" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21 Okt 201928min

Rocktober: The Bob Marley Assassination Attempt

Rocktober: The Bob Marley Assassination Attempt

Bob Marley went from singing R&B harmonies in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica to becoming a pioneer of reggae music, bringing his own blend of reggae, rock and ska music to a global audience. But as a popular figure in Jamaica, he was unwillingly thrust into the country’s political strife. The situation became so dangerous for Marley that on December 3, 1976, he became a target of assassins.  Resources: Chris Salewicz, Bob Marley: The Untold Story, (New York: Faber and Faber), 2010.  Biolgraphy.com, "Bob Marley", https://www.biography.com/musician/bob-marley Vivien Goldman, The Guardian, "Dread, beat and blood", July 16, 2006.  Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, "Manufacturing Bob Marley", July 17, 2017 Mike Lanchin, BBC World Service, "I was there when gunmen tried to kill Bob Marley," December 4, 2016.  Kief Davidson, Remastered: Who Shot the Sheriff?, Netflix, 2015.  Music Credits: Music from https://filmmusic.io Sunny Rasta" by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) "Stealth Groover" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)  "Dub Feral" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

14 Okt 201944min

Rocktober: Altamont, The Rolling Stones and The Hells Angels

Rocktober: Altamont, The Rolling Stones and The Hells Angels

A free concert took place in northern California in December of 1969 featuring The Rolling Stones. It would descend into chaos due to poor planning, rampant drug use and the ill-advised use of the Hells Angels as concert security.  Resources: Joel Selvin, Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day, (New York: Harper Collins), 2016.  Lester Bangs, Reny Brown, John Burks, Sammy Egan, Michael Goodwin, Geoffrey Link, Greil Marcus, John Morthland, Eugene Schoenfeld, Patrick Thomas, and Langdon Winner, Rolling Stone Magazine, "The Rolling Stones Disaster at Altamont: Let It Bleed," January 21, 1970.  Albert & David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, Gimme Shelter (1970), http://watchdocumentaries.com/rolling-stones-gimme-shelter/ Note: Meredith Hunter can be seen in the crowd at timestamp 1:18:50. The attack on him begins at 1:23:26. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Okt 20191h 4min

Taunting Terrors: Ruth Finley and The Poet

Taunting Terrors: Ruth Finley and The Poet

A woman begins receiving harassing phone calls and letters from a stalker.  It would take years to discover who the anonymous man was, but when he was finally identified a shocking secret would be revealed.  Resources: Book: Little Girl Fly Away by Gene Stone Articles:   'Poet" makes life a living horror for Wichita Woman by Scott Kraft for AP in the Garden City Telegram, Jan 24, 1980 'Poet' strikes again and Wichita police still baffled by Scott Kraft for AP in Garden City Telegram, Feb 21, 1980 Harassed by an Unknown Author of Vicious Rhymes, Ruth Finley Confronts the Stranger Within Herself by Gene Stone for People Magazine, Sept. 5, 1988 Social Media: Once Upon a Time Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730325570622505/  Patreon:  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.

30 Sep 201959min

Taunting Terrors: Susan Jaeger

Taunting Terrors: Susan Jaeger

A 7-year-old goes missing while on a family camping trip in 1973.  Anonymous calls would be placed demanding a ransom, but, the trail would grow cold until exactly one year later when the kidnapper would call her mother to brag about taking her daughter.   Resources: Documentary: The FBI Files, "Dark Woods", Season 5, Episode 13.  Articles:  Bible Verse May Have Spurred Meirhofer, The Daily Interlake, October 4, 1974 Small Town Terror by Joseph MacNamara for The New York Daily News, December 22, 1994 The Quality of Mercy by Antoinette Martin for The Detroit Free Press, August 21, 1994 Not Another Victim by Amy Linn for The Missoula Independent, November 5, 2015 Music Credits: Music from https://filmmusic.io"Floating Cities" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Links: Patreon: www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime  CrimeCon CrowdSolve - https://www.crimecon.com/crowdsolve-seattleSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Sep 201933min

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