black dahlia

By Anna Carranza "Hollywood draws them from all over the country.”   -Lynn Martin, roommate of Elizabeth Short. Elizabeth Short, infamous for her ill-fated moniker, The Black Dahlia, died with a dollar in her purse. Her murder in 1947 is the most compelling unsolved crime Los Angeles has ever known. The young beauty with stark black hair, alabaster skin and red lips disappeared on January 14th somewhere in Downtown after yet another night of carousing. The second to last place she was seen alive was at the Biltmore Hotel. Earlier she was seen at Crown Grill, now a hostess joint called Galaxy Club. The mystery of what happened in the hours preceding her abrupt and notorious death became a tale of Hollywood lore. Short became the poster girl for the nameless faces that found their way to Hollywood seeking a life more extraordinary. The year was 1947 and ripe for murder. All the elements of film noir. Shady politicians, ambitious wannabe starlets, post war depression, transient encounters at crossroads. Short's body was found in Leimert Park severely mutilated, cut in two, and drained of blood. The murder remains unsolved and has since been the source of widespread speculation as well as several books and film adaptations. What were her last moments leading to ...