Elizabeth Short: The Black Dahlia

Elizabeth Short wanted what any other girl with big dreams and goals wanted. The only difference is she met those goals. She had been a wannabe actress just trying to be famous. In a twisted way, she got what she wanted in the long run. Elizabeth Short had become famous but not the way anyone would want to be. With fame comes pain, books, and yes, even death. Elizabeth Short had been killed by Patrick S. O’Reilly. He had medical training, he knew her and where she was staying at the time, and he was previously charged with assault with a deadly weapon. It all started on January 15, 1947, when a young lady was taking her baby for a stroll. She was walking through a vacant lot when she passed by what she thought looked like a mannequin. It

She walked straight home and called the police. Thankfully she lived closer so when the police showed up no one else had seen the body or touched it. When the police took a look at the body, many were disgusted by what they saw. (Smith, R.J.) The Black Dahlia; the most disturbing murder case in Los Angeles history. The police concluded whoever killed this young lady hated her very much. The body was cut in two, severed at the waist, and drained of blood. Her body was placed perfectly so her organs wouldn’t spill out into the grass. Her hands were above her head and her feet were spread out into a V shape. Stab wounds were found covering her body but they were only deep enough to pierce the skin. Right below the split at her waist in the middle of her body, there was a 4-inch moderately deep wound. It was clear she was hit in the head and bound at the hands and ankles. After the autopsy police realized the victim was forced fed human feces, there were also parts of her thigh cut off, later to be found in private areas of the body. She was quickly identified as Elizabeth Short. Before her gruesome death, Elizabeth was an actress, starring in movies such as “The Cheerleader Massacre.” (Smith,

This is because without it the killer would have already been caught. Having medical training would give them the knowledge of how to properly and cleanly get rid of the blood without raising any suspicion. They also would be able to set her perfectly to make sure her organs didn’t spill out. (Suspects - The Black Dahlia)Multiple theories about this case are laid out. The first theory is a possible serial killer. In the city of Chicago in January of 1946, a six-year-old girl was kidnapped from her home. Her name was Suzanne Degnan. A few days later police found portions of her dismembered body in sewers nearby. Hector Verburgh was originally arrested for Suzanne’s murder but was later released in 1948 and rewarded $20,000 for false arrest and police brutality. In the summer of 1946, however, William Heirens was arrested for committing a burglary in Suzanne’s neighborhood. He was then brought in for questioning, later admitting to killing Suzanne. It was theorized he also was responsible for Elizabeth Short’s death but he later was ruled out as the suspected because he was in prison serving his life sentence. (Prominent Theories - The Black Dahlia)The second theory is this was a police cover-up. Agness Underwood was assigned to interview