Hodel answers questions about the Black Dahlia

Steve Hodel will answer your questions. As you know, our #cclivechat on July 15, 2011, centers on the case of Elizabeth Short. Elizabeth (July 29, 1924 – January 15, 1947) was found savagely murdered and her body was left in plain view for anyone to see the grotesque mutilations that she was subjected to before she died.

Over the years, many authors have published books about her murder. In those books, not only Elizabeth got slain but also her character. It is sad to read how many resorted to “blame the victim for getting killed.”

One person who has remained true to portray Elizabeth as she was, is Steve Hodel. There is no denying that Elizabeth was naïve and loved to escape in a dream world in which she was married and had a child. She longed to be in a marriage with a strong man who would take care of her. Sadly, Elizabeth died before she could ever experience life to the fullest.

The book by Hodel, the Black Dahlia Avenger, is a must read. If you pick it up, make sure you get the 2006 edition that includes forensic evidence.

Steve has generously agreed to be available for DCC readers to answer their questions related to Elizabeth’s murder as well as the other materials mentioned in his books.

How are we going to do this?

1: First, make sure that you have read either Steve’s book or at least the FAQ section on his website. That page has been split up in categories and sections so first check whether your question can be found there!

2: Questions for Steve Hodel have to be submitted via the contact page on DCC with “Black Dahlia” in the subject line. Make sure your question is detailed and clearly worded.

3: The deadline for emailing your questions is July 17, 2011. This will enable all of us at DCC to discuss the case in our themed cold case chat on Twitter and any open questions can be added to the questions we send to Steve.

4: Duplicate questions will be morphed into one.

5: Individual replies are not possible so everyone who sends in a question must check back on DCC for answers.

6: I reserve the right to skip any question that is inappropriate, offensive, etc.

7: After July 17, 2011, all the questions will appear in a post on DCC. That post will be send to Steve. As soon as his answers come in, the post will be updated so you have to keep checking back.

I will announce on Twitter when new answers have been posted.

A big THANK YOU to Steve Hodel for his dedication to finding the truth and for doing this for DCC readers!

For book reviews, check here.