I do have a question, if you believe that your sister Tamar had no relationship with your father after the trial, does that mean you think Fauna lls story about George Hodel photographing and molesting her is made up? You said that, no, George was not the father, and that that pregnancy was terminated. To my knowledge, none of the living relatives ever Only source on it is Ancestry.com It seems that Tamar's teen angst was too much for her mother . He didn't kill Suzanne Degnan. Just as many television shows/movies/books often use terms that are racist and deeply insensitive when referring to anyone who isnt a straight, white, Christian person in order to give an accurate representation of the time and place the story is set. Known or suspected sex criminals in the area were being investigated for the Short case, and it had come out in that trial that Tamar had allegedly claimed her father was the Dahlia killer. The late Fauna's two real-life daughters, Gentile and her half-sister, the 40-year-old Rasha Pecoraro, host a podcast, " Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia ,". The only way to understand and see how it all fits together is to read all of the books, which are in fact, one ongoing investigation, each adding a significant amount of new evidence to the previous investigation. I cant begin to imagine the complexity of emotions ranging from love to hate for a man that gave you life. Its jarring and can trigger strong feelings to come across outdated and offensive words, but in this case, Mr. Hodel was using such language only in a representative way quoting what was written on a birth certificate. Tamar's testimony was perceived as contradictory and attention-seeking. Writer: I Am the Night. Take care of yourself and stay safe out there! Man Ray took at least two photographs of George and Dorothy Hodel's children in 1945. Traumatic Reenactment - Root of Evil: The True . He described his activities as working undercover for LAPD detectives to help them identify and arrest corrupt police officers; in his words, " it was to try and see if other officers could be inveigled into crime." Tamar Hodel was 16 when she gave birth to Fauna. But I cant imagine how Id feel to uncover evidence that my parent had had a second career as a notoriously depraved serial killer. Thankyou! However, unlike Robert "Red" Manley, Hodel was never considered an important suspect in the case: there is no credible evidence that Hodel even knew Short or had any connection to her homicide. A September 2006 episode of Cold Case Files,[7] hosted by Bill Kurtis, illustrates the mixed reaction to Steve Hodel's hypothesis as outlined in his first book, Black Dahlia Avenger (2003). On Jan. 15, 1947, residents of the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles called the police after discovering a body in an abandoned lot. Wow! Best, Steve. But murder is just part of the Hodel family story, one filled with horrifying secrets that ripple across . Best, Steve. Best, Steve, Thank you for your ceaseless commitment to the truth, Steve. Two daughters, Fauna and Fauna II (Deborah Elizabeth), and three sons, Peace, Love and Joy. [9] [10] Fauna was born to a 16-year-old, Tamar Hodel, in 1951. The viewing/listening/reading public needs to know what is FACT and what is FICTION. But things may get even more complicated for her when she discovers Tamar had other children after giving her up for adoption. And, of course, 95% of the material in the IATN miniseries is fictional. Daughter of George Hill Hodel, and Dorothy Grace Anthony Barbe (17 April 1911 - 12 October 1995). You are a rare person to rise above a nightmare environment and land grounded. In the summer of 1949, the 14-year-old moved into the Franklin Avenue house. Share this: Twitter Facebook Email Print Reddit Tumblr Loading. Hodel's daughter, Tamar, escaped the house in 1949 after accusing her father and others of sexually assaulting her during one of the many parties he would throw at the estate. She was proud to be to married to a famous recording artist, as her first love (Josh White) was already married. Also, how did he explain the homage to Elizabeth Short? I had to talk to him for her sake when she they had a falling out, and only talk to me for her. Hi Steve, Amnon had to finagle a way to get Tamar to visit him because the king's children dwelled in different abodes. The theme of incest and murder at the end of the movie is so clear to me made me wonder why John Huston would have taken such an interest in the acting part, as he rarely portrayed a character in films. When did Tamar die? By confirming my investigation they would confirm that fact, which they apparently decided is not acceptable. They corroborate your findings surely its more than bad PR? Thank you Steve for your drive to reveal this sad truth. In the first episode of their I Am the Night companion podcast, Root of Evil, they featured a recording of their mother talking about when she first met Tamar and her brothers and sister in Hawaii. In 1940, Hodel married Dorothy Harvey, John Huston's ex-wife. Here I was fascinated reading this. Many believe Dr. George Hodel was the killer, thanks to an investigation by Hodel's own son. When I did meet my sister I was excited, we were twins. Wishing to distance the family from both George Hodel's trial and Tamar Hodel's alleged interracial romance, Tamar's mother arranged for a black woman to adopt the child. They are amazing young women. In 1949, Hodel's beautiful teenage daughter Tamar ran away from the house. Hodel, the younger's investigation presents four (4) potential crimes committed in the 1920s and nineteen (19) crimes believed committed in the 1930s. I felt a similar response in my body when I first learned about your father. his own suspect, a Dr. Walter Baylety who lived a short distance from the vacant lot. She had gone to her father at age 12 and asked him to name her doll for her. But, now, with all the publicity first with the I Am The Night fictional miniseries followed by the podcast, Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia I have been called upon to keep it real. (The only reason I agreed to do the interviews on the national television shows.) She (or he) brought up the question of Tamars possibly incestuous 1949 pregnancy. McCawley" (Sgt. In the end, by following the evidence, it took me in the exact opposite direction. This is when I fell in love with True Crime. She also told me that she always loved George, always. I would like to see you write and produce a series based on real facts and information you have on George Hodel. The show is adapted from Fauna's real memoir, One Day She'll Darken, in which she discussed her half-siblings. Geraldine M or Martha J: Tamar NOT GEORGE named her first daughter Fauna after a Robinson Jeffers poem just as her father had named her Tamar after a poem by Jeffers. Tamar Hodel, who was mad at her father because he wouldn't allow her to get an abortion. ET. I was wondering if you are aware of the photo taken of Elizabeth Shorts crime scene that was seemingly taken at night which, presumably would suggest it was the killer who took the photo as she was found in the morning? They were never really interested as they believed that my investigation was just another of the many PLEASE CORRECT. Are you investigating your fathers activity in Asia? Who is Fauna Hodels father? Their term, not mine. Do I think that she gave you the middle name of Elizabeth to show her ongoing love for her father and to do as he wished and name her little doll, (this time a living doll) to please her father and fulfill his seven-year-old request, to name her Elizabeth? Having never watched Chinatown, I caught it on cable a few weeks ago. And on I Am the Night, Fauna will learn that she's not Tamar's only child when she travels with Jay to her birth mom's home in Hawaii. The name of the school St. Helens Hall never came up in any of my conversations with Tamar, but it is certainly possible. I remember she never came back and we all wondered why. More than 70 years later, it remains America's most infamous unsolved murder. Two years before Fauna was even born, Tamar. Thank you for telling your story! They follow the kids to the house and low and behold..out comes Tamar. {forgive me, Im not trying to flippantly insult your late father. Fauna Hodel is likely the child of Tamar Hodel; George may have been her father. They remained in touch with each other as long as I can remember.. her reasons to win his love and hopefully gain financial support as well. The famed. numerous years have passed why do you think there is such resistance from LAPD when files were found in the DA vault? Stop using words like negro. She desperately wanted to be loved. According to George, A sexual relationship between a father and a daughter is normal. You seem so stabke as a person through all this hell knowledge discovered about your Father. That true version of her life was dramatic enough in and of itself without going along with the storyline of the miniseries. Hodel was effectively a polygamist: in the late 1940s, around the time of the deaths of Spaulding and Elizabeth Short, Hodel was living with "Dorero" and their three children; his first legal wife Dorothy Anthony and their daughter Tamar; and, at times, his original common-law wife, Emilia, mother of Hodel's eldest child (by that time an adult). [4], One Day She'll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel, "The Wild, True Story That Inspired 'I Am the Night': So. Hi Patti. When questioned by the police, she said she had left because "her home life was too depressing," on account of "all. liverpool v nottingham forest 1989 team line ups; best crews to join in gta 5. jay chaudhry house; bimbo bakeries buying back routes; pauline taylor seeley cause of death Hodel was a gifted student as a youth and scored an impressive 186 in an . Tamar Nais Hodel, the girl on the witness stand at Hollywood's criminal court, was 14 years old in December 1949, but she seemed older. Regards. Love you Dearly, Fauna Elizabeth Wilson /Hodel Its a shame because it seemed she cared so much about GHH victims. were from Ireland, but dont have anything further information? Below is a PDF containing the complete seven pages as included in BDA III Chapter 6, Tamar Nais Hodel. And I just got a chill upon reading that he told her to name her doll Elizabeth. Also, how this also ties in with the fact that a hobby of your fathers what photography? Tamar Hodel Another person pulled from real life, Tamar had an immensely troubled childhood. He had impregnated the woman and wanted to raise their child together, but she refused. George is a monster to an unimaginable degree but the good he gave this earth came in the form of you, your siblings, nieces and nephews. All Best, Steve. Very sad. Killed her. Dear Sir, I have immense respect for you. I have read a few times that it was he who gave her second daughter, Fauna, the middle name Elizabeth after Elizabeth Short. She stated she wanted to be involved in the seance with the intention of having the medium free any spirits of victims remaining in house. Jimmie Lee struggled to raise Fauna in Sparks, NV. I was a bit disturbed when she was on board with the production of the highly fictionalized version of her life. 6: Journalist The three-page letter identified W. Glenn Martin as a paid LAPD police informant working for a "Sgt. five brothers all who were coal miners in PA, and my grandfathers parents Hodel's unique perspective on adoption, race relations, and her family history led her to write the unreleased 1991 film Pretty Hattie's Baby, directed by Ivan Passer and starring Alfre Woodard. Point is I was a teenager Not an adult when I became Fauna. (The reason being to hide the fact that a murder was committed during the electronic stakeout and they took no action, made no immediate response to the assault.) Tamar married folk. The actual facts surrounding Tamars pregnancy and adoption and Tamars motives, are very different from how they have been portrayed by others, so best to hear them told, as they actually occurred, in the very words of Faunas mother, Tamar Nais Hodel. The teenager, from a prominent white California family, did not list a father on the birth certificate, only that he was black. Cath. The 1949 sexual abuse trial involving George Hodel's daughter Tamar is what garnered the interest of investigators on the Short homicide. Inka: Yes, the Franklin/Sowden Hodel residence was the actual crime scene. Carr, admitting that he had not read all of Steve Hodel's materials, added, "I don't have the time to either prove or disprove Hodel's investigation. George Hill Hodel Jr. was born on October 10, 1907, and raised in Los Angeles, California. I just listened to the podcast. Fauna Elizabeth: Dear Fauna: In our hundred or more hours of discussions after our fathers death in 1999, your mother, my sister, Tamar told me many personal stories, as I wanted to know as much as possible about what she could recall about our father and his life. Kathleen K: We know that Fauna since meeting Tamar, her biological mother always knew the truth that her father was A White Italian Male that gave her mother alcohol then raped her in San Francisco. Tamar, was straight with her from the getgo back in the early Seventies. He died in 1999, at the age of 91. They can't prove it now. No, LAPD nor any other LE agency has never done any testing. Fast forward to the birth of Deborah and Tamar, again NOT GEORGE chose to give her the middle name of Elizabeth most likely to honor the play doll suggestion from her father many years earlier. Fauna passed away shortly before the DNA results came out? Tamar and her half-brother, Steve, remember their father's house as a place. I expect you would have Mr. Burns go back and edit out all the live footage that clearly demonstrated and used the real-life 1920s and 1930s racist references to lynchings and the use of Nigger and Negro from the script. This is the inverse to the scenario of a convicted criminals family member trying to prove the accused innocent. I hope many are encouraged by you who have also lived twilight zone lives no fault of their own. Fauna 1 who died in 2017 and Fauna II (originally named Deborah Elizabeth, but changed her name to Fauna as an adult.) Outraged by the audacity of their daughter and the stigma attached to a mixed-race child within their midst, her mother quickly arranged to have the baby permanently given away to Jimmie Lee, a black maid in a Nevada casino. I present strong evidence in my investigation and books that Jean Spangler was very likely a kidnap/murder victim of and by George Hodel. If they look at it they will have to conclude as I have shown, that LAPDs two greatest heroes, Chiefs William H. Bill Parker and Chief of Detectives Thad Brown, did in fact, participate in a cover-up by not pursuing their known/identified suspect, Dr. George Hill Hodel. Fauna II's full name is Deborah Elizabeth and she was 18 at the time. Of course, my niece, Fauna in real life never met my father, nor was she ever at the Sowden/Franklin House until long after his death in 1999. I continue to present my fathers additional crimes and am working on what I hope will be the last book, The Early Years covering his crimes from the 20s and 30s. Best, Steve, Do you think Dr. Hodel had anything to do with Jean Spanglers disappearance? Mind yourselves. So it appears to the very same outcometo please George, so she indirectly was telling the truth. George is responsible for my middle name. I Do not know if youre religous but it seems there had to be something outside yourself guiding you to keep digging. Secrets and lies have permeated the Hodel family for far too long and finally the spotlight zeros in on the truth as it should. Thanks to books from Hodel's own children and a successful adaptation of one of them as the TNT mini-series "I Am the Night" starring Chris Pine, Hodel has been accepted by many as the leading suspect in the Dahlia murder. I recently appeared on several nationally televised talk shows, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz with my two great-nieces, Rasha and Yvette, who are the daughters (different fathers) of my niece, Fauna Hodel, who passed away from cancer in 2017. Hello, Mr Hodel. The structure, built in 1926 by Lloyd Wright (son of the noted American architect Frank Lloyd Wright), has since been registered as a Los Angeles historic landmark. [2] Hodel's medical degree also aroused suspicion, given the hypothesis that whoever bisected Short's body had some degree of surgical skill. I understand the way youre using it is in reference to bigoted people who refuse to make the effort to learn and do better, you did so out of frustration after misunderstanding the intent of the author. Included in the letter was the fact that LAPD, after being informed that "GH" knew victim Springer, brought "GH" in to be "grilled about the Springer murder." Tamar died two years earlier in 2015. https://stevehodel.com/2015/10/19/tamar-nais-hodel-dies-at-80-in-honolulu-hawaii/, Clarification, I have been Fauna since I was 15, never knowing Id meet my sister in my lifetime . Family dynamics are so complex, and I thought my family was the archetype of dysfunction. Below is a link to the suggested reading order if one wants a true understanding of how it all comes together. I Am The Night airs Mondays at 9 p.m. In the early years, I chose to respond to his misrepresentations, with just the facts but then came to realize that no amount of evidence would/could change his mind. (Thirteen of these crimes were originally investigated and believed serially connected by the San Diego Sheriff's and Police Departments back in the 1930s, but a suspect was never identified.) Copyright 2023 Steve Hodel. I hope Tamar Hodel, Fauna's birth mother, gets to write her own book. Updated addition. . It just seems like itd be difficult to do the things youve insisted he did if the man understood the nature of love and had his humanity intact} [5] Two witnesses to the alleged abuse testified at the trial. YES. Much appreciated. Thank you so much for sharing your deeply personal story with us. The affair between Hodel and the woman caused her marriage to fall apart.[4]. These photographs, taken at the Hodel home, picture Kelvin, Michael and Steven Hodel. In fact she spoke of George this way even years after your first book: Black Dahlia Advenger. The case was never solved. She is included in my LA Lone Woman Murders and the circumstantial evidence is quite strong. Tamar says her father raped her when she was 14, and her . Tamar placed her child for adoption and when Fauna discovered her mother's identity, she worked to find. Short had suffered gruesome mutilation, notably her body being cut in half at the waist, as well as her mouth being cut ear to ear. In 1949, Dr. George Hill Hodel was accused of molesting and having sex with his 14-year-old daughter, Tamar. For anybody who has read about Dr George Hill . Image courtesy of TNT. The second project was an eight-part documentary podcast, entitled Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia,[11] a Cadence13/TNT production using archival audio and interviews with Hodel family members. Hodel obtained a degree in psychiatry and counseled prisoners in the Territorial prison in Hawaii for three years, then moved on to the Philippines, where he started a new family, and appears to have remained until 1990, finally dying in 1999 in San Francisco without charges ever being filed. McCauley, LAPD Internal Affairs Division). Take care, You and your family ? Negro is absolutely offensive and disrespectful when used flippantly, without care for the hurt it causes so many. Did Dr. Hodel molest Tamar? Although Corinna Hodel, the ex-wife of Fauna's grandfather, George, told her that Tamar was dead, Fauna discovered her birth mother is alive and living in Hawaii during the Feb. 18 episode. Hodel had two children, Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro. Born in 1907, the only child of George Hodel, Sr. and Esther Hodel, he was a musical prodigy with an IQ of 187 . Hilarious how afterwards you follow it with black. Even the Doctor who was thought to be Jack the Ripper managed to kill many women and then move to another state continuing to con people out of money as well. They could not allow this to become public so they locked away the DA Secret Hodel Files for fifty-three years, until accidentally discovered by LA Times journalist Steve Lopez, and myself in 2003. His parents, George Hodel Sr. and Esther Hodel, were of Russian Jewish ancestry. [4] Hodel returned to the United States in 1990. This what she told me. Have you ever been in touch with Beth Shorts relatives? Most assuredly, YES. In 1947 just months after murdering Elizabeth Short, George told her to name the doll "Elizabeth." He had no part in the naming. Nevertheless, Id have to dive deep into the sea of evidence youve provided before I could feel more confident. Fauna's story technically begins in 1951, when 16-year-old Tamar Hodel gave birth to a baby girl. After Tamar gave birth to Fauna, her maturity began to appear and she eventually had four additional children, Elizabeth (also known as Fauna II), and three boys, Peace, Love and Joy. Bravo to you and your family. Despite Fauna's light skin and blue eyes, Tamar claimed her father was black. Our father did see Tamar on occasion through the decades when passing through Hawaii enroute to the U.S. She bore, five children. She was abused by her father, dragged publicly in the press for daring to speak up at 16, and then. I particularly remember she had a picture on her bureau and Im reasonably sure it was her father. Hi Joan. My mother was similar and I suspect there was some atleast emotional incest in her past. Hi Steve, was the Franklin house where the black Dahlias murder supposedly occurred ever tested with luminol or searched for any DNA? Fauna grew up believing she was of mixed race, encountering prejudice from both blacks and whites. I hope you have love and kindness in your life ?! Thanks. 2. Depravity and lawlessness exuded from the walls of her home, where her father George . This author suggests your account of your father as The Black Dahlia murderer is nothing more than a series of endless lies. It couldve easily been edited as well. Thanks so much for taking readers on such an intriguing, Byzantine journey, originating with a 1947 gruesome murder in LA. Christina M.G. To manage such an investigation, I suspect youd have to remain as objective as possible. It isnt a reflection of his age or his inability to keep up with the times. 1 podcast ranking" in the United States. She immediately gave her up for adoption. Did he remain a mystery? I dont know if it was ever asked and answered but why did the second daughter change her name to Fauna 2. Much Love, Uncle Steve. He lived overseas several times, primarily between 1950 and 1990 in the Philippines. It is confusing. Have you heard of it? It was re-published in 2019 by Graymalkin Media, including an eight-page photo insert from Hodel's personal collection. The brief accounting I listened to when you appeared on Dr. The Martin letter, reproduced in full in the chapter "Afterword" in Black Dahlia Avenger III,[8] went on to name "GH" on 17 separate occasions identifying him as a personal acquaintance of Martin's as well as of McCauley's, and named him as the killer of both Short and of a second lone woman, Louise Springer, the "Green Twig Murder" victim. I have always wondered how Tamars relationship with your father resumed after the incest trial. 7: Police Surely you would have seen through her lies relating to age and background with george . I just finished this podcast and had to leave a comment to you and your whole family. The reason being that her mother Dorothy Anthony Barbe Hodel was originally from Portland, Oregon and married a symphony conductor from that city. Fauna Hodel's quest to retrace her roots on I Am the Night has become deadly, but she's finally getting close to some answers about her birth mother, Tamar Hodel. By around 1928, Hodel was in a common-law marriage with a woman named Emilia; they had a son, Duncan. Men like that dont change and remain flat earth believers until the end. Bless you and know that what you are doing is reaching more people than you will ever know. Because her father was listed on her birth certificate as an "unknown Negro", Fauna ended up with an African-American family in Reno, Nevada. In 1961, at 17, Phillips followed Hodel to San Francisco, where her friend bought her a fake ID and a black cocktail dress, taking her to clubs to meet comedians like Lenny Bruce and Dick Gregory. Many. After moving to Hawaii, Tamar had three sons: Peace, Love (now a pro surfer), and Joy to the World Hodel. However, authorities at the time interviewed hundreds of suspects and focused seriously on about 25, including Hodel. She never stopped loving him and always hoped that love would be reciprocated by him. I dont know? skh. So many suffer for others wrongdoings. Remember, this case came to me, I didnt go to it.