Traumatic Reenactment - Root of Evil: The True . Unfortunately there are probably many people who were not convicted due to their standing in the community or being able to buy off officials in those days. is there any further movement on the testing of the DNA on the envelope, which your father sealed? Carr whose later position was, I dont know who killed her and Im too busy with other cases to look at Steve Hodels evidence and he then retire.d. Born August 1, 1951, in San Francisco, Hodel was the first child of 16-year-old Tamar Nais Hodel and the granddaughter of Los Angeles doctor and socialite George Hodel. 16-year-old Tamar Nais Hodel was the mother, and Faison was told that the baby's birth father was Black . I felt a similar response in my body when I first learned about your father. However, suspicion of Hodel was not publicly known until decades later. As far as the Black Dahlia investigation is concerned it is way beyond my personal conjecture and theories. But, one has to read the material and see all the linkage. Family dynamics are so complex, and I thought my family was the archetype of dysfunction. Fauna 2 was born Deborah Elizabeth Wilson. One question I cant get out of my mind: Did anyone ever determine who may have been screaming during the police recording? Perhaps Deborah fell by changing her name to Fauna would help her get more love from her mother? 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. He lived overseas several times, primarily between 1950 and 1990 in the Philippines. Much appreciated. 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. Most assuredly, YES. In the 1930s, he was legally married to Dorothy Anthony, a fashion model from San Francisco; they had a daughter, Tamar. Have gone through many and varying reactions through the years. At that time she and no one else had a clue that I was investigating our father for suspected crimes. I, myself, am not using the term Negro Im quoting its use as told to me by Tamar when she described her father listed on her daughter Faunas 1952 birth certificate as Negro. Throughout my writings, I also use the term Negro on the physical descriptions of suspects as described by witnesses from the 1940s and LAPD officers. That happened. Taken as an infant from her teenage mother, Fauna was placed in the care of a working-class black woman, who raised the white child as her own. Wishing you and yours continued health in the very difficult times. As we know, sadly those actions resulted in both men and the Department having serious blood on their hands from the murders that followed in the Sixties. I just have one question.if you were able to speak to your father today, what (if anything) would you say to him? Did she board 1 year at St. Helens Hall in Portland, OR for 7th or 8th grade? read my books. The term simply did not exist in awareness; hence the misogyny, sadism, and nihilism. Two daughters, Fauna and Fauna II (Deborah Elizabeth), and three sons, Peace, Love and Joy. The name of the school St. Helens Hall never came up in any of my conversations with Tamar, but it is certainly possible. The Martin letter made it clear that "GH" was known and protected by law enforcement officers, and that they "let him go." You said that, no, George was not the father, and that that pregnancy was terminated. Born on October 10, 1907, in Los Angeles, California, George Hill Hodel, Jr. was the only son of George Hill Hodel, Sr and Esther Hodel. Even then, I tend to leave room for the story to change, if that makes sense. Fauna did return to the Sowden/Franklin house for an episode on Ghost Adventures, but I believe on false pretext. Get it? Martin's letter claimed that both he and "GH" personally knew Springer and that he believed "GH" had also killed her. Thanks for the kind words. As indicated in my followup books, Buster a cadaver dog alert to numerous locations for human remains. were there any reports from Surrealists at the time? Released from juvenile detention to her mother's house, she got pregnant again after a boy in the neighborhood raped her. In the recent years, he has also been linked to the murders committed by the 'Lipstick Killer' and the 'Zodiac Killer'. [4] In February 2019, it was announced that Gentile and Pecoraro were producing a podcast, Root of Evil, which delves further into the book, the miniseries adaptation, and their family history. I am too busy working on active cases." She gave birth to Fauna in 1951 when she was 16 years old, but immediately gave her up for adoption. I cant imagine the shock you have gone through when you found your first proofs. Do you happened to know a relative by the name Starr Hodel? Dr. George Hodel is an infamous gynecologist involved in the darkest Hollywood debauchery. 5: Surgeon 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. Mr. Hodel, if Fauna past away in 2017 from cancer, how could she write you asking for a correction regarding her middle name in May 2019? To be continued. I hope many are encouraged by you who have also lived twilight zone lives no fault of their own. Much appreciated. Ill admit, the expression sets my teeth on edge, as it seems I only ever hear it when some jackass is making a belittling comment to someone, attempting to make the person feel they are other than what is acceptable. (1921-1969). Tamar watches her father hold a party no child should witness, a full-on Satanic looking sex orgy with George Hodel front and center wearing what looks like an animal skull. Involuntarily worldly. She took George to trial in 1949 under the accusations that he had raped . Fauna II's full name is Deborah Elizabeth and she was 18 at the time. 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. . Hodel, the younger's investigation presents four (4) potential crimes committed in the 1920s and nineteen (19) crimes believed committed in the 1930s. Oh, you people, you people. Nevertheless, Id have to dive deep into the sea of evidence youve provided before I could feel more confident. Born August 1, 1951, in San Francisco, Hodel was the first child of 16-year-old Tamar Nais Hodel and the granddaughter of Los Angeles doctor and socialite George Hodel. 7: Police Both series surmise that Fauna might be both the granddaughter and the daughter of Hodel, though there is no evidence as to who her real father is. ), https://stevehodel.com/2019/05/31/the-hollywood-reporter-perpetuating-the-myth-tnt-executives-continue-to-remain-silent-on-the-fact-they-obtained-dna-analysis-proving-george-hodel-is-not-biological-father-of-fauna-hodel/. According to George, A sexual relationship between a father and a daughter is normal. Yes, the surrealists of that day, specifically, Man Ray, Duchamp and William Copley KNEW at least after the fact, and acknowledged it in their later artworks. If not George, who was the father of that baby? But, no relationship and he went out of his way to avoid any contact with Tamar. His parents, George Hodel Sr. and Esther Hodel, were of Russian Jewish ancestry. This started up again when she married my father Stan Wilson. The son makes a clear disclaimer that "none of the presented crimes contain proof beyond a reasonable doubt and without hard physical evidence such as DNA linkage are not solvable." Suzi F: No, not really. They can't talk to my secretary anymore because she's dead. Thanks for your thoughtful response Steve. Cheers. She was eighty years old. But murder is just part of the Hodel family story, one filled with horrifying secrets that ripple across . Have you ever been in touch with Beth Shorts relatives? The show is adapted from Fauna's real memoir, One Day She'll Darken, in which she discussed her half-siblings. Fauna Hodel. Next? Thank you for the kind words and well wishes to me and my readers. I also wish our police personal were honored more for all that they do to keep us safe. In any case, I just wanted to put that out there. In fact, George's own daughter, fifteen-year-old Tamar Hodel claimed that she was one of his sexual partners. 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. If George Hodel did in fact commit these additional "early years crimes" then it would make him one of the nation's most prolific serial killers. Im amazed at your perseverance, working tirelessly to uncover the terrible crimes of your late father. My mother was similar and I suspect there was some atleast emotional incest in her past. She never stopped loving him and always hoped that love would be reciprocated by him. The thought has crossed my mind that this is Hustons nod to GHH or at least an indication that he was aware of some of the dark dealings of noir age Hollywood. He died in 1999, at the age of 91. [1] Told she was multiracial, Fauna was raised by Jimmie Lee Greenwade (later Faison)[2] and given the name "Patricia Ann Greenwade". Sometimes you have to heal the best way you know how and your feelings are very valid. Their term, not mine. I dont know if it was ever asked and answered but why did the second daughter change her name to Fauna 2. He was planning his own book naming a Dr. Walter Bayley as the killer and has been promising his readers to publish the proofs for the past twenty-four years. 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 ,". So, for the past twelve or so years, I have chosen just to ignore his rantings. Their aunt, Fauna II, also contributed to the first episode of Root of Evil, and they indicated that their uncles will share their stories on the podcast in the future as well. thanks, 3: Media Television/Radio Again, thanks to you and my many readers for your ongoing confidence and support. Sincerely, She said he smiled at her and said, Why dont you name her Elizabeth. During the telling of that story, she laughed and went on to say that seven years later she would name her own daughter, Deborah Elizabeth. In late 1949, Hodel's teenage daughter Tamar accused him of incestuous sexual abuse and impregnating her. Scenes for the series were shot on location at Dr. Hodel's 1945-50 residence, the historic Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.-built John Sowden House at 5121 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, California. But murder is just part of the Hodel family story, one filled with horrifying secrets that ripple across generations. skh. But life is more complex She felt she was tricked into telling. Omg that woman ,Why be offended by something and tell someone off for quoting something someone else in the context of the story has said then go and use that word amongst others themselves their hypocrisy knows no bounds No-one would believe anything bad someone says about you Steve your record speaks for itself , I personally wouldnt put it past that person whos dissed you publicly on their website for 18 + years like LH to pose as a woman S or L on your site to troll you for kicks or attention ( ironic and twisted if true considering GH used to do something similar to people of his former profession as Zodiac ). YES. Thank you Steve for your drive to reveal this sad truth. I cant begin to imagine the complexity of emotions ranging from love to hate for a man that gave you life. Image courtesy of TNT. Cath B: Tamar placed her child for adoption and when Fauna discovered her mother's identity, she worked to find. The Root of Evil producer Zak Levitt was able to obtain DNA analysis and a review of the results by one of the world's leading experts, which positively eliminated Dr. George Hodel as the biological father of Fauna Hodel. In the summer of 1949, the 14-year-old moved into the Franklin Avenue house. George Hodel was a notorious Los Angeles doctor whose sexual proclivities and surgical knowledge have led many to believe that he killed Elizabeth Short. Hello, Mr Hodel. Im sure it wasnt easy for you to figure out what your father was.. Soil samples confirmed his findings. He teamed up with LAPD detective Brian Carr (now long retired) and together they did a few TV shows and Det. Hilarious how afterwards you follow it with black. The famed. The affair between Hodel and the woman caused her marriage to fall apart.[4]. Shock, anger, hatred, and now just a terrible feeling of sadness for his undeniable psychopathy and the recognition he was in truth a real life Jekyll and Hyde. It seems that Tamar's teen angst was too much for her mother . Best, Steve. Despite Fauna's light skin and blue eyes, Tamar claimed her father was black. Tamar Hodel was one of six childrenby three different womenof the most pathologically decadent man in Los Angeles: Dr. George Hodel, the city's venereal-disease czar and a fixture in its. I only know what she told me. He was a musical prodigy as a child and performed as a solo pianist in several concerts at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The brief accounting I listened to when you appeared on Dr. Share this: Twitter Facebook Email Print Reddit Tumblr Loading. The other part of me hates the stronger monster inside him, the evil Mr. These photographs, taken at the Hodel home, picture Kelvin, Michael and Steven Hodel. 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. Teresa J: ET. I never visited Ireland, but would love to see it someday. Tamar's Real Story In 1949, two years before Fauna was born, 14-year-old Tamar visited her father, Dr. George Hodel, at his home in Hollywood. SKH Note: Faunas autobiography would not be written until 2008, some five years after the publication of my book, Black Dahlia Avenger and some four years after Tamar wrote and sent me the below account of the facts, to be told in The Tamar Chronicles. Tamar NOT GEORGE named her second daughter Deborah Elizabeth. Oh please spare me with the, you people comment. I have followed this entire story through my childhood into adulthood and it amazes me how strong and telling you are. 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 is the daughter of Dr. George Hodel, a major suspect in the horrific torture/murder of Elizabeth Short {"Black Dahlia"}. Thank you. Its generally meant to group people together often based on stereotypes and ignorance, to other. Christina M.G. Im well aware of what century this is. She immediately gave her up for adoption. Speechless. Tamar says her father raped her when she was 14, and her . Tamar responded with a photo of herself with her four other children, whom she had after giving Fauna up for adoption daughter Elizabeth (who was also called Fauna II) and sons Peace, Love,. Hodel purchased the Sowden House in 1945 and lived there from 1945 until 1950. Because her father was listed on her birth certificate as an "unknown Negro", Fauna ended up with an African-American family in Reno, Nevada. That is when he drugged her and took the naked photographs in the hotel room. As to your questions: Again, there's not too much information out there, but at the time. The six-episode series is loosely based on Hodel's 2008 memoir "One Day She'll Darken." Her daughters, Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro, continued the project and together, have been working. Born on October 10, 1907, George Hill Hodel Jr. was raised in Los Angeles, California by his parents, George Sr. and Esther Hodel, who were of Russian Jewish ancestry. [3] She spent her formative years not knowing her name or biological parentage.[4][1]. Tamar Hodel Another person pulled from real life, Tamar had an immensely troubled childhood. He was a copyeditor of the LA Times who had dreams of solving the Black Dahlia Murder with Fauna was born to a 16-year-old, Tamar Hodel, in 1951. He called her "Dorero" to avoid confusion with his other wife, Dorothy Anthony, at least within their circle,[2] but she is better known as Dorothy Huston-Hodel. Hodel came to police attention as a suspect in the Elizabeth Short murder in 1949 after the sexual abuse trial. Copyright 2023 Steve Hodel. [2] The full details of the investigation came to light only in 2003, when a "George HodelBlack Dahlia File" was discovered in archives at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. As far as the hosts of Root of Evil, I had never actually met my great niece Rasha prior to our appearance on the Dr. Phil Show a few months back and had only met her sister, Yvette on two brief occasions, with her mother Fauna, more than a decade past. Fauna's story technically begins in 1951, when 16-year-old Tamar Hodel gave birth to a baby girl. 2. 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. However, Fauna never knew her grandfather, as her mother, Tamar Hodel, gave her up for adoption in 1951, four years after the Black Dahlia's murder, when Tamar was only 16. Many believe Dr. George Hodel was the killer, thanks to an investigation by Hodel's own son. This author suggests your account of your father as The Black Dahlia murderer is nothing more than a series of endless lies. Tamar Hodel, who was mad at her father because he wouldn't allow her to get an abortion. numerous years have passed why do you think there is such resistance from LAPD when files were found in the DA vault? You are a rare person to rise above a nightmare environment and land grounded. 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? So sick. You may not have realized he was using such language only in quoting another person. . 8: Clergy And I just got a chill upon reading that he told her to name her doll Elizabeth. The viewing/listening/reading public needs to know what is FACT and what is FICTION. From where her handbag was found (Griffith Park) and Elisabeth Short was found (Leimert Park). 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. "Everything in the book is true . From there, authorities found evidence that led them to believe that Dr. Hodel was also a . One of these stories was as I have related in BDA, telling me of her going to our father at age 12 and asking him to help her name her the Black haired doll she had just received from her mother for her 12th birthday in late March of that year. Tamar Hodel was Fauna Hodel 's mother. . That true version of her life was dramatic enough in and of itself without going along with the storyline of the miniseries. The DA tapes recorded him saying:[2][4]. It is confusing. Yes, Im well aware of Mr. Harnischs derogatory comments over the past two decades. In July 2018, Sandi Nichols of Indianapolis, Indiana, while going through her recently deceased mother's personal effects, discovered a "Dying Declaration Letter" written by her grandfather, W. Glenn Martin, dated October 26, 1949. Hi Patti. Plot. 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. [2] Hodel's medical degree also aroused suspicion, given the hypothesis that whoever bisected Short's body had some degree of surgical skill. Thanks for the kind words. I Do not know if youre religous but it seems there had to be something outside yourself guiding you to keep digging. 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. When did Tamar die? Fauna's strange story of Fauna Hodel starts in Reno, Nevada, when a woman offered Jimmie Lee Faison a child in the bathroom of a casino. 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. Before and after the trial. 4: Salesperson (oh crap thats me) Fauna with her two daughters Rasha, left and Yvette right. Wow! Cath. 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. Its a shame because it seemed she cared so much about GHH victims. Wish you a healthy new year. Written by Sheila Weller. I hope Tamar Hodel, Fauna's birth mother, gets to write her own book. I feel a lot of truths we were once denied shall no longer have the veil of silence they once possessed. Tamar is the mother of the five grandchildren of George Hodel interviewed in Root of Evil. See also The Huston Letters chapter in BDA II that documents correspondences between my mother and John during and after the incest arrest. Id just like to say, I hope this finds you and finds you in good health ? It couldve easily been edited as well. Were doing okay I wish yours had acted sooner.. ( my sister and her family ), Olivia P: Interesting, compelling, and disturbing. Tamar, was very clear with everyone that she only had sexual relations with her father that one time, in July 1949. Martin's instructions were that his letter was to be opened only in case of harm coming to either of his daughters. The podcast includes many of the actual investigative findings and linkage of Dr. George Hodel to the Black Dahlia murder, establishing that according to secret police records he, in fact, knew and had dated the victim in the 1940s. No, LAPD nor any other LE agency has never done any testing. Carr added that if he ever took a case as weak as Steve Hodel's to a prosecutor he would be "laughed out of the office". (That pregnancy was aborted in 1949.). With Chris Pine, India Eisley, Jefferson Mays, Leland Orser. But thanks to Tamar's surviving children and grandchildren, Fauna's incredible life story is being told and this family has managed to stay bonded through it all. 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. So, stay tuned. What were all the factors in his childhood that came together to create such a hatred of women and Humanity? She desperately wanted to be loved. All five of Tamar's children had different fathers, Gentile explained. I was speechless listening to the part about your discovery of the receipts for the concrete and fertilizer. George Hill Hodel Jr. (October 10, 1907 May 17, 1999) was an American physician and suspect in the murder of Elizabeth Short, a.k.a. Also, how did he explain the homage to Elizabeth Short? Assume you are referring to the below paragraph. Negro is absolutely offensive and disrespectful when used flippantly, without care for the hurt it causes so many. His Hollywood residence was electronically bugged by an 18-man DA/LAPD task force between February 15 and March 27, 1950. Statements by Tamar Hodel verify George Hodel's relationship to the artist in 1947, 1948, and 1949. Tamar's mother, Dorothy, gave the baby Fauna to Jimmie Lee, a black maid in a Nevada casino. I had the idea that George was her father. 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). Death: March 08, 1982 (75) Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, CA, United States. I knew that wasnt the book that I had read (One Day Shell Darken), and now finding out there was also fictionalized material in the book is so disheartening. Geraldine M or Martha J: Faison was told that a mixed race baby was being born and the mother was too young to keep it. 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. Sadly, that cannot change. However, after Tamar kindly accommodated him, Amnon dismissed everyone except her ( 2 Samuel 13:9 ). I particularly remember she had a picture on her bureau and Im reasonably sure it was her father. Its an extremely dark and disturbing movie thats actually banned in the US, and simply watching the preview (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ddwrbcMmzlc) or reading the synopsis on Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Serbian_Film) is enough to send shivers down my spine. Then I read the word negro, and now Im done. Hodel left the United States in March 1950 for Hawaii, then a U.S. territory, where he married an upper-class Filipino woman, Hortensia Laguda. Born in 1907, the only child of George Hodel, Sr. and Esther Hodel, he was a musical prodigy with an IQ of 187 . No movement on DNA testing by LAPD. (Her father was folksinger, Stan Wilson.). Fauna Hodels 1951 Birth Certificate: Tamar in her own words bda III all seven pages. No, not easty for sure. I just listened to the podcast. My Irish roots are on my maternal grandfathers side. At least eight witnesses claimed first-hand knowledge of a 1946 relationship between Short and Hodel, then back in Los Angeles from China. In my opinion, Fauna chose to let people believe that maybe George was her father for dramatic effect. Same reason she totally invented three fictional letters supposedly written by my mother and sent to her mother which she included in her biography, Some Day Shell Darken. When I queried her after the book was published in 2008 about the invented letters, her response was, Well sometimes a writer has to take creative license for dramatic effect. That was the last time I ever spoke with my niece, Fauna Hodel. When you first realized that, how did you feel? Less impressed was active Detective Brian Carr, the LAPD officer then in charge of the Black Dahlia case which was still officially open. Just put in a keyword or two. Jay Singletary (Chris Pine) and Fauna Hodel (India Eisley) are on the hunt for Tamar Hodel in "Aloha". One of Dr Hodel's daughters, Tamar, recalled her father hosting elaborate parties at their Los Angeles home, with guests including Man Ray as well as the doctor's movie star friends and clients. Unfortunately for us, Tamars autobiographies were never completed. P.S To any who may read this God bless you and your families and the wonderful people who serve us through this crisis !