Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Charles Manson, and David Berkowitz are household names as serial killers made famous by their horrific crimes, extensive news coverage, and true-crime books, movies, TV series, and podcasts. But what other brutal crimes do we often see in the “true crime” sections of bookstores, streaming platforms, and magazines? Here’s a look at some other cases that shaped the genre we are all so fascinated by and which we followed to the bitter end.
The Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Ann Short was born in July 1924 and moved to Los Angeles to become an actress in 1946. Unfortunately, on the morning of 15 January 1947, her pale, mutilated corpse was found by Betty Bersinger in an empty lot on Norton Avenue. At the time, newspapers had nicknamed particularly vicious crimes, so Elizabeth Short became known as “The Black Dahlia” due to her dark hair and clothing. Short’s body had been split in half at the waist, her internal organs removed, and her body drained of blood. Her face was also mutilated, having been cut across her mouth from ear to ear in a macabre smile. Despite the severe mutilation, there was no blood at the scene, suggesting that she had been killed somewhere else and placed in the park. The autopsy revealed that the 22-year-old had been bound and tortured before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage and shock.
Identified by Her Fingerprints
Due to the severity of her wounds, Elizabeth had to be identified by her fingerprints, marking the beginning of a months-long investigation that resulted in a handful of suspects, but no one was ever charged. Police believed that her killer was likely to have medical training, given the surgical precision of her wounds. Suspects included Dr. George Hodel, a gynecologist and Elizabeth’s rumored boyfriend, and Mark Hansen, a nightclub owner linked to Short before her death. Police also received many confessions and even an envelope containing Elizabeth’s belongings (her birth certificate, business cards, photographs, and an address book) with a message stating, “Here are Dahlia’s belongings.” Now, 78 years later, the case has yet to be solved but has inspired many books, films, and podcasts.
Gary Gilmore
Having spent half his life incarcerated, Gary Gilmore only led a ‘free’ life for two months before being arrested for the murders of two men. Gilmore spent his teens in a reform school after committing a series of petty crimes, such as auto theft. As an adult, he continued to spend time in prison as his criminality got more and more serious, eventually spending more time in prison than out of it. He was released from prison in 1972 on conditional release but was sentenced to a further nine years after committing robbery. In 1976, he was again released conditionally and lived with a cousin in Provo, Utah.
Returning to Old Ways
Finding it hard to adjust to life outside of prison, he soon returned to his old ways, robbing a gas station attendant named Max Jensen at gunpoint in July 1976. Gilmore killed Jensen despite his compliance during the robbery, shooting him twice in the head. The next day, he robbed and killed a motel manager, Ben Bushnell, in the same way as Jensen. However, Gilmore sustained an injury during the robbery (he accidentally shot his hand), and this led to his capture by police when a mechanic working on his car noticed his injury and reported him. His cousin also reported him when he asked for help with the wound.
Charged
Gilmore was charged with the Bushnell’s murder only due to a lack of evidence in the Jensen case, despite admitting to both murders. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in October 1976 and sentenced to death. He was given a choice in the method of execution and chose to be shot by firing squad, which was scheduled for November 1976. His lawyers, as well as other civil rights unions, tried to appeal his case, but he was determined to accept his fate. So much so that while legal proceedings delayed his execution, he attempted suicide and went on a hunger strike in protest. Gilmore got his wish and was executed in January 1977 in the Utah State Prison. As the first man to be executed in 10 years after the reinstated death penalty, Gilmore’s story has received much attention and was the basis for Norman Mailer’s book “The Executioner’s Song”. The book was then adapted into a movie starring Tommy Lee Jones in 1982.
The Innocent Man
In 2006, author John Grisham, known for his legal thrillers, wrote a book called “The Innocent Man”. In it, he told the story of a baseball player who returned to his small-town home after sustaining an injury and his subsequent decline in mental health. But when a local waitress is raped and murdered, police can’t seem to find the killer until they come knocking on his door. “The Innocent Man” tells Ron Williamson’s story and has been made into a major Netflix TV series of the same name.
Ron Williamson
Ron Williamson was born in Ada, Oklahoma, and was picked for the 1971 baseball amateur draft. However, he injured his shoulder after a few years and returned home. On his return, Williamson is said to have struggled with his mental health but was otherwise a well-known figure in the small town. But things were about to get much harder for Williamson. In December 1982, the body of Debbie Sue Carter was found in her home. She had been raped and murdered and left with a message written on her back in ketchup. Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz were regulars at the restaurant where Carter worked, and she had allegedly complained that the pair “made her nervous”. However, neither Williamson nor Fritz was charged until five years after her death.
Faulty Fingerprints
The arrest was delayed because of faulty fingerprint analysis, and Carter’s body had to be exhumed to proceed. As part of their case, police stated that Williamson had said he had dreamt of hurting Carter, and this was seen as a confession. Additionally, a fellow inmate reported that Fritz had confessed to the murder, and another informant said that Williamson had threatened to hurt them as he had Carter. Police also had forensic evidence – 17 hairs were found at the scene and matched to Williamson and Fritz despite an invalid forensic science practice. Additionally, semen found at the crime scene was determined to be that of a “non-secretor” perpetrator, and both Williamson and Fritz were found to be “non-secretors.”
Found Guilty
Williamson and Fritz were found guilty and sentenced to death and life in prison, respectively. However, due to the work of the Innocence Project, both men were found innocent of the crime when further DNA analysis confirmed that neither man was a match for the hair and semen found at the scene. Instead, the DNA analysis revealed that the state’s main witness, Glenn Gore, was a match to the evidence found. Williamson and Fritz were exonerated in April 1999, having spent 11 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. The case has been documented in John Grisham’s book and a Netflix documentary series.
Sources
A Brief History of The Black Dahlia
Who Killed the Black Dahlia? Revisiting Elizabeth Short’s Unsolved Murder 78 Years Ago Today — and Why a Retired Detective Believes His Father Committed the Crime
Gary Gilmore
Here’s the Story Behind Netflix’s New True Crime Series The Innocent Man
Ron Williamson
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
