418: The Black Dahlia & the Prairie Heiress Murders: One Killer? w/ Eli Frankel

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Erik Rivenes

True Crime, History, Education

4.7 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD—all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman’s life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family’s status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila’s butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing the marks of unspeakable trauma. One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets. My guest is Emmy-nominated producer Eli Frankel. He has spent years researching the Black Dahlia case and makes a very convincing argument for his suspect in his recently published book, "SISTERS IN DEATH: The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress & Their Hunter". The Sisters In Death website: https://www.sistersindeath.com/ The author's personal website: https://www.elibfrankel.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A world on fire, nations collapsing, ideologies clashing, and ordinary men and women caught in the storm.
0:09.3	Hi, I'm Ray Harris Jr. of the History of World War II podcast, and we'll cover the battles that shaped the war, from the deserts of North Africa to the frozen forests of the Ardennes.
0:19.9	Because history isn't just names and dates.
0:23.4	It's people, choices, and consequences at World War II podcast.net.
0:31.8	Hi there, it's Leo Lipport.
0:33.5	Every week on our tech news rant table, this week in tech, I bring together some of the smartest journalists and tech experts to make sense of the stories that actually matter to you.
0:42.4	We cut through the noise, have real conversations, and give you a clear look at the trends shaping the future.
0:48.2	It's smart, it's fun, it's a show I love doing the most.
0:51.5	You can download and subscribe at twit.tv slash twit.
0:57.9	If you care about your digital safety, you should know what's happening behind the headlines.
1:02.5	Hi, it's Leo Leport here. And each week on Security Now, Steve Gibson and I explain what's happening
1:07.9	in the world of digital security threats reaches clever hacks
1:12.1	and the policies that affect all of us we take the complex and make it understandable if you
1:17.9	want to stay safe and informed this is your show every tuesday at twit dot tv slash s n welcome everyone to another episode of the Most Notorious podcast.
1:31.1	I'm Eric Rivenis.
1:32.8	A quick note before we begin,
1:35.3	this episode contains very disturbing and graphic details
1:39.1	of two extremely brutal murders.
1:43.4	Please do not listen if this may upset you.
1:47.3	Listener discretion is advised.
1:50.6	Music Well, I am so pleased to have Eli Frankl on the show with me.
2:19.1	He is a man of many talents, an Emmy-nominated executive producer, network executive, showrunner, editor, camera operator, writer, and director of multiple series for broadcast television, cable television, and streaming networks,
	...

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