Podcast Categories: News & Politics

April 21, 2010 Pepperdine University School of Law

Steve Hodel was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He served four years as a medic in the U.S. Navy, and then joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1963. After six years in uniform patrol, he transferred to Hollywood Division Detectives where he worked all of the “tables”: Burglary, Robbery, Auto-Theft, Juvenile, Crimes against Persons and was then permanently assigned to the Homicide Detail. During his career at Hollywood Homicide, Steve promoted to Detective II and in 1983 was the senior field homicide detective.

During his years of service he received more than 75 commendations and handled over 300 separate murder investigations and had one of the departments highest “solve rates. “ Steve promoted to Detective III (the highest attainable rank in detectives) and retired from LAPD in 1986.

Steve’s first book, Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder published in 2003 with new updated investigative chapters added to the HarperCollins paperback edition in 2004 and 2006. Black Dahlia Avenger is a New York Times Bestseller, a NYT Most Notable Book and was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category.

Steve spoke to a packed house of over 75 students and faculty about his investigation into the Black Dahlia murders and presented evidence as to why he’s convinced his father was the notorious “Black Dahlia Avenger.” Also attending the talk was attorney and Pepperdine alum,  Anthony Salerno of Salerno & Associates, one of L.A.’s top criminal defense lawyers with a practice in Century City.

Two mothers, Denise Govendir and Eva Webel, both murdered in their homes 15 years apart. Both crimes appeared to be robberies gone wrong. Both cases remain unsolved. Now a Sunday Telegraph* investigation by Yoni Bashan and Claire Harvey has found the links and coincidences between the bashing deaths go even deeper. The women lived a short walk from each other, were both trying to finalise a divorce and in the quiet, peaceful suburb of Dover Heights they are the only murders ever to occur there . Even more strangely Denise and Eva’s husbands had been friends for almost 13 years – and one provided the other with an alibi on the day his wife was murdered.

* The Alibi podcast series was first published by The Sunday Telegraph in July 2015.

Ring of Fire is a podcast hosted by Farron Cousins that began as a radio show in 2004 by Mike Papantonio. The show focuses on exposing corporate fat cats, polluters and media spinmeisters.

Members get bonus content commercial free! [Become a Member today!](/ringoffire/join)

Your one-stop shop for the End Of Everything™

Radio shows about the Paranormal. Listen to real ghost stories,
paranormal experts, celebrities and listeners like you call into the Live show

Explore the issues, people, and places involved in some of the most significant Supreme Court cases. This twelve episode series was produced in conjunction with the National Constitution Center.