DADAISM … based on the principles of deliberate irrationality, anarchy, and cynicism and the rejection of laws of beauty and social organization…

Randomness was a key element to all things DADA.

Dada Chance-Randomness- See clip Tristan Tsara: To Make A Dadaist Poem

In my opinion, George Hodel, as a practicing Dadaist and serial killer, was compelled to incorporate “chance and randomness” into his crimes. Though premeditated and well organized, I believe that in many cases the victim was chosen completely at random – BY CHANCE. 

To Make A Dadaist Murder

Chicago, Illinois June 5, 1945

You live and kill in L.A.  On a summer day at the close of WW II you decide you need a change of pace.  You travel East, to conduct a little business in New York. But, all work and no play makes George a dull boy, so you make a stop-over in the hub-city to attend your good friend and family photographer, Man Ray’s artwork, currently on display at the Chicago Art Institute.

Perfect timing. You can take in the show, see your fellow Dadaist’s as well as that of forty of his fellow modernists, all on display at the same gallery.  You arrive chic-late, view the exhibit and share some good wine, crackers, cheese and a little conversation with fellow devotees, impressing all with your erudite knowledge of the art world and all things- surreal.

Inspired from viewing your fellow Dadaists creativity, and with a few hours to kill remaining in the Windy City, before continuing east, you decide to top off your short stay by committing a random murder. A totally unexpected- hit and run. Could anything be more DADA? 

Josephine Ross  “Chicago Bathtub Murder,” – June 5, 1945

On the morning of June 5, 1945, the victim, a 41-year-old divorcee, was accosted inside her residence apartment. Her assailant brutally beat her about the face and head with a blunt object and then slashed her jugular vein with a sharp knife. He then placed the body in the bathtub, and used a douche bag to wash it clean, and after toweling it dry carried it to the bed. He tied a woman’s silk stocking tightly around her neck and then “doctored to her” by carefully placing some 3″x1/4″ strips of white surgical tape over her facial lacerations. As a final act of posing he covered her head with a red skirt before leaving. A suspect seen exiting the apartment just before the body was discovered fit the description of Dr. George Hill Hodel.  

Because of the close similarity in “M.O.” to the Hollywood Bathtub Murder of victim, Georgette Bauerdorf, which occurred eight-months prior (Oct. 11, 1944) LA Sheriff’s homicide detectives actively investigated the Chicago Ross murder as possibly being connected. They requested fingerprint comparisons and exchanged info with Chicago P.D. (The 1944, Georgette Bauerdorf murder, which occurred just three miles from my father’s, newly purchased Franklin House residence is extensively documented in BDA, where I make the case that it was most probably committed by George Hodel.)

Man Ray travels from Hollywood for opening of Chicago Exhibition in May, 1945

Man Ray’s artwork was on exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute at the time of the Ross Murder. The exhibit opened in late April and ran through early July, 1945. The show featured 41 prominent artists, most of them from Europe. A May 5, 1945 article from the Chicago Tribune prominently featured references to Man Ray’s attendance and participation at the show, calling him, ”the first American Dadaist.” 

Man Ray, at the time of the exhibit was good friends with George and Dorothy Hodel and was living in Hollywood. In 1944-45 as our family photographer, he had taken a number of carefully posed photographs of Dorothy. Some alone and some with his then fiancee and soon to be wife, Juliet Browner. 

 In addition to Man Ray, the Chicago exhibit displayed works by many noted artists including: Herbert Bayer, Fernand Leger, Henry Moore, Miguel Covarrubias and many others. (SKH Note- Miguel Covarrubias had become good friends with John and Dorothy Huston during the few years they lived in NY. Covarrubias had illustrated all of the drawings for Huston’s book, Frankie and Johnny, published in 1929 and dedicated to my mother, who was married to John and that time. (Their marriage lasted seven years, from 1926-1933) 

See an interesting article written by Michael Guillen,  John Huston & Miguel Covarrubias: A Friendship: here.

Was Chicago’s Josephine Ross bathtub murder a repetition of George Hodel’s Hollywood Bauerdorf bathtub murder? Was it and the two Chicago “Lipstick Murders” to follow, (Frances Brown in  December, 1945 and  Suzanne Degnan, January 1946) also precursors to his most famous surreal masterpiece – 1947 Black Dahlia Murder- Murder As a Fine Art? 

Why I Give: Steve Hodel Retired Homicide Detective, Los Angeles Police Department Los Angeles, CA During more than two decades as a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, I personally conducted over 300 murder investigations. After retiring, I became a licensed private investigator and criminal defense investigator. I have seen firsthand that our criminal justice system works most of the time — but not always. Wrongful prosecutions occur. Innocent people are convicted. Once an individual is arrested and logged into the system, a lot can go wrong. An overzealous detective or prosecutor confronted with public pressure will often pursue a weak or borderline case when cooler heads should prevail and the case be continued for further investigation. If a criminal complaint is formally charged, there is rarely any turning back. Professional reputations are on the line, and in the more serious cases of rape, armed robbery and murder — politics get in the way. That is why I support the Innocence Project. They have become the court of last resort. Thanks to the Innocence Project’s tireless efforts, more convictions are overturned each year and more actual innocents go free. Many of these individuals have been imprisoned for decades, some of them on death row for crimes they did not commit. I urge you to join me in supporting the Innocence Project’s cause — which is simply to ensure due process and prevent wrongful convictions.

Criminalists with the state Justice Department who matched the suspect’s DNA to his son are, from left, Linton VonBeroldingen, Steven Myers, Jim Wiegand, Gary Sims, Matt Piucci, Ken Konzak and Bureau Chief Jill Spriggs at the DNA lab in Richmond. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

  LAPD CRIME LAB DIRECTOR, GREG MATHESON PRAISES DOJ CRIMINALISTS:

(Excerpt from L.A. Times):

“They made sure there was no ‘t’ that wasn’t crossed and no ‘i’ that wasn’t dotted,” said LAPD laboratory director Greg Matheson, who attended the meeting. “But we were obviously excited about this being their first hit, and it was a very good one.”

The familial search cost the state $40,000, with much of the work done on overtime, Spriggs said. She said she and other scientists never doubted they could nab a criminal suspect this way, and that statistically they were due for a breakthrough.

SEE FULL ARTICLE below:

LA Times article, “In Grim Sleeper case, a new tack in DNA searching.”

Speaking as a veteran LAPD homicide detective, I am extremely proud of how well the LAPD and DOJ “teamed up” to accomplish the arrest of “Grim Sleeper” suspect, Lonnie David Franklin Jr.

It was professional and perfectly coordinated.  I believe the “Grim Sleeper” investigation will prove to be the “Poster-Boy” for the use of familial DNA searches and that it will bring a sea-change across the nation eventually seeing the procedure adopted by all state and federal law enforcement.

Cetainly, legitimate rights to privacy issues will be raised and must be strictly adhered to and respected. But, the immense potential for this procedure becoming a major crime-fighting tool is UNLIMITED. If used correctly, familial DNA testing can and will take a whole bunch of bad guys off the streets.

  Los Angeles Times Chart 

USING RELATIVE’S DNA TO FIND A SUSPECT

I really know very little about my cousin, Marion Hodel. Perhaps that is why to this day, he remains in my mind, as a bit of a mystery.  A shadowy family figure.

I only met Marion on perhaps three or four occasions, and each time was while I was “playing” and he was working.  Cousin Marion was the Paymaster at all three of the Southern California racetracks, which included: Del Mar, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita. 

In “the old days” some of our investigations at Hollywood Homicide required we drive out to the local race tracks (on duty naturally) to check out “the usual suspects.”  These would be either Hollywood Park or Santa Anita. While we were “working” we naturally wanted to blend in with the masses, so, naturally we’d have to have a few drinks and make a few bets.  On occasion, I’d go to the paymaster’s office, shake hands with my cousin, and pick up box seats for the day. Marion was always friendly and cheerful, but we never really “talked.” Oddly, we never met off track. No family visits or conversations. (Knowing what I know now, WISH I HAD.)

The below 1971 article profiling cousin Marion establishes he was Paymaster at the three race tracks, since 1952.

Imagine being ”The Paymaster” to all three So. Cal racetracks in 1952. Talk about potential connections to the rich and infamous. Shaking hands with J. Edgar Hoover and Bugsy Siegel back to back. (Both men is is reported, absolutely loved the “Sport of Kings.”)

Here is a brief summary on the little I do know about Marion Hodel:  

Marion was born in Los Angeles, circa 1911.  He was the son of my great aunt Ida and uncle, Walter Hodel. Walter was my grandfather’s brother and also came to Los Angeles at the turn of the century from Odessa, Russia. (I met my great uncle, Walter Hodel only once, in April 1970, about seven years before his death. He died at the advanced age of 95, in Santa Barbara, California.) The picture below, taken on that 1970 visit, shows great uncle Walter standing next to but, not exactly towering over, my 63 VW “Bug”:

Walter Hodel, father of Marion Hodel photo taken in 1970 -age 89. He died six-years later at age 95.

In checking data bases I came across an interesting document.  It shows that Marion Hodel in 1946 was living at the Franklin House with his Uncle (George Hodel Sr.) This was likely during my father’s absence overseas in China as an UNRRA officer. (Feb-September 1946) There is no available info as to whether Marion remained after his Uncle’s return in September, 1946?

Here’s a short interview with Paymaster Marion in the L.A.Times , November, 1976 by Staff Writer, Bion Abbott:

Marion Hodel LAT 1976.pdf 

I only have one anecdote regarding cousin Marion. 

Sometime in the late 1970s, I was flying from LA to New York on an extradition. I was going to return a suspect arrested on a murder warrant out of Hollywood. 

In those days, due to the fact that we were always armed, and “skyjacking” was much more in vogue, the airlines required police officers to pre-register and provide our name and seat number.

Shortly after takeoff, the stewardess approached me and asked, “Excuse me, detective, but the captain wants to know if you are any relation to Marion Hodel?”  I told her, I was, and that “Marion is my cousin.”  A few minutes later the captain came back and greeted me. Shaking my hand, he informed me that he was, “a good friend and business partner with Marion.” Turns out they “together owned a race-horse.”  (Should have got the name. If not the man, then at least the horse.)

Not sure when Marion died, but records show possibly in 1981, but that is unconfirmed.

Be happy to hear from anyone who knew or was a friend to my cousin Marion Hodel. Obviously my information is very limited.