June 4, 2017
Los Angeles, California
George Hodel, immediately after his October 6, 1949 arrest for Incest and Child Molestation retained nationally renowned criminal defense attorneys Jerry “Get Me” Giesler and his partner, Robert Neeb to represent him. GHH secured their services by signing over his Sowden House as a $10,000 retainer. ($102,000 in today’s dollars)
Post-trial in 1950, he then prepared his own Sales Brochure “For Sale, SHANGRI-LA in Los Angeles” and put the house on the market asking “$44,500 Liquidation Price.” (Roughly a half million in 2017 dollars)
GHH Deed of Trust to Giesler/Neeb GHH “Shangri-LA – $44,500 House Sale
“Get out of Dodge”
The DA stakeout and Bugging Tapes occurred in Feb/March 1950 and we know that GHH disappeared in late March just as Lt. Jemison was about to arrest him for the murders of Elizabeth “Black Dahlia” Short and the Jeanne French “Red Lipstick” murder along with the confessed 1945 murder (forced overdose) of his secretary, Ruth Spaulding.
By the fall of 1950 George Hodel has relocated to the Territory of Hawaii and is initially hired as “Resident psychiatrist for the Territorial Hospital.”
Jan 17, 1951 Honolulu Advertiser
Honolulu Star-Bulletin on August 23, 1952, announces the marriage of Dr. George Hill Hodel to Hortensia Laguda. Married in “Sonora, Mexico” and currently living “at home on Black Point Rd.” The article goes on to describe GHH as “staff psychiatrist at Kaneohe Territorial Hospital in charge of the rehabilitation program and Chief of the psychiatric clinic at Oahu Prison and lecturing faculty at University of Hawaii.”
(What could be more perfect? GHH as Territorial prison psychiatrist with at least a dozen Los Angeles murders on his CV is now “counseling psychopath to the psychopaths.”)
In a later (1957) article the same newspaper announces that Mrs. Hortensia Hodel is now revisiting Honolulu and informs readers that she is the cousin to former (1953) Philippine Vice President, Fernando Lopez and that her husband “Dr. George Hill Hodel, former staff psychiatrist at Kaneohe Hospital until 1954, now practices in Manila.”
Honolulu Star-Bulletin August 23, 1952 Honolulu Star-Bulletin August 14, 1957
(GHH also married my mother, in Sonora, Mexico, ironically on December 7, 1940, one year to the day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, which of course marked the U.S. entry into WWII.)
BLACK POINT ESTATES AND SHANGRI-LA – “The Good Life”
Not being familiar with Honolulu digs, I decided to check out the 1952 articles reference indicating that George and Hortensia were living “at home on Black Point Rd.” Here’s what I discovered.
Ironically, after George Hodel sells his “Shangri-La Los Angeles” home he then moves to Black Point Road, next to the “Shangri-LA” home of the heiress, Doris Duke in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Black Point Road appears to be and likely always was the Beverly Hills of Honolulu.
Doris Duke Shangri-LA Home at Black Point Road Estates built in 1936-1938
(Now a public museum)
Below is 2 bedroom, 2 bath home on Black PointRoad recently priced at 9 million.
After three years in Hawaii, Dr. George Hill Hodel with his wife, Hortensia, will move on to Manila, Philippines, where he will establish his own private practice as a consulting psychiatrist, then quickly move into the newly developing field of Market Research and expand and develop INRA-ASIA (International Research Associates) throughout the Far East, including Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia.
I have not conducted any extensive research of my father’s activities while in Hawaii from 1951-1953.
The obvious question is: Did George Hodel continue to commit murders in Hawaii?
Hard for me to think he could go three years without killing. I expect there are some cold cases collecting dust at Hawaii 5-0.
Very likely that there were victims in Hawaii, but unfortunately any investigation will have to be put on a back burner for the immediate future.
I currently have my hands full with attempting to ferret out his crimes from, “The Early Years” (the 1920s and 30s) in California.
Any of my readers who feel like searching for any unsolved lone woman murders in the Hawaiian Islands from 1951-1954 have at it and feel free to contact me on any possible findings at steve@stevehodel.com
To Be Continued…
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