Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia

Overview

Episodes

Details

When Elizabeth Short, also known as The Black Dahlia, was brutally killed in 1947, it gripped the entire country. More than 70 years later, it remains America's most infamous unsolved murder. Many believe Dr. George Hodel was the killer, thanks to an investigation by Hodel's own son. But murder is just part of the Hodel family story, one filled with horrifying secrets that ripple across generations. Now, through never-before-heard archival audio and first-time interviews, the Hodel family opens up to reveal their shocking story. In this eight-part documentary series, sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile, the great grand daughters of George Hodel, take a deep dive into their family history to try to figure out what really happened, and where do they all go from here? Root of Evil is the companion podcast to TNTs limited series I Am the Night. Inspired by the true story of the Hodel family, the series stars Chris Pine and comes from acclaimed Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.

Recent Episodes

AUG 14, 2024

Introducing: Who Killed Jennifer Judd?

If you enjoyed Root of Evil, you may also like Who Killed Jennifer Judd? from ID. Listen to episode 1, Serial Killer or Serial Liar? now. In 1992, 20-year-old Jennifer Judd is murdered in her own home. Her husband of just nine days, Justin Judd, comes home from work to find his high school sweetheart lying on the kitchen floor with more than a dozen stab wounds. The murder shocks the small communities of Baxter Springs, Kansas, where the couple lived, and nearby Picher, Oklahoma, where Jennifer grew up. Despite a few early leads, the case went cold for nearly a decade. Then, a man confessed. Listen to Who Killed Jennifer Judd? wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

51 MIN

JUN 19, 2024

Introducing Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer

If you enjoyed Root of Evil, you may also like Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer, from ID. The Unraveled investigation continues with a 5-episode deep dive series. In this deep dive, we're going beyond the headlines to discuss several topics in more detail. These topics include the call Suffolk County didn’t want you to hear, and what it tells us about the night the entire Long Island serial killer saga began. Along with Rex Heuermann’s digital footprint, and Asian Doe and Sugar Bear and how these outlier cases connect to the broader investigation. Then we'll dig into other unsolved cold cases that are getting a new life since the arrest of Heuermann. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

44 MIN

NOV 1, 2023

Introducing Very Scary People: The Ken and Barbie Killers

If you enjoyed Root of Evil, you might also like Very Scary People from ID. Listen to episode 1 here, and follow Very Scary People wherever you get your podcasts. In the late-80s and early 90s, the quaint suburbs of Toronto, Canada were blind-sided by an unprecedented flurry of violent crimes: a serial rapist on the loose and young girls vanishing… only to later discover their dead bodies, dismembered. As separate investigations developed, police across the region followed leads pointing to a young, blond-haired blue-eyed duo. Over seven episodes, host Donnie Wahlberg traces the twisted path of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka – a couple from Toronto that appeared loving and wholesome but had everybody fooled. We’ll explore how the boy and the girl next-door captivated Canada and became the killers known as “Ken and Barbie.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 MIN

APR 4, 2023

Introducing Mind of a Monster: Jeffrey Dahmer

If you enjoyed Root of Evil, you may like Mind of a Monster: Jeffery Dahmer, a podcast from ID. Listen to the first episode of Season 4 now, and listen to more episodes in the Mind of a Monster feed.

Season 4 of Mind of a Monster examines Jeffrey Dahmer, who from 1978 to 1991 murdered seventeen men and boys, attempted to kill at least two others, and attacked, drugged, and abused countless more. He cannibalized some of his victims, dismembered their bodies and preyed on the vulnerable to become one of the most depraved serial killers in American history.

Across six episodes, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward consults with detectives, journalists, survivors, and witnesses to dive deep into the case of Jeffrey Dahmer. Investigating his crimes, Dr. Ward tracks his trajectory as a killer and exposes the many opportunities that were lost to prevent his reign of terror.

Follow Mind of a Monster wherever you get your podcasts. Past seasons include Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer, The Hillside Strangler and The Nightstalker, and The Co-Ed Killer and Herbert Mullin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

36 MIN

AUG 11, 2020

Welcome to Relative Unknown

From the Peabody Award nominated C13 Originals Studio, and the creators of Root of Evil, comes a new documentary series about the stories, and family we can’t escape.

Jackee Taylor has been hidden in WITSEC, better known as the Witness Protection Program, for almost 40 years. But after a strange and violent incident reveals secrets about her past, Jackee begins a journey to find out the truth about herself, and her family. Hers is a twisted tale of darkness, murder, mystery, tragedy, and resilience, which traverses the country, and lands in the most violent era of one of the country’s most violent cities - 1970s Cleveland. At the heart of this story, is Jackee’s relative - a former member of the world’s most powerful motorcycle club, a sociopath, a killer, and an informant. Jackee can’t move forward unless she reconciles with his past, and she’s finally telling this story in the hopes that others don’t have to live kind of life that she has.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 MIN