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.
via Apple Podcasts
This is, without doubt, the darkest most disturbing story I have ever listened to. There were a few times when I had to switch it off and step away because I became saturated with horror or overwhelmed by the raw emotion of those telling the story. It comes with multiple trigger warnings: featuring murder, child abuse, incest, sexual violence, depravity. At every moment you think it can’t possibly get any worse, it does. George Hodel was evil. Pure evil. It is hard to imagine how anyone can survive this story, but they do, and this is therefore also a story about a family that spans several generations trying to come to turns with their horrific past and their family history. It features interviews with family members and recordings of voices from the past.
