Black Dahlia Avenger: The True Story

There was, however, a dark side to Bill Parker, clearly described by people who had private and personal contact with him. First, in Thicker 'n Thieves, Sergeant Charles Stoker reveals that in mid-May 1949 he had a secret meeting with then inspector Bill Parker. (Inspector was a police rank above captain but below deputy chief.) At the meeting, Parker flattered Stoker, reminding him how much they had in common as individuals: both were World War II vets; both Catholic. Parker questioned Stoker about the Brenda Allen scandal and seemed to listen as Stoker filled him in on the entire story. Parker in turn revealed to Stoker several cases of police corruption. Stoker described one case in particular, involving Chief Horrall:

According to Parker, one source [of police corruption] was controlled by Chief of Police Clemence B. Horrall. Aligned with him as a lieutenant was Sergeant Guy Rudolph, his confidential aide. He then related this story concerning Rudolph, which I have never verified.

For years, while Bowron was in office, Rudolph had controlled the vice pay-offs in Los Angeles, and when Horrall held the chief's job, Rudolph was under his wing. At one time Rudolph had kicked a colored prostitute to death on Central Avenue; and during the investigation of that incident, he and his partner had gone to a local downtown hotel where they engaged in a drunken brawl with two women. Then, while Rudolph was out of the room buying a bottle of whiskey, one of the prostitutes had been killed, (p. 182)

Parker asked Stoker if he had heard the story about Rudolph and the prostitutes, and when Stoker said he hadn't Parker told him he could prove it. Parker further confided to Stoker that Sergeant Rudolph controlled the lottery and numbers rackets operated by Chinese and blacks.

Stoker described in detail Parker's explanations about how corruption operated within the LAPD:

[Parker] had described the two police cabals, which controlled graft under what he termed a 'cop setup.' By this he meant that no true underworld boss ran the rackets in Los Angeles and that racketeers were controlled and plucked by department members of the two police outfits who, in reality, were themselves racketeers as averred in the forepart of this book. (p. 187)

As for the purpose of this clandestine meeting with the inspector, Stoker explained, Parker wanted to make him a 'fair and square proposition.' Unaware that Stoker had already testified in secret before the grand jury a week before their meeting, Parker asked him to go to the grand jury, tell all he knew about the Brenda Allen investigation, plus what Parker had just revealed about police corruption. That, he surmised, would force Mayor Bowron to rid the department of both Chief Horrall and Reed and put Parker in a position to take command. Parker candidly informed Stoker that the department was out to get him 'one way or another,' and that if he, Stoker, played ball with Parker, he would make him his assistant and protect him from harm. As we know, Stoker passed on any 'deals' offered by the ambitious inspector, took the road less traveled, and within weeks was drummed from the corps.

In his autobiography, In My Own Words, Mickey Cohen also described the dynamics of his relationship with Bill Parker, this time from the perspective of someone on the other side of the law. First, he said, he believed he exercised some control over who would become chief in 1950. He had the swing vote for Brown because Brown, he believed, was in his pocket:

The one copper who really gave me trouble out here was William Parker, who got into power when he was named chief of police in 1950. See, it was very important for me who was the chief of police at that time. I had gambling joints all over the city, and I needed the police just to make sure they ran efficiently. In L.A. the chief of police is chosen by the Board of Commissioners,

so we had connections on the board who were going to make sure another connection of ours got named,

[my emphasis] At a meeting, we all decided it was best if I left town until the selection was made, just to blow off any stink that could possibly come up.

.. . But, when I get to Chicago, I learn that the guy on the board that we were depending on — the one that had like the nuts, the deciding vote — passes away twenty-four hours before the selection was made. Parker made chief of police, and if it had been my decision, I would have taken anyone but Parker, (pp. 146-147)

In 1957, Cohen, after strong encouragement from TV news magazine commentator Mike Wallace, agreed to be interviewed on his television show, an early version of 60 Minutes. Cohen flew back east and met with Wallace and his writers for several days before the live telecast and went over the various questions, some of which they would ask him on the air. When Wallace asked Cohen — off the air — what he thought of Police Chief William Parker, Cohen said, 'He's a sadistic degenerate cocksucker.' The following day, Wallace, now live in front of millions of viewers, decided to ask Cohen the same question. Cohen, an accommodating wiseguy if nothing else, gave Wallace the exact same answer he'd given off camera the day before.

Chief Parker, watching the live interview, immediately picked up the telephone and advised the network that he would be suing the network and Cohen for libel.

Cohen met daily with a crew of ABC attorneys, and describes how, together, they prepared the defense, pointing out his jailhouse knowledge of the law where he states, 'The only defense against libel is the truth, and believe me, I had Parker right by the fucking nuts.' Cohen had obtained a number of LAPD sworn officers still on active duty who were ready to testify, in Cohen's words, 'where William Parker was an absolute bagman for Mayor Frank Shaw's administration.'

The threatened libel suit was never heard, because in 1958 ABC settled with Chief Parker out of court for a purported $46,000.

Exhibit 61

Chiefs Thad Brown and William Parker, circa 1950

Captain Jack Donahoe

LAPD's Captain Jack Donahoe and the very real part he played in the Dahlia investigation has, for me, become one of the most enigmatic questions of my own investigation. We may never discover his true role. Was he hero or villain? There is no simple answer, and probably, like Chief Parker, he was both.

It's clear from the outset that he controlled the Dahlia investigation, because it was his administrative responsibility as the captain of Homicide Division. In the early weeks, he fully cooperated with the press and provided them with ongoing updates about where the investigation was heading. In my estimation, and certainly by today's standards, he was overly candid and released far too many investigative details that should have been kept secret. The press's ability to stroke one's ego on page one each morning can be a not-so-subtle seduction, and Captain Jack may have simply enjoyed and succumbed to the notoriety. But Donahoe didn't last too long as the supervisor of the Dahlia investigation, because once he went public with his belief that the Elizabeth Short and Jeanne French murders were connected, Chief of Detectives Thad Brown promptly removed him.