Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder section with many never before-published photos from the life of Elizabeth Short and from the case, including graphic crime scene and postmortem police photos. The book was well-received upon publication, receiving praise from publisher Larry Flynt, as well as David Lynch, who optioned the book for film rights in 1995; the film eventually fell through. Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder is a 1994 American historical true crime book by John Gilmore. The book details the life and death of Elizabeth Short, also known as "The Black Dahlia,"
William Robinson (murder victim) African-American after Tshuanahusset's execution creates the possibility that Robinson's murderer struck again. Unfortunately, historians will never know who truly murdered William Robinson. William Robinson (murder victim) William Robinson was murdered in March 1868. William Robinson, along with a few other African-Americans, immigrated to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia in Canada in the mid-1860s. He lived peacefully by himself in an isolated cabin and often attended church. Within a few years of his immigration he was murdered. Evidence suggests that he was shot in the back while eating dinner. His murder was one of a string of murders that plagued this