Victim and Lead Dahlia Detective Share Birthday

 

July 29, 2009

In another one of the many ironic twists of fate, related to the Dahlia story, today, July 29th marks the shared birthday of both Elizabeth Short and Finis Brown, the lead detective in her murder investigation.  On the day of Elizabeth’s birth, Finis Brown (brother to LAPD Chief of Detectives,Thad Brown) turned 18. Finis retired from LAPD and from correspondence I’ve had with journalist/true-crime author, Ron Franscell (The Darkest Night, St. Martin’s 2008) it appears Finis eventually moved to the town of West, Texas (near Lubbock) where he died on September 16. 1990.

 

           Elizabeth Short b. July 29, 1924               Finis A. Brown b. July 29, 1906

 

  

                   (photo taken circa 1946)                              (photo taken 1963)

 

 

    

“I guess you can’t trust people here.”

                                          Sgt. Finis Brown 1954    

    A humorous article from April, 1954 about Finis Brown testifying in downtown Los Angeles Court. (Though I’m sure Finis wasn’t laughing.)  Maybe this contributed to his eventual desire to go to Texas?

                                                     Los Angeles, April 4, 1954

                                           RIP  Finis Brown