A Definition of the Term “Thoughtprints” as Originally Defined in the Book “Black Dahlia Avenger” and Expanded on in Dr. Richard Walton’s Forensic Science Book, “Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques”..”

December 17, 2024
Birch Bay, Washington

I received the following email and question today from a reader. (I deleted the person he referenced and the sender’s last name.)

My response:

Andrew B.

I  am aware of the person you referenced, and none of what he claims is true.  The individual is a bitter, angry curmudgeon who regularly puts out false information about my investigation, hoping his “theory of whodunit” will be accepted.

Sorry to disappoint. No trance. Nothing WuWu in the term “Thoughtprints” which  I coined more than twenty years ago.
Here is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions I wrote decades ago on the subject, which answers your question. Additionally, I include the reference of my term “Thoughtprints” as published in Dr. Richard Walton’s book, Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques (Taylor & Francis CRC Press NY 2006). My original discussion and definition of my term “Thoughtprints” as quoted below, first appeared in my publication of, Black Dahlia Avenger (Arcade 2003).

FAQ 1.1
Q:  In Black Dahlia Avenger, you repeatedly use the term, Thoughtprint. Could you provide a definition, and does it connote something psychic or intuitive?

A:

First off, the term—thoughtprint– has nothing at all to do with anything psychic or metaphysical. It relates to the potential identification of a specific individual through his or her own unique thinking and thoughts. In the Introduction to BDA, I define the term as follows:

Page 6:

Our thoughts connect us to one another and to our actions. Our thought patterns determine what we do each day, each hour, each minute. While our actions may appear simple, routine, and automatic, they really are not. Behind and within each of our thoughts is an aim, intent, a motive. The motive within each thought is unique.

In all of our actions each of us leaves behind traces of our self. Like our fingerprints, these traces are identifiable. I call them thoughtprints. They are the ridges, loops, and whorls of our mind. Like the individual “points” that a criminalist examines in a fingerprint, they mean little by themselves and remain meaningless, unconnected shapes in a jigsaw puzzle until they are pieced together to reveal a clear picture.

Most people have no reason to conceal their thoughtprints. We are, most if not all of the time, open and honest in our acts: our motives are clear, we have nothing to hide. There are other times, however, when we become covert, closeted in our actions: a secret love affair, a shady business deal, a hidden bank account, or the commission of a crime. If we are careful and clever in committing our crime, we may remember to wear gloves and not leave any fingerprints behind. But, rarely are we clever enough to mask our motives, and we will almost certainly leave behind our thoughtprints. A collective of our motives, a paradigm constructed from our individual thoughts, these illusive prints construct the signature that will connect or link us to a specific time, place, crime, or victim.

When an expert identifies and “makes” a suspect to a fingerprint, he or she is legally required to establish a minimum of ten (10) separate and individual points of identification… In Europe, the standard is much higher, and 20-30 points may be required. Thoughtprint linkage, like the points in a fingerprint, cannot stand alone. Nor can they be used to substitute traditional hard evidence. Thoughtprints should be viewed merely as supportive evidence, which tends to link an individual to a specific crime, location, or relevant action.

“The Red Lipstick Murder”

Author’s Note- The above book cover photograph depicts one of the
“L.A. Lone Woman Murders” committed by Dr. George Hill Hodel.
The victim shown above is Mrs. Jeanne French, murdered on February 10, 1947,
just three weeks after the Elizabeth “Black Dahlia” Short murder. Victim French
was also bludgeoned to death, and her body posed on a vacant lot some 5 miles
west of the Black Dahlia posing on a vacant lot. Dr. Hodel used red lipstick
to write the taunting words “Fuck You B.D.” on the nude torso of victim French.
LAPD Captain Donahoe, initially in charge of the investigation, publically declared
that the Black Dahlia Murder and the Red Lipstick Murders “were committed by the same suspect.”
As a secret taunting “clew” and part of the crime signatures,  Dr. Hodel posed the victim’s nude body
off a street named “Mountain View,” which was the name of the cemetery in Oakland, California, where
victim Elizabeth Short was buried on January 25,  just two weeks before the murder of victim French.  (This act is
an example of a “thoughtprint” as he would go on to use it as a crime signature, posing other victims’ bodies
off of streets named as clue-specific to his crimes.)