63. Infanticide at The Cecil Hotel

Written By Alienist Entertainment
 

Hold up- it's been 63+ episodes and we have never thoroughly talked about L.A. Not So Confidential's theme?? As we start this multipart series on vintage Los Angeles crimes, we break down the legacy of Hollywood noir films. We then turn to the Cecil Hotel and Dorothy Jean Purcell's crime of infanticide in 1944. We explore the historical contexts of infanticide and the phenomenon of it today in the US. As a tie-in to Ms. Purcell's adjudication, it was also necessary to talk about the criminal finding of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGI).

EPISODE RESOURCES

  • Bechtold, B. H., & Graves, D. C. (2010). The Ties That Bind: Infanticide, Gender, and Society. History Compass, 8(7), 704–717. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2010.00696.x

  • Buris, L. (1993). Infanticide. Forensic Medicine, 237–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48884-9_7

  • Emin Gharibian, Psy.D. (2019, March 24). Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Evaluating Criminal Responsibility at The Time of the Offense | Verdugo Psychological Associates. Verdugo Psychological Associates. https://verdugopsych.com/not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity-evaluating-criminal-responsibility-at-the-time-of-the-offense/

  • Friedman, S. H., Cavney, J., & Resnick, P. J. (2012). Mothers Who Kill: Evolutionary Underpinnings and Infanticide Law. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 30(5), 585–597. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2034Hatters

  • Friedman, S., & Resnick, P. J. (2007). World Psychiatry : Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 6(3), 137–141. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2174580/

  • Meloy, J. R. (2010). A Catathymic Infanticide. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 55(5), 1393–1396. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01414.xNewman, S. (2017, November 27). Infanticide. Aeon; Aeon. https://aeon.co/essays/the-roots-of-infanticide-run-deep-and-begin-with-poverty

  • PINKHAM, J. G. (1883). Some Remarks upon Infanticide, with Report of a Case of Infanticide by Drowning. The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 109(18), 411–413. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm188311011091802

  • Spinelli, M. G. (2016). An Infanticide Trial: US Infanticide Laws Fall Well Short of International Standards. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77(11), 1546–1547. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.16com11251

  • The Daily News. (1944, September 8). 8 Sep 1944, 43 - Daily News at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/689280081/?terms=dorothy%20jean%20purcell&match=1

  • The Democrat. (1945, January 7). 7 Jan 1945, 19 - Quad-City Times at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/300899838/?terms=dorothy%20jean%20purcell&match=1

  • The Los Angeles Times. (1944, September 8). 8 Sep 1944, 15 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=20114286&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM4MDc3MTg1NiwiaWF0IjoxNjEyNjI0NTYxLCJleHAiOjE2MTI3MTA5NjF9.OVGyzfQu3imHBZ04wKdKcgZ-4Ng_JfPNKvavSmuJ4U8

  • The Ventura County Star Free Press. (1944, September 8). 8 Sep 1944, 6 - Ventura County Star-Free Press at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/624425613/?terms=dorothy%20jean%20purcell&match=1

  • Turner Classic Movies “Noir Alley.” (2020). Tcm.com. https://noiralley.tcm.com/noir-101

  • TV: “Desperate Housewives” creator owes it all to mom. (2012). The Salt Lake Tribune; SLTrib. https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=53940136&itype=CMSID



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