Is the following web page legitimate, that is does it tell a true
story, or is it a hoax?

http://blackdahliasolution.org/index.htm

nxafs..

The web page you are referring to does in fact tell a true story. 
Elizabeth Short was a Massachusetts native who moved to California, at
the age of 19, in 1943.  On Januaray 15, 1947, Short's severed body
was found in a vacant lot in Hollywood.  Due to the brutality of the
murder, the case was immediately sensationalized by the Hollywood
press.  The case, some 55 years later, is still considered unsolved,
though there were may men and women who confessed to the killing, but
were later disproved by police.    There have been several books and
documentaries created regarding the case.  Now, as for the validity of
the page you are referring to in regards to solving the case, that I
can't speak to and I don't think anyone can.  While the page you are
asking about is fascinating reading and investigative technique, as
you will see by some of the references I have provided, there are
several theories as to who the real killer of Elizabeth Short was. 
Chances are, the case will never be "solved", but it remains on the of
the great murder mysteries of the 20th century.

Thanks for your question.  I hope the above information has been
helpful.  If you need any additional clarification, please let me
know.

Regards,

-THV

References:
The Black Dahlia Web site
http://www.bethshort.com/

Books about the Beth Short Case
http://www.bethshort.com/dahnvls.htm

Black Dahlia
http://www.crimelibrary.com/dahlia/doll.htm

The Undying Mystery of the Black Dahlia
http://www.sandiego-online.com/issues/jan97/dahlia.stm

Just what I was looking for.

Hi, nexafs-ga:

Thanks for posting this interesting question, and thanks, too, to
tar_heel_v for the nicely researched answer.

As a side light, the Suzanne Degnan case in Chicago, which is
purported by the Web site in question to have been a model for the
Black Dahlia slaying, resulted in the conviction of William Heirens. 
The fairness of this has been called into question.  It is undisputed
that the police at the time used methods of coercion that would be
considered outrageous today:

http://www.freeheirens.com/background.html

regards, mathtalk-ga

Hi--

For what it's worth, I've read a lot of the books about the Dahlia. 
Most of them make compelling reading, but, like the many books on Jack
the Ripper, none offer a firm, absolutely convincing solution.  One of
the best is:
 
Childhood Shadows: The Hidden Story of the Black Dahlia Murder by Mary
Pacios, a childhood friend of Beth Short's.
 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1585004847/qid=1043286637/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-0268762-7908758?v=glance&s=books

Ms. Pacios' allegations as to the identity of the Dahlia killer are
controversial to say the least!  (I don't want to spoil the surprise,
but it's a good one)  It's to her credit that she manages to offer
some interesting circumstancial evidence but, ultimately, I have to
say I don't buy it.

John Gilmore's Severed is probably the best written of the bunch, and
best at conveying a real sense of the time, the place, and the
mystery.  I'd recommend this one as the place to start but, again, the
solution Gilmore offers is not very compelling.

James Ellroy's novel "The Black Dahlia" is okay, not one of Ellroy's
best, by any means. I liked his "My Dark Places" better. That book, a
memoir about the murder of Ellroy's mother, deals with the Dahlia in a
more peripheral, altogether more sensitive, manner.  In the
documentary "James Ellroy: Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction" Ellroy
takes us to the site where Elizabeth Short's body was found as it
looks today and has a few impassioned words about the mystery and the
memory of Ms. Short.

The loopiest book is "Daddy was the Black Dahlia Killer" by Janice
Knowlton--one of those 'recovered memory' books that were so prevalent
in the mid-90's.  It's pretty unbelievable, and unbelievably lurid, as
well, but is a good, sick read.

Anyway, just browsing through Google Answers and thought I'd throw my
two cents in.  There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of
books, songs, and films that reference the Elizabeth Short murder. 
For some reason, and I don't pretend to know why, this mystery seems
to be one of those flashpoints of American culture--an illumination of
the whole dark zeitgeist of the 20th century, you dig?