One of Queerguru’s favorite genres of queer cinema is documentary filmmaking that looks back on gay history. Not just as an excuse to reminisce (if we are of a certain age), but as an opportunity to appreciate what our community went through and how it has shaped us now.  My Brother’s Killer is the third, from filmmaker Rachel Mason, who previously entertained us with the joyous tale of her parents’ gay bookstore in West Hollywood.  I chose to watch this latest one because I had enjoyed her sharing her own life story, but I soon realized I should have read the synopsis before gayly sitting down to watch.

She starts rolling out the real-life story at a gentle pace that lulls you into a false sense of security, and you think opening up a cold murder case from 1990 is straightforward… but it’s far from it.  This is the story of 25-year-old William Arnold Newton, who grew up in rural Wisconsin and came to LA to find fame and fortune.  This good-looking blonde lad did just that as Billy London, a porn star. This was a tough and somewhat dangerous time to be queer, with daily gay bashings and threats of violence.  It soon ended for Billy, and people discovered him in a Los Angeles dumpster south of Santa Monica Boulevard. He had been decapitated and dismembered.  Only his head and feet were ever found. 

The police worked on the case as diligently as they could, and even though the detectives that Mason tracked down were convincing in their efforts over years to solve the murder, you can never quite dismiss the notion, whether it’s fair or not, that Billy never got the full respect that he did because of both his sexuality and his work. 

In uncovering the story, Mason camera captured some illuminating interviews with a very colorful cast of characters that just didn’t include the original detectives but figures from the porn industry such as Chi Chi La Rue,  and also interesting journalists such as Christopher Rice, who had kept the topic alive for years through the podcasts he co-hosts.

It’s impossible to share more details without spoiling the movie’s outcome, but here’s what we saw: Mason uncovering more than was previously known. By the time the credits rolled, I was not only spellbound and riveted to the screen, but actually emotionally drained.  UNMISSABLE