The HBO doceri Last Call digs to the hunt for a serial killer who targeted gay men New York the early '90s—and why the victims were almost lost to history.
Contents:
- LAST CALL: BEHD THE TERRIFYG UNTOLD STORY OF NEW YORK'S GAY BAR KILLER
- QUEER CRIME: HOW HOMOPHOBIA HELPED 4 GAY SERIAL KILLERS CONTUE TO KILL
- SERIAL KILLER WHO PREYED ON GAY MEN, WAS DUBBED 'I-95 KILLER' IS EXECUTED FLORIDA
- KGOV'S LIST OF GAY MASS MURRERS
- SERIAL KILLER DOCERI 'LAST CALL' RECKONS WH NYC'S HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY VLENCE
LAST CALL: BEHD THE TERRIFYG UNTOLD STORY OF NEW YORK'S GAY BAR KILLER
In a new book, journalist Elon Green explor the unr-reported stori of gay men btally murred by a killer who evad jtice for a * a gay serial killer *
In fact, the people who were most at risk – this se, gay men who met for hook-ups at New York Cy bars that served the muny – were given no staed or amplified warngs by eher the thori or the media, creatg a safe space for the murrer to ntue to wreak havoc. In fact, the se got so ltle attentn relative to s horror that today few remember , even wh the gay, three s after the murrs, journalist Elon Green has wrten a book tled Last Call: A Te Story of Love, Lt, and Murr Queer New York that go beyond the facts of the story to reveal the larger issu that surround them.
Worse, that perd reprented the height of ignorance and fear about Aids, as well as the peak ath toll the gay muny the wt, greatly impactg how the muny was viewed. Between 1987 and 1994 the cy saw a greater number of killgs than any other stretch more than half a that benighted era, gay bars were often ‘the one refuge om the perils of everyday life’, says Green. In that same time ame, a close iend was gay-bashed to unnscns by a gang of young men, g a days-long stay the hospal, and I was punched so hard the stomach outsi a gay dance club I thought the guy mt have ed a hammer.
QUEER CRIME: HOW HOMOPHOBIA HELPED 4 GAY SERIAL KILLERS CONTUE TO KILL
This month, we’re takg a look at some of the most famo gay serial killers—and how their victims were treated, by the police, the media, and the public. Due to eply graed bias, ignored and mishandled evince, and assumptns about the victims, some of the s took s to solve while victim unts ntued to grow. Here are four gay serial killers that evad tectn part bee of homophobia. * a gay serial killer *
Several years later, on a sunny day on Christopher Street (then the center of New York’s gay life), a man g an anti-gay ephet smashed my bt iend the head wh a rock. ”Meanwhile, the officer did story at the re of Last Call ptur a time the cy, and the liv of gay men, that seem far removed om the current one. At the same time, was a particular type of gay man equentg a specific kd of bar, who tend to be the victim this se.
As to why he elud jtice the s, Green said, “most likely the jury believed that this was a gay man attackg another gay man and they didn’t re about the circumstanc. Given a chance to acqu, they took ” the same time, Green said that he “ultimately realized that the killer (who was himself gay) was laborg unr the same societal nstrats his victims were. While Green believed homophobia played a major part that, he also said “cisns that law enforcement ma ntributed to the long lay.
Directed by Anthony Caronna and executive produced by Howard Gertler om Elon Green’s 2021 nonfictn book, “Last Call” pulls back the curta on the killg spree of Richard Rogers, a male nurse who, as far back as the 1980s and until 2001 when he was eventually ught by thori, targeted gay men New York and New Jersey. Beneath the grislier aspects tailed the seri — Rogers’ mod operandi volved dismemberment and strewg body parts around the Tri-State Area — is also an evotive snapshot of gay New York the early 1990s. Rogers also picked up and murred Thomas Richard Mulhy, a married father of four who lived an unrver gay life and whose dghter reunts touchg memori of him.
SERIAL KILLER WHO PREYED ON GAY MEN, WAS DUBBED 'I-95 KILLER' IS EXECUTED FLORIDA
* a gay serial killer *
There was also Michael Sakara, the mayor of Townhoe, who is warmly remembered by former employe of the bar and by his sister, who is also gay.
In the harrowg send episo of “Last Call, ” which is primarily foced on Marrero and the fallout wh the unrground gay muny of his murr, one of Rogers’ alleged attempted victims speaks anonymoly about his bsh wh someone whose MO sounds closely like the killer’s. The NYPD’s often futile pursu of him across the years turns the seri to a documentary thriller s fal stag — futile also bee of the police’s own seemgly homophobic refal to take the murrs more serly. In a timely harkeng to recent ntroversi surroundg The New York Tim’ verage of trans people, “Last Call” touch on the bias at the Tim and other New York media outlets that emed Rogers (before his inty was known) as the “gay-slay” killer obvly bee had a tchy, if--bleeds--leads rhyme to .
This month, we’re takg a look at some of the most famo gay serial killers—and how their victims were treated, by the police, the media, and the public.
KGOV'S LIST OF GAY MASS MURRERS
Gary Ray Bowl, a serial killer who murred six olr gay men an eight-month spree, was executed Florida on Thursday. * a gay serial killer *
Newspapers labelled Gacy the “Homo Butcher”, and referred to the murrs as “bizarre sex slaygs”, and “gay sex-murrs”. Milwkee’s gay muny was ed to people g and gog and no one—police or civilian—had nnected any of the disappearanc or nsired that there might be a serial killer among them. When the police arrived, Dahmer claimed Simthasophone was his boyiend and he’d jt had too much to drk after a police ma a uple gay jok before helpg Dahmer take his victim back to his apartment.
Attemptg to expla away homophobia the way police vtigate crim wh arguments about beg “a different time” n only get you so far.
McArthur murred eight men between 2010 and 2017 and a recently released report found that “misnceptns” about the gay muny may have imped the search for his victims. Many people Toronto’s LGBTQ+ muny believed there was a serial killer huntg the gay village but police publicly nied . ” This victim blamg and lack of acuntabily is jt one reason why there is still ep tensn and distst of the police the gay village.
SERIAL KILLER DOCERI 'LAST CALL' RECKONS WH NYC'S HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY VLENCE
HBO's new serial killer doceri "Last Call" re-exam New York Cy’s yearslong search for a murrer who targeted gay men the early 1990s. * a gay serial killer *
The homophobia England at the time was engraed to the police force and Nilsen chose victims he knew he uld get away wh.
HBO doceri 'Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York' follows a strg of murrs targetg gay men the 1990s. * a gay serial killer *
D, an ITV drama picts Nilsen’s arrt, terrogatn and trial cludg how police bias and homophobia assisted Nilsen is gettg away wh murr when he uld have been ught much earlier. Te Crime We Bged 2022For gay New Yorkers 1991, there were still plenty of reasons to not put much fah law enforcement. Jt 22 years after clash wh police outsi the Stonewall Inn Greenwich Village opened a promisg new ont the ongog fight for LGBTQ+ rights, AIDS was cimatg the queer muny and hate crim were on the rise, no small part due to the tragilly wispread misperceptn of the vis as a gay disease and lack of unrstandg about how was transmted.
Last Call: When a Killer Stalked Queer New York, a four-part HBO seri premierg July 9, lv to the grisly murrs and a not-so-distant past when blatant homophobia was still the norm and queer bars, as one activist puts the show, "were one of the few plac the muny where we uld e and feel safe.
"And even then, adds Bea Hanson, who served as a liaison between the NYC Gay & Lbian Anti-Vlence Project and police, "There was always this sort of 'you've got to watch your back at the same time too' sort of feelg. Tony Brooks, a 26-year-old ndidate for cy uncil at the time, told police he and Anrson had gone to Manhattan together the night of May 3 to attend a fundraiser at the Central Park Wt home of Robert Browne, a proment gay rights activist. "In hdsight, " he says, "maybe would've been a good ia to follow up wh the that time, we didn't know was a gay bar.