Who Murdered Billy London? Documentarian Seeks Leads

William Arnold Newton, who went by the gay male porn name Billy London, was last seen at The Rage Nightclub in West Hollywood. His head and feet were found in a dumpster in Hollywood off of Santa Monica Boulevard on October 29, 1990.

Emmy-nominated Rachel Mason, who wrote and directed the widely popular Netflix documentary “Circus of Books”, is seeking answers via help from the LGBTQ community who may know something about the unsolved murder. It’s all part of a documentary focusing on the life and horrendous death of the actor who died at the young age of 25 three decades ago.

Many familiar with the nature if his death, see Billy London as the Black Dahlia of the gay community. Renewed interest in the case has led Hollywood Homicide Detective John Lamberti to work closely with members of the community to try to solve the case.

According to Mason, a new witness came forward who claims to have seen Billy leave Rage Nightclub on the afternoon of October 28, 1990 with a man that was the spitting image of Jeffrey Dahmer. If anyone has any further details regarding the case, Mason and others within the gay adult community are hoping to engage the public for clues to solve this decades old cold case.

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“Billy reminds me of all the young men I got to know that worked at my parents’ store but I had never heard of anything so brutal happening in the community, which had already suffered so much death due to the AIDS crisis,” said Mason. “His murder just hit me very hard, and I wanted to commit to helping the effort to solve this case.”

Renown female-to-male porn star, Buck Angel, is also part of the effort to help solve the crime.

“Working in the gay adult industry has given me a unique insight into how difficult it is for performers to be treated with respect,” he said. “We are not seen as human beings, so it is important for me to participate in efforts to destigmatize this community that gave so much to me. I believe Rachel will make a film that will be respectful to Billy and his tragic story and I personally want to help solve this crime so Billy and his family can have closure.”

Buck Angel is launching a request to his multitude of fans who may know something.

In recent video posted on her social media, Mason says she believes there might be a serial killer out there who was never caught and that there are other victims unaccounted for as many people would just disappear during the AIDS epidemic.

Shortly before the 30th anniversary of his murder, Authors Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn sparked interest in the case. Inspired by the HBO documentary series, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, based on a book by Michelle McNamara about her investigation into the Golden State Killer, Rice and Quinn did an episode of their podcast, TDPS Presents Christopher and Eric devoted to mysteries that both writers are obsessed with, which included the unsolved murder of Billy London.

Billy London – Biography

William Arnold Newton (July 26, 1965 – October 29, 1990) acted in gay pornographic films under the name Billy London and produced gay pornographic films under the name Bill E. London.

While working at the Hollywood Spa, a gay bathhouse in Los Angeles, Newton met adult film producer David Rey, who helped him land roles in several gay erotic videos.

Newton and Rey eventually became lovers and established London-Rey Productions in 1987. Newton began working at London-Rey as a movie producer, make-up artist and set designer under the name Bill E. London. Before going to L.A. he lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with his partner Terry Elliott, where he earned his beautician license. Elliot still resides there.

Newton was murdered shortly after completing what would be his last film, The Grip of Passion. Newton’s dismembered body was discovered by a transient in a dumpster near Santa Monica Boulevard. His murder remains unsolved.

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“What is most helpful is if anyone may have heard or known or seen anything at the time about Billy London, whose real name is William Newton, and anyone who has photos and video footage of West Hollywood, street parties, festivals, gay pride events in the late 1980s through 1990,” says Mason.

Other helpful tips include:

• Anyone who might have seen Jeffrey Dahmer, or someone who looked like him, in Los Angeles in 1990.
• Any associates of Billy who may have also worked on his last shoot featuring performer Mark Sage.
• Anyone who worked with In-Hand Video, or has knowledge of the catalogue of videos featuring Mark Sage, the last video that Billy was seen working on.

Tips, photos or any helpful information can be emailed to: [email protected]