Last call (Queer from New York): Between bloodbath and indifference!

In 1992, the head of 57-year-old Thomas Mulcahy was found in a trash bag along a New Jersey road. The investigation will link this crime to another macabre discovery that occurred a year earlier, along a Pennsylvania road: the remains of Peter Anderson, 54 years old. This is the start of a manhunt that will last more than 10 years!

From the start, several common points were established between the two cases. The two men are married, fathers of children and disappeared after an evening spent at the Townhouse bar: a cozy piano bar in New York intended for men who want a discreet place to meet. Beyond the shock caused by the murder, the revelations surrounding the hidden lives of the victims are obviously a surprise for their families. Although sordid, the story aroused little interest among the New York police, then notoriously homophobic, who offered no collaboration to the police forces of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, even after the discovery of six bags dumpster containing the remains of Anthony Marrero, 44, a Puerto Rican prostitute. Finally, in 1993, the dismembered body of 56-year-old Michael Sakara was found along a New York state highway.

Despite the horror of the crimes, many gay men wallow in the illusion that it did not concern them since the first two victims led a double life and the third man was a prostitute. Sakara however is a completely different story as he was very open about his sexuality. A feeling of panic sets in quickly. The HBO documentary paints a surprisingly detailed four-part portrait of a period shaken by the political struggles of the LGBT community and by open and overt homophobia from the New York police. The emphasis is above all placed on the victims and their loved ones and a huge amount of work has been devoted to finding witnesses from the time as well as archive or current photographs and films which make it possible to clearly illustrate the context and challenges.

The strength of the documentary therefore lies in the fact that it does not revolve around the magnified vision of a psychopath, but rather around the gaze placed on his victims, on their families and on a community which seeks help which can help them. is almost systematically refused. The last episode will surprise more than one since the most shocking part is the indifference of the judicial and police forces with regard to the killer’s previous crimes.

Those who wish to know more on the subject can also delve into Elon Green’s book which details all the elements.

INFO | The HBO documentary Last Call is available, on Crave and Super Écran, in English and in an exceptional quality French dub, produced in Quebec.

Last Call – Serial murders in the New York gay scene / Erol Green. [France] : Sonatine, 2023, 320 p.