LOS ANGELES — LAPD homicide has reached out to the podcast “TDPS Presents Christopher and Eric” following a recent episode that examined the unsolved 1990 murder of William Arnold Newton, also known as gay adult performer Billy London. The hosts, novelists Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn, uncovered a potential bombshell of a lead and spoke exclusively to XBIZ in November to encourage industry members who may have additional information to reach out.
Ep. 60 of “TDPS Presents Christopher and Eric” pieces together a timeline of the final few days leading up to London’s murder based on information that is currently available; Ep. 48 features the broadcast’s prior deep dive into the story.
In the course of his initial research, Rice spoke to this reporter, who first dug into the case more than a decade ago.
Billy London also worked as “Bill E. London.” (This story does not involve another male performer of recent vintage with the same name.) He was active for just a few short years in the late 1980s and appeared in titles for All Worlds Video and Catalina Video, InHand and Le Salon, among several others.
In late October 1990, shortly before Halloween, London completed what would be his final film and was last seen alive, according to available evidence, socializing in West Hollywood, California. On October 29, his head and feet were discovered in a dumpster; despite several attempts over the years to generate new tips or leads, the case has remained cold.
This past July 26, 2020, he would have turned 55 years old.
In a joint statement provided to XBIZ, Rice and Quinn said, “When we first used ‘TDPS Presents Christopher & Eric’ to start a conversation about Billy’s long unsolved murder, the goal was to inspire a new generation of advocates to take up the cause of his case. Now that our podcast episodes have drawn the attention of LAPD homicide, we feel both inspired and hopeful that Billy’s story won’t be soon forgotten. And we plan to keep the conversation going with the participation of those voices with the greatest potential for solving the case.”
Contact williamnewtoninvestigation@gmail.com with any potential tips or information.
Listen to episode No. 60 of “TDPS Presents Christopher & Eric” here and follow Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn on Twitter for the latest updates.
Click here for XBIZ’s coverage of the Billy London cold case.