Who killed Billy London? Amateur detectives help solve the horrific 1990 cold murder case of gay porn star
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A team of internet sleuths, including a stay-at-home dad, a documentary filmmaker, two podcast hosts, and two LAPD detectives have reportedly helped solved the brutal 1990 murder of gay porn star William Arnold Newton. Newton was called the 'Black Dahlia' of the gay community and went by the name Billy London.
Detective John Lamberti started looking into the case recently at a time when filmmaker Rachel Mason was working on a documentary about the same cold case. Author Christopher Rice and cohost Eric Shaw Quinn were covering it on their 'The Dinner Party Show' podcast.
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Who killed Billy London?
London was last seen at The Rage Nightclub in West Hollywood before his head and feet were found in a dumpster. These remains were discovered on October 29, 1990, in Hollywood near Santa Monica Boulevard. Many believed he had been killed by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
However, recent findings reportedly ruled out the possibility and alleged that a person named Darrell Lynn Madden, a former self-proclaimed white supremacist, killed London. Madden now identifies as an orthodox Jewish woman named Daralyn Madden.
The Dahmer tip
The turning point in the case was detailed by The Los Angeles Times, which said the crack in the case came when Rice received a tip from someone who claimed to have seen London leave a nightclub on the night he was killed with someone who looked like Jeffrey Dahmer. Lamberti soon came across the podcast and said the Dahmer tip "caused me to crack open the file and look at it a little more deeply." He then started to coordinate with Rice, Quinn, and London's family for the investigation.
Meanwhile, stay-at-home dad Clark Williams referred an amateur sleuth by Weho Times, who reportedly reached out to Mason to provide some background on what it may have been like for London growing up in Wisconsin since he too was from the same area. Williams told TooFab their conversations "nurtured a growing obsession to study and investigate every single aspect of this case -- literally, to leave no stone unturned."
He eventually started doing a "deep dive" into porn produced around the time of the murder. He came across Billy Houston, known earlier as Darrell Lynn Madden, who was an actor who allegedly pleaded guilty to the murder of another gay Steven Domer, in Oklahoma, in the 2000s.
Darrell Lynn Madden confesses to killing another individual
"It was a coincidence that I just could not ignore," Williams said. He dug up an interview of Madden for a book, 'American Honor Killings', where he confessed to killing another person in Los Angeles. The Dahmer tip did not help, and while Dahmer was still alive, he denied killing London. After Williams discussed this with Lamberti, the detective, and partner Tamara Momayez started taking interest in the case and began looking into the potential suspect.
Both detectives went to visit Madden, who is serving a life sentence in Oklahoma at present. This is when she allegedly admitted that she "targeted" London for a robbery with her skinhead friends, and eventually strangled him to death. Details that Madden provided matched police findings. However, she denied dismembering London's body and did not name her alleged accomplices. "I may be a murderer but I'm not a snitch," she told detectives.
No charges are to be filed
The Los Angeles DA has decided not to file charges against Madden as there is a lack of evidence besides the confession. The case was closed to London's family's approval. "I am truly humbled to have played a role in finding the killer(s) who so brutally murdered this wonderful young man in October 1990 and to deliver some justice and peace to his many friends and family," Williams said.
In an Instagram post, Mason said, "This is the most amazing news I could possibly share. After five years of research, and 32 years of being cold, the case is finally solved. Billy’s killer is serving multiple life sentences. So much will be revealed in the new documentary series we are working on."
In a Twitter post, they said, "They are honored and humbled to be among the team of amateur detectives who helped bring justice to the Billy Newton Murder after three decades." They added that they "dreamed this day would someday come" when they first featured the case on their podcast. Williams, Mason, Rice, and Quinn still hope to identify Madden's accomplices.