In the early 1990s a serial killer was murdering gay men who frequented New York City bars and pick-up spots, but the crimes got little press coverage and passed below most people's radar. Now that true crime has become such a popular genre, Elon Green tells the story of the 'Last Call Killer', who eluded law enforcement for many years.
The story starts on May 5, 1991, when a maintenance worker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike found a body wrapped in plastic bags in a rest area trash can.
The victim was Peter Anderson, fifty-four, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The next year, on July 10, 1992, two New Jersey Department of Transportation employees found a disarticulated body in plastic bags at a rest stop in the Garden State.
The dead man was Thomas Mulcahy, fifty-seven, of Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Then on May 10, 1993, plastic bags containing the dismembered body of Anthony Edward Marrero, forty-four, of Philadelphia, was found on a roadway in New Jersey.
And finally, on July 31, 1993, the butchered body of Michael Sakara, fifty-six, from Manhattan, was found in plastic bags on a roadside in Rockland County, New York.
Road in Rockland County, New York
When investigators on the separate cases shared information, it became clear a serial killer was at work, and authorities speculated about additional victims, as yet unfound. A multistate task force was assembled to catch the perpetrator, but the killer was elusive, and the endeavor took years.
In addition to describing the murders and the police investigations, author Elon Green delves into the history of the victims and the anti-gay atmosphere that forms the background for the crimes.
The 1900s were not friendly to queer people. A 1923 New York State law made it a criminal act for a man to even ASK another man for sex, and after WWII "the U.S. State Department was purged of gays and lesbians, whom Senator Joseph McCarthy deemed a threat to national security." Prejudice against gays increased when the AIDS pandemic started to spread in 1980, and gay-bashing in the streets of New York became common.
A man kneels down at a memorial for Mark Carson, after another man yelled homophobic slurs at him before shooting him in the head. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Sadly, New York City law enforcement showed "systemic indifference" to crimes against queer people. As an example, Green writes about three gay men in Chelsea who were attacked by white kids with bats in 1980. "One man lost two teeth; another sustained thirty-six stitches to his forehead, a damaged eye, and a broken nose. Reporting such crimes to the police was considered not worth the trouble, for there was rarely any recourse. An activist told the Daily News, 'If you go to court and it's brought out that you're gay, the defense will make a bum out of you'." This feeling was commonplace, and many queer victims suffered in silence.
To meet in a relatively safe atmosphere, homosexual men would congregate in gay bars, which spanned the gamut from cheap joints to elegant piano bars. Green describes many New York City gay bars - their location, atmosphere, and clientele.
A gay dive bar in NYC
The Townhouse piano bar in NYC
The Townhouse, a gay bar that opened in 1989, was old-fashioned by design. Green writes, "Geographically, the Townhouse wasn't so far away from the noise and the grime and the cut-rate sex workers - walking distance even. But milling around that warm, inviting back room nursing a cocktail, a few feet away from the piano and elegantly attired men, you could almost pretend it was another country."
The police learned that several of the serial killer's victims frequented the Townhouse bar, which seemed to be a favorite hunting ground for the perp. The murderer was thought to pick up a victim near closing time, and he was dubbed the 'Last Call Killer. '
Serial killing, even of gay people, was anathema, and the push to protect the queer community was assisted by the Anti-Violence Project (AVP), which began on the cusp of the AIDS epidemic. Green details the birth and evolution of the AVP, which was instrumental in making the police and district attorney more accountable for anti-gay crime in New York.
The slayer is identified toward the latter part of the book, and Green outlines his background, appearance, profession, habits, modus operandi, etc.
The Last Call Killer
The author tried to interview the perp, but the killer refused to cooperate, so Green's analysis is incomplete, but still very informative.
The author's end-notes demonstrate how much research went into the book, which is an encompassing account of LGBTQ issues in 20th century New York and a fascinating story of the Last Call killer and his crimes....which began before he took the life of Peter Anderson in 1991. I don't want to give away spoilers, so for a complete picture, you'll have to read the book.
Thanks to Celadon Books for a review copy.
Rating: 4 stars
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