While the Dahmer lead proved fruitless, Mason continued to spread the word on Billy’s case and received a number of leads from those in the adult film industry. The investigation continued.
“I didn’t expect to get involved in the investigation. I was just actually doing what I thought was a portrait of the victim in order to maybe create a documentary, and that would possibly lead to helping get leads…what happened while making it was this unexpected, unbelievable sort of confluence of things that led to us solving [the case] while we were making the film,” Mason says.
The killer’s identity was uncovered through an arduous effort in retracing the steps of history through archival material and interviews, including with Mason’s own mother. From this research, the documentary was created.
“It took years of scraping the internet, digging up VHS from wherever we could … it really took a long and concerted effort to build the fragments of what we could find.”
My Brother’s Killer, however, proves to be more than a true crime film. Mason showcases the unique struggle gay men experienced during the AIDS epidemic through Billy’s story, while also providing recognition and closure for those involved.
“It was a terribly violent time and I think that’s another undocumented part of gay history,” Mason says. “… the resilience of gay culture is the most amazing thing. In the sea of death, you also have this vibrancy, and I really wanted to showcase that. It doesn’t always have to be dark, the fight can be joyful in a strange way.”
