Investigation Discovery Buys SXSW True-Crime Doc ‘My Brother’s Killer’

EXCLUSIVE: My Brother’s Killer, the true-crime documentary directed by Circus of Books’ Rachel Mason, has landed at Investigation Discovery.

The film, which is exec produced by The Decline of Western Civilization director Penelope Spheeris, will debut on the Skydance-owned cable network on December 3.

It comes after the doc premiered at SXSW earlier this year. It followed that up with a festival run that saw it win the Best Documentary Jury Award at the Outshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival and ahead of its launch at the AFI Fest on October 24.

After Billy Newton was found murdered on October 29, 1990, his case was forgotten by most but haunted many: from the LAPD detectives first at the scene to his family in Wisconsin, fellow adult performers and LGBQT+ community members in West Hollywood – who were left wondering: who would want to harm someone as beloved as Billy? My Brother’s Killer follows Mason as she investigates his case, partnering with the LAPD, London’s family and friends, as well as authors and podcasters Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn. The film shows how original assumptions, overlooked evidence, and new theories help find the missing puzzle pieces in order to get to the truth.

The doc, which features personal archival footage of Newton and interviews with his friends, ultimately leads to the shocking revelation of Newton’s actual killer.

Produced by FutureClown Productions, Josh Braun, Ben Braun and James Cude also serve as exec producers, while Dion Labriola serves as producer.

“From the moment we saw Rachel Mason’s powerful film and finished processing the stunning revelations of its final moments, we knew we wanted to use our platform to bring this story to the widest possible audience. My Brother’s Killer chronicles how one man’s tragic passing inspired a decades long pursuit of the truth and in doing so delivers a deeply moving portrait of Billy Newton and the underserved community that refused to let him be forgotten,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of ID.