Rorschach: Murder at City Hall
A shocking public shooting at New York City Hall leaves the ambitious, charismatic City Councilman James E. Davis dead, before his assailant is gunned down by a New York City cop. It turns out that Davis had been murdered by his political rival, Niel Askew. And yet all that summer, the two men had been seen around Brooklyn together, been together in James’ office, sat side by side at a barbershop. Despite the shock waves this murder sent through New York City in the summer of 2003, the story is now forgotten, along with the mystery of what really happened between these men. RORSCHACH: MURDER AT CITY HALL recounts their final fateful day through eye-witness accounts, and then traces the path that led James Davis and his killer Niel Askew to their deaths.
Episodes
Rorschach: Murder at City Hall trailer is a story of double lives and fatal ambition that results in the murder of City Councilman James E. Davis by his political opponent, Niel Askew. And the battle that still rages over what really motivated this shocking crime in the first place.
In the 20 years since these events took place, a lot has changed. In 2003, there was a desire to tell a simple story with a clear hero and a vi...
July 23rd, 2003. Brooklyn City Councilman James E. Davis arrives at City Hall with a guest, Niel Askew. Both men are Black, handsome and wearing a suit. And both are carrying concealed weapons. Niel Askew had been running against James Davis in the upcoming election, but the men seem to have cut some kind of deal for Niel to drop out of the race. But in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead.
The city is shut down. A cop – serving his first day on the security detail – acts heroically. Word spreads to Councilman Davis’s disbelieving family, and emotions run high.
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Who is the strange guest who came with James Davis to City Hall, only to shoot him repeatedly at close range. And why did he do it? Niel Askew’s close friends tell the story of a quiet closeted kid from a religious family, who came to New York, came out, and climbed the heights of the gay club scene of ‘90s NYC.
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Niel and his boyfriend live in a luxury highrise on the West Side of Manhattan called Riverbank. We look at a notorious crime that happened a few floors below Niel which may have inspired his own dark, violent incident. And the secret from Niel’s past that James E. Davis might have discovered.
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Officer James E. Davis was no ordinary cop. And now, he’s no ordinary political candidate. He’s brash, braggadocious. He carries a gun – and he lets his enemies know it. James Davis is ambitious and he’s complicated. But he’s making a name for himself in Central Brooklyn, and making lots of friends – and a few enemies – along the way.
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After a nasty campaign against political favorite Letitia James, James Davis finally wins elected office. Just as James’ fortunes are on the rise Niel Askew’s are headed the other direction. He’s broke, and he’s been diagnosed with HIV. The pressures are mounting.
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It’s the summer of 2003. Everybody in the neighborhood knows Councilman James Davis. No one knows Niel Askew, who’s running against him in the primary. Niel infiltrates James’s orbit, and becomes something like his protege – and someone for the powerful James E. Davis to taunt and intimidate. The clock ticks, as July 23rd approaches fast.
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James and Niel don’t just arrive at City Hall together – they spend that whole day together. And after their lives end in tragedy that afternoon, speculation runs wild about why someone would want to kill James – and what was really going on between the two men.
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James’s district, his colleagues and his family all mourn his shocking death. But the work of politics must continue, and someone must fill his seat, The Brooklyn Democratic Party has a candidate in mind. The family has other ideas.
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James Davis continues to surprise from beyond the grave, leading to a painful legal battle. And a final mystery persists: How could a dramatic shooting in City Hall be all but forgotten, even by the people who lived here at the time? What really happened – and what did it mean?
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