Rorschach: Murder at City Hall

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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 villain — it served the interest of the family, the political establishment, and the police. This version of the story glossed over the complexities of both men, of their relationship and of the nature of the crime itself. Lost in this story is the messier truth. Today, we’re ready to explore the moral grey areas, to center stories around people of color, and grapple with everything from mental health and gun violence, to sexuality in public life. In revisiting this story in 2025, we can reclaim the humanity of both Niel Askew and James E. Davis, and elevate this story above the tabloid version of its original telling.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.