be his last film, The Grip of Passion. He was last seen alive at Rage Nightclub in West Hollywood, the gay epicenter of Los Angeles. Newton's dismembered body was discovered by a transient in a dumpster near Santa Monica Boulevard the following morning. Only Newton's head and feet were discovered in plastic bags, said his father, Richard Harriman of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. At the time of his murder, LAPD detective Ron Veneman told the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, "We have several leads we're working on but nothing that is solid yet. We have other information we're not at liberty to give out." His murder remained unsolved for 32 years until a break in the case identified Daralyn Madden as Newton's murder. Madden confessed to the killing, after an amateur sleuth made the connection after months of investigating Newton's case. 2005 Reinvestigation In 2005, Detective Wendi Berndt announced that she was re-investigating the case, hoping that advances in technology might help to solve the murder. Berndt told adult entertainment journalist Mickey Skee she was one of the original detectives on the case but had been assigned to different divisions over the years as the case went unsolved. When Berndt became supervisor of the LAPD Homicide Unit, Hollywood division, she made significant outreach to the media regarding the Newton murder, citing the fact that she had never forgotten the crime. On Saturday, October 29, the 15th anniversary of Newton's murder, Fox 11 reporter Tony Valdez met with Berndt and visited the crime scene. However, in December 2006, reporter Mickey Skee reported that Newton's father, Richard Harriman, contacted him saying that the LAPD had put the investigation of his son's murder "on the back burner." He left an e-mail address, where he could be contacted. As of April 2016, the address does not work. The June 2, 2011 edition of the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, WI lists an obituary for a Richard "Dick" Hollice Harriman who was pre-deceased by a son named William. It states that Harriman passed away at his residence "in the presence of his loving family and friends". 30th Anniversary As the 30th anniversary of Newton's unsolved murder approached in 2020, podcasters and New York Times bestselling authors Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn covered the case on Episode 37 of their podcast "TDPS Presents CHRISTOPHER & ERIC" and established an e-mail address dedicated to tips and information. In