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NYPD's Robert Boyce on Season 2 of New York Homicide and the Cases That “Dominated” His Life
The now-retired Chief of Detectives said the most stand-out cases of his career included a slain jogger and a man who spent 18 years on the run, both of which will be featured in Season 2 of New York Homicide.
It’s another season of New York Homicide and N.Y.P.D. Retired Chief of Detectives Robert K. Boyce is letting viewers in on what’s to come. Speaking with Oxygen.com’s Stephanie Gomulka, Boyce says there is much ahead in Season 2’s 20 episodes, airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen.
New York Homicide takes viewers into some of the wild and shocking — and even some lesser-known — homicides ever to occur in New York City’s five boroughs. Boyce said fans of the series could expect a front-row seat into these crimes, as well as an introduction to “a lot of great detectives” assigned to the cases.
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What to expect in Season 2 of New York Homicide
“I’m always amazed by them, and you will see their stories,” Boyce told Oxygen.com. “You’re gonna see families and friends of victims, exactly what we showed last year, just a continuation. But it’s even more interesting than it was last year.”
Boyce explained this season features older cases “that show a different city," noting how much New York City has changed over the years. Boyce also wanted to highlight investigations that relied on classic gumshoe detective work as opposed to high-tech methods commonly used to solve murders.
“I like showing how detectives solved their crimes with very little or no technology at all,” Boyce told Oxygen.com. “So, we have a little above-dramatic cases this year.”
Robert K. Boyce on taking the cases to the screen
Boyce admitted to Oxygen.com that during his 35-year career with the N.Y.P.D., there were cases that “stay in your head.” He said many of his fellow detectives felt the same way, the feeling of “no getting away from it” even after they go home to be with their families. It’s hard not to think of the next day’s work as part of your investigation, the evidence at hand, and things of the sort, he explained.
“When I start thinking about that, [the cases] completely dominated my thoughts then,” said Boyce. “So now, I want to retell that because [they] fill my thoughts, but they don’t dominate anymore. Because they’re solved cases, and we have a measure of justice for the victims’ families, and that’s what’s important.”
It’s worth noting Boyce assists with picking cases for New York Homicide.
Which cases featured in Season 2 stand out the most?
When asked about which cases he especially wanted to share with audiences, the first to pop into Boyce’s mind was slain jogger Karina Vetrano, who was strangled to death in Howard Beach, Queens, in August 2016.
“It dominated my life at the time because I kept going back to the scene of the crime,” said Boyce. “It was an all-out effort to get this killer.”
Boyce referred to Vetrano as “a very tough lady” who “fought very hard for her life,” noting that the investigation took months to solve.
“It took six months to figure out and go through, and a lot of work went into it,” Boyce recalled. “And it dominated my thoughts, and the detectives’ as well, and I remember the constant meetings we had in regard to media. Six months later, to the day, we identified the perpetrator. So that’s one of the cases I think will jump right off the page.”
Boyce said another stand-out case still to come on New York Homicide involved an 18-year-search for a man who killed two people in Brooklyn.
“We’ll show you the investigation and the fortitude of the detectives,” Boyce continued.
New York Homicide Will Include a High-Profile Murder
Season 2 features the shocking murder of New York’s “Realtor of the Stars,” Linda Stein, who once managed The Ramones and sold homes to the likes of Billy Joel and Steven Spielberg. Oxygen.com’s Stephanie Gomulka asked Boyce — a Ramones fan himself — how the N.Y.P.D. handled cases that involved so much publicity.
“It makes your work harder, but it sometimes blows your focus, but you can’t let that happen,” said Boyce. “So, you really have to double down on your efforts.”
But Boyce wanted New York Homicide to remind viewers that “everything matters,” not just the high-profile cases.
“Each case matters. Each case has its own dictates and its own difficulties, but you go through them anyway,” said Boyd. “And you do it with the same type of passion, the same type of vigilance with the big cases, without, perhaps, all the media questions. But they still matter, those victims still matter, the families still matter, and that’s what’s important.”
New episodes of New York Homicide air Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen.
