Officer Billy Tolbert is a beloved patrol cop and an accomplice in the murder of gay college freshman Lucas Rice by Tolbert’s partner, Officer Danny Petro.
History[]
Tolbert is a family man, with a wife named Jill and a baby girl named Serena. In spite of him being a black man, his colleagues respected and cared about him as a great cop and integrities person, including former colleague Detective Chris Ravell, who was previously assigned to the 31st precinct with him. When Tolbert got to the 8th precinct, he was partnered with Petro, an Italian American man who the precinct never liked for his attitude, but Tolbert committed to his partnership with Petro.
The two were dispatched with other beat cops to a gay sex club to break up a fight, Petro being punched by one of the attendees. As the cops made fun of Petro back at the precinct when word got around, Petro wanted to pick on one of the other attendees in lockup, deciding on Lucas. Petro made Tolbert get a nightstick from a police equipment shop, then take Rice to the precinct bathroom. Tolbert held Lucas down while Petro raped Lucas with the nightstick, badly enough to pierce his colon. Lucas had an ambulance called for him when kept moaning in pain, then died at the hospital. The nightstick was thrown out and replaced quickly.
Officer Bob LeMay went to Ledger columnist Jack Miller, but only to sell out Petro. No colleague, not even Ravell, would turn on Tolbert, and Ravel even insisted over and over Tolbert tell his account and have his attorney work out a deal. Petro and Tolbert were tried, and the moment Tolbert was ready to confess and pleaded out, Petro beat him to it. Petro still tried to have Tolbert’s back by saying he was uninvolved. The defense tried to blame Lucas’ sex life and the instigation of the raid, and Ravell, in spite of testifying to Tolbert’s culpability, stated his opinion of Tolbert being a good cop.
In the end, Tolbert was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison. (TBJ: "Blue Wall")