INTERVIEW: The journeys of a Louisiana homicide detective
Photo: Homicide Detective Rod Demery stars in Murder Chose Me. Photo courtesy of Investigation Discovery / Provided by Discovery with permission.
Homicide Detective Rod Demery, who practiced his trade in Shreveport, Louisiana, will return to television Wednesday, April 4 at 10 p.m. with the second season of Murder Chose Me on Investigation Discovery. He worked for 14 years on the trail of murderers in the city, and he was able to solve more than 250 cases — an impressive record.
The new season looks into a triple homicide in which the bodies are found in a vehicle, a homicide at a late-night birthday party and a killing in broad daylight at a popular beauty supply store.
Demery has a personal connection to murder. He told Hollywood Soapbox that his mother was killed when he was a young child, and Investigation Discovery reports on other facets of his background, both personal and professional. This tragedy seems to have sent Demery on a lifelong journey for justice, a quest to help the family members of homicide victims.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Demery about his career and the second season of Murder Chose Me. Here’s what he had to say:
On what audience members can expect in the second season …
“I think fans will see a little more action. The realism is amazing. The actors are incredible, and I think it tells a story pretty vividly this season. It just seems to be better. It just seems to be getting better.”
On how he remembers the case files …
“Most of them are pretty in the forefront. I remember them. They were pretty overwhelming at the time. It kind of consumed most of my time, so it wasn’t difficult to recall. I guess on a certain level you don’t think they’re personal, [but] I guess in retrospect they were pretty personal. It wasn’t too difficult to recall them. Some of the research was there — obviously some little things that I had forgotten — but immediately your memory is jogged.”
On how Shreveport stacks up against other cities …
“I think the homicide rates are measured per capita, so with that in mind, Shreveport is one of those cities that was unfortunately at a higher rate. Comparable it’s above average.”
On his many successful solved cases …
“I think most homicide detectives are probably only as good as their patrol force, and our patrol officers are always on top of things. I think the other thing is, at least for me, I was completely obsessed with it. There were a couple different reasons or a couple different motivations. It’s more of a personal thing. It’s kind of purpose. It’s probably my thing. I had an ability to think about [nothing] else but homicide. That coupled with a patrol force that was phenomenal and a community that gives you their trust, it kind of works.”
On his mother’s tragedy and how it influenced his career …
“I was probably put in a unique position where I could actually feel what the surviving victims were feeling, and I also could understand the person who committed the crime. I had a way of separating the crime from the criminal and actually feeling exactly what the surviving victims were feeling, so it made it personal all the way around.”
On his newfound role as a TV personality …
“I haven’t taken to the TV life at all. It’s pretty interesting and amazing to realize that. It’s very unnatural going out to crime scenes at 3 o’clock in the morning and working cases. … It’s a big change. It’s definitely not the norm.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Murder Chose Me begins new episodes Wednesday, April 4 at 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Click here for more information.
