
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene after Patrick Bateman's second encounter with the detective in his office, we see Bateman having sex at Courtney's apartment. After he rolls off her, Bateman approaches the large, stand-up mirror in the bedroom. In the upper right hand corner of the mirror, a boom microphone can clearly be seen moving around to pick up Christian Bale's lines. The next time we get the same long shot, the microphone is gone. (00:52:45)
Answer: The situation is intentionally left vague. The homeless man being murdered wouldn't necessarily make the news in the time (there were over 4000 murders in 1989-90 when the book and movie are set). He and his friends are so alike that they continually mistake each other for others. The prostitutes would likely be loathe to call the police because they might be arrested themselves and he would likely get off with a much better lawyer.
Greg Dwyer