My dad saw a movie on TV 10 to 15 years ago but can't remember who was in it or what it was called. The movie is about an ex-special forces guy who secretly lives in Central Park. At the same time a series of murders are being committed here. He is spoted and suspected of the crime even though he is not the real murderer. A boy about the age of 12 befriends him and knows he is not who the police are seeking. Does this sound familar to anyone?
THE PARK IS MINE, maybe....haven't seen it myself but I remember a movie back then [might have been an HBO movie] about an ex-military guy living in the park.
Checked IMDB...it might or might not be it---doesn't say anything about murders but that Tommy Lee Jones plays the vet who takes over the park in order to force people to honor the memory of the Vietnam War.
I don't recall any murders or a boy in This Park is Mine. Helen Shaver plays a reporter who goes into the park and spends some time with him.