The lead detective uttered that "funny" line at the party, because he wanted to gauge the reactions of those attending the party, to see if the murderer (whom he believed to be in attendance) would give himself (or, herself) away.
The real killer might suddenly exit the party or have a facial expression that would reveal his/her guilt.
That's a standard practice in criminal investigations to this day. You pretend that you already know the identity of the killer in front of a crowd of suspects, then see what happens.
In many cases, the murderer indicates who s/he is, by "reacting wrongly."
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