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==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of three children, to John Wayne Gacy, Sr. (June 20, 1900 – December 25, 1969), a machinist, and Marion Elaine Robinson (May 4, 1908 – December 14, 1989).<ref name="Reitwiesner">]</ref><ref>Linedecker, pp. 16–17</ref> Cook County marriage records provide his mother's name as Marion E. Robertson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL |url=http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1500&enc=1 |year=2008}}</ref> | John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of three children, to John Wayne Gacy, Sr. (June 20, 1900 – December 25, 1969), a machinist, and Marion Elaine Robinson (May 4, 1908 – December 14, 1989).<ref name="Reitwiesner">]</ref><ref>]</ref> Cook County marriage records provide his mother's name as Marion E. Robertson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL |url=http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1500&enc=1 |year=2008}}</ref> | ||
Gacy was of ] and ] heritage.<ref NAME="ressler">{{cite book |last1=Ressler |first1=Robert |first2=Tom |last2=Schactman |title=Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI |publisher=St Martin's Press |year=1992 |pages=207–218 |isbn=0-312-95044-6 |oclc=27658115 |location=New York}}</ref> Overweight and unathletic, he had a troubled relationship with his father, an ] who was ] and repeatedly called his son a "]".<ref name="Clark County"/><ref name="Linedecker, p. 19">Linedecker, p. 19</ref> He was close to his sisters and mother, who affectionately called him "Johnny".<ref name="Linedecker, p. 19"/> | Gacy was of ] and ] heritage.<ref NAME="ressler">{{cite book |last1=Ressler |first1=Robert |first2=Tom |last2=Schactman |title=Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI |publisher=St Martin's Press |year=1992 |pages=207–218 |isbn=0-312-95044-6 |oclc=27658115 |location=New York}}</ref> Overweight and unathletic, he had a troubled relationship with his father, an ] who was ] and repeatedly called his son a "]".<ref name="Clark County"/><ref name="Linedecker, p. 19">]</ref> He was close to his sisters and mother, who affectionately called him "Johnny".<ref name="Linedecker, p. 19"/> | ||
When Gacy was 11, he was struck on the forehead by a swing. The resulting ] formed a ] in his brain that went unnoticed until he was 16, when he began to suffer blackouts. He was prescribed medication to dissolve the clot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/gacy/begin_2.html |title=John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: The Early Years |accessdate=2008-11-06 |last=Bell |first=Rachael |coauthors=Bardsley, Marilyn |publisher=] |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c7tkzfcn |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref><ref>Linedecker, p. 17</ref> | When Gacy was 11, he was struck on the forehead by a swing. The resulting ] formed a ] in his brain that went unnoticed until he was 16, when he began to suffer blackouts. He was prescribed medication to dissolve the clot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/gacy/begin_2.html |title=John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: The Early Years |accessdate=2008-11-06 |last=Bell |first=Rachael |coauthors=Bardsley, Marilyn |publisher=] |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c7tkzfcn |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref><ref>]</ref> | ||
After attending four different high schools, Gacy dropped out before completing his senior year and left his family, heading west. After running out of money in ], he worked long enough to earn money to travel back home to Chicago. Without returning to high school, he enrolled in and eventually graduated from Northwestern Business College.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/gacy/3.html |title=John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: Too Good To Be True |accessdate=2008-11-06 |last=Bell |first=Rachael |coauthors=Bardsley, Marilyn |publisher=] |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c7uOqa6k |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref><ref>Linedecker, pp. 18–19</ref> A management trainee position with the Nunn-Bush Shoe Company followed shortly after graduation, and in 1964, Gacy was transferred to ]. There he met coworker Marlynn Myers, and they married in September 1964. He became active in local Springfield organizations, joining the ] and rising to vice-president of the Springfield chapter by 1965.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 20–22</ref> | After attending four different high schools, Gacy dropped out before completing his senior year and left his family, heading west. After running out of money in ], he worked long enough to earn money to travel back home to Chicago. Without returning to high school, he enrolled in and eventually graduated from Northwestern Business College.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/gacy/3.html |title=John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: Too Good To Be True |accessdate=2008-11-06 |last=Bell |first=Rachael |coauthors=Bardsley, Marilyn |publisher=] |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c7uOqa6k |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref><ref>]</ref> A management trainee position with the Nunn-Bush Shoe Company followed shortly after graduation, and in 1964, Gacy was transferred to ]. There he met coworker Marlynn Myers, and they married in September 1964. He became active in local Springfield organizations, joining the ] and rising to vice-president of the Springfield chapter by 1965.<ref>]</ref> | ||
Marlynn's parents, who had purchased a group of ] (KFC) franchises, offered Gacy a job as manager of a ] KFC, and the Gacys moved there from Springfield.<ref>Linedecker, p. 23</ref> | Marlynn's parents, who had purchased a group of ] (KFC) franchises, offered Gacy a job as manager of a ] KFC, and the Gacys moved there from Springfield.<ref>]</ref> | ||
==Imprisonment, divorce, parole== | ==Imprisonment, divorce, parole== | ||
The Gacys settled in Waterloo and had two children: a son and a daughter. Gacy worked at his KFC franchise and joined the ].<ref>Linedecker, pp. 24–25</ref> Rumors of Gacy's ] began to spread but did not prevent him from being named "outstanding vice-president" of the Waterloo Jaycees in 1967.<ref>Linedecker, p. 28</ref> However, there was a seamier side of Jaycee life in Waterloo, one that involved ], ], and ], in which Gacy was deeply involved. Gacy was cheating on his wife regularly.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 263</ref> Gacy opened a "club" in his basement for the young boys of Waterloo, where he allowed them to drink alcohol and made sexual advances towards them.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 265</ref> | The Gacys settled in Waterloo and had two children: a son and a daughter. Gacy worked at his KFC franchise and joined the ].<ref>]</ref> Rumors of Gacy's ] began to spread but did not prevent him from being named "outstanding vice-president" of the Waterloo Jaycees in 1967.<ref>]</ref> However, there was a seamier side of Jaycee life in Waterloo, one that involved ], ], and ], in which Gacy was deeply involved. Gacy was cheating on his wife regularly.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 263</ref> Gacy opened a "club" in his basement for the young boys of Waterloo, where he allowed them to drink alcohol and made sexual advances towards them.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 265</ref> | ||
] | ] | ||
Gacy's middle class life in Waterloo came crashing down in March 1968 when two Waterloo boys, aged 15 and 16, accused him of ] them.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 267</ref> Gacy professed his innocence, but in August of that year he hired another Waterloo youth to beat up one of his accusers. The youth was caught and confessed, and Gacy was arrested.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 268–270</ref> Before the year was out, he was convicted of ] and sentenced to 10 years in the ].<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 272</ref><ref>Peck and Dolch, p. 260</ref> | Gacy's middle class life in Waterloo came crashing down in March 1968 when two Waterloo boys, aged 15 and 16, accused him of ] them.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 267</ref> Gacy professed his innocence, but in August of that year he hired another Waterloo youth to beat up one of his accusers. The youth was caught and confessed, and Gacy was arrested.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 268–270</ref> Before the year was out, he was convicted of ] and sentenced to 10 years in the ].<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 272</ref><ref>Peck and Dolch, p. 260</ref> | ||
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==Businessman and political activist== | ==Businessman and political activist== | ||
Gacy moved in with his mother and got a job as a chef in a Chicago restaurant.<ref>Linedecker, p. 49</ref> In 1971, with his mother's financial assistance, he bought a house at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue, in an ] of ],<ref>Linedecker, pp. 50–51</ref> which is surrounded by the northwest side Chicago neighborhood of ]. The house had a four-foot deep crawl space under the floor.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 51–52</ref> | Gacy moved in with his mother and got a job as a chef in a Chicago restaurant.<ref>]</ref> In 1971, with his mother's financial assistance, he bought a house at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue, in an ] of ],<ref>]</ref> which is surrounded by the northwest side Chicago neighborhood of ]. The house had a four-foot deep crawl space under the floor.<ref>]</ref> | ||
On February 12, 1971, Gacy was charged with ]; a teenaged boy claimed that Gacy picked him up and tried to force him into sex. The complaint was dropped when the boy did not appear in court. The Iowa Board of Parole did not learn of this, and Gacy was discharged from parole in October 1971.<ref>Linedecker, p. 53</ref> On June 22, 1972, Gacy was arrested again and charged with ] after another young man said that Gacy flashed a sheriff's badge, lured him into Gacy's car, and forced him into sex. Again charges were dropped.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 61–62</ref> | On February 12, 1971, Gacy was charged with ]; a teenaged boy claimed that Gacy picked him up and tried to force him into sex. The complaint was dropped when the boy did not appear in court. The Iowa Board of Parole did not learn of this, and Gacy was discharged from parole in October 1971.<ref>]</ref> On June 22, 1972, Gacy was arrested again and charged with ] after another young man said that Gacy flashed a sheriff's badge, lured him into Gacy's car, and forced him into sex. Again charges were dropped.<ref>]</ref> | ||
In June 1972, Gacy married Carole Hoff, an acquaintance from his teenage years. Hoff and her two daughters moved into the Summerdale Avenue house.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 55–59</ref> In 1975, Gacy started his own business, PDM Contractors, a construction company.<ref>Linedecker, p. 65</ref> At the same time, his marriage began to deteriorate. The Gacys' sex life came to a halt, and John Gacy would go out late and stay out all night.<ref>Linedecker, p. 66</ref> Carole Gacy found wallets with IDs from young men lying around. John Gacy began bringing ] into the house.<ref>Linedecker, p. 68</ref> The Gacys divorced in March 1976.<ref>Linedecker, p. 87</ref> | In June 1972, Gacy married Carole Hoff, an acquaintance from his teenage years. Hoff and her two daughters moved into the Summerdale Avenue house.<ref>]</ref> In 1975, Gacy started his own business, PDM Contractors, a construction company.<ref>]</ref> At the same time, his marriage began to deteriorate. The Gacys' sex life came to a halt, and John Gacy would go out late and stay out all night.<ref>]</ref> Carole Gacy found wallets with IDs from young men lying around. John Gacy began bringing ] into the house.<ref>]</ref> The Gacys divorced in March 1976.<ref>]</ref> | ||
] | ] | ||
By late 1975, Gacy had created a performance character, “Pogo The Clown”.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70">Linedecker, p. 70</ref> He designed his own costumes and taught himself how to apply clown makeup.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> Gacy painted the sharp corners at the edges of his mouth, contrary to the rounded borders that professional ]s normally employ so as not to “frighten small children”.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> Gacy performed as Pogo at local parties and events, and though he often spoke of entertaining at children’s hospitals, there is no evidence of his doing so.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> He appeared dressed as Pogo on more than one occasion at the Good Luck Lounge, a favorite haunt, explaining he had just performed and was stopping in for a drink before heading home.<ref> |
By late 1975, Gacy had created a performance character, “Pogo The Clown”.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70">]</ref> He designed his own costumes and taught himself how to apply clown makeup.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> Gacy painted the sharp corners at the edges of his mouth, contrary to the rounded borders that professional ]s normally employ so as not to “frighten small children”.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> Gacy performed as Pogo at local parties and events, and though he often spoke of entertaining at children’s hospitals, there is no evidence of his doing so.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> He appeared dressed as Pogo on more than one occasion at the Good Luck Lounge, a favorite haunt, explaining he had just performed and was stopping in for a drink before heading home.<ref>]</ref> | ||
], 1978]] | ], 1978]] | ||
Gacy became active in Chicago's ], first volunteering to clean the party offices.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> In 1975 and 1976, he served on the Norwood Park Township street lighting committee.<ref>Linedecker, p. 72</ref> He eventually earned the title of precinct captain.<ref name="Clark County">{{cite web |url=http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/gacy237.htm |title=John Wayne Gacy |accessdate=2008-11-06 |publisher=Clark County Prosecutor |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c81hVxiU |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref> In this capacity, he met and was photographed with ] ], who was in town for the annual Polish Constitution Day Parade, held on May 6, 1978.<ref>{{cite news| title=Unfortunate encounters | url =http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-080125embarrass-photogallery,0,3600328.photogallery?index=chi-gacy220080128081313 | work =] | accessdate = 2008-11-06 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c82JOxCV |archivedate=2008-11-06}}</ref> Gacy was directing the parade that year, for the third year in a row. Carter posed for pictures with Gacy and autographed the photo "To John Gacy. Best Wishes. Rosalynn Carter". In the picture, Gacy is wearing an "S" pin, indicating a person who has received special clearance by the ].<ref>Linedecker, pp. 142–43</ref> During the search of Gacy's house after his arrest, this photo caused a major embarrassment to the Secret Service.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 248</ref> | Gacy became active in Chicago's ], first volunteering to clean the party offices.<ref name="Linedecker, p. 70"/> In 1975 and 1976, he served on the Norwood Park Township street lighting committee.<ref>]</ref> He eventually earned the title of precinct captain.<ref name="Clark County">{{cite web |url=http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/gacy237.htm |title=John Wayne Gacy |accessdate=2008-11-06 |publisher=Clark County Prosecutor |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c81hVxiU |archivedate=2008-11-06 }}</ref> In this capacity, he met and was photographed with ] ], who was in town for the annual Polish Constitution Day Parade, held on May 6, 1978.<ref>{{cite news| title=Unfortunate encounters | url =http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-080125embarrass-photogallery,0,3600328.photogallery?index=chi-gacy220080128081313 | work =] | accessdate = 2008-11-06 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5c82JOxCV |archivedate=2008-11-06}}</ref> Gacy was directing the parade that year, for the third year in a row. Carter posed for pictures with Gacy and autographed the photo "To John Gacy. Best Wishes. Rosalynn Carter". In the picture, Gacy is wearing an "S" pin, indicating a person who has received special clearance by the ].<ref>]</ref> During the search of Gacy's house after his arrest, this photo caused a major embarrassment to the Secret Service.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 248</ref> | ||
==Murders== | ==Murders== | ||
On January 3, 1972, Gacy, engaged to marry his second wife, picked up a youth named Timothy McCoy from the Greyhound bus station in Chicago and drove him to his home where, the following morning, the youth was stabbed to death and buried in Gacy's crawlspace.<ref>Cahill, p. 101</ref> According to Gacy, this killing was unintentional, committed in the mistaken belief the youth intended to attack him with a knife from his kitchen.<ref>Cahill, p. 349</ref> | On January 3, 1972, Gacy, engaged to marry his second wife, picked up a youth named Timothy McCoy from the Greyhound bus station in Chicago and drove him to his home where, the following morning, the youth was stabbed to death and buried in Gacy's crawlspace.<ref>Cahill, p. 101</ref> According to Gacy, this killing was unintentional, committed in the mistaken belief the youth intended to attack him with a knife from his kitchen.<ref>Cahill, p. 349</ref> | ||
Three years later, in July 1975, one of Gacy's employees, John Butkovich, disappeared. Butkovich had recently left Gacy's employment after an argument over back pay. Gacy later admitted to luring Butkovitch to his home while his wife and stepchildren were visiting his sister in ].<ref>Cahill, p. 126</ref> Gacy conned the youth into cuffing his wrists behind his back, then strangled him to death and buried his body under the concrete floor of his garage. Butkovich's parents urged police to check out Gacy, but nothing came of it and the young man's disappearance went unsolved.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 83–85</ref> | Three years later, in July 1975, one of Gacy's employees, John Butkovich, disappeared. Butkovich had recently left Gacy's employment after an argument over back pay. Gacy later admitted to luring Butkovitch to his home while his wife and stepchildren were visiting his sister in ].<ref>Cahill, p. 126</ref> Gacy conned the youth into cuffing his wrists behind his back, then strangled him to death and buried his body under the concrete floor of his garage. Butkovich's parents urged police to check out Gacy, but nothing came of it and the young man's disappearance went unsolved.<ref>]</ref> | ||
Gacy's second wife divorced him eight months later, and Gacy began to kill in earnest. Between April and October 1976, Gacy killed a minimum of eight youths, all buried in his crawlspace. In December 1976, another Gacy employee, Gregory Godzik, disappeared. As with Butkovitch, Godzik's parents asked police to investigate Gacy, one of the last people known to have spoken to the boy. In neither case did the police pursue Gacy, nor did they discover his criminal record.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 92–93</ref> In January 1977, John Szyc, an acquaintance of Butkovich, Godzik and Gacy, disappeared. Gacy later sold Szyc's ] to another of his employees.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 58–60</ref> During 1977, Gacy killed a further eight young men, including the son of a Chicago Police Sergeant. | Gacy's second wife divorced him eight months later, and Gacy began to kill in earnest. Between April and October 1976, Gacy killed a minimum of eight youths, all buried in his crawlspace. In December 1976, another Gacy employee, Gregory Godzik, disappeared. As with Butkovitch, Godzik's parents asked police to investigate Gacy, one of the last people known to have spoken to the boy. In neither case did the police pursue Gacy, nor did they discover his criminal record.<ref>]</ref> In January 1977, John Szyc, an acquaintance of Butkovich, Godzik and Gacy, disappeared. Gacy later sold Szyc's ] to another of his employees.<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 58–60</ref> During 1977, Gacy killed a further eight young men, including the son of a Chicago Police Sergeant. | ||
In August 1977, a clue emerged to the disappearance of John Szyc when the same employee to whom Gacy had sold Szyc's car was arrested for stealing gasoline from a station while driving Szyc's car. Upon investigating the theft, Gacy told officers that Szyc had sold the car to him before leaving town. The police did not pursue the matter further.<ref>Linedecker, pp. 95–97</ref> | In August 1977, a clue emerged to the disappearance of John Szyc when the same employee to whom Gacy had sold Szyc's car was arrested for stealing gasoline from a station while driving Szyc's car. Upon investigating the theft, Gacy told officers that Szyc had sold the car to him before leaving town. The police did not pursue the matter further.<ref>]</ref> | ||
Not all of Gacy's victims died. In December 1977, a 19-year-old man complained that Gacy had kidnapped him at gunpoint and forced him into sex. Yet again, Chicago police took no action.<ref>Linedecker, p. 150</ref> In March 1978, Gacy lured Jeffrey Rignall into his car. Gacy ]ed the young man, took him back to the house on Summerdale, raped and ]d him, and dumped him alive in ]. Police drew a blank, but Rignall remembered, through the chloroform haze of that night, a black ], the ], and some side streets. He staked out the exit on the Expressway until he saw the black Oldsmobile, which he followed to 8213 West Summerdale. Police issued a ],<ref>Linedecker, pp. 146–150</ref> and arrested Gacy on July 15. He was facing trial on a battery charge for the Rignall incident when he was arrested in December for the murders.<ref name="Linedecker1">Linedecker, p. 153</ref> | Not all of Gacy's victims died. In December 1977, a 19-year-old man complained that Gacy had kidnapped him at gunpoint and forced him into sex. Yet again, Chicago police took no action.<ref>]</ref> In March 1978, Gacy lured Jeffrey Rignall into his car. Gacy ]ed the young man, took him back to the house on Summerdale, raped and ]d him, and dumped him alive in ]. Police drew a blank, but Rignall remembered, through the chloroform haze of that night, a black ], the ], and some side streets. He staked out the exit on the Expressway until he saw the black Oldsmobile, which he followed to 8213 West Summerdale. Police issued a ],<ref>]</ref> and arrested Gacy on July 15. He was facing trial on a battery charge for the Rignall incident when he was arrested in December for the murders.<ref name="Linedecker1">]</ref> | ||
By early 1978, following the February murder of nineteen-year-old William Kindred, Gacy began disposing of his victims in the ], having filled up his crawlspace with corpses.<ref>Cahill, p. 219</ref><ref>''Serial Killers''. p 73.</ref> | By early 1978, following the February murder of nineteen-year-old William Kindred, Gacy began disposing of his victims in the ], having filled up his crawlspace with corpses.<ref>Cahill, p. 219</ref><ref>''Serial Killers''. p 73.</ref> | ||
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*Tommy Boling, 20, November 18, 1977<ref name="sm304"/> | *Tommy Boling, 20, November 18, 1977<ref name="sm304"/> | ||
*David Talsma, 19, December 9, 1977<ref name="sm305">Sullivan and Maiken, p. 305</ref> | *David Talsma, 19, December 9, 1977<ref name="sm305">Sullivan and Maiken, p. 305</ref> | ||
*William Kindred, 19, February 16, 1978<ref>Linedecker, p. 141</ref> | *William Kindred, 19, February 16, 1978<ref>]</ref> | ||
*Timothy O'Rourke, 20, June, 1978<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 219–220</ref> | *Timothy O'Rourke, 20, June, 1978<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 219–220</ref> | ||
*Frank Landingin, 19, November 4, 1978<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 220</ref> | *Frank Landingin, 19, November 4, 1978<ref>Sullivan and Maiken, p. 220</ref> |
Revision as of 21:15, 10 February 2010
"Gacy" redirects here. For the musician, see Madonna Wayne Gacy.John Wayne Gacy | |
---|---|
File:Johnwaynegacymug.jpgMug shot of John Wayne Gacy | |
Born | John Wayne Gacy, Jr. |
Cause of death | Lethal injection |
Conviction(s) | Death |
Details | |
Victims | 33 |
Span of crimes | 1972–1978 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Illinois |
Date apprehended | December 1978 |
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer.
Between 1972 and 1978, the year he was arrested, Gacy raped and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Although some of his victims' bodies were found in the Des Plaines River, he buried 26 of them in the small crawl space underneath the basement of his home and three more elsewhere on his property. He became known as "Killer Clown" because of the popular block parties he would throw for his friends and neighbors, entertaining children in a clown suit and makeup as "Pogo the Clown".
Early life
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of three children, to John Wayne Gacy, Sr. (June 20, 1900 – December 25, 1969), a machinist, and Marion Elaine Robinson (May 4, 1908 – December 14, 1989). Cook County marriage records provide his mother's name as Marion E. Robertson.
Gacy was of Polish and Danish heritage. Overweight and unathletic, he had a troubled relationship with his father, an alcoholic who was physically abusive and repeatedly called his son a "sissy". He was close to his sisters and mother, who affectionately called him "Johnny".
When Gacy was 11, he was struck on the forehead by a swing. The resulting head trauma formed a blood clot in his brain that went unnoticed until he was 16, when he began to suffer blackouts. He was prescribed medication to dissolve the clot.
After attending four different high schools, Gacy dropped out before completing his senior year and left his family, heading west. After running out of money in Las Vegas, Nevada, he worked long enough to earn money to travel back home to Chicago. Without returning to high school, he enrolled in and eventually graduated from Northwestern Business College. A management trainee position with the Nunn-Bush Shoe Company followed shortly after graduation, and in 1964, Gacy was transferred to Springfield, Illinois. There he met coworker Marlynn Myers, and they married in September 1964. He became active in local Springfield organizations, joining the Jaycees and rising to vice-president of the Springfield chapter by 1965.
Marlynn's parents, who had purchased a group of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchises, offered Gacy a job as manager of a Waterloo, Iowa KFC, and the Gacys moved there from Springfield.
Imprisonment, divorce, parole
The Gacys settled in Waterloo and had two children: a son and a daughter. Gacy worked at his KFC franchise and joined the Jaycees. Rumors of Gacy's homosexuality began to spread but did not prevent him from being named "outstanding vice-president" of the Waterloo Jaycees in 1967. However, there was a seamier side of Jaycee life in Waterloo, one that involved prostitution, pornography, and drugs, in which Gacy was deeply involved. Gacy was cheating on his wife regularly. Gacy opened a "club" in his basement for the young boys of Waterloo, where he allowed them to drink alcohol and made sexual advances towards them.
Gacy's middle class life in Waterloo came crashing down in March 1968 when two Waterloo boys, aged 15 and 16, accused him of sexually assaulting them. Gacy professed his innocence, but in August of that year he hired another Waterloo youth to beat up one of his accusers. The youth was caught and confessed, and Gacy was arrested. Before the year was out, he was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to 10 years in the Iowa State Penitentiary.
Gacy's imprisonment was rapidly followed by his wife's petition for divorce, which was final in 1969. He never saw his children again. During his incarceration, Gacy's father died from cirrhosis on Christmas Day 1969. Gacy was paroled for good behavior in 1970, after serving 18 months. After Gacy was released, he moved back to Illinois to live with his mother. He successfully hid this criminal record until police began investigating him for his later murders.
Businessman and political activist
Gacy moved in with his mother and got a job as a chef in a Chicago restaurant. In 1971, with his mother's financial assistance, he bought a house at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue, in an unincorporated area of Norwood Park Township, Cook County, which is surrounded by the northwest side Chicago neighborhood of Norwood Park. The house had a four-foot deep crawl space under the floor.
On February 12, 1971, Gacy was charged with disorderly conduct; a teenaged boy claimed that Gacy picked him up and tried to force him into sex. The complaint was dropped when the boy did not appear in court. The Iowa Board of Parole did not learn of this, and Gacy was discharged from parole in October 1971. On June 22, 1972, Gacy was arrested again and charged with battery after another young man said that Gacy flashed a sheriff's badge, lured him into Gacy's car, and forced him into sex. Again charges were dropped.
In June 1972, Gacy married Carole Hoff, an acquaintance from his teenage years. Hoff and her two daughters moved into the Summerdale Avenue house. In 1975, Gacy started his own business, PDM Contractors, a construction company. At the same time, his marriage began to deteriorate. The Gacys' sex life came to a halt, and John Gacy would go out late and stay out all night. Carole Gacy found wallets with IDs from young men lying around. John Gacy began bringing gay pornography into the house. The Gacys divorced in March 1976.
By late 1975, Gacy had created a performance character, “Pogo The Clown”. He designed his own costumes and taught himself how to apply clown makeup. Gacy painted the sharp corners at the edges of his mouth, contrary to the rounded borders that professional clowns normally employ so as not to “frighten small children”. Gacy performed as Pogo at local parties and events, and though he often spoke of entertaining at children’s hospitals, there is no evidence of his doing so. He appeared dressed as Pogo on more than one occasion at the Good Luck Lounge, a favorite haunt, explaining he had just performed and was stopping in for a drink before heading home.
Gacy became active in Chicago's Democratic Party, first volunteering to clean the party offices. In 1975 and 1976, he served on the Norwood Park Township street lighting committee. He eventually earned the title of precinct captain. In this capacity, he met and was photographed with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who was in town for the annual Polish Constitution Day Parade, held on May 6, 1978. Gacy was directing the parade that year, for the third year in a row. Carter posed for pictures with Gacy and autographed the photo "To John Gacy. Best Wishes. Rosalynn Carter". In the picture, Gacy is wearing an "S" pin, indicating a person who has received special clearance by the United States Secret Service. During the search of Gacy's house after his arrest, this photo caused a major embarrassment to the Secret Service.
Murders
On January 3, 1972, Gacy, engaged to marry his second wife, picked up a youth named Timothy McCoy from the Greyhound bus station in Chicago and drove him to his home where, the following morning, the youth was stabbed to death and buried in Gacy's crawlspace. According to Gacy, this killing was unintentional, committed in the mistaken belief the youth intended to attack him with a knife from his kitchen.
Three years later, in July 1975, one of Gacy's employees, John Butkovich, disappeared. Butkovich had recently left Gacy's employment after an argument over back pay. Gacy later admitted to luring Butkovitch to his home while his wife and stepchildren were visiting his sister in Arkansas. Gacy conned the youth into cuffing his wrists behind his back, then strangled him to death and buried his body under the concrete floor of his garage. Butkovich's parents urged police to check out Gacy, but nothing came of it and the young man's disappearance went unsolved.
Gacy's second wife divorced him eight months later, and Gacy began to kill in earnest. Between April and October 1976, Gacy killed a minimum of eight youths, all buried in his crawlspace. In December 1976, another Gacy employee, Gregory Godzik, disappeared. As with Butkovitch, Godzik's parents asked police to investigate Gacy, one of the last people known to have spoken to the boy. In neither case did the police pursue Gacy, nor did they discover his criminal record. In January 1977, John Szyc, an acquaintance of Butkovich, Godzik and Gacy, disappeared. Gacy later sold Szyc's Plymouth Satellite to another of his employees. During 1977, Gacy killed a further eight young men, including the son of a Chicago Police Sergeant.
In August 1977, a clue emerged to the disappearance of John Szyc when the same employee to whom Gacy had sold Szyc's car was arrested for stealing gasoline from a station while driving Szyc's car. Upon investigating the theft, Gacy told officers that Szyc had sold the car to him before leaving town. The police did not pursue the matter further.
Not all of Gacy's victims died. In December 1977, a 19-year-old man complained that Gacy had kidnapped him at gunpoint and forced him into sex. Yet again, Chicago police took no action. In March 1978, Gacy lured Jeffrey Rignall into his car. Gacy chloroformed the young man, took him back to the house on Summerdale, raped and tortured him, and dumped him alive in Lincoln Park. Police drew a blank, but Rignall remembered, through the chloroform haze of that night, a black Oldsmobile, the Kennedy Expressway, and some side streets. He staked out the exit on the Expressway until he saw the black Oldsmobile, which he followed to 8213 West Summerdale. Police issued a warrant, and arrested Gacy on July 15. He was facing trial on a battery charge for the Rignall incident when he was arrested in December for the murders.
By early 1978, following the February murder of nineteen-year-old William Kindred, Gacy began disposing of his victims in the Des Plaines River, having filled up his crawlspace with corpses.
Investigation
Robert Piest, a 15-year-old boy, disappeared on December 11, 1978 from the Des Plaines pharmacy where he worked after school. The same evening, Gacy, whose firm specialized in pharmacy design and construction, had visited the store to discuss a potential remodelling deal with the owner that evening. Gacy was heard mentioning that his firm hired teenage boys while he was within earshot of Piest. After Gacy left the store, Piest told his mother, who had come to collect her son that "some contractor wants to talk to me about a job". He left the store, promising to return shortly. When Piest failed to return, his family filed a missing persons report on their son with the Des Plaines Police. The owner of the pharmacy named Gacy as the contractor Piest had most likely left the store to talk with. Gacy denied talking to Piest when Des Plaines police called him the next day, and promised to come to the station later that evening to make a statement confirming this, indicating he was unable to do so as his uncle had just died. At 3:30 a.m., Gacy, covered in mud, arrived at the police station, claiming he had been involved in a car accident. Upon returning to the station later that day, Gacy flatly denied any involvement in Robert Piest's disappearance, and denied offering the youth a job.
Des Plaines police were convinced Gacy was behind Piest's disappearance and checked Gacy's record, discovering that he had an outstanding battery charge against him in Chicago and had served a prison sentence in Iowa for sodomy. A search of Gacy's house on December 13 turned up several suspicious items: a 1975 high school class ring, drivers' licenses for other people, handcuffs, a two-by-four with holes drilled in the ends, books on homosexuality and pederasty, a syringe, clothing too small for Gacy, and a photo receipt from the pharmacy where Robert Piest worked. Police decided to assign two two-man surveillance teams to follow Gacy, while they continued their investigation of Gacy into Piest's disappearance. Gacy issued a $750,000 civil suit against the Des Plaines police, demanding the police surveillance cease. The hearing of his suit was scheduled for December 22.
Further investigation into Gacy's background linked him to the disappearance of three further youths. One of Gacy's employees informed detectives of Gregory Godzik's disappearance, through interviewing Gacy's second wife, they learned of the disappearance of John Butkovich and the high school ring found in Gacy's house was traced to John Szyc. On December 18, the Nisson Pharmacy photo receipt found in Gacy's kitchen was traced to a colleague of Piest's who admitted she had placed it in his parka jacket just before he left the store, proving conclusively Piest had been in Gacy's house. Another employee revealed Gacy had made him dig trenches in the crawlspace of his house.
On December 20, 1978, Gacy invited two of the surveillance detectives inside his house. The police noticed the smell of corpses emanating from a heating duct. The officers who previously searched Gacy's house failed to notice this as on that occasion the house had been cold. On December 22, the same day as the hearing of Gacy's civil suit, police obtained a second search warrant of Gacy's house. To hold Gacy in custody while the search commenced, officers arrested Gacy on a charge of marijuana possession. Upon digging in the crawlspace of Gacy's Norwood Park Township residence, police quickly found several human bones and informed investigators they could charge Gacy with murder.
Arrest and confession
After being informed that he would now face murder charges, Gacy confessed that since 1972, he had committed approximately 25-30 murders, telling investigators that most victims were buried in the basement or elsewhere on his property. Once the crawlspace was full, he threw the last five bodies off the I-55 bridge and into the Des Plaines River. Gacy drew police a diagram of his basement to show where the bodies were buried.
Gacy told the police that he would pick up male teenage runaways or male prostitutes from the Chicago Greyhound Bus station or off the streets, and take them back to his house by either promising them money for sex, offering them a job with his construction company, or simply grabbing them by force. Once they got back to his house, he would handcuff them or tie them up in another way. Gacy would often stick clothing in their mouths to muffle their screams. After this, he would choke them with a rope or a board as he sexually assaulted them, then bury the bodies in his crawlspace. Periodically, Gacy would pour quicklime in the crawlspace to hasten the decomposition of the bodies.
Police had already gone back to the house to search for more remains, mostly in the basement. For the next four months, more and more human remains emerged from the house, as reporters, TV news crews, and astonished onlookers watched. Between December 1978 and March 1979, twenty-nine bodies were found at Gacy's property,, twenty-six of them in his crawlspace. Several of the bodies were found with the ligature used to strangle them still knotted around their neck. In other instances, cloth gags were found lodged deep down the victims' throat, leading the investigators to conclude that thirteen of Gacy's victims died not of strangulation, but of asphyxiation caused by gags shoved down their throats. The youngest identified victims were Samuel Stapleton and Michael Marino, both 14 years old; the oldest were Russell Nelson and James Mazzara, both 21 years old. Eight of the victims were so badly decomposed that they were never identified. Robert Piest's body was discovered on the banks of the Des Plaines River on April 9, 1979.
Trial and execution
On February 6, 1980, Gacy's trial began in Chicago. During the trial, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, this plea was rejected outright; Gacy's lawyer, Sam Amirante, said that Gacy had moments of temporary insanity at the time of each individual murder, but regained his sanity before and after to lure and dispose of victims.
While on trial, Gacy joked that the only thing he was guilty of was "running a cemetery without a license." At one point in the trial, Gacy's defense tried to claim that all 33 murders were accidental deaths as part of erotic asphyxia, but the Cook County Coroner countered this assertion with evidence that Gacy's claim was impossible. Gacy had made an earlier confession to police, and was unable to have this evidence suppressed. He was found guilty on March 13 and sentenced to death.
Gacy spent the next 14 years studying books on law and filing numerous and exhaustive appeals and motions, all unsuccessful. While awaiting execution, Gacy was interviewed by Robert Ressler as the centerpiece of a documentary about his crimes. The transcripts were published in Ressler's book, I Have Lived In The Monster. Gacy, at one point, claimed that one of them was killed in self defense.
On May 10, 1994, Gacy was executed at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois, by lethal injection. His execution was covered by the media, and crowds of people gathered for "execution parties" outside the penitentiary, with numerous arrests for public intoxication, open container violations, and disorderly conduct. Vendors sold Gacy-related T-shirts and other merchandise, and the crowd cheered at the moment when Gacy was pronounced dead.
According to reports, Gacy did not express remorse for his crimes. His last words to his lawyer in his cell were to the effect that killing him would not bring anyone back, and it is reported his last words were "kiss my ass," which he said to a correctional officer while he was being sent to the execution chamber.
Before the execution began, the lethal chemicals unexpectedly solidified, clogging the IV tube that led into Gacy's arm, and prevented any further passage. Blinds covering the window through which witnesses observed the execution were drawn, and the execution team replaced the clogged tube with a new one. Ten minutes later, the blinds were reopened and the execution resumed. It took 18 minutes to complete. Anesthesiologists blamed the problem on the inexperience of prison officials who were conducting the execution, saying that proper procedures taught in "IV 101" would have prevented the error. This apparently led to Illinois' adoption of a different method of lethal injection. On this subject, one of the prosecutors at Gacy's trial, William Kunkle, said "He still got a much easier death than any of his victims."
After his execution, Gacy's brain was removed. It is in the possession of Dr. Helen Morrison, a witness for the defense at Gacy's trial, who interviewed Gacy and other serial killers in an attempt to isolate common personality traits of violent sociopaths. Examination of Gacy's brain after his execution by the forensic psychiatrist hired by his lawyers revealed no abnormalities.
Victims
Known Gacy victims, with date of disappearance.
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Originally, nine of the bodies remained unidentified. One was eventually identified as Timothy McCoy, leaving eight Gacy victims unidentified.
In film
Brian Dennehy starred as Gacy in the television film To Catch a Killer, aired in 1992.
The feature film Gacy, starring Mark Holton as John Gacy, was released in 2003.
Gacy as an artist
During his 14 years on death row, Gacy took up oil painting, his favorite subject being portraits of clowns. He said he used his clown act as an alter ego, once sardonically saying that "A clown can get away with murder". His paintings included pictures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and his fellow serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein. They are among the most famous examples of serial killer art.
Many of Gacy's paintings were sold at auction after his execution. Nineteen were put up for sale, prices ranging from $195, for an acrylic painting of a bird, to $9500 for a depiction of dwarfs playing baseball against the Chicago Cubs. Some bought Gacy's paintings to destroy them. A bonfire in Naperville, Illinois in June 1994 was attended by 300 people, including family members of nine victims who watched 25 of the paintings burn.
The privately owned National Museum of Crime & Punishment exhibits two Gacy paintings including “Baseball Hall of Fame”, signed by 46 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame including Duke Snider, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, and Roy Campanella. President Richard Nixon also signed the work. All signers were unaware that Gacy was the artist.
References
- Cahill, Tim (1986). Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer. Bantam Books. ISBN 0553051156. OCLC 12421532.
- Kozenczak, Joseph R.; Henrikson, Karen (November 3, 2003). The Chicago Killer: The Hunt for Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy. Philadelphia: Xlibris. ISBN 1401095321. OCLC 54782106.
- Linedecker, Clifford L. (1980). The Man Who Killed Boys: A True Story of Mass Murder in a Chicago Suburb (First edition ed.). St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312511574. OCLC 5564916.
{{cite book}}
:|edition=
has extra text (help) - Peck, Dennis L.; Dolch, Norman Allan (2001). "Behavior Beyond the Boundaries". Extraordinary Behavior: A Case Study Approach to Understanding Social Problems. Greenwood. ISBN 0275970574. OCLC 43694355.
- Ressler, Robert; Schactman, Tom (1992). Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI. New York: St Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-95044-6. OCLC 27658115.
- Seideman, David (23 May 1994). "A Twist Before Dying". Time Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- Sullivan, Terry; Maiken, Peter T. (2000). Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Paperback ed.). Pinnacle. ISBN 0786014229. OCLC 156783287.
- Reitwiesner, William Addams. "Ancestry of John Wayne Gacy". Wargs.com. Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- "Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk's Office, Chicago, IL". 2008.
- Time-Life Books (1992). Serial killers. Time-Life Books. ISBN 0783500009.
- "Sale of Chicago serial killer's art draws protests". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. June 6, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
Notes
- Reitwiesner
- Linedecker, pp. 16–17
- "Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk's Office, Chicago, IL". 2008.
- Ressler, Robert; Schactman, Tom (1992). Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Hunting Serial Killers for the FBI. New York: St Martin's Press. pp. 207–218. ISBN 0-312-95044-6. OCLC 27658115.
- ^ "John Wayne Gacy". Clark County Prosecutor. Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ^ Linedecker, p. 19
- Bell, Rachael. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: The Early Years". Crime Library. Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
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suggested) (help) - Linedecker, p. 17
- Bell, Rachael. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.: Too Good To Be True". Crime Library. Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Linedecker, pp. 18–19
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- Barber, Chris. "Gay Serial Killers Serial: Part II". QX Magazine. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- Linedecker, p. 49
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- Linedecker, pp. 142–43
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- Linedecker, p. 150
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- Serial Killers. p 73.
- Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 5–6
- ^ Sullivan and Maiken, p. 7
- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 14 and p. 17n
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- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 17
- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 33
- ^ Murder casebook number 84 ISBN 0-7485-1454-6, p. 1915
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- Ressler, Robert K. Interview With A Monster: John Wayne Gacy, I Have Lived In The Monster.
- Kuczka, Susan and Rob Karwath. "All Appeals Fail: Gacy is Executed. Serial Killer Dies of Lethal Injection." Chicago Tribune. 10 May 1994.
- Lohr, David. "Boy Killer: John Wayne Gacy". crimemagazine.com.
- Seideman, David (23 May 1994). "A Twist Before Dying". Time Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 354
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- ^ Sullivan and Maiken, p. 301
- ^ Sullivan and Maiken, p. 215
- ^ Sullivan and Maiken, p. 303
- ^ Linedecker, Clifford. The Man Who Killed Boys. St. Martin's Press, 1986 paperback edition, p. 248. ISBN 0312952287
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- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 305
- Linedecker, p. 141
- Sullivan and Maiken, pp. 219–220
- Sullivan and Maiken, p. 220
- "All About Forensic Anthropology", Crime Library
- "Closed Cases", Doe Network
- To Catch a Killer at IMDb
- Gacy at IMDb
- "Sale of Chicago serial killer's art draws protests". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. June 6, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
External links
- Crimelibrary.com's entry on John Wayne Gacy
- Artwork by John Wayne Gacy
- "People v. John Wayne Gacy", from the Cook County Clerk of Court website.
- 20th-century executions by the United States
- American clowns
- American painters
- American rapists
- American serial killers
- American people convicted of murder
- American murderers of children
- Polish Americans
- Bisexual artists
- Convicted American child molesters
- Danish Americans
- Executed American people
- Executed serial killers
- LGBT people from the United States
- People convicted of murder by Illinois
- People convicted of sodomy
- People executed by Illinois
- People executed by lethal injection
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- 1942 births
- 1994 deaths