Inside the Mind of John Wayne Gacy: The Real-Life Killer Clown

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John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to father John Stanley Gacy and mother Marion Elaine Gacy. [1] Gacy's father was a World War I veteran and a machinist, while his mother worked at home. [2] :25 [3] :195 He had two sisters, one younger and one older. John Butkovich was labelled as Body 2; he was among the first to be identified, on December 29, 1978. [121] [167] On December 23, investigators returned to unearth the three corpses which had been buried in the same trench as Body 1. [221] Body 3 (John Szyc) was buried in the crawl space directly above Body 4 (Gregory Godzik); both were identified December 29, 1978. [99] [121] Body 5 was buried directly beneath Body 1; [112] this victim was discovered 36 inches (910mm) below the surface of the soil, indicating he was the first to be buried in this common grave. [222] Mr Sullivan thankfully isn’t interested in trying to put you into the victims’ shoes or into the mind of the killer, thereby saving the material from becoming too harrowing and upsetting (if that’s what you’re after, trying listening to Sufjan Stevens’ John Wayne Gacy Jr instead) and instead presents a clear and detailed illustration of the work that goes into trying to catch and put away terrifying people. Armed with the signed search warrant, police and evidence technicians drove to Gacy's home. They found Gacy had unplugged his sump pump, flooding the crawl space with water; they replaced the plug and waited for the water to drain. Evidence technician Daniel Genty then entered the 28-by-38-foot (8.5m ×11.6m) crawl space, crawled to the southwest area and began digging. [2] Within minutes, he uncovered putrefied flesh and a human arm bone. Genty shouted to the investigators that they could charge Gacy with murder, adding, "I think this place is full of kids." A police photographer uncovered a patella in the northeast corner. The two then began digging in the southeast corner, uncovering two lower leg bones. [45] Due to the subject matter this book is loaded with gruesome and disturbing details. While not for everyone, it is an excellent book for those who study or are intrigued by true crime. Gacy didn't look like a monster but he truly was. Books like this which focus on the victims are incredibly important.

Gacy seldom earned money for his performances and later said that acting as a clown allowed him to "regress into childhood". He performed as both Pogo and Patches at numerous local parties, political functions, charitable events, and children's hospitals. [51] Gacy's voluntary public service as a clown throughout the years of his murders led to him being known as the "Killer Clown". [58] EmployeesOn November 7, 1968, Gacy pleaded guilty to one count of sodomy in relation to Voorhees, but not guilty to the charges related to other youths. Gacy claimed Voorhees had offered himself to him and that he had acted out of curiosity. His story was not believed. Gacy was convicted of sodomy on December 3 and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, to be served at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. [8] [33] [34] That same day, Gacy's wife petitioned for divorce, requesting she be awarded the couple's home and property, sole custody of their two children, and alimony. [35] [36] The Court ruled in her favor, and the divorce was finalized on September 18, 1969. Gacy never saw his first wife or children again. [8] Boschelli, Barry E. (2008). Johnny and Me: The True Story of John Wayne Gacy. ISBN 978-1-4343-2184-8. Investigators conducted a formal interview of Rossi on December 17. He informed them Gacy had sold him Szyc's vehicle, explaining that he had bought the car from Szyc because he needed money to move to California. A further examination of Gacy's Oldsmobile revealed a small cluster of fibers in the trunk, suspected to be human hair. That evening, three trained search dogs were used to determine whether Piest had been present in any of Gacy's vehicles. One laid on the passenger seat of Gacy's Oldsmobile in what the dog's handler informed investigators was a "death reaction", indicating Piest's body had been present. [144] Jason Michael Moss (February 3, 1975 – June 6, 2006) was an American attorney who specialized in criminal defense. He was best known as the author of The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer (1999), a memoir about his exploration of the minds of incarcerated serial killers, which started as a research project in college. He corresponded and conducted personal interviews with several notorious killers. Gacy would then rape and torture his captive before killing them by either asphyxiation or strangulation with a garrote; at least one victim was stabbed to death. Twenty-six victims were buried in the crawl space of his home, and three were buried elsewhere on his property; four were discarded in the Des Plaines River. Gacy had previously been convicted in 1968 of the sodomy of a teenage boy in Waterloo, Iowa, and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but served eighteen months.

The first half, literally half, of the book is repetitive police accounts of tailing John Wayne Gacy. What the cops ate that day, how erratic JWG drives, how many times he slipped on ice walking to his house, more police stuff, and then more police stuff, then what they ate for lunch again- all which has very little to do with catching JWG or anything to do with his crimes. Gacy was executed for his crimes in 1994, but many questions remain unanswered. How many victims were there? Did Gacy act alone? And what drove John Wayne Gacy to murder? What caused the seemingly normal Gacy to sexually assault, torture and murder at least thirty-three young men and boys? Moss, Jason; Kottler, Jeffrey A. (1999). The Last Victim: A True-life Journey Into the Mind of a Serial Killer. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7535-0398-0. Carole observed Gacy bringing teenage boys into his garage in the early hours and also found gay pornography and men's wallets and identification inside the house. When she confronted Gacy about these items, he informed her angrily that it was none of her business. [41] In October 1975, after a heated argument, Carole asked Gacy for a divorce. [51] He agreed although, by mutual consent, she continued to live at the West Summerdale house until February 1976. On March 2, the Gacys' divorce—decreed on the false grounds of Gacy's infidelity with women—was finalized. [46] [52] [53] [f] PDM ContractorsGacy's father was an alcoholic. Growing up, John Gacy, Sr. would verbally and physically abuse his children. [4] :22 Gacy also had health problems in his youth. For example, in 1953, while playing on a swing set, Gacy hit his head off a swing and suffered a blood clot. The clot was not treated until he was 16. [5] chapter one Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., Marilyn Manson's keyboard player from 1989 to 2007, was known as Madonna Wayne Gacy, a stage name made from the names of Madonna and Wayne Gacy. The updated ending got a little rambling with all the things that Sullivan has been doing with his own life, though there were a few interesting tidbits in relation to the case. I feel this book honored the victims well. And then you get to the court hearing and think, “Well, they’re going to HAVE to talk about this stuff now!”... barely.

One month after his divorce was finalized, Gacy abducted and murdered 18-year-old Darrell Samson. He was last seen alive in Chicago on April 6, 1976. [47] Gacy buried him under the dining room, with cloth lodged in his throat. [97] On May 14, 15-year-old Randall Reffett disappeared shortly after returning home from a dental appointment. [98] Hours after Reffett was last seen by his family, 14-year-old Samuel Stapleton vanished as he walked home from his sister's apartment. [52] [99] He and Reffett were close acquaintances; [100] they were buried together in the crawl space, and investigators believe the two were murdered the same evening. [101] As McCoy lay dying, Gacy claimed he washed the knife in his bathroom, then went to his kitchen and saw the makings of breakfast on the table. McCoy had set the table for two; he had walked into Gacy's room to wake him while absentmindedly carrying the knife. [22] Gacy buried McCoy in his crawl space and later covered his grave with a layer of concrete. [48] In an interview several years after his arrest, Gacy said that immediately after killing McCoy, he felt "totally drained", yet noted that as he stabbed McCoy and as he listened to the "gurgulations" and gasping, he had experienced a mind-numbing orgasm. He added: "That's when I realized that death was the ultimate thrill." [22] Second murderCrawl space Gacy's sketch of burial locations in his basement (left), and investigators' later diagram (right) Rignall managed to stagger to his girlfriend's apartment. Police were informed of the assault but did not investigate Gacy. Rignall was able to recall the Oldsmobile, the Kennedy Expressway and particular side streets. He and two friends staked out the Cumberland exit of the Expressway and, in April, Rignall saw the Oldsmobile, which he and his friends followed to 8213 West Summerdale. [54] Gacy was arrested on July 15; he faced trial for assault and battery against Rignall. [67] John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994 pronounced Gay-see), also known as The Killer Clown and Pogo the Clown, was an American serial killer and rapist. He is confirmed to have killed 33 young men and teenage boys. He killed them in a brutal way and buried their bodies in or near his Chicago home. Gacy did not use a gun for any of his crimes. John Wayne Gacy Investigation Helps Solve Missing Daniel Noe Case". Huffingtonpost.com. September 21, 2012 . Retrieved March 14, 2013. Gisela clearly has done her research. I find it interesting that Gacy idolized killers in his life. Typically these are not my go to readable, but I find it fascinating the extent that some people will go to for pleasure and satisfaction. Gacy clearly is one of those people. He showed little respect for the lives of those around him and only cared about his satisfaction.

Gacy later recollected his memories of his final day of freedom as being "hazy", adding he knew his arrest was inevitable and that he intended to visit his friends and say his farewells. After leaving his lawyers' office, Gacy drove to a gas station where he handed a small bag of cannabis to the attendant, who immediately handed the bag to the surveillance officers, adding that Gacy had told him, "The end is coming (for me). These guys are going to kill me." Gacy then drove to the home of a fellow contractor and friend, Ronald Rhode. Gacy hugged Rhode before bursting into tears and saying, "I've been a bad boy. I killed thirty people, give or take a few." [156] Gacy left Rhode and drove to Cram's home to meet with Cram and Rossi. The surveillance officers noted he was holding a rosary to his chin, praying while he drove along the expressway. [162] After the state's four-hour closing, counsel Sam Amirante spoke for the defense. Amirante accused Sullivan of scarcely referring to the evidence in his own closing argument, and of arousing hatred against his client. He attempted to portray Gacy as "driven by compulsions he was unable to control", contending the State had not met their burden of proving Gacy sane beyond a reasonable doubt. [167] Amirante then urged the jury to put aside any prejudice they held against his client and asked they deliver a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, adding that Gacy was a danger to both himself and to others, and that studying his psychology and behavior would be of benefit to science. [176]

Recently, I had occasion to watch GACY: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330181/ and the distorted facts of the case the movie presented made me want to find the book and read how it really went down. This book is released hot on the heels of the world’s increasing fascination of the serial killer and currently there is a lot more interest in Bundy, Dahmer and Gacy himself which makes this book a very timely release.