John Wayne Gacy: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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On August 30, Gacy promised one of his employees, 18-year-old Russell Schroeder, $300 if he physically assaulted Voorhees in an effort to discourage the boy from testifying in court.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36974956/john-gacy/|title=Man is Charged in Beating Plot|work=[[Quad-City Times]]|date=September 10, 1968|access-date=October 31, 2021|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031000321/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36974956/john-gacy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Schroeder lured Voorhees to an isolated park, sprayed [[Mace (spray)|Mace]] in his eyes, then beat him.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=65–72}}{{sfn|Stone|2019|pp=196–203}} Voorhees escaped and reported Schroeder's actions to police. Schroeder was arrested the next day; initially denying involvement, he soon confessed to assaulting Voorhees, indicating he had done so at Gacy's request. Police arrested Gacy and charged him with hiring Schroeder to assault and intimidate Voorhees.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=256–278}}

On September 12, Gacy was ordered to undergo a [[psychiatric evaluation]] at the Psychiatric Hospital of the [[University of Iowa]]. Two doctors concluded he had an [[antisocial personality disorder]] (the clinical term for [[sociopathy]] and/or [[psychopathy]]), was unlikely to benefit from treatment, and that his behavior pattern was likely to bring him into repeated conflict with society. The doctors concluded Gacy was mentally competent to stand trial.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=256–278}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder|title=Antisocial Personality Disorder|magazine=[[Psychology Today]]|publisher=Sussex Publishers|date=April 19, 2017|access-date=January 13, 2018|archive-date=~~April~~October 1426, ~~2020~~2014|archive-url=https://~~wayback.~~archive~~-it~~.~~org~~today/~~all~~20141026172632/~~20200414234741/https~~http://www.psychologytoday.com~~/us~~/conditions/antisocial~~%2Dpersonality%2Ddisorder~~-personality-disorder|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Conviction and imprisonment==

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On July 31, 1975, John Butkovich, an 18-year-old PDM employee, disappeared.<ref name=search>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PEEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963,232748|title=Search at Gacy Home to Resume|newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]|date=January 1, 1979|access-date=April 11, 2019|via=Google News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928132210/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PEEsAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963%2C232748|archive-date=September 28, 2020}} {{Open access}}</ref> Butkovich's car was later found abandoned with his jacket and wallet inside and the keys in the ignition.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=126–133}}

The day before his disappearance, Butkovich had confronted Gacy over outstanding back pay. Butkovich's father called Gacy, who claimed he was happy to help search for his son but was sorry Butkovich had "run away". When questioned by police, Gacy said Butkovich and two friends had arrived at his house demanding the overdue pay, but they had reached a compromise and all three had left. Over the following three years, Butkovich's parents called police more than 100 times, urging them to investigate Gacy further.{{sfn|Linedecker|1980|pp=83–87}}{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=~~126–133~~132-133}}

Gacy later admitted to encountering Butkovich exiting his car, waving to attract his attention. According to Gacy, Butkovich approached him, stating, "I wanna talk to you." Gacy invited Butkovich into his car, then invited him back to his home, ostensibly to settle the issue of his overdue wages.{{efn|Gacy's wife and stepdaughters were visiting his younger sister in [[Arkansas]] at the time.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|ppp=~~126–133~~126}}}} At his home, Gacy offered Butkovich a drink, then conned him into allowing his wrists to be cuffed behind his back. Gacy later confessed to having "sat on the kid's chest for a while" before he strangled him. He stowed Butkovich's body in his garage, intending to bury the body later in the crawl space. When his wife and stepdaughters returned home earlier than expected, Gacy buried Butkovich under the concrete floor of the tool room extension of his garage in an empty space where he had intended to dig a drain tile.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=126–133}}

===Cruising years===

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In mid-1984, the [[Supreme Court of Illinois]] upheld Gacy's conviction and ordered his execution by lethal injection on November 14.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=342–351}} Gacy filed an appeal against this decision, which was denied by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] on March 4, 1985. The following year, Gacy filed a further post-conviction petition, seeking a new trial. His then-defense lawyer, [[Richard Kling]], argued that Gacy had been provided with ineffective legal counsel at his 1980 trial. This petition was dismissed on September 11, 1986.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-09-12-8603080188-story.html|title=Mass Killer Gacy Denied New Trial|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=September 12, 1986|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708185913/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-09-12-8603080188-story.html|archive-date=July 8, 2019}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Gacy appealed the 1985 decision that he be executed. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld his conviction on September 29, 1988, setting a new execution date of January 11, 1989.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FKgeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5611,6110201|title=Death sentence upheld for John Wayne Gacy|newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]|via=Google News|date=September 30, 1988|page=A2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929095409/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FKgeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5611%2C6110201|archive-date=September 29, 2020}} {{Open access}}</ref> After the U.S. Supreme Court denied Gacy's final appeal in October 1993, the Illinois Supreme Court formally set an execution date for May 10, 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://~~articles~~www.orlandosentinel.com/1993-/12-/18/~~news/9312180642_1_gacy~~long-delayed-execution-set-for-john-wayne-~~supreme-court~~gacy/|title=Long-delayed Execution Set For John Wayne Gacy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111235418/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-12-18/news/9312180642_1_gacy-john-wayne-supreme-court|archive-date=January 11, 2016|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=December 18, 1993|url-status=live|access-date=December 7, 2011}} {{Open access}}</ref>

===Execution===

On the morning of May 9, 1994, Gacy was transferred to [[Stateville Correctional Center]] to be executed. That afternoon, he was allowed a private picnic on the prison grounds with his family. For his [[last meal]], Gacy ordered a bucket of KFC, french fries, a dozen fried shrimp, fresh strawberries and a Diet Coke.{{sfn|Hunter|2022|p=210}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Peck|first=John|url=https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/last-meals/Content?oid=1082921|title=Last Meals|newspaper=[[Tucson Weekly]]|date=January 5, 2006|access-date=November 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221106/https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/last-meals/Content?oid=1082921|archive-date=March 3, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> That evening, he received the [[last rites]] from a ~~Catholic~~ [[Catholic ~~priest|~~priest]] before being escorted to the Stateville execution chamber.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/dp/dpill/dpgacy1.txt|title=All Appeals Fail: Gacy is Executed. Serial Killer Dies of Lethal Injection|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 10, 1994|author1=Susan Kuczka|author2=Rob Karwath|via=[[Northern Illinois University]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970627032945/http://www.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/dp/dpill/dpgacy1.txt|archive-date=June 27, 1997}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-05-09-9405100001-story,amp.html|title=Gacy Lawyers Working Overtime as Sand Runs Out|first=Susan|last=Kuczka|newspaper=The Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 27, 2021|date=May 9, 1994|archive-date=April 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424090214/https://www.chicagotribune.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Braun|first=Stephen|date=May 10, 1994|title=Gacy Executed in Illinois for Murders of 33. Crime: He Receives Lethal Injection After Last of His Appeals is Rejected. The Serial Killer was Convicted in 1980 for the Slayings of Boys and Young Men |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-10-mn-55926-story.html |access-date=January 5, 2023 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the hours leading up to Gacy's execution, a crowd estimated at over 1,000 gathered outside the correctional center; a vocal majority were in favor of the execution, although a small number of [[Opposition to capital punishment in the United States|anti-death penalty]] protesters were present.{{sfn|Cavendish|1997|pp=36–37}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38761407/1994-may-11-gacy-execution-article/|title=Gacy: End of the Nightmare|work=[[The Journal Gazette]]|date=May 11, 1994|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207031404/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38761407/1994-may-11-gacy-execution-article/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/in-joliet-little-sympathy-for-convicted-killer/article_f7d646be-9c16-5bf1-853f-c845a302ef5b.html|title=In Joliet, Little Sympathy for Convicted Killer|access-date=July 22, 2017|newspaper=[[The Times of Northwest Indiana]]|date=May 10, 1994|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104160601/https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/in-joliet-little-sympathy-for-convicted-killer/article_f7d646be-9c16-5bf1-853f-c845a302ef5b.html|archive-date=January 4, 2020}} {{Open access}}</ref> Some of those in favor of the execution wore T-shirts hearkening to Gacy's previous community services as a clown and bearing satirical slogans such as "No tears for the clown".<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|title=Poster Child|date=May 14, 1994|volume=331|issue=7863}}</ref>

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So far the identification of three victims has been confirmed, numerous other missing youths have been ruled out as being victims of Gacy,<ref>{{cite news|last=Babwin|first=Don|date=October 17, 2011|title=Sheriff: Solid Leads in Effort to ID Gacy Victims|newspaper=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/17/sheriff_solid_leads_in_effort_to_id_gacy_victims|access-date=October 26, 2011|archive-date=March 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303222248/http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/17/sheriff_solid_leads_in_effort_to_id_gacy_victims/}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=More DNA Being Analyzed To Determine IDs Of Gacy Victims|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/07/more-dna-being-analyzed-to-determine-ids-of-gacy-victims/|date=May 7, 2012 |work=Chicago.cbslocal.com|access-date=March 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912154334/https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/05/07/more-dna-being-analyzed-to-determine-ids-of-gacy-victims/|archive-date=September 12, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> and four unrelated [[cold case]]s dating between 1972 and 1979 have been solved.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 21, 2012|title=John Wayne Gacy Investigation Helps Solve Missing Daniel Noe Case|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412012336/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-wayne-gacy-investigation_n_1904401|archive-date=April 12, 2019 |work=Huffingtonpost.com|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/john-wayne-gacy-investigation_n_1904401.html/|access-date=March 14, 2013}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cook County Sheriff Press – Sheriff's Gacy Investigation Solves 1979 Cold Case|url=http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/press_page/press_%20ColdCaseSolved_09_23_2015.html|publisher=Cook County Sheriff's Department|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927025637/http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/press_page/press_%20ColdCaseSolved_09_23_2015.html|archive-date=September 27, 2015|access-date=September 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=September 20, 2012|title=Remains Found in Utah Identified Through John Wayne Gacy Investigation|newspaper=Deseret News|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562848/Remains-found-in-Utah-identified-through-John-Wayne-Gacy-investigation.html|access-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928134434/https://www.deseret.com/2012/9/20/20506968/remains-found-in-utah-identified-through-john-wayne-gacy-investigation|archive-date=September 28, 2020}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Mills|first=Steve|date=October 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028160613/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-26/news/ct-met-gacy-victims-20111026_1_gacy-case-john-wayne-gacy-serial-killer|archive-date=October 28, 2011|title=Long-lost Relation, Thought Slain by John Wayne Gacy, Alive and Well and Living in South Florida|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/10/26/long-lost-relation-thought-slain-by-john-wayne-gacy-alive-and-well-and-living-in-south-florida/|url-status=live|access-date=October 26, 2011}} {{Open access}}</ref> Updated facial reconstructions of Bodies 10 and 13 were released in 2018.<ref name=newimg>{{cite web|url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/07/23/john-wayne-gacy-unidentified-victims-new-images/|title=New Images Of Unidentified John Wayne Gacy Victims Released|date=July 23, 2018|access-date=October 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819164214/https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/07/23/john-wayne-gacy-unidentified-victims-new-images/|archive-date=August 19, 2018}}</ref>

In November 2011, William Bundy was identified through [[DNA testing]].<ref name=bundy/> Shortly after Gacy's arrest, Bundy's family had contacted his dentist in the hope of submitting his dental records for comparison with the unidentified bodies, but the records had been destroyed after his dentist had retired.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/11/29/gacys-victim-19-identified-illinois-cops/|title=Gacy's Victim 19 identified: Illinois cops|newspaper=Toronto Sun|date=November 29, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714115951/http://www.torontosun.com/2011/11/29/gacys-victim-19-identified-illinois-cops/|archive-date=July 14, 2014}} {{Open access}}</ref> In July 2017, 16-year-old James Haakenson was identified using DNA testing.<ref>{{cite news|last=Crepeau|first=Megan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525194008/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-haakenson-20170719-story.html|archive-date=May 25, 2019 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-haakenson-20170719-story.html|title=Second Long-unknown Gacy Victim Identified as Boy from Minnesota|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=July 19, 2017|access-date=July 20, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref> Francis Wayne Alexander was ~~most recent victim to be~~ identified, via [[Investigative genetic genealogy|forensic genealogy]] in October 2021.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Victim of Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy Identified Using DNA|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/25/serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy-victim-identified-francis-wayne-alexander|access-date=October 25, 2021|work=The Guardian|date=October 25, 2021|archive-date=October 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025185554/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/25/serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy-victim-identified-francis-wayne-alexander|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Possible additional victims===

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* The [[Investigation Discovery]] channel has broadcast two documentaries about the Gacy murders. The first was commissioned for the ''[[Most Evil]]'' series, a forensics program in which [[forensic psychiatrist]] Michael Stone analyzes murderers and psychopaths. The second is featured in the ''[[Evil Lives Here]]'' series. This program explores how Gacy's actions affected his family; Gacy's sister and niece are among those interviewed.

* The [[Biography Channel]] broadcast a 45-minute documentary on Gacy's crimes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/biography/episode-1530998/191411|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928065009/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/biography/episode-1530998/191411/|archive-date=September 28, 2020|title=Biography|website=TVGuide.com|access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref>

* The television program, ''Psychic Investigators'', broadcast an episode entitled "What Lies Below".<ref>{{cite magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614010838/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/z2hr/psychic-investigators--s3-e3-what-lies-below/|archive-date=June 14, 2018|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/z2hr/psychic-investigators--s3-e3-what-lies-below|title=Psychic Investigators S3-E3: What Lies Below|magazine=[[Radio Times]]|date=July 25, 2009|access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref> This program focuses on the consultation between Detective Joseph Kozenczak and [[psychic]] Carol Broman, whom Kozenczak had met on December 17, 1978, to discuss the whereabouts of the body of Robert Piest.{{sfn|Newburn|1989|p=135}}

* The [[Lifetime Movies]] network series ''[[Monster in My Family]]'' broadcast "Killer Clown: John Wayne Gacy" in August 2015. The episode features Karen Kuzma, Gacy's sister, and her daughter, and focuses on formative events in Gacy's life that may have initiated his later crimes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Watch Killer Clown: John Wayne Gacy Full Episode – Monster in My Family {{!}} Lifetime|url=http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/monster-in-my-family/season-1/episode-6 |publisher=Lifetime Movies|access-date=November 9, 2017|language=en|date=August 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113035933/https://www.mylifetime.com/shows/monster-in-my-family/season-1/episode-6|archive-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412012332/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/monster-in-my-family/episode-6-season-1/killer-clown-john-wayne-gacy/816193/|archive-date=April 12, 2019|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/monster-in-my-family/episode-6-season-1/killer-clown-john-wayne-gacy/816193/ |title=Monster in My Family {{!}} Season 1, Episode 6 Killer Clown: John Wayne Gacy|magazine=[[TV Guide]]|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=November 9, 2017}}</ref>

* The documentary series ''John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise''. Commissioned by [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]], the first episode was broadcast in March 2021. This six-part series includes interviews with Gacy, investigators responsible for his apprehension, and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/inside-peacocks-first-true-crime-docuseries-john-wayne-gacy-devil-in-disguise/2557373/|title=Inside Peacock's First True Crime Docuseries, 'John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise'|newspaper=[[KNBC]]|date=March 23, 2021|access-date=April 1, 2021|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324215029/https://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/inside-peacocks-first-true-crime-docuseries-john-wayne-gacy-devil-in-disguise/2557373/|url-status=live}}</ref>

* ''[[Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes]]''. Commissioned by [[Netflix]] and directed by [[Joe Berlinger]], this series includes previously unreleased recordings of conversations between Gacy and his lawyer. The first of this three-part series was broadcast on April 20, 2022.<ref>{{cite news|title='Conversations with a Killer' Lets John Wayne Gacy Speak (Actually, Lie) from the Great Beyond|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/20/entertainment/conversations-with-a-killer-john-wayne-gacy-tapes-review/index.html|access-date=April 21, 2022|work=[[CNN]]|date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420231815/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/20/entertainment/conversations-with-a-killer-john-wayne-gacy-tapes-review/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

* ''Defense Diaries'': A [[podcast]] series hosted by the son of Gacy's defense attorney Robert Motta. The series includes previously unreleased cassette recordings of pretrial interviews with Gacy and his attorneys.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://defensediaries.com/|title=Defense Diaries. Hosted by: Bob Motta|access-date=March 9, 2024|website=defensediaries.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chiarito|first=Bob|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/7/25/22582655/new-podcast-serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy-raises-questions-police-investigation|date=July 26, 2021|title=New Podcast on Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy Raises Questions about Police Investigation|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=March 10, 2024}}</ref>

* ''The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Life and Death in Chicago''. Produced and directed by [[John Borowski]], this eight-part documentary miniseries was released in 2024 and features interviews with several individuals responsible for Gacy's apprehension and conviction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10832728|title=The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Life and Death in Chicago|publisher=imdb.com|work=[[IMDb]]|access-date=October 2, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==

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[[Category:John Wayne Gacy| ]]

[[Category:1970s murders in the United States]]

[[Category:20th-century American ~~LGBT~~LGBTQ people]]

[[Category:20th-century executions by Illinois]]

[[Category:20th-century executions of American people]]

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[[Category:Illinois Democrats]]

[[Category:Iowa Democrats]]

[[Category:~~LGBT~~LGBTQ people from Illinois]]

[[Category:~~LGBT~~LGBTQ Roman Catholics]]

[[Category:Necrophiles]]

[[Category:People convicted of murder by Illinois]]