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JOHN WAYNE GACYTHE KILLER CLOWN
Background
Born March 17, 1942 in Chicago Middle child Father was a drunk Father would abuse his family Gacy never cried during his father’s tantrums Heart condition kept him from playing with
other kids at school Enjoyed gardening, cooking, and baking,
which upset his father Father saw heart condition as a failure Confused about his sexuality
Background
Fast-food chain manager in the 60s Self-made building contractor in 70s Dressed as a clown for community events Married and divorced twice, had
biological and step children
Crimes
Crime Year Victims Punishment
Sexual assault 1968 2 teenage boys 10 years in prison, released in 1970 for good behavior
Sexual Assault 1971 Teenage boy Charges dropped
Murder 1972 Timothy McCoy
Murder 1974 Unidentified teenage boy
Murder 1976 Darrel Sampson
Murder 1976 Michael Bonnin
Murder 1976 William Carrol
Crimes
Crime Year Victim Punishment
Murder 1976 4 undidentified males
Murder 1976 2 teenage boys
Murder 1976 Gregory Godzik
Kidnapped and murder
1976 Kenneth Parker and Michael Marino
Murder 1977 John Szyc
Murder 1977 2 unidentified teenage boys
Murder 1977 Jon Prestidge
Crimes
Crime Year Victim Punishment
Murder 1977 Matthew Bowman
Murder 1977 Robert Gilroy
Murder 1977 John Mowery
Murder 1977 Russel Nelson
Murder 1977 Robert Winch
Murder 1977 Tommy Boling
Murder 1977 David Talsma
Crimes
Crime Year Victim Punishment
Rape, torture 1977 Robert Donnelly No charges, convinced police it was consensual
Murder 1978 William Kindred
Battery 1978 Jeffrey Rignall arrested
Murder 1978 Timothy O’Rourke
Murder 1978 Frank Landingin
Murder 1978 James Mazzara
Last Crime
Des Plaines, Illinois 1978 15 year old Robert Piest goes missing Mother tells police he was last seen going to Gacy’s house
for a job interview December 21, 1978: Police search Gacy’s house and find
evidence of many crimes (class ring, clothing too small for Gacy, various drivers licenses, handcuffs, books on homosexuality)
Police also found a photo receipt from the pharmacy where Piest worked
Arrest
December 22, 1978: Gacy confesses to committing 25-30 murders
Majority of victims buried in a crawlspace beneath the house, others thrown into the Des Plaines River
Brought to trial February 6, 1980, charged with 33 murders
Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic at Menard Correctional Center
Pled not guilty by reason of insanity Sentenced to 12 death sentences and 21 natural life
sentences Also convicted of sexual assault and taking indecent
liberties with a child
May 9, 1994
Moved to Statesville Correctional Center Final words spoken were “Kiss my ass” Lethal injection Confirmed dead at 12:58 AM on May 10
Art Work
Cultural References
To Catch a Killer (movie 1992) Gacy (movie 2003) 8213:Gacy House (movie 2010) American Horror Story: Freak Show Twisty
the Clown (tv show 2014)
Labeling Theory/ Social Control Theory
Growing up, Gacy’s dad labeled him as a failure. Because of his sexual preferences and heart condition, he ade Gacy feel like he was different from everyone else. Gacy collapsed under the pressure of trying to live up to his father’s expectations. This caused his to just believe what his dad said was true; he was a failure. The psychological damage caused by his father led him to commit these terrible crimes. Gacy wanted to seem normal to his community and he wanted people to like him, so he could also fall under the social control theory. He was involved in the community, so everyone liked him. However he could not escape the shadow of shame his father put on him for being different as a child. This led him to become the sick serial killer he was. If his father wouldn’t have been so hard on him as a child, maybe his life would have turned out differently and he would still be around today.