The Crime Web: John Gacy

John Wayne Gacy was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago. When he was eleven he was hit on the head by a swing, which made Gacy suffer from blackouts from time to time.

Later, at sixteen, doctors diagnosed Gacy as having a bloodclot to the brain which may have attributed to the blackouts and was caused by the earlier head injury.

Though many serial killers are diagnosed (often too late) as having a head injury or blood clot, it still does not excuse them for their acts.

Two years previous to his arrest he had built a garage and drive way over a pool he was supposed to have filled in. He buried 28 bodies in the pool and in a four foot crawl space under his house. He poured lime over the bodies to minimize smell and help them decompose faster.

When he finally ran out of room, he threw the bodies in the Des Plaines river. Gacy had two wives and two children from his first wife. His first wife divorced him when he was sent to prison for raping an employee, and his second wife left him because of his temper or maybe because of the peculiar odour that hung around the house.

Gacy used the contracting business to lure young boys into his home. He would offer them a job and when they came for an interview, he would rape and murder them. He also would drive around looking for boys and invite them to smoke marijuana with him in his car or house.

Many were shocked to find out of the accusations against Gacy because he was such an outstanding citizen. He had gone to business school, become a shoe salesman, and helped his wife's family with a chicken business.

He even had been known to dress up like Pogo the clown and visit children's hospitals. He was a member of the junior chamber of commerce and the bell choir. "He was known as an affable man who badly wanted to be liked, and who tried to buy popularity with generosity. He was also known as a liar and a boaster."

The act that finally brought Gacy into the police's eye was when he abducted 15 year old Robert Piest. Robert had told his mother he was going to stop off at a man's house to talk to him about a job that would pay a higher salary than his job at the pharmacy.

He was expected home around 6:30. At 9:30 when he had not come home his mother called his father. They called the police at 11:30 and the police investigated and found out the man Robert was supposed to see was Gacy. The police checked Gacy's background and obtained a search warrant. They questioned him about Robert Priest and discovered a trap door leading to a crawl space below his house. There was heavy odour, and they saw bodies and human bones with their lights. Gacy admitted to killing 32 teenagers and forcing them to have sex with him.

Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders: Terry Sullivan with Peter T. Maiken, Pinnacle True Crime 1983

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Original Written: February 21, 1999