The prosecutors argued that Gacy was sane and in full control of his actions. [125] They produced several witnesses to testify to his premeditation and the efforts he took to escape detection. Those doctors refuted the defense doctors' claims of multiple personalities and insanity. Cram and Rossi testified that Gacy had made them dig drainage trenches and spread bags of lime in his crawl space. Both said Gacy looked periodically into the crawl space to ensure they and other employees they supervised did not deviate from the precise locations he had marked. [63] [157] Serial killer John Wayne Gacy, left, and victim Francis Wayne Alexander. Photo by HANDOUTS / COOK COUNTY SHERIFF Remains Found in Utah Identified Through John Wayne Gacy Investigation". deseretnews.com. September 20, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020 . Retrieved February 14, 2017. On the morning of March 12, William Kunkle continued to argue for the prosecution. [176] Kunkle referred to the defense's contention of insanity as "a sham", arguing that the facts of the case demonstrated Gacy's ability to think logically and control his actions. Kunkle also referred to the testimony of one of the doctors who had examined Gacy in 1968 and had concluded he was an antisocial personality, stating that had the recommendations of this doctor been heeded, Gacy would not have been freed. [167] At the close of his argument, Kunkle removed photos of Gacy's 22 identified victims from a display board and asked the jury not to show sympathy but to "show justice". [167] NamUs - National Unidentified Persons Data System Case Report - 10999". Archived from the original on March 31, 2016 . Retrieved July 30, 2017.

Brad Hunter has spent over thirty years writing about some of America’s most horrific crimes. In this new book he enters the mind of John Wayne Gacy, the real-life ‘Killer Clown’, often said to be the inspiration for Stephen King’s evil Pennywise in It. Babwin, Don (October 17, 2011). "Sheriff: Solid leads in effort to ID Gacy victims". The Boston Globe . Retrieved October 26, 2011. After dropping out of high school in his senior year, Gacy moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to work in a mortuary. Three months later, Gacy returned to Chicago, where he enrolled in and graduated from Northwestern Business College. [2] :51 After graduating, Gacy worked as a shoe salesman for the Nunn-Bush Shoe Company. In 1964, Gacy was transferred to Springfield, Illinois, where he met Marlynn Myers. The couple married in September 1964. [3] :195 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]Anyway onwards to the book! Brad Hunter, you’ve done an excellent job! This book is an excellent example of illustrating the fact that even though you think you know all there is to know about a particular crime/serial killer there are always new facts to discover! In 1971, Gacy established a part-time construction business, PDM Contractors (for "Painting, Decorating, and Maintenance"). [41] With the approval of his probation officer, Gacy worked evenings on his construction contracts while working as a cook during the day. Initially, he undertook minor repair work, but later expanded to include projects such as interior design, remodeling, and landscaping. In mid-1973, Gacy quit his job as a cook so he could commit fully to his construction business. [42] All the victims discovered at Gacy's house were in an advanced state of decomposition. Dental records and X-ray charts helped Stein identify the remains. [229] [240] Twenty-three were identified via dental records and two via skeletal trauma. These identifications were supported with personal artifacts found in Gacy's home. [241]

By mid-1978, the crawl space had no room for further bodies. [8] [31] [45] Gacy later confessed to police that he considered stowing bodies in his attic, but had been worried about complications arising from "leakage". [48] Therefore, he chose to dispose of his victims off the I-55 bridge into the Des Plaines River. [67] Gacy stated he had thrown five bodies into this river in 1978, one of which he believed had landed on a passing barge; [45] only four were ever found. [121] Gacy entered local Democratic Party politics, initially offering use of his employees to clean party headquarters at no charge. He was rewarded with an invitation to serve on the Norwood Park Township street lighting committee, subsequently earning the title of precinct captain. [41] [44] [54]

Moss later said that he formed the strongest relationship with Gacy. Their exchange of letters led to regular Sunday morning phone calls, during which Gacy reiterated his innocence. In his book, Moss explored the development of his correspondence with Gacy, shortly before the killer was executed. Moss asserted that he became Gacy's "last victim" during their face-to-face meeting. While he understood that he had deliberately lured Gacy, he felt overpowered and manipulated by him, in the same way that he might have manipulated and controlled his victims. Moss felt that his overall experience allowed him to gain an understanding of how a serial killer's mind works. In June 1969, Gacy was denied parole. To prepare for a second scheduled parole hearing in May 1970, he completed sixteen high school courses, obtaining his diploma in November 1969. [8] On Christmas Day 1969, Gacy's father died from cirrhosis. When informed of his father's death, Gacy collapsed to the floor, sobbing. [8] His request for supervised compassionate leave to attend the funeral was denied. [35] Return to Chicago Kneeland, Douglas E. (January 10, 1979). "Suspect in Mass Deaths Is Puzzle to All". The New York Times . Retrieved July 7, 2011. (subscription required) From the publisher: Brad Hunter has spent over thirty years writing about some of America’s most horrific crimes. In this new book he enters the mind of John Wayne Gacy, the real-life Killer Clown, often said to be the inspiration for Stephen King’s evil Pennywise in It. Drawing on his many years’ experience investigating and interviewing perpetrators of terrible crimes, Hunter seeks to understand what drove Gacy to unleash a reign of terror in suburban Chicago. Boschelli, Barry E. (2008). Johnny and Me: The True Story of John Wayne Gacy. ISBN 978-1-4343-2184-8.

Gacy was close to his mother and two sisters, but had a difficult relationship with his father, an alcoholic who was verbally and physically abusive to his family. [2] [8] [9] [a] The elder Gacy frequently belittled his son, calling him "dumb and stupid" and comparing him unfavorably with his sisters. One of Gacy's earliest childhood memories was of his father beating him at age four for accidentally disarranging car engine components. [11] His mother tried to shield her son from his father's abuse, which resulted in accusations that he was a "sissy" and a "mama's boy" who would "probably grow up queer". [4] [8] [12] In 1949, Gacy's father whipped him after he and another boy were caught sexually fondling a young girl. [13] The same year, a family friend began to occasionally molest Gacy. [8] [9] Gacy never told his father, afraid that his father would blame him. [14] Despite their challenging relationship, Gacy loved his father, [9] but felt he was "never good enough" in his father's eyes. [15] 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] 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]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] Cook County Sheriff Press - Gacy Lead Solves 41-Year-Old New Jersey Missing Person Case". Archived from the original on December 11, 2017 . Retrieved July 30, 2017. When John Wayne Gacy was convicted in 1980, he had the dubious distinction of boasting the largest number of murder convictions for a single individual in United States history. Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy killed at least 33 men and young boys, burying the bodies of 26 of his victims in the crawlspace of his home in a Chicago suburb. You have to look at that section — 1972 to 1975 — for a specific tally because we don’t have the graveyard that was his house. He could have been on the road where he improvised. There could be dozens of unknown victims.”