Gisela K. - John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown

John Wayne Gacy: The KillerClown

A True Crime Case Study

The Serial Killer Series

Copyright 2021 by Grizzly Books

Published by Grizzly Books

Cover Design by Raphael Eschmann

Smashwords Edition, LicenseNotes

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Warning: Graphic content only suitable foradults.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BY JOHN WAYNEGACY

ABOUT THE SERIES

Welcome to the Grizzly BooksTrue Crime series, where each serial killer will be meticulouslystudied and presented to you as a comprehensive book (e-book,paperback, and audiobook), and full podcast season (4+ hours ofcontent). This is the third book in the series and follows JeffreyDahmer: The Milwaukee Monster and Ted Bundy: The CampusKiller.

John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown, took monthsof grueling research and preparation to finish, which is to beexpected. His case is not one that will easily be forgotten andrequires a strong stomach (and mind) to work through. Thecrawlspace chapter was particularly tough to process and writeabout because it truly was a vile, sinister, and shocking way tohide his victims right under his, his wifes, his neighbors, andlaw enforcements nose. His clown persona, complete with makeup,costumes, and tricks, with his glistening shark-grin and indulgenteyes will haunt us for many years to come. Thankfully, he is nolonger with us.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much asI enjoyed writing it. Please note: This is not crimefiction, a novel, or a story with twists and turns. It is astructured work of facts for you to easily access distinct sectionsif and when you want to. All the links to the books, podcast,artwork, and more can be found athttps://grizzly-books.com

Stay Safe,

Gisela K.

A POEM ABOUT JOHN WAYNEGACY

COPYCAT, by Gisela K.

A predator inplain sight

Thedouble-chinned beast of Illinois

Clutching pastelparty balloons

With sausagehands

And grinning indelight

Atboys.

To him, theywere just toys

Something toplay with and bury

Just like mamaspanties

Same placetoo,

Scary.

And undisturbedhed sleep at night

With soulsbeneath his bed

And in responseto what hed done

Kiss my ass,he said.

INTRODUCTION

John Wayne Gacy was Americas most prolificserial killer at the time he was caught, with 33 confirmed victimsfound tucked in the mud in his crawlspace or floating in the DesPlains River in Chicago, Illinois. Today, only Samuel Little, GaryRidgway, and Ted Bundy rank higher than him, even though he stillholds the record for receiving the longest sentence imposed on amass murderer: 21 consecutive life sentences, and 12 deathsentences.

He became known as The Killer Clown becausewhile he was a charming, funny, clown that entertained children atcommunity parties and hospitals, he also used his tricks to traphis victims into handcuffs and the rope that would eventually snuffout their life. He was obsessed with clowns and had collectedmemorabilia, paintings, makeup, and costumes for years before hewas caught. On death row, he spent most of his time painting clownsand self-portraits depicting himself as Pogo the Clown, thepersona he had created to regress into childhood. When detectivesentered his home in Norridge for the first time, they took noticeof the room he had assigned to what appeared to be a clownmuseum. In it, he also had a picture of Bobby Vinton, a singer whowas known as The Polish Prince and who Gacy greatly admired. Itwas his own Polish heritage that helped him formulate his clownpersona, where he said that Pogo meant Polish on the go, and onthe go he was! He was a workaholic who liked to impress people inany way that he could: elaborate stories, bustling parties, and aresume filled with volunteer and community work that allowed himto get away with serial rape and murder for 6 years withoutdetection. He cruised through Chicago late at night in hispolice-themed car to find his prey, blaming them for their owndeaths, either because they sold their bodies for sex or were dumbenough to fall for his tricks. Before he became an active serialkiller, he was an experienced predator and serial rapist who hadspent 18 months in prison for sodomizing two teenage boys. When hewas arrested in December of 1978, it was ironically the same timethat his initial 10-year sentence would have ended, but because hewas so hard-working, charming, and manipulative, he was releasedearly the first time. All 33 of his known victims would not havedied if he had been kept behind bars- this was a tough pill foranyone to swallow. Gacy truly was a terrible example of hard workpaying off, even if it is undeniable that he worked harder thanmost at everything he set out to do.

He was a businessman through and through, evenhustling his way through the grim days on death row. By creatinghis eerie paintings of clowns, celebrities, and other serialkillers, he was able to live comfortably on the thousands ofdollars that he generated from selling them, which earned himcigars, snacks, and more art supplies. Thankfully, in 1985 the Sonof Sam law was passed and Gacy was more restricted with what hecould negotiate with the outside world. Ever determined to winand have the last laugh, he said that he didnt care and that heonly created the art to bring joy to peoples lives.

John Wayne Gacy was executed by lethalinjection on May 10th, 1994, a stark contrast to the moment thatNelson Mandela became the President of South Africa, which occurredon the same day. While one man was executed for his horrificcrimes, another demonstrated that it is possible to overcome traumaand suffering and to rather show how that resilience can be put tobetter use. Gacys actions have affected at least 100 people pervictim, which means that 3300 people were severely impacted anddevastated by what he had done. Some ended their own lives, somestruggled with their mental health for decades, and even those ofus who study him in the present moment have the potential to feelswallowed whole by the darkness that he brought into thisworld.