Quick Facts
- NAME: John Wayne Gacy
- OCCUPATION: Serial Killer
- BIRTH DATE: March 17, 1942
- DEATH DATE: May 10, 1994
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois
- PLACE OF DEATH: Illinois
Best Known For
John Wayne Gacy is on record as the worst serial killer in United States history, with 33 victims.
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John Wayne Gacy - Childhood (1:02)
John Wayne Gacy - First Murder
The serial killer John Wayne Gacy brought home a young man from the bus station. He snapped, and committed what would become his first of many murders.
John Wayne Gacy - Being Different
As a young man, serial killer John Wayne Gacy learned he was attracted to men. His conflicting notions of his sexuality contributed to his eventual madness.
John Wayne Gacy - Childhood
The serial killer John Wayne Gacy's childhood was overshadowed by an abusive father.
John Wayne Gacy. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:22, May 27, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544
John Wayne Gacy [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544, May 27
" John Wayne Gacy." 2012. Biography.com 27 May 2012, 01:22 http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544
' John Wayne Gacy', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544 [accessed May 27, 2012]
" John Wayne Gacy," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544 (accessed May 27, 2012).
John Wayne Gacy [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 27]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544.
John Wayne Gacy, http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544 (last visited May 27, 2012).
John Wayne Gacy, http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544 (last visited May 27, 2012).
Synopsis
Born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, John Wayne Gacy confessed in 1978 to killing 33 boys and young men, most of whom had been buried in the crawl space under his house. He would sometimes dress as his alter ego, Pogo the Clown, and said the killings were committed by an alternate personality, Jack Hanson, although psychiatrists said he did not have multiple personalities. He was executed in 1994.
Profile
Serial killer. Born on March 17, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. The son of Danish and Polish parents, Gacy was a self-made building contractor and Democratic precinct captain in the Chicago suburbs in the 1970s. Well liked in his community, Gacy married twice and had two children. But on December 21, 1978, a police search of Gacy?s house uncovered the grisly truth. Within days, Gacy confessed to killing 33 boys and young men, the majority of whom had been buried in his crawl space.
Gacy lured his victims to his home with the promise of construction work, eventually sexually assaulting, torturing and strangling them with rope. He would sometimes be dressed as his alter ego, Pogo the Clown, and he told police the killings were committed by an alternate personality, Jack Hanson. However, during his trial in 1980, psychiatrists testified Gacy was not a multiple personality. He was ultimately convicted of all 33 deaths, making him the worst serial killer in U.S. history. He was sentenced to serve 12 death sentences and 21 natural life sentences. He died by lethal injection on May 10, 1994 at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois.
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Serial Killers
View groupMany of the most horrifying acts of violence are committed by serial killers. Always looking for next victim, these murderers kill again and again, never fully satisfied by their bloody deeds. Their twisted motivations—and even more twisted techniques—land the people in this group among the most frightening criminals in history.
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Famous Pisceans 456 people in this group
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Famous People Named John
View groupTake a look at famous people named John, such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy, John D Rockefeller, and John Barrymore.
Famous People Named John 194 people in this group

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