John Wayne Gacy biography

Synopsis

Born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, 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 at the Stateville Correctional Institute in Crest Hill, Illinois.

Early Life and Career

Notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy was 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.

Serial Killings

On December 21, 1978, a police search of Gacy's house uncovered evidence of his involvement in numerous horrific acts, including murder. 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. When he killed, he sometimes dressed as his alter ego, "Pogo the Clown."

Trial, Conviction and Death

Gacy told police that the murders had been committed by an alternate personality, Jack Hanson. However, during his trial in 1980, psychiatrists testified that Gacy was not a multiple personality.

Ultimately convicted of committing 33 murders, Gacy became known as one of the most vicious serial killers in U.S. history. He was sentenced to serve 12 death sentences and 21 natural life sentences.

John Wayne Gacy died by lethal injection on May 10, 1994, at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.