John Wayne Gacy: A Serial Killer

Serial killers are like the actual Boogey-Man; hiding under the bed or lurking in the shadows is exactly what one would think they would do. However, some serial killers build up a camouflage and interact with others without any gut-feelings or blaring signs of what is actually going on in their head. John Wayne Gacy is the perfect example of this type of killer. Born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, John Wayne Gacy faced an abusive childhood and conflict over his sexuality (Vronsky 92). Growing up, Gacy was subjected to abuse from his drunken father who would discipline the Gacy children with a razor strap; because showing emotion during the beatings fueled the father’s rage, Gacy learned to control his emotions and not cry. However, …show more content…
He was well-liked in his community and even dressed up as a clown for children’s birthday parties. He was also married and divorced twice with both children and stepchildren (Gerdes 48). However, his astute background, Gacy was tried and convicted for a ten year sentence for the molestation of two teenage boys in 1968, but was released on parole in the summer of 1970. Following his release, another boy came forward to police, accusing Gacy of rape, but the charges were dropped with the victim failed to appear in court (91). After two additional boys came forward, local authorities began looking into previous disappearances of boys fitting Gacy’s “type”, and when questioned, Gacy admitted to his first known killing in 1972, taking the life of Timothy McCoy after luring the teen to his home. After further investigation, it was discovered that Gacy killed 33 young males, burying most under his home. During this prestigious run with the high life, Gacy had neighborhood barbecues with the bodies of the teen boys under his home; his after-hour crimes went undetected with a thin layer of lime sprinkled on the decomposing bodies (Dee 43). Luckily, around the time he was caught, Gacy had been planning to cover the bodies in cement, making it impossible for authorities to uncover the truth. He was found guilty in 1980 and given multiple death penalty and life sentences. He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994 (Vronsky 94). Gacy is the perfect example of a serial killer who used a protective response when in public by faking social interaction. By fitting into the political scene, Gacy was able to keep his enemies closer, as the cliché states. Like Gacy, Ted Bundy, a more famous name, was extremely camouflaged, but both men had a completely different motive and victim pattern than the other. While Gacy