John Wayne Gacy
Update
by Jada Wittow
2/10/2012
John Wayne Gacy was executed almost two decades ago for the torture, rape, and murder of over 30 young boys and men in the 1970s. Recently, two lawyers say they unearthed evidence that he did not act alone in the slayings. The two lawyers are partners in a Chicago law practice. After re-examining the circumstances surrounding the disappearances of a few of the victims, they determined from their investigation that Gacy must have had at least three accomplices. Today, they presented their findings to a Cook County Sheriff as well as a lead investigator and a former prosecutor.
The Sheriff’s office plans to follow up on the information from the lawyer’s, and if they find it to be valid, attempt to location the accomplices if they are still alive. One reason the Sheriff is so willing to look into the case again is that there are still many loose ends years after Gacy’s execution. Seven victims were found that have yet to be identified, one was just identified in the last year when his mother came forward.
For further information on these recent developments go here
A new development in the John Wayne Gacy case
12/9/2011
by Ashling Gabig
 |
On the night of December 22nd 1978, the police made a grisly discovery in the crawl space of John Wayne Gacy’s Chicago home. Twenty nine bodies in all were excavated from the property of the “Killer Clown,” with four others found discarded at a nearby river. Gacy admitted to raping and murdering local males over a period of about six years, with the most recent victim being killed just ten days prior to Gacy’s arrest. For his horrific crimes, Gacy was sentenced to death and finally executed in May of 1994. The man who once dressed up as a clown for children’s parties, violently took the lives of thirty-three young men and boys. While Gacy was ultimately brought to justice, at least eight of his victims had yet to be identified, thus leaving cases unsolved. Many families and friends of local missing persons in Chicago have been left wondering if their loved one has fallen prey to Gacy’s murderous rampage. For excavated Victim #19, one such family has finally found their closure.
On October 27th 1976, nineteen year old William George Bundy was reported missing by his family in the Chicago area. William never returned home, and his body was never officially found. According to his family, missing person cases during that time were not aggressively pursued. Two years later, the Gacy murder case was blown wide open, and given worldwide notoriety. The Bundy family suspected that William was a victim of Gacy’s, but had no way to identify the body. DNA technology was not available as it is today, and all dental records had been unfortunately destroyed by William’s dentist. Once involved in construction, William’s family surmised that he must have had contact with Gacy, who was also a construction worker.
Fueled by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s renewed effort to identify the remaining eight victims in the Gacy murders, William’s sister, Laura, recently supplied her DNA sample to authorities. Laura had no proof of her brother’s link to the infamous murder case, but she could not shake the feeling that Gacy was involved in William’s disappearance. Thanks to improvements in DNA technology, genetic testing was able to confirm that Victim #19 was indeed her long missing brother. William disappeared when Laura was only fifteen, and over thirty years later, she has found the brother she loved and missed.
Currently, there are still seven unidentified victims that were found on John Wayne Gacy’s property. While William Bundy’s missing persons case can now be closed, Sheriff Tom Dart wants to bring that same closure to other families. Whether some families have simply moved on, or never thought to link their missing loved one to Gacy, the authorities are asking people to still come forward and provide DNA samples anyway. In the case of William Bundy, his mother never came forward to provide a DNA sample prior to her death because, as Laura said, she was in denial of that possibility. Sheriff Dart acknowledges that it is not a comfortable situation to be associated with the infamous Gacy murders, but believes it will ultimately bring closure to friends and families of any missing persons. More importantly, it will allow people to lay their loved ones to rest, and finally close the chapter on John Wayne Gacy for good.
For more on the story, go here, and stay tuned for news on the Crime Museum’s upcoming exhibit on John Wayne Gacy!
Read all our entries about John Wayne Gacy
Victims group wants no part in art sale
5/18/2011
Would you want a portrait of Charles Manson painted by “killer clown” John Wayne Gacy? Someone might, according to the Arts Factory in Las Vegas, which is asking for $4,000 for the piece in an upcoming exhibit.
The exhibit will offer 74 pieces of art, memorabilia, and audio recordings of the serial killer Gacy, all made while he was awaiting his 1994 execution. The proceeds from any sales will go to a number of charities, but the National Center for Victims of Crime wants no part in it. While the owner of the Arts Factory feels something good can still come out of the life of the murderer, the victims group feels otherwise.
Perhaps they consider it blood money. Or perhaps they simply find it creepy, like the board president of the Contemporary Arts Center, who is also considering refusing the proceeds from the sale. The question seems to be whether exhibiting art and memorabilia associated with serial killers glorifies their crimes or simply provokes discussion. Whether a good thing or not, the exhibit has certainly already done the latter.
The art itself is unimpressive. Amateurish and often cartoony, the artwork has nevertheless been the object of much controversy and public attention. It includes portraits of famous criminals such as Capone and Dillinger, as well as a number of paintings of skulls, clowns, and dwarves from Snow White.
The full gallery can be seen on the promotional website hosted by the Arts Factory. For more on the controversy itself, go here.
