“They seemed to have a picture perfect life—a loving and healthy family, a good job, a house in the suburbs—and it seemed almost too good to be true. And it was…” (“The Clown That Killed”). To Marion, his mother, John was an angel sent from above. Gacy didn’t have a usual life. His family had its issues that drove him away but an odd chain of events would bring him back home to Chicago. John Wayne Gacy was most definitely not an angel. Gacy was one of the most notorious serial killers who managed to his efforts for six years. Gacy is like the rest of the world, no one person is above the law.

To begin, one of the world’s most notorious serial killers was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1942, in one of the most popular cities, Chicago. John Wayne Gacy seemed to be as normal as could be. He had two sisters who he grew very close to, along with his mother. On the other hand, Gacy’s father was not a person John wanted to look up to. “Gacy seemed to have a normal childhood with the exception of his relationship with his father, John Wayne Gacy Sr.” (“John Wayne Gacy”). The constant ridicule and abuse drove Gacy to be a loner always seeking approval. On top of having an abusive alcoholic father, at the age of nine a family friend molested Gacy. “Gacy was struck in the head with a swing at age eleven. Until he was sixteen he suffered from blackouts, then he was diagnosed with a blood clot in the brain” (“John Wayne Gacy”). With the issues Gacy was having with his brain he was in and out of high schools leaving him with no diploma. Can his childhood really affect him so much to make him a killer; this is certainly a possibility.

Consequently, when the harassment from his father was just too much to handle Gacy moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in search for new possibilities. He soon fell in love with one of his coworkers, Marilynn Myers, who he would eventually marry. “He was a sharp businessman who had spent his time, when not building up his contracting company, hosting elaborate parties for friends and neighbors, dressing as a clown and entertaining children at local hospitals and immersing himself in organizations such as the Jaycees, working to make his community a better place to live” (Bell and Bardsley). Gacy seemed to be a great man to not only his wife but to the rest of the community until his liking for young men was made apparent. While in Las Vegas Gacy had sexual relations with a young man named Mark Miller. This act got Gacy a prison sentence of ten years. Due to good behavior, Gacy only saw the inside of a prison cell for eighteen months. Gacy lost not only his pride but also his wife. When he was released he immediately ran back to Chicago where no one would hear about the incident with Miller. Chicago was a new life for Gacy. Not only did he get a good job and a nice house but he also got a new wife; all of whom had no idea of the issue in Nevada. While life seemed to be perfect, Gacy still had a strong interest for young boys. All around town boys were disappearing. Not only were boys disappearing but a foul stench was noticed in Gacy’s home. The search for those missing boys went on for years, yet no information was found until a young man by the name of Robert Piest went missing one day after work, he was seen going over to Gacy’s car and never seen alive again. “The investigation into his disappearance would lead not only to the discovery of his body but the bodies of Bonnin, Carroll, Szyc, Gilroy and twenty-seven other young men who suffered similar fates” (“The Clown That Killed”). Gacy raped and murdered a known thirty-three people who he buried in his own house. This discovery not only shocked Chicago, but all of America.

Nobody denies that Gacy was different. “There was another side to Gacy that few had ever witnessed…” (Bell and Bardsley). John Wayne Gacy was a man who was trusted by everyone who knew him but no one could have seen this coming. A man who excelled in his construction business and the man who volunteered at hospitals to make little kids feel better was a cold blooded murderer. While searching Gacy’s house the police would find shocking evidence. “Some of the items included a box containing two drivers licenses and several rings, including one that was engraved with Marine West High School class of 1975 and the initials J.A.S.; a box containing marijuana and pills like amyl nitrate; a stained section of rug; a number of books with homosexual and child pornography themes; a pair of handcuffs; police badges; sexual devices a hypodermic needle and a small brown bottle; clothing that was too small for Gacy; nylon rope; and other items.” (“The Clown That Killed”). Gacy realized there was nowhere else to run and admits to killing a man in his garage by self-defense and tells police where he buried the body. In search of that body, more came to be discovered. The families of; Johnny Butkovich (17), Michael Bonnin (17), Billy Carroll (16), Gregory Godzik (17), John Szyc (19), Robert Gilroy (18), and Robert Piest (15) finally got the terrible news they were waiting for. Other families would never get their answer due to the six years of being stuck in his crawl space, thrown in a river, or somewhere in his backyard. The decomposition process made faces unable to be identified. After six years of committing such terrible crimes he was sent to trial and given the death sentence. In May of 1994, John Wayne Gacy’s death penalty, of lethal injection, was carried out. The nightmare was finally over!

Finally, John Wayne Gacy is one of America’s notorious serial killers. The rape, torture, and murder of over thirty-three young men will never be forgotten. It took six years to put this man away but when the moment came where the families witnessed his death, a sense of relief was abundant. This investigation enhanced how police and investigators will look at new crimes. No one would have suspected that Gacy would do something like that. While in court, family members and close friends still debated saying he was a great man. After more than 62 witnesses, it was over. Gacy was guilty! This case will help others similar to it in the future. No one gets away with murder. Not one person is above the law and with the search and seizure of all the body’s this point is proven. John Wayne Gacy will never hurt another young man.