John Wayne Gacy
Sign in to saveJohn Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least thirty-three young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in Norwood Park Township, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He became known as the "Killer Clown" due to his public performances as a clown prior to the discovery of his crimes.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1942-03-17
- Died
- 1994-05-10
- Works
- 2
Top works
- A Question of Doubt
- They call him Mr. Gacy
via Open Library + Wikidata
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Key facts
- Born
- ( 1942-03-17 ) March 17, 1942, Chicago , Illinois, U.S.
- Died
- May 10, 1994 (1994-05-10) (aged 52), Stateville Correctional Center , Illinois, U.S.
- Other name
- The Killer Clown
- Criminal status
- Executed by lethal injection
- Spouses
- Marlynn Myers ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. September 1964</span>"}]]}'>1964 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. September 18, 1969</span>"}]]}'>1969 ) Carole Hoff ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1972 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. March 2, 1976</span>"}]]}'>1976 )
- Convictions
- Iowa , Sodomy , Illinois , Murder (33 counts), Indecent liberties with a child, Deviate sexual assault
- Criminal penalty
- Death
- Victims
- 33+
- Span of crimes
- 1972–1978
- Country
- United States
- States
- Illinois Iowa
Key dates
- Born
- 17 March 1942
- Died
- 10 May 1994
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Wayne
- Named after
- John Wayne
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Edgewater
- Place of death
- Stateville Correctional Center
- Occupation
- serial killer
- Political party
- Democratic Party (United States)
- Languages spoken
- English language
Article
John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least thirty-three young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in Norwood Park Township, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He became known as the "Killer Clown" due to his public performances as a clown prior to the discovery of his crimes.
Gacy committed all of his known murders inside his ranch-style house. Typically, he would lure a victim to his home and dupe them into donning handcuffs on the pretext of demonstrating a magic trick. He would then rape and torture his captive before killing his victim by either asphyxiation or strangulation with a garrote. Twenty-six victims were buried in the crawl space of his home, and three were buried elsewhere on his property; four were discarded in the Des Plaines River.
Gallery (2)
Connections
Categories
1942 births1970s murders in the United States1994 deaths20th-century American murderers20th-century executions by Illinois20th-century executions of American peopleAmerican bisexual menAmerican clownsAmerican male criminalsAmerican male paintersAmerican murderers of childrenAmerican people convicted of child sexual abuse