# John Wayne Gacy > A Chicago-area building contractor, Gacy was convicted by a Cook County jury in 1980 of murdering boys and young men at his home between 1972 and 1978. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1994. - Case: People of the State of Illinois v. Gacy · Cook County, Illinois · 1980 - Section: historical case (closed; the defendant has died) - Outcome: Executed. Executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994. The convictions and death sentences were affirmed on direct appeal and upheld in state post-conviction and federal habeas proceedings. Some of the victims of the murders of conviction have still not been identified. - Died: May 10, 1994 - Topics: Serial killings - Last updated: 2026-10-17 - Editorial review: approved 2026-10-17 - Web page: https://criminalbackstories.com/history/john-wayne-gacy/ - All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law. Charges and allegations described on this site are not proof of guilt. ## Why this case is remembered The case is back before a wide audience with *Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy*, an eight-episode Peacock series streaming since October 2025; its lead actor told Entertainment Weekly the series was "focusing more on the victims."[11] The Cook County Sheriff's Office reopened the effort to name the unidentified victims in 2011 and has identified three of them since; in October 2021 it said five remained unidentified.[7][10] ## Case at a glance - Murder record: Convicted of 33 murders, committed on at least 2 separate occasions. A Cook County jury convicted Gacy in March 1980 of 33 counts of murder, and the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the convictions in 1984.[1][3] The courts did not count the separate events; the Illinois Supreme Court's account of the confessions describes the killings of John Szyc and Robert Piest as separate episodes, and it treated 12 of the murders as committed after the death penalty provision took effect, apart from the rest.[1] - Charges: 33 counts of murder, with deviate sexual assault, indecent liberties with a child and aggravated kidnaping; the kidnaping count was dismissed at trial[1] - Victims: 33 boys and young men; the court opinions reviewed name John Szyc, Greg Godzik, John Butkavitch and Robert Piest, 15[2][1] - Period of the crimes: 1972 to 1978[3] - Age at offense: About 30 to 36 (born March 17, 1942)[10][3] - Convicted: March 1980, by a jury selected in Winnebago County and seated in Cook County[3][1] - Sentence: Death on 12 murder counts; natural life on the other 21[1][3] - Direct appeal: *People v. Gacy*, 103 Ill. 2d 1, 468 N.E.2d 1171 (1984), affirmed; cert. denied, 470 U.S. 1037 (1985)[1][3] - Post-conviction: *People v. Gacy*, 125 Ill. 2d 117, 530 N.E.2d 1340 (1988), dismissal affirmed[2][3] - Federal habeas: *Gacy v. Welborn*, 994 F.2d 305 (7th Cir. 1993), denial of relief affirmed[3] - Died: Executed May 10, 1994, Stateville Correctional Center[9][4] ## The backstory ### The disappearance of Robert Piest Robert Piest, 15, worked at the Nisson Pharmacy in Des Plaines, Illinois.[1] On the evening of Dec. 11, 1978, he told his mother he would be back in a few minutes; according to the Illinois Supreme Court's statement of facts, "He was never again seen alive."[1] Gacy, a building contractor, had spent much of that evening in the pharmacy, and his truck was seen outside at about the time Piest disappeared.[1] The Des Plaines police suspected him, and the complaint for a search warrant noted his 1968 sodomy conviction in Iowa.[1] ### The searches Police searched Gacy's home under a warrant issued Dec. 13, 1978.[1] Among the 57 items seized were a receipt for film left to be developed at the Nisson pharmacy, found in a wastebasket, and a Maine West High School class ring that belonged to John Szyc, who had been reported missing.[1] A car previously owned by Szyc was also linked to Gacy.[1] A second warrant, issued Dec. 21, 1978, authorized a search of the house for Piest's remains.[1] The Illinois Supreme Court later upheld both warrants as supported by probable cause.[1] ### The confessions and the recovery of the victims By the court's account, Gacy admitted to police that he had killed "approximately 30 individuals," some buried in the crawl space under his home and five thrown into the Des Plaines River.[1] Excavation of the crawl space and the area around the house recovered 29 bodies, and four more were recovered from the Des Plaines and Illinois rivers.[1] Police officers and an assistant state's attorney testified at trial about his confessions; according to that testimony he said that all of his victims had come to his house voluntarily.[1] The federal appeals court summarized the record this way: between 1972 and 1978 Gacy lured young men to his home, and the victims were tied up or handcuffed and then strangled or choked.[3] Medical experts testified that the official cause of death for the bodies with material in the mouth or throat was "asphyxia due to suffocation," and that one body showed injuries consistent with stab wounds.[1] ### The victims named in the court record The court opinions reviewed for this page name four of the 33 victims of the murders of conviction; the full list, drawn from later news accounts and the Cook County Sheriff's identifications, is in the victims list on this page.[1][14] **Robert Piest.** Gacy told police that Piest came to discuss a job, according to the court's summary of his confession, and that he handcuffed him and strangled him with a rope.[1] The court noted that Piest "did not fit the pattern" of the other victims as Gacy described it.[1] **John Szyc.** Szyc had been reported missing before the December 1978 search; his class ring was found in Gacy's home, and he "was later discovered to be one of defendant's victims," the court wrote.[1] In his confession, by the officers' account, Gacy said he killed Szyc after Szyc asked him for more money.[1] **John Butkavitch.** Gacy told police he killed Butkavitch because Butkavitch threatened to kill him if he was released from his handcuffs, according to the court's summary.[1] (The opinion spells the name Butkavitch.) **Greg Godzik.** Godzik is named in the court's account of the confessions.[1] *The opinions reviewed give no further detail about him that the court relied on.* Relatives and friends of victims testified at trial about their lives, including that some had steady girlfriends or plans to marry.[1] *The opinions reviewed do not name the remaining victims; names identified later by the Cook County Sheriff are listed under "What came after."* ### The trial The trial was moved for jury selection: the jury was selected in Winnebago County and heard the case in Cook County.[1] Judge Louis Garippo presided.[3][8] Sam Amirante was Gacy's lead trial lawyer, and William Kunkle and Assistant State's Attorney Terry Sullivan were among the prosecutors.[3][9][8] The state told the jury the murders were premeditated and rational.[1] Witnesses who had known or worked for Gacy testified, among other things, that he had said he killed about 30 people.[1] Gacy did not testify.[3] His lawyers' opening statement said the evidence would show "a profound, incredible obsession," and that insanity "is the only defense that we could use here."[1] After his confession, by the officers' account, he had spoken of "four Johns" and of a personality he called "Jack," telling them, "Jack does not like homosexuality."[1] Jeffrey Rignall, called by the defense, testified that Gacy had chloroformed, restrained and assaulted him, and said he believed Gacy was not sane at the time; another defense witness testified that Gacy had struck him with a hammer.[1] ### The insanity defense The defense called six mental health experts, four psychiatrists and two psychologists.[3] According to the Illinois Supreme Court's summary of their testimony: - Thomas Eliseo, a clinical psychologist, testified that Gacy "lacked the substantial capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law"; on cross-examination he conceded that his assessment of Gacy's condition at the time of the crimes was "a guess."[1] - Dr. Lawrence Freedman, a psychiatrist, diagnosed him as "a pseudo-neurotic paranoid schizophrenic" but declined to give an opinion on whether he was legally insane.[1] - Dr. Robert Traisman, a psychologist, testified that because of paranoid schizophrenia Gacy "had a minimal amount of control over his actions"; on cross-examination he agreed that Gacy knew his acts were wrong.[1] - Dr. Richard Rappaport, a psychiatrist, testified that Gacy was "borderline" with psychosexual disorders and described brief psychotic episodes.[1] - Dr. Tobias Brocher did not give an opinion on legal responsibility under the Illinois standard; Dr. Helen Morrison testified that Gacy was not legally responsible for his actions.[1] The state's experts, the court wrote, "all testified that defendant was suffering only from a personality defect, that he was never psychotic," and that he was legally responsible under the Illinois standard.[1] Dr. A. Arthur Hartman diagnosed an antisocial personality; Dr. Robert Reifman diagnosed a narcissistic personality disorder and said Gacy was feigning mental illness; and Dr. James Cavanaugh described "pervasive narcissism, with an obsessive compulsive quality."[1] Dr. Leonard Heston testified that he could not conclude that Gacy was unable to conform his conduct to the requirements of law.[1] In rebuttal the state also called witnesses from Iowa, who described earlier incidents of violence and sexual coercion by Gacy there.[1] ### The verdict The jury rejected the insanity defense and convicted Gacy in March 1980 of 33 counts of murder.[3] It also found him guilty of deviate sexual assault and indecent liberties with a child; the aggravated kidnaping count had been dismissed.[1] After the verdict, Sullivan told reporters that "the jury rejected any evidence of any insanity evidence," and the judge ordered the jury to return for a death penalty hearing, the *Michigan Daily* reported.[8] ### The death sentences The state sought death only for the 12 murders committed after the Illinois death penalty provision was enacted; the federal appeals court described these as the only 12 the prosecution could prove occurred after the law took effect.[1][3] At the sentencing hearing, all of the trial evidence was admitted by stipulation.[2] The defense used the psychiatric evidence to argue that Gacy had acted while under extreme mental or emotional disturbance.[2] The jury found "the existence of one or more of the statutory aggravating circumstances" and that there were no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude death, and it returned death sentences on the 12 counts.[2][1] He received natural life sentences on the other murder counts.[1] *The opinions reviewed for this page do not say which statutory aggravating factor or factors the jury found.* ### The appeals On June 6, 1984, the Illinois Supreme Court, in an opinion by Justice Goldenhersh, affirmed the convictions and death sentences.[1] It upheld the search warrants, rejected claims about the confessions, jury selection and pretrial publicity, and held that the jury was not required to find him insane: the evidence "amply supports the verdict."[1] The U.S. Supreme Court declined review in 1985.[3] In 1988 the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of his post-conviction petition.[2] It rejected the claim that his lawyers should have presented more mitigation at sentencing, such as evidence of a traumatic childhood, family relationships, business and civic success and good behavior in jail, noting that "much of this evidence was actually presented at trial."[2] It found that the trial judge had erred in barring the defense experts from repeating Gacy's statements to them, but that the error was harmless because the experts still explained the basis of their opinions.[2] It rejected the rest of his claims, including 43 he raised himself.[2] In 1993 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of federal habeas relief.[3] It held that a misreading of the jury instruction on mitigating factors was not prejudicial, that jury selection was adequate, and that he had not shown his lawyers forced the insanity defense on him or were compromised by book and publicity income.[3] The court wrote that "Gacy's only real choice was between an insanity defense and a guilty plea," and that he "received a skillful, vigorous defense by lawyers who were prepared to the nines."[3] On May 9, 1994, the same court refused to stay the execution on a second habeas petition, calling it an abuse of the writ.[4] ### The execution Gacy was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center and pronounced dead at 12:58 a.m. on May 10, 1994; the procedure was delayed by a clog in the tubing, the Associated Press reported.[9] State Corrections Director Howard Peters said Gacy's last words were that taking his life would not compensate for the loss of the others and that this was the state murdering him.[9] William Kunkle, the trial prosecutor, witnessed the execution.[9] ### What came after In 2011 Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart reopened the effort to identify the victims whose remains had never been named.[7] Through DNA comparison with relatives, the sheriff's office identified: - **William George Bundy**, Victim No. 19, born Oct. 22, 1957, who went missing in October 1976 around his 19th birthday; announced Nov. 29, 2011.[5] - **James "Jimmie" Byron Haakenson**, Victim No. 24, who left his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 16 and last called his mother from Chicago on Aug. 5, 1976; announced July 19, 2017.[6] - **Francis Wayne Alexander**, Victim No. 5, who was 21 or 22 when he was killed sometime between early 1976 and early 1977; announced Oct. 25, 2021.[7] In 2021 the sheriff's office said five victims remained unidentified.[7] ## Personal backstory ### Early life Gacy was born in Chicago on March 17, 1942.[10] At trial his mother testified that he was an unhealthy baby who was not expected to live, that his father was violent, and that her son had begged her not to take him for a psychiatric referral.[1] His sister testified that their father had "a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type personality."[1] *The sources reviewed say little about his schooling.* ### Iowa According to the 1978 search warrant complaint quoted by the Illinois Supreme Court, Gacy was "arrested and convicted in Waterloo, Iowa in 1968 for Sodomy and sentenced to 10 yrs. in prison," and "The Sodomy arrest involved 15 and 16 year old youths."[1] *The sources reviewed do not give the date of his release.* ### Work and public life Gacy worked as a building contractor in the Chicago area.[1] The Associated Press described him as a successful remodeling contractor, a Democratic precinct captain and an amateur clown named Pogo.[9] His second wife testified at trial about a smell from the crawl space under the house.[1] Other defense witnesses described him as boastful but not antisocial, and said he often complained of ailments that did not appear to exist.[1] ### Mental health No court found that Gacy was legally insane.[1] The defense experts' diagnoses, the state experts' contrary findings and the jury's rejection of the insanity defense are set out above under "The insanity defense."[1] Shortly before his execution, his lawyers argued that he could not assist them; the Seventh Circuit rejected the claim because they offered no medical or psychological evidence for it.[4] ### On death row His appeals delayed the execution for 14 years, the Associated Press reported.[9] On death row he recanted his confession, the Associated Press reported.[9] In a 1990 affidavit quoted by the Seventh Circuit, he said he "couldn't believe that anyone could go insane 33 different times."[3] After his execution his body was to be cremated at his family's request.[9] ## The victims ### Proven in court - Timothy McCoy, Last seen January 1972 (Convicted). A&E reports he was last seen just after New Year's 1972 and that his remains were identified in 1986; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][15][14] - John Butkavitch, Disappeared July 31, 1975 (Convicted). Named in the Illinois Supreme Court's account of Gacy's confessions (Oxygen spells the name Butkovitch, and gives the date he went missing).[1][14] - Francis Wayne Alexander, Killed between early 1976 and early 1977 (Convicted). Victim No. 5, recovered from the crawl space on Dec. 26, 1978, was identified by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in 2021, after the trial; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] - Darrell Sampson (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case (Oxygen gives April 6, 1976, without saying whether it is the date he disappeared or died); the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Randall Reffett, Last seen May 14, 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he was last seen walking home from school; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Sam Stapleton, Disappeared May 14, 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he disappeared on the way home from his sister's apartment; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Michael Bonnin (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - William Carroll, Disappeared June 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims by Oxygen (A&E spells the surname Carol); the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14][15] - James Byron Haakenson, Last heard from Aug. 5, 1976 (Convicted). Victim No. 24 was identified by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in 2017, after the trial; he last called his mother from Chicago on Aug. 5, 1976, and the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[6][2] - Rick Johnston, Last seen Aug. 6, 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he was last seen going to a concert at the Aragon Ballroom; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Kenneth Parker, Last seen Oct. 25, 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he was last seen with Michael Marino on Chicago's North Side; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Michael Marino, Last seen Oct. 25, 1976 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he was last seen with Kenneth Parker on Chicago's North Side; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - William George Bundy, Last seen October 1976 (Convicted). Victim No. 19 was identified by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in 2011, after the trial; he went missing around his 19th birthday in October 1976, and the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[5][2] - Greg Godzik, Disappeared Dec. 12, 1976 (Convicted). Named in the Illinois Supreme Court's account of Gacy's confessions; the date he went missing is from Oxygen, which gives his first name as Gregory.[1][14] - John Szyc, Disappeared Jan. 20, 1977 (Convicted). The Illinois Supreme Court wrote that Szyc had been reported missing and "was later discovered to be one of defendant's victims"; the date he went missing is from Oxygen.[1][14] - Jon Prestidge (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Matthew Bowman (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Robert Gilroy, Disappeared Sept. 15, 1977 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - John Mowery, Disappeared Sept. 25, 1977 (Convicted). The Associated Press reported in 1994 that Mowery was 19 when he was killed in 1977, and Oxygen gives the date he disappeared; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][9][14] - Russell Nelson, Last seen Oct. 17, 1977 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he was last seen at a dance club; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Robert Winch (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Tommy Boling (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - David Talsma (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - William Kindred, Killed February 1978 (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims by Oxygen, and A&E reports he was killed in February 1978; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14][15] - Timothy O'Rourke (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Frank Landingin, Found Nov. 4, 1978, Des Plaines River (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says his body was found in the Des Plaines River; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - James Mazzara (Convicted). Named among the 33 victims in Oxygen's account of the case, which says he went missing on Thanksgiving Day 1978; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[2][14] - Robert Piest, Last seen Dec. 11, 1978, Des Plaines, Illinois (Convicted). The Illinois Supreme Court's statement of facts says Piest, 15, left the pharmacy where he worked on the evening of Dec. 11, 1978, and "was never again seen alive."[1] - Unidentified (Convicted). One of the five victims of the murders of conviction whose remains the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in 2021 were still unidentified; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] - Unidentified (Convicted). One of the five victims of the murders of conviction whose remains the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in 2021 were still unidentified; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] - Unidentified (Convicted). One of the five victims of the murders of conviction whose remains the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in 2021 were still unidentified; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] - Unidentified (Convicted). One of the five victims of the murders of conviction whose remains the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in 2021 were still unidentified; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] - Unidentified (Convicted). One of the five victims of the murders of conviction whose remains the Cook County Sheriff's Office said in 2021 were still unidentified; the jury convicted Gacy of all 33 murders.[7][2] ## Myth and record - Claim: Gacy committed his murders dressed as a clown, an image behind the nickname "Killer Clown" and lists of killers who wore costumes while committing murder.[12][13] The record: Gacy performed as an amateur clown named Pogo, the Associated Press reported.[9] The court opinions' accounts of the crimes, drawn from his confessions and trial testimony, say his victims came to his house, where they were tied up or handcuffed and strangled or choked; none of the opinions reviewed for this page mentions a clown costume.[1][3] Peter Vronsky, a writer on the subject quoted by Oxygen, calls the costume claim "a myth."[12] ## Aggravating circumstances found - Illinois Criminal Code, section 9-1(b): For each of the 12 murders committed after the death penalty provision was enacted, the jury found "the existence of one or more of the statutory aggravating circumstances." The court opinions reviewed for this page do not say which factor or factors the jury found. ## The two sides - Prosecution: The state told the jury the murders were premeditated and rational. Its psychiatric experts all testified, the Illinois Supreme Court wrote, that Gacy "was suffering only from a personality defect, that he was never psychotic," and that he was legally responsible under the Illinois standard.[1] - Defense: His lawyers did not contest that he caused the deaths. They argued he was insane, telling the jury in opening statement that the insanity defense "is the only defense that we could use here," and called psychiatrists and psychologists who testified to psychotic illness.[1] Gacy, who did not testify, later said, "I was against the insanity defense from the beginning."[3] - Victims' families: Nearly two dozen relatives of victims kept a vigil at the prison on the night of the execution, the Associated Press reported; the brother of one victim said, "We were victims here, too."[9] The family of a victim identified in 2021 said, "Our only comfort is knowing this killer no longer breathes the same air as we do."[7] ## Timeline - March 17, 1942: Gacy is born in Chicago.[10] - 1968: He is convicted of sodomy in Waterloo, Iowa, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.[1] - 1972–1978: The murders of conviction are committed at and around his home near Chicago.[3] - Dec. 11, 1978: Robert Piest, 15, disappears after leaving the Des Plaines pharmacy where he worked.[1] - Dec. 13, 1978: Police search Gacy's home under a first warrant.[1] - Dec. 21, 1978: A second warrant authorizes a search of the home for Piest's remains; the first remains are found in the crawl space.[1][10] - March 1980: The jury rejects the insanity defense and convicts him on all 33 murder counts.[3][8] - March 1980: The same jury returns death sentences on 12 counts.[3][1] - June 6, 1984: The Illinois Supreme Court affirms the convictions and death sentences.[1] - 1988: The Illinois Supreme Court affirms the dismissal of his post-conviction petition.[2] - April 12, 1993: The Seventh Circuit affirms the denial of federal habeas relief.[3] - May 9, 1994: The Seventh Circuit denies a stay of execution on a second habeas petition.[4] - May 10, 1994: Gacy is executed by lethal injection at Stateville and pronounced dead at 12:58 a.m.[9] - Nov. 29, 2011: The Cook County Sheriff identifies Victim No. 19 as William George Bundy.[5] - July 19, 2017: The sheriff identifies Victim No. 24 as James Byron Haakenson.[6] - Oct. 25, 2021: The sheriff identifies Victim No. 5 as Francis Wayne Alexander.[7] ## What came after The Cook County Sheriff's Office reopened the identification of the unnamed victims in 2011. Using DNA from relatives, it identified Victim No. 19 as William George Bundy in 2011, Victim No. 24 as James Byron Haakenson in 2017 and Victim No. 5 as Francis Wayne Alexander in 2021, and said in 2021 that five victims remained unidentified.[5][6][7] Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said the victims "deserve dignity and that includes knowing their names."[7] ## Sources 1. [People v. Gacy, 103 Ill. 2d 1, 468 N.E.2d 1171](https://openjurist.org/103/ill2d/1/people-v-gacy). Supreme Court of Illinois, June 6, 1984 (text reproduced by OpenJurist). (court or official record) 2. [People v. Gacy, 125 Ill. 2d 117, 530 N.E.2d 1340](https://cite.case.law/ill-2d/125/117/). Supreme Court of Illinois, 1988 (Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School). (court or official record) 3. [Gacy v. Welborn, 994 F.2d 305](https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/994/994.F2d.305.92-3965.92-3448.html). U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, April 12, 1993 (via Public.Resource.Org). (court or official record) 4. [Gacy v. Page, 24 F.3d 887](https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/024/24.F3d.887.94-2044.html). U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, May 9, 1994 (via Public.Resource.Org). (court or official record) 5. [Unknown Victim of John Wayne Gacy Is Identified](https://www.cookcountysheriff.org/unknown-victim-of-john-wayne-gacy-is-identified/). Cook County Sheriff's Office, Nov. 29, 2011. (court or official record) 6. [Unknown Gacy Victim Identified](https://cookcountysheriffil.gov/unknown-gacy-victim-identified/). Cook County Sheriff's Office, July 19, 2017. (court or official record) 7. [John Wayne Gacy Victim Identified](https://www.cookcountysheriff.org/john-wayne-gacy-victim-identified/). Cook County Sheriff's Office, Oct. 25, 2021. (court or official record) 8. [Convicted of 33 sex killings: Jury finds Gacy guilty](https://digital.bentley.umich.edu/midaily/mdp.39015071754654/545/download_text). The Michigan Daily, March 13, 1980, via Bentley Historical Library. (archival record or trial reporting from the time) 9. [Serial Killer Executed by Injection in Illinois](https://www.deseret.com/1994/5/10/19108035/serial-killer-executed-by-injection-in-illinois). Associated Press, via Deseret News, May 10, 1994. (news report) 10. [Timeline of Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy's Life, Case](https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/timeline-of-serial-killer-john-wayne-gacys-life-case/2654630/?amp=1). Associated Press, via NBC Chicago, Oct. 25, 2021. (news report) 11. [Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy: Premiere Date, First Look, Trailer, Cast & More](https://www.aol.com/devil-disguise-john-wayne-gacy-182257027.html). Entertainment Weekly, Oct. 17, 2025 (via AOL). (news report) 12. [From The Zodiac Killer To John Wayne Gacy: 5 Creepy Murderers Who Wore Costumes](https://www.oxygen.com/index%2Ephp/crime-time/creepy-costumes-killer-wore-while-committing-murder). Oxygen, Oct. 23, 2018 (Gina Tron). (news report) 13. [How John Wayne Gacy Influenced a Cultural Fear of Clowns](https://www.aetv.com/articles/how-john-wayne-gacy-influenced-a-cultural-fear-of-clowns). A&E, Oct. 15, 2025 (Francisco Alvarado). (news report) 14. [The 33 Known And Unknown Murder Victims Of 'Killer Clown' John Wayne Gacy](https://www.oxygen.com/index%2Ephp/crime-time/known-unknown-murder-victims-john-wayne-gacy-killer-clown). Oxygen, Nov. 26, 2018 (Benjamin H. Smith). (news report) 15. [John Wayne Gacy's Victims](https://www.aetv.com/articles/john-wayne-gacy-victims). A&E, Oct. 7, 2021 (Crystal Ponti). (news report)