who was the lead state's attorney who tried john wayne gacy

by Danika Bednar 8 min read

Who was the defense attorney for John Wayne Gacy?

The trial of John Wayne Gacy began on February 6, 1980 in the Cook County Criminal Court Building in Chicago. The prosecution team was lead by William Kunkle, who was assisted by Robert Egan and Terry Sullivan.

When did the trial of John Wayne Gacy begin?

Apr 23, 2021 · John Wayne Gacy’s lawyer, Sam L. Amirante, had just started his own private practice when he took on Gacy’s case. Gacy was an acquaintance and asked for help, not explaining the breadth of the case Amirante was about to enter into. Since then, Amirante has …

Who is John Wayne Gacy’s lawyer Sam Amirante?

Jun 01, 2021 · Dorsch had his own problems with the Gacy case. He had long suspected that Gacy had buried bodies elsewhere, particularly at a Chicago apartment building where Gacy …

How did John Wayne Gacy die?

Louis B. Garippo (June 4, 1931 – May 31, 2016) was a former Cook County judge and supervisor in the state’s attorney’s office best known as the presiding judge over the trial of John Wayne …

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May 10, 2014 · By Staff in News on May 10, 2014 6:00PM. Chicago’s most notorious serial killer was put to death at Stateville Correctional Center twenty years ago today. One of his Death …

Who is John Wayne Gacy's lawyer?

John Wayne Gacy’s lawyer, Sam L. Amirante, had just started his own private practice when he took on Gacy’s case. Gacy was an acquaintance and asked for help, not explaining the breadth of the case Amirante was about to enter into. Since then, Amirante has worked to progress his career and is now still reportedly a lawyer.

Is John Wayne Gacy still practicing law?

John Wayne Gacy’s lawyer is now still practicing law. Even though Amirante is around the age of retirement, his career led him to a place where he practices law because he wants to, not because he has to. He actually did become a Cook County Judge but has since retired from the role to focus more on his family.

How many people did John Wayne Gacy kill?

Over the course of only six years, John Wayne Gacy, aka the Killer Clown, brutally murdered at least 33 young men, no one older than 21 years old.

Who wrote John Wayne Gacy?

In 2012, Sam Amirante wrote a book titled John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster to give us an inside look into what that experience was like. He felt it was important to share but wanted to wait long enough that it wouldn’t impede on Gacy’s case.

What does Amirante believe about John Wayne Gacy?

He believes that as time went on, Gacy’s evil side overtook him to a point of no return. This is why Gacy’s final abduction was extremely sloppy and poorly executed — Amirante believes Gacy wanted to get caught. Stream all six episodes of John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise on Peacock as of March 25. Advertisement.

Why did Sam Amirante defend Gacy?

One of the reasons Amirante defended Gacy to the best of his abilities is because of how much he loves and literally swears by the judicial system. All lawyers make an oath to uphold the Constitution, and all American citizens have a right to a sound defense.

Who was John Wayne Gacy?

"Gacy" redirects here. For other uses, see Gacy (disambiguation). John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender known as the Killer Clown who assaulted and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Gacy regularly performed at children's hospitals and charitable events as "Pogo ...

Who is John Wayne Gacy's father?

John Wayne Gacy was born in Chicago on March 17, 1942, the second child and only son of John Stanley Gacy (June 20, 1900 – December 25, 1969) and Marion Elaine Robison (May 4, 1908 – December 6, 1989). His father was an auto repair machinist and World War I veteran, and his mother was a homemaker.

Why was Gacy in hospital?

Gacy later estimated that between the ages of 14 and 18, he had spent almost a year in hospital and attributed the decline of his grades to missing school.

Where did Gacy go to work?

Hours after his father replaced the distributor cap, Gacy left home and drove to Las Vegas, Nevada. He found work within the ambulance service before he was transferred to work as an attendant at Palm Mortuary. As a mortuary attendant, Gacy slept on a cot behind the embalming room. He worked there for three months, observing morticians embalming dead bodies. He later confessed that one evening, while alone, he had clambered into the coffin of a deceased teenage male, embracing and caressing the body before experiencing a sense of shock. This prompted Gacy to call his mother the next day and ask whether his father would allow him to return home. His father agreed, and the same day he drove back to Chicago.

What did Gacy do in Waterloo?

In Waterloo, Gacy joined the local Jaycees chapter, regularly offering extended hours to the organization in addition to the 12- and 14-hour days he worked managing three KFCs. At meetings, Gacy often provided fried chicken and insisted on being called " Colonel ". Although Gacy was considered ambitious and something of a braggart, the other Jaycees held him in high regard for his fund-raising work, and in 1967 named him "outstanding vice-president" of the Waterloo Jaycees. The same year, Gacy served on the board of directors. Gacy and other Waterloo Jaycees were also deeply involved in wife swapping, prostitution, pornography, and drug use.

Where did John Gacy live?

With financial assistance from his mother, Gacy bought a ranch house near the village of Norridge in Norwood Park Township, an unincorporated area of Cook County, a part of metropolitan Chicago. The address, 8213 West Summerdale Avenue, is where he resided until his arrest in December 1978 and where, according to Gacy, he committed all his murders.

How many people did Gacy kill?

Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys, and buried 26 of them in the crawl space of his house. Gacy usually lured a lone victim to his house, although on more than one occasion Gacy also had what he called "doubles"—two victims killed in the same evening. Several victims were lured with the promise of a job with PDM, others with an offer of drink, drugs, or money for sex. His victims included people he knew and random individuals lured from Chicago's Greyhound Bus station, Bughouse Square, or simply off the streets. Some victims were grabbed by force, others conned into believing Gacy (who often carried a sheriff's badge and had spotlights on his black Oldsmobile) was a policeman.

When was John Wayne Gacy found guilty of murder?

And then they changed their story. On March 12, 1980, Gacy was found guilty of 33 counts of murder. Immediately after the trial, the police knocked on Marino’s door. “We made a grave error, Mrs. Marino,” her daughter Melissa remembers them saying. “Your son was a victim.”. A 1978 police photo of John Wayne Gacy, ...

What was John Wayne Gacy's job?

A 1978 police photo of John Wayne Gacy, taken when he was held for questioning in connection with the discovery of decomposed bodies in the crawlspace of his home. Gacy operated a construction business from the residence and employed several young men and boys, according to neighbors. Gacy covers his face as he is led to a courtroom ...

Where did Becker live when Gacy was arrested?

Becker was a teenager at the time of Gacy’s arrest, living 40 miles south of Chicago on a farm with his parents and two younger brothers. He remembers the “horror of it,” and he was roughly the same age as the victims, but school and farm work kept him distracted. (His specialty was raising bees.)

Who was the detective who buried the bodies of Gacy?

At the end of 2010, a former homicide detective named Bill Dorsch appeared on local station WGN-TV. Dorsch had his own problems with the Gacy case. He had long suspected that Gacy had buried bodies elsewhere, particularly at a Chicago apartment building where Gacy had been the caretaker.

Who was the lawyer who brought Marino into his office?

The lawyer and Mrs. Marino. Lawyer Steven Becker never could have expected a client like Marino to show up at his office. But when his private detective brought Marino into his office, explaining that she wanted to look further into the death of her son, Becker found the dark-haired mother a persuasive figure.

Who was arrested for burying young men and boys?

On Dec. 21, 1978, police arrested John Wayne Gacy, a jovial suburbanite who was involved in local politics, dressed up as a clown for children’s parties and had been burying young men and boys under his house for years.

Who is Gacy's death row attorney?

According to Karen Conti, Gacy’s death-row attorney, Gacy wasn’t too worried about the lethal injection awaiting him. “He never expressed concern about his death,” Conti tells A&E Real Crime. “I didn’t sense he even realized it was going to happen.”.

Who was the chief deputy state attorney who tried the case?

Among the prosecutors who’d worked to case, the mood was more festive. William Kunkle, the chief deputy state’s attorney who tried the case, remembers going to a celebratory pre-execution dinner with fellow attorneys. They had barbeque.

What did the state of Illinois sue Gacy for?

The state of Illinois had sued Gacy for money the killer had earned from various revenue streams while incarcerated. Among them: artwork he’d produced (including self-portraits as Pogo the Clown) and a 900 number, in which a pre-recorded Gacy argued his innocence to the paying caller.

Was Gacy thrown out of prison?

According to the state, Gacy was fiscally responsible for covering his incarceration. But Gacy wanted to leave his earnings for his family. Eventually, the state’s civil litigation case against Gacy was thrown out. And as the weeks passed toward his impending execution, Conti got to know Gacy better.

Where was Gacy incarcerated?

For his execution, Gacy was flown by helicopter from Menard Correctional Center—in downstate Illinois, where he’d been incarcerated for 14 years—to Stateville Penitentiary, just outside of Chicago.

What did Gacy eat in prison?

For his final meal, Gacy ate fried chicken, fried shrimp, french fries and fresh strawberries.

What were Gacy's last words?

Some have speculated that Gacy’s last words were “Kiss my ass.”. Other contemporaneous reports suggest that Gacy’s final words pointed the finger back at the state of Illinois for murdering him. But Kunkle claims that no words were spoken.

Who was the judge in the Gacy trial?

Louis B. Garippo (June 4, 1931 – May 31, 2016) was a former Cook County judge and supervisor in the state’s attorney’s office best known as the presiding judge over the trial of John Wayne Gacy. He also made notable contributions during the trial of Richard Speck and the controversy which surrounded Chief Illiniwek.

Which state abolished the death penalty?

Georgia, which temporarily abolished the death penalty. The case also served precursor for cases later to come in Garippo's career which also involved serial murder. Garippo's time as a judge began with election to the bench of the Cook County Circuit Court in 1968 and concluded with his retirement in 1980.

What was Garippo's first job?

Initially after Garippo's graduation from law school he was enrolled in the United States Army for two years before his first employment as an attorney . From the years of 1958 to 1968 he worked in the criminal division of the State's Attorney's office with the concluding title as first assistant state's attorney.

Who was arrested in the Summerdale scandal?

In 1961 Garippo made contributions to the trial involving Richard Morrison and eight Chicago police offices known as the Summerdale Scandal. Morrison a self-proclaimed master burglar was arrested in 1959 in connection to a string of burglaries in Chicago in the years which had proceeded.

When did Judge Garippo retire?

In 1980 following the Gacy trial judge Garippo retired from the bench to pursue the remainder of his career in private practice. In the year 2000 he was hired to write a report which covered fully the details which surrounded the controversy of Chief Illiniwek being a racially based mascot.

Was Speck sentenced to death?

The result being Speck was sentenced to death however the sentence was ultimately overturned due a 1972 Supreme Court decision, Furman v. Georgia, which temporarily abolished the death penalty. The case also served precursor for cases later to come in Garippo's career which also involved serial murder.

Where was John Wayne Gacy put to death?

Chicago’s most notorious serial killer was put to death at Stateville Correctional Center twenty years ago today. One of his Death Row attorneys still feels the way in which her life and career were altered by him and recalls just what a sick, twisted, and funny son of a bitch John Wayne Gacy was. Like the time Gacy noted he didn’t enjoy movies ...

Who is the legal analyst for WGN?

Conti and Adamski hosted WGN Radio’s “Legally Speaking’’ program for two decades, and Conti —as telegenic as she is accomplished—serves as a legal analyst for WGN Radio, WFLD TV and frequently appears on national news. Conti had a particular constitution for humor, even of the darkest varieties.

Who was Judy Baar Topinka?

Conti was avoided by long-time friend and mentor Judy Baar-Topinka, now the Illinois State Comptroller, who was in 1994 a Republican state senator running for State Treasurer. And the couple were even personae non gratae to death penalty opponents.

Who was John Wayne Gacy?

American serial killer and rapist, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., became notorious for the mass murder of at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the late 1970s. December 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the mass grave beneath his home, which shocked the American public and shattered the image of the safe suburban community. This episode provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the crimes and prosecution of the man dubbed the “The Killer Clown” by William “Bill” Kunkle, the lead prosecutor who took him on and sent him to his eventual execution.

How many people did Gacy kill?

Many will at least know Gacy’s name but just to review the basics, Gacy was a serial killer who operated in and around Chicago throughout the 1970s, killing at least 33 young men and burying most of them throughout his house beneath the crawlspace under his dining room and his garage. He is one of the most prolific serial killers in American ...

Who was the serial killer in the 1970s?

Episode Notes. American serial killer and rapist, John Wayne Gacy, Jr ., became notorious for the mass murder of at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the late 1970s. December 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the mass grave beneath his home, which shocked the American public and shattered the image ...

Who was the serial killer who killed 33 people?

American serial killer and rapist, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., became notorious for the mass murder of at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the late 1970s. December 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the mass grave beneath his home, which shocked the American public and shattered the image of the safe suburban community.

Who was the killer clown?

This episode provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the crimes and prosecution of the man dubbed the “The Killer Clown” by William “Bill” Kunkle, the lead prosecutor who took him on and sent him to his eventual execution.

How many counts of murder did John Wayne Gacy have?

In indictments returned in the circuit court of Cook County, defendant, John Wayne Gacy, was charged with 33 counts of murder, one count of deviate sexual assault, one count of indecent liberties with a child, and one count of aggravated kidnaping.

When was the search warrant issued in the case of the defendant?

Defendant contends first that the circuit court erred in denying his motion to suppress the evidence seized as the result of the search warrant issued on December 13, 1978 , and argues that both the complaint for the search warrant and the search warrant itself were defective. The complaint stated:

What was the circuit court ruling in the case of aggravated kidnapping?

Following a jury trial during which the charge of aggravated kidnaping was dismissed, defendant was found guilty on all of the other counts.

Overview

Early life

John Wayne Gacy was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 17, 1942, the second child and only son of John Stanley Gacy (June 20, 1900 – December 25, 1969) and Marion Elaine Robison (May 4, 1908 – December 6, 1989). His father was an auto repair machinist and World War I veteran, and his mother was a homemaker. Gacy was of Polish and Danish ancestry, and his family was Catholic. His paternal grandparents (who spelled the family name as "Gatza" or "Gaca") had immigrated t…

Waterloo, Iowa

After a six-month courtship, Gacy and Myers married in September 1964. Marlynn's father subsequently purchased three Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurants in Waterloo, Iowa. The couple moved there so Gacy could manage the restaurants, with the understanding that they would move into Marlynn's parents' former home, which had been vacated for the couple. The offer was lucrative: Gacy would receive $15,000 per year (the equivalent of about $134,550 as o…

Return to Chicago

Gacy was granted parole with twelve months' probation on June 18, 1970, after having served eighteen months of his ten-year sentence. Conditions of his probation included that Gacy relocate to Chicago to live with his mother, and that he must observe a 10:00 p.m. curfew.
On his release, Gacy told friend and fellow Jaycee Clarence Lane—who picked …

Murders

Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys, and buried 26 of them in the crawl space of his house. His victims included people he knew and random individuals lured from Chicago's Greyhound Bus station, Bughouse Square, or simply off the streets with the promise of a job with PDM, an offer of drink and/or drugs, or money for sex. Some victims were grabbed by force; others c…

Investigation

When Piest failed to return, his family filed a missing person report with the Des Plaines police. Torf named Gacy as the contractor Piest had most likely left the store to talk to about a job. Lieutenant Joseph Kozenczak, whose son attended Maine West High Schoollike Piest, chose to investigate Gacy further. Having spoken with Piest's mother on the morning of December 12, Kozenczak beca…

Trial

Gacy was brought to trial on February 6, 1980, charged with 33 murders. He was tried in Cook County, Illinois, before Judge Louis Garippo; the jury was selected from Rockford, because of extensive press coverage in Cook County.
At the request of his defense counsel, Gacy spent over three hundred hours with doctors at the Menard Correctional Center in Chesterin the year before his trial…

Death row

On being sentenced, Gacy was transferred to the Menard Correctional Center, where he remained incarcerated on death row for 14 years.
Before his trial, Gacy initiated contact with WLS-TV journalist Russ Ewing, to whom he granted numerous interviews between 1979 and 1981. Ewing later collaborated with author Tim Cahillto publish the book Buried Dreams. The inf…

The Final Weeks of Gacy’s Life

  • According to Karen Conti, Gacy’s death-row attorney, Gacy wasn’t too worried about the lethal injection awaiting him. [Watch Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in Americain the A&E app.] “He never expressed concern about his death,” Conti tells A&E True Crime. “I didn’t sense he even realized it was going to happen.” Instead, Conti says, in the mon...
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The Final Day of Gacy’s Life

  • For his execution, Gacy was flown by helicopter from Menard Correctional Center—in downstate Illinois, where he’d been incarcerated for 14 years—to Stateville Penitentiary, just outside of Chicago. A Stateville prison spokesman told The New York Times that Gacy was “chatty” during his last day of life and made easy small talk, discussing the prospects of the Chicago Cubs, amo…
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The Final Moments of Gacy’s Life

  • Shortly before midnight, Gacy was brought from his holding cell to the execution chamber. Large groups of demonstrators—both for and against the death penalty—had gathered outside. Kunkle remembers the pro-capital punishment demonstrators singing the pop song, “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)” so loudly that it could be heard from the execution building. Kunkle sat in t…
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