John Wayne Gacy was a serial killer from 1972 to 1978 and was also known as “Pogo the Clown” and or “The Killer Clown.” He was born March 17th, 1942, and died May 10th, 1994. John Wayne Gacy got his name “The Killer Clown” because he worked as a clown for parties that he hosted for the entire neighborhood.
In September 1964, Gacy got married to Marlynn Myers, and in February 1966, they had a boy, then a year later they had a daughter. In 1968, Gacy was found guilty of sexually assaulting two young boys. He spent 18 months in prison then when he got out he and Marlynn got divorced, and she got sole custody of the two children. After he and his wife got divorced, he moved to Chicago.
In 1971 he met his soon-to-be second wife Carol Hoff who was friends with Gacy’s sister Karen. Gacy and Carol also went on a date in high school but they didn’t actually start dating until 1971. Carol had two daughters from a previous marriage (Tammy and April). Gacy had informed Carol before their wedding (July 1st, 1972) about his same-sex attractions but he had used the words “bisexual” and even said he wasn’t “gay or anything like that.” Nine days before their wedding, Gacy was arrested for posing as a deputy sheriff and convincing a young boy into performing oral sex on him; the charges were ultimately dropped later for unknown reasons.
Gacy is most well known for killing over 33 boys and young men, and hiding their bodies in the crawl space under his house and/or around his house. Here are all the victims’ names, ages, and where they were found. Only 28 out of the 33 have been identified: their names are Timothy Jack McCoy (16, found in the crawl space), John Butkovich (18, found in garage), Darrell Julius Samson (18, found under dining room), Randall Wayne Raffett (15, found in crawl space), Samuel G. Dodd Stapleton (14, found in crawl space), Michael Lawrence Bonnin (17, found in crawl space), William Huey Carroll Jr. (16, found in crawl space), James Byron Haakenson (16, found in crawl space), Rick Louis Johnston (17, found in crawl space), Kenneth Ray Parker (16, found in crawl space), Michael M. Marino (14, found in crawl space), William George Bundy (19, found in crawl space), Francis Wayne Alexander (21, found in crawl space), Gregory John Godzik (17, found in crawl space), John Alan Syzc (19, found in crawl space), Jon Steven Prestidge (20, Found in crawl space), Matthew Walter Bowman (19, found in crawl space), Robert Edward Gilroy Jr. (18, found in crawl space), John Antheney Mowery (19, found in crawl space), Russell Lloyd Nelson (21, found in crawl space), Robert David Winch (16, found in crawl space), Tommy Joe Boling (20, found in crawl space), David Paul Talsma (19, found in crawl space), Willam Wayne Kindred (19, found in crawl space), Timothy David O’Rourke (20, found in Des plaines river), Frank William Landingin (19, found in Des Plaines river), James Mazzara (20, found in Des Plaines river), Robert Jerome Piest (15, found in Des Plaines river)
Five victims were never identified and little information can be found about them. John Wayne Gacy was caught because the police were investigating the disappearance of Robert Peist. He was arrested on December 21st, 1978 and he admitted to the crimes but he pleaded insanity and the jury ultimately rejected the plea. He was sentenced to death row and was executed by lethal injection in 1994.
