'Killer Clown' John Wayne Gacy tried to manipulate criminal profiler John Kelly to peddle for his innocence in 1993
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: John Wayne Gacy, America's most infamous serial killer also known as 'Killer Clown' had his last meal on 10 March 1994 —29 years ago. Gacy murdered and raped at least 33 young men and boys in Illinois between 1970 and 1978.
In April 1993, a year before he was executed by lethal injection, Gacy made alarming demands to criminal psychoanalyst John Kelly. Kelly who had interviewed a number of serial killers wanted to add Gacy to the list.
READ MORE
Devon Hoover murder: Police announce $1K reward for tips in brutal killing of Detroit neurosurgeon
'My policy is simple no photo, no answer'
The 'Killer Clown' was demanded to provide personal information and a photograph as part of a questionnaire. Gacy maintained his innocence and outlined his policy clearly in a pamphlet sent to Kelly, stating, "My policy is simple no photo, no answer with bio sheet in full." Besides being a serial killer convicted for a series of murderers he was also classified as a "sexual serial killer."
"This is how serial killers are made," Kelly told Fox News. He wanted to study Gacy as an adult who had been in prison for 15 years. The monster serial killer's terror finally came to an end in 1978. Investigators had been searching his house to find missing Robert Piest when they smelled stench coming from his crawl space.
How he was linked to murders?
Following the recovery of several items from his home, Gacy was linked to multiple missing men before he eventually confessed to his heinous crimes. Gacy's modus operandi involved luring victims to his house, where he would handcuff them and typically perform magic tricks before unleashing his vicious assaults. Due to his appearances at events such as 'Pogo the Clown,' a persona he created, Gacy became known as the 'Killer Clown.'
Police found dozens of bodies buried at his home that belonged to men and boys he had kidnaped. Five of the victims still remain unidentified and one was found recently in 2021 as per Cook County Sheriff's Office.
'Return with a photo'
"If you want to submit some questions in writing, then I would be willing to answer them so long as they don't deal with my case," Gacy wrote to Kelly. "In doing so whenever I talk with anyone I like to know who that is and some common facts about them enclosed is a bio sheet which you can fill out and return with a photo." Gacy would make similar demands to other people as well who tried to reach him in prison. However, Kelly never answered the questionnaire and backed off.
Call me John or JW instead of Gacy
Emphasizing his innocence as he sat on death row at Illinois' Stateville Correctional Center, he would ask Kelly in the letters to call him John or JW instead of 'Mr Gacy.' "He was trying to find ways to manipulate me," Kelly says. "Based on what he wanted to see, and based on the propaganda he wanted me to peddle for him."
Contents of the Questionnaire
The questionnaire, which Kelly never made public, requested personal data such as birthdate and marital status, as well as political leanings, New Year's resolutions, and the respondent's "current hero." Besides "If I were an animal I'd be," "Friends like me because," "What I think of this country." Furthermore, he also wanted to know "thoughts on sex" and "what your (sic) thinking now" and his artistic interests.
His own answers to the Questionnaire
The actual questionnaire seems to have been distributed to other individuals who were interested in speaking with Gacy before his 1994 execution, the publication notes. One such questionnaire that the killer himself answered in a profile in The New Yorker one year before his execution, he viewed himself as "Liberal, with values," whose biggest fear was "dying before I have a chance to clear my name."
The huge last meal and his final words
Gacy's final request to have a private picnic on the prison grounds with his family was granted. He ordered a huge meal that was an entire bucket of KFC, twelve fried shrimp, a wad of fries, and fresh strawberries. That was all washed down with Diet Coke as per Daily Star. As he was being executed, the chemicals clogged the IV tube and the equipment had to be swapped with the whole process taking 18 minutes. Despite the painful execution, William Knukle, the prosecutor at Gacy's trial said, "He got a much easier death than any of his victims." The final words reported to have come from his mouth were: "Kiss my a**."