Pogo the Clown
John Wayne Gacy was respected in his community as someone who was well established and who loved to entertain the children of the neighborhood. However, between 1972 and 1978, Gacy was kidnapping, torturing, and killing thirty-three young boys and men under the radar. He did so under his alter ego, Pogo the Clown, who he dressed up as at local birthday parties.
The Crimes
Beginning in 1968, Gacy was convicted of raping two young boys and was given a 10 year sentence. When he was released, he began his reign of terror. He lured young men towards his house, which is where he would then tie them up, sexually assault and torture them, and then strangle them. He was able to lure them with the promise of construction work at his company. Several parents indicated to the police that they should investigate Gacy as a suspect when their sons went missing, but nothing serious ever really came out of the allegations.
The Psychological Profile
John Wayne Gacy had a relatively typical background for a serial killer. He grew up in an abusive household. He had a drunkard as a father who had a habit of beating his wife and kids when they “misbehaved.” As a result, John and his siblings had to grow tough skin as a result of their father’s abuse. On top of this, Gacy was an outcast at school. He had a congenital heart condition which made him different from the other kids. He is also gay, so growing up during the 40s and 50s he suffered a lot at the hands of his sexuality.
Gacy’s traumatic childhood helps to explain his behavior quite a bit. There are definitely some biological influences for his behavior later in life along with these environmental factors. There are plenty of people who suffered abuse as a kid and many others who were ostracized as a result of their sexuality who do not grow up and rape and kill dozens of people.
No More Fun and Games
Eventually, in 1978, a fifteen year old boy went missing. His mother reported that the last she knew, he was going to speak with John Gacy about a potential job opportunity at his construction site. This led the police to search his home. They found clothes that were much smaller than what Gacy should have in his possession and also jewelry belonging to missing boys in the area. The police uncovered countless bodies buried under the house and several more in the river nearby.
Gacy admitted that he killed those thirty three people, so his defense team attempted to use the insanity plea, but the jury did not buy it. He was found guilty on 33 counts of murder and was sentenced to death by legal injection on May 10, 1994. Before his execution, he produced several paintings within the prison walls representing his alter ego, Pogo the Clown. His paintings sold for lots of money in auction.