TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains graphic content. This article contains references to murder, sexual assault and rape.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy has become the latest true crime drama to capture viewers’ interest.
It follows the story of infamous serial killer and sex offender John Wayne Gacy, who had more than 30 victims across a six-year crime spree.
The chilling limited series landed on BINGE on October 16 and stars Michael Chernus as the notorious murderer.
The series explores the depths of Gacy’s double life, the heartbreaking grief experienced by the victims’ families, and the systematic issues that allowed his killing spree to continue for so long.
Here, we look at the true story behind the new series.
Who is John Wayne Gacy?
Gacy was born in 1942 and raised by his parents, Marion and Stanley, in Chicago, Illinois.
He had two sisters, Joanne and Karen, and their father, Stanley, was reportedly an alcoholic.
Gacy dropped out of high school and briefly lived in Las Vegas before returning to Illinois, where he lived a terrifying double life.
He was perceived as a friendly man in the community who often entertained children in hospitals and at birthday parties as “Pogo the Clown”, which later earned him the nickname, the “Killer Clown”.
Gacy ran a successful remodeling business, lived in the suburbs of Chicago, and was deeply involved in the community – all while secretly killing young men in his Norwood Park home.
Who were John Wayne Gacy’s wives?
Gacy was twice married, and both women were unaware of Gacy’s abhorrent crimes.
Gacy first married Marlynn Myers in 1964 after several months of dating, according to The New York Times.
The couple moved to Waterloo, Iowa, together and welcomed two children, a son, Michael, and a daughter, Christine.
However, their relationship ended when Gacy was accused of sexually assaulting two high school boys.
Gacy pled guilty to the sexual assault charge and, on the same day that he was sentenced, Marlynn filed for divorce.
She requested sole custody of their children, and it is not believed that Gacy saw Marlynn or their children again after their divorce.
Marlynn went on to remarry but shared her shock after later learning of Gacy’s subsequent crimes, insisting he had never been violent to her or their children.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” she told the New York Times in 1979. “I never had any fear of him. It’s hard for me to relate to these killings. I was never afraid of him.”
After Gacy was released from prison, he married Carole Hoff, whom he had briefly dated in high school.
They reconnected in 1971 and got married the following year. Carole moved into his ranch-style home, which became the site of most of his murders, with her two daughters.
Their marriage was fraught, and it ended in 1975 when Carole asked for a divorce following a heated argument.
By the time they had married, Gacy had committed his first known murder, though his crimes did not emerge until many years later.
Carole allegedly found wallets belonging to young men in Gacy’s car and was aware of his interest in men, as he came out as bisexual to her during their marriage.
Gacy had committed three murders by the time of their divorce, though Carole was unaware of this, and he went on to kill at least 30 more teenage boys and young men.
What crimes did John Wayne Gacy commit?
Gacy tragically claimed the lives of at least 33 victims between 1972 and 1978.
He buried 29 of his victims in the crawl space underneath his house and around his property, and would lure many of them from Chicago’s Greyhound Bus station.
Gacy also lured others to his home with the promise of a job, while some were conned into believing he was a policeman, and he grabbed others by force.
Gacy committed his first known murder in 1972. He met 16-year-old Timothy McCoy at the bus station and agreed to go to Gacy’s house during his layover in Nebraska.
Gacy fatally stabbed the teenager, starting off a string of brutal killings at his home.
He would lure victims to his house before giving them alcohol and drugs, where he would give them alcohol and drugs and handcuff the men, before raping, torturing, and murdering them, often by strangulation.
Gacy murdered 33 known victims before he was eventually discovered.
His final victim was Rob Piest. He killed the 15-year-old in 1978 and, after his parents reported him missing, police learned that Gacy was the last person to see him alive.
Piest had gone to meet Gacy to discuss a construction job and never returned. After obtaining a search warrant, police searched his home and found licenses belonging to other people.
Gacy was placed under surveillance, and after a second search warrant was obtained, police discovered the bodies of 29 young men in his crawl space and on his grounds.
Four other bodies, including Piests’, were later found in the nearby Des Plaines River.
Was John Wayne Gacy convicted?
Shortly after being arrested, Gacy confessed to the murders.
He later pleaded innocent by reason of insanity, and his trial began in 1980. A number of psychologists testified that they had diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic with multiple personalities.
However, the jury found him guilty of all 33 murders, and he received the death penalty.
During his time in prison, Gacy allegedly claimed to have committed further murders, but nothing was ever confirmed.
When did John Wayne Gacy die?
Gacy continuously appealed his sentence during his 14 years on death row, but all of his attempts were denied.
He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.
