John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was a notorious American serial killer and pederast, known for the brutal rape, torture, and murder of at least 33 young men and boys. Gacy gained a dark notoriety as the "Killer Clown," entertaining children at hospitals and charity events under the aliases "Pogo the Clown" and "Patches the Clown."
Most of Gacy's horrific crimes took place in his home near Norridge, Illinois, where he would lure victims under the guise of showing them a magic trick, only to restrain them with handcuffs. He subsequently subjected them to heinous acts before ultimately murdering them, primarily through asphyxiation or strangulation. The remains of twenty-six of his victims were discovered buried in the crawl space of his residence, while others were found in different locations on his property or disposed of in the Des Plaines River.
Gacy's criminal history included a 1968 conviction for the sexual assault of a teenage boy, leading to a ten-year prison sentence, though he served only eighteen months. His murder spree began in earnest in 1972, escalating significantly after his divorce in 1976. His capture on December 21, 1978, followed the investigation into the disappearance of a local teenager, Robert Piest.
In 1980, Gacy was convicted for his crimes, marking the largest number of homicides attributed to a single individual in U.S. history. He received a death sentence and spent his time on death row painting before being executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994.
