John Wayne Gacy Thesis

To meet the requirements of a serial murder, the FBI standards states two or more persons must be murdered by an offender, male or female, over a period of time. Hickey stated, “Multiple murder is undoubtedly one of the most terrifying and fascinating phenomena of modern-day crime. We are frequently reminded of how vulnerable we can be when persons who decide to kill us can do so with relative ease” (2016, p. 1). As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, serial murderers have become more prevalent in society. Holmes and DeBurger (1988) stated “Since that time, more than fifty major serial killers have been identified; estimates of the number of victims involved range from five per killer to more than 100” (As cited in Sparks, 2001,

p. 252). John Wayne Gacy, also known as the “Killer Clown,” is identified as one of those major serial killers. Gacy, one of the most notorious and prolific killers of his time, was convicted and found guilty for brutally murdering thirty three young boys from 1972 to 1978, for which he was sentenced to death. According to Linedecker, in Gacy’s early adulthood, “The life of the Gacy’s was almost storybook idyllic. Gacy appeared to be happy with his marriage, his work, and his social activities. Even his health was good” (1980, p. 24). If Gacy’s life was what one would consider to be storybook idyllic, than what contributed to Gacy’s homicidal behavior?
John Wayne Gacy was the second child born to John and Marion Gacy on March 17, 1942.

Gacy’s childhood appeared to be normal, as he was raised by his mother who according to Cahill (1987), “…was born in Wisconsin to parents of Scandinavian descent. She was a pharmacist by vocation, but after the marriage, Marion gave up her career to raise the couple’s three young children” (As cited in Sparks, 2001, p. 257). John had quite a nice relationship with his mother and sisters growing up. According to Linedecker, “The teenager was closer to his mother and sisters. The bond between the young man and his mother was particularly strong, and she affectionately called him “Johnny”” (1980, p. 19). John was able to relate to his mother in more ways than one. According to Sparks, he stated, “According to Gacy’s mother, Marion, John was just like her. He could not sleep more than four hours a night, was overweight, was concerned for others, and disliked being alone” (2001, p. 258). Gacy’s father, worked as a skilled machinist in order to provide for his family. However, contrary to his loving relationship with his mother, Hickey stated, “His father was an alcoholic and frequently mistreated the family by beating his wife, abusing his son, and terrorizing his daughters. Gacy could never seem to gain the approval of his father regardless of the efforts he made” (2016, p. 370). Regardless of what Gacy tried to do as a child, nothing was ever adequate enough for his father, even when his

actions were the right, and “manly” thing to do. For example, according to Sullivan and Maiken,
When his son was two and his wife, Marion, was only recently back from the hospital with their three-week old daughter, Gacy, Sr. came home one night and knocked out several of his wife’s teeth. She fled to the street while John Jr., and his older sister screamed in terror. Their father came out of the house and pummeled his wife more, knocking her to the sidewalk….As John, Jr., grew older, he tried to come to his mother’s aid in family scenes. For his efforts, his father called him a mama’s boy or a sissy (2000, p. 236).
However, in reality, his father’s actions of physically abusing his wife is what many would actually consider to be “sissy,” not that of his son, who was purely trying to protect his mother from his father’s violent rages. Sparks stated, “An alcoholic who committed violent acts, the elder Gacy was described by Karen as a man who, although strict, loved his family. John Wayne, on the other hand, described his father as a Jekyll-Hyde personality” (2001, p. 257).
Nonetheless, Gacy still had what many would consider to be a relatively normal childhood, with the exception to his father’s abuse. According to Sullivan and Maiken, “As a young child, John, Jr., was loving and eager to please. A neighbor recalled that he enjoyed helping her mother garden. Even as a boy, she said, he was a hard worker. Rarely, however, did he please his father, whose meticulous standards of craftsmanship the boy was unable to meet. When he failed, his father called him stupid” (2000, p. 236). As a student growing up, his teacher’s attitude about the youth ranged from good to indifferent, but overall he was a well behaved student who had a good relationship with his teachers. Stated by Linedecker he said, “His grades could have been better, but those of many of his schoolmates were worse. If there was anything outstanding about him, it may have been his neatness” (1980, p. 18). As Gacy got older, it would often anger him if something in his house was not the way he left it. For example, when the police were searching his house for bodies on Summerdale avenue, he was more preoccupied with the way the police were damaging his house instead of being concerned about being a murder suspect. However, Linedecker noted, “He had a newspaper route and worked part time in a grocery store after school hours. Everywhere the family lived, his relationship with his neighbors was good. He was a typical neighborhood boy who joined the Boy Scouts, romped with his dog, and played stickball and other street games with his friends” (1980, p. 17).
Through out John’s childhood though, he did partake in some delinquent acts, which possibly could have been an predictor to Gacy’s murderous behavior in the future. Hickey states, “Serial killers have been linked to childhood maladaptive behaviors such as torturing animals, enuresis, or chronic bed-wetting; and fire setting” (2016, p. 136). These three behaviors discussed within the MacDonald Triad, are used as a way to alert both the parents and the community, that the child may be seriously troubled. Hellman and Blackman (1966) stated, “The aggressive outbursts of adults who murder are associated with a history of maternal or paternal deprivation” (As cited in Hickey, 2016, p. 138). The behavior displayed by Gacy in his delinquent acts fully supports the notion in the MacDonald Triad. For example, in an interview, conducted by Sparks (1992) with Gacy, Sparks noted, “As a child, Gacy lived near a neighbor who raised turkeys. Torturing the turkeys by throwing balloons filled with gasoline and then igniting them, Gacy stated the resultant scene was one of the funniest he ever witnessed” (2001, p. 257).
However, little to his family’s knowledge, John’s psychosexual history had begun to already change.

Sullivan and Maiken stated, “Gacy himself told the court’s psychiatrists that his psychosexual history began between the agree of six and ten, when a teenage daughter of one of mother’s friends undressed him and played with him. He also recalled wrestling at age eight or nine with a contractor who liked to pin Gacy’s head between of under his legs” (2000, p. 236). However, this was not the only occurrences the youth had experienced. Wilkerson (1994) noted, “John experienced his first sexual contact at the age of 5 when a 15 year old mentally retarded female Gacy to her house, pulled down his pants, and played with his penis” (As cited in Sparks, 2001, p. 259). It was around the time when John joined Boy Scouts though which he knew he was different from other children his age. In the documentary about Gacy, it noted that he had begun to suffer an identity crisis, which made him want to dress up as a woman, in his mother’s clothing, to see how he would look. At an early age John had developed an interest in silk. Accoridng to Sparks, “As a teenager, John Wayne continued to hide his mother’s silk clothing in his bed and, at age 14 Gacy stope some underwear from neighborhood clothes lines. Gacy’s mother discovered this underwear and punished him” (2001, p. 259). Confused about his sexuality, John decided to keep his thoughts a secret from those who would be able to help him the

most, his family. Sparks argued that, “It is well documented that many male sexual deviants were themselves sexually abused as children and some evidence exists that this was true also for John Wayne” (2001, p. 259). Therefore, by Gacy experiencing this sexual abuse as a child, it most definitely could have been a major indicator for his murderous behavior in the future.
Around the time John’s sexual desires began to develop, he had also suffered a series of medical issues as child, which would also affect his life into adulthood. Linedecker stated, “He hit his head on a playground swing when he was eleven, and suffered occasional blackouts until he was about sixteen, when the trouble was diagnosed as a blood clot on the brain. The clot was dissolved with medication and the blackouts stopped” (1980, p. 17). There has been medical research which suggests that when a child suffers a head trauma, similar to that of Gacy, it could be an early indicator that they may become a serial killer. According to the article, “Serial Killers More Likely To Have Autism, Head Trauma, Or Psychosocial Issues — But Not All Who Suffer Are Killers,” Dr. Clare Allely, a leading researcher at the Institute of Wellbeing, she stated, “It is crucial to note that we are not trying to suggest that individuals with ASD or previous head trauma are more likely to be serial killers or commit serious crime….Rather, we are suggesting that there may be a subgroup of individuals within these groups who may be more likely to commit serious crimes when exposed to certain psychosocial stressors” (2014, para. 4). Other encounters with medical personnel included Gacy’s removal of his appendix at the age of fifteen and when he began taking medication for a non-specific heart ailment. Gacy would often complain of his heart ailment as an adult, especially after he was arrested; however, he never