SPRING2

018

The making of a “Killer

Clown”
CRIMINOLOGY 103
AISHAH HARDEN (301340603)
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On May 9th, 1994, an enthusiastic crowd of over 500 people assembled at Daley Plaza in

downtown Chicago. (“Hundreds celebrate Gacy's impending execution,” 1994). The presence of

party hats, balloons, clowns and children could have misled a spectator to believe it was an

innocent party of sorts. However, amidst the raucous cheering, local vigilantes belonging to the

Guardian Angels solemnly laid out 33 pseudo body bags- one for every young man that had died

at the hands of John Wayne Gacy, informally dubbed the “Killer Clown”. (“Hundreds celebrate

Gacy's impending execution,” 1994). A local radio personality had organized the march to

celebrate the serial murderer’s imminent execution by way of lethal injection. (“Hundreds

celebrate Gacy's impending execution,” 1994). For some, the date arrived far too late- after his

initial execution date had been set for June 2nd, 1980, Gacy spent 14 years filing appeals in state

and federal courts, a period during which the families of Gacy’s victims described enduring

“prolonged pain” while “waiting for justice to be done”. (NBC News, 1994). Several of Gacy’s

victims remain unidentified today, as despite advances in DNA profiling, sheer denial may bar

the families of suspected victims from ever submitting samples. (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013, p.

381). An investigation into Gacy’s history reveals how, within the context of Farrington’s ICAP

theory, experiences such as his early school failure (Linedecker, 1986, p. 20) influenced a high

antisocial potential that may have been the driving force behind his heinous crimes.

John and Marion Gacy welcomed the birth of their only son on March 17th, 1942.

(Sparks, 2001, p.257). John Gacy was a hard-working machinist native to Chicago, his wife,

Marion, was once a trained pharmacist (Sparks, 2001, p.257) but had become a housewife after

they married in 1938. (Linedecker, 1986, p. 20) Already raising a young daughter, John had

reportedly yearned for a son to carry the family name. When his wish came true, Marion named

him John Wayne, a mark of her admiration of the Western movie star. (Holland, 1999). Despite
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his unwavering ability to provide for his family, John reportedly an alcoholic with, in the words

of John Wayne himself, a “Jekyll-Hyde” personality. (Sparks, 2001, p.257) He was described as

both a generous man (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013, p.251) who loved his family (Sparks, 2001,

p.257), and a stern perfectionist who rarely showed emotion. (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013, p.251)

John Wayne’s childhood was marred by the violence John’s habitual drinking unleashed. When

he was just 2 years old, John Wayne cowered on the sidewalk with his older sister, waiting for

the police to arrive after his father’s savage assault had left Marion with multiple teeth missing.

(Sullivan & Maiken, 2013, p.251). John’s abuse extended to his children as well, and as John

Wayne grew older, he was subjected