Introduction

This article focuses on various criminological theories that might apply to serial killers. The
focus is on serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Gacy was born in 1942 and was executed in 1980
after killing 33 males. Many victims were sexually accosted prior to being killed. Various
criminological theories are then explored with examination of why they may apply to John
Wayne Gacy.
Biography
Born in Chicago to an alcoholic father on March 17, 1942, John Wayne Gacy and his siblings
suffered abuse, both verbal and physical. His father also abused his mother. Gacy had a heart
condition that disallowed him from playing with other children. It was also one of the reasons
why his father used to despise him. Gacy was molested as a young child, specifically at age 9,
committed by a family friend. Gacy started experiencing blackouts in the fourth grade
(Weebly, 2018) and was hospitalized for seizures and a burst appendix. Gacy was hit in the
back of the head so hard it caused a blood clot. This clot led to blackouts until it was
discovered by doctors when he was 16.

1n 1962, Gacy moved to Las Vegas and began working for an ambulance service and, after
three months, was transferred to a mortuary. While working in the morgue, Gacy also slept
there. Gacy reported that he got into a cot or coffin with a deceased teen’s body on one
occasion and held and caressed the body. Gacy claims he was so shocked by his behavior that
he quit and moved back home to Chicago.
Gacy was running a “club” in his basement for teen boys. He served the boys alcohol and
attempted sexual activity with them. If they rebuffed his attempts, he excused the attempt by
claiming he was kidding. Gacy also performed as a clown named Pogo to earn people’s
confidence. Gacy was arrested in 1968 for molesting a teenager. He was convicted,
sentenced to ten years, and released after 18 months. During his incarceration, his first wife,
Marlynn, divorced him. In 1970, he was arrested for sexually assaulting another teen boy.
The charges were dropped when the victim failed to appear in court.
In 1972, Gacy committed his first known murder. Gacy lured Timothy McCoy to his home
on the pretense of employment, sexually assaulted, then murdered him. McCoy was Gacy’s
first known murder victim. John Wayne Gacy stated that after killing his first victim,
Timothy McCoy, he felt “totally drained” due to experiencing a mind-numbing orgasm as he
killed the teenager.
Gacy was a member of the “Jolly Joker” clown club. When he killed, he sometimes dressed
as his alter ego ‘Pogo the Clown’.
Of 35 known victims, 36 if the female molestation charge is valid, Gacy went on to kill 33.
Gacy was arrested in 1978 after his 33rd murder victim, Robert Piest, was found in a river,
leading to his arrest within a few days. In 1980, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
In addition to confessing to 30 of the murders, then recanting, Gacy attempted to blame the
victims, claiming that several tried to blackmail him. He also blamed another personality
named Jack Hanley for the crimes.

Applying Criminological theories

Learning Theory
In learning theory, the two primary forms are classical and operant. Operant conditioning, is a
method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant
conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether
negative or positive) for that behavior. Operant conditioning could apply to a serial killer.
John Wayne Gacy learned from the abuse of his father. He realized that bigger, stronger, and
meaner can help achieve some goals. He further discovered that fear of being harmed affects
cooperation. Eventually, Gacy learned that offering a reward for the victim’s company would
gain access to his goal. By offering alcohol to teenagers in the early sixties, Gacy raised
interest and desire in his targets sufficient to convince them to accompany him. The alcohol-
reduced teen inhibitions, making his targets more controllable and less objectionable to his
advances. By attempting to force sex upon two teenagers, he learned that he would go to
prison if a victim lived and testified. He learned the necessity of full victim control while
committing his acts. He realized he had to kill his victims to keep himself free.
This behavior is not necessarily learned by strict ideas of operant conditioning, nor classical
conditioning. It can be learned through trial and error, which could be a form of operant
conditioning. Gacy had no friends, was not allowed to play with other children at school due
to his medical conditions, and essentially had only his parents' behavior and his molester as
behavioral models. Gacy was beaten mercilessly by his alcoholic father. When abuse and
hostility define a child’s relationships with parents and peers, those same qualities carry
forward into the child’s relationship with others outside the home. 1 It is thus can be assumed
that violence is a learned behavior that children repeat in their adult relationships”
The known fact that Gacy was sexually molested by a male family friend, though the friend
remained unidentified in all articles, is significant support for learned behavior. Knowing if
Research has suggested that compared to other types of abuse, experiencing sexual abuse has
a more prominent impact on involvement in sex offending. 2 It is important to note that such
occurrences only indicate prevalence, not guarantee, of offending.

Biosocial Theory
Biosocial criminology posits that it's not just environmental and social factors affecting
criminal behavior but biological factors as well. Studies show that interaction of biological
factors and social factors provide the perfect playing ground for an individual to develop
criminal behaviors.

1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991621/
2
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23862310/
For example, if an individual had birth complications and grew up in a disruptive home, the
individual would be more likely to have criminal tendencies. Factors such as early health
risks, genetics, hormones/neurotransmitters, psycho-physiology, and neuropsychology all
play a role in determining criminal behavior under the biosocial theory. Studies showing a
link between serial killers and amygdala development and activity have received attention in
recent years. These studies report that a thinning or weak connection with the amygdala, a
part of the brain, is prevalent in serial killers and psychopaths. The amygdala translates
emotions. If the amygdala is unable to perform its regulatory, interpretive functions, this may
account for the lack of empathy or regret displayed by psychopathic individuals,
We know that Gacy was struck in the head at a young age and suffered blackouts and a blood
clot as a result. We know that Gacy was physically, verbally, sexually, and mentally abused
and may have witnessed his mother suffering similar atrocities. Again, not all persons
suffering these fates become criminals. However, it is certain that when biological defects are
combined with abuse, particularly sexual abuse, the propensity to become criminal increases.
We also know that these abuses are not singularly responsible for criminality. Many serial
killers grew up in healthy households and had family support. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer,
and Dennis Rader are examples.

References

 Biography.com. (2017/2019). John Wayne Gacy Biography.

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/john-wayne-gacy
 IMDb. (2020). John Wayne Gacy biography.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300475/bio#spouse
 Weebly. (2020). John Wayne Gacy. Weebly online.
https://johnwgacy.weebly.com/early-childhood.html