The police ended up looking kind of foolish,” in the wake of the Gacy case, a University of Louisville criminologist told the Tribune in 1994 after Gacy’s execution. The criminologist, Robert C. Crouse, called Gacy “the No. 1 event” that changed how police departments operate. Some of his arguments haven't aged well. He takes a somewhat sympathetic attitude towards Gacy's homosexuality and the pressures that forced him to suppress and deny his urges, but you can tell that, at least at the time that Gacy was tried, in 1980, his attitude was a sort of benign contempt. (A final chapter in which he praises the advances that have been made in society's acceptance of homosexuality seemed a little bit of a post-insert.) Likewise, one of the witnesses at Gacy's trial was a transwoman, and Amirante's comments about that person were, well, typical of attitudes towards trans people in 1980. The overwhelming style is as if the Reader is sharing drinks with the lead attorney at a bar and talking about the case. There are many asides. There are many stray opinions. There are “left field” comments about the importance of guaranteeing the Right of a fair and impartial trial along with derogatory comments about people who think that not everyone deserves this Right. And there are also digressions about the importance of people who fight and die for our country. As I indicated, it felt as if we were having the discussion over drinks at a bar. Sam, could you do me a favor?” Thus begins a story that has now become part of America’s true crime hall of fame. It is a gory, grotesque tale befitting a Stephen King novel. It is also a David and Goliath saga—the story of a young lawyer fresh from the Public Defender’s Office whose first client in private practice turns out to be the worst serial killer in our nation’s history.

I think he was being absolutely self-destructive and in the good side of him — the very limited good side of him that was left — clearly wanted to be caught,” Amirante said. “He was sabotaging himself.” It comes off being a self important missive by a braggart about his first case, which oddly enough, is the same way he referred to Gacy. Funny don't you think? He and others who worked during Gacy’s time said the case also tapped a well of homophobia that may have scared off some families from seeking information on their missing loved ones due to the social stigma. Gacy makes his debut in episode 10 of Monster, where he is seen pulling up in a van with a young man. He takes the young man into his house, and they discuss a job opportunity for the boy in Gacy’s construction company. Gacy makes them both drinks, slipping some drugs into the drink he serves the young man. The two talk for a bit until the drugs begin to take effect, and then Gacy binds the boy’s hands. He tries to escape, but Gacy overpowers him. Dressed as a clown, Gacy drowns the young man in his bathtub. This gives us a little insight into who John Wayne Gacy is and allows us to see the parallels between Gacy and Dahmer. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy poses for his Des Plaines Police Department mug shot in December 1978. Getty Images

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Image p2p slug: ct-john-wayne-gacy-investigation-major-players-002 Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart spearheaded an effort starting in 2010 to find out the names of the remaining unidentified Gacy victims. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) Image p2p slug: ct-john-wayne-gacy-investigation-major-players-004 Detective Sgt. Jason Moran, of the Cook County sheriff's office, stands in the room where evidence from the Gacy case is kept in Chicago. Since 2010, Moran has helped to identify two previously unknown victims, William George Bundy and Jimmy Haakenson. Six unidentified victims remain. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

The writing is weirdly clunky and formal as the author doesn't tend to use contractions very much, so it just doesn't feel like how people would actually have spoken. At the same time he occasionally writes very casually, so it's just inconsistent.

John Wayne Gacy Defending A Monster

Maybe the original story of the John Wayne Gary murders are “befitting of a Stephen King novel” as the description implies. But the way this book is written? Not even close.

He ONLY does this to "show how wrong an original perception could be" after making sure you know he "wasn't interested in embarrassing this poor little woman, or man, or whatever". This chapter closes with Donita Gannon leaving the courtroom and him writing "That woman had stood there at the outset of her testimony with her hand on a bible and sworn to god that she would tell the truth, when, in fact, she was living a lie".Other than a parent making a missing person report on a juvenile or another person, (we’d take) as much information as we could and we’d put it out to other departments,” Bettiker said. “But as far as an active pursuit of trying to locate them, there wasn’t that much done, unless they were a fragile youth or something like that. But for the ages of most of the Gacy victims, if they’re runaways, they’re runaways. We try to locate them … but there wasn’t an awful lot we could do.” Gacy, shown in front of his home in unincorporated Norwood Park Township in 1976, entertained children as a clown named Pogo. (Martin Zielinski photo) While dressing as a clown is unique to Gacy, he and Dahmer appeared to be ordinary people leading normal lives. Gacy owned a construction business, was involved in local politics and enjoyed performing for children. Dahmer was well-mannered, served in the military, had a job, and, although he was somewhat of a loner, didn’t appear to be a cannibalistic serial killer. Of course, their timelines crossing has led people to compare the two before, which is likely why it was included in Monster.

Had Gacy not targeted Piest, a well-regarded Maine West athlete and student with strong family ties to the community, his killing spree may have continued. Today, Amirante speculates that the usually cautious Gacy may have subconsciously pursued a victim who he knew would get him caught. people have been a little sour about the scene with the Trans female witness. while I don't necessarily agree with the things said to her we have to remember two things - one this was 50 years ago, the progression on this topic wasn't even close to scratching the surface. two, and he explains this later, his comments weren't personal - they served a purpose for the trial and trial alone. no one said you have to like lawyers but there is strategy behind what they do. I should never have been convicted of anything more serious than running a cemetery without a license.Moran has also traced some of Gacy’s travels across the country, looking for missing men and boys along the way. Moran said he hopes society and law enforcement have learned lessons from Gacy, though both must remain vigilant. “I’d like to believe that it would not take 33 victims in six years in one geographic area again … that we would be on top of it more.” Gacy killed 33 young men and boys; nearly all of them were buried underneath his house or on his property. Once he ran out of room to bury them, he began dumping bodies in a river. Gacy became more careless toward the end of his killing spree and, in a drunken state, admitted to a lawyer what he had done. Phil Bettiker, a retired Cook County sheriff's officer, talks this month about his experiences as a lead investigator on the Gacy case. He was one of the first officers to hear Gacy’s confession. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)