John Wayne Gacy

John Wayne Gacy
Born	John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (1942-03-17)March 17, 1942 Chicago, Illinois
Died	May 10, 1994(1994-05-10) (aged 52) Crest Hill, Illinois
Cause of death	Execution by lethal injection
Other names	Pogo the Clown, The Killer Clown
Occupation(s)	Salesman Restaurant manager
Spouse(s)	Marlynn Myers (m. 1964–1968, divorced) Carole Hoff (m. 1972–1976, divorced)
Children	2
Conviction(s)	33 counts of Murder 1 count of Sexual assault 1 count of Sodomy 1 count of Indecent liberties with a child
Criminal penalty	Death (by lethal injection)
Details
Victims	33
Country	United States
State(s)	Illinois
Date apprehended	December 21, 1978

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994 pronounced Gay-see), also known as The Killer Clown and Pogo the Clown, was an American serial killer and rapist. He is confirmed to have killed 33 young men and teenage boys. He killed them in a brutal way and buried their bodies in or near his Chicago home. Gacy did not use a gun for any of his crimes.

Gacy became known as "Pogo the Clown" and the "killer clown" because he would dress as a clown for fundraising events and parades. In March 1980, Gacy was convicted of 33 murders, as well as sex crimes, committed between 1972 and 1980, and given the death penalty. He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994. Gacy's execution was filmed; his last words were, "kiss my ass" (according to his attorney, Karen Conti, who spoke to a prosecutor who was present, he did not actually say any last words and this is an urban legend - reported in The Fuzzy Mic Podcast with Kevin Kline 5/2/24). There were problems with the execution, but it eventually ended in Gacy's death. Immediately prior to his execution, Gacy observed the Last Rites with a Catholic priest; he had converted to the Catholic Church.