Latest news with #JohnWayneGacy
Toronto Sun
12-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
HUNTER: Serial killers Bruce McArthur, Gacy and Candyman the undead
Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Serial killer Bruce McArthur. (Facebook photo) When cops arrest a particularly egregious fiend, there is always one last question on everyone's lips: Are there more victims? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Former Toronto Police homicide chief Hank Idsinga told me his detectives always believed that mall Santa turned serial killer, Bruce McArthur, had more victims. McArthur murdered eight men in Toronto and was finally convicted in 2019. But it was doubtful the serial killer got up one morning when he was 58 years old and started killing people. Every year, new developments occur in the still-open John Wayne Gacy case. Gacy, who was executed in 1994, murdered 33 young men and boys in suburban Chicago in the 1970s. One detective told me they believe there are at least a dozen more victims. Killer Clown John Wayne Gacy. CPD Gacy's inspiration for his reign of terror was Dean 'Candyman' Corll. Now, 52 years after one of his teen acolytes parked a bullet in the Candyman, new evidence has emerged that he, too, had more victims. Dozens of teen boys and young men vanished off the streets of Houston in the early 1970s. Cops mostly dismissed these disappearances as runaways. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That changed on Aug. 8, 1973, when 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley sent Corll to the morgue. Henley outlined a gut-wrenching rampage of rape, torture and murder that left dozens of boys dead. CANDYMAN: Serial killer Dean 'Candy Man' Corll. Then there were the mass graves. A boat storage facility contained 17 bodies. There were 27 in total. Some of those tragic boys remain nameless, but a forensic anthropologist told ABC13 one young man has already been identified. Donnie Falcon was 16 when he moved from Corpus Christi to Houston in 1971. That August, he vanished without a trace 'We never could find him,' his niece, Debra Christy, said. 'Some people said he joined the mafia. Everybody had a story. I heard the stories, you know, like the searching.' DO YOU KNOW HIM? Cops are trying to identify John Houston Doe, an unknown victim of serial killer Dean Corll. NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN Falcon was recently identified and is considered one of Candyman's victims. There were at least 30 murders, maybe as many as 35. It's believed there are also undiscovered unmarked graves. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. More than 3,500 kilometres away in Oregon, another notorious serial killer has emerged from the tomb of the death row at San Quentin decades after his grisly murder spree. Serial killer Randy Kraft. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Randy Kraft carried the moniker 'The Scorecard Killer' during his days of rage because of his detailed descriptions and bizarre scoring system of the murders he committed. Now, the Oregon State Police say that Vietnam War veteran Larry Eugene Parks, whose body was discovered along Interstate 5 in 1980, has finally been identified. According to cops, Kraft, now 80, and still on death row at the Big Q, is their only suspect. Serial killer Randy Kraft, left, and victim, Vietnam vet Larry Parks. CDC/OSP 'There's some evidence that we're processing to determine that link,' spokesman Kyle Kennedy said. 'We are very confident that we have the correct person of interest.' The Scorecard Killer was convicted of the torture murders of 16 young men along the highways of California, Michigan and Oregon, but detectives suspect his true kill count could be as high as 65. For his troubles, Kraft was sentenced to death. When he was pulled over by the CHIPs in 1983, there was a strangled U.S. Marine in the passenger seat. In the trunk of his car, cops found a coded list detailing 67 murders. In 2023, the remains of a teenager believed to have been killed by Kraft in California were also identified using investigative genetic genealogy. Across North America, modern-day monsters buried secrets and bodies, now rapidly being exposed to merciful sunlight. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Toronto Maple Leafs Wrestling Toronto Maple Leafs Editorial Cartoons World
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'My mum helped catch serial killer clown - the ripple effects still torment her'
When a loved one is cruelly taken away by a sadistic killer, the pain never really goes away. Rob Piest, 15, was John Wayne Gacy's 33rd - and final victim - but if it wasn't for his friend Kim more innocent victims would have lost their lives It was a crisp, cold December evening back in 1978 when 17-year-old Kim turned up for her shift at her local chemist's in suburban Illinois, Chicago. Shivering because she'd forgotten her jacket and the temperature was hovering around zero degrees Celsius, she smiled gratefully when her loyal and kind friend Rob leaned over to lend her his warm, blue parka. This kind, selfless gesture will forever be etched in Kim's memory, for it was the last time she ever saw her friend alive. Now, some 47 years later and 63-year-old Kim Byers-Lund's oldest daughter, Courtney (37), is sharing her mum's brave story of resilience. 'My mum lost her friend Rob Piest on the night of December 11, 1978, and the pain and grief doesn't really ever go away,' she reveals in an exclusive chat with the Mirror from her Los Angeles home. 'She was involved in the capture of one of the most famous serial killers, John Wayne Gacy, and it's part of our family history. I was shocked when I first discovered this and wanted to tell my mum's side because through her, I have seen the ripple effects of his crimes.' One of the world 's most notorious serial killers - John Wayne Gacy - brutally tortured, raped and murdered 33 young men and boys in the 1970s. He hid 29 brittle, blackened bodies in the space between the floors of his house during his killing spree, which spanned from 1972 to 1978 - the remains of his other four victims were later discovered in the murky waters of the nearby Les Plaines river. But if it hadn't been for Kim popping her photo developing receipt in Rob's jacket, John Wayne Gacy's killing spree would never have been stopped. She has no idea why she saved the receipt and put it in Rob's jacket pocket - perhaps it was her subconscious telling her to leave a clue? 'Her saving the receipt helped lead authorities to Gacy because they found the receipt in his house, and it was a leading piece of evidence that led to his arrest,' Courtney says. Police also found a class ring belonging to John Szyc, who vanished in January 1977, aged 19, and handcuffs and shackles in Gacy's attic. As Kim's eldest daughter, Courtney has always enjoyed a close relationship with her mum and recalls how she first started to learn of her mother's brush with a serial killer when she was at elementary school. And while losing a friend is still raw and painful for her mum, Courtney says she's in awe of her mum's incredible bravery, which led to Gacy's capture. 'As a young 17-year-old, she had the belief that even though this was a horrible thing, she was going to do her part to make sure Gacy could never hurt anyone again. 'My mum felt overwhelmed - she was a young girl looking forward to going to college, and her life kind of ended in many ways when she became an eyewitness. She was a freshman at college, and she had to fly back in 1980 for the trial. It was a lot to deal with, but she handled it with a lot of grace, and I've always been proud of how she coped with everything.' Despite Kim's bravery, it took a while for the police to listen to her. 'Authorities tried to shut her down,' Courtney says. 'She was 17 and treated like she didn't know what she was talking about - so I'm helping her reclaim her voice.' The random act of putting the receipt in Rob's jacket, which was later found at Gacy's house, meant her mum was the key witness in a serial killer trial that gripped the world. And when Rob's body was found floating along the Des Plaines River months later in April 1979, she testified that it was her friend and that Gacy was the last one seen with him. In 2017, almost four decades after Rob was murdered, Kim visited Gacy's house with her daughter, where many of the victims had unwittingly been lured to their deaths. 'My mum said it felt creepy being outside the house and that she had goosebumps,' Courtney recalls. 'I remember feeling sad, scared. But it was important to imagine some of the pain those innocent boys - and their distraught families - were put through.' The Monday evening he was murdered - December 11, 1978 - Rob Piest, 15, had left the pharmacy where he worked with Kim to speak to Gacy about a potential job. It was the last time he was seen alive and when officers later visited Gacy's home a police officer noticed a smell of rotting corpses after flushing Gacy's toilet. Gacy later confessed he had taken his victims by force, under the pretence he was a policeman, or lured them to his home with the promise of a job or an offer of money for sex. He was given the nickname of the 'Killer Clown' because he would wear clown makeup and clothing to perform at fundraisers as 'Pogo' or 'Patches the Clown'. And he used his clown act to trick his victims into being handcuffed, with Gacy telling them he was going to show them a magic trick. Once handcuffed, the victims would soon realise they were real and Gacy would overwhelm them, or use chloroform, before stripping and gagging them. The young men were then tortured and raped, and either garrotted or asphyxiated by their gags. Gacy then buried the victims in the crawl space of his house, using lime to speed up decomposition. So horrific were the murders that prosecutor Terry Sullivan stopped taking on murder cases after the John Wayne Gacy case, telling Courtney he couldn't handle it anymore. 'I feel devastated for the families who lost boys and young men,' Courtney adds. 'It angers me, it frustrates me - it's painful to think about.' Now, Courtney has written a book telling the story of the victims' families and the survivors, without glorifying Gacy's sadistic crimes. 'The book puts the victims and survivors first - what matters is not John Wayne Gacy but the victims and the people who loved the victims. It tells the story of how a young woman helped stop a serial killer and how it forever altered her family and the community. The story of his final victim and what happened after the killer was caught. We should be telling their stories - murdering people doesn't make Gacy interesting.' Gacy was executed on May 10, 1994, at Stateville Correctional Centre in Crest Hill, Illinois, by lethal injection for the murders committed between 1972 and 1978. His last words before he was executed showed the cold-blooded killer had no remorse, as he left the world simply saying: 'Kiss my a**.' But if Courtney could have one wish, it would be that the world remembers the victims, not the murderer. She feels frustrated that horrific acts of notorious killers are often glorified and says it's important that the victims' mothers have a voice. Meanwhile, her own mum, Kim, says she still thinks about Rob's mum and the pain she is going through. 'A mother's love is immeasurable,' she says. 'I think a lot about Elizabeth Piest. She did everything she could as a mother, and Rob was a great kid. This family was so full of love. You never want anyone you love to feel the same pain or stress or violence.' And she says the threat of someone taking your child unpredictably with no warning became more real to her when she became a mother. 'I had to have bedrooms on the second floor,' she told Courtney in an interview previously published in Harper's Bazaar. 'Property that was thoroughly locked. A little borderline paranoia." "For me, my friend lost his life on that property. And it's still so raw 40 years later. How could some man, for whatever reason, become a monster and steal my friend's life in a heinous, horrendous way? Our culture needs a shift. We need to shift our attention and love to the boys who gave their lives, and not the man who murdered. For so long, Gacy has held celebrity-like status. Our culture worships the criminal, not the victims. These boys gave their lives. We should pay respect to the victims.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
How Did John Wayne Gacy Die? Inside the Killer Clown's Death 31 Years Ago, Including His Notorious Last Words
John Wayne Gacy died by execution on May 10, 1994 The serial killer was convicted of murdering at least 33 teen boys and young men in the 1970s His last words after sitting on death row for 14 years became infamous John Wayne Gacy, a.k.a. the Killer Clown, died 31 years ago today. On May 10, 1994, the serial killer — who was convicted of murdering at least 33 teen boys and young men throughout the 1970s — died while at a correctional facility in Illinois. Though his crimes were among the most heinous in American history, Gacy maintained a disturbing double life as both an upstanding citizen and a sexual predator. On the outside, he was seen as a friendly community man who often entertained children in local hospitals and birthday parties — a persona that later earned him the nickname the "Killer Clown." In 1980, he was convicted and sentenced to death. When asked in a recording featured in Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes about how he felt about the trial being over, the serial killer said, "How can you feel relief about something you still don't understand?" "Because they say I'm guilty, I'm supposed to feel guilty now? I don't," he said. "I have no remorse." Here's what to know about John Wayne Gacy's death in prison 31 years ago. On March 13, 1980, Gacy was convicted of murdering 33 people and sentenced to die for 12 of those killings. According to Gacy made paintings of clowns and other figures that sold for thousands of dollars during his years on death row, until he was eventually executed by lethal injection. According to ABC News, he was given three different chemicals: one to knock him unconscious, one to stop his breathing and one to stop his heart. However, there was an error during the process, as there was a clog in the line that stopped the second chemical from completely going in at first. Per the outlet, it took 18 minutes for him to die, which is about four times longer than expected. Gacy's execution occurred on May 10, 1994. According to the New Yorker, Gacy's execution date fell on the 26th anniversary of his first arrest — for sodomy — when he was 26 years old. Gacy was executed at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Ill. Born on March 17, 1942, Gacy was 52 years old when he died. Just before he was executed, Gacy spoke his notorious last words: "Kiss my a--." Prior to his execution, Gacy ate a final meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken, the restaurant chain where he had been a manager years earlier, per 9News. According to the outlet, he requested a bucket of KFC chicken, 12 fried prawns, a pound of strawberries, fries and a Diet Coke. On the day of his execution, nearly 1,000 people gathered around the City Hall courtyard in Chicago to celebrate Gacy's impending death, per the Los Angeles Times. According to the outlet, they released balloons and carried placards mocking Gacy's fascination with clowns. In the Netflix docuseries, Conversations with a Killer, those marching could be heard chanting, "Death to Gacy," and many people expressed that while the serial killer was getting what he deserved, they thought his execution date should have come sooner. The docuseries also featured one of Gacy's survivors, Steve Nemmers, who said he had "no sympathy for him. I had nothing for him." Meanwhile, jury foreman Ron Beaver said he felt "relief." "The relief came simply knowing that there would be no other children that John Wayne Gacy would kill," he added. In addition to Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, there have been several other documentaries re-telling the horrific events, including Peacock's six-part docuseries titled John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, which was released in 2021. In June 2024, Deadline announced that Peacock greenlit a limited drama series — titled Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy — with Severance's Michael Chernus portraying the titular serial killer. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On This Day, May 10: Nazis invade Low Countries to bypass France's Maginot Line
May 10 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured by Union troops. He spent the next two years in prison. In 1869, the "golden spike" was driven at Promontory, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific lines to form America's first transcontinental railway. In 1908, Mother's Day was observed for the first time in the United States. In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the FBI. He held the position until his death in 1972. In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, swinging 89 army divisions around France's so-called impregnable Maginot Line. In 1940, Winston Churchill became prime minister of Great Britain. In 1984, a federal judge in Utah found the U.S. government negligent in above-ground Nevada nuclear tests from 1951 to 1962 that exposed downwind residents to radiation. In 1990, China, in an attempt to show an improving human rights record, released 211 people jailed since the previous year's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. Most of the prisoners were arrested during protests in Tiananmen Square. In 1994, John Wayne Gacy, the convicted killer of 33 young men and boys, was executed in Illinois. In 2002, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who had spied for the Soviet Union and Russia for more than 20 years, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. In 2007, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he would step down in June after 10 years in office. In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service apologized for giving special scrutiny to applications for tax-exempt status that used the words "Tea Party" or "patriots." In 2014, Michael Sam, former Missouri defensive end, was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams -- the first openly gay player to be selected by an NFL team. In 2022, after more than 20 years Apple announced it was ending production of its iPod music player.
Buzz Feed
04-04-2025
- Buzz Feed
23 Shocking And Fascinating Last Meals Of Famous Death Row Inmates
1. John Wayne Gacy was convicted of serial murder in 1978, after authorities learned he was responsible for the deaths of over 33 young men and boys. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994. For his last meal he asked for a bucket of KFC chicken, 12 fried prawns, a pound of strawberries, french fries and a Diet Coke. 2. Ted Bundy was convicted of serial murder in 1978 after he confessed to murdering 30 young women and girls. However, the exact number of victims is suspected to be much higher. He was executed by electrocution in 1989. He declined a special last meal, so he was given the traditional steak (cooked medium-rare), eggs over easy, hash browns, toast, milk, coffee, juice, butter, and jelly, but he did not eat any of it. 3. Aileen Wuornos was convicted of serial murder after killing six people. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002. She declined a special last meal but ate a hamburger and other snacks from her prison's canteen. She also drank a cup of coffee. 4. Dobie Gillis Williams was convicted of murder. A federal judge overturned his case, but he was still executed by lethal injection in 1999 because the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found information had been given to the jury too late into the trial. For his final meal, he had 12 chocolate bars and some ice cream. 5. Charles Walker was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 1990. For his last meal, he ate fried wild rabbit, biscuits, and blackberry pie. 6. Timothy McVeigh was convicted of domestic terrorism and mass murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2001. For his last meal, he asked for two pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. 7. Danny Rolling was convicted of serial murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2006. For his last meal, he asked for lobster tail, butterfly shrimp, baked potato, strawberry cheesecake, and sweet tea. 8. Thomas Knight was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2014. For his last meal, he asked for sweet potato pie, coconut cake, banana nut bread, a quarter bottle of Sprite, two tablespoons of strawberries, butter-pecan ice cream, vanilla ice cream, and Fritos. 9. Loran Kenstley Cole was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2024. For his last meal, he chose pizza, M&M's, ice cream, and a soda. He also shared his final meal with his son and his pen pal from outside prison. 10. Allen Lee Davis was convicted of murder. He was executed by electrocution in 1999. For his last meal, he ate one lobster tail, fried potatoes, a half-pound of fried shrimp, six ounces of fried clams, half a loaf of garlic bread, and 32 ounces of A&W root beer. 11. Burton Abbott was convicted of murder and rape. He was executed by gas chamber in 1957. For his last meal, he ate French fried butterfly jumbo prawns with cocktail sauce, one order of ravioli, tossed green salad (mostly romaine lettuce) with vinegar and oil dressing, chocolate cake, and a pack of Salem cigarettes. 12. Stephen Wayne Anderson was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2002. For his last meal, he chose two grilled cheese sandwiches, one pint of cottage cheese, a hominy-corn mixture, radishes, one slice of peach pie, and one pint of chocolate chip ice cream. 13. Robert Lee Massie was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2001. For his last meal, he chose two vanilla milkshakes, extra crispy french fries, extra crispy fried oysters, and soft drinks. 14. Thomas Martin Thompson was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 1998. For his last meal, he chose Alaskan king crab with melted butter, spinach salad, pork fried rice, Mandarin-style spare ribs, a hot fudge sundae, and a six-pack of Coca-Cola. 15. Derrick Ryan Dearman was convicted of mass murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2024. For his last meal, he chose a seafood platter from a local restaurant consisting of fried catfish, three fried shrimp, three boiled shrimp, three fried oysters, three onion rings, a deviled crab, and two sides. 16. Demetrius Terrence Frazier was convicted of murder. He was executed in 2025 by nitrogen hypoxia. For his last meal, he chose a beefy five-layer burrito, a chicken chalupa supreme, beef crunchy tacos, chips and dip, and a Mountain Dew, all from Taco Bell. 17. Ronald Clark O'Bryan was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 1984. For his last meal, he ate a T-bone steak, french fries with ketchup, whole kernel corn, sweet peas, a lettuce and tomato salad with sliced egg and French dressing, iced tea, sweetener, saltines, Boston cream pie, and rolls. 18. James Edward Smith was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 1990. For his last meal, he asked for a lump of dirt but his request was denied. He settled for a cup of yogurt instead. 19. Gerald James Bordelon was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2010. For his last meal, he ate fried sac-a-lait fish topped with crawfish étouffée, a peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich, and chocolate chip cookies. 20. Marion Bowman Jr. was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2025. For his last meal, he chose chicken wings, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, fish, oysters, onion rings, banana pudding, German chocolate cake, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. South Carolina Department of Corrections 21. Robert Anthony Buell was convicted of murder. He was executed by lethal injection in 2002. For his last meal, he chose one single unpitted black olive. Ohio Department of Corrections 22. Finally, Kelly Marie Gissendaner was convicted of murder. She was executed by lethal injection in 2015. For her last meal, she chose cheese dip with chips, Texas nachos with fajita meat, and a diet frosted lemonade. Texas Department of Corrections
