Self Portrait of a Madman: John Wayne Gacy the Killer Clown

 His self portrait entitled “Pogo in the Making” shows a smiling, waving madman layering on makeup and a clown costume disguise.  Another of his paintings entitled “Self Portrait” shows a dark, moody Gacy — perhaps the clown with his makeup removed.  A brief peek into the life and mind of a killer.

John Wayne Gacy Jr. was born March 17, 1942 as the second of three children.  His father was a physically and emotionally abusive alcoholic.  John Wayne Gacy Jr. was, however, close to his mother.  He attended four different high schools before dropping out and moving away from his family.  When he ran out of money, he returned home to Chicago and enrolled in a Business School.  He married in 1964 and had two children, a boy and a girl.  He eventually moved to Waterloo, Iowa to become manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken store owned by his wife’s parents.

His middle-class life crumbled in 1968 when he was accused of the sexual assaults of two young boys.  He had been rumoured to be homosexual and was involved heavily with young boys.  He had opened up a club of sorts in his basement where he made sexual advances to young boys while luring them in with alcohol.  He hired one of these boys to beat up his accusers.  When his henchmen confessed entirely to the plan, he was convicted of sodomy and sexual assault.  He was sentenced to ten years by was paroled in 18 months.  His wife filed for and obtained a divorce while he was in prison and moved away with their children whom he never saw again.  His father died during this period of incarceration as well.

When he was released, he went home to his mother.  He found a job as a chef and his mother helped him by a house in the Norwood Park area of Northwest Chicago.  In 1971 he was again accused of trying to force a young boy into sex.  He was charged with disorderly conduct but the charges were dropped when the youngster did not show up in court.  The parole board did not hear of this charge somehow and his parole was discharged the same year.

In 1972 he was charged again with forced sex of a minor and again, the charges were dropped.  The same year, Gacy remarried.    In 1975 he started his own construction company.  His wife began finding gay pornography and young men’s wallets in the home.  One of his employees, John Butkovich, disappeared this year after an argument with Gacy over back pay.  Although Butkovich’s parents urged police to investigate Gacy because of this ongoing argument, nothing came of it. Gacy’s married quickly dissolved and he was divorced again by 1976.  This is when Gacy’s killing spree truly began.