The image of a clown typically conjures up images of a silly person wearing colorful clothing and face makeup to amuse both children and adults.
On the other hand, in some situations, this disguise may be unsettling and frightful. In actuality, some people experience coulrophobia, an innately uncomfortable fear of them.
The Stephen King character It and its subsequent films probably helped cement the image of the evil clown as a staple of the horror genre. The lead character in the 2016 Damien Leone film Terrifier, Art The Clown, likewise made a lasting impression.
There is yet another tale that portrays the deadly clown, one that regrettably actually occurred. This is John Wayne Gacy’s tale.
Strange disappearances
Late 1970s. Many kids, primarily teens, have been going missing in the Chicago area and its environs for a while. Like 17-year-old Michael Bonnin, who vanished while trying to make the train, they appear to vanish into thin air. Or 18-year-old Robert Gillroy vanished while en route to a riding lesson.
Sadly, it is difficult to determine the cause of these incidents; anything could have happened, including voluntary absence, and the Police lack the evidence to draw a conclusion.
12 October 1978. Robert Piest, 15, leaves the pharmacy where he worked and vanishes. According to his mother, Robert had to meet the owner of PDM, the business that had renovated the shop, before leaving the house since he had a job offer for him.
John Wayne Gacy is the name of the businessman. The police locate him and decide to go inside his home. They will learn things that are unimaginable to us.
The house of horrors
There is an offensive odor within the house that appears to be coming from the basement. There are several pieces of sexual content and a pistol. The agents make the decision to investigate and conduct the cellar excavations. It then leads to a horrific scenario: human bones and remains from graves start to appear. 27 deaths have been revealed.
In addition to these two, two other bodies—including that of the most recent victim, Robert Piest—are dumped into the river and two others are buried beneath his study. 33 people have now passed away.
The sentence
The death sentence was given following the trial, which started in 1980. Gacy starts painting eerie pictures while he’s in jail, many of them have clowns in them. His paintings are among the most sought-after among collectors of “murderabilia,” a term used in other countries to describe the artwork produced by the murderers. His paintings have a significant commercial worth today.
He frequently requests that his sentence be changed to life in prison in an effort to get off of death row, but his appeals are rejected.
After serving 14 years in prison, the lethal injection is administered on May 10, 1994, validating the final act of this affair.
Even today, John Wayne Gacy is one of history’s most unsettling serial killers. The distressing crimes he has perpetrated are reflected in the photo of him wearing the clown outfit.
The case served as an inspiration for the 2003 Clive Saunders film Gacy.