It’s difficult to watch Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes even at the best of circumstances, as the infamous “killer clown” speaks out about his atrocities with a bitter, uncompromising stoicism that’s hard to take.
It is believed that Gacy killed 33 men and boys between 1972 and 1978, bringing them to his ranch house in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, where he sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered them. The crimes took place primarily between 1972 and 1978.
When he was ultimately apprehended, a search of his home in the Norwood neighbourhood turned up a sickening 26 bodies hidden beneath the crawl space of his house. An additional four victims were discovered in the neighbouring Des Plaines river, with three more buried on the property’s perimeter.
Consequently, the house became linked with the heinous atrocities that took place there. The question remains, though, as to what to do with a mansion that has been inextricably linked to one of the vilest serial killers in American history.
Here’s where the house is located, as well as what has happened since Gacy was apprehended.
John Gracy House
House number 8213 W. Summerdale Ave. is located in unincorporated Norwood Park Township, about a 25-minute drive north of downtown Chicago, Illinois. The 1979 investigation into the residence ultimately resulted in the property being demolished because of the large number of deaths that were still being discovered, necessitating more searches.
Subsequently, Gacy’s occupancy, a property erected on the site of his demolished home has changed hands several times, and it has since been assigned a different address so that it cannot be connected to the internet in order to avoid attracting attention from spectators.
Following the events of that day, it took five years for someone to purchase the property, which was eventually given over to a savings and loan business in 1984. According to Realtor.com, the house was converted into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence in 1986 after it was purchased by a woman for her elderly parents.
The horrors that occurred on the site, on the other hand, continue to haunt the land, and its value has continued to erode over time as a result.
Orell Anderson, a real estate appraiser, told the website that “the stigma goes with the property, not with the house.” “When these houses are put on the market, some people purchase them with the intention of demolishing them, changing the location a little, and making some cosmetic improvements in order to remove the stigma associated with them. However, this is not always the case.”
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According to NBC Chicago, it was most recently sold for $391,000 in 2021, after having been on the market for more than two years. It was first posted for $489,000, but due to a lack of interest, the price was reduced several times, resulting in the site losing about a fifth of its worth.
According to reports, the buyers were not aware of the history of the house they had purchased until they were alerted by reporters after they had purchased it.
What Happened To John?
John Wayne Gacy died on May 10, 2004, after a lethal injection was administered to him. He was convicted of all 33 murders, the highest number attributed to one serial killer in American history. He was given the death penalty for 12 of those murders, with life sentences for the remaining 21.
His convictions also included one count of “deviate sexual assault” and one count of “indecent liberties with an innocent kid.” All his appeal attempts were denied.
At one point, he attempted but failed, to assert that he was not guilty on the grounds of mental insanity. Previously, Gacy had been arrested for sodomy and sexual assault, and he had been sentenced to ten years in prison at Iowa State University before the killings.
Before his trial, Gacy spoke candidly with his attorneys about the crimes he had committed, which included the rape and assault of several other men.
Between November 1979 and April 1980, the attorneys documented Gacy’s recollections for a total of more than 60 hours, according to court records. These have finally been made available for Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, which was released last week.
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Gacy’s unsettling dismissals and distorted interpretations of the exact same occurrence are shown in certain instances by filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who also recounts survivors’ stories of their attacks by Gacy.
After being caught, Gacy remained unrepentant about what he did. According to reports, his last words before passing away were “kiss my ass.” Gacy was survived by two sisters, two ex-wives, and five children. As of 2022, five of the guys who were discovered on the site have not been identified.
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