Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, April 2, 2013

Really Great to hear from the actual prosecutor! Writing is really good too, reads like a novel! Many interesting thoughts and a different side of the story, it was refreshing in that sense because there wasn’t a lot of opinions, mostly the facts. It really must have been devastating and I think this book pays more tribute to the victims.

I've always hated the legal definition of "insane." Basically, from what I understand, someone is only legally insane if he would commit his crime in the presence of a police officer, when he knew that that officer was a witness. This definition is so narrow that it's probably nearly impossible to find someone legally insane nowadays, so what's the point?I think that all of this "insanity" itself was started back in the 70s, when a man used the so-called "Twinkie Defense" in order to save him from a first-degree murder conviction after killing Harvey Milk in San Francisco. Many people didn't understand the legal implications from the defense; it wasn't that the Twinkies made him supposedly kill, but rather the fact that just eating the Twinkies -- and other junk food, as he was supposedly a health-food "nut" (pun intended) before his diet went astray -- was evidence that he had gone off the rails. So now, our legal system has seen the pendulum swing way too far the other way, so far that, once again, no one can probably be found legally insane.And this is insane really, since serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer were certainly insane. As John Wayne Gacy said himself, and I'm paraphrasing a bit: "If you can't find Jeffrey Dahmer insane, I'd hate to see the guy who is." Good point from a killer whose logic was usually not all that logical.Not that I believe that Mr. Gacy should have been found innocent by reason of insanity though. He was cold, he was calculating, and he knew what he was doing. But, when you read this very fine true-crime book, you should get sick to your stomach at not only his crimes, but also sick to your stomach at all the legal maneuvering and jousting. I have heard that many juries have rejected insanity pleas not because they don't believe it to be true, but rather because if they vote that way, the indicted may once again walk the streets and they just can't tolerate the idea. Instead of playing these games, why don't we just fix the system?People often ask, "Was John Wayne Gacy evil or crazy?" Well, I say, "Why can't he have been both?" If you look at this question closely, and you are a logician, you should quickly see the logic error; this is obviously an either/or fallacy. Box someone into making a choice where there are certainly more boxes available. Personally, I think that Mr. Gacy was evil, but I also think that he was crazy, although he wasn't legally insane I suppose, so I will agree with the jury on this one.There is a lot to like in this book. First of all, the author uses the simple present tense in past scenarios, and I found this technique far less awkward than if he had used the past tense. For example, he might write something such as, "Today is December 20, 1978. Seven days ago we started tailing Gacy." Not many authors use this technique and it is refreshing; the present tense is always easier on the ear, and it makes the story come more alive. At first you may feel a little disoriented as if you just stepped out of a time machine, but the author remains consistent with this technique.But I also liked the fact that the author is really objective here when it comes to the other players in the investigation. He seemed to avoid back-stabbing scenarios as much as possible, and gives credit where credit is due. The only time that he "slammed" anyone was when discussing a detective who used a psychic, and used that psychic's statements as if they came from "an anonymous witness." I will agree with this point.Well, why can't someone be crazy AND evil? I say someone can be both at the same time, and Mr. Gacy might have been both.

For me, this story has a distinctly personal note. I am native to the south Chicago suburbs. I grew up only one hour away from where John Gacy lived. Being born in 1973, I was just a little kid when this story broke. Too young to fit the pattern of Gacy's victims, it did affect me nevertheless. As Mr. Sullivan points out, there was a gravitational shift in the world during the 70s. Partially this shift came as a result of the Gacy case. The world no longer felt safe. When us kids were out in our front yards, we needed to check in or be with someone our parents knew and trusted. The world became dangerous to us and we were only kids who lacked the ability to explain it all.John Wayne Gacy jr. still stands out as the stereotypical serial killer. As Mr. Sullivan points out in his book, he could have been anyone. There was no telling this man had been committing such horrors until his final victim was murdered. The thought that someone like this may still lurk in the world is horrifying when you really think about it.Mr. Sullivan recounts his experiences as a prosecuting attorney on the case against Gacy and retells it based on his review of the information from the trial reports. The book is well done and chronologically organized so it takes you through the gripping court drama in order. It is well written and easy to understand, if the motivations behind such a horrific act are not.I think Mr. Sullivan's motivation for such a book is to ensure the victims will not simply vanish into history and at least someone will remember they lived on this planet. To that end, I think he did. I felt genuine pangs of sympathy for the families who had to go through this horrific ordeal.John Wayne Gacy Jr. is dead and was cremated. However, as there is still interest in famous serial killers such as Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, and the Zodiac Killer, there will remain interest in John Wayne Gacy and his legacy of devastation he wrought on the Chicagoland area and the entire country.

I was 11 years old when Gacy was caught, and growing up about an hour or so from where this took place, it was in the newspapers every day. I knew about 90% of what had happened, but I was really interested to know how he was caught, some of the details around the findings, and how the court case went.Written by the States Attorney that led up the investigation and prosecution, this will take you through the entire ordeal, from how Gacy first became a suspect, to putting the pieces together for two search warrants, briefing the reader on his arrest in Iowa back in August of '67, to interrogation conversations, and finally the entire court room proceedings.Within this book you'll read first hand statements from Gacy as he describes how he lured young men to his home and killed them. Some, believe it or not, even dug their own graves; Gacy admits to all of it in great detail (I believe he thought he'd get off on the insanity defense and therefore held-back nothing on the details). Gacy was a very charismatic person with born leadership skills, was very good at getting what he wanted, and was able to manipulate a lot of people. Had it not been for the relentless pusuit for answers from the parents of victim 33 (Robert Piest), Gacy may have gone on for many more years undetected.My only complaint about the book is that Gacy actually had two accomplices, yet we don't find out what happened to them. Regardless, the book is about Gacy...I really don't see how anyone could write a better book. When it's written by the man himself that led the investigation and prosecution you pretty much are getting it direct from the source.

If you have a hyper fixation on this case, this book will satisfy your need. It gives me information I hadn’t known about the case before.

Buen libro, la primera parte es interesante, la segunda es más técnica sobre el juicio y más tediosa, la última es sobre las reflexiones personales del autor, en mi opinión le falta más detalle de los asesinatos y la forma de operar del payaso asesino

:)

An exceptional well written and consice book that details all of the police investigation into jwg . Il be honest there are points in the book where you want to jump into the page and smack the arrogance out of jwg , an excellent read and much more informative than some true crime books .

Gripping,unnerving,gruesome;Essential reading about an infamous and well known mass murderer .Book written by the official prosecutor who followed all investigations at that time.