John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer who murdered at least 33 young men and boys in Illinois between 1972 and 1978. Known as the "Killer Clown" due to his occasional work as a clown for children's parties, Gacy lured his victims through various means, often sexually assaulted and tortured them, and then buried most of their bodies in the crawl space of his home. His crimes were uncovered after police investigated the disappearance of a young man who had last been seen with Gacy. His trial and conviction captivated the nation, and he was eventually sentenced to death and executed in 1994. Gacy's case remains one of the most notorious and disturbing examples of serial murder in American history.
