<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/john-wayne-gacy-new-victim-francis-wayne-alexander-identified-dna-research/ac7e1e72-bab1-422f-83f0-8cf62e36b5f5" rel="" target="" title="Serial killer John Wayne Gacy"><span>Serial killer John Wayne Gacy</span></a><span> went on trial for the murders of 33 young men and boys on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-6-on-this-day-what-happened-on-this-day-in-pictures/4b7319c7-9eca-4b7c-a2bb-1463ec4e2628" rel="" target="" title="February 6, 1980"><span>February 6, 1980</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>From 1972 to 1978, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/john-wayne-gacy-clown-killer-paintings-auction/b8a8883c-2cc2-4795-ad43-9f65d5f30fbb" rel="" target="" title="the KFC manager and clown"><span>the KFC manager and clown</span></a><span> would lure young men to his home in Chicago, before offering to show them "a magic trick".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The trick was ostensibly to show how to get out of a pair of handcuffs without a key.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-5-what-happened-on-this-day/fd3ab70d-3622-47b7-bd02-b11bdf46e5f5"><strong><span>Comedy taken off air mid-episode after just ten minutes</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When his victims' hands were cuffed, he would then torture, rape, then strangle them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/victim-of-notorious-us-clown-killer-identified/867f2469-8f50-4c66-8db6-b3fbc779be6d" rel="" target="" title="Gacy would then bury his victims"><span>Gacy would then bury his victims</span></a><span> in his crawl space. When he ran out of space, he began throwing bodies into the river.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But despite multiple instances of survivors reporting Gacy's actions, police dismissed him as a potential murder suspect.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-6-what-happened-on-this-day-john-wayne-gacy/44c38357-50f6-4e80-a53f-65eb0c116cd1" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In late 1977, he kidnapped a 19-year-old student at gunpoint, raped, tortured and repeatedly drowned him to unconsciousness in the bathtub.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But unusually, he released this victim.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-january-29-what-happened-on-this-day/69d68b09-4491-4679-9c8e-cf7111c2e1d2"><strong><span>Teen girl's chilling reason for gunning down eight schoolchildren</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When questioned, Gacy convinced police he was in a consensual relationship with his victim, and no charges were filed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Three months later, he abducted, raped and tortured another victim, 26-year-old Jeffrey Rignall.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Presuming he was dead, Gacy dumped Rignall's body in parkland.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Rignall came to, staggered to his girlfriend's house and reported the assault to police.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But detectives did not investigate Gacy and did not actively pursue the case.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Determined to find his attacker, Rignall and three friends staked out an expressway exit for Gacy's car, an Oldsmobile.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-january-25-what-happened-on-this-day-avianca-flight-052/251ced8e-f7d2-4aea-8a67-be5948ff0ef1"><strong><span>Shock discovery when surgeons cut open plane crash survivor</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They eventually spotted him and followed him to his address. They then reported him to police.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Gacy was finally arrested and charged with Rignall's assault and battery.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite this, Gacy was released on bail and went on to murder several other young men.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In December 1978, detectives linked Gacy to the disappearance of a 15-year-old.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a police interview, he remarked to officers, "You know, clowns can get away with murder".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When at his home, one officer noticed a foul smell coming from his heating vent.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Officers got a search warrant to start digging in Gacy's crawl space for the missing 15-year-old.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Instead, they found the remains of 29 other young men.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-december-24-what-happened-on-this-day-juliane-koepcke-german-teen-plane-explosion-survivor-peru-amazon-jungle-survival-story/c37e531a-8770-4ae5-b88a-3be8481783d5"><strong><span>The girl who fell 3km from a plane explosion and survived</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During the trial, Gacy's lawyers argued that all of his victims had died of accidental erotic asphyxia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the jury was not convinced, returning after less than two hours of deliberation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was found guilty of all 33 murder charges, the most of any American at that point in history.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was sentenced to death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For his last meal, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/last-meals-what-serial-killers-ate-as-their-last-meal-on-death-row/ecfb2a5a-3ffc-4ab0-b4ed-fc55072d5108" rel="" target="" title="Gacy ordered a bucket of KFC, fries, fried shrimp, strawberries and a Diet Coke"><span>Gacy ordered a bucket of KFC, fries, fried shrimp, strawberries and a Diet Coke</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His last words were: "Kiss my ass."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/last-meals-what-serial-killers-ate-as-their-last-meal-on-death-row/ecfb2a5a-3ffc-4ab0-b4ed-fc55072d5108" rel="" target="" title="What serial killers ate as their last meal on death row"><strong><span>What serial killers ate as their last meal on death row</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><strong><span> </span></strong><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div 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