One For The Road: John Wayne Gacy Is Executed

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 10, 2012 11:10PM

Samantha noted the birth of John Wayne Gacy in March. Eighteen years ago today, the notorious serial killer was put to death at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill.

It was a historic moment on many levels. Gacy was only the second inmate executed in Illinois since the death penalty was reinstated in Illinois in 1977. (Illinois only executed 12 inmates in total before George Ryan placed a moratorium on the death penalty before he left office and Pat Quinn abolished it last year.) The former Kentucky Fried Chicken manager's last meal consisted of a bucket of original recipe chicken, a dozen deep-fried shrimp, French fries, and a pound of strawberries.

For the families of Gacy's victims, his execution provided closure, if not justice. For death penalty opponents, it was another opportunity to protest its existence in Illinois, For people in between, it was an an excuse to celebrate and sing Steam's "Kiss Him Goodbye."

Even Gacy's lawyers believed that authorities didn't find all of his victims. On May 19, 1992, CBS 2's Walter Jacobson sat down with Gacy for an interview. Gacy, who confessed to police in 1979, tried to convince Jacobson of his innocence.