John Wayne Gacy was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to World War I veteran John Stanley Gacy and Marion Elaine Robison. He was the second child out of three and was considered an unhealthy and unathletic young boy. Gacy would be known to history as one of America’s most famous serial killers, killing over 30 young men. His killing spree spanned several years, and he was arrested on December 21, 1978.
Gacy suffered regular beatings from his father in his youth. His father resented him, calling him dumb and stupid. Robison defended the young Gacy, but this often led to more verbal abuse from his father as he would brand him a “sissy,” “mama’s boys,” and “queer.” At age 7, Gacy’s father would whip him after getting caught fondling a young girl.
By 18, Gacy worked at an embalming service where he reportedly caressed and embraced a young teenage boy’s body inside a coffin. Years later, he became part of the Waterloo Jaycees, delving into drugs and lots of sexual exploration. He was arrested for molestation and sentenced to ten years, but was released after 18 months. He murdered his first victim, Timothy McCoy, on January 3, 1972. He would go on to murder at least 32 other young men in five years before his secondary arrest.
Given the classification of his victims, people would constantly ask, “Was John Wayne Gacy gay?” All of his known victims are men, and most authorities have the men listed as homosexuals. It’s worth noting that Gacy had little to no interest in victimizing women, but was he a homosexual? Let’s take a look at the serial killer’s personal life to find out.
VOTE: What was John Wayne Gacy’s Sexuality?
John Wayne Gacy’s Relationships
John Wayne Gacy had relationships with women, but the sincerity of these relationships came into question when his crimes surfaced. When police found where Gacy hid his victims’ bodies, they were quick to note that all of them were men. It’s still unclear how Gacy chose his victims, but the women he had been linked to reportedly remained unharmed.
John Wayne Gacy and Marlynn Myers (1964-1968)
Gacy met Marlynn Myers at a Nunn-Bus Shoe Company store in Chicago where they were colleagues. They started dating around January of 1964, and six months later, they were married. After their wedding, Gacy and Myers moved to Iowa where Gacy began working at Myers’ father’s several KFC restaurants. Myers gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in March 1967.
In 1968, Gacy was charged with sodomy of 15-year-old Donald Vorhees Jr., son of Donald Edwin Vorhees. Other allegations soon surfaced, and this caused a rift in Gacy and Myres’ marriage. In November 1968, Gacy pleaded guilty to Vorhees’ case and not guilty to the other charges. He was then sentenced in December 1968 to ten years in prison.
Myers petitioned for a divorce the same day Gacy was sentenced. The separation request was granted, and Myers received the home, the property, and sole custody of their two children. The divorce was finalized in September 1969. Not much is known about Myers in the present, but it’s reported that Gacy never saw Myers or his two children after his incarceration.
John Wayne Gacy and Carole Hoff (1972-1976)
Carole Hoff first met Gacy when they were still in high school. Gacy’s sister Karen was friends with Hofff, and Hoff and Gacy even dated for a while in their senior year. In August 1971, Hoff and Gacy rekindled their friendship and began dating once again, and less than a year later, they were married.
Hoff and her two young daughters from a different marriage moved in with Gacy and Gacy’s mother. Unbeknownst to Hoff, Gacy had already murdered his first victim. He would murder two more teenagers while he was married to Hoff.
In 1975, Gacy confessed to Hoff that he was not heterosexual. The couple had intercourse for the last time on Mother’s Day. After that, Gacy began spending most of his time away, often coming home late at night or early the next day. Hoff also noted Gacy bringing teenage boys into his garage. She finally confronted Gacy after she found several wallets with IDs in the house as well as homosexual pornography.
Hoff asked for a divorce in October 1975, and Gacy agreed. After his second divorce, Gacy continued with his crimes, killing 30 more men in the years that followed.
John Wayne Gacy’s Horrific Career
In less than a decade, Gacy’s mental health deteriorated. He continued luring young men into his home and did unspeakable things to them. After having his way with them, he would bury them in a crawl space under his house. Other victims he would throw into a river. This continued throughout the 70s with victims’ ages ranging from 16-21.
The law finally caught up to Gacy when police issued a warrant to search Gacy’s home. It was in relation to a missing person report, and Gacy was the last person known to have been with the victim. Upon the search, police found suspicious items, including sevaral police badges, a pistol, fake driver’s licenses, valium, a syringe, and nylon rope. Further searches revealed the bodies buried in Gacy’s crawl space.
He was sentenced to death by lethal injection. The procedure took place on May 10, 1994. William Kunkle, a prosecutor present at the trial, stated, “He got a much easier death than any of his victims.” Gacy’s final words were heard by the same man. The serial killer had reportedly said, “Kiss my ass.”
Was John Wayne Gacy Gay?
Yes, John Wayne Gacy was gay. Gacy admitted to his second wife that he was a bisexual, but he clearly favored the company of men. He spent a lot of his time around young men, paying them for sex or making sexual advances when they are intoxicated. All of his victims were also notably men, and Gacy himself confessed that he enjoyed sexually assaulting his victims before having his way with them.
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