THE MAN WHO KILLED BOYS: A True Story of Mass Murder in a Chicago Suburb

by Clifford L. Linedecker ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 1980

First we learn that John Wayne Gacy has yet to be tried and must be presumed innocent, then comes a straightforward account of his activities, concluding that life imprisonment or death are the only alternatives ""for someone who has murdered 33 young men and boys."" Propriety aside, Linedecker (Psychic Spy and My Life with Elvis) tells a tight story with a minimum of gore. We pick up Gacy at a 1978 party where a psychic senses him to be evil, though friends remain unaware that the twice-married building contractor, Jaycees ""Man of the Year,"" and active Democrat (pictured with Rosalynn Carter) leads a double life--despite ""a persistent musty odor"" in his house. But, we learn, a sodomy arrest ended his first marriage and subsequent charges led to a ten-year jail term (with parole after 18 months). We meet a stream of young men, Gacy's employees and pick-ups from Chicago's bohemia--some kidnapped, sexually tortured, and deposited under Gacy's house. Finally, a survivor goes to the police, they tail him--never checking the computer for previous arrests--and when Gacy brazenly invites them in, one recognizes ""the heavy cloying odor"" as putrefied flesh; then, search warrants are issued, etc. Linedecker warns that Gacy's confession may be challenged on insanity grounds, that the search warrants could be invalidated for insufficient cause, and that pre-trial publicity could be important. A harrowing tale--and one that, if true, one might hope that not too many prospective jurors read.

Pub Date: March 21, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION