The Killer Clown — The Real Life “Joker” Convicted for 33 Murders
The psychology and eerie similarities with Batman’s Joker.
Haven’t we all watched Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Joker in the movie by the same name and almost empathized with the unfortunate childhood and bullying through his youth that drove him to the psychopath he became?
I found myself having similar thoughts as I came across one of the most gruesome criminals in history — John Wayne Gacy, who at the time of his conviction for 33 murders, was the individual with the most number of murder convictions in American history.
Ironic he would share a middle name with the last name of the Joker’s nemesis — Bruce Wayne aka Batman.
Like most serial killers I have read and written about the seeds of the criminal future were sown much earlier in their lives. Here is a look at John Wayne Gacy’s path to being a serial killer.
A Disturbed Childhood of Abuse and Bullying
Gacy was born in Chicago in 1942 to a father who was an auto repair machinist and World War I veteran, and a mother who was a homemaker.