The Criminal Case of John Wayne Gacy Paper Example

Introduction

The criminal case of the People v. John Wayne Gacy was a criminal case where the state of Illinois brought the charges of murder, murder during the commission of a felony, aggravated kidnapping, deviate sexual assault and that of indecent liberties with a minor against John Wayne Gacy (Cahill, 2011). In this case, the defendant, Mr. Gacy was charged for brutally killing a total number of 33 boys and young men (Anderson & Braun, 1995). The initial charges were only for a dozen counts of murder and aggravated sexual assault, but later as the trial progressed, the prosecution was able to add more charges following the number of bodies discovered at Mr. Gacy's home and in the nearby river (Linedecker, 1993). This paper will discuss the criminal case brought against John Wayne Gacy by focusing on the trial process, the evidence that both the defense and the prosecution presents as well as the court's ruling and the factor that contributed to such a ruling. Throughout this discussion, the paper will present that argument that despite the external factors leading to the criminal case brought against John Wayne Gacy, the trial process adhered to essential aspects of the law, and by so doing, ensured that justice was served in the sentencing of John Wayne Gacy to death for his crimes in the state of Illinois.

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The Trial Process

The case began with the arrest of Mr. Gacy on December 22nd 1978. This arrest came after police tied him to the disappearance of a 15 year old teenager Robert Piest (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). Mr. Gacy had apparently been the last person to be seen with the missing boy who had met him about a job (Linedecker, 1993). Prior to the arrest, police had acquired a warrant that authorized them to do a search on John Wayne Gacy's house to ascertain his involvement with the disappearance of the young boy (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). Mr. Gacy denied claims that he was the last person to meet the boy or that they met at all. However, evidence found at his house showed that he had been lying to the police (Cahill, 2011). After this discovery, police performed a background check on Mr. Gacy and found that he had been mentioned in several cases that involved missing boys and young men (Linedecker, 1993). The background check also revealed that Mr. Gacy had a prior sentencing for sexual assault charges.

After staying with the police for more than a week, Mr. Gacy confessed on January 3rd 1979. He confessed to the murder and sexual assault of seven victims including Robert Piest for whose disappearance and murder he was initially suspected of and later arrested (Cahill, 2011). He also indicated to there being more victims and aided the police in discovering more bodies by drawing a detailed map of the grave spread out all over his compound and others buried elsewhere in Des Plaines river (Linedecker, 1993).

The court trial began on 6th of February in the Cook County Circuit Court of the State of Illinois. The case was presided over by Judge Louis B. Garippo of the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Illinois. The prosecution was led by William Kunkle assisted by Robert Egan and Terry Sullivan (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). The defense team of John Wayne Gacy was made up of Sam Amirante, and Robert Morra both of whom were criminal lawyers appointed to the case by the court (Amirante, 2015). The jury was made up of seven men and five women drawn from the Rockford County given the extent of the media coverage of the case and the events in Cook County.

At the start of the case, John Wayne Gacy through his lawyers, argued that he was not mentally fit to stand trial for the charges brought against him (Amirante, 2015). The judge directed that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental state and fitness for trial. The psychiatric evaluation was conducted by Dr. Robert Reifman who later testified in the case (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). The court allowed the proceedings after the psychiatric evaluation showed that John Wayne Gacy was indeed sane during his commission of the murders as well as during the time of the trial (Cahill, 2011). The prosecution proceeded and brought the charges of aggravated sexual assault, several counts of murder, murder during the commission of a felony and the charge of aggravated kidnapping against John Wayne Gacy (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). All these charges were meant to secure a death penalty because the death penalty was only allowed in the state of Illinois if the perpetrator committed more than one count of murder (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013).

Presentation of Arguments

The defense had intended to present the claim of insanity, where they argued that Mr. Gacy did not have the mental capacity to realize his crimes at the time he committed the murders of all his victims (Amirante, 2015). However, this argument was not sufficient as many medical experts involved in the case advised the court that Mr. Gacy was mentally aware of both his state in the court, and the murders he had committed (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). Another argument they presented was as stated above, where they claimed that at the time of the trial, Mr. Gacy was unable to understand the proceedings as well as the charges brought against him (Amirante, 2015). However, the court ruled that Mr. Gacy had been evaluated and found to be mentally stable to stand trial.

Later on in the trial, his defense also pointed out to his crimes being accidents emanating from the extreme consensual sexual practices he engaged in with his victims (Linedecker, 1993). Here, the defense claimed that the deaths were the result of asphyxiation, resulting from the sexual acts he and his victims had consented to conducting (Amirante, 2015). However, while the claims of insanity were investigated and an evaluation conducted, this claim of the deaths being accidents occurring during consensual sexual acts were quickly brushed off. The prosecution argued that such a claim was improbable since the defense could not prove or convince the court that all victims died accidentally (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013).

Presentation of Witnesses and Evidence

Both the defense and the prosecution called in their witnesses to aid them in presenting their argument. The witnesses who testified in the case were one hundred. The prosecution went first and called in family and friends of the victims. Later the prosecution called people acquainted with John Wayne Gacy such as his neighbors, business partners, employees and former employees. The prosecution invited psychiatrists to the stand who testified that John Wayne Gacy was sane at the time he committed the murders. The prosecution witnesses also included police officers and other law enforcement personnel and experts who were privy to the investigations and others who were homicide experts. The total witnesses by the prosecution were close to sixty.

The defense too called in their witnesses. Most of the defense witnesses were medical experts who were called in to ascertain the insanity of John Wayne Gacy (Amirante, 2015). The defense also called in his mother and sister who revealed to the court the troubled childhood that Gacy went through (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). According to his mother and sister, Gacy had suffered sexual and physical abuse from his further who had treated him and his family abusively (Cahill, 2011). This testimony was relied on by the defense to help elaborate the source of Gacy's mental challenges as well as try to explain certain aspects of his actions (Cahill, 2011). However, these claims were not sufficient to convince the prosecution and jury of John Gacy's innocence (Amirante, 2015).

The prosecution also presented evidence that included images of the victims and materials found in possession of Mr. Gacy (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). The witnesses also identified materials such as vehicles that the police found out were owned by some of the victims of Mr. Gacy. Other materials presented were personal items and possessions of the victims such as clothing and jewelry (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). The expert witnesses equally presented evidence that indicated the mental state of Mr. Gacy as well as his state during the commission of the crimes he was being charged with in court (Cahill, 2011).

Closing Arguments

In their closing arguments, the prosecution stressed on the heinous crimes that were committed by John Wayne Gacy (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). They recalled the testimony of his neighbors, friends and former employees that all indicated the kind of man John Wayne Gacy was, a brilliant, intelligent and very manipulative man (Cahill, 2011). These characteristics helped the prosecution dispel the claims by the defense that John Wayne Gacy was insane at the time of committing the murders, and similarly during the trial. The prosecution equally urged the jury not to belittle the fact that the murders were all part of a premeditated and carefully planned undertaking that provided some form of thrill for John Wayne Gacy (Cahill, 2011). They cited the treatment of his victims as indicating his enjoyment of his actions. They completed by asking the jury to find Mr. Gacy guilty and award him the death penalty.

The defense closed by stating that Mr. Gacy had been the victim of abuse from his further and such experience had left him with mental challenges such as schizophrenia and borderline personality disorders (Amirante, 2015). The defense wanted the jury not to ignore the mental fitness argument. The defense also stressed that all the experts had indicated that Mr. Gacy's actions must have been influenced by his mental instability (Linedecker, 1993).

Jury deliberations, Verdict and Underlying Factors

The jury went away to deliberate on the trial information and evidence. It took the jury only two hours before they came back with a verdict of guilty (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). The jury found that Mr. Gacy was guilty of the murder of the 33 boys and young men that occurred over a period of 6 to 7 years. The jury ruled that Mr. Gacy be sentenced to death for his crimes (Sullivan & Maiken, 2013). After the verdict, the case was closed with Mr. Gacy being advised to appeal if he had any grievances with the process. He was later transferred to Menard Correctional Center where he served for fourteen years before his execution by lethal injection.

The decision by the jury was influenced by a number of factors. One factor was the argument of the defense where they entered a plea of not guilty by insanity (Anderson & Braun, 1995). In this case, the jury only needed to be assured that the defendant was sane both during the commission of the crimes and equally during the trial process. The prosecution was able to prove the sanity of the defendant in both cases (Anderson & Braun, 1995). The argument also indicated that the defendant was not refusing his role in the events that had transpired, but was merely claiming that he had not been of sound mind. As such, this argument could not sway the jury to make a decision of not guilty (Anderson & Braun, 1995).

Second, the prosecution's arguments, strategy as well as the witness testimony played a huge role in securing the guilty verdict for the prosecution. Testimony from the parents and families of the victims, testimonies from the survivors, and equally testimonies from the witnesses who had been acquainted with John Wayne Gacy proved to the jury that Mr. Gacy was indeed guilty of his crimes (Anderson & Braun, 1995).

Another factor that featured in the case was the prior convictions and arrests of Mr. Gacy for crimes similar to the charges brought against him in this case. The prosecution pointed out to these facts as part of their strategy to elaborate on the demeanor of the defendant (Anderson & Braun, 1995). By do...