Sam, could you do me a favor? Thus begins a story that has now become part of Americas true crime hall of fame. It is a gory, grotesque tale befitting a Stephen King novel. It is also a David and Goliath sagathe story of a young lawyer fresh from the Public Defenders Office whose first client in private practice turns out to be the worst serial killer in our nations history.
Sam Amirante had just opened his first law practice when he got a phone call from his friend John Wayne Gacy, a well-known and well-liked community figure. Gacy was upset about what he called police harassment and asked Amirante for help. With the police following his every move in connection with the disappearance of a local teenager, Gacy eventually gave a drunken, dramatic, early morning confessionto his new lawyer. Gacy was eventually charged with murder and Amirante suddenly became the defense attorney for one of Americans most disturbing serial killers. It was his first case.
This new edition of John Wayne Gacy, which contains updated material about the case that has come to light since the books original publication, recounts the gruesome killings and the famous trial that shocked a nation.