True Crime Garage: John Wayne Gacy /// Part 1

Release Date: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Nic and the Captain

Episode Overview

In this chilling first installment on the life and crimes of John Wayne Gacy, Nic and the Captain guide listeners through Gacy’s early years, his troubling adolescence and family life, and the beginnings of his criminal pattern. The episode paints a portrait of Gacy’s double life: a community-minded businessman hosting lavish parties and dressing as “Pogo the Clown,” while harboring deadly secrets. With their signature banter and thorough research, the hosts discuss both the context and psychology that set the stage for one of America’s most notorious serial killers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery and Arrest (05:19 – 06:56)

• News Recap: A dramatic segment from journalist Jim Cummins tells of police finding bodies beneath Gacy’s Chicago home and his subsequent arrest for the murder of Robert Piest.
• Gacy’s Public Persona: Introduced as a respected building contractor who entertained children as a clown, juxtaposed with a history of sex crimes.

2. Gacy’s Early Life & Family Dynamics (06:56 – 14:57)

• Birth and Childhood Hardships: Born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1942; grew up with two sisters.
• Abusive Father: Frequently called Gacy a disappointment, using harsh slurs. “His father often told Gacy that he was a disappointment, that he was dumb.” – Nic (08:08)
• Health Issues: Chronic heart ailment and an undiagnosed brain blood clot, leading to years of blackouts and hospitalizations.
• Early Signs of Deviant Behavior: At ages 5-6, Gacy stole and buried his mother’s undergarments under the house; later repeated with neighborhood girls’ clothing (12:52–14:00).

3. Struggling for Acceptance & Early Adulthood (14:00 – 19:28)

• Dropping Out and Running Away: Never graduated high school; ran away to Las Vegas as a teenager, showing resourcefulness and a “natural-born salesman” quality (16:08).
• Marriage and Ambitions: Married Marilyn Myers; worked for her family’s KFC franchises, seeking validation and status.

4. Community Involvement and Darker Rumors (19:28 – 25:20)

• Join the JCs: Became active in the civic organization, rising quickly:
  • “You recruit more members than anybody else, then you become very popular and a person of power.” – Nic (25:20)
• Behind Closed Doors: Wild JC parties involving pornography and orgies, hinting at Gacy’s growing disregard for social mores.
• Rumors Arise: Whispers among coworkers about Gacy’s sexual advances toward teenage boys.

5. First Sexual Assault Conviction (25:51 – 29:56)

• Sodomy Charges: Details of the crime, Gacy’s manipulation of victims, attempts at witness intimidation, and eventual conviction for sodomy in Iowa.
• Prison Time: Receives 10-year sentence but is paroled in just 18 months for model behavior.

6. After Prison: New Beginnings and New Victims (36:15 – 44:44)

• Return to Chicago: Moves in with his mother, remarries Carol Huff, starts a contracting business (PDM Inc).
• Hiring Vulnerable Youth: Hires teenage boys, “supposedly to keep costs low,” but with more sinister motivations.
• Community Standing: Throws extravagant parties, maintains image as upstanding member of Democratic Party and local organizations.
• Birth of Pogo the Clown: Begins performing as “Pogo,” volunteering at hospitals and children’s parties – a chilling irony given later revelations.

7. Escalating Marital Problems & Descent (46:44 – 48:42)

• Domestic Issues: Second marriage falls apart as Carol Huff discovers explicit materials and witnesses Gacy’s increasing volatility and violence.
  • “He’s becoming his father.” – Captain (48:28)
• Divorce: Marriage ends in 1976, coinciding with uptick in Gacy’s predatory behavior.

8. Disappearance of Young Men (49:03 – 56:21)

• Pattern Emerges: A string of disappearances – Johnny Butkovich, Michael Boonen, Billy Carroll Jr., Gregory Godzik, John Szyc, and Robert Gilroy – all teenagers, many working for Gacy.
• Manipulation & Deceit: Gacy often provides plausible but false explanations for missing persons, easily deceiving police and parents.
• Lack of Sex Offender Registry: The hosts reflect on how absence of record-sharing allowed Gacy’s behavior to flourish unchecked.

9. Gacy’s Employees: Narrow Escapes (57:28 – 64:30)

• Crawl Space Labor: Employees like David Cram (or possibly Michael Rossi) are hired to dig trenches under Gacy’s home for odd reasons (pipes, “fixing odors”).

• Surviving a Close Call: One employee narrowly escapes assault after being handcuffed during a “clown trick” gone wrong:

  “He brings out these handcuffs… and when he goes to try them on, he can’t get out of it. …John’s being weird, dancing around with the Pogo outfit on.” – Captain (61:24–63:54)

• Employee Leaves: Shaken, the young man moves out a few days later.

10. Victim of Abuse Who Fights Back (64:30 – 70:44)

• The Case of Jeff Rignall:

  • Rignall is abducted, chloroformed, raped, and tortured, then dumped in a park.
  • He survives and painstakingly tracks down his attacker’s black Oldsmobile, providing the police with Gacy’s license plate.

  “After Jeff got out of the hospital…he had the image of that car tattooed in his brain…he ultimately went back to that side of town…and he wrote down the license plate.” – Nick (70:15–70:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “His father often told Gacy that he was a disappointment, that he was dumb.” – Nic (08:08)
• “Well, you have to show respect for your spouse as well as the children that are in the house as well.” – Nick (48:01)
• “If my hands are tied behind my back, I’m shit out of luck…Good luck fighting that fight.” – Captain (63:57)
• “Could you imagine a big…Gacy wasn’t tall, but he was a bigger guy…you’re in handcuffs.” – Captain (63:54)
• “Most of the time they say ‘young men’…but to me, 18 was the divider between a child and an adult. But in the public’s eye, it was more a high school diploma.” – Nick (41:29)
• “He always wanted to get his father’s approval…he never got a chance to rectify it. His dad died while Gacy was in prison for sodomy. So, in a sense, isn’t John the homosexual stupid loser his father always told him he was?” – Nick (36:15–37:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 05:19 | News report on discovery of bodies under Gacy's house and his arrest | | 06:56 | Gacy’s early life, family background, and abuse | | 14:00 | Teenage years, stealing undergarments, health struggles | | 19:28 | Marriage, KFC franchise, joining the JCs | | 25:20 | Civic involvement, wild JC parties, sexual rumors | | 25:51 | Sodomy charges, intimidation, conviction, and brief prison stay | | 36:15 | Released from prison, father’s death, return to Chicago | | 40:15 | PDM Contractors, hiring teenage boys, escalation of predatory behaviors | | 44:44 | “Pogo the Clown” persona – community work and chilling foreshadowing | | 46:44 | Failing second marriage, increased violence, divorce | | 49:03 | Series of missing teenage boys working for/around Gacy | | 57:28 | Employee recounts crawl space labor and surviving Gacy’s attack | | 64:30 | The abduction and survival of Jeff Rignall | | 70:44 | Rignall tracks Gacy down via license plate |

Tone and Style

Nic and the Captain keep their conversational, slightly irreverent tone while mixing in sharp psychological insights and empathy for the victims. The humor (“put your cup on, Gacy,” “plus-size prison model”) often serves to diffuse tension, but they always maintain respect for the gravity of the crimes.

Summary

John Wayne Gacy /// Part 1 methodically traces the transformation of Gacy from a troubled boy, scarred by abuse and rejection, to a manipulative, community-minded façade concealing escalating predatory impulses. The hosts expose the red flags missed by those around him and highlight societal failures—like the absence of offender registries and the power of charm/position—that allowed Gacy to victimize so many, setting the stage for the horrifying revelations to come in Part 2.

For more content, visit truecrimegarage.com and tune in for the next episode where the unraveling of John Wayne Gacy continues.