Read John Wayne Gacy Online

Authors: Judge Sam Amirante

John Wayne Gacy (49 page)

BOOK: John Wayne Gacy
11.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

When Danny left the practice of law, struggling with life, and then suddenly decided, quite out of the blue, to write a book, numerous people supported and encouraged him. It was often just the right word at the right time, especially early on in this unlikely quest. Occasionally, it was what they didn’t do. Some were family members and some were friends, some were almost strangers, but each and every one of the following individuals had a hand in helping him find a new path, whether they knew it or not. Vern Bergquist, Jim Labuda, Bob Broderick, John Baumgartner, John Butcher, John Schwaab, Vanessa Trobec, John and Teresa Namy, Gary and Diane Hanson, Dennis and Sue Van Ewyk, Mark and Greg and Katie Van Ewyk, Tim Kiefer, Mike Kiefer, Larry and Nancy Rozzano, Terri and Bridget Rozzano, Michael Broderick, Jimmy Broderick, Steve and Geri Ryan, Bob and Patty Lewis, Mike and Peggy Calebrese, Tom and Mary Gazdik, Dave and Margaret Lombardi, Mark Roth, Katie O’Connor Buckingham, the one that got away. Willie Norris, Mary Griffin Houlihan, Sue Fruzyna Farris, Kelly Torres Tom Eggert, J. Craig Williams, Evonne Kyriazes, Monica Wicklund, June Norris, Ellen Pitt, Hershel “Harry” Heater, Kelly Sutton, Monica Awani, the angel known as Roberta Williams and her husband Dave.

Finally, but most importantly, we would like to thank our families. Sam first. I want to thank my mom, Liz, and my dad, Sam, for being the greatest parents in the world; my cousins, who are more like brothers and sisters to me and stuck by me and supported me when the rest of the world hated me; and Mary Amirante, who struggled and sacrificed to help me through law school to reach
my dream to become a lawyer and who, once again, sacrificed so much during the hardships and threats throughout the
Gacy
case; and my sons, who I would live and die for, Sammy and Jimmy, who lost fifteen months of time during their young lives, time they should have been able to spend with their dad, and who inspired me by their presence to author the ISEARCH law (the Missing Child Recovery Act of 1984); and my wife, Deanna Amirante, whose love and encouragement motivated me toward this project; and especially Sofiabella, my princess, the love of my life, who every day with her smile makes me forget about the sometimes unpleasantness of the world we live in and makes me realize what a wonderful life it really is.

Now Danny. I want to thank my mom, Jackie, and my dad, Bill. I wish you were both here to see this. My parents are saints who raised eleven children and who gave tirelessly of themselves every single day until the day they died. They helped me through my darkest days, and I’ve had a few of those, and also shared my greatest triumphs. My two boys, Jack and Patrick, are my reason for living and the light of my life. Patrick, who lives with me and puts up with me (apparently, I never shut up), has been there every day with encouragement and inspiration. He is a source of great pride in everything that he does. Jack, who lives with his mom, June, inspires me, tests me, and fills me with love and pride as I watch him entering adulthood. My brothers and sisters are amazing. Only those that have grown up in a big family can know the benefits of having so much unconditional love from so many wonderful people. You had to be there in our neighborhood growing up to really appreciate the Broderick call to dinner as it reverberated off the houses and through the trees. Danny, Diane, Susan, Nancy, Michael, Jimmy, Geri, Tommy, Bobby, Patty, Peggy … come on and eat! Now all those kids have kids, most have spouses, and some of their kids have kids. So, I’d like to thank my immediate family for their undying support and love: Diane, Gary, Tim, Beckie, Meghan,
Molly, Mike, Eric, Andrea, Susan, Dennis, Mark, Greg, Katie, Nancy, Larry, Terri, Tom, Bridget, Bradley, Michael, Michael, Kayla, Jimmy, Bernie, Geri, Steve, Joey, Katie, Taylor, Brodie, Kelly, Kirk, Katie, Mike, Tommy, Roxanne, Donavon, Little D, Alyssa, Meagan Wren, Jeremy, Darion, Madyson, Natalie, Little Johnney, Bobby, Patti, Bob, Marc, Heather, Peggy, Mike, Joey, and Nick. If we sell just one copy of the book to every member of this loving, caring, eclectic, and wonderful family, best-seller status is pretty much assured.

Although I have mentioned their names before, I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to my brother, Tom Broderick, and his wife, Roxanne. Aside from being two of the kindest, most loving people on the planet, Tom and Rox, with their support, have made it possible for me to follow this harebrained idea of mine that I could write a book. Thank you, Tom, and thank you, Rox.

It has been said before, but life really is a roller coaster. You wait for your turn. It goes way too fast. It has its thrilling highs and its scary lows. It ends too soon. And when it’s over, you find that you wouldn’t have changed a thing, especially the scary parts, and you want to ride it again.

If we forgot anybody, we are truly sorry. Chalk it up to old age.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

O
NE OF THE
cornerstones of an attorney-client relationship is the privilege of confidential communication between an attorney and his or her client. That privilege is time-honored and sacred and should not be broken, even after death. However, it was John Gacy’s desire to have the true story known even after his death. I have labored over the issue of privilege in this matter for many years. Although John Gacy was perceived as a monster, he was, in fact, a human being, who, like any other, deserves to have the historical record set straight. He always wanted his story told and the truth known, as evidenced by a general release and waiver of the privilege given to Bob Motta and me long before Gacy’s death. There have been numerous rumors and much speculation, which have embellished the true facts of this case. For instance, there were rumors of cannibalism, mutilation, freezing of body parts, other murders, and bodies being hidden in other parts of the country, all of which are untrue. We write this book to set the historical record straight. Furthermore, all of Gacy’s statements contained in this book were also made by him in numerous other and disjointed ways over the years and all have been a matter of public record prior to the writing of this book.

The defense of John Gacy had little or nothing to do with privileged communications. From the beginning, and against my advice, he fully confessed to the police, in his words “to give his victims a proper burial.” The basis of our defense was to save his life and allow him to stay in a structured environment where he could be studied and hopefully prevent a repeat of such horrific crimes. This book continues that fight for knowledge, preventive intervention, and human dignity.

—Sam L. Amirante

 

BOOK: John Wayne Gacy
11.42Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Ex Games by J. S. Cooper, Helen Cooper
Project Virgin by Megan Crane
Calling It by Jen Doyle
Shadow of Legends by Stephen A. Bly
Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi
Couples Who Kill by Carol Anne Davis
Glitter and Gunfire by Cynthia Eden
Mountain Rampage by Graham, Scott