I was thrilled to hear that previous Body #5 was identified by DNA to be Francis Wayne Alexander and that his family is now able to understand that he did not cut them off from communication in 1976. There is definitely some closure there.
But there are a few issues that have arisen as a result of Body #5 being identified...
In this official report from the Cook County Sheriff's Police, Lt. Frank Braun notes there is a piece of paper found in the vicinity of Body #5. It's important enough to notate and to send to the crime lab for further investigation.
This is not publicized at all, although it appears in a transcript from March 28, 1979 at 1:53pm at Cermak Hospital. Defense attorney, Sam Amirante, confronts Gacy about said piece of paper in the last paragraph of this page.
It's pretty obvious from this page, Sam Amirante is perplexed when he says, "Do you have any idea how the hell it got there?" Then he wonders if it "could just be bullshit" "to rattle me" or if Gacy was using his name for a referral. Then Gacy says the only person he gave Sam Amirante's number to is David Cram.
Then they figure out the other name on the piece of paper is Frank DeLuca, a bricklaying contractor Gacy worked with. It's obvious from the next page, someone questioned Gacy about DeLuca without mentioning the piece of paper from Body #5.
It's believed by Francis Wayne Alexander's family that he disappeared in November of 1976. Gacy and Amirante are already friendly enough by that time that Amirante's name is on a piece of paper in Gacy's house and it's possible David Cram was the reason for that. How did it then end up with Alexander's body and why? This question was never answered.
Another question that comes up, if Sam Amirante had very little to no experience with a complex murder case when Gacy decides to admit to dozens of murders to him, why does Gacy choose Amirante?
From the December 29, 1978 Chicago Tribune it says, "Amirante admitted he began representing Gacy while still a member of the Cook County Public Defender's office, in an apparent violation of court rules." The article then goes on to say Amirante tried to quit the office immediately after Gacy was arrested on December 21, 1978 but "didn't have (his boss') phone number." The author of the article then questions why Amirante's name is on a federal lawsuit filed by Gacy on December 19, 1978 against Des Plaines PD for harassment. No answer. Amirante then admits he was a lawyer for the Norwood Park Lighting District - on which Gacy had been serving for several years - "for the last year", again in violation of court rules. Not a guy I'd want on my team, unless he was politically connected...
During my discussions with Prosecutor Bill Kunkle for the documentary series John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, he told me during a March 2020 phone call that Sam Amirante was so green at his defense of Gacy, he often called Cook County ASA Terry Sullivan - the two have been friends for many years - for advice. As in, Sam Amirante gave the prosecution a notion of his strategy?
From Bill Kunkle's March 2020 interview transcript, it makes me wonder:
Interviewer: Why did you think it was gonna be an insanity defense right away? Why did you have that hunch?
Bill Kunkle: Not-- it's not a hunch. There's no other defense. What's-- give me another defense. I don't know of one. I mean, his personal favorite uh, defense was of course, I didn't do it, I was out of town. Well, we proved that wasn't true.
But with this document compiled by Des Plaines PD Investigator, J. Rafael Tovar, they absolutely didn't prove it was true.
So many questions and so few solid answers. Why is it important today? Because as a society, we want transparency in our law enforcement and prosecutor's offices. This isn't that...
Comentários