The Chilling Final Insult: What Were John Wayne Gacy's Last Words Before Execution?

Few phrases in criminal history capture a complete lack of remorse quite like the final utterance attributed to John Wayne Gacy, the notorious "Killer Clown." More than three decades after his reign of terror ended, the chilling simplicity of his last words continues to horrify and define the character of one of America’s most infamous serial killers, offering a final, defiant insult to his victims and their families. As of today, December 18, 2025, the ongoing efforts to identify his remaining victims keep his dark legacy in the current news cycle, proving that the case is far from closed.

The story of John Wayne Gacy is a horrifying duality: a respected community member, a successful contractor, and a performer who entertained children as "Pogo the Clown," all while concealing the remains of at least 33 young men and boys beneath his suburban Chicago home. His final moments and the words he chose to leave behind provide a stark, unvarnished look into the mind of a psychopath who never showed a flicker of regret for his heinous crimes.

John Wayne Gacy Jr.: A Profile of the Killer Clown

John Wayne Gacy Jr. was an American serial killer and sex offender whose crimes shocked the world and forever changed the perception of evil lurking in plain sight. His methodical nature and ability to maintain a facade of respectability made him a compelling—and terrifying—subject of study for criminologists and the public alike.

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• Full Name: John Wayne Gacy Jr.
• Born: March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois.
• Died: May 10, 1994 (Aged 52), at Stateville Correctional Center, Joliet, Illinois.
• Cause of Death: Execution by lethal injection.
• Crimes Committed: Rape, torture, and murder of at least 33 young men and boys.
• Period of Murders: 1972 to 1978.
• Modus Operandi: Luring victims, often runaways or vulnerable young men, to his home under false pretenses, typically strangling them, and burying 26 bodies in the crawl space of his home.
• Infamous Alias: "The Killer Clown" (due to his work performing as Pogo the Clown and Patches the Clown at children's parties).
• Conviction: March 12, 1980, on 33 counts of murder.

The Execution and the Infamous Last Words

After more than a decade on death row, Gacy’s execution was scheduled for the early hours of May 10, 1994. The event was highly anticipated, drawing crowds of spectators and protesters outside the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois. The atmosphere was charged with the culmination of years of legal battles and the agony of the victims' families.

The Final Hours and Last Meal

Gacy spent his final hours meeting with his attorney and taking calls. His last meal request was a simple but substantial one: fried shrimp, Kentucky Fried Chicken, french fries, and strawberries. This seemingly mundane request stood in stark contrast to the monstrous nature of his crimes, highlighting the bizarre banality often associated with serial killers.

As the midnight hour approached, Gacy was escorted to the execution chamber. He was calm, maintaining the same detached, manipulative demeanor he had displayed throughout his trial and incarceration. The process of execution by lethal injection in Illinois at the time was meant to be swift, but Gacy’s execution was marred by a technical malfunction—a chilling final twist to his story.

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"Kiss My Ass": The Ultimate Act of Defiance

When asked if he had any final statement, John Wayne Gacy delivered a phrase that instantly became one of the most memorable and chilling last words in criminal history. While some accounts suggest he remained silent, the widely reported and accepted final words of John Wayne Gacy were:

"Kiss my ass."

This vulgar, dismissive retort was a final, cold-blooded act of contempt. It was not an apology, a confession, or a plea for forgiveness, but a clear signal that the serial killer felt no remorse for the 33 lives he had extinguished. The phrase encapsulated his anti-social personality disorder and his absolute refusal to acknowledge the pain he had inflicted on countless families.

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The Execution Malfunction and the Delay

Even Gacy’s death was not without controversy. During the lethal injection procedure, a tube carrying the deadly chemicals became clogged, causing the flow of the drugs to stop. This technical failure led to a ten-minute delay while prison officials worked to fix the line, drawing out the final moments of the execution.

The malfunction sparked an immediate legal challenge from the defense, which argued that the delay constituted cruel and unusual punishment. However, the execution was eventually completed, and Gacy was pronounced dead at 12:58 a.m. on May 10, 1994. The episode became a major talking point in the ongoing national debate over capital punishment and the reliability of lethal injection as a method of execution.

Gacy's Lingering Legacy: New Victims Identified Decades Later

Despite Gacy's death, his case remains an open investigation for law enforcement, a testament to the scale of his crimes and the dedication of the Cook County Sheriff's Office. This is where the most current and vital information regarding the case emerges, providing closure to families even today.

Of the 33 victims Gacy confessed to murdering, 26 were found buried in the crawl space of his home in Norwood Park Township, suburban Chicago. Five of those bodies remained unidentified for decades, referred to only by their body numbers (Victim #5, Victim #10, etc.).

The Breakthrough of DNA Technology

In a significant development that continues to make headlines, authorities began exhuming the remains of the unidentified victims in 2011 to use advanced DNA testing. These efforts have yielded crucial results:

• Francis Wayne Alexander: In 2021, Cook County Sheriff's Police successfully identified "Victim #5" as Francis Wayne Alexander, a 21-year-old North Carolina man who had moved to Chicago in the mid-1970s. His identification, nearly 50 years after his murder, was a major breakthrough made possible by genetic genealogy.
• Rickey John Beaudoin: In 2022, another unidentified victim, previously known as "Victim #24," was identified as Rickey John Beaudoin. He was 19 years old when he disappeared in 1972.

These recent identifications underscore the persistent trauma left by Gacy’s actions. The work continues, with the Cook County Sheriff's Office still actively seeking to identify the remaining three unidentified victims, ensuring that Gacy's case remains a current and active chapter in criminal justice history. The ongoing identification process gives the families of the missing hope, decades after the killer himself was silenced.

The Enduring Fascination and Topical Entities

The story of John Wayne Gacy continues to captivate the public, fueled by documentaries like Peacock's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy and the macabre nature of the "Killer Clown" persona. The case is a cornerstone of true crime, involving numerous topical entities:

• Lethal Injection
• Stateville Penitentiary
• Norwood Park Township
• Crawl Space Murders
• Pogo the Clown
• Robert Piest (Gacy's final victim)
• Francis Wayne Alexander (Recently identified victim)
• Cook County Sheriff's Office
• Genetic Genealogy
• Serial Killer Psychopathology
• Death Row Inmate
• Capital Punishment Debate
• Anti-Social Personality Disorder
• 33 Murders
• Victim Identification Project

Gacy’s final words, "Kiss my ass," serve as his epitaph, a final, chilling confirmation of his complete lack of humanity. They are a stark reminder that some of the world's most terrifying criminals show no repentance, even in the face of their own mortality.