An old and chilling clip uploaded to YouTube by True Crime Magazine eight years ago has resurfaced and gone viral due to its shocking nature. The video sheds light on the horrifying technique John Wayne Gacy used to murder his victims after subjecting them to hours of brutal torture. Known as “The Killer Clown” for his performances at children’s hospitals under the persona of Pogo the Clown, Gacy’s legacy is one of terror and unimaginable cruelty.
In 1978, John Wayne Gacy was arrested and convicted for the murders of at least 33 young men and boys in the Des Plaines, Illinois area. Gacy spent 14 years on death row before being executed by lethal injection at the Stalle Correctional Center on May 10, 1994. Before his execution, Gacy participated in a CBS Special Report series, during which he portrayed himself as a misunderstood victim and a loving father. However, the haunting resurfaced video tells a different story.
In the chilling footage, Gacy demonstrated his infamous “rope trick,” which he used to strangle his victims. The disturbing clip shows Gacy explaining to journalist Walter Jacobson how he learned a specific knot in Boy Scouts—a tourniquet knot—that would become a tool of murder. In the video, Gacy attempted to demonstrate the method on his own arm before convincing the journalist to offer his arm for the demonstration. Using a pen to tighten the knot, Gacy revealed that in his murders, he would often use a hammer handle instead.
This same knotting method was later discovered on the ropes used to strangle many of Gacy’s victims, whose bodies were unearthed in his crawl space and in nearby locations, such as the Des Plaines River.
The viral video has sent shivers through viewers, with many commenting on how Gacy appears disturbingly normal while explaining his murder technique. One YouTube user remarked, “Gives me chills how he looks like an old dude you can easily think of as harmless and trust.” Another viewer was shocked by how the reporter fell into Gacy’s trap, stating, “I can’t believe that reporter fell for that trick. That’s exactly how he did it to them. Trying to ‘teach’ them how to do knots.”
John Wayne Gacy’s reign of terror left an indelible mark on history. While many of his victims’ bodies were found hidden in the crawl space of his home, others were discarded in the Des Plaines River. The resurfacing of the video serves as a stark reminder of the horrors committed by the man who wore a clown’s face in public but harbored deadly intentions behind closed doors.
