Devil in Disguise: The True Story of John Wayne Gacy, Explained
Before Devil in Disguise hits Peacock, let's take a look at the true story of John Wayne Gacy.
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Peacock's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, an eight-episode crime drama inspired by the life and crimes of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, streams in full on October 16. It's one of the streaming service's most-anticipated offerings of 2025, and the grisly subject matter will make it a must-watch for both Halloween and for viewers who can't get enough of shows based on true crime.
As you probably already know, Devil in Disguise is based on a horrific true story. The new series, created by Patrick Macmanus, is based on Peacock's 2021 docuseries John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, which was itself an examination of the crimes committed by Gacy in Illinois in the 1970s. So, as the new series premieres, let's take a closer look at the true story behind the scripted drama.
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Who was John Wayne Gacy?
Born in Chicago in 1942, John Wayne Gacy (portrayed by Michael Chernus in the new series) worked various jobs, including managing KFC franchises for his first wife's father in Iowa, before settling back in the Chicago area in the early 1970s. In the late 1960s he was arrested and convicted of sexual assault, serving a brief prison sentence before being paroled, and in the early 1970s he was arrested again for sexual assault complaints, all involving young boys.
In 1972, Gacy married his second wife and settled into a new home. By 1974, he was a successful contractor, local business leader, and a beloved party host in his neighborhood. To all outward appearances, Gacy was an upstanding citizen and family man, but he was hiding a terrible secret.
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How many people did John Wayne Gacy kill?
John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 young men.
Gacy's own account of his crimes would later place his first murder in 1972, when he stabbed a 16-year-old boy to death. It was the beginning of a crime spree that would stretch through the next six years. Eventually, Gacy's wife left him, and by 1976 he was living alone in his home, which eventually became a tomb for his victims.
Though the final count of Gacy's victims may never truly be known, he is officially linked to 33 murders in court documents, all of them boys and young men. Many of these victims would later be found buried in the crawlspace under his home, while others were dumped in nearby bodies of water, including the Des Plaines River.
How was John Wayne Gacy caught?
By 1975, local police had begun investigating Gacy as a person of interest in various cases, including claims from local teens that a man named "John" would frequently approach and proposition them. At the time, police were unable to build a case or obtain a search warrant for Gacy's home, though surveillance revealed young men frequently entering and leaving the property.
In December of 1978, Gacy was linked to the disappearance of 15-year-old Robert Piest, who disappeared after going to see a man about a construction job. Gacy's company was remodeling the pharmacy where Piest worked at the time. A search warrant revealed that Piest had been in Gacy's house and left at least one item behind. Police obtained another search warrant, and began to discover evidence of human remains.
Gacy quickly confessed in a lengthy statement to police, and even drew diagrams for investigators outlining where bodies were buried beneath his home. For a full timeline of how all of this unfolded, you can check out the Chicago Tribune's outline of the investigation.
Did John Wayne Gacy really dress up as a clown?
Gacy is known in some true crime circles as the "Killer Clown" because of his real-life hobby of dressing up as a clown called "Pogo" at various parties and neighborhood functions. It was never a profession, but it was obviously something he enjoyed, and it didn't stop there. Gacy was also an avid collector of clown-themed art, and even painted some clowns himself.
What happened to John Wayne Gacy?
Investigators spent the rest of 1978 and the first quarter of 1979 searching every part of Gacy's home, recovering and identifying several bodies along the way. In April of 1979, the home was demolished, and that same month, with many of his victims still unidentified (though their remains had been found), Gacy was indicted for 33 murders. That summer, a judge granted permission to try all 33 murder counts in a single trial.
Gacy's trial began in February of 1980 and ended in less than two months. In March, a jury took less than two hours to convict him on all 33 counts of murder. One day later, he was sentenced to death.
Gacy appealed the verdict, going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but was denied each time. After 14 years on death row, he was executed in the early morning hours of May 10, 1994. Efforts to identify all of his unidentified victims, and to potentially link him to other murders, continue to this day.
How to watch Devil in Disguise
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy premieres all eight episodes on Peacock October 16.
