History has been riddled with psychopaths who have left a trail of blood behind them. Most of the serial killers of yesterday have become a part of our folklore with stories, dramas and movies aiming to capture the essence of the story. These serial killers have ended up as a mainstay in pop culture references due to their heinous crimes. Each had their own reasons and their infamous reputation has ensured they are immortalised in remind us of the monsters that live amongst us.
Some of them are driven by lust, others are just madmen who want to watch the world burn. The most famous and widely “loved” on-screen serial killer, the Joker, helps us get a glimpse into the mind of an anarchist. Performances by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix have endeared this Agent of Chaos to us. Such is the charm of a good serial killer story – it appeals to the latent sadist in us.One thing most of the serial killers of our world had in common, they targeted the common man. For them, it was a numbers game and they’d pick out their victims from the masses. These were people with an insatiable bloodlust, not terrorists, they didn’t care about famous names on their list of victims. This is what makes Andrew Cunanan stand out.
Andrew Cunanan was a gay prostitute who most famously murdered Gianni Versace, the legendary founder of the luxury fashion brand of the same name, who had publicly come out as an openly gay man to the world despite the risk to his business in order to help other young men stand for who they are. What makes the story even more peculiar is that this was not a random pick out. Andrew was obsessed with Versace long before he could murder him. His unhealthy obsession with the fashion mogul sparked his madness which lead him down the path of killing 5 people, the last of which was Versace.
Andrew was a prolific liar and would do anything to get out of actually working hard. He was a textbook narcissist who looked for a shortcut in everything he did. He was always comfortable with his sexuality as a queer man and would not try to hide it. Andrew was classically handsome and didn’t need to work hard to lure a partner. Andrew was quite often the centre of attention from closeted, rich men who would look for exactly what Andrew possessed – a smooth talking personality and a gorgeous face. Andrew used this to enter the gigolo business to make quick and easy money. It was safe to say that he found this business quite suitable but he did it by being a stay-home partner for rich, old men and would get a monthly allowance from them. This way, Andrew successfully entered upper society as he wished and had piles of money at his disposal.
Andrew had an admiration for Versace’s work and when he finally got the chance to meet Versace, he hoped for a romantic relationship and once his advances were rejected, his obsession was triggered into a more toxic nature. When his luck ran out, he took a flight to visit the man he claimed to love, David Madson. On this trip, Andrew bludgeoned Jeffrey Trail(a common friend of theirs) to death using a hammer, right in front of Madson, in David’s apartment. He then murdered David while they attempted to elope, followed by Lee Miglin in Chicago who was a big-time real estate developer.
The nature Miglin’s murder gives us a glimpse into the spiralling mind of Andrew’s at the moment. The 72 year old man’s head was wrapped with duct tape and his hands and feet were tied. His body was found in his garage with 20 stab wounds from a screwdriver. This was no normal “burst of anger”. This was a man who wanted his aged victim to suffer. His next murder, that of William Reese was of a random nature, with the victim shot in the head with the same pistol used to murder Madson. On June 12 1997, Andrew was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, just as he reached Miami, the site of his final crime.
Andrew Cunanan was driven by envy. He felt he was similar to Versace, possibly due to his Italian roots, so he bore great jealousy of Gianni’s success. He felt he was better than Versace and he deserved the latter’s riches instead. This jealousy combined with his numbing to murder propelled him to stalking Versace’s house for days to look for the right moment to kill him in cold blood. On the morning of July 15, Andrew shot Versace just at the entrance of the celebrity’s mansion on Miami Beach.
On July 23 1997, Cunanan’s body was found on a houseboat after he had shot himself in the head. The bloodlust of the killing spree had finally worn off after he had managed to murder his prime target. The numb sensation towards death and murder dissipated and he would have felt the walls closing in on him. The madness of the episode and the complexity of the man is quite beautifully captured by Darren Criss(the Glee star)who turned out to be the spitting image of Andrew in the FX Adaptation – The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Andrew Cunanan’s story is one of more than a serial killer. His killings spanned a paltry 3 month period where he travelled freely and participated in parties and sexual intercourse. The man was not a psychopath, but he did portray all the traits of a sociopathic specimen, one who felt no empathy for the pain brought to others as long as it benefited himself. This nature was built up over years, including his childhood days. He felt untouchable and that he deserved the world but was not willing to put a shred of work into it.
His friends and schoolmates have come out to say that Andrew would repeatedly bring up Versace’s name in conversations, thus showing further proof of a deep-seated obsession with the icon. Andrew, while growing up, behaved like he was famous and would always be famous and remembered just for who he was and his behaviour. He didn’t care about achievements, he was too self-absorbed for that and believed his behaviour was enough for him to be remembered.
We may never know how many more would have succumbed to his blood rage had he not spiralled with guilt, with reports later stating that he bore a similar obsession towards Lisa Kudrow and Tom Cruise. Andrew Cunanan and Gianni Versace’s names will forever be entwined in the history books. One was a man who revolutionised the world of fashion, the other was a man who went on a blood-thirsty rampage. Their achievements are poles apart, yet their names are stuck together until the dawn of time with the only thing similar between them being their sexuality.
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