8 Things ‘Devil in Disguise’ Got Right & Wrong About the John Wayne Gacy Case
Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is a chilling limited series that delves into the twisted double life of one of America’s most notorious serial killers. In public, Gacy was a community leader, successful businessman, friend, and neighbor, but behind closed doors lurked a monster of unspeakable horror, one that took the lives of at least 33 young men.
Brought to life with unnerving precision by Michael Chernus, the series uses a layered narrative that intertwines Gacy’s rise and downfall with the cultural and systemic failures that allowed his crimes to continue for years. Devil in Disguise does its best to highlight those failures while honoring the often-ignored victims who are overshadowed by the killers and their deed.
While creator Patrick Macmanus grounds the series in real events, as with any dramatization, certain details are altered or condensed in the service of storytelling. Here’s a look at what Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy gets right and wrong about the killer once dubbed “the Killer Clown.”
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, all episodes now streaming, Peacock
Did Gacy's own lawyer tell the police, 'If he tries to leave, shoot at his f***ing tires'?
True.
In Episode 1, “Ten Days,” after meeting with his client, lawyer Sam Amirante (Michael Angarano) emerges from Gacy’s house clearly rattled. He approaches an undercover cop car and tells the officers, “If he tries to leave, shoot at his f***ing tires.”
In an interview with former Des Plaines officer Mike Albrecht, the incident was confirmed. After meeting with his client, Amirante came up to the two plainclothes officers and said, “Don’t let Gacy leave,” Albrecht recalled. “He says block his car in. If he tries to leave, shoot his tires out!”
Was Gacy able to evade justice for so long because of police bias towards his victims?
True
Prejudice at the time, especially toward the queer community, allowed Gacy to operate unchecked. Police often dismissed missing persons reports involving young men, and that indifference gave him the cover to kill for years without scrutiny.
A New Yorker article reported: “Gacy told the policeman who arrested him—for kidnapping and deviate sexual assault—that he had picked up the boy and made a deal for sadomasochistic sex. He implied that the boy had gone to the police because he had not paid him. The assistant State’s Attorney decided that in court Gacy would appear more believable than the boy, and the charges were dropped.”
“This one was absolutely the systemic failure of the police to be able to find and stop Gacy, specifically the Chicago Police Department,” Showrunner Patrick Macmanus told TV Insider.
“Now, part of it was because of communications issues at the time that they were facing, that’s absolutely true,” clarified Macmanus. “But a large part of it was the fact that they were blinded and clouded by prejudice. That is a fact.”
Did Gacy trick his lawyer into representing him?
True
In Episode 1, “Ten Days,” the true event is depicted with a fair amount of accuracy. John Wayne Gacy initially misled lawyer Sam Amirante about why he needed help, claiming police were harassing him. Knowing Amirante socially, Gacy convinced him to take the case, paying a $3,000 retainer as his first private client.
Soon after on Christmas 1978, Gacy demanded to meet with Amirante and he confessed to the killings.
Are there victims still not identified?
True
Yes. Of John Wayne Gacy’s 33 confirmed victims, five remained unidentified.
At the end of the series, the creators leave this message for the viewers: “If you believe a loved one may have been a vicim of John Wayne Gacy, please visit the Cook Counry Sheriff’s Police website at www.cookcountysheriffil.gov.”
Was victim Jeffrey Rignall forced to interact with his attacker, John Wayne Gacy, at the Des Plaines Police Department?
True
In the final episode “Jeffrey,” Jeffrey Rignall (Augustus Prew) is shocked to discover that John Wayne Gacy is in the same building with him as a free man, despite the fact that he told officers that Gacy attempted to murder him.
This is based on an incident where Rignall and John Wayne Gacy ended up in the same building, as stated in Rignall’s memoir, 29 Below.
It happened before Gacy’s final arrest, when police were still treating Rignall’s assault as a battery complaint, not part of a serial murder investigation. In the book, Rignall describes Gacy as smirking at him.
The police-station encounter is often cited as a prime example of how law enforcement underestimated Gacy and how the victims and their experiences were disregarded.
Did John Wayne Gacy meet Rosalynn Carter?
Truth
As a narcissist, John Wayne Gacy often exaggerated his accomplishments and fabricated stories to inflate his ego. In Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, he boasts of meeting the former First Lady, a claim that, surprisingly, turned out to be true. Gacy did, in fact, meet First Lady Rosalynn Carter at a private reception in Chicago following the Polish Constitution Day Parade on May 6, 1978, even posing for a now infamous photo with her.
Were Elizabeth Piest and other victims’ families misled of their chance to witness Gacy’s execution?
False
In Episode 8, “Jeffrey,” the families of Gacy’s victims are shown being placed in an isolated room after being led to believe they would witness the serial killer’s lethal injection. Later, they learn they had been misled and the execution already occurred. Their disappointment is palpable as they are denied the sense of closure they were promised.
In reality, reports indicate that most families were denied access to the execution due to limited space, while others chose not to attend to avoid further trauma.
Forty-two people witnessed the execution, made up of media, prosecutors in the case, and law enforcement officials.
Did the Piest family file an $85 million lawsuit against "the entities that failed Robert Piest" and others?
True
In Episode 7, “David,” Elizabeth Piest (Marin Ireland) announced to the press that the family was filing an $85 million lawsuit against “the entities that failed Robert Piest” and others.
This is factual. After Robert Piest’s body was found, the family filed an $85 million lawsuit against Gacy for murder and the Iowa Board of Parole, the Department of Corrections, and the Chicago Police Department for negligence.
The case, however, was ultimately dismissed, as the courts ruled that law enforcement agencies were protected under governmental immunity for investigative decisions.
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