N.A.D.
editRobet Jerome Piest | |
---|---|
Born | Robert Jerome Piest 16 Mar 1963 Des Plaines, Illinois, U.S. |
Disappeared | December 11, 1978 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | December 11, 1978 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 15)
Cause of death | Murder by strangulation or Suffocation |
Body discovered | April 9, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Other names | Body 30 |
Known for | Last known victim of John Wayne Gacy; his murder led to the investigation of John Wayne Gacy |
Robert Piest (16 Mar 1963 - 11 Dec 1978) was the final victim of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. He was lured into Gacy's home with a job offering at PDM Contractors, and then strangled to death. His abduction from Nisson Pharmacy set off a Des Plaines police department investigation that led to the discovery of Gacy's crimes.
Background
editRobert Jerome Piest was born in Des Plaines, Illinois on March 16, 1963 to parents Harold Piest (1932-2006) and Elizabeth Piest (1932-2021), Piest was the youngest of three children Ken (1954-2007) and Kerry (1957-). He attended Maine West High School and was involved in the school's Swimming team and Aerobics club. Piest also was a member of a Des Plaines Boy Scouts Troop and reportedly on the verge of winning an Eagle Scout Merit Badge at the time of his death.[1]
According to his parents, Piest had aspirations of becoming an astronaut.[2] He also enjoyed Outdoor recreation and sought a jeep for his 16th birthday to better access difficult terrain.
Murder
editOn December 11th, 1978, Piest was working a daily shift as a clerk with his friend and occasional girlfriend, Kim Byers, at Nisson Pharmacy while Gacy was hired to renovate it. Gacy engaged in a conversation about employing teenage boys at his contracting business with Nisson Pharmacy's owner, Phil Torf, in front of Piest, and mentioned that he gave his workers higher wages then what was offered at the pharmacy. Piest had approached Gacy about a potential job offering which led to both agreeing to converse after the pharmacy's closing.
Piest mother was also celebrating her 46th birthday on that day, and arrived at the pharmacy to pick him up for a party with their family. Before he left with Gacy, Byers returned a coat that she borrowed from Piest, and Piest promised his mother that he would return to her after speaking with "That Contractor."
Piest was driven to Gacy's home after Gacy had claimed he needed to get ahold of documents for the job application. According to Gacy's contradicting accounts given to his lawyers and the detectives who interrogated him, he conversed with Piest at his dining table, and made predatory advances and offered him alcohol. Piest brushed them aside and continued questioning about the job.
When he noticed and inquired about the clown paintings that decorated his walls, Gacy mentioned that he worked as a clown and tricked Piest into putting on handcuffs as part of a “magic trick.” What exactly occurred afterwards is unclear due to Gacy conflicting himself with his retellings, but he garroted Piest with rope after luring or dragging him into his bedroom.
As Piest was convulsing on his floor, Gacy received a phone call from a business partner. He placed Piest’s own boxers down the body’s throat to prevent leaking and allegedly slept with it in his bed.
Investigation into disappearance
editWhen Piest failed to return to her as he promised, Elizabeth repeatedly searched around the pharmacy for him. She asked a few co-workers, including Byers and Torf, about his whereabouts and they all reaffirmed that they last saw him speaking with Gacy.
She then returned home and organized a search with her husband Harold and remaining children, Kerry and Ken. Kerry took her car and one of the family's German Shepards, Ken took his van and the other German Shepard, and Harold took his own car. The three of them spent the entire night patrolling Des Plaines and Chicago, while Elizabeth stayed home and kept a vigil on the phone.
The next day, the family went and reported Piest missing to the Des Plaines Police Department, and heavily emphasized Gacy’s potential involvement. A taskforce was organized by Lieutenant Joseph Kozenczak, a father to one of Piest’s classmates, after they discovered Gacy’s past sodomy conviction against a 15 year old boy in Iowa and a pending charge for an Outstanding Battery complaint filed by a surviving victim, Jeffrey Rignall, in a background check.
Kozenczak then visited and questioned Gacy at his home, who adamantly denied having any contact with Piest, and stated that he had to arrange for an uncle’s funeral. Despite Gacy’s belligerent attitude towards the officers, he agreed to further questioning at the station. By his later admission, he was storing Piest’s corpse in his attic when Kozenczak arrived at his doorsteps.
On his way to the station, Gacy drove Piest’s body to the Des Plaines River and threw it off a bridge. He got his car struck while driving away from the scene and arrived at the station covered in mud. During questioning, Gacy repeated his denials to the interrogating officers.
While the investigators were probing Gacy, the Piest family conducted their own private investigation. According to Kozenczak, Ken and Kerry trailed his officers without them knowing to make sure that they were looking for their brother, and spied on the task force as they were questioning Gacy at his home.[3] Harold and Kerry also tracked down Gacy’s address together through a Ukrainian Orthodox priest (who was an associate to the Piest family’s pastor). Gacy previously did some contracting on the Ukrainian priest’s church, and he gave Harold and Kerry the information they wanted. They drove up to Gacy’s residence, parked their car close to it, and then left after deciding that it would be best to leave it to the investigators.[2] Harold also made several threats to storm Gacy's home for his son if a search warrant wasn't sought.
On December 13, the Des Plaines police department arranged for a search warrant with the concerns that Piest was being held captive in Gacy’s home. Although the officers initially couldn’t find any evidence for Piest’s presence, they discovered several suspicious items, such as handcuffs, pornographic novels pertaining to pedastry, police badges, sex toys, and clothing and high school rings belonging to other missing young men and teenage boys.
Further examinations of Gacy’s history linked him to the disappearances of several PDM employees, such as John Butkovich in 1974 and Gregory Godzik in 1976. With the amount of damning, but not yet incriminating, evidence against him, the Des Plaines police placed Gacy under a 24 hour surveillance. On December 21, Gacy was arrested for passing marijuana to a gas station attendant by the surveillance team, and he admitted to the murders in a drunken confession to his attorneys.
A photo receipt found in Gacy’s trash can was identified by Byers as the same receipt that she placed in Piest’s coat pockets as he disappeared. With the officers noting the smell of decomposition of bodies coming from the crawlspace in their visits to his home, a second search warrant of the home was organized.
In the second search, bodies of dozens of victims were uncovered from the crawlspace and other areas around the property, but Piest wasn’t among them.
Trial and Aftermath
editPiest’s remains were found on April 9, 1979 floating in the Des Plaines River, and identified by dental records and x-ray examinations. He was one of 5 victims tossed into the river after Gacy’s crawl space became too full for further burials, and the last victim to be discovered. A service was held on April 18 at the Our Lady of Hope Church.[4]
Gacy’s proceedings for the murders of Piest and the 32 other victims began on February 30, 1980. On March 30 of that same year, he received several death and life sentences for the killings, and was additionally convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child in reference to sexually abusing Piest.
In 1979, Piest's family founded the Robert Piest Foundation with the Maryvile Academy to help protect troubled youth from predators such as Gacy, and find them stable homes.[4][5] Harold also filed wrongful suits against various directly or indirectly involved parties with his son's death. One of his suits was targeted towards Gacy, his attorneys, and an associated Houston publishing company, with the intentions of preventing them from profiting off the case.[6]
Gacy was executed by lethal injection for the murders on May 10, 1994, some 14 years after his conviction.
Cited works
edit- Sullivan, Terry; Maiken, Peter T. (2000). Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Paperback ed.). Pinnacle. ISBN 0-7860-1422-9. OCLC 156783287.
- The Chicago Killer, by Joseph R. Kozenczak and Karen M. Kozenczak (ISBN 978-1401095314).
- [1]
- Feb 09, 1980, page 5 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com [Chicago Tribune Sat, Feb 09, 1980]
- Apr 16, 1981, page 11 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com [Chicago Tribune Thu, Apr 16, 1981]
- Jun 08, 1980, page 9 - The Park City Daily News at Newspapers.com [The Park City Daily News Sun, Jun 08, 1980]
References
edit- ^ Firtsch, Jane (February 9, 1980). "Identify More Victims at Gacy trial". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Terry (November 2000). Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders. Pinnacle. ISBN 0-7860-1422-9.
- ^ Kozenczak, Joseph (November 3, 2003). The Chicago Killer, The Hunt For Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy. Xlibris Corporation. p. 45. ISBN 0-7860-1422-9.
- ^ a b N/A, N/A (April 15, 1979). "Piests plan grant in memory of son". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Not given. "Gacy victim's kin set up Scholarship". No. Apr 16, 1981. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ N/A, N/A (June 8, 1980). "Possible Gacy profits disgust family". The Park City Daily News Sun. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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Summary
editName | Age | Date of murder | Recovery number | Location recovered | Cause of death |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Timothy Jack McCoy | 16 | January 3, 1972 | Body 9 | Crawl space | Stabbing |
John Butkovich | 18 | July 31, 1975 | Body 2 | Garage | Suffocation |
Darrell Julius Samson | 18 | April 6, 1976 | Body 29 | Dining room | Suffocation |
Randall Wayne Reffett | 15 | May 14, 1976 | Body 7 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Samuel G. Dodd Stapleton | 14 | May 14, 1976 | Body 6 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
Michael Lawrence Bonnin | 17 | June 3, 1976 | Body 18 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
William Huey Carroll Jr. | 16 | June 13, 1976 | Body 22 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
James Byron Haakenson | 16 | August 5, 1976 | Body 24 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Rick Louis Johnston | 17 | August 6, 1976 | Body 23 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
Kenneth Ray Parker | 16 | October 24, 1976 | Body 15 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
Michael M. Marino | 14 | October 24, 1976 | Body 14 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
William George Bundy | 19 | October 26, 1976 | Body 19 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Francis Wayne Alexander | 21 | c. December 1, 1976 | Body 5 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Gregory John Godzik | 17 | December 12, 1976 | Body 4 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
John Alan Szyc | 19 | January 20, 1977 | Body 3 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
Jon Steven Prestidge | 20 | March 15, 1977 | Body 1 | Crawl space | Undetermined |
Matthew Walter Bowman | 19 | July 5, 1977 | Body 8 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
Robert Edward Gilroy Jr. | 18 | September 15, 1977 | Body 25 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
John Antheney Mowery | 19 | September 25, 1977 | Body 20 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
Russell Lloyd Nelson | 21 | October 17, 1977 | Body 16 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Robert David Winch | 16 | November 10, 1977 | Body 11 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
Tommy Joe Boling | 20 | November 18, 1977 | Body 12 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
David Paul Talsma | 19 | December 9, 1977 | Body 17 | Crawl space | Strangulation |
William Wayne Kindred | 19 | February 16, 1978 | Body 27 | Crawl space | Suffocation |
Timothy David O'Rourke | 20 | June 16–23, 1978 | Body 31 | Des Plaines River | Strangulation |
Frank William Landingin | 19 | November 4, 1978 | Body 32 | Des Plaines River | Asphyxiation |
James Mazzara | 20 | November 24, 1978 | Body 33 | Des Plaines River | Strangulation |
Robert Jerome Piest | 15 | December 11, 1978 | Body 30 | Des Plaines River | Suffocation |
10 - Undetermined. 13 - Undetermined. 21 - Undetermined. 26 - Suffocation. 28 - Suffocation.
Eyler summary
editName | Age | Date of murder | Date of discovery | Location of murder |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steven Crockett[1] | 19 | October 23, 1982 | October 23, 1982 | Kankakee County, Illinois |
Edgar Underkofler[2] | 26 | October 30, 1982 | March 4, 1983 | Vermilion County, Illinois |
John Johnson[3] | 25 | November 1982 | December 25, 1982 | Lake County, Indiana |
William Lewis[4] | 19 | November 20, 1982 | October 15, 1983 | Jasper County, Indiana |
Steven Agan[5] | 23 | December 19, 1982 | December 28, 1982 | Vermillion County, Indiana |
John Roach[6] | 21 | December 22, 1982 | December 28, 1982 | Putnam County, Indiana |
David Block[7] | 22 | December 30, 1982 | May 7, 1984 | Lake County, Illinois |
Ervin Gibson[8] | 16 | January 24, 1983 | April 15, 1983 | Lake County, Illinois |
John Bartlett[9] | 19 | March 2, 1983 | October 18, 1983 | Newton County, Indiana |
Michael Bauer[10] | 22 | March 8, 1983 | October 18, 1983 | Newton County, Indiana |
Richard Wayne[11] | 17 | March 20, 1983 | December 7, 1983 | Hendricks County, Indiana |
Jay Reynolds*[12] | 29 | March 22, 1983 | March 22, 1983 | Madison County, Kentucky |
Gustavo Herrera[13] | 28 | April 8, 1983 | April 8, 1983 | Lake County, Illinois |
Jimmie Roberts[14] | 18 | May 4, 1983 | May 9, 1983 | Cook County, Illinois |
Daniel McNeive[15] | 21 | May 7, 1983 | May 9, 1983 | Hendricks County, Indiana |
Richard Bruce[16] | 25 | May 18, 1983 | December 5, 1983 | Effingham County, Illinois |
John Brandenburg Jr.[17] | 19 | c. May 29, 1983 | October 18, 1983 | Newton County, Indiana |
Ralph Calise[18] | 28 | August 31, 1983 | August 31, 1983 | Lake County, Illinois |
Eric Hansen*[19] | 18 | September 27, 1983 | October 4, 1983 | Kenosha County, Wisconsin |
Daniel Bridges[20] | 16 | August 19, 1984 | August 21, 1984 | Cook County, Illinois |
Steelman infobox
editWillie Luther Steelman | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | August 7, 1986 Maricopa County Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 41)
Cause of death | Liver cirrhosis |
Criminal status | Died in prison while awaiting execution |
Motive |
|
Conviction(s) | California First degree murder (x9) Robbery (x5) Arizona First degree murder (x2) Kidnapping (x1) Robbery (x2) Burglary (x1) |
Criminal penalty | California Life imprisonment Arizona Death |
Details | |
Victims | 17 (11 convictions) |
Span of crimes | October 18 – November 7, 1973 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | California, Arizona |
Date apprehended | November 8, 1973 |
Imprisoned at | Florence State Prison |
Killed upon first floor:
- Alyssa Miriam Alhadeff (14)
- Martin Duque Anguiano (14)
- Nicholas Paul Dworet (17)
- Aaron Louis Feis (37)
- Christopher Brent Hixon (49)
- Luke Thomas Hoyer (15)
- Gina Rose Montalto (14)
- Alaina Joann Petty (14)
- Helena Freja Ramsay (17)
- Alexander Logan Schachter (14)
- Carmen Marie Schentrup (16)
Killed upon third floor:
- Scott J. Beigel (35)
- Jaime Taylor Guttenberg (14)
- Cara Marie Loughran (14)
- Joaquin Oliver (17)
- Meadow Jade Pollack (18)
- Peter Wang (15)
Injured:
- Ashley Baez (15)
- Anthony Borges (15)
- Isabel Chequer (16)
- Justin Colton (14)
- Alexander Dworet (15)
- Samantha Fuentes (18)
- Samantha Grady (17)
- Marian Kabachenko (14)
- Kyle Laman (15)
- Samantha Mayor (17)
- William Olson (14)
- Stacey Lynn Lippel (50)
- Kheshava Mangapuram
- Daniela Menescal (17)
- Genesis Valentin
- Benjamin Wikander (17)
- Madeleine Wilford (17)
infobox
edit
Dolores Della Penna | |
---|---|
Born | December 13, 1954 |
Died | July 12, 1972 Kensington, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 17)
Cause of death | Undetermined. Possible stabbing and/or mutilation[22] |
Body discovered | July 22, 1972 Tom's River, New Jersey 39°59′39″N 74°09′58″W / 39.994264°N 74.166154°W (approximate) July 29, 1972 Cedar Glen West, New Jersey[23] 40°00′55″N 74°10′13″W / 40.0153°N 74.1703°W |
Resting place | Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 40°07′18″N 74°55′24″W / 40.12170°N 74.92330°W (approximate) |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Student |
Known for | Victim of unsolved murder |
Mark Rowntree | |
---|---|
Born | Mark Andrew Rowntree 1956 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
Occupation | Bus conductor |
Motive |
|
Conviction(s) | Manslaughter (x4) |
Criminal penalty | Indefinite detention within a psychiatric hospital |
Details | |
Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | 31 December 1975 – 7 January 1976 |
Date apprehended | 7 January 1976 |
- ^ "1983 Indiana Remains ID'd as Chicago Victim of Serial Killer". Northwest Indiana Times. April 25, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Dover Times
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
newspapers.com
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Lewis
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Robinson 2006, p. 140.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 11.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 12.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 189.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 220.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 150.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 205.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Reynolds
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Closing Book on Murders". Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1994. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ "Eyler Charged in Dismemberment". Park Forest Star. August 26, 1984. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "Profiles". The Indianapolis Star. June 12, 1983. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ReferenceT
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Chicago Man ID'd Through Genetic Genealogy Nearly 40 Years After Four Human Remains Discovered in Shallow IN Grave". ABC7. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ Foreman 1992, p. 113.
- ^ Kolarik 1990, p. 122.
- ^ "People v. Eyler: 133 Ill. 2d 173 (1989): Supreme Court of Illinois". justia.com. June 16, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Where Sadness Breathes: The True Story of Willie Steelman and Douglas Gretzler and the 17 People they Murdered in the Autumn of 1973 ASIN B07MX4VW4K pp. 184-185
- ^ "Police Believe Skull Might Be of '72 Victim". Asbury Park Press. March 14, 1980. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Probers Turn to Manchester". Asbury Park Press. July 30, 1972. Retrieved February 25, 2024.