Episode 87- Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy: Defending America’s Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row with Guest Karen Conti.

Episode 87- Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy: Defending America’s Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row with Guest Karen Conti.

Welcome to Episode 87 with Guest Karen Conti. In this episode, Karen unpacks her history with Serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Karen represented serial killer John Wayne Gacy in his final death row appeals back in 1993-4.  Friday, May 17th marked the 30th anniversary of his execution, and my book, “Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy:  Defending America’s Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row,” was published by Black Lyon in March. Karen’s book is about conversations with Gacy over countless hours on death row and how she forged a strange relationship with him to do her job. She discusses his obsession with clowns, his dark sense of humor, and how he dehumanized the victims of his crimes.  Karen talks about her strong belief that there are additional victims and that Gacy did not act alone. Karen is a seasoned speaker, having hosted radio shows for over 30 years in Chicago and being a legal analyst on all local and national news networks. 

John Wayne Gacy was born on March 17th, 1942, in Chicago. John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and sex offender. He raped, tortured, and murdered 33 young boys and young men. 26 victims were buried under the crawl space of his home. 3 were buried around his property, and 4 were discarded in the Des Plaines Rivers. John was captured after he was implicated in the disappearance of 15-year-old Robert Piest in Des Planes raised suspicion. Gacy was the last person to see Robert Alive. On March 1980 Gacy was convicted of killing 33 young men and boys. On May 10th Gacy was executed by lethal injection at the Stateville Correctional Center In Joliet. As of 2024 28 victims have been identified and 5 are still unknown.

Meet Karen Conti

Karen Conti has been a litigator and trial lawyer for 37 years, trying hundreds of cases and handling numerous high-profile and noteworthy cases across the country including a U.S. Supreme Court appeal in a ballot access case on behalf of the Democratic Party. She obtained a reversal by the Illinois Supreme Court in favor of women’s rights in the workplace and represented serial killer John Wayne Gacy in his final death row appeals. She also secured a large settlement in a wrongful arrest and injury suit against the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers stemming from the May 2000 Wrigley Field brawl and obtained a $1.2 million verdict as the lead trial attorney against one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. She is licensed in Illinois and California and is a certified mediator and collaborative lawyer. Conti has represented many indigent clients and non-profit organizations. She is currently the founder of Conti & Dolan, with offices in Chicago and Lincolnwood, Illinois. For the past 20 years, Conti has focused on family law and was appointed by the Illinois House Speaker to help rewrite the family law code in Illinois. She served as an adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Illinois for 15 years and DePaul University for seven years, as well as teaching and lecturing at Stanford University and American University. A ubiquitous media personality, Conti hosted a radio show for nearly 30 years on major Chicago stations and has been the designated legal analyst for WFLD TV in Chicago for over 25 years. She’s also appeared as a legal analyst on MSNBC, Fox News, News Nation and CNN and has been featured on Tru TV, Under Scrutiny, TODAY, American Justice, Good Morning America and more. She’s also been a contributor to The Chicago Sun-Times and a columnist for The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Conti has achieved numerous recognitions, including one of the “100 Women Making a Difference in Chicago” by Today’s Chicago Woman, Leading Lawyers-selected as one of the top lawyers in the nation and one of “40 Under 40 Illinois Lawyers to Watch” by Chicago Lawye