Andrew Phillip Cunanan

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Andrew Phillip Cunanan (born August 31, 1969 in National City , California , † July 23, 1997 in Miami Beach , Florida ) was a serial killer from the United States who was temporarily on the list of the FBI's ten most wanted fugitives . His series of murders killed five people. He was best known after his murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace .

Life

The early years

Cunanan was the fourth child of the then 39-year-old Filipino Modesto Dungao Cunanan and the 30-year-old Italian-American Mary Ann (née Schillaci). The two had met in the late 1950s and married in San Diego. The first years were peaceful, but after the birth of their first son Christopher in 1961, the first quarrels began. Modesto Cunanan was in the Fleet Marine Force and served in Vietnam, which meant he was rarely at home. When daughter Elena was born in 1963, he denied paternity. Even so, they stayed together and moved across the States several times. Regina was born in 1967. When Andrew was born at Paradise Valley Hospital on August 31, 1969, his family was back in San Diego County.

At this point the marriage was already badly shattered. Although the couple lived after an inheritance in the well-off suburb of Bonita and had no money problems, the quarrels increased. Meanwhile, Cunanan withdrew more and more often into a fantasy world and soon became an outsider at school. When he was twelve, his parents enrolled him in The Bishop's School, an expensive private school in La Jolla , where he felt more comfortable. At about the same time, his father resigned from the army and began training as a stockbroker.

Coming out

According to his biographers, Cunanan had his first homosexual experience at an early age and never hid it from his classmates (including Gary Jules ). At 15, he was stockier than most boys his age. Since he also had good manners and a talent for disguise, he was able to stay and drink in the most popular bars of the gay scene in San Diego.

In 1987 he graduated from Bishop's and was chosen by his classmates as the person most likely to make a name for himself ( "Most Likely Not to Be Forgotten" ). In his graduation yearbook he only wrote "Après moi, le déluge " ( after me the flood ) next to his picture . At the request of his parents, he began studying history at UCSD . Although Cunanan was very intelligent with an IQ of 142 and was already fluent in seven languages ​​by the age of 21, he was not interested in studying. He preferred to roam the clubs all night looking for bed acquaintances. He had quickly discovered the advantages of older lovers. Through them he got an expensive car, credit cards, entry to their secret second apartments and invitations to high society parties, through which he got to know politicians and celebrities. It was at one of these parties that he first met Gianni Versace. This spoke to him because he mistook him for a previous acquaintance from Europe.

In the meantime, his parents had no idea of ​​their son's goings-on and were also ignorant of his homosexuality, although they often wondered about his expensive clothes, the watches and the source of his income. Modesto Cunanan did not have any success in his new job as a stockbroker and has already had several layoffs. His last employer also sued him for embezzling US $ 106,000. He then fled to his Philippine homeland in October 1988, leaving his wife with no income. This created tension between her and her youngest son. Mary Anne Cunanan had seen him accompanied by men several times and eventually confronted him, which ended in a violent altercation. As a result, Andrew avoided his mother and also dropped out of college.

Decline

After a terrifying visit to his father, who lived in a poor district in Plaridel in the Philippines, he moved to San Francisco . Here, as before, he successfully portrayed many different personalities, including a. that of Navy Lieutenant Drew Cummings. At the same time he changed more and more. He was visiting SM clubs more and more often and eventually also starred as a sex slave in porn films.

His friends also noticed his whims. At a party, he chased Lisa Kudrow , whom he harassed for a film role. When she suddenly disappeared from the party, he cursed her as a bitch in front of all the guests . A short time later he also molested Hugh Grant for a role in his next film. A man who visited him during this time later told of a shrine dedicated to Tom Cruise in the apartment.

In early 1997, Cunanan showed symptoms reminiscent of the early stages of AIDS . He did a test but never picked up his results because he believed he was infected. (During the later autopsy of his body it was found that he was HIV negative.) In addition, he was already approaching 30; he despaired and let himself go more and more. His unstyled hair grew longer and longer, he gained 30 pounds, and neglected his clothes. His rich lovers left him, and his sources of income dried up.

Then there was his jealousy. Two of his younger lovers - Jeff Trail and David Madson - met behind his back, in his opinion.

The serial murders

Andrew Phillip Cunanan

On April 26, 1997 he flew to Minneapolis , where the architect David Madson picked him up and took him to his apartment. Jeff Trail arrived at the apartment shortly after to clarify the situation. Neighbors reported that at around 9:45 p.m. the noise level increased significantly. The autopsy found that Trail was killed by at least 27 blows with a carpenter's hammer, severely disfiguring the head.

Madson helped Cunanan wrap the body in a rug, where it stayed for the next two days. With Madson absent from work without excuse, his landlord investigated. In the apartment, he first discovered the blood stains and then finally the Trails corpse. Cunanan and David Madson then fled, with Cunanan taking a .40 S&W semi-automatic Taurus pistol from Trail. 45 miles north of Minneapolis, he also shot and killed David Madson, whose body was found by police on April 29, on a country road towards Duluth .

On the evening of May 3, 1997, Cunanan met his next victim, 72-year-old Lee Miglin. The police suspected that he forced Miglin with a gun in the garage, there with a pruning shears stabbed him him with a hacksaw slitting the throat and finally it with the Lexus rolled over the victim several times. He then continued his escape with this car.

After the fact was discovered, the FBI immediately placed him on the list of the top ten most wanted fugitives. Since Cunanan used the car's cell phone, the police were able to locate him and warned the population on his route. He then removed the phone and went into hiding. The next day he hid at Finn's Point National Cemetery in Pennsville ( New Jersey ). On May 9, 1997, he discovered 45-year-old William Reese in front of the cemetery, from whom he took the car keys to his pickup and who he then shot.

The police were at a loss. She knew who the perpetrator was, but with no motive, she didn't know where Cunanan would turn. Meanwhile, he drove the truck to Florida. On May 10, 1997, he arrived in Miami, where he checked into the Normandy Plaza Hotel. He did not hide here, even went to gay clubs in disguise despite police checks, but remained calm for the next few weeks.

Gianni Versace's villa

On the morning of July 15, 1997, he followed Gianni Versace from a coffee house to his apartment. When the designer opened the gate to his property, Cunanan stepped behind him and shot him two bullets in the head.

After the murder and the corresponding media coverage, the FBI launched a large manhunt and deployed several hundred agents in Miami, where the local police were also working flat out to catch the perpetrator. It was also found that Cunanan was almost discovered several times. A waiter recognized him and called 911. Meanwhile, however, Andrew left the bar. Seven days before the Versace murder, he had to move a gold coin held by Lee Miglin in a pawn shop. To do this, he had to state his true identity on a form that was forwarded to the police. There, however, it remained undetected for hours after his last murder. During the subsequent search of his hotel room, the hotel gave them the wrong room number. By the time the mistake was cleared up, Cunanan had long since fled.

death

Cunanan was discovered on July 23, 1997 when an administrator was controlling a houseboat on the Indian Creek Canal . After opening the door, he heard a gunshot and notified the police. Shortly afterwards, television broadcasters presented live images of a massive police presence, including special forces. After four hours of siege, the object was stormed in the evening hours. The body of Cunanan, who shot himself with Jeff Trail's pistol, was found in the upstairs bedroom.

literature

Film and television productions

  • Fashion Victim (film)
  • Andrew Cunanan - Murder On The Run. (TV documentary)
  • America's Nightmare - The Most Dangerous Serial Killers in America - Andrew Cunanan (TV Documentary)
  • American Crime Story , Season 2 The Murder of Gianni Versace ( anthology series )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Birth certificate, No. 69-274692
  2. ^ Fashion Victim (2008) - IMDb