On July 15, 1997 Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace’s life abruptly ended with a gunshot on the doorstep of his Miami beach mansion. Many of us know and love the Italian fashion line known as Versace, but most people aren’t aware of the murder of its founder, Gianni Versace. His life was taken by a 27-year-old serial killer, Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan was a desperate man craving attention in all the wrong ways and found that attention by murdering men. 1
Cunanan’s road to murdering Versace began when Cunanan was 19. His father abandoned his family and fled to the Philippines to avoid embezzlement charges. He left his wife and kids broke and alone. Cunanan followed his father to the Philippines. He later returned shocked at the poor conditions his father was living in. Cunanan started spiraling downward. He acted out in hopes of attention, and sometimes he resulted to violence. There was one incident where he shoved his mother so hard he dislocated her shoulder. Later observation of his behaviors suggested he suffered from antisocial personality disorder, which results in a lack of remorse for one’s actions. Cunanan craved any kind of attention he could get. He would do anything to get what he wanted. His spiraling life led him cross country on a murder spree killing without motivation except for the attention he would gain by doing so.2
In 1989 Cunanan dropped out of the University of California, San Diego and moved to the San Francisco area where took on many aliases such as Andrew DeSilva, Lieutenant Commander Andy Cummings, Drew Cunningham, and Curt Matthew Demaris. He made up lies about where his money came from, but, in many cases, he appeared wealthy because he befriended and lived off wealthy older men. He began playing parts in creating violent pornography.3 He was often found at parties and high class clubs, which was how he met the Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace at a San Francisco club. But this life of luxury didn’t last long.4 In 1996 Cunanan broke up with Norman Blachford, who at the time was financially supporting him and his expensive gay playboy lifestyle. Broke, Cunanan, maxed out his credit cards and sold drugs to survive. Not long after that, he got a one-way ticket to Minneapolis to visit a former lover.5
On April 27,1997 Andrew Cunanan committed his first murder, killing Jeffrey Trail, a former navy lieutenant who he had met at a bar in San Diego. His body was found two days later in David Madson’s apartment wrapped up in a rug after being beaten to death. Cunanan had been staying with Madson, one of his former lovers, at the time of Trail’s disappearance. Four days later the second murder was confirmed when David Madson’s body was discovered by fishermen near a lake north of Minneapolis on May 3,1997.6
With the car he stole from his second victim, Cunanan made his way to Chicago where he tortured 72-year-old Lee Miglin to death and left him bound in his house where Marilyn Miglin found her husband on May 4, 1997. Cunanan left Madson’s car in a garage a few blocks from Miglin’s home and murder spree, but not before he took all the money he could find in Miglin’s home and his jade green Lexus. Cunanan had no prior relations to Lee Miglin, and so he was believed to had been in the wrong place at the wrong time when Cunanan found him.7 After this murder, Cunanan was placed on the FBI’s Ten most wanted list.8 Still on the run, Cunanan made his way to New Jersey where he claimed his fourth victim by the name of William Reese. Reese was a custodian and Finn’s Point National Cemetery. He was found in the basement of his office with a gunshot wound to head. Cunanan then dumped the stolen Lexus nearby and drove off with Reese’s red pickup truck.9
Now in Miami, Cunanan left his red pickup in plain sight a few blocks away from Gianni Versace’s mansion.10 After the 50-year-old fashion designer returned from his morning walk, he found Andrew Cunanan at his front steps. Cunanan then shot and killed Versace on July 15, 1997.11 To kill Versace, he used the same gun that he stole from his first victim, Jeffery Trail, and that he also used to murder David Madson and William Reese.12 Cunanan fled the scene and hid out in a nearby house boat to avoid being found. Eight days after the murder of his last victim, Gianni Versace, Andrew Cunanan was discovered by the houseboat’s owner, who then shot Cunanan.13 Andrew Cunanan looked for attention his whole life, and he found it in all the wrong ways, but just like his personality, he ended everything with a bang.
- Gary Indiana, Three Month Fever: The Andrew Cunanan Story (New York: Cliff Street Books, 1999). ↵
- Evan Thomas, and Richard Alleman, “Facing death,” Newsweek (28 July 1997): 20. ↵
- Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Andrew Cunanan.” ↵
- Evan Thomas, and Richard Alleman, “Facing death,” Newsweek, (28 July 1997): 20. ↵
- Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Andrew Cunanan.” ↵
- John MCormick and Evan Thomas, “A lethal road trip: a gay socialite is suspected of taking off on a killing spree from Minnesota to Chicago to the Northeast,” Newsweek (19 May 1997): 52. ↵
- John MCormick and Evan Thomas, “A lethal road trip: a gay socialite is suspected of taking off on a killing spree from Minnesota to Chicago to the Northeast,” Newsweek, (19 May 1997): 52. ↵
- Andrew Phillips, “The Cunanan enigma: Versace’s killer takes his own life and leaves a mystery,” Maclean’s, (4 Aug. 1997): 32. ↵
- John MCormick and Evan Thomas, “A lethal road trip: a gay socialite is suspected of taking off on a killing spree from Minnesota to Chicago to the Northeast,” Newsweek, (19 May 1997): 52. ↵
- Evan Thomas, “End of the road,” Newsweek, (4 Aug. 1997): 22. ↵
- Evan Thomas, and Richard Alleman, “Facing death,” Newsweek, (28 July 1997): 20. ↵
- John MCormick and Evan Thomas, “A lethal road trip: a gay socialite is suspected of taking off on a killing spree from Minnesota to Chicago to the Northeast,” Newsweek, (19 May 1997): 52. ↵
- Evan Thomas, “End of the road,” Newsweek, (4 Aug. 1997): 22. ↵
110 comments
Arieana Martinez
This article was very interesting. I hate that someone as artistic and talented as Gianni Versace was taken from us so early, but I hate even more that he was killed by someone so desperate for attention and fame. Versace was a man of vision who deserved much better than how his life ended. But, I did love this article and the awesome wording that was used throughout the detailed story. I was provided insight into his death as well as the killers reasons for doing what he did, no matter how distorted they were. Loved this article
Natalie Thamm
This was an interesting article. Before reading this article, I had absolutely no idea that the founder of Versace had been murdered by a spree killer. Setting up the story with the death of someone well known to then give the story of the man who murdered him was a good way to draw the reader in and then the storytelling kept me reading to find out just how the story played out.
Stephanie Nava
Wow. I never knew the story behind Gianni Versace’s murder. It is weird to think how many crazy, sick people there are out there. I like the word play at the end of the article. This was really well written. Now I understand why Gianni Versace’s death is much talked about. In this case, one thought that really sticks with me is that I wonder how his sister feels. I do not know what I would do if one of my siblings was murdered. My life would never be the same, I would live feeling like there is always going to be someone missing in my life. I also would not have wanted for the murderer to have been shot dead. I would have at least sought out some answers before, or tried to understand him a little more.
Faten Al Shaibi
I cannot believe that Cunanan wanted fame in any way, even if it was by killing innocent people, what a crazy and sick person , he got what he wished of fame but with a bad way, I feel sorry and sad for his victims, the world has lost one of the most famous fashion designers.
Good article I liked the way he narrated the events
Alejandra Chavez
Amazing closing remark. “Out with a bang.”
I’m impressed with the way that the author chose to tell the story of the actual killer and not the death itself. This was a very well written article. I never knew that there was a murder spree before this icons death. I’m highly impressed with the subject himself. I find it amazing that he was able to do so much damage before being caught.
Andrea Cabrera
This story was so mind-blown from beginning to end. It shows the desperation of a man desperate for attention. Every killer has an unimaginable motive that drives them to all the outrageous killings. This kind of stories are disturbing and fascinating all at the same time. Nothing can justify their killings but getting to know how their minds work is very important to psychological research.
Pamela Callahan
This was such a crazy story! I can’t believe that Cunanan was that desperate for attention that he would go on such a crazy killing spree like this. The fact that he just killed one person after another was really disturbing. I know that he may not have liked the people that he decided to kill, but that still doesn’t justify his rash decisions.
Mariah Garcia
I have heard of Versace and I’ve seen many documents about him. But, I never really knew the whole story of the killer, Andrew Cunanan. However, reading this article I found it very interesting that Cunanan had been committing crimes then leaving to his next kill and not once did he get caught. There could’ve been many different outcomes if Cunanan would’ve gotten the help he needed for his mental illness. It is unfortunate that Versace’s life was cut short but his design and company will continue to move forward like it has today.
Maisie Favila
Before reading this article, I wasn’t aware that Versace had been murdered or that he was even a person. It’s crazy how we can be aware of things but not know the actual history behind it. This was a really interesting crime case to read about. I found it cool to learn about Cunanan and his story. I do believe that he got away with things by just a slap on the wrist. Overall, this article was well written and I found it interesting to learn about.
Alexandria Zapata
The killer Cunanan just wanted attention and he looked for it in all the wrong places. He met Gianni at a high class party that he went to. He was placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List. He went to different towns and killed men either purposely, or in the wrong place and the wrong time. He killed Versace in 1997, and used the same gun from his first victim.