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
Gabriela Ochoa
I knew that Versace was murdered but never by a man on a killing spree. To read that so many innocent men lost their lives mainly because another was simply seeking attention is riveting. He would have been caught eventually as he was reckless with his killings and didn’t seem to care what would happen to him. Its sad to see such a talented designer in the world lose his life because one man wanted attention.
Julia Deais
I had no idea this happened. I know the name Versace, but I didn’t know the story behind the name. It is crazy to me how this man never got caught for his actions before the lead up to Versace’s death. He killed many of people and that is just outrageous that they never caught him. Although his father did leave him and his mom, there is no reason to turn to murder. He should have wanted to make his life better for himself and his mom, but instead he turned the wrong way and looked for violence rather than love to help his family.
Lyzette Flores
Enjoyed reading this article but of all, I liked the conclusion the most. I’ve known Versace the fashion company but I had no idea the founder was Gianni and that he was murdered. To be completely honest I always thought the designer was Donatella but it turns out she was the sister of Gianni. It’s sad to know that the murder Andrew Cunan only wanted attention but looked for it in the wrong ways.
William Rittenhouse
This just shows that there are many people out there who struggle from mental illnesses and need desperate help. Stories like this are sad and stupid. Cunanan could have been stopped if people got help for him. He came from a messed up childhood and sought after all the attention he could get. It makes sense. If he never recieved good guidance and attention during childhood of course he would have been satisfied. He had a lack of support and a need to be helped. He never was able to achieve these.
Stephanie Silvola
I loved reading this article! I have always been a big fan of Versace fashion, not to buy but to look and appreciate the aesthetic. Andrew Cunanan’s upbringing had indeed affected the way he obtained attention, but it definitely does not excuse the murders he had committed. Of course no one should have to go through the childhood Andrew had to go through.
Damian Jennings
versace is not a brand i would personally acquire, but it has been the topic of many fashionable topics. I never knew that the founder of versace was murdered by a serial killer, I was left wondering what the motives were, and why this serial killer was on the hunt for innocent victims, but who is to say that his victims were innocent, maybe the serial killer knew more than the public did.
Didier Cadena
This was a very interesting article. I wasn’t to familiar with Andrew Cunanan’s murder spree, so it was great to read about them. I did not know that he was the o e who murdered Versace, so it was Interesting to read the buildup of the murders to him. The article does a great job of putting the information together and still keep the focused on the information.
Madeline Torres
I was absolutely engaged with this article! It was written very well with many details and kept me wanting more. Andrew Cunanan was looking for attention and found his most attention making national news as a murderer. The story of Andrew Cunanan is a chilling one and really goes to show how someones upbringing can effect their adulthood. It really gets me wondering how different things were to be if he were raised differently.
Lorenzo Rivera
One of the most overlooked points of this case, I believe, was that Andrew Cunningham suffered from multiple personality disorder. Although that is no excuse, it explains why he was incapable of controlling his urges and not having the remorse we as people expect. I also find it very fascinating that he was so good at social climbing and was able to get into thee high class crowds.
Sofia Andrade
I never knew that Versace was murdered. It is sad that Versace’s life was ended because a man was in need of attention. The simple fact of wanting attention seemed enough motive for Cunanan to kill all of these innocent men. Cunanan was bound to get caught due to his reckless killing spree but it is sad to know that those lives he took cannot be restored.