Andrew Cunanan

Case record: Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31, 1969 – July 23, 1997) was an American spree killer who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace, during a three-month period in 1997, ending with Cunanan’s suicide at age 27.

Timeline

• June 12, 1997 — Cunanan became the 449th fugitive to be listed by the FBI on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
• April 25, 1997 — Cunanan killed Jeffrey Trail in Minneapolis.
• April 29, 1997 — Cunanan killed David Madson; Madson’s body was found on the east shore of Rush Lake near Rush City, Minnesota.
• May 4, 1997 — Cunanan killed Lee Miglin, a real estate developer, in Chicago.
• May 9, 1997 — Cunanan killed William Reese, a cemetery caretaker, in Pennsville, New Jersey.
• July 15, 1997 — Cunanan murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace.
• July 23, 1997 — Cunanan shot himself in the mouth in the upstairs bedroom aboard a Miami houseboat and died.
• July 23, 1997 (described events during the houseboat standoff) — Police surrounded the houseboat after a caretaker entered and discovered evidence of an intruder, found Cunanan during the assault, and he had been shot.

Background

Cunanan was born in National City, California, to Modesto Cunanan and Mary Anne Shilacci. His father Modesto Cunanan was a Filipino American; his mother Mary Anne Shilacci was an Italian American. Cunanan was the youngest of four children.

Modesto Cunanan could not attend his son’s birth because he was serving in the US Navy in the Vietnam War at the time. In 1981, his father enrolled him in The Bishop’s School in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California. At school, Cunanan was remembered as being bright and very talkative, testing with an I.Q. of 147.

After graduating from high school in 1987, he enrolled at the University of California, San Diego, where he majored in American history. After graduating from UCSD, he settled in the Castro District of San Francisco.

In the Castro District, Cunanan frequented high-class gay bars and prostituted himself to wealthy older men. When Cunanan was 19, his father deserted his family to avoid arrest for embezzlement. That same year, his mother learned of Cunanan’s homosexuality. During an ensuing argument, Cunanan threw his mother against a wall, dislocating her shoulder.

Before the murders, Cunanan was involved in petty theft and drug dealing.

The offence

Cunanan murdered multiple people during a three-month period in 1997, ending with his suicide.

Jeffrey Trail

The first known murder was that of Jeffrey Trail, a former US naval officer and propane salesman, on April 25, 1997, in Minneapolis.

Neighbors of David Madson heard violent shouting on April 27 and loud thuds from Madson’s place. Two days later, police found Jeff Trail’s body rolled up in a carpet in Madson’s apartment. Trail had been bludgeoned to death with over two dozen hammer blows to the face and head. Police recognized that the connection existed because Trail’s body had been found in Madson’s Minneapolis loft apartment.

Cunanan left an evidence trail inside Madson’s apartment, including an empty handgun holster and a box of .40-caliber Golden Saber bullets. The bullets had missing quantity reported as Ten bullets were missing.

Verbatim quoted neighbor account:

"Neighbors in the building heard loud voices, an argument, something about 'Get the fuck out,'.... Trail was bludgeoned furiously with a claw hammer between 25 and 30 times, mostly on his head and face. Initially, he mounted a fierce defense. His watch was frozen still at 9:55 p.m., the time police believe he thrust his arms up against the attack. ... Police do know that the hammer came from an open tool box in the apartment. It must have been grabbed spontaneously, meaning Trail's killing was not premeditated. ... Cunanan may then have used the gun to coerce Madson into helping him roll the fully clothed corpse into a large living room rug. They also believe there was a plan to dispose of the rug, but that never came to pass. Instead, for most of the next two days Madson and Cunanan remained holed up there with the body. No efforts were made to clean up the bloody mess. ... April 29, police entered the apartment and found the body and the dog inside. ... recovered were Cunanan's duffel bag and a single pair of bloody Levis (38-inch waist)." [France, Out ]

Verbatim quoted description of evidence:

"Inside they found an empty handgun holster and a box of .40-caliber Golden Saber bullets. Ten bullets were missing." [Suro & Russakoff, The Washington Post)

Verbatim quoted hammer attack depiction:

"Cunanan grabs a hammer, perhaps from the open red toolbox later found on the dining-room table just a couple of feet from the door. He swings. The hammer gashes into Trail's left forearm at least three times as he deflects the blows. ... Madson's door is open. Cunanan swings and misses, leaving a crescent-shaped dent in the wall next to the door. At least one blow connects with Trail's skull. A single drop of Trail's blood flies directly across the hall and hits the wall. Brain matter hits the inner frame of the door. The door slams shut. Trail's battered body crumples onto an Oriental-style rug just inside the door. Cunanan stoops over his dying friend, raining blow after blow after blow on his head. In all, Trail is struck 27 times." [Walsh & Graves, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Verbatim quoted description of Cunanan and concealment:

"Cunanan is covered in blood -- his face, his white Banana Republic T-shirt and his blue baseball cap. ... The body, with Trail's wallet still tucked in his back pocket and his pager clipped to his belt, is rolled up in the rug. It's dragged 10 feet across the hardwood floor and left behind Madson's brown leather sofa. Two rolls from a six-pack of Brawny paper towels are used to mop up some of the blood, as are towels and a Navy T-shirt identical to the one Trail is wearing under his blue-and-white checked flannel shirt. The items are stuffed into a plastic drawstring bag, along with Trail's broken watch, a gold ring and the hammer. Cunanan leaves bare footprints in Trail's blood. But no paw prints are left in the blood, and no one hears barking. Prints barks at everything. If Prints isn't there, it's doubtful that Madson is either." [Walsh & Graves, Mineapolis Star Tribune)

David Madson

David Madson, an architect, was the next victim. His body was found on April 29, 1997, on the east shore of Rush Lake near Rush City, Minnesota, with gunshot wounds to the head.

Police recognized a connection because Trail’s body had been found in Madson’s Minneapolis loft apartment. Madson was shot near a Minnesota lake about 50 miles away from Minneapolis. One bullet entered through his eye at close range and passed clear through his head; there was no sign of a struggle reported in the descriptions.

Verbatim quoted autopsy details:

"The Chisago County autopsy report said Madson was shot three times along the shore of East Rush Lake, one in the back, once in the face and once in the side of the head. The architect also had defensive wounds on his fingers. All the bullet wounds were from the same .40-caliber handgun later used to kill Reese, a New Jersey cemetery caretaker, and Versace." [Associated Press]

A competing description added:

"...[T]wo fisherman discovered Madson's body on the grassy shore of East Rush Lake, about 40 miles from Minneapolis. Madson had been shot three times with a 10mm semiautomatic, and his red Jeep Cherokee was missing." [Suro & Russakoff, The Washington Post)

Verbatim quoted timeframe and medical detail:

"He was shot three times -- between the shoulder blades, across the right cheek and through the right eye -- with a .40-caliber handgun. His body was dragged into tall weeds and left near the water's edge. The body showed few signs of decomposition, suggesting to investigators that Madson had spent substantial time with Cunanan before he was killed sometime between late Thursday and early Saturday morning. ... Dr. Lindsey Thomas, who performed Madson's autopsy, said a test that determined potassium levels in Madson's eye fluid shows he probably was killed four to six days before his body was found. ... There had been several reported sightings of Cunanan and Madson on Friday: driving north on Interstate Hwy. 35, eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer in a Rush City bar. None were confirmed. Thomas said she found no food in Madson's stomach; a large meal would take three to six hours to fully digest. Those things coupled with the potassium test, she said, make it improbable that Madson ate that meal or was still alive Friday. ... In an attempt to further narrow Madson's time of death, Chisago County officials have hired a forensic entomologist to study fly larvae found in Madson's mouth. The Madson family said preliminary results of those tests are expected soon. But Thomas said it's nearly impossible for any onetest to pinpoint time of death. [Walsh & Graves, Minneapolis Star Tribune)"

Lee Miglin

Cunanan next drove to Chicago and killed Lee Miglin on May 4, 1997.

Miglin was reported as a 72-year-old real estate developer. His body was found under a car in the garage of his Gold Coast home with duct tape and space left for breathing at the nose. He had been stabbed with pruning shears and his throat had been cut with a gardening bow saw.

Verbatim quoted characterization of the killing:

"It is believed that Cunanan took sport in the torturing of Miglin. He wrapped his head in masking tape, leaving small holes for breathing. He plunged a pair of pruning shears into the man's chest and slit his throat with a gardener's bow saw -- "a worse death than Christ," was how Miglin's 96-year-old mother described it." [France, Out ]

Verbatim quoted discovery and circumstances:

"...Miglin's body, wrapped in duct tape with space left at his nose so he could breathe, had been found under a car in the garage of his Gold Coast home. His killer had stabbed him with pruning shears, then sawed through his throat with a gardening saw. The killer had also nibbled on some ham and an apple, then made off with Miglin's green 1994 Lexus." (Lacayo, Time)

Police files were also described as including:

"It documents 49 separate injuries to Miglin, including 19 blows to his head and face. 'All of that demonstrates the rage Cunanan had to be experiencing at the time he killed Mr. Miglin,' Reuter said." [Associated Press)

A further description stated:

"Miglin was stabbed twice through the heart with a screwdriver. His head was nearly severed with a garden saw. Every rib was broken, apparently after he was run over by a car in the garage. Recently released police files from Miami Beach indicate that Miglin was already dead by noon Saturday...." [Walsh & Graves, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

William Reese

Cunanan’s fourth victim was William Reese, a 45-year-old caretaker, murdered on May 9, 1997, in Pennsville, New Jersey, at Finn’s Point National Cemetery.

State park employees told police and the FBI that they saw a man fitting Cunanan’s description lying on the grass in the park on the afternoon of May 9, several hours before Reese was murdered in his office. The cemetery had almost no traffic because most graves held bodies from the Civil War era.

Verbatim quoted description of timing and method:

"Sometime between 4:30 and 6:15 p.m, Cunanan marched cemetery caretaker William Reese down the basement stairs of the Finn's Point National Cemetery office and forced him to his hands and knees. He shot him once through the back of the head. The bullet, a .40-caliber Golden Saber hollow point, was the same kind that killed Madson." [Walsh & Graves, The Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Reese was killed with a shot to the head from the same 10mm semiautomatic used to kill Madson, in one description, and in another description it was described as a .40-caliber Golden Saber hollow point.

Gianni Versace

Cunanan murdered Gianni Versace on July 15, 1997 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Versace was 50 years old. He left Casa Casuarina and went to the News Café, purchasing coffee and magazines, and then returned home. As he opened ornate gates, a young man in a white shirt, gray shorts, and black backpack approached and shot Versace twice in the head with a .40-caliber pistol.

A witness attempted to pursue the killer but could not catch him. Police found the red Chevy pickup stolen from the cemetery worker William Reese in a nearby garage, along with the bloody clothes worn by Versace’s killer, an alternative passport, and newspaper clippings of his murders.

At least two witness accounts differed on the scene details:

• One described an ambush-style killing with one bullet pumped into Versace’s head from behind and another after he fell.
• Another described Versace struggling briefly with his attacker over a bag.

Verbatim quoted ballistics and hospital details:

"At the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, doctors declared him dead. Ballistics tests later found that the gun that killed Versace was the same one that had killed two of the earlier victims." (Lacayo, Time)

Verbatim quoted early-morning timeline:

"Just before 9 a.m. a gunman walked up behind Versace as he attempted to open his front gate. The gunman fired two bullets into the back of the designer's head, then fled. Versace, fatally wounded, lay in a pool of blood on the sidewalk. His sunglasses, sandals and wallet lay untouched at his side. ...shell casings found near Versace's body were similar to those found at the scene of another slaying Cunanan is suspected of committing in Minnesota." (Chicago Tribune)

Verbatim quoted medical examiner and bullet-path discussion:

"Gianni Versace may have seen his killer because only one of two bullets fired into the designer last month entered from the back of his head, the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale reported. One of the two .40-caliber bullets that killed Versace entered through his left cheek and not through the back of his head as first thought. The bullet was likely fired from a gun pressed against Versace's cheek, the newspaper reported Thursday, citing information from the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office." (Associated Press)

Verbatim quoted police-report excerpt:

"'The shooter fired twice, striking the victim once in the center of his face to the right of his nose, and once in the left side of his neck just below the left ear,' according to one police report. 'The neck shot was through and through. The victim was initially found crumpled on the ground more or less on his right side.'" [Staff writers,The Miami Herald)

Verbatim quoted eyewitness description:

"I recognized that it was Versace but I wasn't sure because he was dressed very casual. ... He was walking a little bit faster than a normal pace. ... I looked at [Versace] and from his feet, from his sandals and up to his eyes; when I saw that it was him, he saw that I recognized him, he smiled at me. I smiled. He changed directions. He shifted diagonally going towards the steps of his villa. At that moment I saw a person, a guy, very close to the villa walk who had already entered from Eleventh.... I thought it was one of Gianni Versace's admirers or someone who knew him because he sped up to reach Versace. At that moment I turned around to look at Versace one last time. The guy had already reached Versace on the steps. It was the moment he was reaching from his back he pointed his gun with his arm very stretched out as Versace was placing or trying to place his key in the lock.... "He couldn't even turn around. And the murderer was behind his shoulders. ... I remember Versace couldn't turn. It was here and he was blocked but it was from behind, it was maybe this point right here... He was touching. [The second shot was] immediately right after the first. Two dry shots. There was no smoke. There was nothing. It was a precise shot. "The murderer came, walked backwards from the steps. He placed his gun in the bag which was open and he continued on his way down to the street as if nothing had happened. Very calm. He had a Donald Duck walk, like so [...with his feet pointing outwards]. "Some people came out of the house.... He was halfway down the street almost towards the end of the empty lot. Because he was walking very slowly.... They saw what had happened. And the blond guy asked who did that... And I said, 'That guy there.' The blond guy... began to run right away. Then I looked at Versace, blood started coming out. Guys were crying. Then I saw the blond guy came back. "I only saw his right arm and he had white skin, nothing strange.... it could have been tan.... He didn't have a build of someone who was sporty, he had a normal build. A black basetball cap. Worn down over his eyes. I didn't even see his nose.... he was clean-cut. He didn't even have a beard.... He had a T-shirt on... like a basketball players... short pants... sandals ... [5'6"?] A bit taller [5'7", 5'8"?] Yes, a bit taller.... I just know that he placed the gun in a bag, but it whether it was a backpack or a bag here, I don't know.... [The gun was] black... it wasn't shiny... rectangular. I thought it was a joke or a game. The shots came pretty close.... Like this: Tatt, tatt, this....No blood came out from his head, nothing.... After, that is why I couldn't believe it was something." [Colakovic,Miami Herald)

Verbatim quoted eyewitness waiting account:

"One witness, Evan Gray Gertz, told police that Cunanan apparently was waiting for Versace that morning, sitting in the grass on the beach side of Ocean Drive across from the mansion. Gertz said Cunanan crossed the street to the residence as his victim approached. Gertz did not see the shooting, but remembered that Cunanan 'did not walk with a natural sway of both arms . . . his right arm was fully extended and stationary at his side.' Other witnesses picked up the story, saying Cunanan sped up the steps to reach Versace, and fired just after the designer had placed his key in the lock." [Staff writers, The Miami Herald)

Investigation

After the murders in Minnesota and New Jersey, police recognized a connection between Trail’s and Madson’s bodies. After the murder of Lee Miglin, the FBI added Cunanan to its Ten Most Wanted list.

A range of public speculation existed about motive, including a public theory tied to HIV infection; however, an autopsy found Cunanan to be HIV-negative.

Arrest / manhunt

Cunanan was listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list as of June 12, 1997.

Police searched the houseboat where Cunanan died to piece together a motive. Police considered several items to be of little note except multiple tubes of hydrocortisone cream and a collection of the fiction of C.S. Lewis.

Outcome

On July 23, 1997, Cunanan shot himself in the mouth in the upstairs bedroom aboard a Miami houseboat.

Verbatim quoted discovery and condition:

"Upstairs in the master bedroom, they found a man wearing only boxer shorts lying face up on the bed. On his stomach, a .40 caliber gun. The man had what looked like a week's growth of beard. He had shot himself in the mouth." ["Biography This Week," A&E Channel ]

Verbatim quoted statement about medical examiner:

"SWAT team members who stormed the houseboat late Wednesday found Cunanan's body on the bed in the upstairs master bedroom, the affidavit said. Large amounts of blood were seen coming from the suspect's ears, mouth and nose and he had a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun lying on his groin. The Dade County Medical Examiner Department said Cunanan shot himself in the mouth." [Associated Press)

Verbatim quoted quoted items on the houseboat and alleged wound details:

"Bloody bandages, cotton swabs, gauze pads and penicillin pills were among the items found on the houseboat in Miami Beach where Cunanan ended his life with a gunshot to the head on July 23. 'I believe he did have a wound on his stomach, and he was treating himself with the medical supplies found on board,' Anne Figueiras, spokeswoman for the Miami office of the FBI, said today. She said she did not know when, where or how Cunanan suffered the injury. The wound, near Cunanan's navel, appeared to have troubled him for a while, possibly before he allegedly killed Gianni Versace on July 15, the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale reported...." (Associated Press)

Aftermath / disposition

Cunanan’s death ended the manhunt and concluded the spree killings.

Police described that Cunanan left behind few personal belongings despite his reputation for acquiring money and expensive possessions from wealthy older men. His motivations remained a mystery, with various theories discussed publicly, including jealousy for Versace’s role as a “gay icon,” and necessity and opportunity in other murders.

Verbatim quotes reflecting stated uncertainty and motive:

"His motivations remain a mystery."

Other details

Cunanan’s suspected spree was described publicly as including:

• violence involving weapons including a .40-caliber pistol (with references to a Taurus semi-automatic pistol in .40 S&W caliber) and a handgun described as stolen from the first victim, Jeff Trail
• multiple reported approaches and concealment attempts, including using his own name to pawn a stolen item and knowing police check pawn shop records for stolen merchandise
• the FBI and police manhunt involving a large number of agents and a SWAT-team assault after a caretaker reported evidence of an intruder aboard the houseboat

A public account also described the face and story of Cunanan being widely covered in media during the manhunt. It also described debate over whether he should be considered a serial killer or a spree killer, including arguments attributed to John Douglas and Robert Ressler, and quotations attributed to each.

Verbatim quoted debate statements:

"fit the classic profile of a sexually predatory killer."

"people who are calling [Cunanan] a serial killer are grossly misinformed."

The record also described that Cunanan left behind items including hydrocortisone cream and a fairly extensive collection of the fiction of C.S. Lewis, while police searched for explanations for the murders.

Additionally, medical/public discussion referenced behavior patterns and psychological discussion, including statements attributed to experts and the contention that Cunanan might have been a psychopath.

Verbatim quoted expert remarks on classification and uncertainty included:

"We are faced with a brand new type of murderer and that is one reason why there are so many unanswered questions. There is no comparison between Cunanan and any other model we have. He is not a serial killer, not a spree killer, and certainly not a mass killer...If someone doesn't fit, then maybe we should start getting rid of the boxes."

"If you take a look at the dynamics of the killing of (Versace), he was basically killing the person that he could never be...A lot of folks who do this feel a sense of superiority over the police. The police were basically impotent to him. By doing this, he not only got to validate his own superiority, he got to make a statement."

"He thought he was immune or impervious to capture. Most serial killers are much more discrete, careful to hide the bodies. He was kind of like the Unabomber, who kept sending out more letters."

"As a rule, serial killers don't go after celebrities. Most serial killers target prostitutes and street people and old women living alone or small children -- safe, conventional targets. Most serial killers would never use a firearm."

"He had relationships with several young men and one left him. He was having financial problems. All of these dynamics were pulling on this guy. Being self-centered and narcissistic, these had a special stress. And I suspect this guy probably had contracted AIDS."

"He was a complete chameleon...a multiple personality. He certainly had multiple appearances."

A quoted closing description characterized him as:

"(He) was like watching a weather map. This killer was the consummate criminal storm."