By Ryan Barich, Executive News Editor
Thoroughly cleaning her decades-old classroom on April 24, 2019, guided study hall teacher Kimberly Murray discovered a closet covered wall to wall in dust-covered mirrors.
Further investigating her surroundings, Murray looked behind the ancient mirror and uncovered a secret compartment filled with papers from classes dating back to the 1970s.
What really made this find shocking and bone-chilling to Murray though, was a letter written to a student responding to a previous letter the student had sent 2 days earlier.
The author of that letter was a convict at Menard Correctional Facility; however, he wasn’t just any average convict. This letter was written by none other than serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
“It was creepy,” Murray said, “just knowing that he touched this made me just think ew.”
Gacy became infamous for the murders of 33 men ranging from the ages of 14 to 22 years old near Des Plaines, Illinois in 1972 through 1978. In 1980, he was apprehended by the authorities and was found guilty in court. He was given the death penalty for his crimes.
The letter is dated back to the year 1990, 10 years into Gacy’s prison sentence on death row. This is what prompted the unnamed student into writing Gacy as she was researching convicts’ experiences in prison.
In the letter, Gacy never mentions the murders or even admits to the crimes. In fact, he tries to make himself look like the victim of corrupted news conglomerates and “incompetent” lawyers.
He states that the media falsified or exaggerated at least 80% of the stories about the murders or about his personal life. Which, in his words, was the deciding factor in his jury verdict.
Gacy felt that the media was “blinding” the public with sensationalism, and he even mentions the existence of news stories that show that the media has been lying. However, he never cited any exact stories or mentioned any real evidence against specific news organizations.
He goes further when in response to the question “Do you wish that things you had done you did differently?” he answers by now putting blame on his lawyers.
He attests that hiring them was the worst thing he had ever done, since they were only in it for the money and did very little to investigate on his behalf.
“These are his [Gacy’s] thoughts,” Murray said, “everybody wants to read them, students and faculty alike.”
The letter has become increasingly popular on school grounds. Once cleared by Principal Greg Minter, a photo of the letter was sent to all members of the staff at the school through an email.
Some teachers are even choosing to show it off to their classes, like law and the individual teacher Jay Heilman who presented it to all of his law classes.
Heilman was most surprised with how Gacy ended his letter as he left the student with life advice.
“Keep your faith in God and be true to yourself,” Gacy said, “Sincerely, John Wayne Gacy.”