CAMPAIGN ’88 : Bush Ads Offend Killer
Convicted multiple killer John Wayne Gacy has complained to Illinois Republican officials about a campaign leaflet that said he would be eligible for weekend passes had he committed his crimes in Massachusetts.
In a letter received Monday at state Republican headquarters, Gacy criticized the GOP for “exploiting the name of John Wayne Gacy in order to scare people into voting for George Bush.”
Gacy, imprisoned at Menard Correctional Center in Southern Illinois, confirmed Wednesday that he wrote the letter, according to Brian Fairchild, a spokesman for the state Corrections Department.
Gacy was convicted in 1980 of killing 33 young men and boys, 29 of whom were found buried in his home in an unincorporated area near Chicago. He was sentenced to death and his case is under appeal.
Some convicted killers were granted furloughs during the Dukakis Administration, as the Bush campaign has noted frequently, but the furlough program has since been changed to exclude first-degree murderers.
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