Cunanan Death Brings Sighs of Relief in S.D. Gay Area

Word about the death of Andrew Phillip Cunanan spread quickly Wednesday night through the gay neighborhood of Hillcrest, provoking feelings of relief and revulsion.

“The terror is over, thank God,” said Phil Artson, a tutor of languages.

In the dance parlors, bookstores and restaurants where Cunanan once was a regular, young men discussed the news from Miami Beach in hushed but excited tones. A few motorists raised their fists and shouted joyously.

“It all seems so ghoulish,” said Bill Wilde, a computer expert, as he stood outside the Brass Rail, one of the area’s most popular bars.

At Tidbits, a nightclub in the heart of Hillcrest, the talk was about Saturday’s Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade and the fear that had been engendered by speculation that Cunanan might return to San Diego for the parade and commit violence. The FBI wanted poster had been placed in numerous store windows in Hillcrest.

“It’s all so mixed, the one week every year when gay people can tell everyone it’s OK to be gay, and now it’s the same week when a gay person is in the news for doing something horrible,” said Jim, who identified himself as a civilian employee of the Navy.

On Tuesday, the FBI and San Diego police had sought to assure Hillcrest residents that everything possible would be done to ensure their safety at the parade, expected to draw 85,000 people to Hillcrest, where Cunanan lived before becoming a fugitive.

“We are all breathing a sigh of relief,” said Mandy Schultz, executive director of the group that organizes the annual parade.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” said Rick, a college student. “Gay people are doctors, lawyers, politicians, everything. But the gay person most Americans know is Andrew Phillip Cunanan.”

In Hillcrest, Cunanan was remembered as a glib, festive, sophisticated young man who lived off the largess of older men, including a La Jolla arts patron and businessman twice his age. But others say Cunanan had a moody streak and could turn menacing when someone disagreed with him.

“He gave off very negative energy that turned me off,” said a personal physical fitness trainer. “I avoided him.”

Although media attention has centered on Hillcrest, Cunanan was also well-known among a quiet social set of gay men in Point Loma and La Jolla who prefer not to be seen in public.

“If you think Hillcrest is happy, I’ll bet there are a number of closeted or semi-closeted men who are even happier that Andrew won’t be outing anybody at a trial or coming back to San Diego to settle any scores,” said Art Phillips, a writer.

Cunanan’s godfather, Delfino Labao, who lives in San Diego, told KUSI-TV, “I hope he will find peace. We hope and pray that God will forgive him.”