The case against John Wayne Gacy never made it to the Supreme Court; the serial killer was convicted in Cook County. Before Gacy was one of the most feared men alive, he was a Norwood Park precinct captain—so was Sam Amirante. So when Gacy called the young lawyer for a favor in December of 1978, Amirante had no idea what he was getting into. Police in Des Plaines were investigating the disappearance of a young man and followed Gacy as a lead. Within days, Gacy told Amirante that he killed the missing boy - and many more. With the help of writer Danny Broderick, the now-retired Judge Sam Amirante for the first time detailed his experience in John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster. Eight Forty-Eight recently sat down with the authors; Judge Amirante began by explaining why he was able to defend someone so evil.

Pitch Black [nz], “The Random Smiler”, from the album Ape To Angel, (Waveform)