Samuel Dodd Stapleton (14)
Born
Death
14 May 1976, Norwood Park Township, Cook County, Illinois
Tragically, Samuel Stapleton was one of the victims of Illinois serial killer and sex offender John Wayne Gacy who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys between 1962 and 1977. His conviction for thirty-three murders (by one individual) then covered the most homicides in United States legal history. Gacy was sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection at Statesville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994. He became known as “The Killer Clown” due to his public performances as a clown prior to the discovery of his crimes and is one of the most prolific serial murderers in Chicago history.
On May 14, 1976, 14-year-old Samuel Stapleton vanished as he walked home from his sister’s apartment. He and Randall Reffett were close acquaintances; they were buried together, and investigators believe the two were murdered the same evening. He was “Body #6” from the crawl space.
