Gianni Versace Murder: Top 5 Facts You Need to Know
For this list, we're getting all the details about this 20 year old murder which will soon be getting the TV treatment. Here are Top 5 Facts About The Murder Of Gianni Versace. If you don't already know, it's the focus of the new“American Crime Story”. Gianni was shot at this own front door in broad daylight and his killer killed several others during his run from the cops. Decades later and we still have no idea what his motivation was.
#5: It's the Focus of “American Crime Story” Season 2
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Ryan Murphy’s first “American Crime Story” project, which focused on the trial of O.J. Simpson, was both a commercial and critical success. Since its conclusion, fans have been anxiously awaiting the next instalment. In the summer of 2017 it was finally confirmed that the follow-up series would focus on the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace. The original plan was to explore Hurricane Katrina, but a last minute shuffle was made, moving Versace up and pushing the Katrina story back to season 3 in order to give the production team more time to nail the water-based special effects. So let’s learn some more about this shocking 90’s crime.
#4: He Was Shot at His Own Front Door (In Broad Daylight)
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The Italian fashion designer was staying at his Florida home in July of 1997 when he went out to run an early morning errand. He was back at the doors of his Miami Beach mansion, Casa Casuarina, when he was shot twice in the head by an assailant who immediately fled the scene. Versace’s partner, model Antonio D’Amico, heard the shots from inside the house, where he was sitting with a family friend, Lazaro Quintana. The two immediately went to the door to see what had happened. It was thanks to Quintana, who went after the gunman, that police were able to identify the suspect.
#3: His Killer Killed Several Others
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Soon after the crime was committed, the killer was identified as a National City, California man named Andrew Cunanan. As the story developed, it became clear that while Gianni Versace may have been the most well known of Cunanan’s victims, he was not the only one. After leaving his home in California, Cunanan travelled to Minneapolis in April of 1997 and killed an acquaintance named Jeffrey Trail. He stole a semi-automatic pistol from him and went on to murder David Madson, a man who he had previously been involved with, Lee Miglin, a Chicago real estate tycoon, and caretaker William Reese before heading to Florida.
#2: The Search for Andrew Cunanan Lasted Nine Days
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Cunanan was already on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List from his murder of Lee Miglin, and was identified relatively quickly as the same attacker who killed Versace, thanks to Quintana. Despite this, it still took police nine days to intercept him, and by the time they found him, he had already taken his own life. In the days after Versace’s murder, they received countless tips from people who had spotted him around the city. It was only when someone heard a gunshot coming from a houseboat that they were able to hone in on his exact location. When they found him, he had shot himself with the same gun he used to shoot Versace.
#1: No One Really Knows the Motive
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Even 20 years after the crime was committed, we still have little information about why Andrew Cunanan decided to kill the legendary fashion designer. There has been much speculation though. Cunanan may have met Versace years earlier, but there was no clear connection to be drawn between them. Some think that latent homophobia was what motivated him to seek out the openly gay designer, but there are few actual facts to go on. Others thought it might have been a mafia hit. Miami Beach Chief of Police, Richard Barreto, said at the time, "I don't know that we are ever going to know the answers.”
