Biography of Famous Serial Killer Andrew Cunanan

Andrew was the youngest of four children to Mary Anne Schillaci Modesto Cunanan. He grew up very intelligent and constantly praised, by his father, and being given anything he wanted (Andrew Cunanan Biography, n.d.). His brother even stated to ABC News that “He was my father’s pride and joy”(Inside the mind of the serial killer who murdered Gianni Versace, 2017) Despite having everything given to him, his family was far from healthy, his father often abused his mother and was disciplinary (Everything We Know About Andrew Cunanan's Childhood, 2019). Andrew’s mother was strictly religious and conservative, implementing her catholic views on her children (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). This was when it was first noticed that Andrew started to associate violence with sexual action as he began questioning his sexuality (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). Growing up, Andrew was always told by his father that money was the key to everything. To elaborate, he grew up believing that money should be spent largely to seem rich, even if you aren’t (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). Andrew believed this as he was very close to his father and looked up to him in many ways(Figure 1). Andrew spent his life living in high society and trying to fit in, attending parties and clubs for the rich (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). According to Georgia Marie, He was sent to a private school that his family couldn’t afford, yet they managed to scrape up money for. Andrew was an intelligent child with an IQ of 147 (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019) but he was clearly still struggling with personal issues, including symptoms of mental illness. Andrew was a pathological liar, which was evident to everyone around him but he was still popular as he maintained a charming aura (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). Andrew was at this time also very openly homosexual while still managing to hide it from his parents (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). Andrew was constantly trying to appeal to classmates and family. When his family was running out of money from keeping a public image, Andrew even began to prostitute himself and create erotic films in his teenage years (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). This connects to anthropology as Andrew’s cultural values had a large impact on who he was and his changing personality.  

At age 19 Andrew’s life started to spiral downhill. His father fled to the Philippines to avoid being prosecuted for fraud, leaving his family with only $700 (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). In that same year, he came out to his mother. She was unaccepting which resulted in his first violent outburst (Everything We Know About Andrew Cunanan's Childhood, 2018). Despite being generally cheerful, he was facing personal issues and his insatiable need for drugs, clubbing and material wealth worsened(Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). His desire caused him to fulfill many relationships with wealthy and older men and attending clubs (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). Two years later he befriended Gianni Versace at a high-class bar although Versache’s family claim Andrew never knew him (Andrew Cunanan, 2014). At age 24, he lost his relationship with Jeff Trail, a man he had been using to boost his image, and David Madsen, the man Andrew was allegedly deeply in love with (Why Did Andrew Cunanan Go on a Killing Spree? American Crime Story Explores His Motives, 2018). Both Jeff and David were having an affair in Minneapolis, where Andrew traveled to visit them. Andrew then killed Jeff in David’s home. He was seen in public with David in the days subsequent to the murder of Jeff. David was then found with bullet wounds by a lake and Andrew had fled to Chicago(ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). He went on to brutally murder a wealthy Chicago real estate agent, Lee Miglin, carelessly leaving behind large amounts of evidence, such as food he started eating and his murder weapons from other murders (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). Andrew was then placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list (Serial Killers; Part 6: Andrew Cunanan Murders a Fashion Icon, 2014)(Figure 2). He then traveled to New Jersey and after finding out his car was being tracked, he murdered William Reese to use his car. Andrew then fled to Florida, where he stayed for 2 months until murdering the famous fashion designer, Gianni Versace (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). 

This relates to Anthropology, and more specifically, forensic anthropology because the police used the high amounts of evidence left behind to find Andrew as a suspect and used his actions to determine his culture and the murder motives to make connections. Andrew Cunanan was originally ignored by the media. At the time LGBT issues were disregarded by mass media, which resulted in Andrew's ability to appear publicly after his first two murders (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). The police received much criticism for withholding information about the crimes from the LGBT community. After the murder of Lee Miglin, Andrew was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list (Figure 2). He appeared on some radio reports and in newspapers, which he was listening to and helping him hide from the authorities. For example, Andrew heard on the radio that they were using the phone in a stolen car to track him so he went out to search for a new car (ANDREW CUNANAN | SERIAL KILLER SPOTLIGHT, 2019). The media also though Andrew was committing these murders for Fame, especially based on the amount of evidence he left and his quick reappearance in the public (Why Did Andrew Cunanan Go on a Killing Spree? American Crime Story Explores His Motives, 2018). Andrew left behind pieces of eaten food and even some of his murder weapons(Figure 3). Others assumed he was committing these acts out of Jealousy or receive a high status, painting him as greedy. Andrew Cunanan also got many movies and shows made on him, such as ‘American crime story’. This subtopic connects to sociology as mass media is an agent of socialization. In observing someone’s public portrayal, you can see how mass media has drastically changed over the years, and in turn, how sociology statistics have changed.

Since Andrew’s killings, The police have been scrutinized for discriminatory behavior, for not warning the LGBT communities(Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). There was also much media debate on who he was: an assassinator, spree killer or serial killer and what punishments should be for each (Andrew Cunanan Biography, 2014). This subtopic can be related to Sociology. Andrew has shaped the way we socialize in ways. The impact a person has on society is also an Agent of Socialization.