Today is Sunday, January 3, 2021.

On this day in 1972, notorious serial killer John Wayne Gasey committed his first murder.

His victim was 16-year-old Timothy Jack McCoy.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast. Due to the graphic nature of

today's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains depictions of murder,

sexual assault, and violence that some may find offensive. Extreme caution is advised for listeners

under 13. Today, we're covering the inaugural murder of one of the most infamous serial killers in

history.

Let's go back to Chicago on the evening of January 3, 1972.

Timothy McCoy looked out his window as the Greyhound bus drove past the Sears Tower.

He was on his way back to Glenwood, Iowa, after spending Christmas with his family in Nebraska.

McCoy had a layover in Chicago, and for whatever reason, didn't plan sleeping arrangements in advance.

So when a heavy-set 30-year-old man approached the boy and offered his spare bedroom, the teenager agreed. He got in the man's car and they set off. Shortly after, they arrived at a

well-kept brick ranch-style home in the quiet suburb of Norwood Park.

That's what we know for sure. The rest is John Wayne Gacy's side of the story.

Gacy said that shortly after arriving at the house,

the two of them shared some kind of consensual sexual encounter.

Then they went to sleep.

Gacy in the master bedroom and McCoy in the guest

room. The next thing Gacy remembered, he woke up to McCoy standing at the foot of his bed,

wielding a knife. Gacy was startled, unsure of whether the boy wanted to hurt him or rob him.

In self-defense, he lunged for the blade.

...