He stated that defendant was very sensitive about where the employees dug, and would place markers designating the specific area in which the trenches were to be dug. Defendant carried Rignall into his house and offered him a drink. Author, speaker, filmmaker. Mr. These principles, as applied to the media coverage in this case, Dr. Ney explained, each illustrated that the news media coverage in Cook County was much more prejudicial to defendant than in other counties. Trial counsel could have made the decision that it would be better to argue against the death penalty itself than to try to explain that there were mitigating factors sufficient to avoid the death penalty in light of the 12 murders of which defendant had been convicted and for which defendant was eligible for the death penalty. We cannot say that it was incompetent for trial counsel to make this choice and to possibly avoid antagonizing the jurors by subjecting them to psychiatric testimony which may have sounded repetitive to them. 889. Defendant's assertion that there was no evidence to connect Timothy O'Rourke with him is contrary to the record. Third, defendant complains because he was not allowed to ask Dr. Hartman: We agree with the People that his question was vague and ambiguous. We have rejected this contention (People v. Brownell (1980), 79 Ill. 2d 508, 541-44) and will not reconsider it here. The record reveals, however, that defense counsel only requested that the court ask the prospective jurors what they knew of other jurors' opinions about the case. 9-1), the jury found that one or more of the factors set forth in section 9-1(d) existed, and found that there were no mitigating factors sufficient to preclude a sentence of death. Dr. Helen Morrison, a psychiatrist, diagnosed defendant as having a mixed psychosis or an atypical psychosis. In the context in which it was made, and on this record, we hold that the error in failing to sustain the objection to the remarks of the assistant State's Attorney was harmless. As previously noted, defense counsel, in opening argument, twice suggested that defendant should be committed to a hospital for the rest of his life. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. While defendant has attempted to distinguish Kubat by arguing that the *100 defendant in that case had waived his right to complain about the conflicting instructions because no objection was made to them, we find the circumstances here more compelling to hold that the error was harmless since the instruction was incorrect in only one of the readings and in none of the written forms. He recounted he lost approximately 40 pounds, became severely withdrawn, and experienced depression and "bouts of vomiting. Gender. Moreover, defense experts were able to explain how the events of defendant's childhood and adolescence, as corroborated by numerous friends and relatives of defendant, affected defendant's development. April 20, 2022. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. [7] In later accounts, Rignall stated that there was another man in the room while Gacy raped him. The circuit court told defense counsel that in order for the court to properly evaluate the motion, counsel needed a letter from the research firm explaining what the firm proposed to analyze and how such an analysis would be conducted. Now. Jeffrey was a Louisville, Kentucky, resident when he was on his way to a gay bar in Chicago, Illinois, in March 1978. Rignall wrote the book 29 Below about the experience in 1979. She stated that defendant had a memory like an elephant and would be surprised if defendant ever forgot a face or a name. According to Wikipedia, Jeffery was openly bisexual and lived with his girlfriend as well as partner Ron Wilder. These doctors had diagnosed Gacy with a personality . Considering that after a lengthy trial the jury required approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to reject defendant's insanity defense, we conclude that defendant was not deprived of the right to be convicted by a "rational tribunal.". Death date: 24 December, 2000, Sunday. Attacked By. As in the prior argument where defendant contends that psychiatric testimony could have been repeated at the sentencing hearing, trial counsel may also have made the tactical choice not to repeat the suggested mitigating evidence of such matters as his family relationships and civic work which were already presented at trial. Attack by John Wayne Gacy Rignall identified as bisexual and lived with his girlfriend and a male, described by. Rignall wrote the book 29 Below about the experience in 1979. Jeffrey D Rignall was born on month day 1951. She was of the opinion that defendant was not legally responsible for his actions under the Illinois standard, and that defendant would have killed his victims even if a police officer had been present at the time of the murder. We cannot say that the circuit court abused its discretion by proceeding in this manner. What resulted, according to the doctor, was a deeply disturbed individual, whose perceptions of the world were distorted, and interactions . This article is a stub. We need not address all these assertions, as we find that Dr. Garron had a sufficient factual basis for his opinion. Defense counsel stated: "We have four psychiatrists who will testify in court * * *," and then listed them. (People v. Woods (1963), 27 Ill. 2d 393, 395; United States v. Lynch (3d Cir.1942), 132 F.2d 111, 113; see also Snyder v. Massachusetts (1934), 291 U.S. 97, 106-08, 78 L. Ed. When police refused to cooperate, Jeff embarked on a four-month investigation on his own. The People had the right to cross-examine the witness concerning his bias, prejudice or interest in the outcome of the suit (People v. Sampson (1953), 1 Ill. 2d 399, 404), but we agree with the circuit court that the matter was insignificant and, in view of the instruction to the jury to disregard it, was not prejudicial. Most maddening of all, however, is the difficulty Jeff Rignall had in lodging charges against Gacy. Defendant also argues that the evidence of extreme disturbance was not the only mitigating evidence in the record, and that evidence which showed that defendant "was a good husband and stepfather * * *, a good friend to many * * *, a loving son and brother * * *, a successful businessman * * *, a civic leader active in charitable work and politics * * *," and while awaiting trial, "an ideal prisoner," also constituted mitigating evidence. When Donnelly again regained consciousness, defendant picked him up from the bathroom floor and brought him back into the room with the bar. We note that a defendant normally speaks through his attorney, who stands in the role of agent, and defendant, by permitting his attorney, in his presence and without objection, to immediately proceed *101 to a sentencing hearing is deemed to have acquiesced in, and to be bound by, his actions. The People assert that the defense experts repeatedly suggested that defendant "regarded the boy prostitutes he picked up as trash," and that defendant "thought that he was performing a service to society by disposing of human trash, namely homosexual prostitutes.". Macon v. Yeager (3d Cir.1973), 476 F.2d 613, 615-16, and other cases, and argues that the People's reference to defendant's exercise of his right to counsel is a violation of the sixth amendment. He stated that defendant was emotionally disturbed, acted very nervous, and was "breaking into tears." darius the destroyer record / how to change facebook color back to normal / jeffrey rignall testimony transcript. He stated that he did not believe that there was not a psychoanalytic answer *59 for the 33 murders committed by defendant. The sentences were stayed (87 Ill.2d R. 609(a)) pending appeal to this court (Ill. Const. A disapproving father does not excuse 33 homosexually related murders and numerous *103 other incidents of sexual torture and physical abuse. He testified concerning defendant's anxiety regarding his sexual identification and his anger at being called a homosexual, and that defendant showed no emotional affect when he described the stabbing of his first victim. The doctor performing the autopsy listed the cause of death as "apparent drowning." Dr. Freedman, whose qualifications spanned over 30 pages of transcript, reviewed defendant's statements in explaining his diagnosis to the jury. For example, the prosecution stated: "Thirty-three boys were dead and the lives of parents, brothers and sisters, fiances, grandmothers, friends were left shattered." When asked why these "outcroppings" only occurred at night and when no one else was around, Dr. Freedman explained that these *57 hours were the hours in which boy prostitution flourished, defendant was engaged in other activities during the rest of the day, and that defendant "was, in fact, concerned with not being detected." Dr. Brocher did not state an opinion whether under Illinois standards defendant was responsible for his criminal acts. Defendant's supposed invocation of his right to counsel when talking to Officer Hackmeister was apparently no more than a request that the officer contact defendant's attorney when he was finally arrested, because defendant had received money from out of State to be used to post his bond. When questioned concerning Dr. Brocher's diagnosis, Dr. Fawcett explained why he disagreed with that diagnosis, and also explained that even if this diagnostic evaluation were to be accepted, there still was no causal relationship between his diagnostic theory and any possible inability of defendant to either appreciate the criminality of his conduct or conform his conduct to the requirements of law. Human interest stories were particularly prevalent in the Chicago area, but not in the outlying counties. unique traits of plants, animals and humans. We will remember him forever. He stated that defendant was feigning being crazy, and attempted to fake a multiple personality defect. Our statute provides that a defendant may be sentenced to death if he "has been convicted of murdering two or more individuals * * * regardless of whether the deaths occurred as the result of the same act or of several related or unrelated acts so long as the deaths were the result of either an intent to kill more than one person or of separate premeditated acts * * *." Defendant contends next that the failure to sequester the jury between the time of their selection and the beginning of trial denied him his right to a fair and impartial jury. We *107 also note that the examination of the history, background and mental state of defendant was quite thorough at trial, and that the information derived therefrom substantially fulfills the requirements (Ill. Rev. He stated that defendant's antisocial personality helped him forget his criminal acts. The board had holes in it where his arms went through and where his head was placed. jeffrey rignall testimony transcript. He testified that "borderline" appeared for the first time in psychiatric nomenclature in Diagnostic Statistical Manual III (DSM III), that the diagnosis was quite controversial, and that "it is our single outstanding problem." On cross-examination, Ried stated that he might have had an argument with defendant before this incident occurred. He said, "You're just in time for the late show" and turned on a projector and showed a "gay" pornographic film on the wall of the room. He was chloroformed, violently raped and beaten by Gacy, but survived the encounter. The assistant State's Attorney argued: Defendant did not object to this argument and any alleged error is waived. *56 and the book Jeffrey Rignall wrote concerning defendant's assault upon him. The witness' use of this trial for publicity would be relevant to the inference that he had a motive to testify for the defense. 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