Remembering Andrew Cunanin - 10 years later

[Guest ncm2169]

I don't think this site was around in the Summer of 1997, when sometime gay gigolo Andrew Cunanin went on his famous killing spree (his last victim was Gianni Versace in Miami). I have vivid recollections of following the whole affair given that his first murder occurred here in Mpls. For those who never heard about it, or have forgotten, you can read about it here:

 

http://www.carpenoctem.tv/killers/cun.html

 

A capsule description of Cunanin's "gigolo" activities:

 

< In truth, far from being a person of any importance whatsoever, the unemployed Cunanan was entirely dependent on the largesse of others, who really did wield the power. Though his mother would later bitterly describe him as a "high-class male prostitute," Cunanan was actually more of a male mistress or giggolo - the kept companion of a succession of older gay men who would lavish clothes, cars, money, and gifts on him. What made Cunanan so appealing wasn't his appearance (as various acquaintances would attest, on the conventional 10-scale of physical attractiveness, Cunanan rated a 5) so much as his personality, intelligence, and social skills. And also - reportedly - his taste for kinky sex: his apparently riveting combination of preppie polish and S&M abandon.

 

I'm curious - did anyone else here have any "connections" with the Cunanin scene - whether geographical (like me) or otherwise?

[Guest zipperzone]

Why would we want to "Remember" anyone as horrible as he was?

 

I would much rather spend my "Remembering" time on the 10 year anniversary of Diana.

[JT Brooklyn]

The point is to NOT remember a Wacko Murderer!

 

There are many more important things to remember in Life, than this Sad story....

[Bilbo]

The site was here and I was here with it.

[LustinGuy]

I knew Andrew in San Diego for several years and was interviewed by the FBI while he was on the most wanted list during his cross country rampage. I'll share a few thoughts on this most horrible of anniversaries:

 

I came to know Andrew through my tenure on the Board of Directors one of San Diego's AIDS charities around 1993. Even though he was young, he would think nothing of committing $1000 to buy a table at our fundraisers. I often went to him to encourage contributions to the organization and participation in our events. Andrew actually brought his first victim, Jeff Trail, to one of our big events... Jeff, dressed in his white Navy officer's uniform, was a huge hit.

 

Andrew was a universal fixture in the gay bar scene in San Diego, always out and about, socializing, chatting, drinking and spinning his tales.

 

Just about everyone I knew saw him as a joke... a funny, interesting guy but clearly a chronic liar who most people could only tolerate in limited doses.

 

I was in my late 20s when I knew Andrew and never knew anything of his reported "gigolo" activities. On the contrary: he always made sure everybody around him believed he was from a wealthy family and that working was for common folk. To this day, I do not believe that he was an escort of the variety we see and discuss in this forum (at least not in the years leading up to his tragic killing spree). He was simply too widely known for that not to have gotten around here if it were true. Rather, I do believe that he was 'kept' by a few extremely wealthy gay gentlemen in San Diego with whom he traveled, dined and socialized.

 

I also have to say that Andrew's appearance (when I knew him) was not special in any way... making a living as an escort for such a plain looking guy would have been difficult at best. I think the gentlemen who kept Andrew were interested in his company, personality, quick wit and charm rather than anything sexual. Andrew was always the life of the party and could converse on nearly any subject.

 

Andrew once offered to pay for sex with my beautiful boyfriend at the time. That made a lot more sense than someone paying him.

 

I was truly shocked and will never forget the moment when I first heard of the start of his murder streak. I turned on CNN and up popped his face. I couldn't believe it. I was a little perplexed because the last name they were giving was not the one he used among the people I knew.

 

Several years before Andrew's rise to infamy, there was a murder of an wealthy older gentleman in San Diego named Lincoln Aston. Andrew was seen with Lincoln on a daily basis for years. They had taken several vacations in Europe together. I think many people who knew Andrew at the time believe Aston was actually his first victim.

 

How Andrew got to the point of ending all those lives including his own is a mystery to me. I do believe that the widely held notion that hard core drugs were at the root is the most likely explanation.