An Italian translation is available here.
Even if twenty-two years passed since Andrew Cunanan took his life in a houseboat in Miami Beach, his case is still a very interesting one do to his eccentric character and to the media pressure it got after he killed fashion designer Gianni Versace on Ocean Drive. To better understand some of the details of the manhunt for Cunanan in Miami Beach we are today offering our readers an interview with Miami Beach Police Detective David McCue who was involved in the investigation back then and who also made a podcast on the subject.
We would like to thank David McCue for his kindness and willingness to help.
Nastro di Möbius: How was this case different from others you've investigated?
David McCue: The truth is this case was no different than most murders. Identification of Cunanan was easy and faster than most. The crime scene was small in comparison to some others. The investigation was not too complicated, most difficult work was attempting to determine a motive.
The shooting occurred on a street busy with pedestrians who witnessed the shooting and the direction he fled. Cunanan was identified very quickly because he initially fled to a parking lot after killing Versace where we found the truck he stole in New Jersey from his murder victim William Reese. The ballistics were rushed and confirmed the shell casings matched those in New Jersey and Minnesota.
In my opinion the problem was in the manhunt.
Nastro di Möbius: In your opinion, what started Cunanan's murder spree all of a sudden?
David McCue: After arriving in Minnesota he soon realized Jeff Trail and David Madson had grown tired of him and didn't want him around. I believe they had come to the realization Cunanan was a fraud and were going to expose him. What is interesting is I think a serial killer was born after killing Trail. His previous obsession was fooling people into believing he was an amazing, interesting person. After his first murder his obsession became killing.
Nastro di Möbius: In your opinion, why did he choose Versace as a victim? They had nothing in common, unless an alleged meeting some seven years before, which was very quick.
David McCue: I strongly believe he killed him for infamy. Cunanan had always wanted to be famous but that never happened. He ended up in Miami Beach after committing four murders because he knew he could blend in. After two months he ran out of money and was sleeping in the truck he stole from Reese. I believe he knew the end was near and had heard Versace was in town. That was always big news in the gay community of Miami Beach. Versace walked openly on the streets of Miami Beach so Cunanan just had to wait for his opportunity. When he saw him he approached and shot him. Versace was arguably the most famous gay man in the world. Now Cunanan was instantly infamous.
There has been talk that he shot him because Versace refused to give him money or refuge, but that is false because according to witnesses there was no conversation. There was no evidence that Versace knew Cunanan.
Nastro di Möbius: Why did he choose to hide in a houseboat (thus condemning himself to death) instead of keep running and hiding?
David McCue: After killing Versace, Cunanan fled on foot. His options were limited because he had no money or skills to steal a car or break into a locked home. He couldn't run far because news of the murder and Cunanan's photos and police were everywhere. Somehow he made his way roughly six kilometers to a small docked sailboat. He broke into the cabin and hid inside for an unknown amount of time. This area is quiet and not visited by many people, making it a good location to hide.
The owner of the sailboat was checking on it and noticed a man sitting on a nearby bench reading a Hello magazine. When the owner entered the sailboat he realized it had been broken into, and items, including his Hello magazine, were missing. That is when he realized the guy on the bench was Andrew Cunanan and he had been reading the magazine from the sailboat. When he looked up the man believed to be Cunanan was gone. When the sailboat owner reported this some investigators laughed it off thinking the owner wanted a reward.
A few days later Cunanan killed himself in the houseboat that was docked very close by. It is very obvious to me the sailboat owner was correct that Cunanan had been hiding in the sailboat and had been for most of the time he was on the run. When he watched the owner go to the sailboat he had been hiding out in he fled to the houseboat, broke into it and planned on staying there until he felt safe to leave. I do not think it was Cunanan's intention to kill himself in the houseboat. He did so when he thought he was about to be captured.
Nastro di Möbius: Was his ability of disguise a key factor in him escaping police for over two months?
David McCue: No. He hid in "plain sight", meaning the more obvious you are the less obvious you are. We believe he walked about Miami Beach freely without the worry of being captured. The Police on Miami Beach did not know who Andrew Cunanan was. Although he had killed four people when he arrived and the FBI had information he was in South Florida, they did not release his “wanted” flier to my Police Department. I feel very strongly he would have been captured before he could kill Versace if they would have.
Nastro di Möbius: What is surprising to me is that Cunanan lived a normal life for 27 years, and then turned into a killing machine and killed four people in two weeks. Do you see many cases like this in your everyday work or was he a unique case?
David McCue: This was certainly unique case beca. A fascinating psychological study.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think it would have been possible to catch him alive? Were any mistakes made by investigators that allowed him to keep escaping?
David McCue: In order to catch him alive Cunanan would have to have been spotted by Police in an open area and be able to surprise him before he could retrieve his firearm. He definitely did not want to go to jail. I do think however that if he was caught he would have believed he could have outsmarted police and talked his way out of jail.
He was used to lying and convincing people that he was someone other than who he really was. I think he enjoyed the game and would have enjoyed it in a Police interrogation.
I feel strongly he would have been captured before killing Versace if two things would have occurred:
First. Investigators in the New York and Philadelphia area knew he was driving victim Lee Miglin's car in their area. Someone leaked the car information to the media and they broadcast the description of the car and Cunanan over the radio. It is believed Cunanan heard the radio broadcast, exited the highway and drove to the cemetery where he killed William Reese so he could change cars. I think they would have eventually spotted Cunanan in Miglin's car and apprehended him before he could make it to Miami Beach.
Second. Before Versace was killied I was working with the FBI on a task force when an agent who was tracking Cunanan asked if I would introduce him to some gay officers on Miami Beach to ask questions about a secret gay society he believed Cunanan was involved in. He wanted to ask gay officers if they knew of this secret society located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about 30 miles from Miami Beach. The officers he spoke with never heard of it, but did tell him if Cunanan was gay he would eventually make it to Miami Beach. When asked for a wanted flier with Cunanan's photos on it the agent refused saying he did not want Cunanan to know the FBI knew he was in South Florida and flee. The Agent was convinced Cunanan was in Fort Lauderdale but he was wrong. Cunanan hid on Miami Beach for two months. He was staying in the same Hotel most of the time and pawned gold coins using his name. Unfortunately, Police on Miami Beach did not know who he was and that he was wanted for four murders.
Sharing information within Law Enforcement Agencies has always been a big problem. Some fear another agency will make a mistake and the subject will get away, some want to be the one who makes the arrest and receives the glory.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you consider Cunanan a "serial killer" or a "spree killer"? What would the difference be between the two types of killers?
David McCue: These murders had elements of both. He likely killed Lee Miglin for money and an escape vehicle, but he took his time and tortured Miglin, and I believe he killed Versace for attention. Both of those displayed elements of psychological gratification. He killed Jeff Trail possibly out of anger and maybe to keep him quiet from revealing Cunanan was a phony, or maybe out of jealousy. We don't know if he killed David Madson out of fear he would go to the Police or if it was for a different reason. He killed Trail, Madson, Miglin and William Reese within two weeks of each other. That is consistent with a spree killer.
Did he evolve from an emotional killer who killed out of anger to someone who began to enjoy killing and transformed into a serial killer? Based on his past where he enjoyed psychological manipulation I would think so. Such an interesting case study.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think the media pressure had an impact on the investigation? If so, a good one or a bad one?
David McCue: I think the media had a very negative impact on the manhunt for Cunanan. They were camped outside of the Police Station from the moment the murder occurred until after Cunanan was found dead in the house boat. With so much international media attention it was easy for investigators to forget we were tracking a desperate guy with no money or skills to evade us, and make him out the be a master criminal which he wasn't. We spent too much time worrying about tips the media received or chasing ridiculous anonymous tips in fear the media would hear we hadn't. Instead of following tips we knew were no good we should have been searching every hiding place on Miami Beach.
I just knew he was hiding on Miami Beach and it's one of the more frustrating moments in my career. If we had focused only on searching hiding places on Miami Beach we would have caught him before the house boat. We should at least have caught him in the house boat after we received the sailboat information. Instead a caretaker for the houseboat opened the door and heard a gunshot. I think Cunanan believed it was the Police entering and killed himself.
Even if twenty-two years passed since Andrew Cunanan took his life in a houseboat in Miami Beach, his case is still a very interesting one do to his eccentric character and to the media pressure it got after he killed fashion designer Gianni Versace on Ocean Drive. To better understand some of the details of the manhunt for Cunanan in Miami Beach we are today offering our readers an interview with Miami Beach Police Detective David McCue who was involved in the investigation back then and who also made a podcast on the subject.
We would like to thank David McCue for his kindness and willingness to help.
Nastro di Möbius: How was this case different from others you've investigated?
David McCue: The truth is this case was no different than most murders. Identification of Cunanan was easy and faster than most. The crime scene was small in comparison to some others. The investigation was not too complicated, most difficult work was attempting to determine a motive.
The shooting occurred on a street busy with pedestrians who witnessed the shooting and the direction he fled. Cunanan was identified very quickly because he initially fled to a parking lot after killing Versace where we found the truck he stole in New Jersey from his murder victim William Reese. The ballistics were rushed and confirmed the shell casings matched those in New Jersey and Minnesota.
In my opinion the problem was in the manhunt.
Nastro di Möbius: In your opinion, what started Cunanan's murder spree all of a sudden?
David McCue: After arriving in Minnesota he soon realized Jeff Trail and David Madson had grown tired of him and didn't want him around. I believe they had come to the realization Cunanan was a fraud and were going to expose him. What is interesting is I think a serial killer was born after killing Trail. His previous obsession was fooling people into believing he was an amazing, interesting person. After his first murder his obsession became killing.
Nastro di Möbius: In your opinion, why did he choose Versace as a victim? They had nothing in common, unless an alleged meeting some seven years before, which was very quick.
David McCue: I strongly believe he killed him for infamy. Cunanan had always wanted to be famous but that never happened. He ended up in Miami Beach after committing four murders because he knew he could blend in. After two months he ran out of money and was sleeping in the truck he stole from Reese. I believe he knew the end was near and had heard Versace was in town. That was always big news in the gay community of Miami Beach. Versace walked openly on the streets of Miami Beach so Cunanan just had to wait for his opportunity. When he saw him he approached and shot him. Versace was arguably the most famous gay man in the world. Now Cunanan was instantly infamous.
There has been talk that he shot him because Versace refused to give him money or refuge, but that is false because according to witnesses there was no conversation. There was no evidence that Versace knew Cunanan.
Nastro di Möbius: Why did he choose to hide in a houseboat (thus condemning himself to death) instead of keep running and hiding?
David McCue: After killing Versace, Cunanan fled on foot. His options were limited because he had no money or skills to steal a car or break into a locked home. He couldn't run far because news of the murder and Cunanan's photos and police were everywhere. Somehow he made his way roughly six kilometers to a small docked sailboat. He broke into the cabin and hid inside for an unknown amount of time. This area is quiet and not visited by many people, making it a good location to hide.
The owner of the sailboat was checking on it and noticed a man sitting on a nearby bench reading a Hello magazine. When the owner entered the sailboat he realized it had been broken into, and items, including his Hello magazine, were missing. That is when he realized the guy on the bench was Andrew Cunanan and he had been reading the magazine from the sailboat. When he looked up the man believed to be Cunanan was gone. When the sailboat owner reported this some investigators laughed it off thinking the owner wanted a reward.
A few days later Cunanan killed himself in the houseboat that was docked very close by. It is very obvious to me the sailboat owner was correct that Cunanan had been hiding in the sailboat and had been for most of the time he was on the run. When he watched the owner go to the sailboat he had been hiding out in he fled to the houseboat, broke into it and planned on staying there until he felt safe to leave. I do not think it was Cunanan's intention to kill himself in the houseboat. He did so when he thought he was about to be captured.
Nastro di Möbius: Was his ability of disguise a key factor in him escaping police for over two months?
David McCue: No. He hid in "plain sight", meaning the more obvious you are the less obvious you are. We believe he walked about Miami Beach freely without the worry of being captured. The Police on Miami Beach did not know who Andrew Cunanan was. Although he had killed four people when he arrived and the FBI had information he was in South Florida, they did not release his “wanted” flier to my Police Department. I feel very strongly he would have been captured before he could kill Versace if they would have.
Nastro di Möbius: What is surprising to me is that Cunanan lived a normal life for 27 years, and then turned into a killing machine and killed four people in two weeks. Do you see many cases like this in your everyday work or was he a unique case?
David McCue: This was certainly unique case beca. A fascinating psychological study.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think it would have been possible to catch him alive? Were any mistakes made by investigators that allowed him to keep escaping?
David McCue: In order to catch him alive Cunanan would have to have been spotted by Police in an open area and be able to surprise him before he could retrieve his firearm. He definitely did not want to go to jail. I do think however that if he was caught he would have believed he could have outsmarted police and talked his way out of jail.
He was used to lying and convincing people that he was someone other than who he really was. I think he enjoyed the game and would have enjoyed it in a Police interrogation.
I feel strongly he would have been captured before killing Versace if two things would have occurred:
First. Investigators in the New York and Philadelphia area knew he was driving victim Lee Miglin's car in their area. Someone leaked the car information to the media and they broadcast the description of the car and Cunanan over the radio. It is believed Cunanan heard the radio broadcast, exited the highway and drove to the cemetery where he killed William Reese so he could change cars. I think they would have eventually spotted Cunanan in Miglin's car and apprehended him before he could make it to Miami Beach.
Second. Before Versace was killied I was working with the FBI on a task force when an agent who was tracking Cunanan asked if I would introduce him to some gay officers on Miami Beach to ask questions about a secret gay society he believed Cunanan was involved in. He wanted to ask gay officers if they knew of this secret society located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about 30 miles from Miami Beach. The officers he spoke with never heard of it, but did tell him if Cunanan was gay he would eventually make it to Miami Beach. When asked for a wanted flier with Cunanan's photos on it the agent refused saying he did not want Cunanan to know the FBI knew he was in South Florida and flee. The Agent was convinced Cunanan was in Fort Lauderdale but he was wrong. Cunanan hid on Miami Beach for two months. He was staying in the same Hotel most of the time and pawned gold coins using his name. Unfortunately, Police on Miami Beach did not know who he was and that he was wanted for four murders.
Sharing information within Law Enforcement Agencies has always been a big problem. Some fear another agency will make a mistake and the subject will get away, some want to be the one who makes the arrest and receives the glory.
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| William Reese's truck left by Cunanan in a parking garage parking garage at Collins Avenue and 13th street before killing Versace |
Nastro di Möbius: Do you consider Cunanan a "serial killer" or a "spree killer"? What would the difference be between the two types of killers?
David McCue: These murders had elements of both. He likely killed Lee Miglin for money and an escape vehicle, but he took his time and tortured Miglin, and I believe he killed Versace for attention. Both of those displayed elements of psychological gratification. He killed Jeff Trail possibly out of anger and maybe to keep him quiet from revealing Cunanan was a phony, or maybe out of jealousy. We don't know if he killed David Madson out of fear he would go to the Police or if it was for a different reason. He killed Trail, Madson, Miglin and William Reese within two weeks of each other. That is consistent with a spree killer.
Did he evolve from an emotional killer who killed out of anger to someone who began to enjoy killing and transformed into a serial killer? Based on his past where he enjoyed psychological manipulation I would think so. Such an interesting case study.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think the media pressure had an impact on the investigation? If so, a good one or a bad one?
David McCue: I think the media had a very negative impact on the manhunt for Cunanan. They were camped outside of the Police Station from the moment the murder occurred until after Cunanan was found dead in the house boat. With so much international media attention it was easy for investigators to forget we were tracking a desperate guy with no money or skills to evade us, and make him out the be a master criminal which he wasn't. We spent too much time worrying about tips the media received or chasing ridiculous anonymous tips in fear the media would hear we hadn't. Instead of following tips we knew were no good we should have been searching every hiding place on Miami Beach.
I just knew he was hiding on Miami Beach and it's one of the more frustrating moments in my career. If we had focused only on searching hiding places on Miami Beach we would have caught him before the house boat. We should at least have caught him in the house boat after we received the sailboat information. Instead a caretaker for the houseboat opened the door and heard a gunshot. I think Cunanan believed it was the Police entering and killed himself.
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