An Italian translation is available here.
Andrew Cunanan is still one of the most discussed spree killers, because of his eccentric personality and the high profile victims he chose, such as Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and business owner Lee Miglin. To discuss the investigation on Cunanan, prosecutor Michael Band, who in 1997 was assigned to the case, accepted our proposal for an interview we are today offering our readers.
We would like to thank Michael Band for his kindness and willingness to help.
Nastro di Möbius: How was this case different from others you've investigated?
Michael Band: In many respects it was exactly the same as most cases that I’ve dealt with, the exception being the international attention that it received. That was probably the only difference involving this case.
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.
Michael Band: This is real speculation on my part, I think it was to draw attention. Cunanan was a narcissist and at that stage of his life he was no longer as attractive or appealing to men as he once was and he needed something that would elevate him, so he selected a target that would, in a weird sense, elevate him to the similar stature as Gianni Versace.
Nastro di Möbius: And what about Lee Miglin? As far as you know, did they know each other before Cunanan killed him?
Michael Band: I don’t think he knew Miglin. I think that was an unfortunate happenstance for Miglin. I have never seen evidence that linked Miglin and Cunanan.
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?
Michael Band: I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but we’ve certainly seen evidence of people where something is triggered in an individual that goes on a killing spree. Cunanan is a good example of a spree killer, where they commence homicides over a relatively short duration. And I’m not convinced he led a normal life for 27 years, I don’t think it was a particularly normal life.
Nastro di Möbius: How would you describe the house boat after you entered? Was it messy? Was it as you expected it?
Michael Band: It was kind of expected. As a prosecutor, I was the first person other than law enforcement who entered it immediately after SWAT had cleared it, the tear gas was still there. From my recollection it was dirty, in a state of disrepair, but not so messed up or anything. Cunanan was found in a bed with the sheets undone, nothing remarkable about it. I remember touring the boat to get a feel for it but I don’t remember the boat other than being in a state of disrepair and reflecting that no one had been really living in it for any extended period of time, but it wasn’t in shambles or particularly filthy or anything like that.
Nastro di Möbius: How would you describe his body after he shot himself?
Michael Band: He was leg splayed, face up, on the bed, the gun was there. He shot himself for what I recall in the head, unfortunately as a prosecutor I’ve seen my share of bodies from homicides and very few suicides, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about the body, the position or anything like that, it was kind of what one would expected.
Nastro di Möbius: There’s a pretty popular conspiracy theory in Italy recently according to which this all was staged, he was killed elsewhere and brought there. Can you rule out this idea once and for all?
Michael Band: People would believe whatever they chose to believe. From what I recall shortly before the police entered the scene there was a gunshot inside the boat. There was enormous media attention around and nobody could drag a body down the streets of Miami Beach without drawing attention. There were civilians along with police officers when the gunshot was heard, when they entered the crime scene it was very consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and there was no evidence of the body having been moved or placed there. There would have been leakage of blood or any kind of bodily fluid, but there was no evidence of that.
Any reasonable person not inclined to believe conspiracy theories would accept the fact that he killed himself on the boat surely before police went in there.
Nastro di Möbius: Have you ever heard this theory before?
Michael Band: No, it’s the first time anybody shares with me something that he was shot elsewhere and dragged over there.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think the media pressure had an impact on the investigation? If so, a good one or a bad one?
Michael Band: I have been involved with a number of cases which had a lot of media attention either locally, statewide or national; this was obviously of international repute. The cops do a dogged work and dogged professional investigations, and in most cases the media doesn’t really affect that; the media affects the supervisors, the police chiefs, the commanders of the sections. They guys working the streets might feel some internal pressure to get it done sooner or quicker, but as long as people who are doing the actual work are engaged in a proactive and professional way the media pressure is not going to matter so much.
The only times the media pressure comes to bear it biases, prejudices or even poisons the investigation, but I’ve been involved in a number of high profile investigations as a prosecutor and I’ve not seen that happen. What happens sometimes is if there’s a lot of attention agencies put more people at it, other agencies will liaise on with them and do a helpful job. So, I can’t say I would suggest it would generally have a good effect on the investigation.
Andrew Cunanan is still one of the most discussed spree killers, because of his eccentric personality and the high profile victims he chose, such as Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and business owner Lee Miglin. To discuss the investigation on Cunanan, prosecutor Michael Band, who in 1997 was assigned to the case, accepted our proposal for an interview we are today offering our readers.
We would like to thank Michael Band for his kindness and willingness to help.
Nastro di Möbius: How was this case different from others you've investigated?
Michael Band: In many respects it was exactly the same as most cases that I’ve dealt with, the exception being the international attention that it received. That was probably the only difference involving this case.
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.
Michael Band: This is real speculation on my part, I think it was to draw attention. Cunanan was a narcissist and at that stage of his life he was no longer as attractive or appealing to men as he once was and he needed something that would elevate him, so he selected a target that would, in a weird sense, elevate him to the similar stature as Gianni Versace.
Nastro di Möbius: And what about Lee Miglin? As far as you know, did they know each other before Cunanan killed him?
Michael Band: I don’t think he knew Miglin. I think that was an unfortunate happenstance for Miglin. I have never seen evidence that linked Miglin and Cunanan.
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?
Michael Band: I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but we’ve certainly seen evidence of people where something is triggered in an individual that goes on a killing spree. Cunanan is a good example of a spree killer, where they commence homicides over a relatively short duration. And I’m not convinced he led a normal life for 27 years, I don’t think it was a particularly normal life.
Nastro di Möbius: How would you describe the house boat after you entered? Was it messy? Was it as you expected it?
Michael Band: It was kind of expected. As a prosecutor, I was the first person other than law enforcement who entered it immediately after SWAT had cleared it, the tear gas was still there. From my recollection it was dirty, in a state of disrepair, but not so messed up or anything. Cunanan was found in a bed with the sheets undone, nothing remarkable about it. I remember touring the boat to get a feel for it but I don’t remember the boat other than being in a state of disrepair and reflecting that no one had been really living in it for any extended period of time, but it wasn’t in shambles or particularly filthy or anything like that.
Nastro di Möbius: How would you describe his body after he shot himself?
Michael Band: He was leg splayed, face up, on the bed, the gun was there. He shot himself for what I recall in the head, unfortunately as a prosecutor I’ve seen my share of bodies from homicides and very few suicides, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about the body, the position or anything like that, it was kind of what one would expected.
Nastro di Möbius: There’s a pretty popular conspiracy theory in Italy recently according to which this all was staged, he was killed elsewhere and brought there. Can you rule out this idea once and for all?
Michael Band: People would believe whatever they chose to believe. From what I recall shortly before the police entered the scene there was a gunshot inside the boat. There was enormous media attention around and nobody could drag a body down the streets of Miami Beach without drawing attention. There were civilians along with police officers when the gunshot was heard, when they entered the crime scene it was very consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and there was no evidence of the body having been moved or placed there. There would have been leakage of blood or any kind of bodily fluid, but there was no evidence of that.
Any reasonable person not inclined to believe conspiracy theories would accept the fact that he killed himself on the boat surely before police went in there.
Nastro di Möbius: Have you ever heard this theory before?
Michael Band: No, it’s the first time anybody shares with me something that he was shot elsewhere and dragged over there.
Nastro di Möbius: Do you think the media pressure had an impact on the investigation? If so, a good one or a bad one?
Michael Band: I have been involved with a number of cases which had a lot of media attention either locally, statewide or national; this was obviously of international repute. The cops do a dogged work and dogged professional investigations, and in most cases the media doesn’t really affect that; the media affects the supervisors, the police chiefs, the commanders of the sections. They guys working the streets might feel some internal pressure to get it done sooner or quicker, but as long as people who are doing the actual work are engaged in a proactive and professional way the media pressure is not going to matter so much.
The only times the media pressure comes to bear it biases, prejudices or even poisons the investigation, but I’ve been involved in a number of high profile investigations as a prosecutor and I’ve not seen that happen. What happens sometimes is if there’s a lot of attention agencies put more people at it, other agencies will liaise on with them and do a helpful job. So, I can’t say I would suggest it would generally have a good effect on the investigation.
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