Andrew Cunanan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Andrew Cunanan was the youngest of four children, born August 31, 1969, in National City, California, to Modesto Cunanan, a U.S. Navy veteran serving in the Vietnam War at the time, later a stockbroker, and Mary Anne Schillaci. He attended The Bishop's School in La Jolla, where he was remembered as bright and very talkative, testing with an IQ of 147. As a teenager, he developed a reputation as a prolific liar, claiming his mother was Jewish or that his father belonged to 'Filipino royalty' and served as a general under Ferdinand Marcos. He identified as gay in high school, when he began having liaisons with wealthy older men. He was voted 'Most Likely Not to Be Forgotten' by his classmates. After graduating in 1987, he enrolled at UC San Diego, majoring in American history, but dropped out in 1989 and moved to San Francisco's Castro District. In San Francisco, Cunanan continued befriending wealthy older men, reportedly began creating violent pornography, and is believed to have dealt drugs including prescription opioids, cocaine, and marijuana. He allegedly first met Gianni Versace in San Francisco in October 1990, possibly at the nightclub 1015 Folsom, though Versace's family has always denied the two men ever met. In December 1995, he met David Madson, a Minneapolis architect, in a San Francisco bar; they began a long-distance relationship that Madson ended in spring 1996, telling friends he sensed something 'shady' about Cunanan. By April 1997, friends reported Cunanan was abusing painkillers and drinking alcohol 'like there was no tomorrow.' He left San Diego for Minneapolis, telling friends he needed to 'take care of some business matters' with friend Jeffrey Trail, who had recently distanced himself from Cunanan. Cunanan's murders began on April 27, 1997, with the killing of Jeffrey Trail in Minneapolis, beating him to death with a hammer in front of David Madson. Trail's watch had stopped at 9:55 p.m., believed by authorities to be the time of the killing. David Madson was killed on May 2, found with gunshot wounds to the head and back from a .40-caliber Taurus PT100 semi-automatic pistol Cunanan had taken from Trail's home. On May 3, Cunanan killed Lee Miglin in Chicago, binding his hands and feet, wrapping his head with duct tape, stabbing him more than twenty times with a screwdriver, and slitting his throat with a hacksaw. On May 9, he killed cemetery caretaker William Reese in Pennsville Township, New Jersey, shooting him in the head with the same Taurus pistol, and stole his 1995 red Chevrolet pickup truck. Cunanan then murdered Gianni Versace on July 15, 1997, in Miami Beach, Florida. He killed himself on July 23, 1997, eight days after Versace's murder.

Reader's Guide

Andrew Cunanan's significance lies in the high-profile nature of his victims, particularly Gianni Versace and Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, and the intense nationwide manhunt that followed his three-month spree. The case highlighted issues of class and sexuality, as Cunanan moved through gay social circles and targeted wealthy older men. The dispute over whether he was a serial killer or spree killer reflects differing definitions: multiple sources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, list him as a serial killer, but the compressed timeframe of his murders (three months from April 27 to July 15, 1997) fits the spree killer category. His ability to evade capture for months, despite being listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 12, 1997, raised questions about law enforcement coordination; he 'hid in plain sight' for two months in Miami Beach, using his own name to pawn a stolen item on July 7. Cunanan's background—a bright, charismatic liar from a middle-class family who descended into drug abuse and murder—has been analyzed in books and films. His legacy remains tied to the sensational nature of his crimes and the unresolved questions about his motives, particularly in the Miglin murder, which his family maintains was random, though former FBI agent Gregg McCrary argues it is unlikely Cunanan would have bound and tortured Miglin without some motive.

Did You Know?

• Cunanan tested with an IQ of 147 while at The Bishop's School.
• He was voted 'Most Likely Not to Be Forgotten' by his high school classmates.
• Cunanan used the surname DeSilva to disassociate himself from his Filipino heritage and present a Portuguese origin.
• He killed himself on July 23, 1997, eight days after murdering Gianni Versace.
• Cunanan used his own name to pawn a stolen item on July 7, 1997, despite knowing police routinely reviewed pawn shop records.