Defending America's Most Evil Serial Killer | John Wayne Gacy's Defense Lawyer

Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

Karen Conti is one of Chicago’s most prominent lawyers and legal analysts.

For 37 years. she has actively litigated cases across the country, tried jury trials, and handled appeals in a variety of different practice areas. She has handled numerous high-profile and noteworthy cases across the country, including a First Amendment appeal before the U. S. Supreme Court.

She is a dynamic speaker, writer, and media personality with over 30 years of experience in national and local radio and television. For 30 years, she has hosted award-winning radio shows in Chicago, and is the host of a popular weekly broadcast, “The Karen Conti Show”.

Listeners can learn more about Karen Conti at her website, and on X @Kcontilaw

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, is joined by renowned attorney Karen Conti to discuss her career and her controversial defense of notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy. Karen shares her journey to becoming a lawyer, the reasons she wanted to fight for Gacy, the legal challenges she faced, along with the public’s reaction.

Without a doubt, Karen gives perspectives on what is necessary for the legal system to properly function.

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum
• (0:30) Sheryl introduces guest, Karen Conti to the listeners
• (2:30) Karen's initial thoughts on Gacy's case
• (3:30) Who was John Wayne Gacy
• (7:00) The legal challenges in defending Gacy
• (8:30) The role of a defense attorney in the eyes of the system
• (11:55) Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy: Defending America's Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row
• (16:00) Karen's reflects on what Gacy was like
• (18:40) The legal challenges in defending Gacy
• (20:00) Karen's personal and professional impact from the case
• (22:00) “As a lawyer, you get identified with your client, whether you like it or not.”
• (26:20) The possibility of other victims
• (31:20) Karen speaks on her varied career
• (35:20) Final thoughts on the justice system and advocacy
• (38:35) “He was basically your guy next door. He was very well-liked and respected. People think of John Gacy as this big, evil, mean person that had this scary persona. But it wasn't like that at all.” -M.A
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

Social Links:

• Email: [e-mail]
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

• Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

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