Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31, 1969 – July 23, 1997) was an American spree killer responsible for five murders between April 27 and July 15, 1997. Among those killed were Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, Cunanan’s former boyfriend David Madson, and his friend Jeffrey Trail. He died by suicide on July 23, 1997, eight days after killing Versace. Whether he qualifies as a serial killer or a spree killer is debated; the FBI and other sources classify him as a serial killer.

Cunanan was the youngest of four children, born in National City, California, to Modesto “Pete” Dungao Cunanan and Mary Anne Schillaci. His father was serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War at the time of his birth and later became a stockbroker after leaving the service as a chief petty officer. Growing up in National City, Cunanan attended Bonita Vista Middle School. In 1981, his father enrolled him at The Bishop’s School, an independent day school in La Jolla, where he met his lifelong best friend, Elizabeth “Liz” Cote. Classmates remembered him as bright and extremely talkative, with an IQ of 147. As a teenager, he gained a reputation for compulsive lying, inventing stories such as his mother being Jewish or his father being Filipino royalty and a general under Ferdinand Marcos. He frequently altered his appearance to match what he thought was most attractive. He identified as gay in high school and began relationships with wealthy older men. His classmates voted him “Most Likely Not to Be Forgotten” (sometimes reported as “Most Likely to Be Remembered”).

After graduating high school in 1987, Cunanan enrolled at UC San Diego, majoring in American history. There he adopted the surname DeSilva to distance himself from his Filipino heritage and claim Portuguese ancestry. He also fabricated a more elaborate backstory, often saying his father was an Israeli millionaire, that he was disowned after coming out, and that he had been married to a “Jewish princess.” In 1988, when he was 19, his father abandoned the family and moved to the Philippines to avoid arrest for embezzlement, remarrying there. That same year, Cunanan’s mother, a devout Catholic, learned of his sexuality. During an argument, he threw her against a wall, dislocating her shoulder. He dropped out of UC San Diego in 1989 and moved to San Francisco’s Castro District, a gay cultural hub, living with Cote and her boyfriend, Phil Merrill.

In San Francisco, Cunanan continued cultivating relationships with wealthy older men and reportedly began making violent pornography. He also socialized in San Diego’s Hillcrest and La Jolla neighborhoods, as well as in Scottsdale, Arizona, apparently living off the generosity of various wealthy patrons. He is believed to have dealt drugs, including prescription opioids, cocaine, and marijuana. He allegedly first met Gianni Versace in San Francisco in October 1990, when Versace was in town for a costume recognition at the San Francisco Opera; the meeting may have occurred at the nightclub 1015 Folsom. Versace’s family has always denied they ever met. In December 1995, Cunanan met Minneapolis architect David Madson at a San Francisco bar. They began a long-distance relationship, but Madson ended it in spring 1996, telling friends he sensed something “shady” about Cunanan. Cunanan described Madson as the “love of [his] life.” In September 1996, Cunanan broke up with Norman Blachford, a wealthy older man who had been supporting him. He soon maxed out his credit cards. His close friend Jeffrey Trail, a former Naval officer working as a district manager for a propane company in Minneapolis, told his former roommate that Cunanan had resumed selling drugs and was regularly using them, especially methamphetamine. By April 1997, friends noted Cunanan was abusing painkillers and drinking heavily. That month, he told friends he was leaving San Diego for Minneapolis to “take care of some business matters” with Trail, who had recently distanced himself. Trail expected Cunanan to return to San Francisco afterward but told his sister he “did not want Andrew to come.” A week before his death, Trail told his former roommate he had a “huge falling out” with Cunanan and said, “I made a lot of enemies this weekend … I’ve got to get out of here. They’re going to kill me.”

On April 24, Cunanan attended a going-away party at Hillcrest’s California Cuisine with four friends—a rare occasion when he didn’t pay the bill. He had reached his credit limits and needed an extension to afford his plane ticket to Minneapolis. Arriving the next day, he stayed with Madson in Madson’s apartment. That night, they dined at Nye’s Restaurant and visited The Gay 90’s nightclub. On April 26, Cunanan stayed in Trail’s apartment while Trail was out.