Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31, 1969 – July 23, 1997) was an American killer who took five lives over a three-month span in 1997. Among those he killed were Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, his former boyfriend David Madson, and his friend Jeffrey Trail. He died by suicide on July 23, 1997, eight days after Versace’s murder. Whether Cunanan should be called a serial killer or a spree killer is debated, though the FBI and other sources classify him as a serial killer.

Early life and education

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 Navy during the Vietnam War at the time of his birth and later worked as 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 talkative, with an IQ of 147. As a teenager, he gained a reputation for lying, claiming his mother was Jewish or that his father was Filipino royalty and a general under Ferdinand Marcos.

He frequently changed 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 in 1987, he enrolled at UC San Diego, majoring in American history.

There, he started using the surname DeSilva to distance himself from his Filipino heritage and claim Portuguese roots, often saying his father was an Israeli millionaire, that he had been disowned after coming out, and that he had been married to a “Jewish princess.” In 1988, when he was 19, his father fled to the Philippines to avoid arrest for embezzlement, abandoning the family. 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. In 1989, he dropped out of UC San Diego and moved to San Francisco’s Castro District, living with Cote and her boyfriend.

Adult life

In San Francisco, Cunanan continued befriending 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 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; Versace’s family has always denied they ever met.

In December 1995, Cunanan met Minneapolis architect David Madson at a San Francisco bar, and they began a long-distance relationship that Madson ended in spring 1996, telling friends he sensed something “shady” about Cunanan. Cunanan called Madson the “love of [his] life.” In September 1996, Cunanan broke up with Norman Blachford, a wealthy older man who had supported him, and soon maxed out his credit cards. His close friend Jeffrey Trail, a former Naval officer working as a district manager in Minneapolis, told his former roommate that Cunanan had resumed selling drugs, and Cunanan regularly used drugs, especially methamphetamine.

By April 1997, friends noted he was abusing painkillers and drinking heavily. Later that month, he said 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 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.”

Jeffrey Trail

On April 24, Cunanan and four friends attended a going-away party at Hillcrest’s California Cuisine, a rare occasion when he did not pay the bill. He had hit the credit limit on both his cards and had to ask for an extension to afford his plane ticket to Minneapolis.

Arriving the next day, he stayed with Madson, a mutual friend of his and Trail’s, at Madson’s apartment. That night, Cunanan and Madson 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 of town.