Andrew Phillip Cunanan

Serial Killer

Andrew Phillip Cunanan: The 1997 Cross-Country Murder Spree

Background

Andrew Phillip Cunanan was an American serial murderer whose crimes became the focus of an enormous nationwide manhunt during the spring and summer of 1997. Born on August 31, 1969, in National City, California, Cunanan grew up in the San Diego area and was remembered by acquaintances as intelligent, articulate, socially confident, and unusually concerned with wealth, status, and appearances. He attended the prestigious Bishop's School in La Jolla and later enrolled at the University of California, San Diego, although he did not graduate. As an adult, Cunanan circulated among wealthy social circles in San Diego and frequently told elaborate and sometimes contradictory stories about his background, education, family, career, and finances. Friends and investigators would later describe a pattern of exaggeration and fabrication that made reconstructing parts of his life difficult. By early 1997, his circumstances were changing. Relationships that had helped support his expensive lifestyle had ended, and people who knew him reported noticeable changes in his behavior. In April 1997, Cunanan left California and flew to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Within days, the first of five men associated with his name would be dead. The killings ultimately stretched through Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey, and Florida and culminated in the highly publicized murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.

The Murder of Jeffrey Trail

Cunanan's first known victim was Jeffrey Allen Trail, a 28-year-old former United States Navy officer who had known Cunanan in California. Trail had later moved to Minneapolis, where he worked for a gas company. Cunanan also knew Minneapolis architect David Madson, with whom he had previously been romantically involved. On the evening of April 27, 1997, Trail went to Madson's Minneapolis loft apartment after Cunanan contacted him. What happened immediately before the attack has never been completely established. Investigators determined that Trail was struck repeatedly with a claw hammer and killed inside the apartment. The violence was severe, and Trail's body was subsequently wrapped in a rug and left behind a sofa. Trail's body was not discovered until April 29, when people became concerned after Madson failed to appear at work. Evidence inside the apartment quickly connected Cunanan to the scene. Police initially had to consider Madson's possible involvement because he was missing and the murder had occurred in his apartment, but investigators soon learned that Cunanan and Madson had left Minneapolis together. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Jeffrey Trail Age: (28), Date of Death: 1997-04-27

Andrew Cunanan - Wikipedia