The Life and Death and Crime Scene of Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy on the 2ND December 1946, he lived with his father and mother, his older brother Santo, and his younger sister Donatella. Gianni's Mother Francesca, was a dressmaker and so from a young age Gianni would help his Mother find precious stones and gold braid to embroider dresses, he originally studied Architecture, but moved to Malan when he was 26 to work in fashion design.

In 1975 when Gianni was 29yrs old, he was head hunted by Genny and Callaghan, and they hired him to design their leather and suede collections, and a few years later after his recent success he presented his first signature collection for woman at the Palazzo della Permanente Art Museum of Milan, and in the September of the same year his mens collection came out too, In 1979 he opened his first boutique in Milan's Via della Spiga, Gianni Versace was influenced by Andy Warhol, Greek and Ancient Rome art and abstract art. Gianni went on to be one of the most famous fashion designer's in the world, also the founder of international fashion house Gianni Vesace S.P.A, which produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, and home furnishings. he also designed costumes for many theatre productions and films. Gianni Versace was openly gay, he met his partner Antonio D'Amico in 1982, they were together until Gianni sadly died and were regularly seen on the international party scene, Antonio was originally a model when he met Gianni, but went on to be a designer in Versace's company, Gianni had a string of Celebrity friends such as Elton John, Princess Diana and Madonna.

The Death Of Gianni Versace

Versace's killer was 28yr old Andrew Cunanan, Andrew believed he had contracted AIDS, he went for a blood test early 1997 but could not bring himself to collect the results, as he had already convinced himself he had contracted the disease, soon after his friends began to notice changes in him, he had become paranoid and depressed because he assumed he had AIDS. His depression worsened when he began to suspect that two of his ex lovers, David Madson andJeffrey Trail were seeing each other behind his back, this made Andrew extremely Jealous. In a attempt to show Andrew nothing was going on, David Madison flew Andrew over to his apartment in Minneapolis to talk the matter over withboth himself and Jeffrey, The meeting took place on the 27th April 1997 at David Madison's Apartment, but things didn't go according to plan when Andrew Cunanan grabbed a meat mallet from the kitchen door and smashed Jeffrey Trails skull in with it. Bizarrely David then helped Andrew roll up the body in a rug before both going on the run together. But several days later Andrew shot David in the head and left him in a roadside ditch. It was obvious Andrew wanted to be caught as he made no effort to cover his tracks and even left photographs of himself in David Madison's Jeep when he abandoned it after the murders. After abandoning David's jeep he walked a few blocks and approached 72yr old property developer Lee Miglin, he held him at gunpoint and bound and gagged him with duct tape, then apparently recreating a scene from a film called 'Target for Torture' he beat and kicked Lee Miglin, stabbed him with pruning shears and slowly sawed the old mans throat open with a hacksaw. then drove over his body several times with Lee's own car before driving off.

Realising they had a dangerous serial killer on the loose, the FBI became involved, and placed Andrew Cunanan on the top of the ten most wanted list, it was surprising Andrew wasn't caught sooner as he certainly wasn't making any effort to avoid detection, and he drove Lee Miglin's blood splattered Lexus all the way to New Jersey before he abandoned it and got a different vehicle. Andrew Cunanan left the Lexus at a cemetery, and then approached a 45yr old man named William Reece, he asked him for a aspirin and a glass of water and then followed William into his Lodge, Andrew then shot William dead and stole his pick up truck and drove to Florida. It seems certain that Andrew pre planned his killing of Gianni Versace.

Gianni Versace was 50yrs old and at the top of his profession, it was later discovered that some years before, Gianni had met Andrew Cunanan at a party in San Fransisco, speculation was that the gay fashion Designer and Andrew had been lovers, but their was never any evidence to back this up, and the Murder didn't seem to be a crime of passion, for two months Andrew Cunanan openly walked around Miami, keeping a eye on Gianni's favourite clubs and restaurants, the fact Andrew wasn't caught by the Miami police was a complete embarrassment to them especially considering the abandoned pick up truck was found in Miami and so the police knew he was at large there. On the Morning of 15th July 1997, Andrew Cunanan finally caught site of Gianni Versace outside his Miami Mansion after having gone to collect his papers and magazines, and as the designer went to open the gates to his Mansion, Andrew creeped up behind him and shot him twice in the back of the head, Gianni was rushed to hospital but sadly died. Hundreds of Law enforcement officers and FBI Agent's hunted for him in the city, and eight days later Andrew Cunanan was found hiding in a luxury Houseboat by the vessel's caretaker. Before the Police could catch him he took his own life by shooting himself in the head. Many Pschiatrists believe that Andrew Cunanan went on his killing spree because he was angry that he had contracted Aids and felt he had nothing left to loose. However when a AIDS test was carried out upon his autopsy, it proved Negative, maybe none of it would have ever happened if he had just gone and got the results of his blood test results earlier that year.

In September 1997, it was announced Versace's brother Santo would serve as the new CEO of Gianni Versace S.p.A, and his sister Donatella became the new head of Design, Gianni's life partner Antonio D'Amico was left a pension of 50 million and access to any of his property's in his will, and he left 50 percent of his fashion empire to his niece Allegra Versace, daughter of Donatella, Allegra inherited the stake worth around half a billion dollars when she turned eighteen in 2004.