Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Andrew Cunanan killed fashion designer Gianni Versace in his mansion on the Miami beach on July 15, 1997. The Italian designer was returning to his Miami beach mansion, the Casa Casuarina, a 10-bedroom Ocean Drive Mansion where he had lived for five years. CBS News reported that he was approached by Cunanan, who then gunned him down.
Per Independent, Versace was rushed to the hospital by Antonio D’Amico, his boyfriend at the time. Antonio reportedly found him lying on the front steps of the mansion. He was then pronounced dead at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was 50 at the time of his death. Elton John, Madonna, and Princess Diana were among Versace’s clients during his prime. He was one of the most sought-after designers in the world.
Andrew Cunanan was a serial killer who was already on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List at the time when he murdered Gianni Versace. He was reportedly a male prostitute and was 27 years old at the time. He was suspected of four other killings in Minneapolis, Chicago, and South Beach over an 11-week cross-country killing spree.
Cunanan was reportedly wearing a baseball cap, shorts, and a rucksack when he shot Versace and walked away calmly. His motive behind killing Versace, however, remains unclear even today. He reportedly killed himself with a pistol only eight days after Gianni Versace’s death. He was found dead in a houseboat nearly three miles away from Versace’s mansion, according to the Independent.
What did Gianni Versace’s autopsy reveal?
Gianni Versace’s autopsy revealed that he was shot twice with .40 caliber bullets. One of the bullets went through his left cheek, which may have been shot from close range. The gun was probably pressed against his cheek. Burn marks and traces of gunpowder were reported to be found on Versace’s skin, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The designer also likely looked at Andrew Cunanan before he was shot. Initially, the hospital staff believed Versace was shot both times in the back of the head. However, it was later found out that Gianni Versace was shot once close to his mouth, to the left of his nose.
On December 30, 1997, CNN reported that the Miami Beach police released hundreds of documents related to the investigation of Gianni Versace’s murder. However, the autopsy pictures were deliberately withheld after the victim’s family requested privacy. Even with the police declaring that it was Andrew Cunanan who killed him, no clear motive was ever established. Suspicions of Versace and Cunanan having met before and possibly being in a relationship have been brought up over the years. However, nothing has been proven.
“The Death of Gianni Versace” is an episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered that will be aired on Oxygen on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET. It will revolve around the murder of the famed Italian designer and the impact it had on the fashion world.
