The world of fashion design has been rocked by the murder of 5 renowned fashion designers in recent years. While you may have heard of some high-profile cases, there are many more whose stories remain unknown. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the untold stories behind these tragic murders – inspiring us all to pay tribute to those who lost their life far too soon.
Table Of Contents
- Lee Miglin
- David Madson
- Jeffrey Trail
- William Reese
- Gianni Versace
Which fashion designers was murdered
1. Lee Miglin
On May 3, Cunanan drove to Chicago, Illinois, and killed 72-year-old Lee Miglin, a prominent real estate developer. He bound Miglin’s hands and feet and wrapped his head with duct tape, then stabbed Miglin more than twenty times with a screwdriver, slit his throat with a hacksaw, and stole his car. Miglin’s family maintain that the killing was random, but former FBI agent Gregg McCrary argues it is unlikely that Cunanan would have bound and tortured Miglin without some motive. Investigators noted Miglin’s 1994 green Lexus LS sedan was missing from his garage and found Madson’s red Jeep parked on the street near Miglin’s house. Miglin’s Lexus was equipped with a car phone, which, according to records, was activated on May 4 in Union County, Pennsylvania. Authorities began monitoring the phone’s activity and found it was also activated on May 8 in Philadelphia and on May 9 near Penns Grove and Carneys Point Township, New Jersey.
2. David Madson
Madson, 33, was Cunanan’s second victim. Authorities believe Madson remained in his apartment with Cunanan two days after Trail’s murder, as one neighbor witnessed both men in the apartment elevator on April 28, and another neighbor witnessed the pair walking Madson’s dog on April 29.Investigators then treated Madson as a suspect in Trail’s murder, but Madson’s family insisted he was held hostage by Cunanan. On May 2, Madson and Cunanan were seen north of Minneapolis, driving in Madson’s Jeep and eating lunch together in a bar. The following morning, Madson’s body was found on the east shore of Rush Lake near Rush City, Minnesota, with gunshot wounds to the head and back from a .40-caliber Taurus PT100 semi-automatic pistol Cunanan had taken from Trail’s home
3. Jeffrey Trail
Cunanan’s killing spree began on April 26, 1997, in Minneapolis, with the death of his acquaintance, 28-year-old Jeffrey Trail. Cunanan snatched Trail’s pistol and carried it to David Madson’s loft apartment after a previous fight in Trail’s flat. Cunanan summoned Trail from Madson’s residence to get his pistol. Cunanan arrived and beat Trail to death in front of Madson with a hammer. Concerned about Madson’s absence from work, one of his employees paid a visit to his flat on April 29. Trail’s corpse was discovered wrapped on a rug and hidden beneath a sofa. Trail’s watch had stopped at 9:55 p.m., which officials think was the time of the murder.
4. William Reese
William Reese was a 45-year-old cemetery caretaker who was shot and killed by Andrew Cunanan in Pennsville Township, New Jersey on May 9. Authorities believe Cunanan murdered Reese for his 1995 red Chevrolet pickup truck, which he used to drive to Florida and stay at the Normandy Plaza Hotel. He was listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and hid in plain sight for two months, using his own name to pawn a stolen item on July 7. On July 14, he checked out of his hotel without paying for his last night there.
5. Gianni” Versace
Giovanni Maria “Gianni” Versace (2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman.He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings and clothes. As a friend of Eric Clapton, Princess Diana, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Madonna, Elton John, Tupac Shakur and many other celebrities, he was one of the first designers to link fashion to the music world. He and his partner Antonio D’Amico were regulars on the international party scene. The place where he was born and raised, Reggio di Calabria, greatly influenced his career.
