At discreet private parties, attended by very wealthy men of a generation and prominence that keeps them in the closet, Andrew Cunanan was a regular, wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer. 24-hour-a-day updates in the Today's Top News section. Norman Blachford (played by Michael Nouri) is the man Andrew Cunanan was rumored to be dating before he killed his first victims, Jeffrey Trail and David Madson. He has Italian movie star looks. Norman was alone and very eligible, wrote Orth. It's like a midlife crisis thing for gay men.". ", Records show that Blachford owns two residences in La Jolla, one at 100 Coast Boulevard, valued at $922,000 and which Cunanan once listed as his address, and the other, valued at about $1.3 million, on Pepita Way. Cunanan had another Twin Cities connection; a lover, architect David Madson, lived in a downtown loft there. According to testimony by James Michael Hays, who on the night of the murder had accompanied the architect to the Hillcrest bar called the Caliph, Aston was looking for sex. Defense attorney: Were you paying Mr. Aston any rent? I haven't talked to David since I got back from a trip this week, so I don't know for sure, but I never heard his name, discussed him with David, or saw him at any of David's parties.". This was not the natural habitat of the aspiring socialite, but in one important respect, Cunanan was well-suited for a life on the lam. Blachford owned a sound-insulation company specifically for cars in film. The cell phone, however, was ripped out. He seemed addicted to the high life and allergic to real work. But on the streets of Washington and in gay neighborhoods around the nation, the sugar daddy scene is no joke. Owner Jean Rosen pegged Cunanan and Madson out of a photo lineup. I'm not a stupid guy. He stayed in San Diego until April, when he left for Minneapolis to visit Madson and Trail. Blachford and Cunanan got to talking, and their relationship gradually started. Juno Temple thinks Keeley Jones would make a pretty good boss. Andrew Cunanan's relationship with Norman Blachford is The Asassination Of Gianni Versace's next focus, in the Feb. 28 episode, titled "Descent." For those fans wondering what the show would be . Theres nothing sexual between us") but it later becomes evident that their arrangement is much more involved. Norman Blachford was born on August 30 1921. Cunanan was known for being a cerebral and exciting bon vivant. The vehicle was gone. "How can AIDS keep happening to young gay men when the older gay men have been through this and learned?" The company was so successful that it even won an Oscar for technical achievement. Stiff says he never met Cunanan and doesn't believe David Copley ever did either. He says he makes about $100 a night in tips, mostly from older customers. "Strictly as a hunch," he reportedly said. The couple would be shocked later to find their tag--SKW 623--on national television, fastened to a red pickup parked in a Florida garage. Defense attorney: Mr. Aston was 60 years old? Here's what to know, Adults with autism say they always felt 'different' growing up. Though Cunanan denied having sex with Blachford, another friend, Robbins Thompson, told Orth he believed they were sexually intimate. Lifetime Movies Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill Cast, Plot, & Release Date. She. He apparently high-tailed it to Miami Beach, where Versace was king of the gay-trendy-fashion Art Deco zone. "There's a huge divide between one generation of gay men and the next. Fishermen discovered the body near Jeep tracks in the grass. He married Irene Smith November 21, 1943. There was a brief time between 1994 and 1996 when Andrew Cunanan was living the gilded life of luxury he had long envisioned for himself. A thick-set, glowering macho guy. Gay culture, like straight, worships youth. Along the way, gay relationships have come to mirror heterosexual relationships in their language, goals and structure. The Real Story Behind Norman Blachford and Andrew Cunanan's Relationship, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Certainly it was widely noticed that he was consuming them. The sugar daddy and the houseboy, the older gay man and his baby-faced companion, is a gay paradigm that traces back centuries. I dont remember them all." (The book, written by Vanity Fair investigative journalist Maureen Orth, has served as the source material for the TV series.). Theres a fifth man in the photo, too. "There's always going to be a small segment of the population -- gay or straight -- who are interested in much younger partners," says Kevin Neil, director of Metro Teen AIDS, a Southeast Washington service center for young people suffering from the disease. . Blachford refused to fulfill Cunanans requests. Its their big hometown story, but all they are using is wire copy. (Cunanan did, in fact, flee to Miami, where he later killed Gianni Versace.) The next day, he saw Cunanans debut on Americas Most Wanted and recognized the face on his television screen. InsidePhilanthropy.com suggests that Blachford and the aforementioned Cooper established a charity, The Blachford-Cooper Foundation, in 2000. The difference for me is that I went to college, to Columbia. As the death toll mounted, Cunanan supped in a construction workers bar near a rural Midwest lake and at a pizza parlor by the Atlantic shore. He has not spoken to the media regarding Cunanan or their involvement. There was one man, Norman Blachford, a 60-something San Diego businessman who paid him $2,500 a month, presented him with a new car, a dark green Infiniti J30, even treated him to vacations in France. And Cunanan, having miscalculated, finds himself in free fall. Rather, they liked to tell themselves, they were passing the time pleasantly with a charming, good-looking young man whom they rewarded with gifts and money. "I've studied a lot of these hustlers, and they always are saying they're going to go to college, they're going to have a profession," Suraci says. The coarse intruder who left a hambone and a partially eaten apple in Lee Miglins kitchen had transformed into a neat freak who left the housekeepers feeling useless. Eventually, Cunanan convinced Blachford to relocate to La Jolla. One very nervous man insisted to gay activists that Cunanan admitted his identity, said he needed to pick up cash hustling and then meant to head for Canada. A new character introduced this week will complicate things even further. A day or two later, Scott Watts noticed his South Carolina license plate had vanished, probably while his wife was shopping. Sugar daddies come in all sexual orientations, of course. And Cunanan? Photo: FX How did Andrew Cunanan and David Madson. If you've been watching .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, you've witnessed serial killer Andrew Cunanan's history of dysfunctional relationshipsboth romantic and otherwise. In reality, all the details of their partnership remain murky, but you can make your own speculation based on what's been reported about the two below. Descent provides a snapshot of Cunanan at the moment he should have been satisfied. When they returned, Jeff had really had it with Andrew: his flamboyancy, his loudness, Williams said. In this week's The Assassination of Gianni Versace, we'll meet the wealthy older man that wooed Versace's killer. But was the character created for the FX series or did Andrew Cunanan really live with a Norman? Aston, a wealthy architect who drove a black Mark V Lincoln Continental and had interests in Texas oil, had lived in La Jolla for years and had close ties with many in the local establishment. By this time, the FBI was staking out his usual haunts, white-table clubs like the Townhouse and Regents, both on the East Side. He had found Blachford, a man who reportedly provided him a monthly allowance of $2,500; a brand-new Infiniti; trips to New York to see Broadway shows; international vacations; access to credit cards; and a front-row seat in his high-society circle. Curated stories, fun places to hang out and top events. Is DWTS Contestant Milo Manheim Related to the Kardashians? Andrew Cunanan's connections to La Jolla society, including his links to Blachford and Aston, have been widely reported in many of Americas most prestigious newspapers, including the Arizona Republic, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and their reports have been picked up by the major wire services. How old are you? The duo are also relatively active on the social scene in La Jolla, appearing together at a number of philanthropy and high-society events. Burial was made in the cemetery at Orient. Records show that in 1995, Aston sold the house to a third man, who sold it a year later to Blachford. A new character introduced this week will complicate things even further. And I agreed with him and said that the best way to handle Lincoln was to be honest with Lincoln. Although Cunanan did not kill Blachford, he still is an essential part of the story. However, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story shows the events that may have led to Cunanans murder spree. Despite the revolution in gay relationships, plenty of young men remain willing, even eager, to attach themselves to older men with money. Lee Miglins body was discovered May 4 in his garage. Whereas his dad flees to Manila and restarts, Andrew has nowhere left to go . If an older man was interested in orchids, "Cunanan would go out and buy every book available on orchids and plants and soon he would be talking about the subject as if he had studied it all of his life. But those close to Cunanan knew he was living with Blachford. By this time, Trail was brooding. Loma areas lack sidewalks and Burlingame exults in them. Its called crime passionel. Hes the person responsible for the birthday partys stunning location, and Cunanan's lavish lifestyle. Prosecutor: Now, the Caliph is the Caliphwhat type of establishment? "It fulfills a void -- loneliness, I guess," Conley says of hooking up with and supporting a younger man. FACT CHECK: Dave Ramsey Made a Statement About America Online, FACT CHECK: CIA Director Gina Haspel Found Dead, FACT CHECK: Kwik Trip Launches Kwik Strip Gentlemens Clubs, Why Did Andrew Cunanan Kill Gianni Versace? As homosexuality has won wider acceptance in American society, gay relationships have come to mirror most heterosexual relationships: a union of social and economic equals. Is The Diplomat Returning for a Season 2? asks the 38-year-old manager, who asked not to be named. Tony Perry is the former San Diego bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times. "Because of the nature of finding gay partners, older, established men often took up with unresponsive, sometimes homicidal proletarian gay youth.". "You can work those men right out of their jeans. A red line was marked from the north end of the Loop to a neighborhood with many gay bars. He was the last person who would harm anyone. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. Wilmer Valderramas Net Worth in 2018: How Rich Is Demi Lovatos Ex-Boyfriend. Unlike many of the kept young men who come to big cities with confused sexuality and nothing to sell but their bodies, Cunanan, according to friends and acquaintances, was a multilingual sophisticate who knew exactly which older men he wanted to meet. The barkeep says he spurned the offer. In the book, Orth explained why they gravitated towards each other. Ron lives in a Dupont Circle apartment decorated with posters of crouching naked men holding chains. Did Cunanan methodically plan his crimes and route, or career from scene to scene, taking chances as they came? "When he moved in with Norman, he basically knew he was going in there on a strictly financial basisthey [Cunanan and Blachford] were both clear-thinking guys, and they knew what was going on," one of Cunanan's close friends reportedly told Orth. Coincidentally, Blachford was one of the guests. Jeff and David took advantage of Andrew's kindness. Defense attorney: The nature of your relationship with him was one of prostitution, is that right? Was he tortured to reveal where he kept his cache? It's one of the hardest-type cases to treat. He was given an allowance and traveling to the South of France. However, Cunanan was also dating others while he was with Blachford. 3) Where he ate: A regular at Cozzolis Pizzaria. Interviewed by phone this week. "He would not approach customers," says Fred Schnell, manager of one of Cunanan's favorite haunts, the Caliph, a piano bar frequented by rich older gay men. In Washington, sugar daddies often find mates at bars in Georgetown or on 17th Street NW rather than in the more competitive and raunchy confines of the gay club strip around Half Street SW. "You go to places where there is money," says Ron, 40, a formerly kept man who now frequents the city's bars. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. ", But the younger partner "is generally very narcissistic. He ended up in a multi-million-dollar condo in La Jollathis beautiful paradise. (Cunanan did, in fact, flee to Miami, where he later killed Gianni Versace.) The extravagant purchase made Cunanans friends suspicious of the nature of his relationship with Blachford. "Because I want to be in control of my life. Why they say getting the diagnosis later in life was a 'relief. Before murdering five people, including Gianni Versace, he was in a relationship with various rich, older guys. Hays: Lincoln excused himself to go to the restroom at one point, and this guy that said his name was Kevin turned and said something to the effect that Lincoln was very aggressive. Gianni and Donatella Versace in New York City. Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents. If an older guy meets somebody, and they're what he wants, he's gonna try to take care of them. Another friend of Cunanan's claims that the master bedroom the two shared had twin beds in it, and that Cunanan insisted their relationship was nonsexual: "He doesn't expect that, he doesn't want that," Cunanan reportedly told his friend Shane O'Brien. Or did he stay in Miami Beach the whole time? Andrew Phillip Cunanan roamed Miami Beach months before killing designer Gianni Versace, authorities say, living first in a hotel that he left just days before the Versace murder, then hiding out in a houseboat where his body was found. Blachford was just one of those men, and clearly one of the most important, if only because he was the last man Cunanan was with before his killing spree. In fact, he was supported by rich older men. virus in the second episode of. Nobody will be able to ask him, said Stanley Trail, an Illinois professor who is the father of Jeffrey Trail, believed to be Cunanans first victim. But after watching H, This story contains spoilers for Prime Videos Swarm. I don't have to have someone to take care of me. A witness saw someone sleeping in the Jeep on the street where it was later found, Chicago police say. When the couple returned from their vacation in 1996, Cunanan threatened to leave Blachford if he did not buy him a $125,000 Mercedes convertible; fly him first-class; raise his allowance; and write him into Blachfords will. Money becomes such an aphrodisiac to them. View all 20 photos and documents. He was extended enough credit to travel round trip, according to Minneapolis homicide investigators. The Washington Post reports that Blachford financed Cunanan on an allowance of $2,500 a month including a 1996 Infiniti I30T, frequent trips to New York City to see Broadway shows, and vacations in Paris and the south of France. His friend Norman Blachford was mentioned in a May, 1996 Burl Stiff column. Staff writers Alona Wartofsky and Tamara Jones in Washington and special correspondents Devon Spurgeon in New York, Sharon Waxman in Los Angeles and Fernando Romero in San Diego contributed to this report. He told his new friends, Cunanan met Blachford, a 58-year-old businessman based in Phoenix, at a party. Blachford handled Cunanan's credit cards on top of giving him a monthly stipend of $2.5k. How did he arrive at that particular spot? . . His social life was filled with expensive dinner parties with groups of young men, financed by credit cards and cash provided by his older acquaintances.. In. Versace. To pay for this house, Cunanan went back to his old lifestyle of selling drugs, as he was a frequent user. He had put on some pounds. In between visits, Cunanan continued to deal drugs, date men, and socialize. It's a place where older men feel comfortable approaching men half their age. ', 3 dream interpretation tips, from a psychotherapist, Mental health of LGBTQ youth worsening in current 'hostile political climate', Self-care tips for irritable bowel syndrome. morning's Washington Post. Maureen Orth posits in her book that Blachford was aware Cunanan was with him for financial security and went so far as to recommend he go back to school. The preppy gigolo -- son of a stockbroker, graduate of an elite school -- supported himself by moving among affluent men who had convinced themselves that they were not paying for sex. Norman L. Blachford was born August 30, 1921, on a farm near Orient where he grew up. The younger man moved into a modest garden apartment with a platonic friend, a waiter. But the kept-boy pattern persists in two ways, Harris says. Madson seemed jumpy. 3100 Front Street. Norman Blachford was 58 when he met Andrew Cunanan. All National stories from "I was raised from a good family. T&C was unable to reach Mr. Blachford for comment. 8) Where Versace last strolled: News Cafe, where he had bought newspaper just before he was killed. ", "Younger guys are interested in older guys because of intelligence, and a lot of times older guys are more mellow about things," says the Townhouse coat check man, Duane Bousfield, 37. When the 27-year-old fugitive took his life in a houseboat moored at Miami Beach, he took with him the best chance that a cross-country string of murders will ever be explained. I think its wrong to think of him as the Talented Mr. Ripley, [the cutthroat, scheming character Patricia Highsmith created], Smith said. When he was buying clothes and dinners, he was the cats meow. Conspiracies Surrounding the Designers Death, Andrew Cunanan Wiki: The Sordid Life, Crimes, and Death of Gianni Versaces Killer, Gianni Versaces Death Timeline: When the World Lost an Iconic Designer, Justine Batemans Health: The Actress Is Choosing to Age Gracefully. The series takes inspiration from Maureen Orths book, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History. ", Some older men feel unable to go to the gay clubs that attract the youngest crowd because "there's this perception that older gay men are going after young boys and the minute an older man goes near a young man, they're branded as pedophiles," says Neil, the Metro Teen AIDS director. Hays: A person who finds pleasure through receiving anal intercourse. And more! Shortly after 1 p.m., two young men in khaki pants and open shirts walked into the Full Moon Bar & Restaurant in a speck of a town called Stark, just off the highway. He impressed Blachford, a lover of art and music, with his extensive knowledge of the arts. Researched by ANNA VIRTUE / Los Angeles Times. 9) Porn shop: Outlet frequented by Cunanan; last visit July 7. Mr. "The youngish Cunanan regaled his audience about a jet-setting life and an aristocratic background, the former made possible by Norman Blachford, an arts supporter who counted the Phoenix. (Though the American Crime Story episodes paint a hazy timeline, David Madson had pulled away from Cunanan by this point because of his secrecy.). He looked over his shoulder every time the front door opened. But he had a darker distinction: being the last benefactor before Cunanan began the downward trajectory that would conclude with his multi-state murder spree. The East Side bar looks like a Midwestern hotel lounge, decorated in neutral shades and dark woods. And at that point we both decided my best interest was to go back to Arizona where I originally came from, or at least came from to San Diego. The duo are also relatively active on the social scene in La Jolla, appearing together at a number of philanthropy and high-society events. 7) Where Versace was killed: Designer slain July 15. Blachford also balked at handing over money, which became more of a problem as their relationship went on. Not only is he suddenly without a benefactor, but he is without a lifestyle and a love interest. When you look at the shapes of [Cunanan and his fathers] lives, that, to me, was absolutely the key of Andrew. He pawned one of Miglins coins for $190, signing his real name and placing a thumbprint on a form routinely turned over the police. It was kind of like the secret everyone knew about. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Oddly, in a case where the suspects name, weapon and often even his vehicle were known, Cunanan apparently killed and fled, and killed and fled again. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. But in 1996, Blachford and Cunanan broke up. He would also accompany Blachford to Europe. Theres nothing sexual between us") but it later becomes evident that their arrangement is much more involved. Forensically examining Instagram accounts, interviews, and police reports, author Kathleen Hale reconstructs their relationship, and ultimately Petitos murder. Dont miss out. ", He also made the rounds of the opera, museums and society events, studying the habits of the men he fancied. I've been cautioned by friends to keep my doors locked.' Gay military men and women based in San Diego fear their careers will be destroyed if they are discovered, as do wealthy retirees still active in political circles., As reporters from across America have descended on the village that carefully guards its secrets, even Bishop's, the $12,000-a-year prep school on La Jolla Boulevard that has produced such local lights as Union-Tribune editor Karin Winner, has not been spared. Cunanan walked away with the Infiniti Blachford bought him, and moved into his friends condo. Without hesitation, the friend replies, Then that room is full of people who dont know you. And for a split second, before shifting back into delusion autopilot, even Cunanan seems to agree. The San Diego Reader refers to both of these men as Cunanan's "patrons," while the Washington Post deems Cunanan a "kept boy" of these men. Cunanan was at the end of a relationship too: his former flame, Lincoln Aston, had recently been bludgeoned to death by a "mentally troubled loner." "The sad truth is that these young guys are estranged from their families, often at a young age, before they have a chance to develop other survival skills.

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