A man whose father was tragically killed by the notorious serial killer who also took the life of Gianni Versace has shared the unsettling advice his dad gave him just days before his passing.
At the age of 12, Troy Reese experienced the loss of his adoptive father, William Reese, 45, who was gunned down while working as a cemetery caretaker at Finn’s Point National Cemetery in Pennsville Township, New Jersey, by Andrew Cunanan.
Now 40, a somber Reese recounted the chilling caution his father offered the family, advising them to remain vigilant after they had viewed an episode of America’s Most Wanted.
William was supposed to pick up his then 12-year-old son from school on May 12, 1997, but when he failed to show up, his wife, Rebecca, picked him up and went to the cemetery where her husband worked.
Rebecca, who died at age 52, searched the caretaker’s office and noticed the door ajar and the radio playing but did not find her husband.
The concerned wife called the police and when officers arrived, they found William dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators said the pistol Cunanan used to kill William was the same one used to murder his second victim, David Madson, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cunanan is believed to have murdered William for his 1995 red Chevrolet pickup truck, which investigators said he used to drive to Miami where he would kill the Italian fashion mogul, 50, on July 15, 1997.
The large-scale manhunt for Cunanan ended on July 23, 1997, when authorities found his remains in a luxury houseboat in Miami.
A caretaker called authorities and reported hearing a gunshot.
Investigators determined Cunanan fatally shot himself in the head with the same pistol he used to kill three of his victims, including William and Versace.
In the years since Cunanan’s horrific murder spree, Troy Reese said he feels frustrated that the killer’s other victims, including his father, have been forgotten.
“The other victims were forgotten except for Versace – nobody remembers the other victims,” Reese, a caterer, from Sicklerville, New Jersey, said.
“It makes me feel frustrated, everyone says ‘oh Versace’ but they forget about me, they forget about the rest of the victims.
“I was a kid when my father was killed. Nobody should ever go through that.
“Every day has been a struggle for me, I have no parents, no family – I raised myself.”
I was a kid when my father was killed. Nobody should ever go through that.
Troy Reese, son of William Reese.
Reese recalled the gut-wrenching day when he waited at school for his father to pick him up.
“I was at an after-school program waiting for my father, but he never showed up,” he mourned.
“The teachers called my mom, she came to pick me up and said ‘let’s look for your dad.’
“We arrived at the cemetery and noticed that where he usually parked had a green Lexus instead.
“My mom searched the office but couldn’t find him, so she called the police.”
CHILLING WARNING
When authorities arrived at the scene, they found William lying on the basement floor after being shot in the head.
Just days before his murder, Reese said that his father had warned him that Cunanan was on a killing spree and told him to stay safe.
“My dad was watching America’s Most Wanted, a few days before his murder he warned us that Andrew Cunanan was on a killing spree,” Reese said.
“After my dad’s death, my mom was so fearful for my safety.
“The serial killer had my dad’s car with his wallet and keys. She didn’t know whether or not he would come to the house after us.”
After stealing William’s pickup truck, Cunanan drove down to Miami Beach where he shot and killed Gianni Versace on the steps of his Casa Casuarina mansion.
The death of the fashion tycoon was featured in the FX docu-series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which explores Versace’s death and Cunanan’s other victims.
Troy Reese recalled he and his mother being irate when they learned Cunanan took his own life.
“Once my mom and I heard about Cunanan’s death on the houseboat we were angry,” he said.
“Angry that we could never go to court and watch him get sentenced.
“In my opinion, Andrew Cunanan was a coward, he took the easy way out – he should have paid for his crimes.”
Eight years after his father’s senseless murder, Reese lost his mom in May 2005 to pancreatic cancer.
Reese said that his dad was a “hard-working man” who cared for everyone he knew.
“My father was a hard-working man who loved his family,” he said.
“My father adopted me, and he gave me something that I never had. He was a true father for the short time that I knew him.
“Sadly, eight years after his death, my mom died, having both of them in my life today would be great.
“I wanted my dad to watch me grow up, play soccer with me, and become the man he wanted me to be.”
