What happened to Gianni Versace's killer Andrew Cunanan? Details explored ahead of new Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode

Andrew Cunanan shot famed Italian designer Gianni Versace right outside his South Beach, Florida, mansion over 25 years ago in July 1997. Eight days later, the 27-year-old fatally shot himself in the head. His body was found in a luxury houseboat on July 23.

Cunanan was later named as a serial killer suspected in the deaths of four other individuals apart from Versace. He was reportedly hiding in Miami at the time. Reports stated that he was obsessed with the Italian designer and even boasted about his "friendship" with him. However, the latter's family denied that the two had known each other.

An upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will revisit the case on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. The synopsis for the episode titled The Death of Gianni Versace reads:

"Gianni Versace's longtime partner, Antonio D'Amico, speaks about the murder of the fashion icon; Versace's murder came amid a monthslong manhunt for Andrew Cunanan, who was accused of committing four other murders throughout the U.S. in 1997.

The episode is scheduled to air on Oxygen at 8.00 pm ET.

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Spree killer Andrew Cunanan had a reputation for being a prolific liar

Andrew Cunanan, the youngest of the Cunanan family's four children, was born on August 31, 1969, in National City, California, to Modesto "Pete" Dungao and Mary Anne Schillaci. His father served as the chief petty officer of the United States Navy during the Vietnam War at the time of his birth. After leaving the service, he worked as a stockbroker.

Cunanan attended Bonita Vista Middle School and later enrolled at a private school in an upscale San Diego neighborhood. He was described as intelligent, outgoing, and having an IQ of 147. However, he soon earned a reputation for being a prolific liar during his teenage years, who enjoyed making up stories about his family and personal life.

He was skilled at altering his appearance to match what he thought looked best at any given time. While in high school, he came out as gay and started frequenting local gay clubs at the age of 19. Cunanan attended the University of California, San Diego. As per Vanity Fair, he was known to have a violent nature, had relationships with wealthy older men, and started creating violent p*rnography while also dealing drugs.

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Andrew Cunanan shot Italian designer Gianni Versace twice

On the morning of July 15, 1997, Andrew Cunanan gunned down the famed Italian designer outside the Casa Casuarina mansion in South beach, Miami. He shot Versace twice, execution style, and calmly walked about from the crime scene. At the time of the shooting, Cunanan was reportedly spotted wearing a gray T-shirt, black shorts, a white baseball cap, and a backpack.

Sources stated that he was hiding in Miami while on the run as a suspect in four previous killings he committed across three states. On July 23, after a desperate search for Cunanan, who was quickly dubbed a spree killer by the media, authorities discovered him dead from a gunshot wound to the head on a luxury houseboat. It was determined that he died by suicide.

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Who were the four individuals Andrew Cunanan murdered before Versace?

One of the individuals Andrew Cunanan murdered before shooting Gianni Versace, was Jeffrey Trail. He was one of Andrew's friends, and the killing took place in April 1997. He then murdered another one of his friends, David Madson, at the beginning of May, before driving to Chicago, where he murdered prominent real estate developer Lee Miglin. A few days later, Cunanan murdered William Reese in New Jersey.

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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will shed more light on the case in its new episode, which will air on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.