Kriti Mehrotra
As a limited drama original chronicling the tale of one of the most notorious serial killers in history, Peacock’s ‘Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’ can only be described as haunting. That’s because it underscores everything from how he manipulated and lured young men into his home before brutally murdering them to how he was ultimately brought to justice years later. Amongst those who play a significant role in the show are detectives Allan Fanholm and Michael “Mike” Albrecht, key members of the investigative team against the then-suspected monster.
Allan Fanholm Represents Most of the Officials Involved in the John Wayne Gacy Case
It was in December 1978 when the Des Plaines Police Department in Illinois became aware of John Wayne Gacy, as he was reportedly the last person to see Robert Piest before he disappeared. According to reports, the 15-year-old had told a coworker as well as his mother that he was going to talk to a contractor about a better-paying job after his shift at a pharmacy, only to never return. His family realized something was wrong almost immediately, since it was his mother’s birthday and they had planned to celebrate it together that evening, so they contacted the police.
As per routine, the Piests were initially informed of the waiting period to file a missing person report, but their persistence and Robert’s clean background soon led officials to open a formal case. That’s what led them to contractor John Wayne Gacy, whom they quickly realized was not being entirely forthcoming about his knowledge of or involvement with the teenage boy. They thus chose to look into him further, with case lead Lieutenant Joseph Kozenczak and detective Rafael Tovar even requesting a home search warrant and surveillance to monitor his every move.
No detective named Allan Fanholm was involved in the execution of the warrant, the surveillance squad, or any of the ensuing investigative procedures; however, several other officers were. Therefore, from what we can tell, the character of detective Allan (renowned actor-writer Ted Dykstra) was concocted from the ground up by the show’s creators for a very clear purpose. Since the limited drama could not name/credit all those at the Des Plaines Police Department whose efforts helped bring John’s case to a relatively swift close, Allan represents them.
After all, the fictionalized individual is not only on the surveillance team in the series, but he also identifies something amiss in the suspect’s home and then helps execute a second warrant. He later even serves on the recovery team that exhumes the remains of 29 victims from underneath John’s home, which makes it rather evident that the latter is nothing short of a heinous serial killer. In other words, in the production, detective Allan does everything, likely as an homage to all those real officials whose hard work led to John’s arrest within 10 days, on December 21, 1978.
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Michael “Mike” Albrecht Surveilled John Wayne Gacy and Helped in His Arrest
If we’re being honest, detective Michael “Mike” Albrecht plays a comparatively limited role in the 8-part series, and that’s because he is truly based on a then-Des Plaines officer with the same name. In fact, the real Mike was indeed on John’s 24/7 surveillance squad, with his shift partner being David Hachmeister, whereas the other shift was helmed by Ronald Robinson and Robert Schultz. According to the records, he was actually someone the serial killer took a particular liking to, leading to him and his partner being invited by John to dine at restaurants while they worked.
What’s even more imperative to note is that Detective Mike was right there when John was arrested, following which he was also present for his confession and his drawing of where to find his victims’ remains. Nevertheless, as per the officer’s accounts, he “got along with Gacy. We talked and we got along. I mean, the guy was full of crap. He was a real bragger, he liked talking about himself,” yet they were still amicable initially. Things changed once a background check on the then-suspect revealed some disturbing aspects, but Mike still built a bond with him because there had to be trust involved in the surveillance.
As for what Mike witnessed when John eventually confessed, he still vividly remembers the killer “never once showed any remorse. He always blamed the kids. It was their fault. They came to him for money, for drugs, for sex, for whatever it may be… He never had any remorse in any way.” Therefore, he did everything in his power to ensure John was brought to justice and then continued serving the community to the best of his abilities before eventually retiring after 45 years of active service. Since then, Mike has seemingly been enjoying his downtime alongside his family, but he occasionally gives interviews on John’s case and related matters, such as police practices and the use of excessive force.
