I was fourteen and very used to spending a lot of time at home on my own. I would usually read a lot of books – anything I could get my hands on. Then, I found a book at school that someone had dropped in the hallway. I brought it home and dove in with vigour. Picking up that book set off the beginning of my infatuation.
The book was titled Say You Love Satan by David St. Claire. the case was about the murder of Gary Lauwers. He was murdered by Ricky Kasso, self-titled Acid King of New York, and Gary’s friend.
Since the reading of this book, I’ve lost my copy of it. I’m sure it’s due to never getting it back from someone I lent it to. Seeing as I can’t read it over again, the details I’m about to outline come from other sources. (All sources will be referenced with links at the end of the post.) Buckle up. This case isn’t for the faint of heart.
By all accounts, Ricky Kasso was a kid who had it all. He lived in Northport, an upscale suburb on Long Island, New York. Then, in grade six, it all took a turn. He met Jimmy Troiano, started dabbling in drugs, and skipping school with his new friend. His addiction would often lead to multiple drug-fueled delusions, affecting his teenage years.
He started calling himself “The Acid King” by the age of 17. He gave himself the moniker as a tribute to his first choice of intoxicant. He enjoyed partaking in acid in his free time, as well as dealing it amongst other teenagers in his vicinity. So smitten with this path in life, Kasso soon dropped out of school altogether.
Along with his love of drugs, Kasso developed an obsession with reading books on satanism and satanic rituals. He was also fascinated by the case of Ronald DeFoe Jr. (a case I will cover at a later date, in detail), who shot all six members of his family in November of 1974.
As an aside – Kasso’s obsessions are not to be confused with the teachings of the Official Church of Satan. I know nothing about the Church, but I’m sure they do not support Kasso’s personal beliefs.
And now, onto the nitty gritty.
It was late on June 16th, 1984. Kasso was dropping acid and partying in a gazebo in the Aztakea Woods. Included in Kasso’s group were his good friend Jimmy Troiano, acquaintance Albert Quinones (18), and self-proclaimed enemy Gary Lauwers (17).
Kasso and Gary had a long-standing feud. Kasso accused Gary of stealing angeldust from him. Such an affront would not go unpunished by “The Acid King”.
Kasso, Troiano, and Quinones led Gary into the woods. Only three returned – Gary was not among the other teens.
Rumours flew around the group of other teens who’d been at the party on June 16th. One teen couldn’t take it any longer. Several days after the party, an anonymous tip led police to Gary’s body. He was found on July 4th.
Despite his badly decomposed state, it was determined that he’d been murdered. Gary suffered 32 knife wounds to his face, back, and neck. His eyes had been gouged out. Knowing Gary’s history with drugs and the company he kept, police quickly identified Ricky Kasso as a suspect.
Kasso was arrested – along with Troiano and Quinones – on July 7th, 1984. Both Kasso and Troiano admitted to involvement in the horrendous murder of Gary. Quinones turned on his friends. He became a witness for the prosecution in exchange for immunity. Troiano admitted to holding Gary down as Kasso attacked him.
Kasso gave a detailed confession to the police, stating that “the devil made me do it”. He showed no remorse as he demanded of Gary: “Say you love Satan”, as he stabbed him over and over again.
As he concluded his confession, Kasso endorsed his actions to officers by stating: “Gary Lauwers deserved everything I gave him.” Despite his confession, Kasso would never see a day in court.
The night he was arrested, Ricky Kasso hanged himself in his cell. Troiano was later acquitted at his own trial for second-degree murder, citing that he was on so many drugs he didn’t believe what happened that night was real.
And that is the case of the murder of Gary Lauwers – a kid who lost his way to drugs and ran into the wrong group of people. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.
Did this traumatize me at the age of fourteen? Probably not as much as it should have. Instead, I wanted to understand how someone could do those things to another human being. I wanted to understand how the human brain differs from person to person.
It was this search for knowledge and understanding that led me down my own path of watching, reading, and listening to anything true crime related. It’s been a long, winding journey. But I’ll be damned if I ever look back.
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Sources:
Book – Say You Love Satan by David St. Clair available on Amazon
Wikipedia article (yes, I know wikipedia isn’t the best source, but for the purposes of this blog it is very informative)
Justice Story: Satan runs amok on L.I. as a teen confesses to grisly murder – New York Daily News article by Mara Bovsun