Assassination of Gianni Versace: Where were you on July 15, 1997 when the fashion icon was murdered?
The extraordinary cast of this series has definitely turned heads, as Edgar Ramirez, Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz, and Ricky Martin headline the story. Based on Maureen Orth’s book Vulgar Favor: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, viewers are swept into a story that’s almost beyond comprehension. The layers of this historic event has everyone asking more questions than there are answers around this murder.
As shocking as it is to hear the story of Versace, the intensity of this story becomes personal. This focused on talented individual whose life was cut short by a killer. Then, the investigations that followed seemed to be lacking compared to today’s standards. That point is just one of many of the debates about this situation and how it unfolded.
What was going on in 1997 that caused so many to turn a blind eye to this murder? The news of the year was packed with sorry and exploration. If you were a news buff, you might remember the Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars, Dolly the cloned sheep was cloned and Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Sadly Princess Diana along with Mother Teresa died in 1997. Yet, most of the top headlines of the year included celebrities. OJ Simpson lost his civil suit for wrongful death. And only four months before Versace’s death, Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down. It’s a case still unsolved to this day.
Many TV viewers might be thinking back to what they were doing on July 15, 1997. Was it like any other ordinary day, or did something personal happen? Depending on your age and where you were in your life, you might have found yourself shocked and saddened by Gianni Versace’s death. Or it might not have impacted your life as you were too young or there was an event happening in your world.
The murder of Versace at age 50 definitely made headlines, but this TV series offering a look at the events that unfolded might offer a clearer picture of the full story behind the killer and with the pursuit of justice. Sadly time has passed and while there is a new interest in the case, it’s tough to say if it got enough attention the day it happened: July 15, 1997.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story premieres on FX Wednesday, January 17. Check your local listings.
This CarterMatt column was written by Jodi Jill and if you’re looking for more then be sure to head on over to the link here. Also, you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter. (Photo: FX)