Medusa in ancient Greek means "command, dominate, charm and at the same time educe and display beauty", the capacity that art has to freeze life in an instance, in love and in death.

On the 15th of July 1997 at 8.45am Gianni Versace dies. He was killed with two shots to his head.

GIANNI VERSACE
Gianni Versace was born in Reggio Calabria on the 2nd of December 1946. He moved to Milan in 1972 where he designed his first prêt-a'-porter collection for Genny, Complice and Callagan. 
In 1977 in Dallas he risked being arrested after presenting his first sadomasochist collection.
But even with all the black leather, with buckles, straps, studs and gold chains, Versace was able to make his woman’s collection less violent and more luxurious. 
In 1984 he designed costumes for Donzietti’s “Don Pasquale” and for Maurice Berger’s “Dioniso”, both of which were operas held at the Scala Theatre in Milan.
1986 was his best year. The Italian president Cossiga awarded him with an official title. In Paris he was given the “Medaglia di Vermeille” by Jacques Chirac. He designed the costumes for the opening of Malraux and Berger’s “Me'tamorphose de Deux”. It was also at this time that Gianni Versace moved towards Modern Art. He meets Andy Warhol in New York. A reason for an all-time collection. 1994 was the year in which he set a challenge. He gets rid of the tie which is an emblem of elegance. His ideas take shape once again in the book “The man without a tie”.
In 1995 his illness. Versace talks publicly about his illness from which he seemed to have recovered. He makes a different kind of collection, white like his hair, maybe upset by his detachment from life. A short time later Versace gets back on his feet, but his way of seeing things have changed. He moves to Miami. He feels at home here, stimulated by the environment. Three days before his death Paris admires his last fashion show. He was in a rush to get back to Florida,rushing without knowing that would be his last appointment.
“My style is free. I don’t impose anything. I hand on choices. Under my shiny raincoat there is a suit with a classic cut. It clashes doesn’t it? Good. I live in an antique building and go to New York by Concorde in three hours. Which means I live by contrasts. Our lives are full of contrasts and I bring it out in my styles, because I’m a perfect synthesis of my time”.

PHILLIP ANDREW CUNANAN 
His childhood, his father abuse, his forever changing personality, his capacity of winning people, his success as a high class prostitute amongst homosexuals. Philip Andrew Cunanan. His unsuspecting double personality between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that brought him to the first of a series of unspeakable offences, to the peak of his final craze. Gianni Versace’s killer, the escape, the mysterious death in the house-boat on Collins, Miami’s busy coastal road.

Phillip Andrew Cunanan was born in California in 1970 ( exact date 31st of August 1969). He was the youngest of four kids, his parents names are Mary Ann and Modesto Cunanan, Filipino – American nationality. Andrew grew up in good neighbourhood of Rancho San Bernardo, up in the hills north of the city. He was catholic, and by seven years old Cunanan was able to recite scriptures from the bible off by heart. His father, an ex marine in the American Military Marines, moves to San Diego where he begins work as an investment broker. Andrew Cunanan went to the well known “Bishops School” in La Jolla California, one of the richest states in America. It was here that with no shame his homosexuality emerged. At the most important school engagement of the year he turned up with a red and pink dress and was accompanied by a man the same age as his father. He became voted as the most unforgettable student. In 1987 he receives his school diploma, he prefers classic subjects like drama, history and French. In that same year he showed a very high level of intelligence and qualifies for a place at the San Diego University. He doesn’t get a degree, he doesn’t do military service, he hasn’t a stable occupation, he just lives each day as it comes. At only 18 he’s investigated for tax problems, he leaves the country and goes to live with his Father in the Philippine Islands. Unhappy of what his life style has become, which had nothing to do with what he was used to, he decides to go back to the U.S.A, to the busy life in California, from San Francisco to San Diego where he eventually decides to stay. He leads a very high supported life, spending loads in maintaining his role as the jet-set leader of homosexuals. He drives expensive cars and goes around telling people he’s from a wealthy family. His mother publicly named him as a “high level” gay prostitute. His friends describe him as being in good shape, and by being obsessed by sadomasochism, he was kept financially and was honoured by older wealthy gay men. 
The latest exclusive evidence, taken from the investigation held by Minnesota’s power of attorney reveals that Andrew Cunanan wasn’t only a drug addict but made himself rich by dealing drugs in large quantities. Then he’d fall, he’d let himself go, get fat and wouldn’t look after himself properly, he wasn’t anything close to what he had been, one of the most sought after stars on high demand from the rich and spoilt homosexual community.
His chain of crimes began in Minnesota, where in April, he kills 28 year old Jeffrey Trajl, an ex-lover, with a hammer to his skull. On the 3rd of May in Minneapolis he shot dead the love of his life, David Madson, 33 years old. On the 4th of May in Chicago, he tortures to death a 75 year old millionaire, Lee Miglin, apparently happily married for 38 years with a son, Duke, who had just began his career as a film-maker. On the 9th of May he killed his first victim that didn’t have a high up position. Cunanan stole a car, a to do this he had to kill William Reese, a guard at the military graveyard in Pennsville, New Jersey. It was Reese’s red pick-up truck that brought Andrew Cunanan to Florida. 
Undercover and wanted, Andrew Cunanan was on the wanted list for one of the most dangerous criminals in America. For more than two months he fooled the police in the United States with his transformations. 

On the 15th of July, in a cold and determined execution, done in broad daylight on the doorstep of his Miami residence, he kills Gianni Versace with two shoots to the head. A cruel murder written in red letters.

THE HOUSE BOAT
After the Kennedy and Martin Luther King man hunt, it was in this house that the hunt finished for the most wanted man. He had very few personal possessions. An armchair which was used as his bed. In the bedroom there was only a mattress, with nothing left to it. The windows were broken from a shower of teargas that left red marks as though it was blood. A blue hairbrush, full of blonde hair.
The police took away everything, a never ending list of things. An empty fridge. Another exhibit for the police. How come from all the exhibits gathered, the scientific police left a few vital pieces which were claimed to be very important, such as a hair brush, a towel, a shower cap and a hair dye, all just left lying there. Isn’t that putting a little to much at stake. After all, we can usually say that the police never miss even a hair. 

Richard Barreto – Miami Police Chief
“ My name is Richard Barreto, I’m the Chief of Police in Miami. I have been doing this job for 27 years and the hunt for Cunanan has been the biggest man hunt I can ever remember. But it hasn’t been easy. We had 15 witnesses of whom had been shown records with Cununan’s photograph,there were also photographs of others, but no one and I repeat know one was able to identify Cunanan as a killer. Even now we have no witness that has the certainty to identify him. At this point I’d say that the case will be closed, probably before the second week of October. As for the exhibits we have clothes, that were found near a pick-up truck, but I don’t know if there were any traces of blood. We don’t know how long the truck was sitting there. We found a parking ticket from the day before but this doesn’t mean it was there only from the day before. One guess is that he had been in the area a few times checking on Versace’s movements”.

Summary taken from a secret report by the Miami Police
“ At 16.30 on Wednesday the 23rd of July 1997 the Miami Beach Police Department asks police action from operative cell squad 30, to back-up the arrest of a suspect who barred himself inside a house-boat. Earlier, a watchman had called the police, after hearing a gun shot from inside the same house, a team of Miami beach’s special police surrounded the area, backed-up by a patrol from the port authorities who guarded the west side of the house. At 19.30 a last effort was taken in making contact with the suspect, by telephoning and by using a megaphone. The efforts went ahead until 20.00pm. At this point tear gas was thrown through a window on the second floor to force the suspect to go down to the first floor. Officer Echavarrja shot three gun shots through the window on the North side of the house, while Ramirez shot two 40mm tear gas grenades through the window of the second floor. At 20.10 Echavarrja shoots two .12 bullets through the north facing window on the first floor. Ramirez reinforces with a 40mm grenade through the front window. After 10 minutes of silence, at 20.20 the cell unit forced their way into the first floor of the house. The search had no outcome and they went up on to the second floor. The suspect was found in the bedroom, wounded by a gun shot to the head and with a hand gun held in his hand. At 20.22 Sergeant Caroddu checks to see if the body has any signs of life. The suspect was cold and there was no heart beat. He seemed to have been dead for some time. At 21.05 the Sergeant averted Tenant Flatch on the finding of the body and that the search at the bilges was not entirely completed at that stage. Tenant Flatch made an immediate report to Captain Watson, who, at 21.08 told major Flin, Chief Barreto of the Miami Beach police, to special officer Chambleys of the Legal Department and the supervising assistant of the FBI Jones, of the presence of a dead person in the building. Meanwhile police officers finished the search with no other findings. After arranging the handing over of the case in an accurate way, at 21.36 the house was given over to the Miami Beach detectives and to the FBI. The suspect was then later identified as Philip Andrew Cunanan.” 


Fernando Carreira – house-boat watchman
We were able to have a transcription of the first statement Fernando Carreira made to the Miami police. He changed his version more than once.
Fernando Carreira knows this house-boat. His job involves watching the house-boats for the owners. There are two locks on the entrance and his job is to check that they are closed. On Wednesday he found one of the locks forced. He knew straight away that something was wrong, he entered the house and saw that the light was on. He went into the living room and saw that the armchair was made into a temporary bed. “ Somebody has been sleeping here” he said to his wife, who was following him. And he said “ Come on, lets go”.
When the couple find a pair of sandals on the floor, Fernando becomes nervous and takes out his hand gun. There was a gun shot and he and his wife ran away from the house convinced they were being shot at. Fernando and his wife hid in the hedges on the south-east side of the house. He had a cell phone and tried to call the police, but couldn’t get through. He then telephoned his son who called the police to tell them what was going on. Fernando was sure he heard only one gun shot. Did he think it was the same attacker that killed Gianni Versace? No. He thought it was a tramp that had broke into the house to sleep for the night.

Gary Schiaffo – detective appointed to the Cunanan case.
“I became a police officer in 1973. After a few years I became part of the anti-drug squad as an undercover agent. Fourteen years later I was nominated as the “Officer of the Year”. Two years later I became a detective in the Criminal Police department, and in 1989 I solved more than 100 brutal murder cases, which were mostly to do with drugs and prostitution. They were difficult years, hard years that I got through thanks to those who are close to me.

At 21.36 the FBI handed us over the house-boat, I was already there. I went home after 27 hours. I was the first to question the watchman. After the SWAT entered the house we couldn’t use our radios, we were all deaf and dumb except the FBI. There was seven groups of Police on the scene all of whom were organised by us and the FBI. We were allowed in when the SWAT came out at 21.36. It was like hell inside. Between the heat and the tear gas you couldn’t breath. I went upstairs to where the body was. His face was perfectly recognisable and intact. There was some blood coming out of his ear. The bullet was inside his head. On the back of his neck there was a bulge. The mattress was literally soaked in blood. On the bed head there was only one stripe of blood. Apart from that, on the walls there was nothing else, no blood, no organic matter. The body was cold and showed signs of rigor mortis. He still had between his hands a Taurus, .40 gun, which was held tightly against him”.


Exclusive interview with Richard Barreto – Miami Police Chief
“ I never went inside the house, it didn’t interest me and then because the FBI took charge of the operation. We handed over the control of the area, and they kept us informed. When they found the body they gave us back the control of the area. There were seven groups of police, FBI, Miami Beach Police Department, the Metro police, the maritime police, the legal procedures department, the fire brigade, but the SWAT at the moment of the break-in were on a code frequency with the Metro. 

INTERROGATIVI
Andrew Cunanan had an I.Q. of 140, he was so smart he could of been part of “MENSA”, an organisation that is exclusively for the geniuses of the earth. Isn’t it strange that he decided to hide himself in a house that had no way of escape, situated in the busy Collins area of Miami ? Andrew Cunanan was a good looking guy with a chameleon personality. Why did he start hiding from the busy world, the world he had mingled with success up until now? How come he didin’t change the area he was in and remained on the island of South Beach? How come Cunanan decided to live and die on the second floor of the house, choosing the heat and the dirt to the cleanliness of the first floor? Is it possible that he could of given up so much luxury and leisure that he had got used to throughout his life? There wasn’t even a trace of food in the house. The preciseness in which the police combed those 60sq. Metres, such a little space being searched for such a long time, seems to be a little exaggerated. 
The gun used by Cunanan is known to be powerful, but however there were traces of blood only on the mattress and the bed-head. The only strange traces found were on the carpet, and were footprints left by a careless policeman. Who was it that was in such a hurry to cremate Cunanan’s body? His ashes were sent back to California. 
The call made by Fernando Carriera had a reaction of an unbelievable promptness without even mentioning Cunanan. A former 911 call, made a few days earlier, specifically referring to Cunanan didn’t have any outcome. There was a lie about his face. To the contrary of what had been stated, Cunanan’s face was intact and recognisable, not destroyed by the Taurus gun shot. The only signs of damage was to the left ear. The body temperature. It was cold and showed signs of rigor mortis four hours after the first alleged shot was heard.
The inconsistency of a serial killer as ruthless as him who becomes frightened of a watchman and his seventy year old wife, instead of killing them and making a run, commits suicide. The connection between the operating special agents and the various kinds of authorities present was active and precise up until they found the body at 20.20. Only after 48 minutes, at 21.08 the first communications were given to their superiors, as we already know were only a short distance away. 
Too much time was wasted, too many questions were asked about a suicide that appears to be clearly evident.