Richard Allan "Ricky" Kasso Jr. (March 29, 1967 – July 7, 1984), also known as The Acid King, was an American killer who murdered his 17-year-old friend Gary Lauwers in

Northport, New York Northport is a historic maritime Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village on the northern shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Initially designated Great Cow Harbour by 17th-century English colonists, the ...

on June 19, 1984. Two other teens, Jimmy Troiano and Albert Quinones, were present at the murder, which took place in the Aztakea Woods of Northport while all four were under the influence of what they believed to be

mescaline Mescaline or mescalin (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine) is a naturally occurring psychedelic protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, known for its hallucinogenic effects comparable to those of LSD and psilocybin. Biological sou ...

, but was most likely

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

. The murder became sensational news in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and across the nation due to the alleged torture of Lauwers and supposed

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

aspects of the murder. The murder took place during a period known as the "Satanic panic" when there was much public concernThere were two famous suicidal deaths in the 1980s that led to trials in U.S. courts, one involving

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

and a second involving

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

.Several political groups advocated censorship and/or ratings for rock music, most notably

Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate, activist, photographer and author who was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was married to Al Gore, the 45th vi ...

Parents Music Resource Center The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums ...

and

Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelism, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, ...

Moral Majority Moral Majority was an American political organization associated with the Christian right and Republican Party. It was founded in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell Sr. and associates, and dissolved in the late 1980s. It played a key role in ...

.A history of music censorship is given in: Deflem, Mathieu. 2020
"Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling."
''American Journal of Criminal Justice'' 45(1):2-24 (First published online July 24, 2019). See also: Lynxwiler, John and Gay, David, 'Moral boundaries and deviant music: public attitudes toward heavy metal and rap', Deviant Behavior, 21:1, 63 – 85. over the effects of Satanic and

content in

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

and in

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s. Kasso was wearing an

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

T-shirt at the time of his arrest and was a fan of groups such as

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

and

Biographical background

Kasso was the son of a local high school history teacher and football coach at affluent

Cold Spring Harbor High School Cold Spring Harbor High School is a public school for grades 7–12 in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, United States. In 2007, it was placed 52nd on ''Newsweek''s Top 1300 High Schools list. Cold Spring Harbor High School is ranked 33rd among publi ...

. Kasso was often thrown out of his home as a young teen and lived on the streets of suburban

, usually sleeping in the local woods, or in the cars, garages, backyards and houses of friends. He often took drugs, mainly

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. European Monitorin ...

, PCP, and purple "microdots" of what he believed to be

, but was most likely low-grade LSD. He tended to consume all of his drugs, but had on occasion dealt drugs in Northport as well. Kasso was acquainted with the members of a loosely organized group of friends who sold marijuana and referred to themselves as the "Knights of the Black Circle". After Kasso's murder of Lauwers, several newspapers and television journalists incorrectly reported the Knights as being a "satanic cult." Kasso allegedly participated in occult ceremonies, mostly in Northport, and celebrated

Walpurgis Night Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in ...

at the infamous

Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, b ...

house in 1984. Kasso also expressed to friends his interest in Anton LaVey's book ''

The Satanic Bible ''The Satanic Bible'' is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been describ ...

''. On at least one occasion, Ricky's parents admitted him to the

South Oaks Psychiatric Hospital South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

(formerly known as the Amityville Asylum) in

Amityville, New York Amityville () is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Village, village near the Babylon (town), New York, Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New Yo ...

for drug rehabilitation and psychiatric care. In the year prior to the murder, Kasso had been arrested for digging into a colonial-era grave inside a local cemetery. Less than a month after his arrest for this crime, Ricky contracted pneumonia and was treated at

Long Island Jewish Hospital Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC or LIJ) is a clinical and academic hospital within the Northwell Health system. It is a 807-bed, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital serving the greater New York metropolitan area. The campus is ...

. During his hospital stay, his parents tried to convince the doctors to commit him for involuntary psychiatric care. However, the conclusion of the psychiatrists was that Kasso exhibited antisocial behavior but was neither

psychotic Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...

nor a violent danger, and Kasso was released upon recovering from his bout with pneumonia.

Murder of Gary Lauwers

The conflict between Kasso and Lauwers had started some time earlier when Lauwers stole 10 bags of PCP from Kasso's jacket, after he had passed out at a party. Kasso confronted him soon after the incident, prompting Lauwers to immediately return five of the ten bags of PCP. Lauwers also promised to repay Kasso $50 for the five bags of PCP that had been used. Kasso reportedly beat Lauwers on four occasions. On the night of the murder, Kasso visited the small gazebo in the new Cow Harbor park and borrowed a radio from a friend. He then invited Lauwers to get high with him, Troiano and Quinones. The group walked to Aztakea Woods, set up camp and ingested several doses, or "hits", of what they believed to be mescaline. The drugs they ingested were tablets called "purple microdots", and while they were erroneously referred to as mescaline on the street, they were likely LSD. The teens also smoked several bags of PCP before attempting to start a small fire, but all of the available firewood was too wet and would not ignite. Lauwers used his socks, as well as the sleeves from his denim jacket, as kindling to start the fire. At some point during the night, the situation escalated into violence. Kasso scuffled with Lauwers, bit him on the neck and stabbed him in the chest. Kasso continued his assault on Lauwers, and Quinones later claimed that Troiano helped Kasso and held Lauwers during the attack. During subsequent testimony he provided under immunity, Quinones later claimed that Troiano did not assist Kasso. Lauwers was stabbed somewhere between 17 and 36 times and his eyeballs were possibly sliced out during the stabbing. During the attack, Kasso allegedly commanded Lauwers to "Say you love Satan", and Lauwers is said to have instead replied "I love my mother," before finally giving in to Kasso's demands. After the attack, Kasso and Troiano covered Lauwers' body with leaves and small branches and left it in the woods. The date of the murder was initially misreported by the police and press as June 16, 1984. In 2018, it was revealed that the murder had actually taken place three days later on June 19.

Aftermath and death

In the aftermath, Kasso bragged about the murder to friends. Kasso claimed Satan manifested in the form of a black crow after killing Lauwers, and that the crow had cawed, something he interpreted as Satan's approval of the murder. Kasso even brought several disbelieving teens to view Lauwers' body before he and Troiano returned to the woods to bury the decomposing remains in a shallow grave. However, it wasn't until two weeks went by, on July 1, that the murder was reported to the police via an anonymous tip. On July 4, 1984, police used dogs to search Aztakea Woods and recovered the decomposing and mutilated body of Gary Lauwers. Kasso and Troiano were arrested the next day. On July 7, Kasso died of suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell. Jimmy Troiano signed two confessions that he later recanted. Quinones gave witness account that Troiano helped Kasso during the murder, but later denied this during his testimony at Troiano's trial. Due to Quinones' drugged state at the time of the killing, his testimony was brought into question and Troiano was acquitted of second-degree murder in a trial by jury in April 1985.

Books, films, and songs inspired by Kasso

Books * ''Say You Love Satan'' (published October 1, 1987 by

Dell Books Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and s ...

; ) by David St. Clair, a heavily fictionalized telling of the events that is no longer in print. For his book, St. Clair plagiarized several portions of "Kids in the Dark", an article by

David Breskin David Breskin is an American writer, poet, and record producer. He has written nine books, including collaborations with the visual artists Gerhard Richter and Ed Ruscha. Beginning in the early 1980s, he produced albums by musicians including ...

for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', and Breskin considered legal action. Literary critic and journalist Phil Jenkins of the

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

called it "trash", "lowbrow", and "junk" in his review. * ''The Acid King'' (published October 16, 2018 by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

; ) by Jesse P. Pollack, a nonfiction account of Kasso's life and his murder of Lauwers, containing interviews with his friends, family, and the investigators who worked the case. Documentaries * ''The Devil Worshippers'' (1985, TV), episode of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

news program ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

'', featuring the Lauwers murder. * ''Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground'' (1988, TV), prime-time episode of '' Geraldo'' narrated by

Geraldo Rivera Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Riviera; July 4, 1943) is an American journalist, attorney, author, political commentator, and former television host. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Geraldo'' from 1987 to 1998. He gained publicity with the liv ...

, also featuring the Lauwers murder. * ''Satan in the Suburbs'' (2000, TV), directed by Scott Hillier * ''Killer Kids'' (2012, TV), episode "Occult Killers", directed by Jean Leclerc for

The Biography Channel FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American basic cable channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications (each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle pr ...

, featuring the Lauwers murder. * ''The Acid King'' (2019), written and directed by Jesse P. Pollack and Dan Jones, released in November 2021. Films * ''Where Evil Dwells'' (1985), directed by Tommy Turner and

David Wojnarowicz David Michael Wojnarowicz ( (September 14, 1954 – July 22, 1992) was an American painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, songwriter/recording artist, and AIDS activist prominent in the East Village art scene. He incorp ...

. Kasso is portrayed by Scott Werner. * ''My Sweet Satan'' (1994), directed by

Jim Van Bebber Jim VanBebber (born November 24, 1964) is an American film director. Born in Greenville, Ohio, VanBebber attended Wright State University where he studied cinema. Instead of using a bank loan to pay for a second year of college, he used the mon ...

. He plays "Ricky Kasslin", a character based on Kasso. * ''

Black Circle Boys ''Black Circle Boys'' is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Matthew Carnahan and starring Scott Bairstow, Eric Mabius and Donnie Wahlberg. It is Carnahan's feature directorial debut. Cast *Scott Bairstow as Kyle *Eric Mabius a ...

'' (1997), directed by

Matthew Carnahan Matthew McNair Carnahan (born February 6, 1961) is an American producer, writer and director. Career '' Valley of the Boom'' is a six-part American docudrama television miniseries, created, directed, and executive produced by Carnahan. It p ...

. It was inspired by the events in Northport. "Shane Carver", the character very loosely based on Kasso, is played by

Eric Mabius Eric Harry Timothy Mabius (born April 22, 1971) is an American actor. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a degree in cinema studies. After working in theater productions, Ma ...

. * ''

Ricky 6 ''Ricky 6'' is a 2000 American-Mexican-Canadian film co-production loosely based on the life of Ricky Kasso, a suburban teenager accused of Satanism and murder in the 1980s. The film was written and directed by Peter Filardi, and based on the 198 ...

'' (2000), also known as ''Ricky Six'', ''Ricky 666'' and ''Say You Love Satan'', directed by Peter Filardi. "Ricky Cowen", the character based on Kasso, is portrayed by

Vincent Kartheiser Vincent Paul Kartheiser (born May 5, 1979) is an American actor. He played Pete Campbell on the AMC television series ''Mad Men'', for which he received six Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a ...

. Winner of the Audience Prize at the

Fantasia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

, it has never been officially released. * ''Under Surveillance'', aka ''Dark Chamber'' (2006), directed by Dave Campfield. The film was inspired by the Lauwers murder and was shot on location in Northport. Albums and songs * "Sudden Impact!" (1985, ''

This Is Big Audio Dynamite ''This Is Big Audio Dynamite'' is the debut studio album by English band Big Audio Dynamite, led by Mick Jones, the former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. It was released on 1 November 1985 by Columbia Records. The album pe ...

'') by

Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones, former lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. The band mixed various mu ...

* "Satan Is Boring" (1985, ''

Bad Moon Rising "Bad Moon Rising" is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album ''Green River'' and was released in April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 ...

'') by

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

* "0-0 (Where Evil Dwells)" (1987, ''

Dirtdish ''Dirtdish'' is the sole studio album by English-based industrial act Wiseblood. It was released in 1986 by K.422/Some Bizzare. It was re-released on CD in 1995 by Thirsty Ear. The CD release of ''Dirtdish'' is Some Bizzare #WISE 3CD. Fear Fact ...

'') by Wiseblood. Covered by

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

on their 1998 album ''Obsolete''. * "Bad Party" (1988, ''

Beelzebubba ''Beelzebubba'' is the fourth studio album by the American satirical punk rock band the Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. It peaked at No. 101 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album contains perhaps the band's best-known song, "Punk Rock Girl". Fiv ...

'') by

the Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Da ...

* "Cryin' Shame" (1989, ''

Wake Me When It's Over ''Wake Me When It's Over'' is the second album by Faster Pussycat, released in 1989. The band moved away from the glam metal of their first album to a more blues-influenced sound. Music videos were produced for "Poison Ivy" and "House of Pain". ...

'') by

Faster Pussycat Faster Pussycat is an American hard rock/glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Brent Muscat and Greg Steele and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes lea ...

* "The Usurper" (1993, ''The Passing'') by Betrayal * "Psychedelic Sacrifice" (1993, '' Burn, Baby, Burn!'') by

the Electric Hellfire Club The Electric Hellfire Club was an American industrial rock band mixing elements of glam metal, techno, gothic rock, and psychedelia. The band's lyrics contain tongue-in-cheek references to sin, violence, sex, devil worship and similar themes. Th ...

* "The Midway" (1994, ''Acid King'') by

Acid King Acid King is an American stoner metal band from San Francisco, California. It was formed in 1993 by frontwoman Lori S., drummer Joey Osbourne and bassist Peter Lucas. Acid King have since recorded four studio albums and two EPs with a series of ...

* "One Ninety-six" (1995, ''Zoroaster'') by

* "Teen Dusthead" (1997, ''Down With The Crown'') by

* "Phase II" (1997, ''Down With The Crown'') by

* "Silent Circle" (1999, ''Busse Woods'') by

* "Electric Machine" (1999, ''Busse Woods'') by

* "True Believer" (1999. '' The Gathering'') by Testament * "

Teenage Dirtbag "Teenage Dirtbag" is a song by American rock band Wheatus. It was released on June 20, 2000, as the lead single from their eponymous debut album (2000). The song was written by guitarist and vocalist Brendan B. Brown and was inspired by a child ...

" (2000, ''

Wheatus Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries ''Generation Kil ...

'') by

* "Catacomb Kids" (2007, ''

None Shall Pass ''None Shall Pass'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop artist Aesop Rock. It was released on Definitive Jux on August 28, 2007. Music The album features production by Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic, and Aesop Rock himself. Guest appeara ...

'') by

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerge ...

* "From Listening to Lightning" (2009, '' The Lightning EP'') by Wheatus * "Cat's Cradle" (2010, ''TV, Death And The Devil'') by

Nü Sensae Nü Sensae is a Canadian punk and grunge trio from Vancouver composed of bassist-vocalist Andrea Lukic, drummer Daniel Pitout, and guitarist Brody McKnight. In 2012, ''Spin'' magazine named them in their list of top 5 best new artists. Nü Sensa ...

* "Severed Heads of State" (2012, ''

The Grimy Awards ''The Grimy Awards'' is the third studio album by American rapper Ill Bill. It was released on February 26, 2013 through Fat Beats Records. Recording sessions took place at Found Sound Studios in Philadelphia, at Busy B Studios and at Kill Devil ...

'') by

Ill Bill William Braunstein (born July 14, 1972), known by his stage name Ill Bill, is an American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York City. Having gained fame in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his diver ...

* "Ricky Kasso" (2013, ''Howie Made Me Do It 3'') by Ill Bill * '' Time to Die'' (2014) by Electric Wizard * "Black Circle (S.Y.L.S.)" (2015, ''Where Evil Dwells'') by Ranger * "Too Many Devils And Drugs" (2016, ''Longing For Infection'') by Fistula * "Acid King" (2018, ''

Malibu Ken Malibu Ken (also known as Aesop Rock & TOBACCO are Malibu Ken) is an American hip hop duo composed of rapper Aesop Rock and multi-instrumentalist Tobacco. The duo released their eponymous debut album on January 18, 2019, through Rhymesayers En ...

'') by

(

and

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

)

Notes

External links

"Kids In The Dark" by David Breskin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasso, Ricky 1967 births 1984 suicides American murderers of children American people who died in prison custody American Satanists Crimes involving Satanism or the occult People from Northport, New York People who committed suicide in prison custody Prisoners who died in New York (state) detention Suicides by hanging in New York (state)

Biographical background

Murder of Gary Lauwers

Aftermath and death

Books, films, and songs inspired by Kasso

Notes

Further reading

External links