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A lot of people can remember the day that Gianni Versace was killed on the steps of his mansion in 1997, but few had as intimate a connection with his killer as Mother Jones' race and justice reporter Jamilah King claims to. She took to social media on Jan. 18, the day after the premiere of [American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace(http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/american-crime-story), to share her chilling experience meeting serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
"Hi. I have a story to tell about meeting a serial killer. It's nuts. But it's true. So here goes," she begins, before diving into a wild tale about her brief encounter with Cunanan when she was just 11 years old. The San Francisco native says she was playing basketball alone when she noticed a creepy young adult male watching her. Eventually, he stood under the basket, blocking her from playing. When she turned to leave, he complimented her athletic ability and then offered her a dollar. Read for yourself:
It was the spring of 1997. I was in the sixth grade.
He's older than me, an adult, but still pretty young. He's wearing a long dark green coat. He's standing on the sideline, between the park's grass and the court.
Then he calls toward me, "You should keep practicing." I'm almost at my bike and fo some reason I'd turned around. Not sure if I was curious, or irritated, or what.
But there are two major streets on either side of the park, Fell on one side, Oak on the other. If he tries something, someone will hear me scream, right?
YES SHE SERIOUSLY TOOK THE DOLLAR! Luckily Jamilah made it out alive, but it didn't take long for her to realize how very real the danger had been, and how close she was to a real-life serial killer!
And then on the news, there's his mugshot. It's the same guy who gave me a dollar. His name is Andrew Cunanan.
I remember being in the yard at Roosevelt Middle School, and telling the homies: "yooooo! i met that serial killer dude on the news. he gave me a dollar and told me i was good at basketball!"
To this day, they still think I'm making this shit up. When I heard about the new Versace movie, I texted one of my best friends, a woman I've known since we were sixth graders.
Oh, and also: I think I did buy that Baby Ruth and it was probably delicious because Baby Ruth's always are and I am about all of the men that Cunanan killed and RIP Versace. The end.
Of course, this could all just be made up, but Jamilah posted a screenshot of a text she sent her childhood friend about the situation, and the friend's response seems to corroborate the story. Plus, the time frame does line up.
The story is definitely creepy, we can't stop wondering why Cunanan would give Jamilah a dollar! Clearly he didn't attack her, and she doesn't fit the general description of his victims. Cunanan killed at least five men over a three-month murder spree in 1997, so an 11-year-old girl doesn't really fit the bill. We're just happy she survived the scary situation to tell the tale!
