Ricky Kasso

Ricky Kasso
Born
Richard Allan Kasso Jr.

(1967-03-29)March 29, 1967
Huntington, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 7, 1984(1984-07-07) (aged 17)
Riverhead, New York, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
Other namesThe Acid King, The Say You Love Satan Killer
EducationHigh school dropout

Richard Allan "Ricky" Kasso Jr. (March 29, 1967 – July 7, 1984), also known as the Acid King, was an American murderer who killed his 17-year-old friend Gary Lauwers in Northport, New York, on June 19, 1984.[1] Two other teenagers, Jimmy Troiano and Albert Quiñones, 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, but was most likely LSD.

The murder became a sensational news story due to the alleged torture of Lauwers and supposed occult aspects of the murder. The murder took place during a period known as the "Satanic panic", when there was much public concern[2][3][4] over the effects of Satanic and occult content in heavy metal music and in role-playing games. Kasso was wearing an AC/DC T-shirt at the time of his arrest and was a fan of groups such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne.

  1. ^ Pollack, Jesse P. (16 October 2018). The Acid King. Simon & Schuster. p. 23. ISBN 978-1481482288.
  2. ^ There were two famous suicidal deaths in the 1980s that led to trials in U.S. courts, one involving Judas Priest and a second involving Ozzy Osbourne.
  3. ^ Several political groups advocated censorship and/or ratings for rock music, most notably Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center and Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority.
  4. ^ 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.