Ricky Kasso
| Ricky Kasso | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Richard Allan Kasso Jr. March 29, 1967 Huntington, New York |
| Died | July 7, 1984 (aged 17) Riverhead, New York |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Other names | The Acid King, The Say You Love Satan Killer |
| Education | High school dropout |
Richard Allan "Ricky" Kasso Jr. (March 29, 1967 – July 7, 1984) murdered his 17-year-old friend Gary Lauwers in Northport, New York, on June 16, 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 high on what they believed to be mescaline, but was most likely LSD.
The murder became sensational news in New York City and across the nation due to the torture of Lauwers and alleged Satanic ritualistic aspects of the murder. The murder took place during a period when there was much public concern 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.
Kasso was the son of a local high school history teacher and football coach at affluent Cold Spring Harbor High School. Kasso was often thrown out of his home as a young teen and lived on the streets of suburban Northport, New York, usually sleeping in the local woods, or in the cars, garages, backyards and houses of friends. He often took drugs, mainly marijuana, hashish, LSD, PCP, and purple-microdots of what he believed to be mescaline, 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 dabbled in the occult and Satanism and was possibly acquainted with the members of a loosely organized group of friends who referred to themselves as the "Knights of the Black Circle". There are reports that he participated in Satanic ceremonies, mostly in Northport, and is said to have celebrated Walpurgisnacht at the infamous Amityville Horror house in 1984. Kasso also expressed to friends his interest in Anton LaVey's book The Satanic Bible. On at least one occasion, Ricky's parents admitted him to the South Oaks Psychiatric Hospital (formerly known as the Amityville Asylum) in Amityville, New York for drug rehabilitation and psychiatric care.
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