Seventeen-year-old Gary Lauwers was killed in the woods in Northport, New York, in 1984. Ricky Kasso was arrested, and accounts connected the attack to a dispute within a drug-using teenage group. Reports of occult references fueled a national “Satanic panic.” Kasso died by suicide before his case could go to trial.
Content note: violence, abuse, or loss. Linked material may contain graphic descriptions. Screen dramatizations may change events and dialogue.
Northport, New York. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Map sources checked September 14, 2026. No case-specific Odd Stops location was found in this review.
See this case’s source review
Odd Stops
No verified match found. Source imagery is linked; only separately licensed photos are reproduced.
MurderData
No verified match found.
ArcGIS essay
Not included in this essay.
Reddit map
Reviewed as a general resource. Its coordinates and victim counts were not adopted as case evidence.
“No verified match” describes the accessible material found in this review, not proof that a source has never covered the case. MAP’s anonymous records were not individually matched to people.
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
IMDb · Screen title
The Acid King (2019)
IMDb title reference connected to the Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso case. Listed release: 2019. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Watch links, previews, and historical title listings are identified below. Availability varies by service and region; rentals or subscriptions may be required.
IMDb · TV episode
Killer Kids — Occult Killers (2011)
IMDb episode reference connected to the Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso case. Listed release: 2011. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Original newspaper coverage, hosted by Newspapers.com. Read each article in the context of its publication date; later findings may differ. Full-page access may require sign-in.
Featured newspaper clipping
Read a featured clipping here, then explore more reporting in the newspaper archive.
Newsday · 1984-08-12 · Page 7
A Shared Secret: reconstructing Gary Lauwers’s killing
Newsday reporters use extensive interviews to reconstruct events around the killing and its national coverage.
Opening section of a long feature; distinguish witness accounts from established findings.
Loads the article viewer from Newspapers.com. That service receives your browser and connection information and may use cookies. Access is controlled by the publisher; a subscription may be needed for additional archive material.
Case videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
Lights Out
“Ritual” Murder Blamed on Heavy Metal Music: Ricky Kasso the Acid King
Video from Lights Out covering the Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso case. Length: 1:51:39.
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “38. Ricky Kasso: The Acid King | Say You Love Satan.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “The Acid King: Ricky Kasso, obsessed with the devil commits an unthinkable crime.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Ricky Kasso - The Acid King.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Outside blogs, personal essays, and creator write-ups. These reflect each author’s perspective. Check publication dates and compare claims with reporting and court records.
This section is awaiting its first entry.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
09Internet Archive
1 items
Individual records from Internet Archive: library books, historical broadcasts, and preserved web pages. A catalog listing does not guarantee free reading or full playback. Access, previews, and borrowing are controlled by Internet Archive.
Internet Archive · Library record · 1987
Say you love Satan
St. Clair, David. A library catalog record for a book connected with Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso. The record may offer a preview or borrowing options; full reading access is not guaranteed.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
11Court records & documents
1 items
Court opinions, filings, transcripts, and dockets, alongside clearly labeled parole records, released investigative files, and courtroom recordings. Each item identifies its source and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. These selections are not complete case files. Where an online document could not be verified, a separate guide identifies the records office or archive to contact.
Co-defendant pretrial rulingArchive copy
People v. Troiano — reporter’s subpoena in the Gary Lauwers case
Pretrial ruling concerning a subpoena to reporter David Breskin in James Troiano’s prosecution for Gary Lauwers’s murder. This is a proceeding against Troiano, not a trial of Ricky Kasso.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
13Where are they now?
0 items
The latest information verified for this collection is listed below. Each source has its own date; these are not live custody records.
A current-status update has not been verified for this case yet.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
14Positive Outcome
0 items
Documented laws, advocacy, and reforms connected to this case. Changes do not undo the harm, and listing a law does not claim that it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific law, reform, or advocacy initiative has been verified for this collection yet. This does not mean that none exists.
New material will appear here after editorial review.
Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso — media, court records & case files | Unforgotten Casebook
07Social Media
4 itemsCase videos, posts, family pages, and creator communities. Creator channels and groups cover multiple cases; each includes a link to the relevant episode. Facebook or TikTok may require sign-in, and groups may require membership approval. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting.
Lights Out
“Ritual” Murder Blamed on Heavy Metal Music: Ricky Kasso the Acid King
Video from Lights Out covering the Gary Lauwers & Ricky Kasso case. Length: 1:51:39.
Watch on YouTubeFacebook · Creator channel
Reverie True Crime — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “38. Ricky Kasso: The Acid King | Say You Love Satan.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Visit the Facebook pageTikTok · Creator channel
Dark Hearts with Stacy Lee — TikTok channel
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “The Acid King: Ricky Kasso, obsessed with the devil commits an unthinkable crime.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Visit the TikTok channelFacebook · Creator channel
Enter The Dark — Facebook page
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “Ricky Kasso - The Acid King.” This creator channel covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. The platform may ask you to sign in.
Visit the Facebook page