Who is Tony Kiritsis? Discover the Infamous Kidnapper Behind the Movie 'Dead Man’s Wire'

Tony Kiritsis was an infamous American kidnapper whose crime is the subject of the upcoming movie Dead Man’s Wire.

In anticipation of the new movie, Life & Style breaks down everything to know about Kiritsis’s crime and the new true crime film inspired by him.

On the morning of February 8, 1977, Kiritsis entered Meridian Mortgage Company president Richard O. Hall’s office and held him hostage with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun that attached the trigger to his neck, which he called a “deadman’s switch,” according to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis.

Kiritsis forced Hall out of the building, and they walked through busy streets surrounded by police and journalists. Kiritsis then took a police car and ordered Hall to drive to Kiritsis’s Crestwood Village apartment, which he told police was rigged with explosives. Once they were at his home, Kiritsis chained Hall in the bathroom and held him captive for nearly 63 hours.

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Kiritsis came up with the plan to kidnap Hall after he purchased 17 acres of land. The $130,000 mortgage with Meridian Mortgage was due on March 1, 1977, and he accused the company of deliberately trying to sabotage his plan to turn the land into a shopping center.

Kiritsis claimed he would let Hall go if he apologized and paid a $5 million compensation from Meridian Mortgage. Additionally, he wanted Hall to promise there would be no state, federal or civil prosecution in light of the kidnapping.

While Hall was still kidnapped, the hostage situation drew headlines and many journalists traveled to Indianapolis to cover the story. Kiritsis reached out to journalist Fred Heckman at WIBC, explaining the situation that led him to the kidnapping.

Heckman broadcasted the recording of their conversation to gain Kiritsis’ trust, while he was also working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to save Hall.

After Hall assured Kiritsis that his demands were met, the kidnapper led Hall at gunpoint to the building’s lobby on February 10. Kiritsis delivered a 23-minute monologue for the reporters before he released Hall and was immediately arrested.

Kiritsis was tried on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and armed extortion. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity on October 21, 1977, while he was declared incompetent and turned over to the State Department of Mental Health two weeks later for commitment to an institution.

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His legal issues continued in December 1977 when Kiritsis was found in contempt of court after he refused to submit to a psychiatric examination.

After he spent 11 years in mental hospitals, Kiritsis was released in January 1988. According to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, he was released because the state could not prove he was a danger to society or mentally ill.

Kiritsis died on January 28, 2005, in his home from natural causes.

Dead Man’s Wire will tell the story of Kiritsis’s hostage situation. Bill Skarsgård stars as Kiritsis and Dacre Montgomery stars as Hall, while other cast members include Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Myha’la and more.