Tony Kiritsis
Encyclopedia
Anthony G. Kiritsis (August 13, 1932 – January 28, 2005) was an American
kidnapper
.
He was a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana
and had fallen behind on the payments on a mortgage
on a piece of real estate. In February 1977, when his mortgage broker, Richard O. Hall, refused to give him additional time to pay, Kiritsis became convinced that Hall (and his father) wanted the property, which had increased in value and would be sold at a high profit.
to his head. The other end of the wire was connected to the trigger and then to Hall's neck. This "dead man's line" meant that had a policeman shot Kiritsis, the shotgun would go off and shoot Hall in the head. The same would happen if Hall would have tried to escape. Kiritsis called the police from Hall's office and told the police he had taken Hall as a hostage
.
Kiritsis held Hall hostage for 63 hours. During this time, most of which was spent in Kiritsis' apartment, he frequently made calls to local radio host Fred Heckman, who broadcast what Kiritsis said. Finally, a lawyer said Hall had signed a document stating that he had mistreated Kiritsis and would pay him $5 million and that Kiritsis would not be arrested and prosecuted. Kiritsis then held a speech in front of live TV cameras. His speech became so emotional that some journalists thought he would shoot Hall, so they terminated the live broadcast. Eventually, however, Kiritsis released Hall. To prove the gun had been loaded, he fired it into the air, and was immediately arrested. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Most people who knew Kiritsis had good things to say about him and were surprised at what he had done. Kiritsis is described as "always helpful and kind to his neighbors, a hard worker, and a strict law-and-order sort of man". Kiritsis also said several times that he didn't want anyone to get hurt and apologised for the way he treated Dick Hall. At his trial psychiatrists said he was psychotic
and in a "paranoid
delusion
al state" during the hostage incident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
kidnapper
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
.
He was a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and had fallen behind on the payments on a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
on a piece of real estate. In February 1977, when his mortgage broker, Richard O. Hall, refused to give him additional time to pay, Kiritsis became convinced that Hall (and his father) wanted the property, which had increased in value and would be sold at a high profit.
The crime
Kiritsis went to Hall's office and wired a sawed-off shotgunSawed-off shotgun
A sawed-off shotgun also called a sawn-off shotgun and a short-barreled shotgun , is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel and often a shorter or absent stock....
to his head. The other end of the wire was connected to the trigger and then to Hall's neck. This "dead man's line" meant that had a policeman shot Kiritsis, the shotgun would go off and shoot Hall in the head. The same would happen if Hall would have tried to escape. Kiritsis called the police from Hall's office and told the police he had taken Hall as a hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
.
Kiritsis held Hall hostage for 63 hours. During this time, most of which was spent in Kiritsis' apartment, he frequently made calls to local radio host Fred Heckman, who broadcast what Kiritsis said. Finally, a lawyer said Hall had signed a document stating that he had mistreated Kiritsis and would pay him $5 million and that Kiritsis would not be arrested and prosecuted. Kiritsis then held a speech in front of live TV cameras. His speech became so emotional that some journalists thought he would shoot Hall, so they terminated the live broadcast. Eventually, however, Kiritsis released Hall. To prove the gun had been loaded, he fired it into the air, and was immediately arrested. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Most people who knew Kiritsis had good things to say about him and were surprised at what he had done. Kiritsis is described as "always helpful and kind to his neighbors, a hard worker, and a strict law-and-order sort of man". Kiritsis also said several times that he didn't want anyone to get hurt and apologised for the way he treated Dick Hall. At his trial psychiatrists said he was psychotic
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
and in a "paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
al state" during the hostage incident.
Later life
Kiritsis was released from a mental institution in January 1988, after the state could not prove he was still a danger to society. He died in 2005.Effects of the case
- At the time of the trial, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
law (and that of some other states) required the prosecution to disprove a defendant's claim of insanity, i.e. to prove the defendant sane, beyond a reasonable doubtBeyond a Reasonable DoubtBeyond a Reasonable Doubt is a 1956 film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Douglas Morrow. The film, considered film noir, was the last American film directed by Lang.-Plot:...
. Directly as a result of the Kiritsis trial and that of John Hinckley, Jr.John Hinckley, Jr.John Warnock Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, as the culmination of an effort to impress teen actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since...
, Indiana (and again, other states) substantially revised their law to place the burden of proof for insanity-pleading defendants squarely on the shoulders of the defense.
- John H. Blair, a freelance photographer for UPI, took a photograph of the incident which won him the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News PhotographyPulitzer Prize for Spot News PhotographyThe Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography was awarded from 1968 – 1999, thereafter being renamed as the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.-List of winners:...
.
- Footage of the incident was included in the 1982 documentary The Killing of America as one of many examples of violence in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.