Anthony Kiritsis

Biography

Anthony George 'Tony' Kiritsis (August 13, 1932 – January 28, 2005) was an American kidnapper. A resident of Indianapolis, Kiritsis had obtained a piece of land for commercial development with a mortgage from Meridian Mortgage but fell behind in making payments. His mortgage broker, Richard O. Hall, refused additional time for payment, so in February 1977, Kiritsis held Hall hostage at gun point demanding 'justice', in an event that was widely followed by the local and national media. Kiritsis released Hall, who lived until 2022. Then he fired the shotgun into the air to prove it had been loaded. He was immediately arrested, and was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was released from a mental institution in January 1988 after the state was unable prove he was still a danger to society, and moved to Speedway. After some time, he returned to Indianapolis, where he died of natural causes on January 28, 2005. The event was adapted into Gus Van Sant's 2025 film Dead Man's Wire, with Bill Skarsgård as Kiritsis.