Dick Hall, man held captive at gunpoint by Tony Kiritsis in 1977, has died

INDIANAPOLIS — Dick Hall, the mortgage broker who was taken hostage by Tony Kiritsis in 1977 and held at gunpoint for 63 hours, has died.

Hall died in his sleep Friday following a brief illness, according to a website for his book, "Kiritsis and Me: Enduring 63 Hours at Gunpoint."

His kidnapping at the hands of Kiritsis on Feb. 8, 1977, much of it broadcast live on WRTV, became one of the most famous events in Indianapolis history.

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On that date, Kiritsis entered a mortgage company's office and wired a sawed-off shotgun to Hall's head, then paraded him around downtown Indianapolis.

Kiritsis was upset about a mortgage he had fallen behind on. Hall, an executive with the company, threatened to foreclose on it, according to WIBC.

During the standoff, Kiritsis commandeered a police car and headed home with his prisoner.

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Kiritsis was taken into custody after he removed the wiring from the gun to shoot out a window, to prove it was loaded. Hall was uninjured.

Kiritsis stood trial and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He died in 2005.

Hall discussed the ordeal in 2017 and wrote a book about it 40 years after the fact.

"I've slept well," Hall previously said. "I haven't had any nightmares, and I've been kind of blessed by it not affecting me too much."