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.
RELATED | 45 years ago: Tony Kiritsis holds mortgage broker hostage for 63 hours
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.
RELATED | After 40 years, the target of famous Indianapolis hostage situation breaks his silence
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."
-
IMPD: Man hit by stray bullet on New Year's Day
A man is said to be suffering from minor injuries after he was struck by a stray bullet that fell from the sky on New Year's Day, according to Indy Metro Police.
One person in critical condition after shooting on Indy's near east side
A male is in critical condition after a shooting on New Year's Day on the city’s near east side. IMPD East District officers responded around 7:30 a.m. to a person shot on North Rural Street.One dead in a two-vehicle crash on Indy's north side
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers are investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash that killed one person on the city’s north side.
Players from 1968 IU Rose Bowl team reminisce about their time in Pasadena
As the Hoosiers return to Pasadena, members of the 1968 IU team, the first in school history to play in the Rose Bowl, are reflecting on their own journey to the “Granddaddy of Them All.”