The Harrowing True Story of “Dead Man’s Wire”: Inside the 1977 Hostage Incident That Shook Indianapolis

‘Dead Man’s Wire’ is based on a real-life kidnapping case

NEED TO KNOW

  • Dead Man’s Wire tells the real-life story of Tony Kiritsis abducting mortgage broker Richard O. Hall in 1977
  • Kiritsis, who is played by Bill Skarsgård, placed a gun attached to a wire around Hall’s neck and held him hostage for days
  • The film, which hit theaters on Jan. 16, also stars Dacre Montgomery as Hall and Colman Domingo as Fred Temple

Dead Man’s Wire is based on a shocking true story.

The film, which premiered in theaters on Jan. 16, follows Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård), a disgruntled property owner who kidnaps his mortgage broker Richard O. Hall (Dacre Montgomery).

In real life, Kiritsis went to Hall’s office in Indianapolis and wired the muzzle of a shotgun to the back of his head. Kiritsis connected the wire to the trigger, with the other end around Hall’s neck — thus giving the contraption the name, “dead man’s wire.”…

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS