The Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of Tony Kiritsis holding a shotgun to the head of his mortgage broker, Richard Hall. Kiritsis had fallen behind on mortgage payments. When Hall refused to grant him an extension, Kirtsis kidnapped him and held him hostage for 63 hours (Indiana, 1977) [1320 x 746].
by lightiggy
9 Comments
[Tony Kiritsis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kiritsis)
>In early February 1977, when his mortgage broker Richard O. Hall refused to give him additional time to pay, Kiritsis became convinced that Hall and Hall’s father wanted the property. The property’s value had increased and could be sold at a high profit. Hall claimed that he had proof of this in writing.
For those wondering why the police were just standing there…
>On Tuesday, February 8, 1977, Kiritsis went to Hall’s office and wired the muzzle of a 12-gauge Winchester 1400 sawed-off shotgun to the back of Hall’s head. The wire was also connected to the trigger and the other end was connected to Hall’s neck. This “dead man’s line” meant that if a policeman shot Kiritsis, the shotgun would go off and shoot Hall in the head. The same would happen if Hall tried to escape.
63 hours he could have been working for the money lmfao
Has the role of ‘**Mortgage Broker**’ changed over the years? If I got stroked real bad on my mortgage down the road I would DEFINTELY fantasize about taking it out on the fast-talking, cocky mortgage broker that sold it to me in the first place but I’m surprised that Sideburns above went to the MB to ‘request extensions’?
All the times I ever ended up using the services of a mortgage broker it seemed like they were there strictly to sell me the product and then I never heard from them again. Post close, all my loan servicing & questions were taken care of through regular old dead-eye bank employees. Have I been mortgaging wrong my whole life…?
“He was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.”
Though he did have to spend 11 years of his life in a mental institution.
I can kinda get why the guy did it, losing your home just because you’re a touch behind. That’s pretty fucked up.
But what he did was even more fucked up and frankly stupid, still, I can at least sort of get it.
Sounds like he was having a personal Kiritsis.
He was my uncle’s brother. I remember this well. My aunt was mortified. My uncle just said, well, that’s him. He apparently was not surprised.
Mortgage brokers, say what you will. I’ve never met one I’d ever call a friend.
Funny I just listened to a podcast about this. Pretty sure it was on an early Swindled episode.
This event is the subject of the new Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd movie *Dead Man’s Wire (2025)* [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJH8iCcoSDw)