IRVINGTON — The recent release of director Gus Van Sant’s movie Dead Man’s Wire has caused a lot of interest in the events in 1977 — and local connections. The film chronicles the terrifying moment in Indianapolis history when real estate developer Anthony “Tony” Kiritsis took mortgage lender Richard Hall hostage and paraded him through the streets of Indianapolis. Skilled negotiations prevented bloodshed.
In October of 1977, Kiritsis went on trial. Judge Michael Dugan II of Irvington presided over the court. Sitting in the courtroom was David Gregory, also an Irvington resident, who served as the artist for Channel Six News. The jury found Kiritsis “not guilty by reason of insanity.” He spent years in various facilities.
Gregory eventually gifted the sketches to Judge Dugan. After he vacated the court, Sue Barnett, who worked for the Marion County Superior Court, rescued the sketches and donated them to the Irvington Historical Society. You may now see several of the Kiritsis trial sketches on display at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center at 5350 University Ave. They are open on the weekends from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations would be appreciated.
