On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis took mortgage executive Richard (Dick) Hall hostage because of a business dispute. The ordeal lasted some 63 hours and made news across the United States. On February 10, Kiritsis surrendered and released Hall, believing that his demands had been met. Chief among them was immunity from prosecution. However, the promise of immunity had been a ruseāas well as not legally bindingāand Kiritsis was charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, and armed extortion. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity on October 21, 1977. Kiritsis was committed to a mental institution, and he was held at various facilities before being released in 1988. He later struggled with diabetes and alcohol addiction. Kiritsis died in 2005 at age 72.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style