‘Law & Order’ Actor Says John Wayne Gacy Assaulted Him In 1978
At the time of his arrest, John Wayne Gacy had raped, tortured, and killed at least 33 young men around the Chicago area. Known as the “Killer Clown” because he worked as a children’s clown at the time, he remains one of the most notorious serial killers in American history.
In a recent interview, an actor who has appeared on shows like Law & Order has admitted that he was one of Gacy’s sexual assault victims but made it out of the experience alive. Here is what you need to know.
Jack Merrill Says John Wayne Gacy Raped Him At Gunpoint
Actor Jack Merrill said in a recent interview that John Wayne Gazy sexually assaulted him at gunpoint in 1978. He said that this happened just seven months before Gacy was arrested and charged with 33 murders. Merrill also said that he had no idea he was a serial killer during the assault.
According to Merrill, he was walking home from the YMCA in Chicago in 1978 when Gacy drove up and offered him a ride (via PEOPLE). Merrill said he accepted the ride, but then things went bad. Gacy pulled over and asked Merrill if he had ever done “poppers.”
“Poppers” is inhaling amyl nitrite to get high. Gacy pulled out the bottle, splashed liquid on it, and put it on Merrill’s face. He said that he woke up a little while later, and he was in handcuffs inside Gacy’s house. Merrill said he was a smaller guy and did what he could not to anger his abductor.
Merrill said he tried to “diffuse” the situation, so Gacy took off the handcuffs, and they drank beer and smoked pot together. However, the killer wasn’t finished and attacked Merrill again and handcuffed him one more time.
How Did Jack Merrill Escape John Wayne Gacy?
“He put this homemade contraption around my neck. It had ropes and pulleys, and it went around my back and through my handcuffed hands in a way that if I struggled, I would choke. I did at one point and started to lose air,” Merrill remembered.
Merrill said Gacy then put a gun in his mouth and then sexually assaulted him in the bedroom. “I knew if I fought him, I didn’t have much of a chance,” Merrill said. “I never freaked out or yelled; I also felt sorry for him in a way, like he didn’t necessarily want to be doing what he was doing, but he couldn’t stop.”
Because he didn’t fight it, Gacy agreed to take him home after the assault. Merrill said he didn’t know Gacy was the serial killer terrorizing the city, so he didn’t call the police and just tried to put things behind him.
Jack Merrill went on to become a successful character actor. He appeared on three episodes of Law & Order, two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, and three episodes of Games People Play, among others.
What are your thoughts on Merrill’s story about John Wayne Gacy? Let us know in the comments below.
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My friend’s father, Judge Garippo was the judge in the Gacy trial. We went to an all girls Catholic high school, and every year our political science class would visit Judge Garippo’s court room. Our year, it fell on the Gacy trial. The day we visited, a few of the victim’s mothers were giving testimony. I will never forget the raw emotion and grief of these mothers. We actually had to leave the court room as it was too traumatic for us to witness. Lastly, I remember years later, the day that Gacy was being put to death. A member of the press asked Judge Garippo how he sleeps at night, having sentenced John Wayne Gacy to death. He said, “I sleep like a baby”. Having witnessed the devastation of Gacy’s victim’s family members, I understand what he meant.