News

Known for roles in Law & Order and Eight Men Out, actor Jack Merrill recently revealed a terrifying incident from his life that had a profound impact on him. The actor kept this horrific experience a secret for years, sharing it with just a few close friends. Only lately did Merrill find the courage to talk about his experience after decades of putting the memory aside.

Jack Merrill | Credits: Instagram @jackymerrill

Jack Merrill disclosed recently about the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who killed and r*ped more than thirty young men and boys in the Chicago area in the 1970s, kidnapped and abused him when he was a young man.

Jack Merrill lived in a not-so-happy-home

Even though Jack Merrill was raised in a big, seemingly happy home in Evanston, Illinois, his early years were challenging. His father, Jerome Holtzman, was a prominent sportswriter credited with creating the baseball “save” statistic.

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.

Jack Merrill says he had a horrifying experience with serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

The 65-year-old Law & Order and Grey’s Anatomy actor claims he was abducted and raped by the notorious criminal in 1978 when he was just 19 years old in an essay for People.

He said he was living by himself in Chicago at the time, and encountered the killer while walking home at night.

“A guy pulled over and said, ‘Do you want to go for a ride?’” he wrote.

“He pulled over near the ramp of the Kennedy Expressway and asked if I’d ever done ‘poppers’—amyl nitrite. He pulled out this brown bottle, splashed some liquid on a rag and jammed it into my face. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was in handcuffs. I saw the exit for Cumberland on the expressway, near the airport, and the next thing I knew,...

[Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse.] Law and Order actor Jack Merrill has opened up about a horrifying encounter with serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who he reveals abducted and sexually abused him when he was 19 years old. Merrill, who has appeared in hit shows such as Sex and the City, Grey’s Anatomy, and The O.C., wrote about the incident in a piece for People magazine on Wednesday, October 23. In the article, Merrill says he met Gacy in 1978 while walking home at night in Chicago. “A guy pulled over and said, ‘Do you want to go for a ride?’” Merrill recalled. After getting into the vehicle, the actor said, “He pulled over near the ramp of the Kennedy Expressway and asked if I’d ever done ‘poppers’—amyl nitrite. He pulled out this brown bottle, splashed some liquid on a rag and jammed it into my face.” “I passed out, and when I woke up, I...

Hollywood is seemingly obsessed with serial killer stories, and one veteran actor is now relating his own, all-too real encounter with John Wayne Gacy.

Jack Merrill, whose decades-long career includes parts in Eight Men Out, Law & Order, Sex and the City, Grey’s Anatomy, Numb3rs and Hannah Montana, wrote this week about surviving abduction and rape at the hands of Gacy, a serial killer who sometimes dressed as a clown and who authorities say sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 young men and boys.

Merrill says his assault happened in 1978, when he was 19.

“One night,” he writes for People, “I was walking home. A guy pulled over and said, ‘Do you want to go for a ride?'”

Merrill recalls that he accepted, only to be drugged and dragged to Gacy’s home.

“He put this homemade contraption around my neck,” writes the actor. “It had ropes and pulleys, and...

In today’s film news roundup, “A Hidden Life” is shown at the Vatican, “Limerence” finds a home, Dave Baustista’s “My Spy” moves, and the DGA honors two veteran members.

Vatican Screening

Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life” received a rare private screening at the Vatican Film Library this week.

The movie centers on Austrian farmer and conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II due to his religious beliefs. He was executed for treason in 1943 and beatified in 2007 in Linz, Austria by Pope Benedict XVI.

“A Hidden Life” stars August Diehl and Valerie Pachner with Maria Simon, Bruno Ganz, Karin Neuhäuser, Tobias Moretti, Matthias Schoenaerts and Ulrich Matthes rounding out the cast.

Fox Searchlight opens “A Hidden Life” in select theaters in North America on Friday. It was recently nominated as best feature contender at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Acquisition

Gravitas Ventures...

New Revenge season 3,episode 4 dramatic spoilers & clips hit the net. Last night, ABC dropped the new spoilers and sneak peek/spoiler clip (below) for their upcoming "Revenge" episode 4 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Mercy," and it appears to be quite intriguing and dramatic as major 3-way, love triangle madness is stirred up between Aiden,Daniel, and Jack, and more. In the new "Mercy" episode, Emily's biggest takedown yet is going to crash and burn, and she will have to rely on help from an unlikely source to investigate what went wrong. In the meantime, to protect her own future, Victoria will end up, making a bold move to secure her independence. Guest stars are going to include: James LeGros as Father Paul Whitley, Justin Hartley as Patrick Osbourne, Kathleen York as Sheila Lurie, Jack Merrill as Detective March, Conor Leslie as Bianca, Victoria Park as Anna, Kavita Patil as Lucinda Martin,...

New Revenge season 3,episode 4 official spoilers,plotline revealed by ABC. Recently, ABC served up the new, official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Revenge" episode 4 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Mercy," and it sounds like it'll be quite intense and interesting as Emily will majorly crash and burn with her next plot attempt, and more. The episode is entitled, "Mercy." In the new episode 4 press release: When Emily's biggest takedown yet ,crashes and burns, she is going to have to rely on help from an unlikely source to investigate what went wrong. In the meantime, to protect her own future, Victoria will make a bold move to secure her independence. Guest stars are going to include: James LeGros as Father Paul Whitley, Justin Hartley as Patrick Osbourne, Kathleen York as Sheila Lurie, Jack Merrill as Detective March, Conor Leslie as Bianca, Victoria Park as Anna, Kavita Patil as Lucinda Martin,...