Why Jack Merrill believed serial killer John Wayne Gacy kept him alive
Jack Merrill.
Greg Doherty/Getty Imagesactor Jack Merrill Have some ideas as to why he survived his harrowing encounter with the serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
in his one man show storeattended one of the performances US Weekly On Friday, January 17, Merrill, 65, said he was “kidnapped and raped by John Wayne Gacy” when he was just 19 years old in Chicago. The show explores what led to the notorious serial killer’s eventual release.
“The whole reason I do this save Just connecting with people in a way that’s very different than what most people would expect from someone who’s been through what I’ve been through,” Merrill said exclusively us after Friday’s performance. Merrill’s screen credits include films such as “Law & Order,” “Hannah Montana,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and sex and city.
Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered at least 33 young people before he was finally captured. In 1980, he was found guilty of 33 counts of murder and sentenced to death. He was executed 14 years later in 1994.
Merrill said that despite his horrific kidnapping and difficult childhood, he was one of the lucky ones.
Quiet Set previously revealed the shocking connection between Brian Peck and John Wayne Gacy, before the dialogue coach was arrested for sexually abusing Derek Bell. In the “Investigation Discovery” documentary series, former “All That” actor Kyle Sullivan recalled Peck’s friendly demeanor, saying: “Everybody loved Brian. He was charming and he was smart. He was just there. around everyone […]
Merrill said his parents were emotionally, physically and verbally abusive to him and his sisters while growing up, and described his childhood home as an “unhappy and disturbing place.” He attributes his survival in Gacy’s home to his mother’s “wrath” that he endured throughout his life.
John Wayne Gacy.
Getty Images“My mom and having to keep a low profile during times of rage are the same thing,” he explained on the show, adding, “My family has given me some important tools that I can use to protect myself. “
Merrill explained that Gacy liked and trusted him. He told Merrill he was “not like other people.” He even took off Merrill’s handcuffs so they could sit together in Gacy’s bar, drink a few beers, smoke, and talk, but only if Merrill promised he would “behave.”
“I could tell he didn’t like other people,” the playwright explains. “He wanted me to be different. I knew if I listened to him he wouldn’t hurt me. I had to admit it was normal. There was no other option.
Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images “The Devil in Peacock Disguise: John Wayne Gacy” is the latest scripted series centered on a prolific serial killer. According to the show’s synopsis, the limited series “unveils the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy’s life while weaving the heartbreaking story of his mostly gay victims.” Devil in Disguise […]
Gacy’s faith in him did not protect Merrill from harm—the killer still sexually assaulted him. “That’s how I lost the last piece of my innocence,” Merrill said, adding that at the time of the attack, he “told myself I was going to get through this, I was going to get through this.”
In an interview in October 2024 people“I knew if I fought him, I didn’t have much of a chance. I never panicked or yelled,” Merrill said of the incident.
The next morning, Gacy released Merrill, allegedly saying, “You’re a good kid. I like you. Maybe we can get together again someday.” He wrote his phone number on a small piece of paper. On the film, Merrill said he quickly flushed the paper down the toilet.
A month or two later, he saw Gacy’s face in a newspaper with the headline “Body Found in Suburbs.” Merrill, however, never told his story to police. “I decided that if the police needed me, I would step forward,” he said. “But they never wanted me.”
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Merrill said that for a while he kept what happened to him a secret. However, after both his parents passed away, he decided to step up. He said he was glad his parents died without knowing what happened to their son.
“I wanted to tell people at some point. It happened, it’s a part of me, and I want them to know,” he explained. “Anyone I told stayed away from me, trying to deal with it, and I don’t blame them.”
Merrill said it was inevitable that he would have to forgive Gacy in order to move on with his life. “Not just Gacy, actually, but my family,” he said. “I’ve had a good life. I didn’t let them take away my possibilities.
He said: “Forty-six years later, I’m still here. Happy, grateful, proud. I didn’t leave my sanity in a house near the airport. I’m not a victim. That was one night. Something happened. This is my life.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Reporting by Sienna Leon
