Actor Shares Harrowing Experience of Being Kidnapped & Assaulted by John Wayne Gacy

Actor Jack Merrill, who appeared in Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order, has shared his harrowing story of when he was kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted by notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy.

Merrill is publicly sharing his story of being assaulted nearly 4 decades ago, approximately seven months before Gacy was arrested for the murders of 33 men and boys.

In an exclusive interview with People, Merrill recalls the traumatic night when Gacy offered him a ride on his way home from YMCA in his hometown of Chicago. The then-19 year-old reluctantly accepted Gacy’s offer, but says things quickly took a harrowing turn.

CONTENT WARNING: Please note this story includes graphic descriptions of sexual assault, abduction, torture and forced drug use

Merrill recalls traumatic events after accepting ride from John Wayne Gacy

Gacy pulled over and asked Merrill if he’d tried ‘poppers’, the popular LGBTQIA+ party drug amyl nitrite, before drugging him.

“He pulled out this brown bottle, splashed some liquid on a rag and jammed it into my face.” recalled Merrill.

“I passed out, and when I woke up, I was in handcuffs,” he continued, “and the next thing I knew, we were outside his house”.

Once Merrill saw the 36 year-old Gacy more clearly, he understood the danger in front of him as he was a ‘puny’ teen and could not fight back. The actor instead decided to remain calm in hopes of ‘diffusing the situation’ and ‘act like everything was okay’.

He said that his calm behavior was due to his upbringing, where he often dealt with explosive situations with his mother.

Soon after they were in the house, Gacy removed his handcuffs and gave Merrill beer and ‘strong pot’.

Gacy then shackled the actor, before dragging him  down the hall and fitting a torturous ‘homemade contraption’ around his neck. 

“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,” said Merrill.

Gacy then “stuck a loaded gun” in the actor’s mouth, Merrill said, and sexually assaulted him in a bedroom. 

“I knew if I fought him, I didn’t have much of a chance,” Merrill continued, “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.”

How Merrill eventually got away from John Wayne Gacy

Merrill shared that he was tortured for hours, but could eventually tell Gacy was beginning to tire. The murderer eventually said “I’ll take you home”.

Gacy then dropped him off but not before giving the young actor his number which Merrill promptly flushed down the toilet once he got home.

John Wayne Gacy arrested for murder of 33 men just months later

Months later, Merrill saw a breaking news story in which police found dozens of bodies in the killer clown’s creepy crawl space. Gacy was arrested in 1980 before eventually being executed by lethal injection.

Heartbreaking reason Merrill didn’t share his story for years

The actor only told his close friends about the sexual assault.

But he shared in the interview that he told a Hollywood exec years later, who responded with: “That’s how you want to be remembered?”

Merrill decided he did not want to ‘tie himself’ to Gacy, and says he spent years trying to put the horrific incident behind him.

Merrill works through trauma in one-man show about his life ‘The Save’

Now, years later, Jack Merrill has been happily married to his husband for 23 years. The TV star counts himself as very ‘lucky’ to have survived and thanks his close friends, family and his ‘cathartic’ show to work through his trauma with.

“I’m proud of my journey”, he said.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing sexual assault or domestic violence, please contact:

• National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
• National Violence and Abuse Trauma Counselling and Recovery Service on 1800 FULLSTOP (1800 385 578). They also have a specific line for the LGBTIQA+ community called the Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline on 1800 497 212