AN ACTOR who was attacked by serial killer John Wayne Gacy has broken his silence about how he survived the notorious clown murderer decades after the horrific abuse.
Jack Merrill, known for his roles in Law & Order and Grey’s Anatomy, was abducted and raped by Gacy in 1978 – just months before the killer was arrested and eventually charged with murdering 33 men.
Actor Jack Merrill at a film screening in Hollywood in January 2020[/caption]
Serial killer John Wayne Gacy performing as a clown[/caption]
John Wayne Gacy at 37 when he was held for questioning in connection to the bodies found in his home in December 1978[/caption]
Gacy, a contractor who performed as a clown on the side, was executed by lethal injection in 1994 for the murders.
While only 33 victims were linked to Gacy, he told cops when he was arrested that the number might’ve been as high as 45. The number of men he attacked and raped is even higher.
Merill, now 65, was 19 when he encountered Gacy in his hometown of Evanston, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. Gacy picked Merill up in his car before drugging him and bringing the teen back to his Chicago home for a horrific night of rape and torture.
The actor kept quiet about the attack for decades until he told a Hollywood executive years ago, according to People.
He told the outlet that he only told his close friends about the traumatic event after realizing he didn’t want his legacy to be connected to the evil clown.
“That’s how you want to be remembered?” Merill recalled the exec asked.
“I thought, ‘No, I guess not. That would be tying myself to him.’”
Merrill has now written a one-man show about the terrifying night, which he said started when he walking home from a swim at the local YMCA.
Gacy, later known for “cruising” around Chicago to look for potential victims, pulled over and asked Merill if he wanted a ride.
“I thought I’d go around the block a few times, but he started driving quickly and turned into a really bad neighborhood,” Merill recalled.
He said that after a brief conversation, Gacy told the young actor he was smarter than the other men he picked up.
“I had never gotten into anyone’s car before, but I had a sense that if he thought I was different from other people he’d picked up, then I should stick with it,” Merill said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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