205:. Rignall provided police with the license plate number and address, but they did not act quickly on the information. Finally, in July 1978, the state's attorney's office filed a charge of battery against Gacy, but he was permitted to remain free. Rignall's case was never resolved in court. The battery charge was still pending in December 1978 when 15-year-old Robert Piest vanished in Des Plaines, Illinois, after encountering Gacy at the pharmacy where Piest worked. The Des Plaines police quickly settled on Gacy as a suspect and found Rignall's charge on Gacy's rap sheet. Investigators contacted Rignall, but before they were able to interview him, Gacy was arrested and confessed. Between the date that Rignall's battery charge was filed and the date of the Des Plaines arrest, Gacy had murdered four more young men, including Piest.
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experiences, affected
Rignall greatly. He recounted he lost approximately 40 pounds, became severely withdrawn, and experienced depression and "bouts of vomiting." He began treatment for mental health concerns and was placed on tranquilizers and sleeping drugs. By February 1980, his medical expenses had ballooned between $ 25,000-$ 30,000.
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over
Rignall's mouth until he passed out. Rignall woke up intermittently during the car ride to Gacy's house and recognized a few landmarks, but was chloroformed again and eventually lapsed into unconsciousness. Rignall said that when he awoke, he was inside Gacy's house. He was fastened to a torture
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After Gacy's arrest, Rignall's assault charge against him was widely covered in the press. Other young men came forward with similar stories: that they too had been sexually assaulted or tortured by Gacy, and their reports to the
Chicago police had been dismissed. The event, including recounting the
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at the time of the attack, citing "...the beastly and animalistic ways he attacked me". Gacy never fully acknowledged his attack on
Rignall - he described most of his sexual assaults as consensual encounters - and never explained why he released Rignall alive, but killed at least 33 other men and
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and described in detail what he would do to
Rignall with each of them. Gacy then brutally raped, drugged, whipped, and tortured Rignall. In later accounts, Rignall recalled that there was another man in the room while Gacy raped him. Rignall regained consciousness the next day under a statue in
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and his subsequent search to find his attacker. Rignall's testimony during Gacy's trial helped to secure the latter's conviction and death sentence. Rignall was profoundly affected both mentally and physically by the attack for the rest of his life. He died in 2000 at age 49.
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Approximately a year and a half after the attack, Rignall and Wilder moved to the
Louisville, Kentucky area so that Rignall could escape the memories of what happened to him. While in Louisville, he became reclusive and rarely left their apartment. He died in 2000 at age 49.
248:" the story in the year of the life of a young, gay man living in the New Town section of Chicago, the bittersweet tale of someone trying to find himself amidst the confusions and successes accompanying a search for sexual identity."
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Rignall partnered with Wilder and ghostwriter
Patricia Colander to write a memoir of his experience with Gacy and his investigative attempts to find the rapist afterward. The book, published by Wellington Press and titled
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Gacy was tried for murder in
Chicago in 1980; Rignall appeared as a witness for the defense. Rignall supported the defense case by stating that in his opinion, Gacy was not legally
189:, where he stayed for six days. In the hospital, Rignall recounted the experience to police, but they were skeptical of his story and Rignall was unable to identify his assailant.
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and lived with his girlfriend as well as partner Ron Wilder, described by
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Rignall took on the investigation himself, staking out freeway exit ramps and overpasses in
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device consisting of a wooden board laced with chains pinning Rignall's limbs. Gacy stood naked in front of him with an array of
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A book release party was held in Chicago in July 1979, where Rignall, Wilder, and Colander mingled with guests, one of whom was
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on March 21, 1978, 26-year-old Rignall encountered Gacy, who lured Rignall into his car by offering him a ride and to smoke a
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262:. The book's first run sold through its 5,000 copies, and another release was planned. By 2021, the book was
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770:"How John Wayne Gacy Survivor Jeffrey Rignall Went On A Personal Mission To Stop Him From Hurting Others"
201:. He eventually spotted Gacy, recorded his license plate number, and followed the car to Gacy's house in
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430:"Gacy case brings back memories for assault victim now in Louisville"
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Jeffery D. Rignall was born in Kentucky, United States. He attended
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and sold for hundreds of dollars on online retail platforms.
470:"Author keeps a date with fame above and below the streets"
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629:"Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy May Have Had Accomplices"
693:"Gacy had at least one accomplice, two lawyers believe"
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Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
666:"Unsolved Mysteries and Scary Stuff: John Wayne Gacy"
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American memoirist, John Wayne Gacy attack survivor
827:Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer
604:. The African American Experience. Archived from
492:"Gacy defense tells of rape, torture by accused"
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534:"Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search"
217:boys. Gacy was sentenced to death and was
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898:Violence against men in the United States
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754:. California: Wellington Press, Inc.
627:Springer, Kate (February 13, 2012).
428:Brecher, Elinor (February 1, 1980).
602:"Famous American Crimes and Trials"
903:Western Kentucky University alumni
645:from the original on March 4, 2014
442:from the original on July 22, 2022
378:The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder
331:John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
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691:Main, Frank (February 10, 2012).
544:from the original on May 21, 2021
502:from the original on May 21, 2021
472:. Chicago Tribune. pp. 15–16
118:about surviving a 1978 attack by
863:20th-century American memoirists
664:Lutzke, Andrew (July 30, 2013).
798:. February 15, 1979. p. 32
468:Anderson, Jon (July 17, 1979).
223:Stateville Correctional Center
187:Northwestern Memorial Hospital
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383:Interview, February 16, 1979
768:Tron, Gina (April 8, 2021).
284:Rignall, Jeff; Wilder, Ron.
141:Western Kentucky University
67:Western Kentucky University
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883:LGBTQ people from Illinois
288:. Wellington Press, 1979.
151:Attack by John Wayne Gacy
913:Memoirists from Illinois
908:Memoirists from Kentucky
868:American torture victims
55:Pinellas County, Florida
193:Aftermath of the attack
84:Surviving an attack by
750:Rignall, Jeff (1979).
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888:American LGBT writers
873:Bisexual male writers
796:Lansing State Journal
668:. Culture Crossfire.
498:. February 22, 1980.
203:Norwood Park Township
639:Meredith Corporation
568:"John Wayne Gacy Jr"
918:Bisexual memoirists
893:People from Chicago
608:on December 3, 2013
600:Bailey, Frankie Y.
435:The Courier-Journal
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637:. New York City:
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822:Cahill, Tim
815:Works cited
521:Cahill 1986
357:Television
293:Filmography
857:Categories
727:. Leagle.
570:. Tru TV.
406:References
270:Later life
227:Crest Hill
199:Oldsmobile
181:Chicago's
173:chloroform
135:Early life
105:Ron Wilder
73:Occupation
824:(1993) .
548:March 16,
130:Biography
846:12421532
802:July 29,
776:July 24,
772:. Oxygen
752:29 Below
729:Archived
703:Archived
670:Archived
643:Archived
572:Archived
542:Archived
500:Archived
476:July 23,
446:July 22,
440:Archived
286:29 Below
242:29 Below
234:29 Below
219:executed
157:bisexual
116:29 Below
96:29 Below
36:Kentucky
161:gay bar
102:Partner
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368:Notes
309:Notes
178:dildos
76:Author
365:Title
306:Title
169:joint
92:Works
57:, U.S
842:OCLC
832:ISBN
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778:2022
737:2013
711:2014
678:2014
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550:2021
508:2013
478:2022
448:2022
400:IMDb
373:1979
362:Year
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327:2021
314:2019
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214:sane
44:Died
29:Born
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