Jeffrey Rignall

Jeffrey Rignall
Born August 21, 1951
Died December 24, 2000
Pinellas County, Florida
Nationality American
Other names Jeff Rignall
Known for Surviving an attack by John Wayne Gacy

Jeffrey Rignall was an American author who survived an attack by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. In 1979, Rignall wrote the book 29 Below about the experience.

Attack by John Wayne Gacy

Rignall identified as bisexual and lived with his girlfriend and a male, described by Rignall's attorney as a "live-in companion".[1] While walking to a local gay bar in Rosemont, Illinois on May 22, 1978, Gacy lured the 26-year-old Rignall into his car with the promise of a ride and a "joint", or marijuana cigarette.[2] Gacy then held a rag soaked in chloroform over Rignall's mouth until he passed out. Rignall woke up intermittently during the car ride to Gacy's house but was chloroformed again each time he stirred and eventually lapsed into unconsciousness.[3]

When Rignall awoke, he was inside of Gacy's house.[3] Rignall was fastened to a torture device called "the rack",[4] which was similar to the one used by serial killer Dean Corll in his torture and killings of boys.[5] The device kept Rignall restrained on a wooden board suspended by chains with holes for his arms and head to go through.[6] Gacy stood naked in front of him with an array of dildos and described in detail what he would do to Rignall with each of them. Rignall was brutally raped, drugged, whipped, and tortured by Gacy.[3] In later accounts, Rignall stated that there was another man in the room while Gacy raped him.[7][8][9]

When Rignall next regained consciousness, he woke up under a statue in Chicago's Lincoln Park. He made it back to his girlfriend's house and she took him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he stayed for six days. In the hospital Rignall recounted the experience to police, but they were skeptical of his story and did not issue an arrest warrant.[2]

Rignall testified against Gacy in People v. Gacy and decided that the defendant was not legally sane at the time of the attack, citing "...the beastly and animalistic ways he attacked me".[6]

29 Below

Rignall partnered with author Ron Wilder to write a memoir of his experience with Gacy and his investigative attempts to find the rapist afterward. The book, 29 Below, was released in 1979.[10] 29 Below describes staking out freeways and overpasses to spot Gacy's black Oldsmobile. He eventually spotted Gacy, writing down his license plate and following him to Gacy's house.[3] He provided police with the license plate number and address, but they did not act on the information. By the time police took Rignall's account seriously, Gacy had already been arrested for murder charges.

In literature

Rignall appears in the following books:

References

  1. ↑ "Gacy defense tells of rape, torture by accused". Gadsden Times. 1980-02-22. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  2. 1 2 Bell, Rachael. "John Wayne Gacy Jr.". Tru TV. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bailey, Frankie Y. "Famous American Crimes and Trials". The African American Experience. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  4. ↑ "Serial Killers". University of Florida. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  5. ↑ "John Wayne Gacy". Carpe Noctem. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  6. 1 2 "People v. Gacy". Leagle. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
  7. ↑ Springer, Kate (13 February 2012). "Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy May Have Had Accomplices Read more: Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy May Have Had Accomplices | TIME.com http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/13/serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy-may-have-had-accomplices/#ixzz2tnKdUFDW". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 19 February 2014. External link in |title= (help)
  8. ↑ Lutzke, Andrew. "Unsolved Mysteries and Scary Stuff: John Wayne Gacy". Culture Crossfire. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Main, Frank (10 February 2012). "Gacy had at least one accomplice, two lawyers believe". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Rignall, Jeff (1979). 29 Below. California: Wellington Press, Inc.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Colin (2013). A Plague of Murder. Constable & Robinson Ltd. ISBN 1472108027.
  12. ↑ Nash, Jay Robert (1990). Encyclopedia of World Crime: D-J Volume 2 of Encyclopedia of World Crime: Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Law Enforcement. CrimeBooks. ISBN 0923582029.
  13. ↑ Karagiozis, Michael Fitting (2005). Forensic Investigation Handbook: An Introduction to the Collection, Preservation, Analysis, and Presentation of Evidence. Charles C Thomas Publisher. p. 158. ISBN 0398075794.
  14. ↑ Maiken, Peter. Killer Clown. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 0786033266.
  15. ↑ Falk, Falk, Gerhard, Clifford (1990). Murder, an Analysis of Its Forms, Conditions, and Causes. McFarland. ISBN 0899504787.
  16. ↑ McNab, Chris (2010). Serial Killer Timelines: Illustrated Accounts of the World's Most Gruesome Murderers. Ulysses. ISBN 1569758883.
  17. ↑ Berry-Dee, Christopher (2007). Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the World of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers. Ulysses Press. pp. 322–323. ISBN 1569759472.
  18. ↑ Lane, Brian (1995). The encyclopedia of serial killers. Berkley Books. ISBN 0425152138.
  19. ↑ Newton, Michael (2006). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Infobase Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 0816069875.
  20. ↑ Linedecker, Clifford L. (1993). The Man Who Killed Boys: The John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Story. Macmillan. ISBN 0312952287.
  21. ↑ Wilson, Colin (2011). The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence. Random House. pp. 273–274. ISBN 0753547228.
  22. ↑ Octopus Publishing Group (2003). World's Infamous Killers. Alva Press. ISBN 0785817468.
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