Living under the fake identity Ricky Allen Wetta, Balisok was arrested in 1989 for attempted murder in King County, Washington.
[3] Balisok's crimes, his life as a fugitive, and later apprehension were featured in the book, Wicked North Alabama, by Jacquelyn Procter Reeves.
As a standout high school wrestler, Balisok caught the attention of Buddy Fuller, promoter of Southeastern Championship Wrestling which ran events in the Huntsville area.
After watching a training session, Balisok drew interest from University of Tampa wrestling coaches, but was informed he would be ineligible for NCAA competition if he pursued a pro career.
All wrestlers who had utilized the Mr. X character wore a red or white mask, and Fuller believed if Balisok hid his face, he couldn't be identified and would maintain his college eligibility.
After performing as Mr. X for a year, Balisok saved up enough money to attend the University of Tampa and join the wrestling team as a walk-on in hopes of earning a scholarship.
Balisok was never told how the coaching staff found out, but he believed Buddy Fuller tipped them off so he could continue his pro wrestling career.
The prosecution accused Balisok of paying for motorcycle parts in Caribbean countries with fraudulent checks, written while he was performing on overseas wrestling tours.
[13] Fearing a conviction and long prison sentence, Balisok informed Kindred he intended to skip bail and live life as a fugitive.
In late 1978, Balisok and his family relocated to Seattle, Washington after he obtained a job at Boeing by falsifying college transcripts stating he graduated from the University of Cambridge in England.
[16] During the interview process, Balisok demonstrated detailed knowledge of aerospace engineering but was fired in 1979 after company officials discovered he forged his transcripts.
[15] In December 1978, the cover of Time Magazine showed the dead bodies of those who committed mass suicide as part of the Jonestown massacre.
[11] The FBI quickly dismissed Marjorie's belief, but she asked to identify the bodies once the remains were flown back to the United States from Guyana.
Upset at the FBI after hearing this news, Marjorie had a tombstone placed for Balisok at Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama with the inscription, "Damn the state dept.
Due to the lack of success in apprehending Balisok, the Alabama State Attorney General's office dropped the check forgery charges in 1984 because prosecutors were satisfied he was dead.
For an unknown reason, when law enforcement officials fingerprinted Ricky Allen Wetta during the booking process, his real identity of Jerry Balisok did not come up in their database.
After his arrest, King County law enforcement discovered Ricky Allen Wetta was actually Jerry Bibb Balisok after being fingerprinted.
[27] He began working as funds manager for JPierce Investments, and in 2009, he was implicated in a scheme to defraud First Security Bank of Washington, though formal charges against Hanover were never filed.
On April 18, 2013, Hanover was rushed to the hospital complaining of chest pains, and died of a heart attack brought on by the heat within the prison.