301. The Casting Call Killer - The Murder of Kristi Johnson

Summary

Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband

Episode 301: The Casting Call Killer – The Murder of Kristi Johnson
Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland, Garrett Moreland

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Main Theme

This episode examines the 2003 murder of Kristi Johnson, a 21-year-old aspiring film professional in Los Angeles, targeted by a predator posing as a casting director for a James Bond film. The hosts trace how Kristi's case reveals a chilling predatory pattern by the so-called "Casting Call Killer," real name Victor Paleologos, and the recurring failures of the justice system to stop him before he finally killed.

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Episode Structure & Key Discussion Points

1. Opening Reflections on Ambition and Vulnerability [04:17]

• Peyton introduces Kristi Johnson as an ambitious young woman chasing her dream in LA’s film industry, highlighting Hollywood’s allure—and its risks for newcomers.

  "But following a dream can feel a lot like being in love... it can make us vulnerable, especially in a town where everyone is sort of going after the same thing, like Los Angeles." (Peyton, 04:23)

2. Kristi Johnson’s Disappearance [04:59–13:09]

• Kristi calls her mom about shopping at Century City Mall on Feb 15, 2003. After two days without contact, her mother notifies police—unusual, since Kristi was very close to family.
• Police and hosts debate at what point to take "missing adult" cases seriously.

  “For me, I’d probably wait like a week, which is really bad because I’d just assume everything is probably fine.” (Garrett, 08:26) “I would call the same day. Two missed calls—cops.” (Peyton, 08:46)

• Kristi had told her roommate, Carrie, she’d been approached by a “producer” about an audition for a Bond girl role, instructed to come dressed provocatively, and didn’t return.
• Security footage shows Kristi shopping alone; no sign of an audition handler.

3. Breakthrough from a Survivor: Susan Murphy’s Story [17:28–21:17]

• Susan Murphy, after seeing Kristi’s story in the LA Times, reports a near-identical scam: scouted in a mall for a James Bond casting; told to bring the same outfit.
• Susan avoids danger by showing up with her boyfriend to the “audition”; the man, “Victor Thomas,” flees on seeing him.
• Security footage finally corroborates Susan’s story—a significant, credible lead.

  "This is obviously the exact same costume Kristi told her roommate she had to bring to the audition." (Peyton, 18:31)

4. The Hunt for the Predator [21:17–26:37]

• “Victor Thomas” is clearly an alias. Tips come in: a real estate agent describes a prospective buyer matching the composite sketch, behaving bizarrely (screaming behind closed doors in empty homes).
• Parole officer IDs the sketch as Victor Paleologos, a known offender who has broken parole.

5. Victor Paleologos’ Pattern of Predation [26:37–36:08]

• Detailed look at Paleologos’ predatory history since 1989, involving repeated scams using the entertainment industry as a lure, sexual assaults, and attempted rape—often escaping real consequences.

  “It's like, this is the most in your face pattern of gonna eventually murder.” (Peyton, 29:06) “Like, I think—yeah, put him in prison for life. Don't care. He's not doing anything useful to the country anyways.” (Garrett, 28:42)

• Repeatedly, victims fend him off; police/courts treat offenses lightly.

6. The Fatal Escalation: Kristi’s Murder [40:57–43:11]

• Paleologos snared Kristi just weeks after being released on parole.
• Kristi’s remains are discovered in a sleeping bag, bound; likely suffocated, possibly alive when left for dead.
• Lack of DNA means prosecution must rely on witness accounts and patterns.

7. Trial, Sentencing, and Aftermath [43:05–51:46]

• Paleologos pleads guilty to avoid the death penalty after numerous victims testify to his methods—then tries unsuccessfully to withdraw his plea.

  “If only he knew that the death penalty would eventually be taken off the table so shortly after this, he actually tries to back out of his plea...” (Peyton, 44:34)

• Paleologos is sentenced to 25 years to life, with the possibility of parole—sparking outrage.
• Survivors, especially actress Kathy Debono who nearly fell for Victor’s scam, campaign to keep him behind bars.

  “There’s people sitting in life in prison for first offenses, mind you, that aren’t even sexual assault.” (Peyton, 45:45)

8. Ongoing Fight to Block Parole [46:56–51:46]

• Kathy and survivors create a documentary and ongoing campaign ("Justice for Kristi"), especially as possible parole due to new California laws looms.
• In 2025, Paleologos waives his parole hearing—a relief to victims’ families but not the end of their vigilance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On systemic failure:

  “I am genuinely very, very confused... I don’t understand how—how he’s not in prison.” (Garrett, 33:47–33:51)

• Pattern recognition in justice:

  “There’s a difference in the type of crimes he was committing versus other criminals. Like when he is premeditating, using the same ruse, tying women up. Like, those are indicators of reoffending.” (Peyton, 51:18)

• About the plea and refusal to admit guilt:

  “Not just the assault, but, like, all the way down to the fact that I didn’t tell you that I was a producer... I don’t know. It’s crazy.” (Peyton, 45:57)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Kristi’s Last Known Movements: [04:59–13:09]
• First Survivor Breaks Silence, Sets Pattern: [17:28–21:17]
• Predator’s Full History and Systemic Misses: [26:37–36:08]
• Discovery of Kristi’s Body & Investigation: [40:57–43:11]
• Trial, Guilty Plea, Sentencing: [43:05–45:32]
• Parole Fight & Victims’ Advocacy: [46:56–51:46]

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Closing Note

Peyton closes:

“Take some time today to think of Kristi’s family, who are still hurting... and all the other victims... imagine how just terrifying that was for them and how hard they are working now to keep him in prison.” (Peyton, 51:47)

Signature Sign-off:

"I love it." (Peyton)
"I hate it." (Garrett)

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Tone and Style

The episode balances Peyton’s empathy for the victims, thorough investigative storytelling, and true crime fascination with Garrett’s exasperated, incredulous reactions and dark humor about the criminal justice system. Both openly vent their frustration with repeated failures to stop Victor before Kristi’s murder and reflect on survivor resilience and advocacy.

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Summary Takeaway

Episode 301 provides a powerful, detailed case study of predatory manipulation and repeated institutional denial, culminating in a senseless murder. The hosts remind listeners that behind every “true crime story” are real lives lost—and real survivors still fighting for justice.

Transcript

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[Peyton Moreland]

Tax season and that big deadline will be here before you know it. And every year you just want to know that everything's actually being handled. But sometimes it just doesn't feel that way. You're tracking down receipts, paperwork, and then appointments to get all situated. And then crickets. Hello. Weeks go by and you start wondering, did they even get my documents? You're sending follow up emails, texts, calls that go straight to voicemail.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Do what you do and let TurboTax handle it this year. Visit TurboTax.com today. That's TurboTax.com only available with TurboTax full service experts. You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm the husband. Welcome back. Happy holidays. Christmas. So we are in our pajamas and. Yeah, that's about it. Hope everyone had a good holiday. We just kind of hung out at home. Yeah, that's about all we did. Huh? We saw some family chilled. Daisy got some toys.

[Peyton Moreland]

Did you eat some toys?

[Garrett Moreland]

Can't get her too excited. Hope everyone's doing good. I guess New Year's just around the corner as well. 20, 26, here we come. Can't even keep track anymore, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

What's your resolution?

[Garrett Moreland]

Biggest bagel shop in the world.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's a good one.

[Garrett Moreland]

Thanks. What's yours?

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't believe in resolutions. Too much pressure.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay. Yeah. Who needs goals in life, right?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

That is flow.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Huh? Yep. For my 10 seconds, we. We have a mouse, but it might be the smartest mouse ever. We have at least 67 traps in our house and the mouse somehow has avoided every single one.

[Peyton Moreland]

I feel like we talk about it. So much. Everyone's going to think our house is like infested.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, it's the same mouse that loves us. Honestly, he hasn't gotten into any food, so I don't know how he's surviving. Like, he hasn't really been a pest.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, but we have so many traps out.

[Garrett Moreland]

You guys understand? We. It doesn't make sense at this point. What's that movie? Mousetrap?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, it's like literally that.

[Garrett Moreland]

But I don't care enough because to get him because he's done no harm yet.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm just like, go to the garage.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't understand. I don't understand how he's alive.

[Peyton Moreland]

He might saw him last night. He's low key cute.

[Garrett Moreland]

I saw him last night. He's kind of cute. So I just said, hey, what's up, man? Then he ran off. He's a little scared.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Anyways, we got a little mouse. I don't know how long it's going to be here for. He's been here for probably like a year now. Is that even possible? Do mice even live that long?

[Peyton Moreland]

I know everyone is listening to this right now, being like, I can't believe they're just letting a mouse roam around their house.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, we're not.

[Peyton Moreland]

We have had pest control out. We have set. They're the ones who set up all the traps. They went in the attic, they looked in the walls. They were trying to figure out where this little guy's living.

[Garrett Moreland]

You don't understand. Like, when I say he's avoided the traps, he knows. I kid you not, he knows that these are all traps. So he's not.

[Peyton Moreland]

He knows there's at least eight and there was four in the place. You saw him.

[Garrett Moreland]

She's not talking about mice. She's talking about traps.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's like eight outside the door and four inside the door of the place. You saw him?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I think I've given up. I think the less I try, the better it'll get. He doesn't bother me, though. He stays out of our room. He just chills in his little spot. We'll call him Freddy. For now, we'll keep you updated on Freddy. And on that note, let's hop into today's case.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are nbcnews.com sportskeeda.com thecinemaholic.com soapcentral.com happyscribe.com findagrave.com woodtv.com oxygen, the sun.com and dateline. Now, at one point or another, most of us have had a dream that we have wanted to chase. Something that excited us so much that we would have done anything to make it happen. It's that ambition, that desire that motivates us. It encourages us to step out of our comfort zone, try new things, move to new places, meet new people. But following a dream can feel a lot like being in love. It can be blinding, addictive and it can make us vulnerable, especially in a town where everyone is sort of going after the same thing, like Los Angeles. For decades, Hollywood has been a sea of opportunity for aspiring actors, filmmakers, models. But like any big sea, Los Angeles has its sharks. There's always someone circling, watching, waiting to see who will take the bait. And when the opportunity seems right, some of those predators will strike. Not just killing a victim's dreams, but maybe even taking their entire future away too. So Obviously, February of 2003, in the city of Los Angeles, this is where 21 year old Christy Johnson is living and following her dreams. Just like I said in the intro. Christy graduated from high school in Michigan in 1999, but she wasn't born there. She was actually originally from California, but moved to Saugatuck, Michigan as a kid. She was a big high school basketball star. She loved sailing on the lakes near her home. She had a very close knit group of friends from high school. And after graduating, Christy gave college a shot. But after a year, she felt it was best for her to just dive right into what she had always wanted to do. And that was to pursue her goal of getting into the film industry. So in a way, moving to Los Angeles in the early 2000s was like a homecoming for Christie. She was back in California and she felt like she belonged in la. While she wasn't totally sure what she wanted to do in the industry, she was considering something behind the scenes, like maybe producing or directing. But Christie particularly had an interest in being a makeup artist. Though Christy did have a face that was perfect for being in front of the camera too. Now, on Saturday, February 15, 2003, Christy, who was in LA, called her mom, Terry, and told her that she was headed to the Century City mall to do some shopping. Her mother told her to pick out whatever she wanted, that she was going to treat her to a Valentine's Day present. And surely Terry was expecting to get a call on Sunday to hear exactly what Christy had bought herself. But that afternoon, the phone didn't ring at Terry's home. Same was to be said on Monday, February 17. Two days with no word from Christy. Her daughter was a lot. She and her mom caught up almost daily and now Christy wasn't answering her cell phone at all. So when Terry calls around and learns that Christy back in LA also missed work on Monday the 17th, she is very worried. This isn't like Christy at all, which is why Terry ends up calling the Santa Monica police that same day.

[Garrett Moreland]

Leave in the comments. How long it would take you to call the police?

[Peyton Moreland]

For who?

[Garrett Moreland]

If you were a parent and your.

[Peyton Moreland]

Kid wasn't answering for, but graduated. Living on their own as an adult, correct?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes. Not like a 16 year old, like an adult living on their own. Like, at what point in another state would you call the police for? Me, I'd probably wait like a week, which is really bad because I would just assume everything is probably fine. Peyton, how long would you wait?

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know. I don't have kids.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay. Anyways, leave it in the comments. Curious to see.

[Peyton Moreland]

Let me think.

[Garrett Moreland]

If it's you guys, what you guys.

[Peyton Moreland]

Got going on, I would call the same day.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Two missed calls. Cops.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

So police take Terry's report seriously, writing down Christie's description. Tall, blonde hair, a hibiscus tattoo on her lower back. And they also recommend Terry call around to hospitals in LA to see if Christie's been admitted somewhere. And when the officers hang up with Terry, they get a bad feeling about her case. They have seen women like Christy go missing before, and it doesn't always have a happy Hollywood ending. Now, meanwhile, Terry calls Christy's father back in Michigan, who she is now separated from, and she tells him, hey, Christie's missing. I've called the police. And at first Christy's dad, Kirk, thinks maybe she just went down to Mexico for a few days and didn't mention it to them. Maybe she lost her phone, just decided to skip out on work for the day to go and get it replaced. But when the police go and talk to Christy's roommate at this same time, roommate's name is Carrie. Chances of Christy just losing her phone or being in Mexico look less and less likely because Carrie, the roommate, says that Christy did go to the mall on Saturday afternoon, February 15th. And when she came back from her shopping trip, she had some exciting news to share. Christy said while at the mall she had met someone there, a producer who was scouting women for a new James Bond movie. And before you're like, this is so made up. This happens. Like, producers literally go into public places and look for people. They do.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't believe it.

[Peyton Moreland]

They literally do.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think it's just in the movies. No, I think 2025 or 2023. No way. And maybe Euphoria.

[Peyton Moreland]

Multiple actors found on the streets.

[Garrett Moreland]

But they weren't actors before.

[Peyton Moreland]

No.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, I'll look it up after this.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know if you should quote me on that.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

It might be rumor.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's funny.

[Peyton Moreland]

So she tells her roommate, yeah, like the new James Bond movie. They were looking for a fresh face, someone completely unknown. And Christy apparently had the perfect look for the part. The producer gave Christy a time and a location for later that afternoon, told her it would help her chances if she showed up in character, that she needed to wear a man's white dress shirt, a short mini skirt and a pair of stilettos. Very James Bond.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

The producer said they would also give her a necktie to wear when she arrived at the official audition. Now, Christy had never really imagined herself being on screen before. Like I said, a lot of her dreams were more on off scre roles. But she also didn't know what she really wanted to do for sure in the entertainment industry yet. So it seemed like a good opportunity, a way to get her foot in the door. And even better, if Christie landed the part, it would mean a six figure payday. Not to mention fame. I mean, you're an actress in the new James Bond movie. So according to Christie's roommate, Carrie, Christy gets into her car, a white miata, sometime before 5:30pm that same day. She's heading for an audition in Beverly Hills. But Carrie said that after this, Christy didn't return home. Now, again, Carrie thinks that it's kind of normal for a producer to scout for talent. Especially at the Century City Mall, which was close to where a lot of Hollywood offices and agencies were headquartered. People did seem to be looking for new faces.

[Garrett Moreland]

Maybe it is normal then.

[Peyton Moreland]

Plus, it is 2003, a time before social media really took hold. So doing it out in the wild seems even less weird back then, huh? What?

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, social media is pretty big in 2023, but 2003. Okay, this changes so much.

[Peyton Moreland]

You thought we were in 2023 this whole time.

[Garrett Moreland]

We're in 2023. That's. I was like, this is. This is. Nah, there's no way this is happening 2003. Okay, thank you for clarifying. For anyone else, we're in 2003. If you're not paying attention.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, fast forward to the investigation. They're talking to Carrie. And there's one big problem. When police call around town Hollywood asking if anyone knows of a new James Bond movie that's in the works. There's an audition, they can't get a confirmation, so they figure the next step is to go to the mall and see if they can identify this producer that Christy spoke to. So investigators speak with security at the mall, and they end up watching hours of footage, hoping to spot Christy, hopefully her with this mysterious producer. And while they do find a tape of her shopping alone, she's never seen with or speaking to anyone else on those tapes. So the security footage lead doesn't really lead them anywhere. Which is when detectives decide to look into Christie's cell phone records. All they know right now is that Christy supposedly met a male producer at the mall and that she was scheduled to have an audition later that day around 5:30pm somewhere in the Beverly Hills area. But what's interesting is Christy's last phone call went out from her cell phone at 5:32pm and she wasn't in Beverly Hills when she made that call. She was in the Laurel canyon area, about 7 miles northeast of Beverly Hills. And then after this, her cell activity stopped. And ever since then, there had been no withdrawals on her bank account either. So cell phone activity dropped, bank account dropped. All signs, obviously, now point to a dangerous situation. So after this, the Johnson family decides to go to the media for help. And I've said this before in cases, but I can't imagine having your child go missing in a different state or a different country and then trying to, like, head the search for them. Do you go to la?

[Garrett Moreland]

It would be so hard.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, you're just not. That is even more complicated. So her family wants to get the word out about Christie's case, see if anyone else had, you know, encountered this mystery producer. So five days after Christie is last seen, she's now been missing for five days. Her family finally gets a hit. A woman named Susan Murphy sees an article in the Los Angeles Times, and she thinks this sounds an awful lot like an experience she had just experienced. All right? If you've ever shopped online, chances are you've bought from a business powered by Shopify. You know that purple shop pay button you see at checkout? The one that makes buying so incredibly easy? That's Shopify. And there's a reason so many businesses sell with it. Because Shopify doesn't just make amazing buying experiences for customers. They're also the experts in helping small businesses grow big. Shopify's point of sale system is a unified command center for your retail business. It brings together in store and online operations across up to 1,000 locations. I mean, imagine being able to guarantee that shopping is always convenient. Endless aisle ship to customer, buy online, pickup in store all made simpler so customers can shop how they want and staff have the tools to close the sell every single time.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Mark is a Mochi member, compensated for his story. So just like Christy, Susan had been shopping at the Century City Mall a week or two before this when a man approached her claiming to be the director of photography for a new James Bond film. According to Susan, he told her, quote, we've been casting all day and you are the look we want. You're perfect. He asked her if she would be interested in auditioning to become the next James Bond girl and that she would be paid over $100,000 if she got the part.

[Garrett Moreland]

Honestly, in 2003, yeah, before social media, this probably would have intrigued a lot of people. Like if someone came up to you.

[Peyton Moreland]

And said that, you don't think that would be intriguing now?

[Garrett Moreland]

No, no. I think because of social media being so present and how much we know now, I think it would be. You'd be too weary. You'd be like, there's no way. And then you go online, you say, what's your name? You look their name up on Google, you'd be like, they don't have a LinkedIn present, you know? Yeah, it would just be so much easier to instantly, within minutes, like fact check it.

[Peyton Moreland]

So according to Susan, this mystery producer then arranged for her to come to his office in the Beverly Hills area. And the same man asked her to bring a white button down shirt, a short black mini skirt, and stilettos. This is obviously the exact same costume Christy told her roommate that she had to bring to the audition. So at this point, when police hear about Susan's account, they have no question that Susan was approached, probably by the same man or someone working with the man that Christy met. But Susan's story also doesn't end there. Susan did follow through on the audition request like Christy had, which was set for the following day, only she brought her boyfriend along to the supposed casting call. And when the two arrived at the address this man gave them, Susan was worried because it looked like an abandoned building. Still, she got out. She looked around while her boyfriend sat in the car and watched. Now, eventually, she spotted the man, but she's now feeling uneasy, like she's just not sure.

[Garrett Moreland]

Crap.

[Peyton Moreland]

And so before she goes with him, she's like, hey, can you give me some idiots? And his response was, oh, well, I left it back on set. And that is when Susan is like, no, I don't. Like, I don't believe you. I don't think this is real. And she motions for her boyfriend to get out of the car. And as soon as he steps out and the producer sees him, he begins to tell Susan, you weren't the right fit for the part anyways, and literally turns around and ran away. Like, ran away. So, thankfully, Susan and her boyfriend get a good description of the guy. He's a white male with short, curly hair who told them his name was Victor Thomas, which this is, like, an amazing lead for police to have.

[Garrett Moreland]

Also very fake name.

[Peyton Moreland]

So after hearing about Susan's account, they decide to go back to the security tapes from Central City Mall to this time around, looking at the timeframe that Susan was there. So not Christy, who's currently missing, but Susan, who is saying she had this run in with a guy. They're hoping they can catch this on camera to validate her story. And they find something. A man fitting the description Susan gave was spotted trailing her around the mall until he finally approached her and introduced himself. Now, unfortunately, the name Victor Thomas doesn't turn up any specific results on its own. But Susan also gives a detailed description of the guy to a sketch artist, which is then released to the public. However, Susan's story doesn't exactly offer Kristi's family hope. This man was clearly a predator, someone who would have likely gone after Susan had her boyfriend not intervened that day. But was he a murderer? This part's obviously unclear, and things are not looking up on February 24, nine days later, when there is a new Break in the case. At this point, investigators had already listed a bolo, a be on the lookout for Christie's white Miata, which she took to get to the audition. So that afternoon, the 24th, police get a hit. When someone claimed Christie's car had been valeted at the St. Regis Hotel, right next to the Century City Mall. All the valet attendant could offer was that the car had been dropped off by a man. And unfortunately, it didn't seem like there was any security footage of that either. Now, by the time the police had discovered Christy's vehicle, it had been wiped clean of any DNA and fingerprints. All police claimed they could find was one from Christy on the outside of the car, which is interesting, since it seems the valet parked it. But the valet company was able to offer a bit of a timeline around Christy's car. He said the car had been dropped off a little before dawn on the 16th. This is the morning after Christy disappeared.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And meanwhile, police are still trying to track down this Victor Thomas. And that sketch Susan helped make. Seems to help because a real estate agent goes to police at this point with information saying a man who looked just like the sketch came to him looking for a house recently. In fact, this man had looked at about 10 houses in early February, many of them just minutes away from where Christy's cell phone last called, from around Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, not Beverly Hills. Now, the real estate agent mentioned something even more concerning. Apparently, while checking out one of the properties, the prospective buyer went into another room, closed the door, and screamed. Then he came out and asked the real estate agent if he had heard it.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's no way. There is no way. That's.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's like, as a real estate agent, what runs through your mind.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I truly think that because we're 23 plus years ago or whatever, I don't think your mind goes there yet. And I know that sounds maybe, but.

[Peyton Moreland]

Would your mind even go there now? I would think 100%. I would not think it would be because they're going to murder someone.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh. I would think, like, something. Abuse something. I think there's just too many true crime podcasts, too many documentaries on Netflix, Hulu. What? I think there's just too much out there where you're like, this is a little. This little weird, you know?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I don't know. I think I would think that it's just.

[Garrett Moreland]

He's just weird. A kink. Oh, like some sexual thing.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I would think he. He's saying, like, how. How. Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean. Yeah, it's true. Yeah, it's a good point. I guess.

[Peyton Moreland]

At least that's where my mind would go. Okay, so at this point, obviously this case has a bunch of leads that have kind of jumped everywhere. They found her car, they have su who's come forward, and now they have this real estate agent. So police get a list of every property the agent showed, and around this time they also get another bite off the sketch they released to the public. A parole officer calls the police to say, hey, that sketch you just put out actually looks a lot like one of the parolees that I'm working with, but catches. I actually haven't heard from him since January 20th. He's broken his parole.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And that's when the police finally get maybe an actual name. Yep, 40 year old Victor Paleologos.

[Garrett Moreland]

A little bit different than Thomas.

[Peyton Moreland]

Still, he kept it with the first name.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, he did keep the first name.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now let me tell you a little bit about this Victor. He was a Philadelphia native who moved to Los angeles in his 20s after getting divorced. And he had dreams of moving there and becoming a restaurant owner. So Victor opened not one, but three different spots over the years in the Hollywood area. And each one of them ended up failing. Actually, one of those failed restaurants was in the building where Victor told Susan Murphy to come meet him for her supposed audition. Things are starting to click. But maybe because of those many upsets in the restaurant industry, Victor turned to a life of crime when he reached his late 20s. Burglary, forging documents, stalking, sexual assault. As a matter of fact, he had been preying on ambitious women and their careers since 1989.

[Garrett Moreland]

Geez, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

This all started with an aspiring actress named Christine Klugeon. This Christine is obviously different, yes, than the current Christine. But back then, 1989, that year, 21 year old Christine met Victor, who said his name was John Moreno. He was dressed in an expensive suit and Christine believed Victor. He told her she should come along with him to a big industry party. He took her out to dinner, mentioned all the famous people she would meet later that night, including Madonna. He then brought her to a hotel downtown for the supposed party. Except instead of leading her into some ballroom, he guided her into the elevator and up to the 20th floor and then forced her into a hotel room.

[Garrett Moreland]

God.

[Peyton Moreland]

He began trying to kiss Christine, the first Christine, and then grabbed her and threw her on the bed before trying to rip her clothes off. Then he pulled out ropes from behind the headboard. This is a clear indicator that all of this was planned. This was premeditated before she even arrived. Christine said she fought him off for over an hour until finally she got in a shot. She bit him on the crotch as hard as she could and began screaming for help in the hotel. That is when Victor grabbed his coat and just darted out of the room. Now, eventually, hotel security responded to the screaming, came in and rescued her, untying her bruised wrists from them.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh. Could you imagine?

[Peyton Moreland]

No. So Victor was later arrested. They caught him for this crime. He was charged with attempted sexual assault, assault, and false imprisonment.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, I get it, and I don't get it because, like, to me.

[Peyton Moreland]

It'S just, like, premeditated. Tied her up. Like, this should come with a huge penalty because it's, like, one step away from murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Just so it's not hard. Like, I think. Yeah, put him in. Yeah. Honestly, put him in prison for life. Don't care. He's not doing anything useful to the country anyways. And he's trying to kill and rape people. So, like, why are they, like, why should he even be out? I'm not saying it's their fault because he's out and did this, but it's just. It's just these patterns always happen.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. And to me, it's like, this is the most in your face pattern of gonna eventually murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I'm gonna eventually rape and murder.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, the premeditation, the ropes, the lies, the getting her, seducing her, getting her to the hotel, then forcing her into the room. Like, this is so many steps of soon to be murder. It's like, flashing in my eyes.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

So he goes to trial, and Victor pleaded guilty to false imprisonment. He's like, okay, yes, I did kidnap her and put her in that room. But the jury found him not guilty of the sexual assault and assault charges.

[Garrett Moreland]

I want names. I want names right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, when asked, the jury foreman claimed Victor, quote, just didn't look like a rapist. 1989. So what did Victor do? He doesn't clean up his act, just like Garrett and I are saying. He keeps going. Like, this is. This is repeat offenders here. Okay? He tries it again. In 1991, Victor preyed upon an aspiring actress named Elizabeth Busini. Keep in mind, he's literally picking victims, women who are just working as hard as they can to become something in la. This is his chosen target. So the two Elizabeth and Victor met at a bar in Hollywood, where he told Elizabeth he was this time a producer for Disney. And when she caught him trying to mix a white powder in her drink, she called 911.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh.

[Peyton Moreland]

But Victor fled before the police got there. And we also know of a case in 1996 when Victor broke into the home of a woman he was dating and tried to strangle her to death.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't understand how this guy's not in prison for life. I truly don't.

[Peyton Moreland]

Luckily, this break in, she was equipped with pepper spray and blasted him in the face, causing him to run out. But just three weeks after that, when police went to arrest him for this assault, Victor barricaded himself inside a trailer. It led to a long standoff before he was finally taken out and put into a cop car. Only he refused to walk to the cruiser. So this would be like those body cam footage we all love to watch.

[Garrett Moreland]

Where they carry them.

[Peyton Moreland]

He's literally being carried out and stuffed inside, just like we watch on body cam now. Victor, this time was charged with stalking, false imprisonment, and burglary. He pleaded guilty and was given probation. So he strikes again. Obviously, in 1998, he targets a woman named Heather Mayer at the popular Sky Bar in Hollywood. He tells her he's a producer who works for Disney and is helping out with the next James Bond film.

[Garrett Moreland]

This is ridiculous.

[Peyton Moreland]

Sound familiar?

[Garrett Moreland]

This is so ridiculous.

[Peyton Moreland]

So it's in 1998 with Heather that he uses the ruse that we then learn about in the present time of our case with Christy, who is currently missing. Okay. So he tells Heather Back in 1998 James Bond film, wear a black mini skirt and high heels to a closed set audition that he's holding. And he gives her the address for Ritz Carlton. Except when she arrives, he says, I'm actually taking you to another location for the audition. And it is that same abandoned building where his restaurant used to be. So the stories are just kind of floating around in the same river, if you catch what I'm saying. Like, details are a little different, but they are all tied together.

[Garrett Moreland]

Tomato, tomato.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Three girls now at this same abandoned building that he has ties to. So after they get there, him and Heather. Victor begins sexually assaulting Heather, but she manages to escape his clutches and flee the scene. This time, again, he is caught and convicted of assault with intent to commit rape. But as he's awaiting for his sentencing date in 1999, he goes after another woman. Now, keep in mind, these are all just cases that we know about. Like, these are cases that have made it out in public into the court of women who actually reported.

[Garrett Moreland]

I am genuinely very, very confused.

[Peyton Moreland]

We know the report rate is so low. So these are women who actually came forward? How many other women are victims?

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm just. I don't understand how. I truly understand how he's not in prison.

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so while he's awaiting his court date for attempting to rape Heather, he goes after 28 year old Kathy Debono. He gave her the same song and dance about the James Bond casting. He's now kind of really diving in with this specific storyline. But the thing is, Kathy is a working actress who'd been to many auditions. She had booked roles on Chicago Hope and Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. She knows how the industry worked. So she told Victor, don't even talk to me. You got to go through my agent to set up an audition with me. Not me directly. Like, thanks, I'm flattered, but this is how I operate. And he refused. He's like, no. Like, I'm not wasting my time. Auditions are happening currently. Right now as we're speaking, they're up in the Hollywood Hills, exactly where Christie's cell phone last pinged before she disappeared, if you remember. Now, at the time, Kathy said Victor wasn't sounding too many alarms to her. He dressed and spoke like a professional, maybe even a scouter or a producer. And she was curious. Being the next Bond girl could be a big step in her career. Plus, the amount of money he was offering for this role was hard to refuse. So she's like, whatever, I'll take down the address. Victor, or rather Brian, as he portrayed himself to her. So he's no longer using the same first name with a different last name. He just completely changes his name. With Kathy, he's like, well, don't worry. I can just drive you straight to the audition right now. Kathy's like, no, I will just meet you there. So she grabs a friend, a stuntman named Chester, to go with her to the James Bond audition. But when they arrive together at the location, Kathy says Victor never comes out to greet her. So she thinks Victor likely saw Chester sitting in the car with her and just abandoned his plan. So this is very similar to what happened to Susan Murphy back at the abandoned restaurant building. He saw a guy with her, her boyfriend, and ran away. So shortly after this, Victor was sentenced to eight years and eight months for burglary, sexual assault, and writing fake checks for previous offenses. So it's not just like his assault charges. He's doing other things as well. That's giving him a record. So he went to prison around 1999 and gets out on parole in 2003. And then just weeks later, Susan Murphy has her encounter with Victor, the one where she shows up with her boyfriend. And then just two weeks after that, Christy Johnson goes missing after talking to Victor and getting the same.

[Garrett Moreland]

Got it. Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

So we now have Susan, who has heard about Christie's story and has come forward. And then as soon as Kathy sees Christy Johnson's story on the news, she also decides to come forward. She sees the sketch. She knows it's the same guy. It's the same experience she had. So she calls the police right away. She's like, hey, here's my details of my experience with Victor, as do some of the other women who had encounters with Victor, including a woman named Alice Walker, who met Victor at the Century City Mall where she worked. This was just five days after he had been released. Alice was also getting started in the industry. It's all just copy and paste. He, too, went to the same abandoned building being promised a James Bond role. And when she showed up, it was just Victor. She actually goes inside. So Alice, of the girls who've come forward, has a little bit longer experience. Alice goes in, practices a few moves, but according to Alice, he doesn't touch her while she's there, because when he told her to come back for a second audition a few days later, she did. This time, when more people don't show up and it's just Victor alone again, she gets uncomfortable and leaves. And before he can schedule a third audition, follow up with Alice, Christy Johnson disappears. Then Alice Walker hears the news. So now police have a name and many witnesses verifying Victor's identity and his choice of crime. So they begin searching for him. And he's actually pretty easy to find. He's already landed himself back in jail for trying to steal a BMW off a dealership lot in Beverly Hills two days after Christy went missing. So it's around February 25th when police go down and speak to Victor, who is sitting in jail. Christy has now been missing for about 10 days. They show up. They're like, hey, what'd you do with Christy? And he's like, I never met Christy. I don't know anything about her case. So by February 27, Christie's 22nd birthday, she is still missing, and Victor's not talking. So police have no hope of finding her anytime soon. Now, this day, her father, Kirk, goes on the Today show to try to bring more awareness to her case, put pressure on people. And the family is also hanging on to hope here because Victor has never been convicted of murder before.

[Garrett Moreland]

I was gonna say, it surprises me that it he not waited, but I guess kind of waited. Like it took so long to escalate. Yeah. To escalate that fast.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't think he was given much opportunity. I think women, maybe not, yeah, either got away or kind of picked up on the red flags before. So they are hoping at this point, they're like, maybe Christie's alive, because look at all these other women who. Who lived through this. They're like, maybe she's just being held somewhere and he got arrested and she's just alive, like, tied up somewhere. However, things take a turn on March 3rd. That day, a few hikers are on a path in the Hollywood Hills. This is where her phone last pinged. And they're walking around this area surrounding a ravine, when they spot something. It's a Sleeping bag with what appears to be a body inside. So police are called to the area and they find the body belongs to a woman. Her hands and ankles are bound. She has been strangled. She also has an identifying tattoo on her lower back, a hibiscus flower, which confirms this is most likely the body of 21 year old Christy Johnson. Now, due to the level of decomposition, the medical examiner believes she was out there in this sleeping bag for about 16 days, meaning she was most likely killed the day she disappeared. But because of that decomposition, they aren't able to tell for certain whether or not she was sexually assaulted. There is one devastating fact, though. The medical examiner doesn't think she died of that strangulation. She was strangled. They think she was likely still alive when she was tied up and pushed down into the ravine in the sleeping bag and died after the fact. Still tied up in there.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, gosh. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Unfortunately, it was also a rainy period in Los Angeles. And with Christy out in the elements for so long, it had washed her body, there was no DNA left. Still, with all of these witness accounts, police have enough to arrest Victor for the crime.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, and like at this point, considering his history open and shut, I don't even care.

[Peyton Moreland]

The question is, now do they have enough to convict him of murder? So Victor pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree murder in Christie's case. And the prosecution's a bit worried about whether they're not. They're going to be able to maintain this. Remember, they have no surveillance footage of him following her around.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's. There's too many other accounts from other witnesses and victims that.

[Peyton Moreland]

Right.

[Garrett Moreland]

I do not.

[Peyton Moreland]

There's no murder weapon, no DNA, no fingerprints. All the prosecution really had are a plethora, like Garrett said, of other accounts from other women who had been targeted by Victor in the past with the exact same ruse that Christy told her roommate. Would this be enough to get him charged? And even more so, would it be enough to get him the death penalty, which the prosecution is hoping for. So the trial doesn't actually start until July of 2006. This is three years after the murder. But when it did, five women, including Susan Murphy and Christine Klugeon, testified against Victor about the experiences they had with him and how similar it was to Christie's case. And then two weeks into that testimony, Victor and his counsel make a shocking announcement. They have decided to change his plea to guilty to avoid the death penalty.

[Garrett Moreland]

Coward. Coward. Coward.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, if only he knew that the death penalty, but would eventually be taken off the table so shortly after this, he actually tries to back out of his pleas. Like, never. Never mind, never mind. I want to plead not guilty. He writes the judge an 11 page letter about how he was sleep deprived and coerced into it by his lawyer. But the judge is like, yeah, no, I don't care. Still, Victor continued to say he was innocent despite pleading guilty. He's like, I had nothing to do with Christie's death. He also said he never forced himself on anyone. He's like, all these women who have come forward are also lying.

[Garrett Moreland]

Every single one of them is lying.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. He's like, I've never committed sexual assault or. Or even posed as an entertainment industry professional. He's like, not only did I not, like, do this, I never lied and said that I was working on the Bond movie.

[Garrett Moreland]

Delusional man.

[Peyton Moreland]

So after refusing to allow him to change his plea back, the judge sentenced Victor to 25 years to life in prison for Christie's murder. He was also given the possibility for parole.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's no way. Again, there is no way.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. He didn't get life in prison without parole. Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

What is wrong? Like, what. Okay. And is he out? Like, what's happening?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, there's people sitting in life in prison for first offenses, mind you, that aren't even sexual assault.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's almost been 25 years. Right.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, I'll get there.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. There.

[Peyton Moreland]

Before I get there, though, can I just say, it's like, I don't know why in my brain, but it's one thing when a serial or repeat offender like Victor comes forward and just pleads guilty and goes to prison. And it's another thing for a repeat offender like Victor to come forward and not only plead not guilty, but then look every single one of his victims in the eyes at trial and be like, everything you said is an absolute lie. Like, not just the assault, but, like, all the way down to the fact that I didn't tell you that I was a producer. Like, it's just. It. I don't know. It's crazy. So just as devastating as part of his deal, the possibility of parole, Victor did not have to provide details of Christie's final moments. He didn't have in his plea deal. He didn't have to say, this is what happened to Christy. This is what I did to Christy. So we might never know what actually happened to her before she was murdered.

[Garrett Moreland]

Sick.

[Peyton Moreland]

So for a lot of women who were survivors of Victor's abuse, this sentencing was devastating. If Victor hadn't been released on parole for the crimes he committed, against them. Christy Johnson might still be alive today. So Kathy, the established actress who Victor tried to lure in 1999, actually sets out to do something about this when all of this is happening in 2013. Seven years after Victor's sentencing, a friend of hers suggests they should make a documentary about it. Maybe it will change the court's mind. So Kathy begins interviewing other women who are survivors of Victor, which is why we have so much information today. She also starts looking into other possible victims that had yet to come forward. And an interesting unsolved murder case back in Philadelphia from 1988 that she believes Victor might be tied to. Her hope was basically just to provide as much evidence against him if a parole hearing ever came up. She's like, I'm going to just start doing all the work now. And as the years passed, him going up for parole was actually looking more and more likely. California state officials were planning to lower the standard for parole eligibility to inmates who had served more than 20 years of their sentence and were over the age of 50 because of overcrowding in prisons. This was something that was actually put into action in 2022. But before that happened, Kathy had actually earned Victor's trust. She was writing letters back and forth to him, and he told her about a violent sexual fantasy that seemed eerily similar to his real life crimes. Kathy felt like she could use all of this in a parole hearing. But something else also came of those letters. Victor allowed Kathy to come and visit him in person in 2016. And during that meeting, he told her more about what happened to Christy. He said that when Christy did arrive at his house in the Hollywood Hills. So at this point, he's like, no, I. I didn't have anything to do with her. But now I'm telling this woman who is a previous victim, who I've now created this relationship with, that he doesn't understand is one sided. He says they smoked weed and had consensual sex. And during it, he choked her, which she also consented to. And then she didn't wake up. And that was when he panicked, put her in the sleeping bag and rolled her into a.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's just such a lie, obviously, such a lie.

[Peyton Moreland]

Kathy doesn't believe a word of this. She knows that Victor's obviously a pathological liar, but it was important because this was the first time Victor had admitted to even having killed Christy Johnson. I'm not really sure what came of Kathy's documentary, but I do know she went on to have a successful career in the industry as did many of the survivors, and she brought up a lot of research on this case. So I do know this Victor actually had a potential parole hearing scheduled in October of 2025. So just two months ago, but he waived his right to the parole hearing. And of the sources I looked at, I don't have, like, a solid concrete on why. On why. But I do know that Christie's mother has come out and said it was like, just a huge weight off her back and a huge sigh of release, of relief because now she and other victims don't have to attend this parole hearing and fight for justice because he waived his right. And that is what we have up to date. He obviously will have more parole.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's got to be a reason. Like, he met with an attorney and they said way, like, there's something going on right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

There is still a group called justice for Christie that has been working to block Victor from receiving parole. Now in his 60s, many of the survivors think he's still got plenty of years in him at 60 to still kill again.

[Garrett Moreland]

100%.

[Peyton Moreland]

And in this time, they are not going to let that happen without a fight. And that is the case of Christy Johnson.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's crazy. We've done a few cases like this where people are in and out of prison for years and years and years, and you just know what's coming, and then it happens, and it's like, oh, shoot, Guess we should have kept him in prison. What? Like, what? Like the jury that found him not guilty, like, literally give me every single name.

[Peyton Moreland]

And to me, it's like, listen, there's a difference. There's a difference in the type of crimes he was committing versus other criminals. Like when he is premeditating, using the same ruse, tying women up. Like, those are indicators of reoffending.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, 100.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, that's just psychology. There are studies that has been done on this. So to me, it's crazy that he's offered parole over and over again.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Take some time today to think of Christie's family who are still hurting from this. All of the other victims of Victors who had all of this come to light, imagine how just terrifying that was for them and how hard they are working now to keep him in prison. And we will see you guys next time with another episode. I love it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Goodbye.

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