True Crime with Kimbyr - A Hollywood Dream Turned Nightmare: The Tragic Case of Kristine Johnson: Part 2

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

Kristine Johnson was ready to start a new chapter, filled with sunshine and endless possibilities. Moving to California felt like the perfect escape from Michigan’s harsh winters. With a new job, college plans, and a supportive family, everything seemed to be falling into place. But beneath the surface of her fresh start lurked an unimaginable danger. As Kristine built her new life, she had no idea a sinister force was waiting in the shadows. Who was watching her? And how did an innocent dream turn into a terrifying nightmare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 133 p.m., a transaction was made at Bloomingdale's department store in Century City Mall. Now they know that she was there, or at least her debit card was. Then just three minutes later, another transaction from a store across from Bloomingdale's at Guess. The final debit card record on her account shows that at 2.15 p.m., Christy's card was used at trashy lingerie store on Los Anacca Boulevard. I made a little map to show you all of these locations. I'm showing you where her apartment is on 29th Street, the Starbucks that was only a few minutes away from her apartment, the gas station on her way to Century City Mall, and then her destination here where she used her card at Trashy LaGerey. Then she went back home.

Then the last call she made was at 5.34 p.m. somewhere within a three-mile radius on Ventura Boulevard, which could put her anywhere. Investigators are now going to request the security footage from the Century City Mall. Specifically, any footage that might show Christie in the stores that they found on her bank statement. Just to see if there was something unusual going on. Was she acting differently? Was someone forcing her to do anything against her will? Or if anything was just out of the ordinary? Maybe she had a weird interaction with an employee in the mall or a stranger.

It's Friday, February 20th. It's a little past noon. And as they're waiting for all this evidence to come in, they're combing through hundreds of tips. And one grabs their attention. A 24-year-old woman named Susan Murphy gives them a call. Susan says that she just saw an article in the LA Times about Chrissy's disappearance, and as soon as she read it, her heart sank.

She had this overwhelming gut feeling that she may have some information about what happened. They're listening, and she goes on to explain, she works as an accountant in Santa Monica, okay, and here's where she makes the connection. On January 24th, about a month ago, after work, around 5.30, she changes out of her work clothes, and into something a little bit more fun

for a dinner that she was going to at 7. The restaurant was at that same mall, Century City. She remembers what she was wearing because of what happened next. She had on a gray miniskirt, a tight black crew neck sweater, dark panty hose, and black knee-high boots. She walked to the mall from her workplace,

and it was only about a 10-minute walk. She went through Macy's and decided to look around at some clothing and accessories for a little bit, and then she took the elevator to the second floor just browsing. All of a sudden, she's looking at some clothes on a display table, and she feels the presence next to her. And there's a guy standing right beside her. He just came out of nowhere. She described him as being about six feet tall, blue eyes, smooth skin, well put together, clean shaven, kind of like curlier, wavy hair. He was attractive. He was in his 30s. He had a pair of khaki

pants on, a beige-colored coat, and a baseball cap. Casual, but put together. And then he spoke, and he just said, I think you're very attractive. She was just trying to respond to the comment to be polite, so she told him that was very nice of him. And that seemed to end their interaction. He turned around and kind of started walking away, minding his own business. But then it's like he had a second thought. And he turned back around and walked back right to her staying next to her again. He introduced himself as Victor Thomas. He said he was the director of photography for a company called Silver Screen Partners and that it was in connection with Disney Company. He perceived to explain that they were working on casting for a new James Bond movie.

He also made sure to let her know that this had to stay between them, that the production has a strict expectation of confidentiality. But he was letting her know all this because, even though it's not his job to look for talent, they had been casting for weeks. And he said he sat through so many auditions just to bump into Susan and think to himself, she would be perfect if she's interested. He went on to say that he preferred an actress that had a smaller chest and thicker thighs, more tone and athletic, but slim. And she had it. She had the look. Well, you know she had heard this before being in L.A., but at the same time, you never know. And it piqued her interest. She had time to kill.

So they walked together and just started chatting about it. They went to the food court and this guy offered to buy Susan a coffee. She declined because she didn't drink coffee. So instead he just bought her a snapple and they sat and chatted. He seemed nice, ordinary, respectful, knowledgeable about the film industry, and there are stories of women who are noticed at malls and become famous. So even though Susan's kind of skeptical at first, she entertains Victor's conversation and flattery. He explained that for this movie, Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan would be coming together

in the film, and the main position they were casting for would be a billboard. And the amount, well, it would pay $100,000. And that sounded too good to be true, but then again, it also sounded different from the run-of-the-mill offers and acting jobs in L.A. They're usually paying nothing. And most people don't take them seriously anyway, but this sounded promising if it panned out. So Susan told the detective, she really hoped this would be true because being a bond girl would be amazing. It's legendary. So she asked Victor what the process would be.

He said, well, Sean and Pierce, they would be at the local studio the very next day, so maybe he could convince them to see her for an impromptu audition upon his recommendation, of course. Now, I know this sounds a little far-fetched, but I have a friend from Florida. His sister was actually casted in Twilight in almost the same way. Someone recommended her. It does happen. Here's where things get interesting, though, if they're not already. He asked her if she'd be interested in Susan says, sure, so he goes on to tell her that what she needs to wear had to be very specific for this casting.

She had to make the best impression. It needed to be something that would just exude the qualities of a bond girl. He was very specific. So she took note. Are you ready for this? He told her to wear a black miniskirt and the shorter and tighter the better. A white men's style button-up collared long-sleevee shirt, sheer black panty hose, and 1940s style black stiletto heels. Her hair, which was dark brown, needed to be tightly secured back into a ponytail.

He told her that he was going to provide a necktie to complete the outfit when she got to the studio. Meet him the next day on Saturday at 5.30 p.m. at an address he scribbled on a piece of paper. It was off Los Anica Boulevard close to Santa Monica Boulevard. And that was it. She agreed to meet him. And she left for dinner with friends. He followed behind her for a little while and then he said goodbye and how excited he was about the next day. Susan was too.

But she was also apprehensive. When she got home that night, she told her fiancé Mark Wilson about the whole story. He just happened to be a former police officer from London, England, and he was more than skeptical of jokers like this who just walk up to women and start spitting this kind of BS. Yes. He knew how attractive Susan was and the way that men think. It sounded like this man just wanted to get closer to his woman and he wasn't a fan of the entire thing. It sounded very scammy to him. But then again, they were like, well, what if it's true?

It could be life-changing for them. So they decided to go together, sort of. Mark would drive Susan to go meet with this guy, but he would park at a distance so that it wouldn't be so suspicious. And then she would walk up, wait by herself, and he would keep an eye on a little. everything that was going on. If anything weird happened, he would run over there to save the day. But at least this would give Susan a chance to find out if this was a real opportunity. However, Susan did not feel comfortable wearing that skimpy outfit that Victor had instructed her to put on. It was too much. The heels and everything walking down the street, it just wasn't

going to happen. So she just put on the shirt since that was appropriate. And she just came in pants and sneakers and put the heels and the other items into a bag and brought them along. She walked to the location, she waited. About 10 minutes later, Victor showed up as promised. She also told Mark she wouldn't go anywhere with this guy. So Victor has a business suit on. He's got some papers and a pen in his hand. But the look that he had on his face gave Susan a bad vibe before he even said a word. He looked angry. He was upset. And he's like, that's not what I told you to wear. I'm taking you somewhere to change. He saw Susan's reaction and he kind of toned down his attitude and said, let's just go get a drink somewhere, talk about the roles,

you'll get more comfortable and prepared. And as he said this, he actually touched Susan. He nudged her forward with his hand on her shoulder, and she was scared and uneasy. And she turned around and said, I'm not going anywhere with you. You need to provide me with some ID and proof that you work for this company and good for her. Victor acted insulted.

He was like, how dare you, that kind of thing? He was like, I left my wallet on set. But Susan went back down. She's like, oh, well, to which he shouted, you know what, you're giving up on an opportunity of a lifetime. Really? Upset at this point, Susan told him off. She said, no, actually, my safety is the most important thing.

Victor didn't seem to want to give up on Susan. He actually wanted her to go with him. And he tried telling her, come on, let's just go meet my friend Natasha. We can discuss everything. Susan didn't know who Natasha was and knew this was probably a big scam. She didn't follow him and said she backed away. And at that point, Victor had to get in the last word. He's like, you know what, forget about it.

You're not right for the part anyway. While this is all going down, Mark is driving up. He jumps out of his car and he runs after Victor. His cop instinct just kicked in. He could tell this guy was up to no good. And Victor ran. So Mark and Susan, they jump in their car and they race after him. This man was trying to get through security gates,

at buildings. He couldn't, so he ran down an alley. Mark takes the back way and then tries to cut him off at the end of the alley. When they drove down there, they saw this man crouched under a bush. And when they got closer, he ran again. Finally, they were able to corner him. Mark jumped out, caught up to him, grabbed him,

patting him down to make sure he wasn't armed. And it was true, he didn't have a wallet on him. So maybe this was just a misunderstanding. But Mark couldn't help himself. He started yelling. He was telling them, I'm either going to kill you or bring you to the police. And he was just probing him about his intentions

and the name of the company worked for. At this point, Victor's kind of crying. He's insisting he works for Disney. But before letting him go, he tells Victor, I need to get a number from you. And I'm going to call it. And I'm going to verify that you're who you say you are. So they went over to the car to get a cell phone. But as soon as he starts dialing in this number, Victor runs.

It turns out it was a fake number, by the way. Of course it was. So the next day, Susan called the police. But as she was waiting on hold, she thought, you know what? I better not. Because there's no actual crime to report. It was all speculation. There's no proof.

But she was a part of SAG, the Screen Actors Guild. So she called them and she asked them, is there a James Bond movie currently casting? And they said, no. There's nothing in production. There's nothing casting. Now she had confirmation that this guy, Victor, truly was up to no good.

But what were his intentions? Was he going to harm her, force himself on her, a killer? Or was he just using his pull as a supposed businessman in Hollywood as a pickup line with no cruel intentions except to maybe get to know her better.

She didn't know, but she just knew it didn't feel right. This was all very interesting. It was a really scary scenario. An open chain is glad that nothing happened to Susan, but she doesn't really know how this relates to Christy. The only connection was the location, Century City Mall.

With as many people who frequent the location, it could be a coincidence and not a connection. However, because of how detailed Susan was, about what she was instructed to where, coupled with the reaction that Victor gave her when she didn't show up in it, they decided to see whether Christie had purchased items that matched that description.

So the detectives decided to call and get itemized receipts from every store that Christy used her debit card that day, as well as footage from now January 24th. Maybe the cameras at the mall captured Susan talking to this man. Meanwhile, they run the name Victor Thomas and nothing comes up. but there's something they could do. Susan and Mark got a good look at this guy.

By the next day, they asked a sketch artist to come and meet them to create a composite of this man. I always wondered how this process is carried out and I looked it up. There are all kinds of different methods, usually using a computer with a face, and the artist will keep changing the features until it matches as closely as possible to what the witness saw. But back then they did it with pictures of different people's faces with different features, and then the witness would pick ones to be drawn on, on the composite until it was completed. This took several hours, and afterwards, Susan went to the mall with the detectives

and showed them all the places that she remembered going to that day. Afterward, they went to the security office, pulled up the footage, went through it, and they finally catch a glimpse of Susan. She's like, that's me. She came through an entrance, and then a man was following closely behind her. They were able to freeze a frame that showed as much detail as possible for as grainy as these videos always are. And Susan was like, oh my God, that's him. He's wearing a baseball cap as she described. So they end that day with a lot of information.

There was still a lot of footage to go through to locate Christy on the mall cameras. But that next day, her dad, Kirk Johnson, was sitting down with investigators, hardly able to hold it together. He felt helpless. He knew his daughter was nice and naive. She saw the best in people and she had been taken advantage of in the past.

I hate hearing that. that. I really do. But I want to make a quick point about something. So I have been called a Karen before and I've seen other people being judged because they say something when they see something that isn't right. I always report things that feel wrong or that look wrong to me. And it's not about trying to accuse anyone of doing something. It's just in case it connects somehow in the future with something else that goes wrong. So I want there to be a record. And we should all be doing this. If we see something, say something. Someone message me not too long ago. And they told me that because she watched my channel,

she remembered me saying if she saw anything to report it, she was walking home, she saw some items scattered on the ground, they looked interesting, almost like someone's purse had been dumped out, and usually she would just walk by, it's not her business. But this time, she remembered what I said, and she called the police line and reported what she saw, and ultimately, they connected this to something

that happened to someone. So you just never know, and I wanted to throw that out there because I think a lot of times we don't want to be an inconvenience, kind of like Susan felt when she called, but then hesitated and didn't make a report. You never know what's going to be significant. You never know what's going to meet a connection. So I highly encourage you to report things that don't seem right. The search was intensifying. There were dogs sent out to track Chrissy's scent. Volunteers were searching canyons. Officers were patrolling different locations from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills, hoping to locate Christy's car. Several calls did come in from people that said they saw a Mazumiyata, but none of those tips panned out.

It wasn't until Monday, February 24th that they got something reliable to check into. After the Bolo was sent out, the case got wider media attention. All around the city and parking garages were checking diligently to make sure Christy's car wasn't inside. They do this on a routine check every day, but now the checks were being conducted with a specific car in mind and not just like a random abandoned car. So there is a hotel parking garage that provided parking for two hotels, Century Plaza and the St. Regis,

both in Century City where the mall is located. As a matter of fact, it's right near the mall. It's right here. This is the distance. Now, of course, things have changed since 2003. This is not exactly what the hotels look like today because they've undergone renovations and there's new hotels and they change their names, but this is the vicinity of where the hotels were

and this is what the area looks like now. And I believe that this is probably the nearest parking garage right here. Could be a new one. But regardless, just imagine it was somewhere right in this area, because this is the vicinity where the hotels were located. As a matter of fact, it's so close to the mall, it's walking distance. People could possibly park their cars in this garage if they want to do. It's a two-minute drive to the mall where Christy had been the day she disappeared. But we know that she also made it home that day because her roommate saw her, and so did Lucas. But as a routine search was being conducted,

they found the white Mazza Miata. It was the make, model, and color, so they contacted the police. The license plate matched, and it was confirmed to be Christy's car. It was sitting in a valet parking spot, and this gave detectives hope that maybe Christy had decided to get a hotel. Maybe she's using an alias. Maybe she's hiding out for a little bit. Or maybe she met someone who's whining and dining her.

Or maybe it was something totally different. Crime scene technician showed up. They were searching for anything. that they could find to lead them to Chrissy's whereabouts. They pulled fingerprints from all over the inside and the outside. They located a cell phone that was on the front seat. There was a water bottle inside there and like a movie tape. Other than that, there wasn't much for them to get one.

But the fact that it looked like Chrissy had left her cell phone behind was puzzling and concerning. But what you're about to hear was even more horrifying than that. They tracked down the valet manager. He had actually been working for these hotels for things. for these hotels for 30 years parking cars, and he remembered that car that night. For many reasons.

One is because the usual cars that come through are expensive. The Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Rolls, Royce, those type of cars. After all, this garage is designated for two very luxury hotels. A tiny, older model Mazmiata, it was going to stand out to him. He told detectives that he was working the graveyard shift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. from February 15th into the morning of the 16th, and that Mazda pulled in, around 5.45 in the morning and proceeded to park in a valet-only spot.

The attendant started to walk over to inform the driver that that spot was reserved and they couldn't self-park. That's when the driver got out, locked the door, and started to walk away. So the attendant yelled out to them saying, hey, you cannot park here. It's valet. Instead of moving the car, the driver turned around, through the keys at the attendant and yelled valet it then. The driver was a man. It wasn't Christy. And that was horrifying for detectives to realize. Someone else had driven Chrissy's car and left it here early morning after she went missing. At first finding Chrissy's car gave them hope. Like I said, that maybe she's hiding out in a hotel room, but now it seems like something even more sinister.

The Valley attendant said that the man walked towards the Century City Mall, and when he first encountered him, he seemed to be in a daze. That is, until he yelled to him. Then he kind of snapped out of it. The man was well-dressed. He was white. He's in his 40s. He had like, blondish-brownish hair with a little bit of gray in front and he was maybe six feet tall and 200 pounds. The entire premises was searched. Both hotels were searched. Every room was looked into. There were canines trying to track Christy's scent, but nothing turned up. And by this time, the press is all over the story. Christy's picture was everywhere and the public was paying attention. Again,

making national headlines. People from all over America were captivated by her story, and they wanted her to be found. When Terry and Kirk were informed that her car had been, they thought that it was good news. But the way that the investigators were framing it, it didn't seem like a positive sign. After the car was found, and Susan Murphy had come forward,

police put out another press conference, this time with additional information about the car, where it was found, and the scenario involving a woman and a stranger posing to work with Disney. on a James Bond film. They were careful not to reveal any of the identities of the witnesses, but they did put out the composite sketch,

as well as this statement from Terry. She said, quote, I was elated that they found the car and that this would be a clue to Christy's whereabouts. But Christy was not found, and I, of course, was disappointed. We're making progress, and I know that Santa Monica Police Department is working around the clock on this effort,

and they have continued to reassure me that they have all the resources to find Christy. and I have absolute faith in them. It is very disturbing and horrific to think that there's a man that has captured my daughter. And for me to think about the type of situation that she may be in, it's absolutely overpowering. I can't think about it. We'll find her no matter what is happening to her.

We will find her. End quote. And then she begged the person who had Christy to please release her gently. And that broke my heart, especially with what most of you know about, has just happened in Alabama with a woman named Carly Russell. That investigation is still ongoing, but it appears as though she actually staged her own disappearance. She had her friends and her family worried, the community was worried. Resources

were being put out there and to think that these things really happen, that people make these things up when there's individuals going through real danger out there. So it hurts to think that there are parents like Christy's out there that are truly suffering in these moments. The detectives finally receive an itemized breakdown of all the purchases that were made on Christie's debit card. At 133 p.m. Bloomingdale's, two pairs of sheer hosery brand panty hose, which came to $25, and a $185 white button-down collared blouse for a total of $226.24. Then the next charge at 136 p.m. was right across from Bloomingdale's at the guest store, a black miniskirt for $73.61. Finally, at 2.15 p.m., she bought a pair of Ellie brand size 9, 6-inch black heels with straps on the ankles for $54.13.

If you haven't put it together yet, it's the exact outfit that Susan Murphy was told to wear to the fake James Bond casting. The exact items. After they made this connection, it was almost as though they knew they had him. It had to be the same person, but they went back to interview Chrissy's roommate, Carrie. They wanted to ask specific questions, things that may have been overlooked since the time she heard that her roommate was missing. They recalled how detailed Carrie was at explaining what Christy had been wearing and what she purchased the weekend before the blue corduroy's the matching shirt. They wanted to see if Christy had shown her her most recent purchase and if she can remember anything, no matter how small it may be. I think the pressure is on. When your friend has now been missing for two weeks, Carrie was eager to help.

And sure enough, she said yes. She said when Christy was getting ready to leave that Saturday morning, she had initially told Carrie that she was just kind of hanging out that day window shopping. But when she came back around 2.45 in the afternoon, she had an entirely different demeanor. She was super excited, rushing around, and thinking hard about exactly what happened when Christy came in the door that day. She reported that she recalled Chrissy saying that she was on her way to an audition. It was a new project that was just starting, and they wanted a new face, someone that wasn't

stick thin and that she was perfect. She thinks it might have been a James Bond film. She says something about it being a fast turnaround and that she was going to have to start filming in a week and she needed to get a passport because some of the scenes are overseas. Carrie probably didn't know to pay close attention to everything because she had no idea that Christy would never be heard from again. But she was rocking her brain and she told detectives that Christy mentioned if she landed this role, she would be the lead actress and making upward of like $100,000, but she needed to hurry to get to this impromptu audition by 5.30, and she already had the outfit, which she described as sexy and sultry to show off a lot of leg.

Detectives are pleased that the detail that Carrie is relaying to them, so they pressed her in regard to the actual outfit that Christy was in possession of. Did she show her? And she says, yes. It was a white long-sleeved shirt with a pointed collar that buttoned up, a black Lycra-style mini skirt, patent leather, black six-inch heels, and sheer panty hose. Carrie told the detectives that Christie had actually tried all of it on when she got home. She could hardly walk in the heels because they were so high. Christy mentioned that this is not something that she would usually wear, but she understood that they wanted her to look a certain way. The last thing that Carrie recalls Christy saying was that the meeting was in a really nice part of Beverly Hills and that a group of

women were going to be called out there. But she was told she was at the top of the list. And that's so sad. I can't help being choked up thinking about my own daughter and young Christy and everything that they imagine is going to go right in the situation, that their dreams are going to come true. Or I even envision my younger self and how excited all of this must have been for Christy. I just can't believe it. It was all adding up to exactly what Susan Murphy had dreaded. The detectives asked Carrie what Christie thought of this whole thing. And she said, you know, she had some doubts, but she kept saying, like, what if it's real? But what if it wasn't?

I'm so sad for her. They also got this video footage of Christia at Bloomingdale's. What they don't have is footage of her running into anyone. They scoured hours of footage, but they couldn't find anything that showed her talking to a stranger. Let me set the stage for the next big lead. It's February 26th. Marianne Larios is at home. She's watching the Wednesday news,

and she sees a composite sketch. And even though most of us laugh at these sketches because they usually look so bad, Marianne was a parole officer. She was familiar with all of her parolees. She knew their charges, their stories about what they had done in the past. She had time to study their faces at each appointment.

She knew she was looking at one of her parolees. His name, Victor, Victor Paleologous. He had just recently been paroled on January 20th, 2003, about a month before Christy went missing. Mary Ann wasted no time. She called the police with this information, even though she wasn't 100% sure it was him. She said it looked very similar, and the charges against him and the things he had done in

the past pointed in his direction. So wait until you hear this because I was shocked. Like jaw to the floor. I couldn't stop reading about what they find. First, they run this guy's name. And it turns out he's already in custody in a Los Angeles County jail for Grand Theft Auto. His arrest date, February 17th, 2003. That was two days after Christy was last seen.

So he very well could be their guy. Victor Thomas was the name that the strange man gave Susan Murphy. Coincidence on the first name? I don't think so, but cops aren't so sure. That would mean that two weeks after he got out of jail, he's already planning this elaborate scheme and carrying it out? Well, they don't know who they're dealing with. And I wish I didn't either.

As they dig deeper, the address on his record matched a restaurant on Los Yannica Boulevard, the exact location where he told Susan to meet him. Plus, he was what they referred to in California as a 290, and that's the penal code for someone convicted of a sex crime. How much more information do they need? Well, as much as they can get. The first conviction on Victor's record was back in the fall of 19. It happened in Manhattan Beach not too far from where I am recording in this studio.

It's a very popular beach town where people come to enjoy the sunshine, the nightlife, and one of those people was Christine Collegian. An up-and-coming actress, only 21 years old at the time, and a man approached Christine at this bar and complimented her in her dark hair and her hazel eyes, introducing himself as John Maroney. He said he was a music executive for Columbia Records. He went on to invite her to to an exclusive VIP party in downtown LA. It was going to be at a luxury hotel, a presidential suite. Madonna would be there among a ton of other celebrities. It's not uncommon for these parties to take place,

and it's pretty normal for people to invite you to come along. And it sounded like fun to Christine. The man was around her age. He wasn't bad looking. He was a smooth talker, so she agreed to go. He told her you would pick her up the next day in a limo. On October 24th, the guy showed up at Christine's, but in a car, not a limousine. That was a little bit disappointing, should have been a major red flag, but he insisted that there was a mix-up and they'd be fine. They'd be at the hotel with the A-listers in no time. But first, they had some time to kill.

So they stopped at a club to have a few drinks. Finally, they left for the Bonaventure Hotel. It's quite a sight to see. Just look at this place. It's been featured in many Hollywood productions. TV shows, movies, True Lies was filmed in their famous elevators that go all the way up to the 35th floor. Christine was being taken up on one, hoping to rub elbows with the stars. When they walked inside the room, though, it was empty. There was no party and nothing was happening, and Christine was confused. She's like, what's going on? And then without warning, she figured it out.

Because this man lunged towards her, started trying to kiss her and grope her. She, of course, pushes him away and said, this is not what I agree to. What are you doing? Then he threw her down in the bed and started to rip at her clothing. She fought back. She wouldn't stop. He was holding her down and he yelled, I just wanted you for sex.

It's so gross, what a creep, and he keeps going. He's pulling her panty hose off and then out of nowhere, he reaches behind the bed frame and he pulls out a rope that was tied to the bed. This was 100% planned. He knew he was going to do this, probably even before he chose Christine. He tried to grab her hands and tie her up, but she kept resisting. She was kicking and screaming. She was able to get free long enough to race to the bathroom,

but he was quick on her heels. and she wasn't fast enough to shut the door. He grabbed her legs and dragged her back to the bed. They continued to fight, and he finally put her in a chokehold, whispering to her that if she stayed calm and stopped fighting and just let him tie her up, he would let her go. Yeah, right. Don't ever believe these monsters. Christine wasn't following for it. She struggled to break free,

but he was able to grab onto a belt from her dress and rip it off her, and then he tried using it to tie her hands behind her back. Clearly, he was attempting to get her in a very vulnerable position where he could have his way with her. While she just lied there, subdued. But she kept kicking and kicking. Finally, the belt flew from his hands. But then he grabbed his own necktie and he ripped it off and again tried to tie Christine's hands behind her back. At this point, she thought that he was going to win.

She was faced down on the bed, but she knew she couldn't give up. She had to give it her all or she might die, so she gathered up all her strength that she had left, and she used it to jump up. as fast as she could, and she ran. She made it through the door and into the hotel hallway, where she was desperately pounding on every door until one opened a crack. A man cautiously peered out while she was screaming, please let me in. This man is trying to, you know what?

It was obvious from what she looked like. She was disheveled, her clothes were torn. The man let her inside, and she called the police. They were there within minutes. After gathering all the information from Christine, they were able to track down the man who rented the hotel room. None other than Victor paleologous.

He was arrested in charge with attempted forcible sexual intercourse and battery with the intent to force himself on her, as well as false imprisonment using violence. If you're wondering how he could afford a presidential suite, well, stealing, obviously. He was actually convicted for stealing people's information and taking out credit cards in their name that same year. At trial, Victor pleaded not guilty. He insisted Christine had won. had willingly come with him into his hotel room, and that she consented to being intimate, and she became angry at some point about something.

And as she was trying to leave, there was a minor argument, and he tried to claim that he was trying to calm her down, and she had this strappy purse, and then it wound around her wrist, and when he went to grab it, she pulled back. And that's why it appeared that she had rope burns. The jury was not convinced, but because it was he said, she said, ultimately, Victor took a plea deal. He said it would cost $30,000 for him to go through another trial, so he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of false imprisonment.

He also had his former employer at a bank that he worked for send a letter to the judge. It talked about Victor's character, that he was a loyal employee, and that charging it with a felony would take away his ability to continue to have his employment. So the letter urged the court to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. And it was granted. I can't believe it. Here's this guy getting away with this, walking away. with only three years of probation, that was it. Well, guess what?

The letter wasn't even real. Later, it was revealed that Victor forged that letter. In actuality, his boss said he was a terrible employee, and they thought he was stealing from the company, because ever since he got fired, the thefts stopped. In 1991, Victor struck again. And these are only the documented times that he tried to lure women with his false pretenses.

This time it was a woman, Elizabeth Davis. They met at the airport and he approached her saying, once again, he's a Disney producer. He invited her to a dinner party. And at this party, there would be a casting for a James Bond movie. So she agreed to meet him at that restaurant later. They were having some cocktails, but when she looked away, he put something into her drink. She noticed it when she turned back around. There was a white substance floating on the top of it.

So she excused herself. She pretended to go to the restaurant, but she alerted the staff and they called the police. They took a report, got his information, but no charges were filed against him in that case, because he ran from the scene after the police showed up. By 1994, Victor was living in Marina Del Rey, and still on probation at the time. A girl in his neighborhood caught his eye. They would just greet each other every day here and there just saying hello, but then it turned into talking, and ultimately Victor asked her on a date.

Let's call her Jane. She wanted to remain anonymous. They hit it off and they began a relationship together. But about six months in, things just were not working out, and Jane wanted to break it off. But he wasn't going to let that happen. First, it was the begging and the calling nonstop, leaving messages showing up places, and then the con. Victor told Jane that he was dying of a brain tumor. It was terminal. You don't think people would really make this stuff up, but they do.

And he told her he didn't have much time to live, and he wanted to spend it with her. He would beg her to please, please not leave. Don't let him die alone and Jane had a heart and she gave in. She would come see him and keep him company, but all the while, Victor was running scams all over town. He was trying to con businesses out of money. He was caught trying to steal almost $100,000 from a company. But he once again convinced a judge to let him plead to a lesser charge. And he did for making false financial record. So again, he gets off without any jail time or truly being sentenced for the real crimes that this man was committing.

And just a few months later, he was arrested again and charged with Grand Theft Auto. This time, he tried to purchase a sob from a Century City dealership with a bad check that he stole from someone else. You're going to hear the same story again and again. He was let off once again for lesser charge of creating false financial records. Why? You tell me. The ace up his sleeve was always plea bargains. He would go through all the legal proceedings, His lawyers were always good.

He knew the law and would wait, and then swoop in and plead guilty to a lesser charge. In many cases, the court would want to hurry up and get to the next case. So it worked. By January 1996, Victor was still carrying on the dying ruse, now saying his dying wish was to open an Italian restaurant, and he wanted Jane to come view this new location with him. He was going to purchase it and renovate it. It was in Brentwood, and she agreed. she got inside, it was empty except for a few tables. So they sat down, they started to talk,

and then out of nowhere, this man sprung up, and he attacked her. Jane was no match for him. He was able to pick her up and carry her into the bathroom, where he tried to rip away her clothing and force himself on her. She kicked, and she screamed really loudly, and he had one hand on her neck, and he was using the other one to grope her. But she didn't give up. She kept fighting, and she was able to break free and run outside just as a handyman was coming into the restaurant. Victor tried to get the guy to leave, but Jane used this as her opportunity to run as fast as she could all the way to her car. But Victor caught up to her. He was crying, he was begging, he was apologizing for what he had done, but Jane wasn't convinced. She sped away thinking that she

was hoping that was the last time she would see him, but she was wrong. Just a month later, while she was home alone, Jane heard a noise. She crept towards her bedroom to find Victor on the floor hiding near her bed. He had a long cord in his hands. Since the last attacked, she armed herself with pepper spray, which she grabbed on her way to investigate this noise. As soon as he tried to run towards her and tie that cord around her neck, she unloaded the spray right into his face and ran to her neighbors to call 911.

They got there within five minutes, but Victor had once again, Alri escaped stealing a handgun and a bunch of Jane's jewelry. She filed a report, the report and wanted to press charges. An investigation was conducted and Victor was finally tracked down when he stole another vehicle, which was later found at a hotel in Malibu. They were able to locate which room he was in at that hotel. They told him to come out with his hands up, but he threatened to shoot himself. So they had to call in the damn SWAT team to get this man out, but he did end up escaping and running into a mobile home park. He was trying to find one of the doors that was

unlocked and he ran inside one of these homes or these people were freaking out. This man would not quit. The SWAT team found the mobile home that he was hiding in. Once again, he refused to come out. This went on for three or four hours until they finally were able to apprehend him. And guess what? He denied the whole thing. He said that he never broke in anywhere. He just politely asked the occupants of the mobile home to use their phone. He was going to go turn himself in, apparently. Yeah, right. At this time he was charged. He was charged with with burglary, grand theft, and again, false imprisonment. The trial didn't take place until 1998, and again, he pulls that ace.

His lawyers tell the judge to drop all charges except burglary for what he took from Jane's apartment. His deal was six years in prison, but the judge agreed to suspend the prison time in exchange for Victor completing probation for 104 months. Otherwise, he would have to serve, and I'm in shock. And as you probably guess, he thought he could keep working the system, collecting more victims. It was just a month later in August of 1998. He had a lot of practice now. He had his ruse down pat. It worked each time with each new victim. He perfected it even more, accounting for any missteps that he may have taken in the past. He was ready to put it into action once again,

this time at the Sky Bar in West Hollywood. His targets were attractive women in their 20s, and he would try to get them to talk and see if they mentioned acting. Then his con, that he was a high-powered producer interested in them for his new role. The night he saw two women, Kimberly Harrow and 24-year-old Heather Mayer. They were leaving the bar and walking down Sunset Boulevard. He walked up them, paying more attention to Heather and ran his same lines that he was a producer from Disney, interested in casting for a very specific woman for some promotions that they were doing for the new James Bond movie. It's so weird. It's like Disney to soften them up, childhood memories. James Bond to make them feel sexy and one of the most beautiful girls in the world.

A bond girl. That's the manipulation. The project sounded pretty straightforward. The man was dressed in a suit. He was well-spoken. He was put together. The way he carried himself, he was very convincing. Then he mentioned the rate that it would be upward of $100,000 if Heather was interested.

He was putting together a little closed audition at the Ritz Carlton on Sunday morning, but it was very private, hush-hush. she would have to come alone. Well, of course, Heather was excited. She said, yeah, I'm interested. The man told her to meet at 8.30 a.m. wearing a black miniskirt, nude panty hose, and black high heels. It's the same thing every time.

And it's sick to think that this is his fantasy, the sexy secretary fantasy. And Heather kept her promise. She showed up on time wearing the outfit. Victor met her in the hotel lobby with a folder full of papers, and it laid out all the details of the job, including the pay. They looked very legit. Heather agreed to the contract.

Victor was excited. He said, great. Now, all we have to do is have you meet my business partner, and then we get the go-ahead, and we start the project. He told Heather that he would drive her to the next location, a restaurant in Brentwood, the very same empty restaurant that he'd used before, the one that he pretended he was going to renovate

as his dying wish when he lied to poor Jane. Heather didn't get into his car. She agreed to follow him in her own vehicle, very smart. He escorted her into this empty restaurant. And Heather was confused. It was old, it was dark, it had nothing but three chairs set out in the middle. Victor explained that there would be a woman, his business partner, coming in shortly. And Heather asked if she could slip away to use the bathroom.

She was really scoping the place out, looking for any other way out, any doors. She didn't feel right about this audition. Something just felt off. But maybe it was just not what she was used to. When she came back, Victor said, you know what, we should spend a few minutes going over the poses for the promotional material so that you're ready for my partner. He really wanted her to get the part, so he would guide her. And she agreed. He told her to sit on the floor, cross her legs, and put her ankles very close together.

This is something he emphasized. Of course. Because he was probably trying to tie them up real fast to keep her from kicking like the other girls had. Heather did, as she was told. And just like that, he pulls out some kind of straw. with a buckle on it, and as you pull it, it would get tighter and tighter. It's like this one that I'm showing on the screen. It's scary.

He quickly slipped it around her ankles, and he pulled it tightly, and Heather was caught off guard. She was not okay with this. She yelled for him to take it off, but instead Victor jumped on top of her, pushed her to the ground. She fell backwards. He told her to keep quiet. Well, Heather was like, F that! She wasn't having it.

She started to fight, just like Jane. Then he ripped off his necktie, classic move on his part each time. Remember, he would provide. the necktie? Yeah, to try to tie Heather's hands behind her back. He got one of them in his grip, but she wouldn't let him get the other one. She fought as hard as she could. All of a sudden, a new move. He dropped her hand through the tie around her neck, but not before Heather was able to slip her hand underneath. Yes, that is exactly what they tell you to do. Release the pressure. He turned her over and sat on her back with her face into the ground and his hand around her

mouth, pulling the necktie. Then he got one of his hands underneath her and pressed her butt against him in an upward position. And then began to rip at her hosery while whispering, I knew from the first time I saw you, I couldn't control myself. Well, try. These monsters, they take what they want. And poor Heather, she was still putting up a fight. She heard the sound of Victor taking off his belt and then she heard a zipper. Even more frightened, she kicked her legs again and again until the belt started to give away and she was finally free and able to get up. She made it to the door, but not before Victor grabbed her and put his body weight against it, keeping it closed. He had the audacity to tell her, I know this must be traumatizing to you,

but I'm not going to let you leave. The fact that we get to hear the words that came out of this monster's mouth makes it even worse. Heather, thinking quickly, grabbed a hold of her sharp stiletto heel, and she waved it in his face. like a dagger. She distracted him with that and slipped from his grip. She was finally outside and running toward her car. Thankfully, she had driven herself. She jumped in and raced away. She had no idea where she was going and she didn't care. She just wanted to get as far away from this evil man as she could, and she called 911. The police arrested Victor and in his car was a kink set, so to speak, lube's vibes, dills, rope. Yeah. Once again, he posted

bail and he was out of jail until the trial in July 1999. It literally looked like this guy was going to get away with it again, just like the times before. And most of the charges were dropped, except this time one wasn't. The felony battery on Heather. He was sentenced to two years in prison for that charge on top of six more years for violating his probation. Yes, finally. But why then was he out of prison in February 2003 in order to somehow be involved in Christy's disappearance? Was he? He was. He was. He was paroled on January 20th, 2003. He was only in prison for like three years.

It makes me feel like women's bodies are not valuable to the justice system unless they're dead. Violations seem to be swept under the rug. And then these men are released again. And again, we all know their crimes escalate. So at first, when investigators were not sure if it was possible for Victor to have come up with such an elaborate scheme by the time he saw Susan Murphy,

since he only had a few days since he had gotten out, they thought wrong. He had years to perfect this scam. They didn't have to worry about catching him because he was already in jail after trying to steal a BMWX-5 from Beverly Hills BMW. It's the same every time.

The sob, the other car he sold, now BMW, he thought he was real smooth, dressed to impress like a corporate executive, Victor appeared interested in purchasing a new car in cash. And in this part of LA, this happens every day. This is a very upscale area. He looked apart and they fell for it. He gave them a fake social security number, a fake name of Robert Morton, fake bank account information, and he acted calm and collected as they checked everything out.

Meanwhile, there was an attendant putting gas in a soon-to-be new car. and driving it back, and that is when he intercepted this attendant. Since the attendant knew they had been working with the other employees, he didn't think twice. He just walked past Victor letting him know that he was just going to go make sure everything checks out. But by that time, Victor had jumped into the BMW and he was off. The dealership, of course, called the cops, but it wasn't long before Victor was caught, and I have this footage on the dashboard camera. They did a little pat down, and they found a wallet.

with a bunch of stolen licenses, stolen credit cards, IDs, blank checks with other people's name on it, these will come into play later when yet another connection is made in this huge scheme. It was time to bring Susan Murphy in and do a lineup with Victor and five other guys to see if she could identify him. I actually listened to her talking about this in a video and she described it as knowing right away who he was, but that he was trying to make himself look different, like sort of give himself a different stature, kind of lowering himself down, maybe making one arm look like it was longer than the other, just to throw her off. But it didn't work. She knew who he was right away. In a separate lineup,

Susan's boyfriend, Mark, also picked Victor out right away. They were positive. He was the guy who pretended to be a Disney executive to lure Susan into some building on Los Anica Boulevard. That same building was the abandoned restaurant called Cafe Milano. It was an Italian restaurant where Victor used to be an employee. He and another man purchased it together to renovate it. It was a millionaire businessman who was the owner of a property investment company. He was probably scammed by Victor too.