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Kristi Johnson was last seen in February 2003 as she shopped for a black mini skirt, a white shirt, nylons, and black stilettos at the Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles. Johnson was preparing for an audition when she was approached the same day by a man who was alleged to be a film producer for an upcoming James Bond sequel.
Victor Lawrence Paleologus had preyed on several women since 1991 and had been in and out of prison for criminal offenses. Survivors came forward with their stories as Kristi Johnson's body was found in a ravine off Hollywood Hills on March 3, 2003.
The Real Murders of Los Angeles season 1 episode 9, titled Killer Casting, explores the murder case and conviction of Victor Paleologus as the synopsis reads,
"A young woman with film industry dreams disappears after leaving her home for a movie audition, leaving detectives to navigate Hollywood's murky underbelly in search of a treacherous serial predator."
Five details of Kristi Johnson's murder
1) Kristi Johnson was last spotted shopping at Century City Mall
According to NBC News, Kristi Johnson last spoke to her mother, Terry Hall, a day after Valentine's Day of 2003, when she mentioned she would be visiting the mall. Hall asked her to pick up a gift for herself. However, this was Hall's last word with her daughter.
Johnson was allegedly approached by a man posing to be a film producer for a new James Bond movie, and he offered her an opportunity to audition for the role. She was advised to turn up in a white shirt, a black miniskirt, nylons, and stiletto heels, which she was spotted shopping for in the mall from surveillance footage retrieved by the Santa Monica Police Department.
2) Hikers found Kristi Johnson's body off Hollywood Hills
Kristi Johnson's body was found in a ravine off Hollywood Hills by a group of hikers. According to veteran detective Virginia Obenchain, Santa Monica Police Department,
"Kristine’s body was found. Her hands tied behind her back. Her legs tied. She was partially in a sleeping bag, and she was severely decomposed from the shoulders up."
There were no traces of fingerprints, DNA, or fibers, as the body had been dumped for 16 days and exposed to the weather conditions. Heavy rains had washed off all evidence. Kristi's body was decomposed to such an extent that investigators could not establish if she had been s*xually assaulted.
3) Victor Paleologus had a specific pattern while approaching women
Victor Paleologus was determined to be a serial s*x offender as he attempted r*pe and assault numerous times over almost two decades. As the investigations picked pace with Susan Murphy's statement where she was invited to a casting call by Paleologus posing as Victor Thomas, more women came forward to help Kristi's family find justice.
Other survivors with similar stories involving a Bond movie and white shirt-black miniskirt uniform included Alice Walker, Laura Hayden, Cathy DeBuono, and Heather Maher. Close to 13 women came forward with stories involving Paleologus, while 40 witnesses testified against him during his hearing in 2006.
4) Paleologus was out on parole after serving an eight-year jail time when Johnson went missing
Victor Paleologus had served eight years and eight months of jail time with charges of writing fictitious checks, burglary, and s*xual assault. He had enticed Heather Maher into a casting call in 1998 and assaulted her at his office at San Vicente Boulevard. Maher managed to break free, and Paleologus was arrested for three and a half years.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he was out on parole on January 20, 2003. Soon after, he was arrested for attempted theft of a BMW in Beverly Hills when the Kristi Johnson murder case started building.
A real estate agent testified against Paleologus as he was looking for houses with good soundproofing in the Studio City area in early February, where Kristi's phone had last pinged on February 15, 2003.
5) Paleologus has voluntarily deferred his parole hearing to 2025.
Paleologus pleaded guilty to Kristi Johnson's murder in 2006 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His plea deal took the death sentence off the table and was such that Paleologus did not have to divulge details of Johnson's murder.
On the day of his sentence, Victor Paleologus penned down a hastily written 11-page letter withdrawing his plea and addressed it to the judge. However, per NBC News, the judge replied,
"I’m going to deny the motion Mr. Paleologus. The law states clearly that a plea cannot be withdrawn simply because the defendant has changed his mind."
He was scheduled for a parole hearing in May 2023, which he voluntarily deferred to 2025.
The Real Murders of Los Angeles episode re-airs on December 11, 2023, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen.
