Kristi Johnson | 'James Bond Movie Producer' Lures Women to Fake Auditions

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[00:00:46] Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash income, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash income now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. This is True Crime Psychology and Personality, where we discuss the pathology behind some

[00:01:18] of the most horrific crimes and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective. I'm Dr. Todd Grande. I have a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, and I'm a licensed professional counselor of mental health. Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:01:37] Today's question is, can I analyze the case of Christy Johnson? First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime, then I'll for my analysis. Christine Louise Johnson was born on February 27, 1981 in Los Gatos, California. She went by the name Christy.

[00:01:56] When she was young, her father Kirk and her mother Terry moved with Christy and her older brother to Holland, Michigan. Kirk and Terry divorced. Christy and her brother lived with their mother in a nearby town.

[00:02:10] After completing a year of college, Christy moved to California to pursue a career as a makeup artist. This was a tough business for Christy, and she had difficulty finding work. Christy moved into an apartment in Santa Monica that she shared with two female roommates.

[00:02:25] She worked for a cell phone company and resumed her college studies. Even though she had given up on a Hollywood career path, Christy still had a desire to be in the movie industry. Now moving to the timeline of the crime.

[00:02:40] On Saturday, February 15, 2003, Christy called her mother and said she was going to the Century City Mall. On Monday, February 17, Christy's mother contacted the police after she was unable to reach Christy. The police spoke to one of Christy's roommates, a woman named Carrie. Here's what she told them.

[00:03:01] On February 15, Christy returned to the apartment after visiting the Century City Mall. She said that when she was in the mall, she was approached by a man who offered her an audition for a big part in a James Bond movie.

[00:03:16] Christy was supposed to meet this man at 5.30 p.m. The man had specific requirements for the audition. He wanted Christy to wear a black miniskirt, a man's long-sleeve shirt in white, black stiletto heels, and sheer pantyhose. Christy spent the afternoon running around and purchasing all those items.

[00:03:37] She spent over $350. The level of excitement that Christy was experiencing was overwhelming. She thought this was her big break into the movie business. Christy was going to be a star. The police checked surveillance video from the Century City Mall, but they were unable to find the mysterious man.

[00:03:54] Christy's white 1996 Mazda Miata was found in a hotel parking lot next to the mall. A man had dropped the car off at valet parking and ran away. The valet did not get a good look at the man.

[00:04:08] After examining Christy's cell phone data, investigators discovered that she last used her cell phone at 5.37 p.m. in Hollywood Hills. The police contacted the media, hoping to generate leads. Their tactic was successful. Several women came forward and said they encountered a bizarre man who matched the description

[00:04:28] of the individual who Christy had talked about. A sketch of the suspect was produced. A parole officer recognized the man as Victor Lawrence Palaeologus. She indicated that he had just been released from prison on January 20, 2003, and had failed to check in with her.

[00:04:46] As it turns out, Victor should not have been too difficult to find. He was in jail. On February 17, two days after Christy went missing, Victor visited a BMW dealership on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. He said he wanted to purchase a blue X5 SUV.

[00:05:05] After an employee prepared the vehicle for delivery and left the keys inside, Victor drove it away. The police were contacted, and Victor was arrested. From the many witnesses who came forward, and from other sources of information, the police learned a lot about Victor.

[00:05:22] He was born on July 16, 1962, and lived near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married, divorced, and moved to California. Victor owned three different restaurants in Los Angeles, but they all failed. In 1989, he allegedly attempted an assault of a sexual nature against a 21-year-old woman

[00:05:43] named Christine when they were in a hotel room. She fought him off, and he fled. Victor was arrested and went to trial, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Before he could be tried again, he pleaded guilty to false imprisonment by violence and

[00:06:00] received three years of probation. In 1991, while posing as a Disney producer, Victor attempted to drug a woman named Elizabeth at a bar. He escaped from the bar and was never charged. In 1995, Victor broke into the home of a former love interest and held her against her will.

[00:06:20] He was arrested, pleaded guilty to burglary, and received five years of probation. In the late 1990s, a woman named Kathy said that a man matching Victor's description approached her at the Century City Mall.

[00:06:33] He told her that there was a photo shoot happening right at that moment in Hollywood Hills. He would like her to attend, wearing a miniskirt, a white shirt, sweater heels, and pantyhose. He also mentioned that he would supply a black necktie.

[00:06:50] Kathy went to the photo shoot but took a male friend with her. The man never came out of the residence to meet her. In August 1998, Victor attempted an assault of a sexual nature against a 24-year-old woman named Heather.

[00:07:04] He pleaded no contest to assault and received two years in prison. He received another six years in prison for violating probation. Victor went to prison in July 1999 and served only three and a half years. He was released on January 20, 2003, as I mentioned.

[00:07:22] Four days later, a woman named Susan was approached at the Century City Mall by a man who called himself Victor Thomas. He said that he was the director of photography for a new James Bond movie. Susan would be perfect for a major part in the film.

[00:07:39] He gave her an appointment for an audition for The Next Day in West Hollywood. He wanted her to wear a miniskirt, a dress shirt, stiletto heels, and pantyhose. A necktie was required as well, but he would provide that.

[00:07:53] Susan went to the appointment but took her boyfriend with her. She asked the man for identification. He said he didn't have it and told her she wasn't right for the part. After this, he ran away. A woman named Alice Walker had a similar story.

[00:08:08] A man named Victor approached her about appearing in a James Bond movie. They met a couple of times, but the director of the movie never showed up as Victor promised. He last contacted her on February 15, 2003, the day Christie went missing.

[00:08:25] It was clear from Victor's history that he had a distinct pattern of pretending to be an important Hollywood figure and luring women to fake auditions. The police thought he had murdered Christie, but they had still not located her.

[00:08:39] This would change on March 3, 2003, when Christie's body was discovered by a group of hikers in a Hollywood Hills ravine. Her cause of death was strangulation. Christie's hands and feet were tied. No physical evidence found at the scene connected Victor to the crime.

[00:08:59] Despite this, he was charged with murder on May 12, 2003. His trial started on July 13, 2006. On July 26, before the trial ended, Victor changed his mind and decided to plead guilty to murder. He was willing to admit he was responsible for Christie's death, but not willing to offer

[00:09:19] any details about what happened. In another strange twist, Victor tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but the judge said it was too late. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

[00:09:33] Now moving to my analysis, here are my thoughts on a few areas that stood out to me in this case. Item number one. Despite pleading guilty, Victor maintains his innocence. He claimed that all the women who accused him were being deceptive and using him to

[00:09:48] further some type of hidden agenda. I guess it's extremely well hidden because even Victor doesn't appear to know what it is. No physical evidence tied Victor to Christie's murder, and his criminal history does not necessarily mean that he was guilty of homicide.

[00:10:04] The problem for Victor was the pattern that he established, pretending to be a Hollywood executive, approaching women in public places, mentioning a James Bond movie, and requesting that his victims wear a mini skirt, white shirts, stiletto heels, and pantyhose.

[00:10:22] Furthermore, prior to Christie's death, Victor had been shown several properties in Hollywood Hills by a real estate agent. During the showings, Victor would go into a room and scream, then ask the agent if the scream was audible.

[00:10:37] After Christie's death, Victor resumed seeing properties in Hollywood Hills as if he was getting ready for another murder. There is no doubt that Victor was guilty. Item number two. An interesting theme emerged from many of the stories from the women who interacted with Victor.

[00:10:55] Despite Victor being unattractive, repulsive, and introducing an unlikely story about being a Hollywood executive, many of the women desperately wanted to believe he was telling the truth. It was part of them that knew Victor was lying, but they could not resist meeting him for auditions or photo shoots.

[00:11:13] The goal of making it big in Hollywood was so seductive, they were willing to risk their lives on a long shot. A few of the women took precautions, like being accompanied by a man, but some threw caution to the wind.

[00:11:27] Specifically looking at Christie Johnson, she was no stranger to being approached by disturbing men in public places. Christie represented herself as skeptical, yet when Victor approached her with the unbelievable James Bond movie story, she became extremely excited.

[00:11:44] Christie was unable to control her emotions and even spent over $350 to accommodate Victor's clothing demands. She acknowledged that there were a lot of frauds out there, but believed that Victor was the real deal because he was calm, pleasant, and direct.

[00:11:59] Christie falsely believed that she had a system for determining who was being honest and who was being deceptive. There's no telling how many times Victor ran this James Bond movie scheme, perhaps hundreds of times. He was playing a numbers game, looking for someone who was enthusiastic about pursuing

[00:12:16] a career in Hollywood to such an extent they could not see through him. Item number three, what do I think happened in this case? This is just a theory, my opinion. Victor was self-centered, randiose, cold, callous, impulsive, irresponsible, aggressive, sadistic, manipulative, deceptive, sensation seeking, obsessive, insecure, erratic, remorseless,

[00:12:39] had a sense of entitlement, and was exceedingly creepy. For quite some time, he repeatedly made pathetic attempts to attract and retain love interests. For example, at one point he pretended to have a terminal illness to get sympathy from a lover who rejected him.

[00:12:57] Ultimately, he realized that no attractive woman would be with him based on love alone. He needed something more to have romantic contact with them. This is why he devised the scheme involving being a big shot in Hollywood.

[00:13:11] Knowing that Los Angeles is populated with many aspiring actresses who will do anything to be noticed, Victor approached women in public places with his James Bond movie story. He was unsuccessful the vast majority of the time, mostly because he was obviously lying,

[00:13:28] but on occasion his tactic allowed him to get close to women. At his direction, the women would dress in a manner consistent with his fantasy. Like many predators who are fascinated with sexual domination, Victor escalated over time.

[00:13:44] This progression was not linear, rather it occurred in a volatile fashion. When he was released from prison in January 2003, Victor was ready to get his license to kill. He targeted a few women before encountering Christie. Unfortunately, she was particularly swayed by her emotions.

[00:14:03] Christie complied with all of Victor's requests and put herself in a terrible position. Victor was able to kill her and not leave any evidence behind, but he knew that women would come forward and reveal this pattern of behavior.

[00:14:18] The police would be able to figure out who he was based on this. The theft of the BMW SUV was perpetrated so Victor could escape, but just like everything else in his life, he was not successful. Now moving to my final thoughts.

[00:14:34] This case involved a man who had an overwhelming desire to satisfy his sexual fantasies. He devised a scheme to achieve his goal based on attracting victims who also had a desperate desire, namely they wanted to be movie stars.

[00:14:49] It's almost like Victor understood that his victims needed to experience the same intensity of emotions that he experienced, even though the source of the emotions would be different. Victor sidestepped doubts by offering a massive payoff. This is a common tactic for con artists.

[00:15:06] The scheme isn't necessarily clever, but what they offer is irresistible to some people. They know that the longing for fame often develops more quickly than critical thinking skills. Following his James Bond movie scam, Victor left women shaken by excitement but not stirred by skepticism.

[00:15:33] This has been True Crime Psychology and Personality from Ars Langa Media. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Ars Langa, Vida Brevis. Allegedly is back for season two. A new crime every time.

[00:15:59] In each episode of Allegedly, you'll hear a crime told to you by the person who experienced it, intermingled with actor portrayals, original music, immersive soundscapes, to create a cinematic experience for your ear. Season two's stories include a young woman finding salvation in God only to realize the

[00:16:17] leader of her church was running a sex cult, a case of a con artist swindling a kindly older man until he couldn't do anything to stop her, a landlord exploiting a mentally disabled man and keeping him a virtual prisoner, an act of bullying spinning a promising young

[00:16:32] man's life into total chaos, and a luxury boat captain inexplicably detained in a foreign prison with seemingly no hope of ever getting out. New episodes release every other week. Look for Allegedly from Voyage Media anywhere you listen to podcasts.