They Have to Keep Showing Up by Sarah E. Burr

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

 

It’s no secret that I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts. These shows tend to cover one case every episode, giving their audiences a high-level understanding of the featured investigation. However, once in a blue moon (or solar eclipse), I come across a podcast dedicated exclusively to one crime, one victim, and one quest for justice. My latest find is NBC’s Murder in the Hollywood Hills, hosted by the legendary Keith Morrison. Like every case I listen to, the crime made me mad over its senselessness, but there was also a deeper level of anger that accompanied this one due to how “justice” continues to play out to this very day.

Kristi Johnson, age twenty-one, was living and working in Los Angeles, pursuing her dreams of acting, hoping to be discovered. One day in February 2003, she arrived home at her apartment brimming with good news to share with her roommate. A man had approached her at the local Century City Mall, telling her she had the “perfect look” for an upcoming Bond film that was in the works. He requested she show up at a house in the Hollywood Hills, dressed in a white button-down shirt, high heels, nylons, and a miniskirt to audition for the role. Kristi, excited to seize the opportunity and get her big break, dressed as instructed, told her roommate to wish her luck, and jetted off toward fame and fortune in her Mazda Miata. Along the way, she stopped to ask a couple for directions to this Hollywood Hills home, and that was the last time she was ever seen alive.

By someone other than her killer.

When Kristi didn’t return from this seemingly too-good-to-be-true audition, her friends and family immediately sprang into action to find her. The search for Kristi became a catalyst that ultimately resulted in the apprehension of Victor Lawrence Paleologus, a dangerous predator who had been on the prowl for years.

Now, as a dedicated consumer of true crime (I hate using the word “fan” because it glorifies these horrible events), I’ve heard Kristi Johnson’s story many times before. Each podcast featuring this crime does its best to respectfully convey Kristi’s life and the search for justice. Yet, Murder in the Hollywood Hills took this case to new heights by emphasizing the incredible power of the inspiring, brave women who survived Paleologus’s previous (and numerous) assault attempts, which each began by him luring women with promises of fame and fortune as a Bond girl. The podcast mainly features the harrowing experiences of Christine Kludjian, Cathy DeBuono, and Susan Murphy, but there are—unfortunately—many more. Their stories show how Paleologus skated under the radar of our justice system for decades. Yes, this podcast explores Kristi Johnson’s murder and the hunt for her killer, but it also sheds valuable light on the failings of our justice system and how victims who survive these types of attacks are forced to spend their entire lives fighting to protect themselves from their attackers due to the red-tape involved with parole and early-release programs.

Up until Kristi’s murder, Paleologus had skirted justice for decades, striking deals with DAs to avoid serious jail time. The gut punch of this whole thing is that Paleologus was released from prison in 2003, and within three weeks, Kristi Johnson was dead. “Rehabilitated,” my a**. Even more disturbing, part of Paleologus’s plea deal for Kristi’s murder is that he will be granted the ability to apply for parole after serving twenty-five years. Where is the justice in a man, who has confessed to luring an innocent young woman to her death, being allowed to potentially walk out of prison? One who has proven time and time again he will reoffend?

And to think, Kristi didn’t even get to spend twenty-five years on this earth.

In the wake of Kristi’s death and Paleologus’s conviction, Cathy DeBuono spearheaded an unaired documentary on the man’s predatory nature, and inadvertently formed a sisterhood with the other survivors. Through this experience, they’ve had to accept and understand that Paleologus will forever be at risk of being paroled, and they are continually working to ensure what happened to Kristi never happens to another person at Paleologus’s hands. You can learn more about their advocacy work at https://www.justiceforkristi.org/ where they post regular updates about their quest to keep this man in prison. Part of their mission is making sure Kristi’s story stays in the news, and that’s why programs like Murder in the Hollywood Hills exist. They are forever reliving these terrifying moments by sharing their stories to serve as a warning to others that demons walk among us.

Cathy and her sisters have seemingly scared Paleologus to his core. In the years since he became eligible, the inmate has waived his right to a hearing because warriors like Cathy, Christine, Susan, and more keep showing up to protect the world from predators like him.

Paleologus last voluntarily waived his right to hold a parole hearing in 2023, but due to his deal with our justice system, he will have the opportunity to do so again in 2025.

And you can bet this sisterhood will show up.

But it’s simply heartbreaking that they must keep doing so.

Listen to Murder in the Hollywood Hills wherever you get your podcasts.