Photo Credit: Dateline via NBC
Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Dateline NBC will re-examine the disappearance and murder of Kristi Johnson that took place in 2003. Titled “The Girl with the Hibiscus Tattoo,” the episode will reveal startling details about the gruesome crime and how an aspiring actor lost her life. It would also shed light on the investigation and how authorities caught a man named Victor Paleologus for the slaying. The latest episode of Dateline NBC will air on Friday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET.
Born in February 1981, Kristi Johnson moved to Saugatuck with her family in 1987. Despite spending her youth in Michigan, she dreamed of going to California and becoming an actor. On February 15, 2003, a man named Victor Paleologus approached her in a shopping mall and told her about an audition. Los Angeles Times reported that Paleologus posed himself as a filmmaker, telling her that they were looking for a new face to play the Bond girl, after which she went for the audition. Sadly, it was the last time anyone saw her. After her mother filed a missing complaint when she didn’t attend work, the police initiated a search operation.
Almost three weeks later, in March 2003, a group of hikers discovered the lifeless body of Kristi Johnson at the bottom of a deep ravine in the Hollywood Hills. Authorities noted that her ankles and hands were bound, and the hibiscus tattoo on her lower back helped with the identification. Another Los Angeles Times report stated that Johnson had been strangled to death.
After the investigation began, multiple women shared experiences that mirrored Kristi’s story. The Sun mentioned that a man posing as a casting agent enticed girls with the promises of fake auditions. Police eventually identified the casting agent as Victor Paleologus and arrested him for a different crime after Johnson disappeared.
Where is Kristi Johnson’s killer Victor Paleologus now?
During the investigation, police discovered that Victor Paleologus served three years and five months in prison for attempting to rape a woman. Per the Los Angeles Times, Paleologus offered the woman a role in a James Bond movie and tried to rape her. However, this was not the only incident where the accused tried to lure girls by posing as studio executives. Several women came forward and told the investigators something similar happened to them.
In Kristi Johnson’s murder case, another survivor helped the police in creating a composite sketch of Victor Paleologus. According to Oxygen, a parole officer identified the sketch and informed that the man’s name was Victor Paleologus. Although the authorities couldn’t directly link Paleologus to Johnson’s murder, they had strong evidence against him. After this, police charged him with first-degree murder, per Los Angeles Times.
During the trial, several women testified against Victor Paleologus and revealed horrifying details about what he did. Although the accused pleaded not guilty initially, he took a plea deal in July 2006 and pleaded guilty to the murder of Kristi Johnson. Los Angeles Times mentioned that he took the plea deal after the testimonies. The publication stated that the accused wouldn’t face the death penalty but would be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison as part of a plea deal. In court, he apologized to Johnson’s family and took responsibility for the murder.
Currently, he is serving his sentence at the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. In May 2023, Victor Paleologus waived his right to an early parole hearing. According to California’s Department of Corrections, his next parole hearing is in November 2025.
Dateline NBC will air the episode documenting Kristin Johnson’s murder will be airing on Friday, May 31.
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