Victor Paleologus posed as a Hollywood hotshot. Then he was charged with murder

Victor Paleologus often portrayed himself as a well-connected figure in the entertainment industry. In reality, he was a failed restaurant owner and "master manipulator."

Victor Paleologus often portrayed himself as a well-connected figure in Southern California’s entertainment industry — a record company executive, a movie producer, someone with links to the James Bond franchise.

In reality, he was a failed restaurant owner and “master manipulator” who faked those credentials and, from 1989 to 2003, lured nine women into vulnerable and sometimes terrifying situations, prosecutors alleged at the time. Some of the women said they were choked. Others said they were tied up. Four accused Paleologus of trying to rape them.

Paleologus, 61, pleaded guilty to reduced charges in two of the cases and was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape in a third. Then, in 2006, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Kristi Johnson, 21, and was sentenced to 25 years to life. Five of the women who said they survived encounters with Paleologus testified at his murder trial.

Victor Paleologus, left, with his lawyer, center, is interviewed in 2005.DatelineDespite pleading guilty, Paleologus continued to claim innocence, saying he never forced himself on anyone or posed as an entertainment figure.

As the years ticked by with Paleologus behind bars, one of the women who’d crossed paths with him, Cathy DeBuono, believed he might eventually become eligible for parole. So she launched an improbable and far-reaching effort to see if the man she’d long understood to be a serial predator had changed. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/victor-paleologus-murder-rape-assault-allegations-rcna154604

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