The defense as in the Scott Peterson trial is attempting to use the lack of physical evidence to claim innocence. Unlike Peterson however this is a predator with a long history of evil.
www.courttv.com/trials/paleologus/071306_ctv.htmlLOS ANGELES — James Bond, Disney, stiletto heels, pricey real estate and a string of starstruck Hollywood hopefuls are the pieces of a puzzle that prosecutors say connect convicted felon Victor Paleologus to the brutal slaying of aspiring actress Kristine Johnson.
"This case began as a puzzle, and I'm going to explain to you how that puzzle came together," prosecutor David Walgren told jurors Thursday during opening statements in Paleologus's capital murder trial.
Before he allegedly bound and strangled 21-year-old Kristine Johnson, stuffed her body in a sleeping bag, and rolled her off a cliff into the Hollywood Hills, Paleologus had a 15-year history of luring women with the false promise of fame as a Bond girl, Walgren said.
Paleologus was paroled from prison a month before Johnson disappeared. He served three and a half years for assault to commit rape on a 24-year-old he met at the Sky Bar on Sunset Boulevard in 1998, who will testify that he attempted to bind her wrists and legs during the middle of a fake, private photo shoot for a "007" movie.
Jurors saw photos of Johnson's corpse, her wrists and ankles bound with shoelace, black stiletto pumps — allegedly part of Paleologus' signature request — on her feet.
But the defense claims the pretty ingénue and the six-time felon never met. Defense attorney Andrew Flier told jurors Johnson may have met her killer at a rave party she planned to attend the night she vanished.
Paleologus' defense hinges on the prosecution's lack of crime-scene evidence tying him to Johnson's body.
"No scrapings, no fingerprints, not one little pubic hair, no saliva — nothing," Flier said.
Over the next four weeks, the panel of 10 men and two women will hear testimony from experts and a half-dozen women who will describe chilling encounters with a man who had several aliases, who falsely claimed to be a Disney executive, who promised them roles in a Bond film, and whom they all believe was Victor Paleologus.
A woman he allegedly met in 1991 will describe how he slipped a white, powdery sedative into her drink and then fled the restaurant when she refused to drink it and called police. The defense claims she has the wrong man.
A former girlfriend will describe the time in 1996 when he broke into her home, hid behind her bed, and chased after her with a ligature. The defense says there's no evidence he tried to attack her.
A man who repossessed his car in 1999 will tick off a list of items he found in the vehicle: high heels, nylons, moisturizer, rope, a neck tie, and a "*deleted*." The defendant retrieved his property the next day.
Paleologus, 43, is charged with seven counts, including murder, burglary, identity theft, and the special circumstances of lying in wait and attempted rape. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Kristine "Kristi" Johnson moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue film work. She disappeared in 2003 after telling a roommate she was on her way to meet a man she met earlier that day at the Century City Shopping Center, a supposed photographer who promised her a role in a James Bond movie.
At least three women will testify Paleologus approached them in the days before Johnson's death, at the same mall, with the same promises.
"She was murdered about two weeks shy of her 22nd birthday," Walgren told jurors as her photo was displayed on a projection screen.
The blue-eyed, blond, 5-foot-9 Michigan native was interested in becoming a make-up artist, and was sometimes too trusting.
Her death fit Paleologus's signature pattern, Walgren said.
The defendant's M.O., according to the prosecutor, was to flatter attractive women, promise $100,000 paychecks, arrange "test" auditions, and dangle the opportunity to meet Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan.
He'd arrange private meetings on La Cienega and San Vicente Boulevards, in empty buildings that once housed Café Milano, a restaurant he managed before it closed.
He allegedly insisted on specific audition clothing: A white button-down man's shirt, miniskirt, nylons, stilettos, and a man's necktie, which he would provide, to complete the outfit.
Investigators found photos on the defendant's laptop of a naked, gagged woman, her ankles and wrists bound. They also found images of a woman posing provocatively in the clothing that prosecutors say match his signature fetish.
Walgren did not identify the women as he showed their photos. Audible gasps could be heard in the gallery.
Paleologus did not look at the pictures.
The defendant, who is being held without bail, wore clothes that appeared to belong to someone taller and heavier: a dark blazer that fell to mid-thigh, blue jeans rolled up at the hem, a loose-fitting flannel shirt.
His attorney says his family does not care to be involved in the case and did not attend the proceedings
Kristi Johnson's parents and extended family sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the front row of the gallery Thursday.
Her father wiped away tears as he watched security video of his daughter shopping at the Century City Mall on Feb. 15, 2003, allegedly the last day of her life.
She bought a miniskirt, white shirt, nylons, and stilettos — the clothes she had on when hikers discovered her corpse on March 3, 2003.
