Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast
The Official Podcast of Ray William Johnson, storyteller and comedian. Tune in for the best stories of True Crime and Pop Culture.
Episodes
The Duck Sauce Killer - The Glenn Hirsch Story
Glenn Hirsch, a 51‑year‑old Queens resident, became infamously known as the "Duck Sauce Killer" after authorities said he fatally shot Chinese food deliveryman Zhiwen Yan following a dispute at the Great Wall restaurant over allegedly not r…
This Prison Guard Slept With This Inmate - The Vicky White Story
Detectives and others later found that Vicky White had allegedly fallen in love with the inmate, and gave him special treatment at the jail. She ultimately helped concoct the plot for Casey White to escape which ended 11 days later with his…
He Got Rich Stealing Maple Syrup - The Great Maple Syrup Heist
The Great Maple Syrup Heist took place in Quebec, Canada, between 2011 and 2012, when thieves stole nearly 3,000 tons of maple syrup valued at about $18 million USD from a warehouse belonging to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producer…
The Tragic Downfall of Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop duo assembled in the late 1980s by German music producer Frank Farian—the mastermind behind Boney M.—and fronted by dancers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, who lip-synced to vocals recorded by session singers. The duo sk…
This Comedian Caught a Serial Killer? - The Golden State Killer Story
The Golden State Killer, later identified as Joseph James DeAngelo, was a former police officer who terrorized California from the 1970s through the 1980s
This Pro Athlete is in BIG Trouble - The Dan Serafini Story
Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini, who played for several teams from the mid‑1990s through 2007 and later faced financial setbacks, was convicted in July 2025 of first‑degree murder, attempted murder, and burglary
He's Addicted To Prostitutes - The Liar Joe Story
Jonaris Badlishah—nicknamed “Liar Joe” —was identified as the prime suspect in Singapore’s infamous 1998 “Rolex watch murder.” The victim, beautician Sally Poh Bee Eng, was found brutally slain near the Marina South bus stop, and investigat…
This OnlyFans Model is in BIG Trouble - The Selena Savage Story
Chelsea Perkins, a former U.S. Coast Guard veteran who later became an adult model under the name “Selena Savage,” pleaded guilty in May 2025 to second-degree murder after luring Matthew Dunmire to a remote area of Cuyahoga Valley National …
He Crashed Out Over McDonald's French Fries - The Antoine Sims Story
When 24-year-old Antoine Sims called 911 to complain about receiving cold French fries at a McDonald’s in Kennesaw, Georgia, law enforcement responded only to discover he was a murder suspect out on bond—wanted in connection with a 2018 cas…
He's a Real Life Dexter - The Mark Twitchell Story
Mark Andrew Twitchell was a Canadian filmmaker–aspiring from Edmonton who was convicted in 2011 of first-degree murder.
He Hid $2 Million Dollars in The Mountains - The Forrest Fenn Treasure Hunt
In 2010, art dealer and memoirist Forrest Fenn hid a bronze chest containing gold, jewels, and rare artifacts—worth over $1 million—in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. He embedded nine cryptic clues in a 24‑line poem published in h…
This Woman Slept With Over 20 Buddhist Monks - The Sika Golf Story
A fast‑escalating scandal in 2025 centers on a woman known publicly as “Sika Golf” (aged 35), who is accused of entangling herself with high-ranking Buddhist monks in a vast temple fund and corruption scheme.
The Largest Heist In US History - The Allen Pace III Story
Allen Pace III, a security inspector at the Dunbar Armored facility in Los Angeles, used his insider knowledge to pull off the largest cash heist in U.S. history. Fired from his job the day before the robbery in September 1997, Pace recruit…
This Reality TV Star Is In BIG Trouble - The Jen Shah Story
Jen Shah, a cast member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, built her persona around glamour and wealth, but behind the scenes, she was running a nationwide telemarketing scheme that defrauded hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people…
This Crazy Man Shot Up a Walmart - The Jerad Miller and Amanda Miller Story
Jerad and Amanda Miller were a married couple from Indiana who embraced extreme anti-government and anti-law enforcement views, often posting conspiracy-laden, anti-police rhetoric online. After moving to Las Vegas in 2014, the pair’s hosti…
This Pop Star Is In Prison Now - The Tom Girardi / Erika Jayne Story
Tom Girardi, a once-celebrated Los Angeles trial attorney famous for the Erin Brockovich case, and his wife, reality TV star Erika Jayne of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, became embroiled in a massive legal scandal starting in 2020. …
She Killed Her Own Hitman - The Susan Kuhnhausen Story
Susan Kuhnhausen, a 51-year-old ER nurse in Portland, Oregon, survived a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her estranged husband. Coming home from work one evening, she was attacked by Edward Haffey, a man armed with a hammer who had bro…
This Flight Got Hijacked - The Hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked on November 23, 1996, by three Ethiopian men seeking asylum in Australia. Shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, the hijackers—armed with an axe and a fire extinguisher—stormed…
The Cop That Killed Other Cops - The Christopher Dorner story
Christopher Dorner, a former LAPD officer and U.S. Navy reservist, launched a violent ten‑day revenge campaign in February 2013 after being terminated—he claimed for exposing misconduct within the department
These Insane Women Ran Over Homeless Guys - The Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt Story
In 2008, Helen Golay, then 77, alongside her accomplice Olga Rutterschmidt, 75—two seemingly benign elderly women residing in California—were convicted of orchestrating the staged hit-and-run murders of two homeless men.
This Psycho Pilot Tries To Crash His Own Plane - The Auburn Calloway Story
Auburn Calloway, a disgruntled FedEx flight engineer facing imminent dismissal over falsified flight hours, attempted a shocking act of disguising a hijacking as an accident. Smuggling hammers, a speargun, and a guitar case aboard as a dead…
The Man Who Murdered Jeffrey Dahmer - The Christopher Scarver Story
The story of Christopher Scarver, the man who murdered Jeffrey Dahmer.
He's Faking His Cancer - The Glenn Rycroft story
Glenn Rycroft—a former British Airways steward from Salford and a prolific con artist—spent years fooling family, friends, and co-workers into donating money by fabricating a terminal brain tumor, shaving his head, faking seizures, and even…
He Was Kidnapped and Forced To Make North Korean Action Movies - The Shin Sang-ok Story
Shin Sang‑ok, once hailed as the “Prince of Korean Cinema” for directing nearly 80 films in South Korea’s golden age, was kidnapped in 1978—along with his actress ex-wife Choi Eun‑hee—on the personal orders of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong …
The Megan Thee Stallion / Tory Lanez Shooting Explained
In July 2020, rapper Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot after leaving a Hollywood Hills party, later accusing fellow artist Tory Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) of firing the shots from inside their SUV following an argument.
This Funeral Director Lost 190 Bodies - The Jon Hallford Story
Jon Hallford, co-owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado, was sentenced in June 2025 to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for misusing COVID-19 relief funds and defrauding grievin…
She Sent Him 65,000 Texts After One Date - The Jacqueline Ades Story
Jacqueline Ades, a 31-year-old woman, became infamous after a seemingly innocuous date spiraled into months of obsession. After just one date, she allegedly sent her romantic interest over 65,000 text messages—many threatening and bizarre—a…
This Dumb Youtuber is Trying To Vlog North Sentinel Island - The Mykhailo Polyakov Story
In March 2025, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, a 24-year-old American YouTuber, was arrested by Indian authorities after illegally landing on North Sentinel Island, home to one of the world’s most isolated tribes, the Sentinelese.
Pepsi Caused a Riot That Killed 5 People
In 1992, Pepsi Philippines launched a popular promotional campaign called Number Fever, in which bottle caps carried random three‑digit numbers—announced nightly on TV—with winnings ranging from ₱100 to a grand prize of ₱1 million. But on M…
This UFC Fighter is Now in Prison For Life - The Story of War Machine
Former MMA fighter Jonathan Paul “War Machine” Koppenhaver launched a violent home invasion in August 2014 at the Las Vegas residence of his ex-girlfriend, adult film star Christy Mack.
This Youtuber Had Her Husband Murdered - The Samantha Wolhford story
In February 2015, Samantha Wohlford staged an elaborate home invasion in Titus County, Texas—claiming masked intruders tied her up, beat her husband Ernie Ibarra, and kidnapped him while their children slept .
This Nickelodeon Rapper Is In Prison For Murder - The Silento Story
Rapper Richard Lamar "Ricky" Hawk, known professionally as Silento (famous for his 2015 hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)"), was sentenced in June 2025 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter
She Died For a Nintendo Wii - The Jennifer Strange Story
On January 2007, 28‑year‑old Jennifer Strange, a mother of three, tragically died after participating in a KDND radio station contest dubbed “Hold Your Wee for a Wii,” in which contestants consumed excessive amounts of water—up to around tw…
The Killer Who Couldn't Get a Boner - The Stanwood Elkus Story
In January 2013, 75-year-old retired barber Stanwood Elkus walked into Newport Beach urologist Dr. Ronald Gilbert’s office under a false identity and fatally shot him ten times in an ambush—purportedly stemming from a decades-old grudge
This Teen TikToker Allegedly Murdered To Get Famous - The Sarah Grace Patrick Story
Sarah Grace Patrick allegedly shot and unalived her mother, Kristin Brock, and stepfather, James Brock, while they slept in their Carrollton, Georgia home.
This Superman Actor is Dead - The George Reeves Story
George Reeves, the star of Adventures of Superman (1952–58), died in his Los Angeles home, from a single gunshot wound to the head. With the official ruling being suicide, his death sparked controversy fueled by inconsistencies such as miss…
He's a Real Psychopath - The Bryan Kohberger Story
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a 28‑year‑old former criminology PhD student, brutally stabbed four students in their off‑campus home near the University of Idaho
The Jerry Springer Show Murder - The Nancy Campbell‑Panitz Story
Nancy Campbell‑Panitz appeared on a May 2000 episode of The Jerry Springer Show alongside her ex-husband Ralf Panitz and his new wife, aiming for reconciliation—but was met with audience jeers and emotional humiliation. Just hours after the…
The Insane True Story of Cocaine Bear
In December 1985, authorities in Georgia discovered the carcass of a 175‑lb black bear in the Chattahoochee National Forest after it had ingested cocaine—estimated between 40 plastic containers of the drug—dropped earlier that year by smugg…
This Christian Singer Hired An Assassin - The Tim Lambesis / As I Lay Dying Story
In May 2013, Tim Lambesis, frontman of the Christian metal band As I Lay Dying, was arrested in Oceanside, California for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife Meggan, allegedly motivated by disputes over custody and fina…