Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast

The Rosemary Ndlovu case is one of South Africa’s most shocking true crime stories, involving a former police officer who orchestrated the murders of six family members for insurance payouts. Between 2012 and 2018, Ndlovu took out fraudulent life insurance policies on her loved ones before having them poisoned, strangled, or beaten to death. Her murder spree ended in 2018 when undercover police re...

The Daphne Caruana Galizia case is a tragic example of the dangers investigative journalists face when exposing corruption. A fearless Maltese journalist, Caruana Galizia was assassinated by a car bomb on October 16, 2017, after reporting on government corruption, money laundering, and political scandals linked to the Panama Papers. Her murder sparked mass protests in Malta, eventually leading to...

Anthony Gignac, a Colombian-born con artist, spent over three decades impersonating Saudi royalty to defraud investors worldwide. Assuming the identity of "Prince Khalid bin Al Saud," he orchestrated schemes that amassed over $8 million, funding a lavish lifestyle of luxury cars, yachts, and private jets. His deception unraveled in 2017 when a suspicious investor noticed inconsistencies...

The Wolfgang Beltracchi case is one of the most notorious art forgery scandals in history, where Beltracchi faked hundreds of paintings in the style of famous artists like Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, and Fernand Léger. Rather than copying existing works, he created "newly discovered" paintings, complete with forged provenance, which fooled experts, collectors, and museums for decades. His sche...

The Casey Anthony case gained national attention in 2008 when her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, was reported missing in Orlando, Florida. Casey initially lied to authorities about Caylee’s whereabouts, and after a month-long search, the child’s remains were found in a wooded area near the family home. Casey was charged with first-degree murder, but in a highly controversial 2011 trial, she...

Somkid Pumpuang, known as the “Jack the Ripper of Thailand,” is a convicted serial killer who murdered multiple women. In 2005, he was sentenced to life in prison for murdering five women, all of whom were masseuses or karaoke hostesses, but was released early in 2019 for “good behavior.” Just six months after his release, he murdered another woman, leading to a nationwide manhunt and his swift re...

Lamor Whitehead, aka The Bling Bishop, a Brooklyn pastor known for his flamboyant lifestyle, was sentenced to nine years in prison in June 2024 for wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion, and making false statements. He defrauded parishioners, including misappropriating funds from a congregant's retirement savings. Whitehead also attempted to extort a businessman by falsely prom...

Steve Comisar, born December 30, 1961, is an American con artist known for a series of high-profile frauds. In the 1980s, he notoriously sold a "solar-powered clothes dryer" for $49.95, which was merely a length of clothesline. Throughout his criminal career, Comisar amassed an estimated $10 million through various scams, earning him the moniker "the Jeffrey Dahmer of fraud." D...

Paul Curry, a former nuclear engineer and Jeopardy! winner, was convicted in 2014 for the 1994 nicotine poisoning death of his wife, Linda Curry, in California. Prosecutors revealed that Curry stood to gain substantial life insurance benefits from Linda's death, highlighting a financial motive. Despite the crime occurring in 1994, Curry wasn't arrested until 2010, following a prolonged inv...

David Hampton was an American con artist who, in the early 1980s, deceived numerous affluent New Yorkers by posing as the son of actor Sidney Poitier. He leveraged this fabricated identity to obtain money, food, and shelter from unsuspecting individuals, including notable figures like Inger McCabe Elliott and Osborn Elliott. His exploits inspired John Guare's 1990 play "Six Degrees of Sep...

In December 2016, Nancy Alice Motes orchestrated an armed home invasion and kidnapped Alexa Blair, a freshman member of the Kilgore College Rangerettes dance team and daughter of the team's director, Dana Blair. Motes abducted Alexa from her home and held her captive, but Alexa managed to escape after approximately an hour.

Gioacchino Gammino, a convicted murderer and member of the Sicilian mafia group Stidda, escaped from Rome's Rebibbia prison in 2002 and evaded capture for nearly 20 years. During his time as a fugitive, he adopted the alias "Manuel" and established a fruit and vegetable shop, El Huerto de Manu, in Galapagar, Spain. His whereabouts were uncovered in late 2021 when Italian authorities,...

Grant Amato was convicted in 2019 for the murders of his parents and brother in Chuluota, Florida, after they confronted him about stealing money. Obsessed with a Bulgarian camgirl, he had drained his family's finances, spending over $200,000 on her before being kicked out of the house. In a desperate attempt to continue his online relationship, he unalived his family

Robert Hanssen was an FBI agent who became one of the most notorious spies in U.S. history, secretly selling classified information to the Soviet Union and Russia for over 20 years. His betrayal compromised national security, exposed double agents, and led to the deaths of American operatives. He was arrested in 2001 after an internal investigation uncovered his espionage, and he later pleaded gui...

Ryan Jenkins, a Canadian reality TV contestant, became infamous in 2009 when he was accused of murdering his wife, Jasmine Fiore, a model and actress. Fiore’s body was found in a suitcase in a dumpster, with her teeth and fingertips removed in an attempt to prevent identification. Jenkins fled to Canada but was found unalived in a motel room days later.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, known as "Am Cyanide," was convicted in November 2024 for the cyanide poisoning of her friend, Siriporn Kanwong, during a Buddhist ritual in April 2023. This conviction is the first of 14 murder trials she faces, with accusations of fatally poisoning 13 others since 2015, allegedly to settle gambling debts.

The Duke Lacrosse case erupted in 2006 when three members of the Duke University lacrosse team were accused of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer, Crystal Mangum, at a team party. The allegations sparked national outrage, racial tensions, and debates about privilege and justice. However, the case fell apart when inconsistencies in Mangum’s story emerged, and DNA evidence did not implicate the ac...

The Zankou Chicken murders occurred in 2003 when Mardiros Iskenderian, heir to the popular Zankou Chicken restaurant chain, shot and killed his mother, Marguerite, and sister, Dzovig, before taking his own life. Suffering from terminal cancer and reportedly struggling with family tensions over the business.

Mike Williams disappeared in December 2000 while on a duck hunting trip at Lake Seminole in Florida, leading to an initial assumption of accidental drowning. Nearly two decades later, his wife, Denise Williams, and his best friend, Brian Winchester, were revealed to have conspired to murder him for insurance money. Brian confessed to shooting Mike and disposing of his body, leading to the discover...

Taiwanese YouTuber Chen Neng-chuan, known online as "Goodnight Chicken," and fellow streamer Lu Tsu-hsien staged a fake kidnapping in Cambodia to attract online attention. They live-streamed fabricated abduction scenes in Sihanoukville, a city notorious for actual kidnapping and scam operations, falsely portraying themselves as victims. Their actions led to their arrest by Cambodian auth...

Vanessa O'Connell, a patient seeking psychological support, was manipulated and groomed by her psychologist, Karen Prowse, leading to an unethical personal relationship and eventual marriage. Prowse fabricated an extraordinary life story to gain Vanessa's trust, which was later revealed to be entirely false.

Lorena and John Wayne Bobbitt became infamous in 1993 when Lorena cut off John’s dong after enduring years of alleged abuse, sparking a sensational media frenzy. She claimed she acted in retaliation after being SA’d by John, while he denied the accusations.

Ali Abulaban, also known as JinnKid, is a social media influencer and TikTok personality known for his comedic skits and impressions. In October 2021, he was arrested and charged with the double murder of his wife, Ana Abulaban, and her friend, Rayburn Barron, in San Diego. Prosecutors allege that the crime was motivated by jealousy after learning about his wife's intention to separate.

Peter Popoff is a controversial televangelist and self-proclaimed faith healer known for his fraudulent claims of divine healing powers. In the 1980s, he was exposed for using a hidden earpiece to receive personal information about audience members, which he falsely presented as divine revelations. Despite being publicly debunked, he made a comeback in the 2000s, selling "miracle spring water...

Nuke Bizzle is a rapper who boasted in a YouTube music video about getting rich quick by scamming a government relief program.