Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast

In 2009, CBS News producer Robert "Joe" Halderman attempted to extort $2 million from late-night talk show host David Letterman by threatening to expose Letterman’s extramarital affairs with female staff members, information Halderman discovered in the diary of his live-in girlfriend (and Letterman's assistant), Stephanie Birkitt.

Donthe Lucas was convicted of first-degree murder in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2013 disappearance and death of his 21-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling.

Marco Mariolini was an Italian criminal driven by anoressofilia, an extreme obsession with severely thin women. Mariolini published an autobiographical warning explicitly stating he was a monster and begging authorities to stop him before he murdered.

Aquinas Kasbar broke into the Santa Ana Zoo after hours using bolt cutters to steal an endangered animal to keep as a pet. While his actions inadvertently allowed several lemurs and capuchin monkeys to escape, Kasbar made off with Isaac, a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur recognized as the oldest of his species in North American captivity. After placing Isaac in an unventilated plastic bin, Kasbar ultimately abandoned the animal outside a Marriott hotel the next morning with a note requesting its safe return to the zoo.

Charles Van Doren was a brilliant, charismatic Columbia University instructor who became a national celebrity in 1956 by winning on the popular television quiz show Twenty-One. His clean-cut, intellectual charm captivated millions of Americans, landing him on the cover of Time magazine and earning him a lucrative regular commentary spot on NBC’s Today show. However, the triumph turned to scandal in 1959 when a congressional investigation revealed that the show’s producers had systematically rigged the program, providing Van Doren with the answers and scripts in advance to boost viewer ratings.