True Crime

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.

Latest Episodes:

The Insane Downfall of Robert Downey Jr. Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Robert Downey Jr.’s career is one of Hollywood’s most dramatic redemption arcs. Bursting onto the scene in the 1980s as a gifted and charismatic actor, he gained critical acclaim for roles in films like Chaplin, even earning an Oscar nomination. But behind the scenes, his life spiraled out of control due to a well-documented battle with drug addiction, leading to arrests, rehab stints, and being uninsurable by studios. For a time, it seemed his career was over. But against the odds, Downey rebuilt his life and reputation, culminating in a triumphant return when he was cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man . That role not only reignited his career but helped launch the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, cementing him as one of the most beloved and bankable stars in the world.

How Janet Jackson's Boob Led To The Creation of Youtube Jul 08, 2025

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The true story of how Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction led to the creation of Youtube

This Model Faked Her Own Kidnapping - The Chloe Ayling story Jul 06, 2025

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20-year-old British model Chloe Ayling traveled to Milan for what she believed was a legitimate photoshoot, only to be shoved into a duffle bag, and transported 120 miles to a secluded farmhouse near Turin Italy. Her abductor, Lukasz Herba—claiming to work for a fictitious dark web syndicate called "Black Death"—threatened to auction her as a slave unless a ransom was paid

This Man Went Insane Over a Stripper - The Larry Bill Elliott story Jul 05, 2025

Show notes

Former Army counterintelligence officer Larry Bill Elliott of Hanover, Maryland, carried out a brutal double homicide at a Woodbridge townhouse—fatally shooting 30-year-old Robert Finch and 25-year-old Dana Thrall, the latter capital-murdered after being pistol-whipped—with police and prosecutors asserting that Elliott’s obsessive jealousy over Finch’s ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Gragg, drove the crime.

Liver King Is In BIG Trouble Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Brian “Liver King” Johnson rose to prominence in the early 2020s as a social media fitness influencer who promoted an extreme “ancestral lifestyle”—emphasizing raw organ meats like liver, rugged workouts, and rejecting modern conveniences, amassing millions of followers and building a supplement empire . In late 2022, leaked emails revealed Johnson secretly spent over $11,000 monthly on performance-enhancing drugs, contradicting his decades of claims that his physique was all-natural . He later threatened podcast host Joe Rogan.

She Poisoned His Medicine - The Stella Nickell story Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Stella Nickell, a former airport screener from Washington state, was convicted in May 1988 of deliberately tampering with Excedrin capsules by lacing them with cyanide, causing the deaths of her husband, Bruce, and an unsuspecting woman, Sue Snow.

This Entitled Teen Thinks She Can Get Away With Murder - The Mackenszie Shirilla story Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

In the early morning of July 31, 2022, 17‑year‑old Mackenzie Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry at approximately 100 mph into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, killing her 20‑year‑old boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and a 19‑year‑old friend, Davion Flanagan. Prosecutors argued that Shirilla accelerated deliberately—evidenced by event‑data‑recorder data showing full pedal depression and no attempt to stop—and had threatened to crash previously amid a tumultuous relationship 

He's The Worst Hitman Ever - The Tan Youhui story Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

Chinese real-estate developer Tan Youhui hired a hitman named Xi Guangan to murder his business rival, Wei, offering him 2 million yuan following a lawsuit against Tan’s company . Xi subcontracted the job to Mo Tianxiang, who further passed it to Yang Kangsheng, and then to Yang Guangsheng, finally ending up with Ling Xiansi—each reducing the fee, until Ling agreed for just 100,000 yuan but balked at killing Wei and instead staged the hit with Wei’s cooperation.

He Stole a Tank - The San Diego Tank Rampage Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

In May 1995, a disgruntled and mentally unstable Army veteran named Shawn Nelson stole a 57-ton M60A3 Patton tank from a National Guard armory in San Diego, California, and went on a 23-minute destructive rampage through city streets. Nelson, a 35-year-old unemployed plumber battling personal and financial troubles, used the tank to crush cars, fire hydrants, traffic lights, and utility poles—causing widespread panic and blackouts.

Her Birthday Party Destroyed This Town - The Project X Haren story Jun 28, 2025

Show notes

Project X Haren unfolded on September 21, 2012, in Haren, a small town in northern Netherlands, when a 16‑year‑old girl accidentally set her birthday party invitation to "public" on Facebook—sparking viral spread to over 24,000 invited and 6,000 RSVPs within days

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