How a 1950s Small Town Girl Unknowingly Became a Killer’s Captive on a Cross-Country Trip

Getting To Know Red, The Killer

During a part of her interview for the Front Page Detective, Mary discusses that Red seemed to be about her age, but he was not attractive or all too interesting. She mentioned that since meeting him, she wondered why she continued to talk to him. According to Mary, the only reason she could think of is that she was lonely. Red kept talking himself up, and Mary kept pouring him coffee and listening to his stories. She said she never really believed anything he said; she pushed it off as Red being a typical guy of her age.

As Mary was listening to Red, he started talking about how he had connections in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He further stated that he could get some big deals if he could just get out of Brady and into the bigger cities. In her interview, Mary noted that this was when she started thinking about how she could use Red to get to Hollywood. During his conversation of how he had connections, he mentioned he had a cousin in a small town near Los Angeles called Covina.

On the Road To Hollywood

It wasn’t that Mary jumped into Red’s vehicle the same day she met him. However, she had only known him a few days before she did. Mary stated in her Front Page Detective interview that after she met him the first day, she saw a lot of Red over the next couple of days. It was then they started talking about getting to the Los Angeles area. In fact, Mary said that she was the one who initially brought up the topic, by stating she would pay for the gas if he drove.

Before they left on Christmas Eve day in 1954, Red made a promise to Mary. She stated in her interview that Red mentioned that she would not have to pay for gas the whole way to California. He told her just to fill up his truck then, and they would have enough to get to one of his relatives who would give them more money to get to their destination. So Mary put a tank of gas in Red’s truck and together they were on their way to San Antonio.

However, Red’s relative in San Antonio did not play the card as well as Red hoped she would. Mary stated that she could tell his relative was not happy to see him. Mary also said that Red put on a good act, including going out to his truck to get his 9mm black gun when she refused to give him any money. Mary stated in her interview that Red swung the weapon in the air and yelled, “This is my meal ticket. This’ll take me anywhere and buy me anything I want.” The woman seemed unphased, so Red told Mary that they would go to a different relative.

The Biggest Surprise Of Mary’s Life

From San Antonio, they went to El Paso. On the way, Mary asked Red about the gun. However, she stopped questioning him when he started to get angry. Mary noted in her interview that the relatives she met of Red’s treated him well and told them they should go to a movie. Red declined but told Mary to go, so she did. The following day they went back on the road to Los Angeles. Surprising to Mary, Red pulled over to pay for the gas. When Mary asked if Red’s uncle gave him some money, Red responded that he was loaded and threw his wallet to Mary. She counted $250.

Mary asked Red how he got the money. It didn’t take Mary long to figure out that Red had stolen the money. She then demanded that he let her out of the vehicle at the next town. In response, Red started to choke Mary until she began to see black. He then told her, “You started this trip with me and you’re not getting off till the end of the line.” Mary said that all she could do was agree and be grateful that she was able to breathe again.

The Murder of Orville Johnson

Once the reached Los Angeles, Mary asked to be let out, but Red refused and told her they were going to San Francisco. Mary, who stated she hadn’t slept for 48 hours, asked if she could rest in the back, Red agreed. Mary noted that it was during the nap when she was woken up to a gunshot. She looked out, and it was dark, she was alone in the running truck, and the driver’s door was open. She then noticed they were parked at a gas station before she heard another shot and Red started running towards the truck.

It took Mary a while to be able to speak to Red as he sped off away from the gas station. She asked him what he did. According to Mary, Red responded by saying “I just meant to hit him over the head. But the old guy talked too much and my gun went off.” He made Mary add the money; she counted $101. As they traveled, Red kept holding up places while Mary was sleeping. She would beg and plead for him to let her go but he refused, and Mary became more afraid of him. In fact, she was so scared that when a cop stopped them, she did not ask him for help.

It was in Nogales, Arizona when Mary was finally able to escape. Something went wrong with Red’s truck, so they had to stop. They were at a diner when Mary went to use the bathroom and never came out until Red was gone. She was in the bathroom for about two hours. From there Mary went right to the police station, and a man-hunt for Red started. He was arrested on January 7, 1955. Red admitted to his crimes and pleaded guilty on February 4. He was sentenced to life in prison. Mary went on to Hollywood, where people believe she lived out her life. Other than her interview for the Front Page Detective, Mary was never heard from publicly again.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“First Person Friday: I was a Killer’s Captive, 1954.” Jason Lucky Morrow, Historical Crime Detective. May 2017.