Death by Fame on ID: Who is Joseph Son and why was the Austin Powers actor arrested?

The professional wrestler and Austin Powers actor Joseph Son was caught in a harrowing case as crimes of his past resurfaced 18 years later owing to modern-day DNA technology. Son had been initially arrested for felony vandalism, for which he had submitted his DNA sample as part of his plea deal, per CBS News.

However, the investigation into the abduction and r*pe of 19-year-old Victoria in December 1990 reached its conclusion as the DNA collected from the crime scene matched Joe Son's profile, thereby leading to his arrest in October 2008. The Death by Fame episode Evil Villain airs on March 4, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery and showcases the fall of Joseph Son.

The synopsis reads:

"Joseph Son had the right look to play Hollywood villains, but a terrible secret from his past resurfaces more than a decade later; when prosecutors face off with the actor on the stand, it's hard to tell fact from fiction."

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Who is Joseph Son? Details explored

Joseph Hyungmin Son was born in Gwangju, South Korea, on November 22, 1970. He moved to California at an early age. Son started as a mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and professional wrestler as he appeared in several combat sports promotions such as Ultimate Fighting Championship, K-1 Kickboxing Federation, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Xtreme Pankration 2, and All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Joseph Son was pitted against Kenpo Karate fighter Keith Hackney, who had countered by landing punches on his groin - a clip that had become viral on YouTube. Joseph, also known as Joe Son, did not pursue a successful career in MMA. As an Ultimate Fighting Championships competitor, he retired with a record of 0–4 and a defeat to Jukei Nakajima, per The Guardian.

Besides inventing his martial art, Joe Son Do, Joseph was cast in small roles in Shootfighter: Fight to the Death (1993), Joshua Tree (1993), and Bloodfist V: Human Target (1994). He went on to star in Shootfighter II (1996) in the lead role and became known for the parody of James Bond character Odd Job, Random Task, in the Mike Myers film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

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Why was Joseph Son arrested?

Joseph Son had pleaded guilty to felony vandalism on May 16, 2008. He was arrested for kicking in the door of his roommate's car. While he served 60 days in prison for the offense, he violated his probation. According to an Orange County District Attorney Press Release, he was handed an additional 90 days in prison on August 18, 2008.

Joe Son provided a DNA sample to the law enforcement agency as part of his original plea deal. In October 2008, his profile matched a DNA sample collected from the crime scene of a gang r*pe, which took place on Christmas Eve of 1990.

Joseph and his accomplice, Santiago Gaitan, had abducted the woman known as Victoria, who had been returning home with her dog around 12:30 a.m. local time. Son asked her for directions to the beach shortly before Santiago joined, and the two jumped on her, beat her, threatened her with a loaded gun, and pushed her into their car. Joe Son and Santiago Gaitan r*ped, sodomized, and tortured Victoria multiple times at gunpoint and threatened to kill her.

Victoria was also branded with "SOS," Sons of Samoa, on her rear end. In a turn of events, she was then dropped off naked and blindfolded with her pants. The investigation took 18 years for the case to be solved and ended with Joseph receiving seven years to life in prison for the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and torture.

Son was accused of murdering his cellmate at Wasco State Prison, Michael Thomas Graham, by beating him to death in October 2011. He was handed an additional 27-year sentence for charges of voluntary manslaughter.