Death by Fame: Where is Joseph Son now?

The South Korean-born American mixed martial arts artist and actor, Joseph Son, witnessed the horrors of his past unravel as he was arrested for the 1990 r*pe and abduction of the Huntington Beach resident, Victoria, in October 2008. Joseph had been dealing with legal issues with felony vandalism when he was arrested and tried for the ongoing 18-year-long investigation.

His arrest led to his accomplice, Santiago Gaitan, and the two were sentenced to 7 years to life in prison and 17 years 4 months, respectively. Joseph Son is presently incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. He had been cast as Random Task in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997.

The Death by Fame episode Evil Villain airs on March 4, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery and looks into the horrific r*pe of Victoria by Joseph Son and Santiago Gaitan.

"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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What did Austin Powers actor Joseph Son do? Details of 1990 Huntington Beach r*pe explored

Joseph Son and his accomplice, Santiago Gaitan, had ganged up against the 19-year-old Victoria of Huntington Beach and abducted her from the parking lot of her apartment on Christmas Eve of 1990. Victoria was on her way home with her dog, Shassy, when she was jumped on, beaten, and threatened with a loaded gun, per an Orange County District Attorney Press Release.

Victora was pushed into the car and was driven around in search of cliffs as the attackers threatened her, saying,

"I'm gonna kill you so bad, I'm gonna throw you off the cliffs, I'm gonna mutilate you and throw you ... down the cliffs."

Victoria was subsequently r*ped, tortured, and sodomized repeatedly by Son and Gaitan at gunpoint. They branded her rear end with the initials of the Sons of Samoa and gouged her eyes. She was dropped off from the vehicle naked and blindfolded with her pants before she made a 911 call from a nearby home.

The investigators picked clean samples of DNA from Victoria's body and clothes, which proved crucial in solving the case after 18 years, per CBS News.

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Where is Joseph Son now?

Son was initially arrested on charges of felony vandalism in May 2008. He was taken into custody at the Theo Lacy facility for 90 days on violation of probation when his arrest for the Huntington Beach r*pe case came in on October 7, 2008.

As part of his plea deal for the vandalism charge, Joseph had submitted a sample of his DNA which matched to the evidence collected from Victoria's clothes in 1990. Son's arrest brought in an anonymous tip leading investigators to his accomplice and high school friend, Santiago Gaitan, per CBS News.

Santiago agreed to a plea arrangement and was sentenced to 17 years and 4 months while Joseph was sentenced to 7 years to life. However, the latter was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and handed an additional 27 years for beating his cellmate, Michael Thomas Graham, to death in October 2011, per The Bakersfield Californian.

Joseph Son is presently incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, per California state prison records.