Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has been one of the most outstanding installments in the Star Trek saga, and understandably so. Not only did it deliver some of the most unparalleled, intriguing plotlines from the universe so far, but it even had one of the most legendary casts of all time, full of star-studded actors with commendable accomplishments of their own.
While the others had meritorious credits of their own, one of them is famous for a rather outstanding deed of her own. This is because the actress in the talk, Cathy DeBuono, who played the dabo girl M’Pella in the saga, proved she was the beauty and brains all in one as she helped catch a real-time Hollywood predator on the sets of an episode of Dateline.
This Deep Space Nine actress caught a Hollywood predator on Dateline
For the masterpiece that was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Cathy DeBuono perfectly embodied the character of M’Pella, one of the dabo girls at Quark’s bar, who were renowned for being more than just window dressing. But while her onscreen character was one, she even proved that she was as equipped with beauty, brains, and bravery offscreen as she was while in character.
In a story featured in The Girl With the Hibiscus Tattoo, the 40th episode of season 32 of Dateline, she recounted an incident that proved she had all of these aforementioned skills. This is because, during the considerably early stages of her career, DeBuono encountered a Hollywood Hills predator who lured in his prey by posing as a casting agent and almost fell into his trap.
At the Westfield Century City Mall in LA in the late 1990s, the then-28-year-old star was approached by a well-dressed man and asked if she was a model or actress, just like he did with his other victims. Even when he told her she would be perfect for a role he was casting, no red flags went up for her, as she confessed: “At this point in the conversation, his creep level didn’t exist.”
When he put forward the strange request for a photo shoot, though, DeBuono got put on alert. But curiosity got the best of her as she continued to talk to him and even agreed to leave right away to a Hollywood Hills location for a photo shoot. However, when she did so, the actress brought along Deep Space Nine stuntman Chester E. Tripp III as she drove to the location on her own.
Surprisingly enough, when she did so, the man never came out to meet her. “He saw Chester and aborted his mission,” DeBuono surmised. “I would just have to move on and hope that no one fell for his ruse.” Just like that, the actress not only managed to have an encounter with the criminal but also, fortunately, didn’t end up being a victim of his, thanks to her quick thinking.
Cathy DeBuono even claims to have gotten a confession out of that criminal!
As it turns out, that Hollywood predator was Victor Paleologus, a guy who was fresh out on parole back then after doing a stint as a s-x offender. But even after being caught, he refused to admit to the multiple charges of assaults, knockout drug-laced drinks, and even murder against him, which could have easily had him facing the death penalty at the time (per Looper).
Shortly after cutting a plea deal mid-trial, in order to compound the problem, the criminal even tried to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that he had been coerced into it. However, the judge simply denied his attempt, and Victor Paleologus was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. It was during this period behind bars that Cathy DeBuono got back at him.
Already lured deep into his mystery thanks to her own instinct that had always bugged her that he was up to something, DeBuono, the daughter of a New York detective, began working on a true crime documentary on the s-x offender. At one point, she even went to visit him in prison, claiming that she had managed to coax a murder confession out of him while he was there!
Just like that, DeBuono proved to be both beauty and brains all in one as she not only outclassed a criminal in critical thinking but even reportedly managed to get a confession out of him. The Hollywood predator Victor Paleologus, on the other hand, chose to delay his own parole hearing even years later, which is now currently scheduled for November 2025.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can currently be streamed on Prime Video.
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