After more than a week on a Virginia-wide prison lockdown, Randy is back and recording again. In this episode, he breaks down what led to the statewide lockdown, how it affected daily life inside, and what it felt like to be cut off from the outside world. Raw, real, and straight from the source—this is life behind bars, unfiltered.
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
On today’s episode of the podcast, Randy responds to a question from one of his Patrons — Substack writer black sheep mom — who asked:
👉 “What have you seen in prison when it comes to mothers? The good, the bad, and everything in between?”
From phone calls that never come… to the ride-or-die moms who never miss a visit… to the ones who shaped the man Randy became — he answers it all, raw and real.
🖤 Thank you to @blacksheepmom for the powerful question!
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
After more than 25 years in solitary and maximum security, Randy has officially transferred to a Level 3 prison — Buckingham Correctional Center in Virginia. In this episode, he shares what the first few weeks have been like adjusting to the new environment, the differences from Red Onion, and what this next chapter means for him.
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
He made it! After 25+ years behind the walls of Virginia’s toughest supermax prisons, Randy is officially out of Keen Mountain and now at Buckingham Correctional Center—a Level 3! In this episode, Randy breaks down the transfer process: the bus ride, the emotions, the differences between the prisons, and what this move means for his future.New chapter. New mindset. Same Randy.
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
Today on the podcast, Randy shares a personal moment — his first in-person visit with his wife, Nicole. After years of connecting through letters and phone calls, this was the first time they sat across from each other face-to-face. Randy opens up about what that moment meant to him, how it felt, and the emotions that came with finally meeting in person.It’s a rare, intimate episode — one you won’t want to miss.
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
Today on the podcast, we’re going back to our roots and talking prison drama. In this episode, Randy discusses some recent drama that happened in the pod and how he finds the humor in situations he can’t avoid.
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
In this episode of Red Onion Randy, Randy explains a “use of force” incident that happened at a California men’s prison in 2022.
Check out the full video below or on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5uH_2wrkR0&t=178s
to watch as Randy describes it in detail.
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
An extended conversation about this episode between Randy and his producer
All 155 episodes of the podcast, 100% commercial-free
An early copy of Randy’s upcoming cookbook, “Ya Gonna Eat That?”, launching soon on Amazon
🎙️ Credits:
Founded by Michael Garbutt and Randall Via
Field & Development Producer: Paulie Doyle
Sound and Video Editing by Prison Audio
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
After more than five years and 156 episodes, is this the end of Red Onion Randy?
Microsoft is shutting down Skype, which Randy uses to record his podcast and stay in touch with his friend overseas. With Skype gone, what does this mean for the future of the Red Onion Randy Podcast?
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
🎙️ Credits:
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
In this episode, Randy discusses the DOGE or the Department of Government Efficiency
💥 Get More on Patreon:
Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
🎙️ Credits:
The Red Onion Randy Podcast, Featuring the life and times of Randall Via, currently serving 1,214 years in Virginia for capital murder and armed robbery.
In this episode, Randy discusses the tragic case of Robert Brooks, who was beaten to death by correctional officers in New York State. Randy shares his thoughts on the harsh realities of the prison system and reflects on the need for justice and reform.
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Don’t forget to visit our Patreon for exclusive content! You’ll get:
🎙️ Credits: