Randy reflects on how much his mother suffered, and how he struggles to come to an understanding of the reasons why she neglected him. It hasn’t been easy. It still isn’t.
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Randy’s father was violent, abusive and then largely absent. Recently, he’s reconnected with his Dad, and reflects on his complex feelings towards the man who had such an impact on his life.
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Guns and gun culture play a central role in American life. Randy reflects on his own relationship to guns and on how his views have changed over time.
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Randy shares his dreams of a new life in the free world. If you were Randy, what would you do after 23 years in prison?
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Mental health is a huge issue at Red Onion, as it is for many people in the free world. Randy reflects on how he’s grown up from a kid who was willing to commit suicide ‘by cop’ to someone who knows how to manage anger and support others struggling to find their own peace of mind.
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
In responding to a listener’s question about the treatment meted out to child molesters and other sexual offenders by inmates, Randy expresses his dilemma–he hates the crimes but he also hates bullying. He also shares his personal experience as the childhood victim of sexual assault.
Randy finally gets to talk on the phone to appeals lawyer Jon Sheldon. Does he have grounds for an appeal? There’s good and there’s bad news, says the lawyer.
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Marking the first anniversary of the launch of the podcast, Randy describes how it all started, how episodes are made, and the impact it’s had on his life. A big shout out to all the many Red Onion fans around the world!
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
Since Covid-19, people everywhere have become familiar with the experience of lockdowns, but a lockdown in Red Onion is an altogether different thing. This week, Randy’s just come out of a two-day lockdown after an inmate got drunk. That was a short one. Lockdowns can go on for weeks. You’re confined to your cell 24/7. For Randy, in his single cell, it’s solitary confinement all over again. And to make matters worse, the COs carry out ‘shakedowns’ — cell searches and strip searches — looking for contraband. .
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.
After serving 23 years of a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, Randy believes he may have grounds to mount a successful appeal. He needs a good lawyer, so he’s going to contact Jonathan Sheldon, an attorney who specializes in post-conviction remedies in Virginia: Randy’s cautiously optimistic, but will Jonathan Sheldon agree?
Red Onion Randy features the life and times of Randall Via, who is currently serving 1,214 years in Red Onion State Prison for capital murder. Directed and produced by Michael Garbutt. Website and podcast design by Nishant Pandav. Sound editing and music by Julia Jooyeon Park. Title music by Joni Park and Julia Jooyeon Park.