The Real Housewives of Dallas star Stephanie Hollman recently revealed that Randall Woodfield, the infamous I-5 Killer, was her husband’s babysitter in the 70s.
Although the couple has made a home in Texas, Travis Hollman is originally from the state of Oregon.
The I-5 Killer was also born in Oregon, and played football at Portland State University.
Woodfield would go on to brutally assault and kill over a dozen women throughout the West Coast.
Stephanie’s Instagram post discloses I-5 Killer connection
On Valentine’s Day, Hollman decided to upload a sweet shout-out to her husband of almost 13 years.
Her caption read, “Happy Valentine’s Day @travishollman ❤️. I love doing life with you. You are such a wonderful husband and father. You are the only person I have ever met who was babysat by a serial killer and made it out alive (true story he was babysat by the 1-5 killer). Love you so much today and everyday.”
The comments on this post are mostly filled with positivity and love towards the couple.
But other RHOD fans were left puzzled:
Just how exactly did Travis end up in the custody of a serial killer?
The Hollmans tell their true-crime tale
The Real Housewives of Dallas stars did not leave audiences in the dark for long, and they explained the story to Oxygen.com. The connection dates back all the way to the 70s when Randall Woodfield was in college.
When Travis was young and his parents wanted to have a date night, they would hire babysitters to watch him and his sister.
These babysitters were often recommended by their family friend. This friend was the football coach at Portland State University, so he would give his players these paid gigs.
At the time, Woodfield was a wide receiver on the team, and Travis’ parents ended up using him as a sitter.
“He said that he [Woodfield] was better than most of his other babysitters and that he would play hide and go seek and tag and would be very active,” Stephanie said.
It would come as a shock to Travis’ community when they found out Randall was a prolific murderer.
“I just remember it was always fun because they were athletes. They were fun. They were energetic,” remembered Travis.
Randall would later be drafted onto the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, so this athleticism got him far in life. But, little did anyone know, it would also be used to commit heinous and brutal crimes.
I-5 Killer terrorized the West Coast
Woodfield traveled up and down the I-5 Highway in the Pacific Northwest- thus his namesake- to rob, kidnap, and eventually kill.
Sports Illustrated reported how Randall Woodfield was able to get away with these crimes.
“Outwardly, Woodfield appeared to be the portrait of normal. But in high school he was caught standing on a bridge and exposing himself to females. His parents sent him to a therapist, who, by all accounts, was not overly concerned by a teenager’s exploring his sexuality. According to law officials, Newport High’s coaches knew about the situation but, wanting to protect their star, chalked it up to an adolescent’s lapse in impulse control.”
Randall’s criminal record ended up being completely expunged once he turned 18, so people who would meet Woodfield in college would have no idea that he had a history of deviant behavior.
Before he was arrested, most people thought of him as a pretty good guy.
Travis’ parents had no clue the college kid they hired to sit their kids would be capable of doing any of this.
“[My mom] was shocked and she was freaking out a little bit,” Travis said. “Everybody who knew him was.”
In the end, Woodfield was arrested and sentenced to life in prison plus 90 years. Today, he is a prisoner at Oregon State Penitentiary.
The I-5 Killer has maintained that he is not guilty of the crimes he was convicted for.
What’s next for Stephanie and Travis?
Travis and Stephanie have been in the news lately due to allegations that Travis owns the production company that creates the Real Housewives of Dallas.
Stephanie has since denied these claims.
Hollman also helped her co-star Brandi Redmond squash rumors that Brandi’s adoptive son is her husband’s child from a mistress.
As this season of RHOD unfolds, audiences are interested to see how Stephanie and Travis will continue to work on their relationship.
The Real Housewives of Dallas airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.