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What Happened to Dominique Dunne? Exploring Her Tragic Death As Charles Wessler Shares The Story Of Poltergeist Star's Funeral
Producer Charles Wessler, a close friend of the Dunne family disclosed that an actor offered to handle Dominique Dunne's killer. Dominique, a rising actress, was murdered at 22 by her boyfriend.
Trigger Warning: This article contains gruesome details of murder and violence, which could be triggering for some readers.
Dominique Ellen Dunne, an up-and-coming promising talent in Hollywood in the early 80s was brutally killed by her boyfriend, a famed L.A. chef in 1982. She was just 22.
Her killer boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney was convicted of manslaughter, not murder for the offense. He was released on parole in September 1986 after serving only three years and seven months in prison out of his six-and-a-half-year sentence. Dominique Dunne’s family and loved ones labeled the entire legal proceeding a grave injustice. 40 years later, TMZ investigates the case in their documentary series for Fox. During Monday night's Fox documentary, Charles Wessler, the Oscar-winning producer and close friend of the Dunne family, unveiled compelling insights into the Dominique Dunne murder case. This included the revelation of a renowned actor offering to handle Dunne's murderer. Everything he disclosed is down below.
Dominique Dunne Murder - Charles Wessler recalls an incident from the actress’ funeral
Dominique Dunne was not only an upcoming actress in Hollywood in the early 80s. She belonged to an affluent family of people in showbiz. Her father Dominick Dunne was a writer and producer and her brother Griffin Dunne was an actor. Naturally, as Dominique grew up, she gravitated towards acting. Before being strangled to death by her boyfriend John Sweeney, Dominique had already made a mark in the acting landscape with her roles in Poltergeist, Breaking Away, Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker, and more.
TMZ is now looking back at the story of her gruesome murder which once decorated the front pages of tabloids and gossip magazines but could not bring her the deserved justice. In their latest documentary series for Fox airing on Mondays, the publication embarked on a quest to delve into Dominique Dunne’s narrative. The Monday episode, titled Killing a Movie Star: A Grave Injustice, included a segment in which renowned producer Charles Wessler narrates the story of Dominique’s funeral. Wessler revealed how an actor that everyone knows came up to him and said he knew people who could take care of Sweeney for good (kill him), however, Wessler made it clear that it was not something that the Dunne family wanted.
The TMZ documentary also features an interview with John Sweeney's ex-girlfriend, who the publication claims broke her silence for the first time in their documentary.
Dominique Dunne’s story in pop culture over the years
Dominique Dunne’s tragic death at the hands of her boyfriend spawned many media representations of her story over the years. E!’s True Hollywood Story: The Curse of Poltergeist explores the theory of curse associated with the movie Poltergeist which Dunne starred in. Dominique Dunne: An American Tragedy is another account of the short life of the slain actress.
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