Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Husband Confesses to Killing Wife, Dig for Body Continues

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

In a notice released this afternoon, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed that David Viens, 47, confessed while being questioned yesterday to killing his wife, Dawn, who has been considered missing since October 2009. The investigation continues, say the LASD, as does the excavation of the grounds of Viens' Thyme Contemporary Cafe in Lomita, where Dawn Viens' remains are believed to be buried.

Viens was questioned at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, where he has been hospitalized since he jumped from a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes last week.

According to the Daily Breeze, David Viens' girlfriend, Kathy Galvan, first learned of the murder and her boyfriend's involvement that day, when the paper published a report indicating that authorities were linking Viens to the case. Lt. Dave Coleman says Galvan confronted Viens then, and "he cracked," and admitted his culpability.

Dawn Viens worked at her husband's restaurant up until her disappearance. The restaurant was remodeled a few weeks later. Today, authorities are "using jackhammers and heavy equipment to excavate the concrete floor," in the hopes of finding the victim's body.
"He did confess to her he committed the murder," Coleman said. "He cracked."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist