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Lomita restaurant owner charged with wife’s murder
Dawn Viens of Lomita has been missing for 16 months. Her husband, David Viens, has been implicated in her disappearance. Detectives began digging up the concrete floor of David Veins' restaurant on March 2, 2011, looking for her body.
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Lomita restaurant owner charged with wife’s murder
Lomita restaurant owner charged with wife’s murder
Los Angeles County prosecutors on Thursday charged a Lomita restaurant owner with first-degree murder in the death of his wife. It comes after a two-day dig at the man’s restaurant turned up nothing.
Prosecutors say they have enough evidence to move forward with a first-degree murder charge against David Viens. The Lomita restaurant owner’s wife, Dawn Viens, disappeared 16 months ago.
Crews spent two days this week digging up the floor of the newly-renovated restaurant, Thyme Contemporary Cafe, looking for her body.
They didn’t find it, but last month they reportedly found blood splatters on the walls of the Lomita house where the couple lived.
Last week, David Viens dove off an 80-foot Palos Verdes cliff in an apparent suicide attempt after a confrontation with sheriff’s deputies.
The 47-year old suffered multiple broken bones.
Detectives say David Viens “implicated himself” in his wife’s murder as he lay in a hospital bed.
His injuries could delay his arraignment. When he does appear in court, prosecutors want the judge to set his bail at $1 million.
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If convicted, David Viens could face life in prison.
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