Support for LAist comes from
We Explain L.A.
Stay Connected

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

Man Named a Suspect in His Missing Wife's Murder, Jumps Off Cliff to Evade Authorities

crimescenetapehitrun.jpg
Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr
Support your source for local news!
Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. The local news you read here every day is crafted for you, but right now, we need your help to keep it going. In these uncertain times, your support is even more important. We can't hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership. Thank you.

Authorities have been building a case against the husband of a Lomita woman who has been missing for 16 months and is believed dead, and this morning that man attempted to evade the police by jumping off a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes. 47-year-old David Viens was upgrade to a suspect in the case of his missing wife. Now he is listed in critical condition after plunging about 80 feet near the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, according to the Daily Breeze.Yesterday, the Daily Breeze published an article reporting him as a "person of interest" and included details about evidence found inside the couple's former home, including blood spatter. Viens wife, Dawn, has been presumed murdered, though her body has not been located.

Although David Viens had been named a suspect, the authorities were looking for him, though they did not plan to arrest him. He was spotted in his vehicle, then he sped towards the cliffs. He and his girlfriend got out of the car, struggled, and were ordered to separate by the authorities. It was then Viens jumped the fence and jumped off the cliff.

It was the jumping--considered a suicide attempt--that sealed his fate. Viens will be arrested for murder, because, as a Sheriff's representative says: Suicide shows some consciousness of guilt."

Most Read