Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

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 Who Jumped From Cliff In Suicide Attempt Pleads Not Guilty To Wife's Murder

dawn-viens2.jpg
Dawn Viens

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Still recovering from an attempted suicide jump off a Palos Verdes cliff in a February, 47-year-old David Viens, the Lomita restauranteur suspected in the death of his wife Dawn Viens, arrived in a wheelchair to a Los Angeles courtroom and pleaded not guilty to murder, reports KTLA.

"Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder S. Kalra ordered Viens to remain behind bars on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to return to court on April 28th when a preliminary hearing date will be set. Detectives say Viensconfessed to the murder from his hospital bed at County Harbor-UCLA in Torrance last month."

Investigators initially believed that Dawn Vien's body wasburied beneath her husband's restaurant, Thyme Contemporary Cafe, but no remains were found during a search. Her body has not been located. The 39-year-old was last seen leaving the restaurant before disappearing in October 2009.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today