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

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Dawn Viens

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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.

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