Dominique Dunne's house

This is the house where actress Dominique Dunne was murdered.

It is located at 8723 Rangely Avenue in West Hollywood, California.

Dunne was best known for her roles in TV shows such as CHiPs, Family, and Breaking Away.

She also starred in the movies Poltergeist (1982) and The Shadow Riders (1982).

Relationship with John Thomas Sweeney

In 1981, the actress began a tumultuous relationship with a man named John Thomas Sweeney.

Sweeney was a sous chef at Ma Maison, a famous restaurant in West Hollywood.

The couple moved into this residence after dating for a few weeks.

Sweeney had a history of jealous, controlling, and physically abusive behavior. One of his ex-girlfriends said that he assaulted her nearly a dozen times, inflicting injuries such as a broken nose and a collapsed lung.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for him to continue this behavior with Dunne.

Violence

During an argument in August 1982, he reportedly pulled lumps of hair out of Dunne's head. Following the attack, the 22-year-old fled to her mother's house. However, she agreed to get back with him a few days later.

One month later, the couple had another fight at their home. On that occasion, Sweeney threw the actress to the bedroom floor and started strangling her. When one of their friends heard the fracas and intervened, Dunne climbed out of the bathroom window and drove away.

This assault was the straw that broke the camel's back, as she called Sweeney a few days later and informed him that their relationship was over. She also told him that he needed to leave her house in West Hollywood.

Although he eventually packed his bags and left, he refused to give up on their "relationship."

Death

On October 30th, 1982, Dunne and a fellow actor named David Packer were rehearsing lines at the house when Sweeney showed up unannounced.

Initially, Dunne refused to open the door. However, after a while, she agreed to go outside and talk to him on the porch.

Meanwhile, Packer remained inside.

Shortly afterwards, the pair began arguing. Then, without warning, Sweeney attacked Dunne and knocked her to the ground.

After climbing on top of her, he strangled her for at least three minutes.

Packer, who was terrified that he was going to become Sweeney's next victim, remained inside and attempted to raise the alarm by calling the police and a friend. He then exited the house through the back door and walked around to the driveway, where he saw Sweeney kneeling over Dunne's unconscious body.

Sweeney did not react violently when he saw Packer. Instead, he calmly directed him to call 911.

When police officers entered the driveway, Sweeney confessed to killing his "girlfriend."

Dunne was rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, Sweeney was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Following the attack, Dunne was put on life support. Her hair was shaved off, and a large bolt was screwed into her skull to release the pressure on her brain.

Those who visited her in the hospital said that she stared aimlessly at the ceiling and that her neck was purple and swollen.

It soon became clear that the actress was unlikely to survive, as doctors had noted that she wasn't responding to stimuli.

Medical tests later confirmed that she was brain dead.

Dunne was taken off life support on November 4th, 1982.

Consequently, Sweeney was charged with murder.

Trial

Although Sweeney went on trial for murder, the jury concluded that he had "exploded" in rage and that he didn't mean to kill Dunne.

The jury was not allowed to hear about his history of violence toward former girlfriends until after the trial ended, as the judge ruled it hearsay and prejudicial.

Consequently, he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter instead of second-degree murder.

The verdict was met with outrage from Dunne's family, victims' rights groups, and the media.

The presiding judge said that the jury had made an incorrect decision. In his opinion, the two previous attacks should have been enough to convince them that it was murder.

In the end, Sweeney was sentenced to six years in prison for the crime. However, he was released after only serving three years and seven months.

Following his release, he changed his surname to Maura, went back to working in the chef industry, and started a family.