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 young actress began a tumultuous relationship with a man named John Thomas Sweeney.

After dating for a couple of weeks, the couple started living together at this small house on Rangely Avenue.

Sweeney had a history of being jealous, controlling, and physically abusive. 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 young actress to the bedroom floor and started strangling her. When one of their friends heard the fracas and intervened, Dunne took the opportunity to climb out of the bathroom window and drive away.

This was the straw that broke the camel's back, as the actress 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 the property, he refused to give up on their "relationship."

The murder of Dominique Dunne

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

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 to argue with one another. 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, stayed 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 act violently when he saw Packer. Instead, he told him to call 911.

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

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

The actress passed away six days later after being taken off life support.

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 had 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 judge over the trial also stated that the jury had gotten it wrong. 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 early after only serving three years and seven months.

Following his release, he reportedly changed his surname to Maura and started a family.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

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