Reopen Investigation of Natalie Wood's death Petition
#429 Signer at the Petition to reopen Natalie's case left this comment:
I managed a shelter for battered women and Natalie Wood's death and its aftermath are a classic example of spousal abuse, compounded by extreme privilege. Marti Rulli's book presents more than enough evidence to reopen this case and to finally prosecute Robert Wagner. Ms. Wood's daughters are now adults, and while knowing the truth will hurt them, I believe that not knowing has hurt them more. Natalie Wood deserves the justice she has been denied for nearly 29 years.
I appreciate this comment because I could never understand why more thought and investigation did not go into determining what caused Natalie's numerous bruises. She had over 25 black and blue marks & superficial bruises in various parts of her legs and arms, scratches at her neck and ankles, and a large facial abrasion, and was found floating in her nightgown and coat. How could the idea of abuse never have crossed anyone's mind ... even the possibility of an outside intruder? The coroner let it go...the detectives let it go...and basically, the better media let it go. I grow only more angry and frustrated and soon someone will have to provide answers. This issue will never go away until it is reviewed officially. Answers are truly long overdue for Natalie.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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I don't think the media had the full picture of the extent of the bruising.
ReplyDeleteThe police did question it but they let it go.
I feel that Rasure took a pay off.
ReplyDeleteI had mentioned in a previous post about abuse. My friend said the bruises on her arms sound like defense wounds. Also, her face could have been abuse too. Not sure about her legs? I am sure the Police can do tests now to determine if it was from a fall or abuse. I know the Police and the Coroner said...no foul play and that was it. Couldn't they do a re-enactment now to determine how she got the bruises? Yes, and why wouldn't Wagner want to know about the bruises and ask more questions of what caused her death. How long did the Coroner feel she was alive in the water? I don't remember hearing about that either.
ReplyDeleteNoguchi speculated she died between midnight and 1 AM but clarified he had no way of knowing.
ReplyDeleteMarti, Do you know what the person is saying in the above post? They also have a blog. They have made a few comments in previous posts.
ReplyDelete"why wouldn't Wagner want to know about the bruises and ask more questions of what caused her death."
ReplyDeleteThis is the most damning evidence of all. Wagner has been quite content with his stance of "no one knows what happened" and wants to keep it that way, so that his "charmed life" can remain undisturbed.
Remember when OJ vowed to conduct his own investigation to find the "real killers" of Nicole Brown Simpson? Obviously he never did, but he thought enough to at least create the appearance of wanting to find out what happened to his ex-wife. Wagner on the other hand has confirmed that he does not care what really happened to Natalie. You can finish the thought for him: "What we now think is that she tried to move the dinghy . . . but no one really knows" and I don't really give a damn.
I agree that Wagner should have taken more interest in the bruising and events of her death. I read a few weeks ago that he was celebrating his 20th anniversary with Jill. I think he has moved on and probably never thinks about it. Wagner did say some nice things about Natalie in his book, but there was still blame. A lot of the Internet sites have entirely different stories of the events as well.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that he gives it a second thought. He did say "nice things" about her in his book but anyone who read what he said about her in Gavin Lambert's book knows what a hypocrite, what a phony, Robert Wagner is. The message he tried to deliver in his book was that he loved her so much, he could never have hurt her. He used her, he played his Natalie card.
ReplyDeleteMarti, I was reading on the Petition #317...re: the person knew Tennessee Williams and Natalie told some people some information and that may have contributed to her death. Have you heard anything about this or cannot comment?
ReplyDeleteYes, I did hear about the information that "might've contributed to her death" and supposedly Natalie had told someone she was interested in Walken and it got back to RJ.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this is all innuendo. It wasn't Natalie's style to invite a man she's supposedly having an affair with for a 3-day cruise with her husband.
Natalie liked Walken as a co-star and invited him for a Thanksgiving weekend getaway because she was a thoughtful person and felt like his "California host" and NOT because she wanted to flaunt an affair in RJ's face. Yes, she may have been feeling a bit independent and didn't mind reminding RJ that she still had a career, too, but it's nonsense and unfair to Natalie that her death has been twisted into tales of a love-triangle or affair.
She wanted to Christmas shop that weekend but RJ insisted they leave Avalon and take the boat up the coast to Two Harbors where there is no activity other than Doug's Restaurant. So, she was only able to shop on Friday.
It was intended as a simple off-season cruise to entertain her co-star, as she did with most all other co-stars, but this co-star apparently bothered RJ and he lost his cool because of his own insecurities.
I found a website called Channeling Ricky. It talks about your book and what could have happened to cause Natalie's death. It talks about how Wagner could have been involved. Wasn't sure if you had come across it.
ReplyDeleteMarti -
ReplyDeleteThis very posting is why I asked you some months back if Dennis had ever noticed Natalie being timid around Wagner. You wrote back and said that you spoke with Dennis and he said that he had never noticed it.
Very possible. They aren't called 'actors' for nothing.
The bruises on Natalie's body scream 'struggle'.
SCRATCHES on her neck and ankles?
Numerous bruises and black and blue marks?
The large facial abrasion?
I have read for years that a rape kit was done on Natalie but never processed. Would you know anything about that?
Extreme rage takes many forms.
And all that jewelry Natalie was wearing when she was found.
Dennis, I am certain, must have seen Natalie, in passing, at night. Does he remember if it was her custom to sleep in her jewelry?
Thank you, Marti. Without everything that you have done, all your hard work and effort, Natalie might have been partially remembered as the actress who got drunk and fell off her yacht.
I read this blog every day because you present THE FACTS!
My feeling is that she was getting ready for bed when Wagner went to the stateroom. I don't believe that he saw her in front of a mirror as he claimed in his book. She was wearing jewelry but no underwear. It's possible that he walked in as she was getting ready for bed.
ReplyDeleteWe'll let Marti answer.
Natalie never slept in jewelry so she had been removing it when Wagner entered the stateroom...her one earring was found later in a corner of the stateroom. Her multiple bruises are so questionable yet so few have ever questioned them publicly.
ReplyDeleteI'm not totally sure but I think it was established that Natalie was not raped or had had sex. BUT, what they refused to do was to take ANY nail scapings! Can you believe that? It just wasn't done! Someone's else's skin may have been found under her nails, but amazingly, no samplings were taken and/or stored.
I cringe every day that passes without something being done about her death, but right now we are a little deterred by a few publication problems...soon, GNGS will be up and running and the REAL investigation will begin. Thank you all for corresponding at my blog. It also helps me to feel not so alone in this. There's a lot to be done.
Marti, concerning nail scrappings, can a body buried as long as Natalie's be exumed,(spell), and checked now???
ReplyDeleteDeborah,
ReplyDeleteIt chills me to think about it but Dr. Lyn Taylor believed if they had exumed Natalie's body within 20 years, (the year 2000 when we tried to get important people to listen) that not only could they still do finger nail scrapings, but that they also would've found traces of non-skid near her facial abrasion.
I would imagine the finger nails would remain intact, but not so sure about other preservations. This is what we need forensic experts for, and hopefully, we've got one on board. I'm not sure what will come of it, but I believe Natalie will receive a lot of attention this very year.
Awesome Marti, you both have come so far, your hard work, commitment, modern forensics, evidence, logic, momentum and a public that is far more receptive in this day and age due to our exposure to the dark sides of celebrities and what they are capable of, (OJ butchering his wife and Ron Goldman), I pray that justice for Natalie will be achieved very soon!!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope so as Natalie deserves justice before it's too late. Everyone involved is getting older.
ReplyDeleteSomeone that I know said....it may be too late to get anything now...regarding forensics. I don't even like talking about it. He also said the Court may put a Gag Order. Are the authorities involved now or is this a private person? Does the family have to okay for her body to be exhumed? Do you think that Wagner will sue? I would hate to see that happen.
ReplyDeleteA gag order? Someone would have request that the court invoke a gag order and that is very unlikely. What would a gag order have to do exhuming the body?
ReplyDeleteSue? LOL If he sues he will have to answer the questions raised in the book. He will not go there. He has yet to make a comment or issue a denial.
ReplyDeleteDNA remains intact for a very, very long time. Scientists have done DNA sequencing on pre-historic bodies found after 1,500 years.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the last four comments: thank you Anon#2 for explaining rationally about a gag order, a legal suit, and the staying power of DNA.
ReplyDeleteA gag order is absurd. You can't "gag" a person from talking about his experiences and Dennis experienced what's in GNGS. He was there, he saw and heard what he saw and heard and he passed it on a polygraph presented to the public and is willing to take as many polygraphs officials might ask of him.
Forensics exist: sadly, it would take a horrible way to get to them. That would be an official decision if ever made.
As for a law suit: the truth is its own defense. If we fear anything, it's not a law suit.
Thank you all for commenting at my blog, but please note that we discuss rational components of this case here, and it's not where I'm going to defend my book that speaks for itself. So, please take the devil's advocate approach to those other forums, blogs, or discussions where people are content to waste their time posting non-factual issues such as gags, lawsuits, resistance to facts, etc, pertaining to this case.
Here we deal with the facts, and basically here they are:
1) Natalie invited Walken on a holiday-shopping, social cruise.
2) Natalie spent Friday night in Avalon with Dennis because Wagner turned Friday night into an angry, complicated scene, too.
3) Natalie was in the salon Sat. night when Wagner smashed the wine bottle in a rage.
4) Natalie went to her room, Wagner followed, and the argument from hell broke out.
5) Natalie went out to the deck without her coat, as Dennis saw. Dennis heard them out there yelling loudly. Marilyn Wayne heard cries for help.
6) Wagner was with Natalie on the back deck right before she went missing, thus he knew the "terms" under which she was gone and he refused to do anything to search for her for over two and a half hours. He lied to Dennis about and poured him booze.
7) Coast Guard wasn't called in until after four hours to help with the search. Wagner did NOT call the Coast Guard.
8) The investigation was horrible: no reasonable thought was put into Natalie's death ecene. Wagner outright lied to Detective Rasure about several things.
9) The coroner got it wrong about the down jacket. Down doesn't weigh a person down. There was ample time to possibly save Natalie because she floated.
10) Natalie's body was strewn with bruises, classic patterns of a domestic struggle.
Those are the FACTS of Natalie's death case that we discuss here and those are the top ten facts the officials will deal with.
We'll cross each bridge as we come to it. Thus far, the book got published, the truth is available, and we are working on getting the case reopened.
Marti,
ReplyDeleteI detect conviction in your last comment: good for you! I've read comments elsewhere from those few who choose to deal in fantasy, I've even wasted a little time myself refuting them, but they are ignorant beyond belief. They actually believe that we are all uneducated fools who gullably "follow" you. If only they knew!
Stick to your guns. I respect you and I know we have finally learned the truth about Natalie's death, and I thank you for it. I am a professional and come from a long line of professionals, and my siblings and friends are professionals. We discuss your book rationally over and over. We all want justice for Natalie, and we have faith you and your people will provide it. I hope that's not pressurous because it's not meant to be. It is gratitude, and down the road, I'll explain why. DK
Thank you, DK. Natalie's death is one of the most negligent investigations ever, ever, EVER!
ReplyDeleteI only want that recognized.
Marti, I am puzzled why Natalie did not call ou RJ name hen sreaming while drowning. Instead she called ou for "someone". I f I were dorwning by a boat with my husband on it I would surely call out his name.
ReplyDeleteThat could be because he was the one who put her in the water. She knew that he would be last one to help her.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2:52 pm,
ReplyDeleteI never thought of that! Of course you're right. If I were in trouble, drowning for crying out loud, beyond afraid of water, in the middle of the night yet, I would be screaming my husband's name.....BUT not if HE was the reason I was there in the first place!
Anonymous that is an excellent observation, and I agree. The normal instinct would be to call out for your husband to help you if you are in trouble. Only if it was your husband who got you in trouble would you call out for "someone" to please help you. It is amazing that no one thought of this before. Another piece of confirming evidence.
ReplyDeleteYes, what a subtle but brilliant observation! This will definitely go into the new information.... it's something to ponder! It's an actual "clue" from Natalie's last words! Marilyn Wayne is certain Natalie called out to no name in particular. Obviously, Natalie believed she would have to depend more upon the surrounding boaters to rescue her than she could her own husband.
ReplyDeleteyes, that is a good observation but if ever Wagner could be asked about this, couldn't his camp merely say, yes, Natalie didn't call for RJ specifically because he wasn't there, he was with Walken in the main salon as he has claimed previously?
ReplyDeletewas watching Inside Edition last night and one segment was about the judge who presided over the Anna-Nicole Smith trial, he wants the case re-opened and re-investigated, he suspects murder...hey, maybe its the year for re-opening mishandled cases, lets hope!!!
ReplyDeleteWagner would say anything deflect responsibility but it's common sense that the first person one would call under the circumstances is one's husband.
ReplyDeleteI read about the Anna Nicole Smith case being re-opened. IMO, the chances of Natalie's case being re-opened are slim to none. Too much time has gone by, the LACSD will protect Rasure and Salerno.
I actually thought of that before, as well--Natalie thought she had a better chance of being helped by someone else than her own "adoring, devoted" husband.
ReplyDeleteIt has added to the sadness I feel when I have imagined her in the water, desperate and terrified, knowing that her husband had put her there and had no intention of saving her--truly awful.
One can only imagine the horror of her final lucid moments, before the hypothermia began to set in. When I think of that I wonder how that bastard can live with himself and I also wonder how he could actually begin a romantic relationship 10 weeks later. That says so much about him. He's all about himself.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's hard to bear thinking of the terror that Natalie experienced and her knowledge that Wagner had done this to her. I can only imagine the dreams that Wagner has had about this. His narcissism would let him rationalize his behavior toward her, but it wouldn't protect him from his dreams.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is hard to think of what Natalie went through. I can't believe that Wagner would do that, but all the evidence is pointing in that direction. Also, starting a relationship so soon after.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a disgrace that this woman (Natalie) is ignored by the news people and the officials. If there was ever a case that screams out for justice, this is it. It sickens me day and night, and I always always felt this way about Natalie's death. I praise Goodbye Natalie book to the high heavens. All of us deserved such a book, but the person who deserved it more than anyone here or there is dear Natalie. Thank you Marti & Dennis for giving Natalie her voice and for bringing such a lovely vision of her to us with your book. She was such a caring and lovely woman. I despise the LA justice system. I despise the man she was married to.
ReplyDeleteJust a couple of thoughts here, Thomas Nouguchi obviously was an intelligent man to have been in the position he was when Natalie died but how STUPID can you be to surmise that if Natalie tried to kick her way towards shore hanging on the side of Valiant that she miraculously kept those wool socks on!!! Even if Marti didn't re-enact it for herself and include it in her book, any thinking, common sense person would know that is just physically impossible!!! Also, I just watched RJ and Natalie in Larry Olivier's production of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" and I must say it was chilling to watch the scenes of them together when they got into a heated argument and RJ tries to strike Natalie with his crutch. I couldn't help but feel like I was transported and present in their stateroom that fateful night. The plot line also includes the topic of homosexuality in RJ's character, (not far from the truth according to Finstad's book, "Natasha"). I got this DVD from Netflix and if you are familiar with them, when you return your movie they ask you to rate it and make comments if you wish..I definitely will and also will make mention of my renewed interest in Natalie Wood's movies because of "Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour"!!!!
ReplyDeleteIn response to the above comment. I also saw "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" last week...got it at the library. I thought the scenes were chilling after reading GNGS and also thought about the stateroom and what could have transpired. I have also read and heard rumours of RJ's homosexuality. Who knows? Yes, Thomas Nouguchi got fired for saying there was a fight.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had the same reaction after renting "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" several months ago. The arguments were hard to watch, as I can perfectly imagine what their voices sounded like on that boat. Whenver I see Natalie in a movie and her voice gets raised, and she's angry or afraid, I think of that November weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent idea to mention "GNGS" in reviews on Natalie's movies. That is a great way to alert people to the book.
A public poll indicated that about 90% of the people questioned didn't believe the "official report" of her death. People, particularly those who cared about Natalie and liked her work, deserve to know the truth.
How can anyone believe in an investigation that was based on lies?
ReplyDeleteWagner's fans believe his fable no matter how many lies he told. I wonder if they would be so quick to be satisfied with the findings in the investigation if someone they loved was the person who died as Natalie did? I wonder if they would be OK with the husband of someone they love lying to the police?
No, I can't imagine any of them being satisfied if Natalie had been their daughter, sister, mother, niece, aunt, or friend, and the "investigation" had been done that way. I don't think it merits being called an investigation. It's a crock.
ReplyDeleteJust posted my comments at Netflix regarding "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" as I mentioned I would above. I put in a plug for GNGS, don't know if you need to be a member to view my brief but hopefully effective comment but give it a try perhaps to see if any of you think I should add anything to it.
ReplyDeleteHI all Iam starting to thi nk we will never get justice for N Wood Wagner is to old now and all the previous case workers are retired ect......
ReplyDeletehowever after reading wagners book he displays so many acts of anger exsample sitting at warren beatty's home with a gun !!!!! whole thi ng a dam shame ....oh I dont like Jill either..big phoney I hope wagners daughters take more interest in teh case and start to question wagner themselves .!!!!I have e mailed lana wood several times however never answers me wish she would I like to meet her bet she saw wagner in anger over teh years with Natlie wood she has never said !!!