Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Natalie Wood case reopened: Dennis Davern Interview
I had never seen this interview until tonight. There had been such a media frenzy last Nov. 18th and we had been thrust into the middle of it so quickly that we didn't want to say anything that might hurt the case. This interview is all Dennis, as he was being interviewed by certain reporters in Florida while I was in New York.
We didn't know the LASD was going to give a press conference as quickly as they decided to, so I learned about the announcement on Thursday night, Nov. 17 around 8 pm, and was told to get prepared to leave for NY at 3 AM. While waiting to leave, my phone rang constantly. Reporters from as far away as Japan were calling, and they weren't just calling me -- they were calling my neighbors on the street, asking them to bang on my door!
While all this was transpiring, our spokesperson and I couldn't get in touch with Dennis, who had turned his phone off for a good night's sleep. He had early work, but other plans were in the works. I was unable to sleep at all before being picked up about 3:30 am and driven off to NY, but at least I had time to shower and prepare while trying to wrap my head around the media explosion. On my way to NY, I tried calling
Dennis constantly to no avail.
What happened was, a car was sent to Dennis's house and they banged on his door until he answered around 6 am. He was told to not shower, not shave...just brush his teeth and get into the car as a studio camera was waiting for him about a half hour away. By this time, I was in the green room at the Today Show, hoping Dennis had learned about what was going on. I did not want to interview without him, but under the circumstances, it might've worked out better, because Dennis had already talked with the detectives, as had I, but we hadn't talked with them about what we should or shouldn't reveal. We did not want to interfere with the task they had undertaken. Yet, we didn't want media running away with the breaking news and getting facts wrong. But, that would definitely happen in the long run.
Dennis appeared unprepared and not freshened-up on the Today Show because there had been no time. I sounded weary on the show because I hadn't slept in 24 hours. I would not sleep until that night in a NY hotel room after interviewing at 6 different studios that day and also giving several phone interviews inbetween. I was beat with no sleep for almost 40 hours by the time I checked into a hotel, and then had to wake up at 5 am for two shows the next Saturday morning on the 19th. My family barely heard from me as all this was happening, but I did text home occasionally to say, "This is insane, but I'm okay!" It truly was a whirlwind, and I couldn't believe it was happening. On that Friday afternoon, at an Entertainment Tonight interview, they filmed me watching the press conference announcement that officially told about Natalie's case being reopened. It was surreal.
When Dennis says in this interview "it wasn't my idea to reopen the case -- they called me" he is being honest about that. When I had prepared documents for the LASD, Dennis had been cooperative but never believed anyone would take us seriously. They did, and after they did, Dennis was stunned, relieved, and ever so grateful. In this interview, he is more relaxed than he was at the break of day on Nov. 18, 2011 being thrust in front of a camera and told, you're on in 45 seconds (for the Today Show), and I believe this interview was from the same day.
The Natalie Wood case is still being investigated. Hopefully, we will hear later this year what is being uncovered.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
MARTI, I would love to see R.J. and Chris Walken rudely awakened and questioned by the media about Natalie's last night. The lasd made a mistake in prematurely closing this case in 1981 I hope they continue to investigate until they find the justice Natalie was denied thirty years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ed. I wrote an article about Natalie on my blog after going over the facts, the autopsy report, the witnesses statements and what the medical examiner reported (and failed to report to media). I truly believe that Natalie was beaten before her death and then left to drown in the ocean that night. I believe she was screaming for help and no one helped her.....very sad and very tragic.
DeleteEd and Dreaming Casually,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. Natalie's bruises told a vivid story the authorites and medical examiners totally ignored. That illogical "banging dinghy" theory surfaced and became accepted as how Natalie received her bruises. The thumps and bumps Dennis heard coming from the stateroom clearly tell a different story, but sadly, it took Dennis several years to realize he had made a terrible mistake in keeping quiet. By then, it was hard to get the authorities to listen. Believe me, I tried. It was as if a brick wall had gone up in regards to Natalie's death. No one wanted to listen, but I never lost hope and am SO GLAD the case is being reinvestigated, even though it took this long.
In 1992, a statement from Dennis, virtually identical to the one submitted in 2011, was sent to the LASD, and when I called to follow up, no one knew what had happened to it. The first woman to talk with me back then asked, "Who is Natalie Wood?" I figured Dennis was the last person they would ever believe after that. I suppose it depends on the person working a case, and this time around, Natalie is in good hands.
Honestly, if it happened like Dennis says, Dennis should be in jail for conspiracy and accessory. Instead, he's like Natalie's desperate sister, constantly using Natalie for their own money making schemes.
ReplyDeleteI don't rule out that Wagner had a big part in it, but I believe Dennis, by following Wagner's instructions is an accessory.