Dawn Viens, last seen October 18, 2009 |
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Lomita restauranteur David Viens has been ordered to stand trial in the 2009 death of his wife, whose body has never been found.
David Viens, 47, faces one count of murder in the death of 39-year-old Dawn Viens, who was last seen Oct. 18, 2009.
Viens, has long been a considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance.
In 2011 Viens jumped off a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes after news reports cited him as a person of interest in the murder.
Detectives say Viens confessed to his wife's murder from his hospital bed.
Dawn Viens, 39, was last seen leaving the couple's restaurant before vanishing.
Her husband closed the restaurant a short time later for renovations and poured concrete inside the eatery, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Dave Coleman said.
Investigators had initially thought her body was buried underneath the restaurant, but a search of the Thyme Contemporary Cafe came up inconclusive.
Viens initially told investigators that on the day his wife disappeared, the two had argued and that Dawn walked out.
But according to a report in the Daily Breeze, Viens' daughter and girlfriend testified that Viens admitted to killing his wife, but told them it was an accident. He told them he tied her up and gagged her mouth with tape when she wouldn't stop talking when he wanted to sleep. He said she vomited and was found dead in the morning.
Viens could face life in prison if convicted.
He is due back in court April 26.
David Viens, 47, faces one count of murder in the death of 39-year-old Dawn Viens, who was last seen Oct. 18, 2009.
Viens, has long been a considered a suspect in his wife's disappearance.
In 2011 Viens jumped off a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes after news reports cited him as a person of interest in the murder.
Detectives say Viens confessed to his wife's murder from his hospital bed.
Dawn Viens, 39, was last seen leaving the couple's restaurant before vanishing.
Her husband closed the restaurant a short time later for renovations and poured concrete inside the eatery, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Dave Coleman said.
Investigators had initially thought her body was buried underneath the restaurant, but a search of the Thyme Contemporary Cafe came up inconclusive.
Viens initially told investigators that on the day his wife disappeared, the two had argued and that Dawn walked out.
But according to a report in the Daily Breeze, Viens' daughter and girlfriend testified that Viens admitted to killing his wife, but told them it was an accident. He told them he tied her up and gagged her mouth with tape when she wouldn't stop talking when he wanted to sleep. He said she vomited and was found dead in the morning.
Viens could face life in prison if convicted.
He is due back in court April 26.
