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A homicide occurs every 22 minutes in the United States. Murder affects more than the victim. It causes grief and bitterness for those left behind. Murder occurs in the blink of an eye — a rare event for which no one can prepare.
In the murder case of the 1980s actress Dominique Dunne, the flurry of emotion over her death was only the beginning of her family’s tumultuous problems. In Los Angeles, Nov. 4th, 1982, young actress Dominique Dunne was inside her Beverly Hills home rehearsing a scene with actor David Packer for an upcoming TV stint.
Dunne’s house was abruptly stormed by a jealous ex-boyfriend, Sweeny, who dragged her body into the front lawn of her home and strangled her to death. All the while Packer sat inside leaving phone messages saying “If I die, Sweeney did it.”
Sweeney was put on trial and the jury convicted him of voluntary manslaughter; the charge was reduced from second-degree murder. He received six years, with eligibility for parole after three years.
A year later, Marsalee Nicholas, a senior attending University of California at Santa Barbara, received a call from an ex-boyfriend.
“He admitted that he was going to kill himself, and Marsalee, with a huge heart, ran to his side,” Nicholas’ mother, Marcella Leach, executive director of Justice for Homicide Victims said. “The moment she stepped through the doorway, he shot her.”
Marsalee’s killer was convicted and remains in jail, despite two parole hearings.
These tragic events triggered Dunne’s family to join with the Nicholas-Leach family, to form the Malibu-based Justice for Homicide Victims Inc. in 1984. They hoped to share their grief and the recovery process with others affected by tragedy.
“I received a call from Ellen Dunne after my daughter’s murder,” Leach said. “She was comforting and we knew that the laws must be changed — and Justice for Homicide Victims was born.”
JHV is a non-profit organization established in Malibu is devoted to providing support to families of victims of homicide.
Due to the Leach family residing in Malibu, JHV dug its roots into the community. The Dunne and Leach families created this union to help other families cope and grasp the justice they deserve.
“People ran from me everywhere I went,” Leach said. “They didn’t know what to say to me, but what do you say to a woman whose daughter was murdered?”
The mission statement of the group is “to support family survivors of homicide with physical and emotional support and friendship. To educate the public, law enforcement and professional groups about the impact of homicide on survivors and society.” The women had no idea the amount of support and recognition they would be given.
JHV has drawn in many celebrities and victims of other famous homicides. Serving on the board was Jimmy and Gloria Stewart, Robert Wagner, Teri Garr and Griffin Dunne. Doris Tate, mother Sharon Tate, served on the board after Sharon and four others were brutally murdered by the Charles Manson cult.
In the 1980s, the court system contained laws that were in favor of the criminal — spawning JHV’s first adjustment. After Dunne’s murderer was released shortly after convicted, he was hired as head chef at a posh restaurant in Santa Monica. As a form of protest, JHV gathered in front of the restaurant with picket signs reading “The hands that prepared your food strangled Dominique Dunne.” He was fired the next day.
In the 1980s, prosecutors were unable to disclose past offenses in court. JHV knew that this law could be changed, and they altered it.
JHV also worked with former California Governor Pete Wilson to cease overnight jail visits because Dunne’s murderer had five kids with his wife while in prison. This right had not been removed earlier because of the public’s fear of a riot. The law was passed by Wilson, and no riot took place.
“We kept up the fight,” Leach said. “We knew that we could win.”
Another law JHV and their partner association, Crime Victims United, instated was the right to a speedy trial.
“We had to wait a year and a half to get a D.A. for my daughter’s case,” said Leach. “The D.A. finally undertook our case after countless letters and a formal petition.” The average time between the crime and trial was three years in the 1980s.
By teaming with The California Center for Family Survivors of Homicide, JHV provides a place for grieving and dealing with the pain. JHV operates a 24-hour hotline for families of victims to call whenever they are experiencing a difficult time. The organization also offers counseling and instruction on the criminal justice system and its injustices to victims.
JHV had been fund raising since 1984 to create a memorial to honor all homicide victims and May 31, 1999, the memorial for homicide victims was born. The memorial is a marble structure ilocated at the Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier, California. It contains the first and only interactive memorial ever, displaying biographies on homicide victims. This provides a permanent digital memoriam of victims and their stories.
“We did not expect this memorial to exist,” Leach said. “If it weren’t for the help and support of friends and family, we never could have done it.”
Every month, new victims’ biographies are stored into the system to be shown through the Forever Memorial Network. Forever Memorial Network allows the families of victims to produce a biography with photos and videos to remember their loved one forever. The biographies are played to commemorate the victims of homicide and to display to visitors that average lives can be taken away by murder.
“The videos are made completely by the family,” Leach said. “They can choose to have up to 30 photos and speaking or music over them.”
JHV has committed its time and efforts to the families of victims of homicide. They provide support groups and friends who can relate and bond through tragedy. The main goal of the organization is to spread awareness for the wrongdoings of the court system and the harm that is being inflicted across the world.
During Victim’s Awareness Week, April 10th to16th, 2005, JHV will be holding a memorial for the victims.
Also during this week, Marcella Leach will be receiving an award from the president of the United States for her work in victim’s rights.
“When I think about how bad things were,” Leach said. “We have made a difference.”
Submitted 03-31-2005
MALIBU, CA
