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msclaritea · 2 months

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BY JOHN DILILLO

NOV. 11, 2021

"Method acting is a Hollywood tradition that’s netted many an Oscar and irritated thousands of coworkers, but it’s likely never been this stinky before. For The Power of the Dog, the new Netflix psychological-thriller-meets-cowboy-romance, Benedict Cumberbatch joins the unwashed ranks of celebrities like Jake Gyllenhaal and Ashton Kutcher. To stay fully in character, the actor didn’t shower for six days.

It was a choice wholly encouraged by Oscar-winning director and writer Jane Campion.."

YOU DONE FUCKED UP, CIA, AND SCIENTOLOGY CONNECTED, GEORGE CLOONEY .

"The Clooney family connections to Washington and politics at the highest level is nothing new. Fun fact, his maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Sparrow, was the half-sister of Nancy Lincoln, mother of, you guessed it, Abraham Lincoln.

Not only is Clooney related to Washington royalty, he’s not the first person in his family to make it big in entertainment.

Cabaret singer and actress Rosemary Clooney was George Clooney’s aunt, the sister of his father Nick Clooney. George’s other aunt, Betty Clooney, was also a famous singer in the 1950’s. And yet another famous singer, “You Light Up My Life” singer Debby Boone, is George’s cousin. Recall that his father was a gameshow and TV host and it almost starts to seem as if being from certain families makes it a lot easier to break into Hollywood.

Clooney was raised a strict Roman Catholic and attended Catholic schools where he served as an altar boy from the time he was young. By middle school Clooney had developed Bell’s Palsy, a type of facial paralysis. Bell’s Palsy is rare in adolescents, as it’s most commonly linked to sexually transmitted herpes and extreme stress. It’s worth noting that Clooney’s fellow United Nations and Council on Foreign Relations pal Angelia Jolie has also long struggled with Bell’s Palsy. In Clooney’s case, what with the rampant systemic child sex abuse we are learning has gone on for decades in the Catholic church and the connection between Hollywood, child sex abuse and Hollywood-linked military programs such as MK Ultra (recall Clooney’s father’s military ties), his having Bell’s Palsy as a child is certainly an interesting side note....Clooney studied acting with leading Scientologist Milton Katselas at his Beverly Hills Playhouse for 5 years, from 1982-1987.

In the book co-authored by the now-deceased-under-extremely-mysterious-circumstances Andrew Breitbart, Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon — The Case Against Celebrity, Milton Katselas is discussed at length. As well as Scientology in general and it’s connection to Hollywood.

'Here’s the cliff’s notes: Think of Scientology’s presence in Hollywood as an intelligence dragnet to identify those who will trade compromising secrets for power and influence.'

One of the very top lieutenants of that intelligence operation, for decades, was Milton Katselas.

July 15, 2007, New York Times, ‘The Actualizer’: “Students have left Katselas’s school, the Beverly Hills Playhouse, because of the pressure they felt to join the Church of Scientology… they could not ignore how many of their classmates and teachers were Scientologists … and the assorted weirdness..."

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conradscrime · 3 years

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The Tragic Murder of Dominique Dunne: The Worst Trial in Hollywood History

August 11, 2021

Dominique Ellen Dunne was born on November 23, 1959 to Ellen Beatriz “Lenny” Griffin and Dominick Dunne who was an actor, writer and producer. Born in Santa Monica, California, Dominique was the youngest child, having two older brothers named Alex and Griffin, who was also an actor. Dominique’s parents divorced in 1967.

Dominique went to Harvard-Westlake School in LA, Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut as well as Fountain Valley School in Colorado. After graduating high school, she travelled to Florence, Italy where she learned Italian for a year.

She was destined to be an actress and began attending acting classes at Milton Katselas’ Workship, appearing in West Side Story, The Mousetrap and My Three Angels.

Dominique’s first role was in the television film, Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker in 1979. She also was hired to do supporting roles in episodes of popular 80′s shows such as Lou Grant, Hart to Hart and Fame. She also had a recurring role on the comedy-drama series Breaking Away.

In 1981, she was cast in her first film, Poltergeist, playing Dana Freeling, the teenage daughter of the couple whose family is terrorized by ghosts. The movie was produced by Steven Spielberg and opened on June 4, 1982. Following this movie, she appeared in the final season premiere episode of CHiPs and the television film The Shadow Riders in 1982.

Dominique met a man named John Thomas Sweeney, a chef at the restaurant Ma Maison at a party in 1981. The two hit it off immediately and within the first few weeks of dating they moved into a one-bedroom house in West Hollywood. John Sweeney was a very jealous and possessive man and the relationship quickly took a turn, with the two fighting constantly. The fights would turn violent with Sweeney often physically abusing Dominique.

According to an account from August 27, 1982, the couple had gotten in a fight and Sweeney had began to yank handfuls of Dominique’s hair out by the roots. Dominique went to her mother’s house where Sweeney followed her, banging on the door and windows to be let in. Dominique’s mother told him to leave and threatened to call the police. A few days after this, Dominique returned to their house and the relationship continued.

Another argument that occurred on September 26, 1982, resulted in Sweeney grabbing Dominique by the throat, throwing her on the floor and strangling her. A friend who was staying with them at the time overheard and when they approached the couple Dominique said that Sweeney had tried to kill her, which he denied. After this, Dominique snuck out the bathroom window to leave, but when Sweeney heard the car start he ran outside and jumped onto the hood of the car. After this, Dominique ended the relationship between her and Sweeney, he moved out and she had the locks on their house changed.

On October 30, 1982, Dominique was at her home rehearsing for the miniseries V, with actor David Packer. Sweeney showed up at the home, and convinced Dominique to step outside to talk to him. Packer remained in the home.

Outside on the porch, Dominique and Sweeney began to argue, with Packer later saying he heard smacking sounds, two screams and then a thud. He called the police but they said that the location of Dominique’s home was out of their jurisdiction. Packer called a friend after this and told them that if he died, John Sweeney was his killer. Packer then left the home through the back entrance, approached the driveway and saw Sweeney in some bushes kneeling over Dominique. Sweeney told Packer to call the police, and when they arrived Sweeney said, “I killed my girlfriend and I tried to kill myself.”

Sweeney later says he remembers arguing with Dominique, but does not remember what happened after this. He only recalled being on top of her with his hands around her neck.

Dominique was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA, where she was placed on life support. She never regained consciousness and on November 4, 1982 her parents consented to have her taken off life support. She died a few weeks before her 23rd birthday.

Her funeral was held on November 6, 1982 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. She was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Right before Dominique was murdered, she had been cast as Robin Maxwell in the miniseries V. Because she had died during filming, her role was recast, however she apparently appears in the scene in which the Maxwells and others watch the LA mothership glide in on the day the Visitors arrived. You can only see her back, not her face, and the miniseries was dedicated to her.

After her death, Dominique also appeared in the Hill Street Blues episode “Requiem For a Hairbag” which aired on November 18, 1982. The episode was shot on September 27, 1982 which was the day after Sweeney had physically abused her and left bruises on her body and face. She played a teenage mother who was the victim of parental abuse and gives her baby up for adoption to avoid repeating her parents mistakes. Because she already had bruises from Sweeney, she did not have to use makeup to create any. The episode was dedicated to her.

Sweeney had first been charged with attempted murder at the scene of the crime, but this was later changed to first degree murder which he pleaded not guilty. He was also charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm when he admitted that him and Dominique had a physical altercation on September 26. He denied giving Dominique those bruises she had in the episode of Hill Street Blues, saying she got those bruises from him trying to stop her from leaving their house.

The trial began in August 1983, with Sweeney claiming that him and Dominique had been working things out and had been recently talking about getting married and having children. On the night of October 30, Sweeney said Dominique confessed that she had been lying to him about getting back together and that she had been leading him on. Sweeney said he lost control in that moment and does not remember attacking Dominique.

The autopsy revealed that Dominique had been strangled for at least three minutes and there was no indication that Sweeney had tried to kill himself afterwards, like he claimed. The first officer at the scene testifies that Sweeney said, “Man, I blew it. I killed her. I didn’t think I choked her that hard, but I don’t know, I just kept on choking her. I just lost my temper and blew it again.” Police also noted Sweeney was calm and collected at the scene.

The defense tried to use the “heat of passion” defense but the police and prosecutors didn’t buy it, given that Sweeney had been strangling Dominique for at least three minutes and could have used that time to save her in some way.

One of Sweeney’s ex-girlfriends testified without the jury’s presence, that Sweeney had attacked her 10 times and she was hospitalized twice for injuries. During this, Sweeney had an outburst and because of this, the judge ruled this testimony inadmissible and the jury did not know about it until after the trial. The Judge also refused to let Dominique’s friends and family testify, saying their statements about Sweeney’s abuse was “hearsay.”

The charge of first degree murder was then questioned, as Sweeney’s attorney claimed that there was no evidence to suggest predetermination. The Judge agreed and the jury was then only allowed to decide if Sweeney was guilty of manslaughter or second degree murder. On September 21, 1983, after 8 days of deliberation, the jury acquitted John Sweeney of second degree murder, but found him guilty on the charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was also convicted of misdemeanour assault for the altercation on September 26, 1982. Family, friends and the public were outraged at the verdict. Many outlets criticized Judge Katz’s rulings that favoured the defense. Judge Katz was rated as the 4th worst judge in Los Angeles County. A victim’s rights group called Victims for Victims also protested the verdict outside the courthouse.

On November 7, Sweeney was sentenced to 6 years in prison for manslaughter, the maximum sentence that he could receive, plus 6 months for the assault charge. At Sweeney’s sentencing, Judge Katz criticized the jury’s decision of manslaughter and stated that it was pure and simple murder. Many believe this comment was only because Judge Katz had recently received a lot of backlash from the media about his own actions during the trial.

Sweeney was released on parole in September 1986 after serving 3 years. Three months after his release he was hired as the head chef at The Chronicle, an upscale restaurant in Santa Monica, California. Sweeney eventually moved away from LA, due to Dominique’s family protesting outside the restaurant.

For a while, Dominck Dunne kept tabs on John Sweeney, and found that he had been living somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, went by the name John Maura, and still worked as a chef. After some time, however, Dominick decided he didn’t want to live his life always knowing where John Sweeney was and stopped keeping tabs on him.

What happened to Dominique Dunne is a tragedy. Not only because she had so much life to live and was a promising actress, she also was stuck in an abusive relationship, which, even after death she did not recieve the support she should have. The murder of Dominique Dunne goes down in history as one of the worst trials and verdicts in Hollywood history.

#solved #murder #abusive #relationship #Actress #hollywood #dominique #dunne #Crime #true crime

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