Jury to reconvene in trial of chef who said he cooked wife's body

Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning in the murder trial of a chef who told authorities he cooked his wife's dead body to dispose of it.

The jury began deliberations Tuesday afternoon but did not reach a verdict after about two hours.

Dawn Viens was 39 when she disappeared in October 2009. Her body has never been found, but in an interview last year with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators, her husband, David Viens, gave a grisly explanation as to why.

David Viens said he packed her body into a large drum and boiled it in water over four days, according to the interview played for jurors. He said he poured much of what remained into the grease trap of his Lomita restaurant and threw other remains in the trash, he said. In the weeks that followed, Viens tried to cover his tracks with a string of lies and fake text messages, prosecutors said.

"He tried to manipulate everyone who asked, 'Where's Dawn?'" Deputy District Atty. Deborah Brazil told the jury. "Don't let him manipulate you as well."

Defense attorney Fred McCurry never challenged the premise that Dawn Viens was dead, nor did he suggest that she was slain by someone other than her husband. But he said the evidence didn't support the first-degree murder conviction the prosecution was seeking, which requires proof of premeditation.

"Dawn Viens died as an unintentional result of David Viens' actions," McCurry said. "That's not murder." 

In the defense's telling, which mirrors the account David Viens gave to his daughter, Viens duct-taped his wife's mouth, bound her hands and feet and fell asleep. When he woke up, she was dead. Convinced that no one would believe his wife's lifeless body was the result of a mishap, Viens tossed it in a dumpster at his restaurant, Thyme Contemporary Cafe.

Trial of chef who said he cooked wife’s body goes to jury

 

This post has been corrected. Please see note at bottom for details.

Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Tuesday afternoon in the murder trial of David Viens, the chef who told authorities he cooked his wife's dead body to dispose of it.

Dawn Viens was 39 when she disappeared in October 2009. Her body has never been found, but in an interview last year with sheriff's investigators, her husband gave a grisly explanation as to why.

David Viens said he packed her body into a large drum and boiled it in water over four days, according to the interview played for jurors. He poured much of what remained into the grease trap of his Lomita restaurant and threw other remains in the trash, he said. In the weeks that followed, Viens tried to cover his tracks with a string of lies and fake text messages.

"He tried to manipulate everyone who asked, 'Where's Dawn?'" Deputy District Atty. Deborah Brazil told the jury. "Don't let him manipulate you as well."

Defense attorney Fred McCurry never challenged the premise that Dawn Viens was dead, nor did he suggest that she was slain by someone other than her husband. But he said the evidence didn't support the first-degree murder conviction the prosecution was seeking, which requires proof of premeditation.

Trial of chef who said he cooked wife’s body nears end

This post has been corrected. Please see note at bottom for details.

In the prosecution's telling, David Viens was an abusive, conniving husband who murdered his wife, cooked her body to dispose of it and then tried to cover his tracks with a string of lies and fake text messages.

In the defense's telling, Viens did kill his wife -- but by accident. After duct-taping her mouth, binding her hands and feet and falling asleep, he awoke to find her dead. Convinced no one would believe his wife's lifeless body was the result of a mishap, Viens tossed it in a dumpster at his Lomita restaurant.

Jurors heard the two versions of the October 2009 slaying Monday during closing arguments in Viens' murder trial; the attorneys are scheduled to wrap up their cases Tuesday. Viens, 49, is accused of killing his wife, Dawn, whose body has never been found. In February 2011, after he discovered investigators suspected he'd killed her, he leaped off an 80-foot seaside cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Defense attorney Fred McCurry never challenged the premise that Dawn Viens was dead, nor did he suggest that she was slain by someone other than her husband. But he said the prosecution's evidence didn't support a first-degree murder conviction, which requires proof of premeditation.

"Dawn Viens died as an unintentional result of David Viens' actions," McCurry said. "That's not murder."

McCurry also challenged the veracity of the prosecution's most haunting piece of evidence: an interview with sheriff's investigators in which Viens said he boiled his wife's body over four days and dispatched much of what remained in his restaurant's grease trap.

At the time, McCurry reminded jurors, Viens was hospitalized from his cliff jump, suffering from "excruciating" pain and taking a cocktail of drugs that a defense expert suggested could impair his alertness and memory. During the interview, Viens spoke of being "confused" by his dreams and, while he told investigators that he'd stashed his wife's skull in his mother's attic, authorities never found it.

2 missing girls from North Hollywood found unharmed

Two young girls missing from their North Hollywood home were found unharmed Friday, police said.

Michelle Herrera, 10, and her 13-year-old sister, Bianey Lagunas, apparently ran away from home Thursday, said Sgt. William Mann of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division.

On Friday evening, the girls showed up at a friend's home, and the friend's mother took them to the police station, Mann said.

The girls had been “despondent over house rules implemented by their mother,” according to an LAPD statement.

When the girls did not come home from school Thursday, their mother contacted friends but without success, the statement said. She then contacted the police.

Authorities did not release any information about where the girls had been.

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Photos: Michelle Herrera, left, and Bianey Lagunas

Two girls missing from North Hollywood home

Police on Friday were looking for two young girls from North Hollywood who appear to have run away from home.

Michelle Herrera, 10, and her 13-year-old half sister, Bianey Lagunas, were last seen about 8 a.m. Thursday at Sun Valley Middle School, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

When the girls did not come home from school, their mother contacted friends but could not find them, police said. "The children were despondent over house rules implemented by their mother,” the statement said.

Michelle is described as 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 83 pounds, with a thin build. Bianey is 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 128 pounds and has a medium build.  

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to contact the LAPD's North Hollywood Division at (818) 623-4031 or (877) 527-3247.

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Missing UCLA honors student had medical condition

 

As police continue the search for a missing UCLA honors student, family members posted fliers on Facebook that revealed the student had a medical condition.

David John Goeser, 22, was under a doctor's care and taking medication at the time of his disappearance, according to the flier. He was last seen on Pacific Coast Highway near Coral Beach and Los Liones.  Goeser's car was found on July 25 in Pacific Palisades.

"He may be heading north to Vancouver, WA via public transportation," the flier says.

Goeser, a senior English major, was last seen by his roommates on July 22 in the 1000 block of Roebling Avenue in Westwood. His family went to his house to check on him after not hearing from him in over week, but only found his identification, cellphone and credit cards.

His father, Mark Goeser, in an interview last week on KNX radio, said his son was struggling with depression.

"He left everything behind," Mark Goeser said. "That is very concerning to us."

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Missing UCLA student's car found in Pacific Palisades

Police and family members continued their search for a missing UCLA honors student Thursday after finding his car in Pacific Palisades.

A patrol officer discovered the white Toyota Corolla at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night near Tramonto and Los Liones drives, authorities said.

David John Goeser, 22, was last seen Sunday by his roommates at his home in the 1000 block of Roebling Avenue in West Los Angeles.

His family hadn't heard from him in over a week and went to his house to check on him, only to find him missing, police said. His identification, cellphone and credit cards had been left behind.

"He left everything behind," Goeser's father, Mark, told KTLA. "That is very concerning to us."

Goeser -- a senior English and theater major, according to KTLA -- is under doctor's care and needs regular medication, family members told police. Authorities did not say what he was being treated for.

Police suspect he may be carrying a Washington state driver's license with the number GOESEDJ106L4, officials said. They ask anyone with information to call 213-996-1800.

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Body of missing Bay Area hiker found

The body of Thomas Heng, a 31-year-old hiker from San Rafael, Calif., has been found in the Inyo National Forest, officials said late Wednesday.

Heng left Sunday for what was supposed to be a day hike to the summit of Mt. Langley, which rises to 14,026 feet, on the boundary between Inyo and Tulare counties.

Officials said he made it to the top, signing a register at the summit. The experienced hiker was last seen about 1 p.m. Sunday.

No further details about where or how Heng's body was found have been released.

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Man convicted in Donna Jou death arrested on parole violation

A sex offender who served state prison time in the death of 19-year-old coed Donna Jou was arrested at his Hollywood residence on suspicion of violating parole for allegedly possessing ammunition, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.

John Steven "Sinjin" Burgess, 42, was taken into custody Monday after two women who were offered a rent-free living arrangement at his Hollywood apartment contacted KTLA-TV, claiming they saw drugs at the residence, LAPD officials said. The reporter then called police.

In a cursory search of the residence, police found ammunition, said LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith. Police will make a more extensive search of the home Tuesday.

Burgess pleaded guilty in 2009 to involuntary manslaughter in the disappearance and death of Jou, a San Diego State nursing student. Under a plea deal, Burgess was sentenced to five years. In April 2011, Burgess was released from state custody in Chico after serving two years.

He was then taken into custody in Los Angeles County. He was released from jail in December after serving half his sentence.

Burgess told authorities that Jou,  from Rancho Santa Margarita, died of a drug overdose in June 2007. He said he panicked and dumped her body in the ocean; her body has never been recovered. 

Jou's family has continued to press prosecutors to reopen the investigation.

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Michael Jackson's mother 'with family members,' officials say

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department continued to gather information and planned to speak with family members Monday after locating Michael Jackson's mother in Arizona, officials said.

Katherine Jackson, 82, was reported missing late Saturday night by her family.

"She is safe and with family members," Sheriff's Deputy Don Walker read from a statement Monday morning.

Jermaine Jackson, one of the late Michael Jackson's brothers, went on Twitter to say that his mother is fine: "I want to reassure everyone (inc all sudden medical experts) that Mother is fine but is resting up in AZ on the orders of a doctor, not us."

Other members of the family, including Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, had publicly said Katherine Jackson was missing and that they were concerned about her welfare.

Paris Jackson wrote on Twitter: "Yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven't spoken with her in a week i want her home now."

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