Warning! This post contains spoilers for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
This post contains references to abuse and murder.
Netflix Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Briefly refers to Dominique Dunne’s real-life trial, making it hard not to wonder what happened to her. Serving as a follow up to Ryan Murphy’s hit show Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Centers on the murders of Jose and Kitty Mendez, who were killed by their own sons, Lyle and Eric. As the first season of the Netflix true crime show, Monstersalso attempts to present a neutral perspective on the central real-life crime instead of merely framing the titular brothers as “Monsters.“
Given how Netflix is Monsters has received mixed reviews like its predecessor, not everyone seems to be on board with the show’s approach to true crime. However, it is still interesting to see how the Netflix drama not only goes through Erik and Lyle Menendez’s true story, but also refers to some other real crimes that happened around the same time or have connections with the case. In episode 7, Monsters It also draws connective threads to the Dominique Dunne murder trial, which unfolded nearly a decade before José and Kitty Menendez’s death.
Who Dominique Dunne was and what roles she was best known for
Dominique Dunne was an active actress between 1979 and 1982
Born in Santa Monica, California, Dominique Dunne was Ellen Beatriz “Lenny” and Dominick Dunne’s youngest child. After studying at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, Taft School in Connecticut, and Fountain Valley School in Colorado, she moved to Florence, Italy, to study Italian and study art. Her acting career took off after she honed her craft at Milton Katselas’ workshop and began playing roles in numerous productions including The mousetrap And West Side Story.
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Dunne made her television debut with 1979’s Diary of a Teenage HitchhikerWhich paved the way for her to land supporting roles in other shows like Family, RoomAnd Lou Grant In the 1980s. you Big break came in 1981 when she got the chance to play Donna Freeling in the acclaimed horror classic PoltergeistAllowing you to gain more mainstream attention. She was also set to reprise her role in Poltergeist II: The Other SideBut she died before the film’s shooting. Dominique Dunne’s last acting role was in the miniseries Vwhich premiered in 1983.
Dominique Dunne was killed at age 22 by John Thomas Sweeney in 1982
She was in a coma for five days before she passed away
Dominique Dunn was at her home in West Hollywood on October 30, 1982, when her ex-boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, showed up at her place. Although actor David Packer was with her at the time, rehearsing lines for their upcoming TV show VHe stayed inside the house while then stepped out to talk to Sweeney. Packer became concerned when he heard a loud bang outside and called the police. But when the police informed him that the house was outside their jurisdiction, he left a message on his friend’s answering machine saying (via Vanity Fair), “If I Die Tonight, It Was By John Sweeney.”
When Packer finally left the home, he found Sweeney kneeling over Dunn. The police eventually arrived and found Dunne in the driveway of the home, where he said, “I killed my girlfriend, and I tried to kill myself.” Reports later revealed that Sweeney choked Dunn after an argument. Dominique Dunn was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was on life support for five days. However, when she did not regain consciousness, and her brain Scans confirmed zero brain activity, Her parents agreed to have her taken off life support on November 4.
Dominick Dunne’s response to John Thomas Sweeney’s conviction and prison sentence explained
Dominic then initially wanted revenge
John Thomas Sweeney only served two and a half years in prison, which, for obvious reasons, upset Dominic Dunne’s father. So, to keep tabs on Sweeney, he hired a private investigator. Dominic then later disclosed that he didn’t just recruit the investigator to keep a close eye on Sweeney. Instead, he hired private investigator Anthony Pellicano because He hoped Pellicano would help him make a hit on Sweeney. Here is Dominick Dunne’s statement (by The shot) about what he wanted:
“I really went through a period of wanting to hire somebody. I know, it seems now. … But I worshiped my daughter. I just became obsessed with getting this guy out of prison. I wanted harm to come. to him”.
Dominic then eventually backed off when Anthony Pellicano convinced him that he didn’t “Want to do that.Pellicano continued to pursue Sweeney because Dominique Dunn wanted to warn the girlfriends of his daughter’s killer about his violent history. Long before his arrest, Anthony Pellicano withdrew from tracing Sweeney, and Dunn eventually moved on with his life. However, as shown in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez StoryDominick Dunne cannot help but side with the prosecution in José and Kitty Menendez’s murder trial because of his past experiences.