What Happened to Dominique Dunne? A Look at the 1982 Killing That Shocked Hollywood

In the 1980s, Dominique Dunne was one of Hollywood’s rising scream queens. In 1982, she had a breakout moment as Dana Freeling in Poltergeist. However, a few months later, her life was cut short.

Dominique started acting on television in the late 1970s and built a career for herself quickly. She landed roles on Lou Grant, Family, Hart to Hart, and Fame before Poltergeist made her a household name. At the time of her death, she was filming the NBC miniseries V, which later aired in her memory. Decades later, fans still ask what happened to the young actor whose career was just taking off.

Dominique died after her ex-boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, attacked her outside her West Hollywood home. Dominique met Sweeney in 1981 while he worked as a sous-chef at the Los Angeles restaurant Ma Maison. Their relationship moved quickly, and they lived together. According to People, the relationship grew increasingly toxic over time.

On Oct. 30, 1982, Dominique was rehearsing at home with actor David Packer V when John showed up uninvited. When Dominique stepped outside to speak with him, the confrontation turned violent. According to the Los Angeles Times, medical examiners determined it took four to six minutes for John to strangle the actor. Dominique was rushed to Cedars-Sinai following the incident, but she never recovered. On Nov. 4, 1982, her family made the decision to remove her from life support.

Police arrested Sweeney at the scene. In 1983, a jury acquitted him of second-degree murder but convicted him of voluntary manslaughter and misdemeanor assault related to a prior incident. According to People, a judge sentenced him to six years in prison, plus six months for the assault.

Dominique’s brother, actor and filmmaker Griffin Dunne, has continued to speak about her legacy. In an interview with The Guardian, he said, “I will neither forgive nor forget, but I’m not going to let that be the A-story of my sister’s life. She was a serious, substantial person. Serious about her acting, her animals, her family. And, actually, rather intimidating, even though she was the youngest of the family.”

Dominique’s case wasn’t the only headline-making tragedy of that era. According to People, Dorothy Stratten, a model and actor whose Hollywood profile was rising fast when her estranged husband killed her in 1980. Dorothy became Playboy’s Playmate of the Year in 1980 and started acting, including work on They All Laughed. As her career grew, her husband, Paul Snider, grew jealous. Dorothy filed for divorce, and on Aug. 14, 1980, the two agreed to meet “to talk things out.” That meeting ended with Paul fatally shooting Stratten with a shotgun, then killing himself.