L.A. police reopened the case concerning the death of Natalie Wood in 1981, but experts say convincing evidence is needed to bring new charges ? and new allegations aren't enough. ?
It appears highly unlikely that the reopened investigation into the death of Natalie Wood 30 years ago ? announced Friday by the Los Angeles Sheriff?s Department ? will lead to any new prosecution in the case, say legal analysts.
Skip to next paragraphThe case is being reopened because yacht captain Dennis Davern ? one of only four people on board the boat with Ms. Wood the night she drowned ? went on NBC?s Today Show this morning to say that he lied to investigators about the actress?s mysterious death 30 years ago. He alleged that Wood's husband,?Robert Wagner,?had something to do with her death, which had been classified as an accident.
"I made some terrible decisions and mistakes," Davern said in the interview with NBC News'?David Gregory. "I did lie on a report several years ago. I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report.??
Later in the day, the L.A. Sheriff?s Department called a press conference and asked all who might know anything or have additional evidence to please come forward. But based on Friday's two events, legal analysts caution against jumping to conclusions.
?The press conference raised more questions than it answered,? says Robert Pugsley, professor of law at?Southwestern?Law?School in Los angeles. ?I am very skeptical and advise others to be skeptical as well. I didn?t sense they had done any groundwork leading to this and in my opinion it was very premature.?
He and others say that cold cases solved in recent years are typically reopened because of DNA or other hard, forensic evidence ? not a change in testimony.
?It?s too easy for attorneys to undermine the credibility of a witness that has changed his testimony after such a long time,? says Laurie Levenson,?professor of law at?Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.??Memory doesn?t typically get better over time, and it?s too easy to sabotage credibility by simply asking, ?Why did you not come forward before?? or ?What is your motivation for coming forward now?? ??
Wood was found drowned near Santa Catalina Island off the?southern California?coast in 1981. That night, she was with Mr. Wagner and?Christopher Walken, who all shared drinks?onshore and then continued drinking aboard the boat, where Wagner and Mr. Walken began arguing.?Wood went to bed during the argument, and when Wagner came down to say goodnight, she was gone, according to previous accounts.
Speculation was that she accidentally slipped and fell overboard. But Mr. Davern's new comments support speculation that Wood and Wagner were involved in a?lover's quarrel about Walken before the accident.
"Was the fight between Natalie Wood and her husband Robert Wagner what ultimately led to her death?" NBC host Mr. Gregory asked during the interview on Friday.
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