Natalie Wood’s death has haunted Hollywood for 40 years. Her admirers have long wanted more than speculative stories and vague accusations.
The case was reopened after investigators found fresh bruises on her body and a change in the original coroner’s report. Both Wagner and Walken have retold their version of events numerous times, but their accounts are often contradictory. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Who Killed Natalie Wood.
For decades, the death of Natalie Wood has remained a mystery. It was ruled a drowning accident, but many doubts have since arisen over the official explanation. The bruises on her body, the fact that she was found in a dinghy, and the inconsistent stories of the three men on the boat with her (Captain Dennis Davern, Robert Wagner, and Christopher Walken) all raised suspicions.
When her body was discovered on November 29th, 1981, she was clad in a flannel nightgown and wearing a red down jacket. She was floating face down in the water, about a mile from the couple’s yacht Splendour, and her rubber dinghy was nearby.
Her husband at the time, actor Robert Wagner, and Walken both denied knowing anything about her disappearance. But a new book by Marti Rulli, titled Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, has reopened the investigation. In it, she interviews a former Catalina Island troubleshooter named Paul Wintler. He recounts his first hours on the scene and provides evidence that contradicts some of the original accounts given by Davern, Wagner, and Walken.
He says he heard the couple fighting on the night of her death. After a while, Wagner returned “tousled and sweating as if he had been in a real fight.” He told the other two to stick with their story that she must have slipped and fallen into the water.
The original investigators guessed that she was injured when she fell off the boat. But new forensics evidence, including the location of the bruises, suggest she was assaulted before her death. The coroner has since changed the cause of death to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s investigators have now classified her death as suspicious, and they are questioning Wagner. He has never been charged with any crime related to the case, but his behavior and conflicting statements have raised suspicions. The sheriff’s department has questioned witnesses and reviewed documents, and Rulli claims her new information has a “compelling chain of evidence.” The investigation is ongoing.
What is the Case?
The night Natalie Wood died, she was sailing on her private yacht with co-star Christopher Walken and the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern. Initially, they told police that she had simply taken her dinghy and gone ashore to explore the island, despite her fear of dark water—a phobia inherited from a prophecy her superstitious Russian mother received as a child. Since the case was reopened in 2011, however, they have shifted their accounts.
Until recently, the main suspect in her death was her husband, Robert Wagner. The two had a turbulent relationship and their marriage was on the rocks when she died. Wagner has denied any wrongdoing ever taking place. However, his daughter Courtney and her stepdaughter Lana firmly believe otherwise. They claim he treated them with hostility after her death, dragging her by the press and cutting her out of their lives altogether.
In the book, I write about some of the critical evidence I have uncovered in the case. I use it to construct a powerful imaginary closing argument by the prosecution and apply reasonable California legal principles to help readers decide whether she was murdered or died in an accident.
As a trial attorney, I have a unique perspective on the case. I also spent time interviewing many of the people who knew Natalie Wood. I listened to their stories and considered the evidence they presented, including their memories of her last moments. I found that their statements were inconsistent and incongruent, creating doubt as to what actually happened.
In addition, I uncovered new information that was never before made public. In 2022, Radar Online reported that Wagner and Wood got into a huge fight at a North Carolina hotel weeks before the boat trip, with her co-star present.
In my opinion, the key to solving the case is to identify which person, or people, were involved in her murder. While the official cause of death was accidental drowning, many people suspect foul play, particularly her husband and her co-star.
Who is the Accused?
Despite the star-studded funeral and the official ruling of accidental drowning, doubts have persisted. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that the great actress was murdered. The reopening of the case has brought new attention to Dennis Davern, a St. Augustine boat captain who was on board the yacht Splendour that night and has spoken out to say he believes that Wood’s death was no accident.
Davern, who is now 88 and living in Mexico, says that he and Wood had been engaged in a loud argument that night. When it ended, he said, Wagner instructed him on the story they would tell police: That she must have slipped and fallen into the water after Wagner put her to bed.
But according to a medical examiner, her bruises and scratch marks indicated she was attacked before her death. The book explains how that conclusion was reached and also explores other red flags, such as the inconsistencies in witness testimony and the holes in the original investigation.
The author reveals that Hollywood fixer Peter Pitchess had a cozy relationship with Frank Sinatra, and he and other studio insiders used their connections to influence the outcome of the original investigation. He also details the many omissions and contradictions in the story told by Splendour’s captain, Dennis Davern.
In addition, the author shows how the original investigating sheriff’s deputy and other detectives were incompetent and biased, which is a key reason why the evidence was mishandled. The book concludes with a powerful imaginary closing argument by the prosecution, based on the forensic and circumstantial evidence.
The book will have a strong appeal to fans of the late actress, who wanted to believe in the innocence of a woman so talented and good-hearted. But it will also be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about how the justice system can fail and what happens when people are corrupted. The book will be published by Simon & Schuster and is available for pre-order now. A portion of the proceeds will go to charity in Wood’s memory.
What is the Solution?
The mystery surrounding Natalie Wood’s death may never be fully resolved, but there are many hints that the crime was not an accident. It is possible that her husband Robert Wagner murdered her, but even if he did, it would be difficult to convince a jury that he had the specific intent to kill. It is also possible that another person, either a crew member or a witness, killed her. In any case, the LA County District Attorney will have to present a strong case against Wagner and hope that he can convince a grand jury to indict him on homicide charges.
Natalie Wood was a beautiful and popular star who had an enormous presence in America in the 1950s. She was the doubting seven-year-old who finally came to believe in Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street, the rebellious teenager in Rebel Without a Cause, and the yearning high school girl destined for madness in Splendor in the Grass. Behind the glamorous public persona, however, there was a troubled soul who struggled with depression and insecurity. She suffered from insomnia and sought psychoanalysis, spending lunch hours each day with her analyst. She was also a renowned drinker.
In the early days of her career, she married several men and had a number of affairs. When she began to hit her stride, she settled down with actor Robert Wagner. They starred together in several films, including the sci-fi thriller Brainstorm.
On the night of her death, she was with Wagner and his friend and co-star Christopher Walken aboard a yacht off the coast of Catalina Island. After a champagne-fueled dinner ashore with the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern, the group took a dinghy back to the yacht and continued drinking. At around 1 a.m., Wagner called police to report his wife missing.
When investigators examined the body, they found abrasions and bruises on her arms, wrists, and upper body, as well as foam coming from her mouth, which is characteristic of drownings. But the investigators stopped short of classifying her death as a homicide, citing lack of evidence.