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Tribute to Victim Advocate Dominick Dunne
Mr. Dunne is warmly remembered by OVC as a guest speaker at the 2008 NCVRW Candlelight Ceremony. Highly regarded throughout the victim service community, he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Center for Victims of Crime this past June for his courageous advocacy on behalf of crime victims. A native of Connecticut, Mr. Dunne served in World War II and began working in television in the early 1950s. Mr. Dunne, his wife Ellen (Lenny), and their two sons, Griffin and Alex, moved to Hollywood in 1957, where their daughter Dominique was born. In 1980, Mr. Dunne left California and a successful career as a producer to begin a second career as a writer. Mr. Dunne’s book, The Winners: Part Two, was published in 1982. Tragically, on Halloween of that year, his daughter was found strangled. Her ex-boyfriend, John Sweeny, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor from an earlier assault, and was eligible for parole in less than three years. Mr. Dunne’s experience with the justice system motivated him to write a story for Vanity Fair titled “Justice: A Father’s Account of the Trial of His Daughter’s Killer.” Mr. Dunne went on to cover the high-profile trials of O.J. Simpson, Claus von Bulow, Michael Skakel, Erik and Lyle Menendez, and Phil Spector, as well as the impeachment of President Clinton. “I realized the power writing has, and it has also helped me deal with my rage,” he said in an interview in 2000. “It gave me a lifelong commitment not to be afraid to speak out about injustice.” Mr. Dunne wrote a series of best-selling novels, many of which were turned into TV miniseries, continued to write for Vanity Fair, and recently hosted the series Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice, on TruTV. He will be remembered as one of the Nation’s most passionate, committed voices for crime victims. |
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Dominick Dunne was a best-selling author, reporter, and TV personality who became a passionate voice for the rights of crime victims after his beloved daughter, actress Dominique Dunne, was murdered in 1982. Mr. Dunne, 83, passed away at his home in Manhattan on August 26 after a lengthy battle with cancer.