Robert Wagner

Death Of Natalie Wood Remains 'Accidental,' Investigators Say


Posted on Jan 10, 2012 @ 10:00PM - Add a comment

By Radar Staff

Authorities in Los Angeles said their classification of actress Natalie Wood’s shocking death in 1981 remains “accidental,” following a two-month investigation into the star’s drowning that was re-launched just before its 30th anniversary in late November.

"At this point, it is an accidental death," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Chief of Detectives William McSweeney told the Los Angeles Times Tuesday. "Nothing has been discovered to suggest changing that at this time."

The case has not been closed, McSweeney said, adding that no new evidence is likely to emerge. No information was released on who was interviewed in the re-launched probe.

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Natalie Wood Death Investigation Now Ruled A Cold Case


Posted on Jan 04, 2012 @ 01:30PM - 3 comments

By Radar Staff

Natalie Wood’s tragic death, which occurred 30 years ago, has been ruled a cold case, according to the LASD.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Steve Whitmore told Access Hollywood that the investigation into Wood’s death is now in the cold case file and not going anywhere.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the investigation was reopened after the publication of a new book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, by Marti Rulli.

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Natalie Wood Death Investigation: Cops Question Secret Witness Who Heard Actress Screaming


Posted on Nov 22, 2011 @ 04:00PM - 2 comments

By Dylan Howard - Senior Executive Editor, Star magazine

Homicide detectives probing Natalie Wood's mysterious death questioned Tuesday the woman who allegedly overheard the screen siren crying for help, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

Cops from the Los Angeles County Sherrif's Department interrogated retired stockbroker Marilyn Wayne at her Los Angeles home.

Wayne is considered a sensational new "ear witness" in the case. She was a guest on an adjacent yacht, roughly 90 feet from the Splendour, the yacht on which Wood, 43, was cruising with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken in 1981, just hours before her Thanksgiving weekend death.

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Natalie Wood Could Have Been Saved: Secret Account From Never-Before-Interviewed Coast Guard Witness


Posted on Nov 21, 2011 @ 01:45PM - 11 comments

By Dylan Howard,
Senior Executive Editor, Star Magazine

The Coast Guard captain who pulled screen siren Natalie Wood out of the water after she drowned 30 years ago has told homicide detectives that her life could have been saved, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

The Coast Guard captain who pulled screen siren Natalie Wood out of the water after she drowned 30 years ago has told homicide detectives that her life could have been saved, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

Roger Smith was the Supervising Rescue Boat Captain on Catalina Island, Calif., on November 29, 1981 -- the day the three-time Oscar nominated actress was found drowned.

He said he was never interviewed at the time cops were investigating Wood's death.

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'She Was Off On Another Boat Screwing Around': What Robert Wagner Allegedly Told A Never-Before-Interviewed Coast Guard Witness


Posted on Nov 21, 2011 @ 07:30AM - 17 comments

By Dylan Howard,
Senior Executive Editor, Star Magazine

Robert Wagner told a Coast Guard captain he didn't call for help sooner to find his missing wife Natalie Wood because he thought she was off "screwing around," homicide detectives have been told.

Robert Wagner told a Coast Guard captain he didn't call for help sooner to find his missing wife Natalie Wood because he thought she was off "screwing around," homicide detectives have been told.

In a sworn statement presented to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department, Roger Smith, the former Supervising Rescue Boat Captain on Catalina Island, Calif., said he was the first to question the Hart-to-Hart actor about what took place on their yacht, Splendour, on the fateful night of November 29, 1981.

RadarOnline.com has exclusively obtained Smith's declaration.

PHOTOS: Celebs Who Died Young

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'I Gave Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner Quaaludes,' Capt. Dennis Davern Tells Cops


Posted on Nov 21, 2011 @ 02:00AM - 7 comments

By Jen Heger,
Radar Legal Editor

Dennis Davern, The captain of Robert Wagner's yacht, the Splendour, has admitted in a sworn declaration to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that he gave Natalie Wood, Christopher Walken, and the Hart to Hart star Quaaludes, a powerful sedative, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced last Friday that the Natalie Wood case was being reopened because of new evidence that they had received. A spokesman also firmly stated that Robert Wagner is not a suspect in his wife's death.

In 2008, Dennis Davern and Margaret Rulli wrote a book about the tragic weekend that Natalie died entitled Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour; in it, he writes about alcohol and drug use on board the yacht on that fateful night in 1981.

He's now taken his recollections about drugs and booze a step further, and sworn to it in his declaration.

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Natalie Wood's Sister Asks Cops In New Declaration: ‘Why Was Her Body Bruised?’


Posted on Nov 21, 2011 @ 12:00AM - Add a comment

By Dylan Howard,
Senior Executive Editor, Star Magazine

The sister of West Side Story star Natalie Wood has questioned why the actress' body was bludgeoned with bruises when she was found off the coast of California 30 years ago this week.

The sister of West Side Story star Natalie Wood has questioned why the actress' body was bludgeoned with bruises when she was found off the coast of California 30 years ago this week.

In a sworn statement presented to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department, Lana Wood also questioned why cops released Natalie's husband, actor Robert Wagner, without interrogating him about what took place on their yacht, Splendour, leading to her sister's death.

RadarOnline.com exclusively obtained the declaration from Lana, 65, best known for her role in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.

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Robert Wagner Told Natalie Wood 'Get Off My F*cking Boat' Before She Drowned, Captain Claims In Police Declaration


Posted on Nov 20, 2011 @ 10:00AM - 24 comments

By Dylan Howard - Senior Executive Editor, Star magazine

Hollywood star Robert Wagner smashed a bottle of wine in a fit of rage and screamed to actor Christopher Walken "Do you want to f*ck my wife" in the moments before she fell overboard on the fateful night 30 years ago, the boat's captain has claimed.

Hollywood star Robert Wagner smashed a bottle of wine in a fit of rage and screamed to actor Christopher Walken "Do you want to f*ck my wife" in the moments before she fell overboard on the fateful night thirty years ago, the boat's captain has claimed.

Recalling what he saw on the night from the bridge of the luxury yacht, the captain told the cops who've re-opened the cold case: "The only full sentence I could completely decipher during the entire argument was 'Get off my f*cking boat' said by Robert Wagner."

Fifteen minutes later, when he arrived on the open deck where Wood, 43, and Wagner had been arguing, Dennis Davern recounted how only "Wagner was present, and he stood near the far rear wall of the yacht."

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L.A. County officials who re-opened the investigation into Wood's death said at a press conference on Friday that Wagner is not a suspect in her death.

In a sworn statement to homicide detectives obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, Davern suggested the booze fueled confrontation triggered Wagner, now 81, to have a blow-up with his wife Natalie Wood, who was later found drowned in the water off Santa Catalina Island, Calif., in 1981.

He appeared "sweaty, flushed, anxious, nervous, and disheveled," the boatman claimed.

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"He (Wagner) told me “Natalie is missing” and asked me to search the yacht," Davern told police, in the document that triggered the sensational move to re-examine the mysterious case.

"He led me through the stateroom which was a mess...it had been spotless when I passed through it after securing the dinghy a half-hour earlier."

Walken was asleep in the cabin where he retreated to after the "f*ck my wife" slur, Davern said.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Death Threats

"I immediately wanted to radio for help and to turn on the searchlight, but Robert Wagner told me, sternly, “We are not going to do that. We will wait and see if she returns.”

"His choice led me to presume that he knew his wife was in the dinghy and had taken off in it. I knew that Natalie Wood had never taken the dinghy alone, day or night, as she did not know how to operate it.

"While we waited, Wagner opened scotch and poured alcohol for me. He encouraged me to drink. He discussed with me the repercussions of bringing any immediate attention to the situation and he claimed he did not want to tarnish his image.

 

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"After an hour passed, Wagner began crying and repeated, “She’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone” which I believed a strange thing to say.

"Over two hours passed before I finally convinced Robert Wagner to make a call for help. He did not call for professional help. He radioed the Island area and said, “Someone is missing from our boat.” He did not mention Natalie Wood’s name.

"Island help showed up and after an hour or so, the local Harbormaster arrived and suggested the Coast Guard be called immediately, but Wagner still claimed he did not want to tarnish his image by drawing public attention to the situation.

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At 3:30 am, the Harbormaster insisted the crew of the Splendour phone the Coast Guard and file a missing person report, the captain recalled.

"Crucial time had been wasted," wrote Davern.

"Wagner’s primary concern was what he would tell the public or authorities when questioned. He repeatedly told me to remain quiet about anything I knew, again citing the importance of his public image. He demanded I say nothing if questioned.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Death Threats

When the Coast Guard rescue team arrived, "they seemed angry that we had waited so long to call for professional assistance."

Wood was found floating face down at 7:45 am.

Said Davern, "After the news was relayed to us aboard the Splendour, Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken were flown from the Island by helicopter to the Mainland before the detectives on the case arrived.

"I was left behind to identify Wood’s body, as Wagner had asked me to do. I noticed bruises on her body and my first thought was that the bruises might have been acquired during the argument in the stateroom and on the rear deck."

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That "loud" argument, which spilled onto the deck, was "fast and furious" according to Davern, who reported he heard things (objects, possibly people) hitting the walls and things being thrown at the ceiling."

Robert Wagner has issued the following statement about the new investigation:

"Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner  is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death."

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Robert Wagner Told Me What To Say To Cops, Boat Captain Claims


Posted on Nov 20, 2011 @ 07:30AM - 3 comments

By Dylan Howard - Senior Executive Editor, Star magazine

The captain of the luxury yacht Natalie Wood was on before she drowned in 1981 has claimed he initially wasn't candid with cops because Robert Wagner told him what to say.

In re-opening the investigation into Wood's drowning, law enforcement officials have stated that Wagner is not a suspect in his wife's death.

RadarOnline.com has learned that it was a sworn statement from boat captain Dennis Davern to homicide detectives that triggered them to reopen the case.

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Davern wrote that Wagner "instructed me to never offer any details in reference to the circumstances surrounding Natalie Wood’s disappearance from the yacht on the night of November 28, 1981."

Davern said the actor immediately hired an attorney who drafted the boat captain's version of events about what happened on board Wagner and Wood's yacht Splendour with their friend, Oscar-winner Christopher Walken, on the fateful night.

The day after Wood's body was found off the coast of California, Davern recalled being summoned to Wagner's bedroom at his Beverly Hills home, where he met with a lawyer and was ordered: "Say nothing."

PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Died In Bizarre Circumstances

"Wagner informed me he would hire an attorney who would handle my statement about Natalie Wood’s disappearance and drowning, which he did before Natalie Wood’s funeral," Daven told cops.

"I signed a statement the appointed attorney drafted, one completely void of the facts surrounding Natalie Wood’s disappearance."

Later, at the lawyer's office, Davern met with Detective Duane Rasure, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, who he said "did not ask questions.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Death Threats

"Detective Duane Rasure accepted the statement that had been prepared for me — a statement claiming that I did not know details about Natalie Wood’s disappearance from the yacht," said Davern.

"Although I did want to reveal what I knew, I obeyed what had been asked of me."

The West Side Story actress' drowning was ruled accidental, at the time.

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In the aftermath of Wood’s death, Davern revealed that Wagner asked him to reside at his home and secured him a job as an extra on his TV show, Hart to Hart.

In his statement he wrote, "I joined the Screen Actor’s Guild which led to more general acting jobs in the following year that I was a guest/resident at the Wagner home. It was only a few months after Natalie’s death that Robert Wagner began dating.

"Within 18 months of Natalie Wood’s death, my conscience began to bother me over the way her death had been handled."

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Robert Wagner has issued the following statement about the new investigation:

"Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner  is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death."

RELATED STORIES:

'Robert Wagner Is Not A Suspect' In Natalie Wood Death Case, Say Police

Natalie Wood Case Reopened; Witness Fingers Hubby Robert Wagner

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Robert Wagner Told Drowning Natalie Wood 'Hold On, We're Coming To Get You' -- Secret Claim Of Witness


Posted on Nov 19, 2011 @ 03:00PM - 7 comments

By Dylan Howard - Senior Executive Editor, Star magazine

The woman who allegedly overheard screen siren Natalie Wood crying for help has claimed she also heard a slurring Robert Wagner tell a woman overboard "we're coming to get you."

Retired stockbroker Marilyn Wayne is considered a sensational new "ear witness" in the mysterious case. She was guest on an adjacent yacht, roughly 90 feet from the Splendour, the yacht on which Wood, 43, was cruising with her husband Wagner and actor Christopher Walken in 1981, just hours before her Thanksgiving weekend death.

While Wayne has yet to be questioned by Los Angeles police who announced last week they were reopening the three decade old cold case, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned they've been provided with a sworn declaration from her that reveals telling clues.

It forms part of what law enforcement has said is "substantial new evidence" that triggered their decision, but is not an indication of any wrongdoing on Wagner's fault.

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