A California chef convicted of his wife’s murder shocked a parole board by admitting he killed and cooked her remains in a desperate attempt to cover up his crime.
Dawn Viens, a 39-year-old hostess at her husband’s restaurant, vanished without a trace in 2009.
Then-husband David Viens initially claimed his wife had left after a disagreement, but her abandoned car, unclaimed savings, and lack of contact with loved ones raised suspicion about her fate.
Investigators then found blood evidence in the couple’s home, and by early 2011 Viens was named as a person of interest in the case investigating her late wife’s disappearance. Hours after the news broke, Viens jumped off an 80-foot cliff in a failed suicide attempt.
David Viens gave a graphic confession during a parole hearing in late September as part of an unsuccessful plea for early release, the Daily Breeze reported. He provided chilling new details about the crime, claiming he acted out of panic and fear after finding Dawn suffocated following a drunken argument.
“I wasn’t trying to murder her,” Viens told the panel. “I was in a drunken rage in the cycle of domestic violence. And my actions — my careless disregard for her life — brought forth her murder.”
Viens admitted to killing and cooking her body over four days in his restaurant in an effort to hide evidence.
“For the longest time, I had convinced myself through denial that this was an accident,” Viens said. “But now that I understand that I was an abuser, that I was horrible, that I’m responsible for this.”
Despite expressing remorse and undergoing therapy in prison, the parole board swiftly denied his request for release, citing the calculated and grotesque nature of his actions.
“I’m ashamed of what I’ve done, but at least I’m not lying about it,” he said. “I know that the family needs closure. I didn’t have any diabolical plan to do this. I was in a panic and fear, and I regret doing it.”
Viens must wait three years before applying for parole again. Dawn’s family remains deeply traumatized and continues to advocate for Viens to remain in prison.
“I think if he’s trying to get penance for telling the truth or not telling the truth, I don’t believe a word he says,” David Papin, Dawn’s brother, said.
