Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood
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BEVERLY HILLS—Over the past months there has been a renewed interest in the life and mysterious death of Academy Award nominated actress Natalie Wood, who starred in films such as “Rebel Without a Cause,” “West Side Story,” “Splendor in the Grass” and as a child star in “Miracle on 34th Street.” Case expert and bestselling author Marti Rulli, who wrote the definitive book on Wood’s life, career and subsequent death spoke exclusively with Canyon News over the weekend about the case and this I decided since so many readers are interested in Marti’s expertise on the case, to let her speak directly to the readers about the case that has been a part of her life for nearly 30 years and then some.
Author Rulli is devoted to finding justice for Natalie, and she spoke candidly on the subject readers have been asking me about. Although they believe yacht captain Dennis Davern’s accounts of that evening Natalie died on November 29, 1981, they wanted to know what evidence he has to come forward and what case can he make about his belief that Wood’s death should be reinvestigated and the case reopened.
Q- You believe very deeply in the sincerity of Dennis Davern, and so do I. However, did you ever seek support for his theories? Did you ever wish to back up his statements, and if so, how?
A-“I am aware that in most states polygraph tests are not admissible in a court room. I wanted Dennis Davern to submit to a polygraph test not because I didn’t believe him, but to substantiate his account of Natalie Wood’s “mystery” death that makes sense. Robert Wagner’s and Christopher Walken’s accounts do not make sense, and as any courtroom judge will agree, when something doesn’t make sense, it’s usually not true. Thus, we went top of the line when we commissioned a polygraphist. I found Howard Temple’s listing at Accredited Polygraph Service, a member of the American Polygraph Association. He has worked in the private sector of the polygraph industry since 1971, including having conducted examinations for a wide variety of clients, including local, state, and federal law-enforcement agencies, an expert who appeared on several major television and radio news broadcasts, lectured at colleges, law-enforcement agencies, and private industry, and I knew we were in good hands when he first took the time to explain all criteria involved for achieving an accurate reading.”
Q-What did you talk the polygraphist Howard Temple about before he met with Dennis, and why do you believe Dennis is still fighting for Natalie after all of these years?
A-“Tommy, I told Mr. Temple we had tried for decades to get Dennis’s account to the public, hoping the authorities would then reopen the case, and that we were down to a book: it was the only way to bring Natalie Wood a modicum of justice. Mr. Temple asked why I never gave up, and it was Dennis’s answer that touched my heart, Tommy. Dennis said to me, ‘It’s the kind of story that never goes away. A year or two can pass, then, boom, there she is, walking down the dock, smiling at you when you’re ready to fall asleep, and you know you just have to do this for her.’”
Q-Marti, specifically what questions were asked of Dennis during his polygraph test?
A-“Dennis Davern’s full polygraph test and certified results are included in ‘Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour’ but the three most important questions asked of Dennis during his test were: (1) Did you tie the dinghy with two lines at the stern (rear) of Splendour after you returned from dinner at Doug’s Harbor Reef the night of November 28, 1981? (2) Did you hear Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood having a huge argument in their master stateroom that carried outside to the rear deck of Splendour near 11 p.m. on the night of November 28, 1981, and was Robert Wagner with his wife from his smashing of a wine bottle in the main salon until the time he told you she went missing? (3) Did you see or hear Natalie Wood in the ocean the night of November 28, 1981?”
Q-Amazing, Marti! What were his answers to these questions?
A- “Tommy, Dennis answered yes to the first two questions and no to the third, and passed, and also passed a lengthier test with Mr. Temple, one that includes intriguing, but non-interpretive facts about Natalie Wood’s final weekend. If Dennis had seen or heard Natalie in the ocean, he would have overrode Robert Wagner completely, but Wagner led Dennis to believe Natalie had left the yacht in the dinghy, and although that confused Dennis, he still insisted they call for immediate professional help, but Wagner insisted he needed to protect his image. My question has always been: What loving, caring husband would wait to search for a missing wife at sea, one known to be deathly afraid of water, and one who had never before taken the dinghy alone, even in daylight?”
Q-Marti, over the years I’ve heard almost every rumor and every bit of gossip about this case, that is still big news here in Hollywood as well as around the world. I even get emails from Australia about this case. Was Dennis actually on the yacht that night and the night before?
A-“Many people have a scenario for Natalie’s last moments, but Dennis was at the actual scene. All of his senses had absorbed what transpired that night. He witnessed with his eyes and ears everything that happened up until Natalie was no longer on the boat, and then he was the only person with Wagner until a call for help was placed hours later. Wagner poured him booze during the wait. Robert Wagner says in his book that Natalie was not in the room when he smashed a wine bottle in anger. Dennis ascertains she was in the room and passed on his polygraph test that Wagner smashed the wine bottle and accused [Christopher] Walken of wanting to bed Natalie, but with much harsher words.”
Q-I simply am perplexed by one thing. How long had it been since Natalie was last seen on the yacht until the call was placed reporting her missing?
A-“For close to 30 years, I have scrutinized every aspect and available witness involved in Natalie’s death. Recall varies from witness to witness but many facts line-up as well, and there is no denying there was over a four hour wait to call for professional help to find Natalie. That is the most unacceptable practice in maritime protocol that could ever exist, but the authorities never even asked why.”
Q-Why was there such an initial confusion in this case? It seems that it was an irregular investigation to put it mildly?
A-“In this era of accused killers writing books purporting, ‘If I did it, here’s how’ or defenders trying to sell us ‘Hellman Syndrome’ (meaning when drinking, truth is distorted by morning) as strewn throughout Gavin Lambert’s Wood biography, I felt satisfied after Dennis’s legitimate polygraph test that he sat for voluntarily. He is willing to submit to a polygraph for the LA County Sheriff, and he is the only person involved in the case willing to prove his account through official testing. If Detective Rasure had asked only one vital, immediate question, ‘Where was the dinghy tied and with how many lines?’ it may have eliminated the fabricated ‘banging dinghy’ theory from ever coming into play, leaving one last illuminating question: ‘Then why did Wood leave the yacht in a nightgown?’ That question may have led to exposing the true words behind the broken wine bottle episode and to more scrutiny of the lost half hour that became the mystery of Natalie Wood’s death.”
Q-This is definitely a fascinating investigation you’ve undertaken. Everyone has been under fire since that night. Roger Smith and Dennis Davern’s lives have never been the same, who else has suffered?
A-“The medical examiner’s office should have actually pursued a psychological report. We submitted a psychological review, composed by a licensed, clinical psychologist, along with our petition to ask for the case to be reopened. Back in 1981, the ‘weapon’ of an ocean seemed to negate a forensics pursuit, and Coroner Noguchi was put under fire for releasing facts, and subsequently fired for wanting to pursue Wood’s death. Not once since Dennis contacted me to reveal the shocking details of the night Natalie died, did I doubt him, but I looked objectively to substantiate his account. After his certified polygraph test, his truths converge with the conviction that I have done my utmost to tell his story and bring Natalie Wood the voice she was robbed of. Fact is, with a thorough investigation, we all may learn there really is no mystery behind Wood’s shocking death.”
Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern are shockingly loyal to the memory of Natalie Wood. When speaking with both Rulli and Davern, I get the sense that they are not about to give up. If the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department does not follow through by reopening this case, it is far from over when it comes to this duo. “Natalie’s memory deserves to be cleared Tommy. Her reputation is all she has left,” said famed author and devoted Natalie Wood follower, Rulli.
Watch Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern next month, on Saturday, November 26 when CBS’s “48 Hours” airs an in depth investigation into the death of Hollywood icon Natalie Wood.
Photograph is courtesy: Bobby Head/Link 81 Collection
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