CORCORAN, Calif. — In a story that sounds like something out of a crime thriller, a former Southern California chef, David Viens, apologized at his parole hearing for the shocking murder of his wife, Dawn Viens. He admitted to killing her during an argument and later boiling her body to hide the evidence. Despite his apology, the parole board denied his release, and he will remain in prison until at least 2027.
David and Dawn Viens were married for about 15 years and ran a restaurant together. While David worked as the chef, Dawn managed the front of the house. Their marriage seemed normal to outsiders, but court documents reveal that Dawn had a drinking problem and used drugs, sometimes alongside David’s daughter from a previous relationship.
In October 2009, things took a dark turn. A neighbor overheard an argument between the couple and later saw Dawn leaving. David reportedly told the neighbor that Dawn had decided to leave him, blaming her drinking problem and her opposition to his restaurant business. He claimed she was heading to the mountains to live.
Not long after, David began telling others that Dawn had left town. He even sent text messages from her phone to her friends to make it seem like she had gone away. However, by November, Dawn’s sister reported her missing, and an investigation began.
The chilling details of what happened next didn’t come out until much later. During a drunken conversation with his daughter, David confessed that after an argument, he tied Dawn up in the living room and covered her mouth with duct tape so he could sleep. When he woke up the next day, she was dead, apparently from choking on her own vomit. Panicking, he hid her body in a closet before coming up with a horrifying plan.
David later admitted to detectives that he boiled Dawn’s body in a large pot over four days, mixed the remains with grease, and threw them out in trash bags. He also revealed that he kept her skull and hid it in his mother’s attic. This gruesome act earned him a conviction for second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
At his recent parole hearing, David expressed deep regret, saying he was ashamed of his actions and had learned through therapy that he was an abuser. He claimed he hadn’t intended to kill Dawn but acted out of anger and panic. “I wish I could undo the pain I’ve caused,” he said, addressing Dawn’s family directly.
However, Dawn’s family remains skeptical of his remorse. Her sister and brother pointed out the many conflicting stories David has told over the years. Even the parole board seemed unconvinced, with one commissioner calling his crime “callous and calculated.” They highlighted that he made deliberate decisions over several days to hide what he had done.
David’s next chance at parole will come in 2027, but for now, Dawn’s family continues to grieve the loss of a loved one in such a tragic and horrific manner.
