Poltergeist actress Dominique Dunne had a promising career in Hollywood, but her life was tragically cut short when she was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend at the age of 22. After meeting John Thomas Sweeney, a cooking hand in LA, at a party in 1981, the two quickly struck up a romance and moved in together. But after John became extremely controlling and physically abusive toward Dominique, she attempted to leave him a few times before eventually reconciling. After a heated argument in 1982 in which John attempted to strangle her, the actress managed to sneak out of their home through the bathroom window and ended the relationship for good.
However, just a few weeks after their split, Dominique was going over lines for her new TV show, V, with fellow actor David Packer when John showed up at her home. She agreed to speak with him on her porch while David remained inside, and the two began to argue. David then left the house through the back door and saw John strangling Dominique in nearby bushes when he approached the driveway. John told David to call the police, and after they arrived, he told them he killed his girlfriend. Dominique was taken to a nearby hospital, but her family eventually decided to take her off life support when her brain failed to show any activity. A jury acquitted John Sweeney of second-degree murder but found him guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after serving just a little over three years.
