John Thomas Sweeney — born in 1956 and identified as the man who killed Dominique Dunne — turned 70 this year. Known as the “scalp hunter,” Sweeney remains alive and has been serving a life sentence after a 2011 conviction for multiple murders.
A recent investigative documentary from TMZ, titled “Killing a Movie Star: Grave Injustice,” has drawn renewed attention to the troubling circumstances around actress Dominique Dunne’s death. The film revisits the night of October 30, 1982, when Dunne lost her life during a violent altercation with her then-boyfriend, John Sweeney, at her West Hollywood residence.
Although Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, persistent questions remain about the full scope of his actions and whether the outcome reflected true justice. Through interviews and compiled evidence, “Killing a Movie Star: Grave Injustice” reopens scrutiny of the case and spotlights unresolved issues in the aftermath of Dunne’s murder.
Where Is John Thomas Sweeney Held in 2024?
He was originally incarcerated at a medium-security prison in Susanville, California, but was granted parole in September 1986 after serving just over three years of a six-and-a-half-year sentence.
Sweeney went on to commit further violent crimes and, in 2011, received a whole life tariff for the brutal murders of two women he had been involved with. One victim, US model Melissa Halstead, was found in a Rotterdam canal in 1990; more than 30 years after her death, her head and hands remain missing. A decade later he murdered Paula Fields, a 31-year-old mother of three, in London.
He is currently serving that whole life tariff in a high-security prison in the United Kingdom for these offenses.
How John Sweeney Went Underground After Prison
After serving just 2½ years for the fatal beating of actress Dominique Dunne, John Sweeney tried to put the episode behind him and return to everyday life. He went back to work as a chef in Santa Monica, California, but Dunne’s family, angered by what they saw as a lenient sentence, protested his employment and he was dismissed.
To avoid further attention, Sweeney adopted a new identity, changing his name to John Maura, using his mother’s first name as his surname. He then moved to the Pacific Northwest and found work as a chef at a restaurant in Seattle.
Dominick Dunne, Dominique’s father, remained vigilant and hired private investigator Anthony Pellicano to follow Sweeney’s movements. Although Sweeney attempted to conceal himself, the family’s efforts to track him continued.
