Sam Perroni - Brainstorm: An Investigation of the Mysterious Death of Film Star Natalie Wood

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

ISBN: 978-1-63758-373-9

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-63758-374-6

Brainstorm:

An Investigation of the Mysterious Death of Film Star Natalie Wood

2021 by Samuel A. Perroni

All Rights Reserved

Editors: Julie Kastello, Milwaukee, Wis., and Paul Dinas, New York, N.Y.

Copy Editor: Kristine Krueger, Minocqua, Wis.

Page Design: Cheryl A. Michalek, Milwaukee, Wis.

Book Jacket Artwork and Website Design: Thoma Thoma, Little Rock, Ark.

Author Photograph: Stephen Thetford Photography, Fayetteville, Ark.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author.

Post Hill Press

New York Nashville

posthillpress.com

Published in the United States of America

I dedicate this book to my dear wife, Pat,

who spent many lonely hours without me

during a challenging time in her life.

She understood my passion for this work

and the measure of truth craved by me

and so many of Natalies fans.

Tempt not a desperate man.

Shakespeare

table of contents

This book owes its detail and accuracy to the blue-ribbon experts, former homicide investigators, private detectives and research assistants scattered from coast-to-coast, who dug as deeply as they could after so many years to find material witnesses, articles, and archived records and documents relevant to Natalie Woods death. They are Kevin Brechner, a relentless researcher and kind soul; Jan Morris, who volunteered countless hours and impressed me regularly with her communication techniques, detail and accuracy; Sherry Joyce, my former ace legal assistant, and her husband, John; Jade Vinson, my bright, young personal assistant who learned she has a knack for being a private investigator; Summer Pruett, my former secretary/personal assistant who skillfully churned out brief after brief in my CPRA lawsuits while navigating the mind-numbing morass of procedural rules in Los Angeles County; Diane Richards, a skilled research technician in North Carolina; Linda Hudson and Detective Tommy Hudson; Robert Pozos, Ph.D; Christina Stanley, M.D.; Jonathan Unwer, PharmD; Barry Jewel; and Bob Hardin.

I would also be remiss if I didnt extend my heartfelt appreciation to: Pamela Eaker, Paul Wintler, Curt Craig, William Peterson, John Claude Stonier, Ron Nelson, Doug Urata, Barbara Sherman, Karl Lack, Ron Hunter, Doug Bombard, Ginger Blymyer and Kitty Kelley; Marilyn Wayne, who persisted in the face of unjust law enforcement degradation to do the right thing; and Lana Wood, for helping me the best she knew how during a most painful time in her life.

Thanks to Dave Nath and Peter Beard of Story Films Ltd., two fine British movie producers who inspired me with their creativity and desire to achieve excellence and who focused my attention on several aspects of my investigation that would have been merely touched upon without their thoughtful insight; and Kiera Godfrey, Peter Beards better half, who was so supportive of this endeavor.

A special thanks to Brenda Longstreth-Cabral for her perfect transcriptions of taped conversations and videos, and to my dear friends Mary Ann Liscio and Hope Sunshine, who gave me so much encouragement and advice along the way.

I would like to acknowledge my personal editor, Julie Kastello, for her creativity and superb attention to detail; Paul Dinas for his invaluable suggestions and keen insight into how material should be presented to the reader; Kristine Krueger for her consummate copy editing; Cheryl Michalek, the best book designer around; and the Thoma Thoma marketing team led by the talented Shawn Solloway for a brilliant cover design and website.

Finally, my sincere gratitude to Katharine Sands, my wise and persistent agent who refused to give up; Beth Karas, a gracious and skilled analyst who always believed in me; and all of the dedicated people at Post Hill Press who tackled the difficult job of publishing this book on a decidedly abbreviated schedule, including my perceptive editor Debra Englander, who recognized the value of my work, and senior publicist Devon Brown, a proud Arkansas native with an eye for promotion.

My solitary mission writing this book was to help the public understand why events occurred the way they did in Natalies case so they could form their own judgments about them. If I make any money, I intend to give it to charity in Natalies memory.

Nearly 40 years have passed since beloved screen star Natalie Wood drowned off the coast of Catalina Island. And there have been very few days since then that I havent thought about what might have been. You see, my fianc, John Payne, my 8-year-old son, Anthony, and I were aboard Johns sailboat, Capricorn , which was mooredunbeknownst to usacross the fairway from Natalies yacht, Splendour, on the night she died. We did not know it at the time, but we were ear witnesses to some of the last terrifying minutes of her life.

Shortly before midnight on Saturday, November 28, 1981, John and I were awakened by a womans desperate cries for help. We could tell from her cries that she was in the water near Splendour , but it was too dark to see her. I wanted to jump in to find her, but John talked me out of it. In this skillfully written book, Sam Perroni explains in perfect detail our efforts to help the woman and how we thought she was being rescued by a man who said, Hold on. Were coming to get you. Her cries stopped a short while later.

But the end of the womans cries for help was not the end of the tragic incident for me. It was just the beginning. I was not prepared for what I would facesimply for trying to do the right thing. When John and I learned Natalie had drowned, we called the lead detective on her case to report what we had heard that night. He never bothered to call us back. I was insulted and angered that a detective would make no effort to contact me for more information. I felt dismissed as a witness.

So, I called the Los Angeles Times , because I believed someone needed to know what we had heard. It was only after the Times published my account that I was telephoned by a crime scene investigator from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. And the same day, an anonymous threatening note was left for me at my place of business.

During the LASDs 1981 investigation into Natalies death, no one ever took the time to talk to John or me in person or to determine if we were credible witnesses. In doing what good citizens ought to do, we were not only snubbed by the investigators, we were attacked by the lead detective as publicity hounds.

Those events fueled other challenges to our credibility over the years, including during the LASDs so-called reopening of Natalies case in 2011, which caused me to question ever getting involved.

Since 1981, every time the subject of Natalie Woods death comes up in public, I become uncomfortable and nervous. It wasand still isso surreal, confusing and frightening for me. However, my willingness to write this Foreword stems not from my desire for you to believe my personal account. Instead, I seek to encourage others similarly situated to press for the truth no matter how difficult it may become.