Ellen Griffin Dunne

Diagnoses

Vocation

Family

American actor and activist who founded Justice for Homicide Victims after the death of her daughter, actress Dominique Dunne. In 1989, she was recognized for her advocacy work by President George H. W. Bush. Griffin met Dominick Dunne in Hartford, Connecticut. The couple married in 1954 at Griffin Dunne's family ranch. They lived in New York City and then relocated to Beverly Hills. The couple had five children, three of whom survived infancy, including Dominique Dunne and Griffin Dunne. The couple divorced in 1965. The couple's daughter, actor Dominique Dunne, was murdered by ex-boyfriend John Sweeney at her home in October 1982. He choked her and attempted to kill himself. Sweeney was arrested and Dunne was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was placed on life support immediately and never recovered. She was removed from life support by her parents on 4 November 1982, aged 22. On 21 September 1983, Sweeney was acquitted of second-degree murder and instead, he was charged with voluntary manslaughter. Dunne's family protested the verdict as an "injustice." One year later, Griffin Dunne and Marcella Leach founded California Center for Family Survivors of Homicide, a victim's rights group. Now known as Justice for Homicide Victims, the organization supports victims of homicide with legal support and navigation, counseling and referrals, and financial assistance. Griffin Dunne suffered from multiple sclerosis starting in the early 1980s. In 1990, she left Beverly Hills and relocated to Nogales, Arizona where she built a home on the site of her parents' former ranch. She died in Nogales on 9 January 1997, aged 64. Link to Wikipedia biography