Husband accused as Natalie Wood death probe revived

In this 1980 file photo, actor Robert Wagner appears with actress Natalie Wood. Los Angeles sheriff's homicide detectives are taking another look at Wood's 1981 drowning death based on new information, officials announced Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. A yacht captain said on national TV Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, that he lied to investigators about Natalie Wood's mysterious death 30 years ago and blames the actress' husband at the time, Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California. (AP Photo, File)

LOS ANGELES — A yacht captain pointed the finger Friday at actor Robert Wagner over his screen idol wife Natalie Wood’s mystery death in 1981, as police re-opened a probe — but said her husband was not a suspect.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it had received “substantial” new information about the actress’s drowning — deemed an accident at the time — and assigned two murder detectives to revive the case.

The captain of the boat on which the couple were holidaying with a fellow actor said Wagner had a fierce row with his wife shortly before she vanished, and then delayed a search which could have saved her.

But Lieutenant John Corina, asked whether Wagner was a suspect, replied simply: “No.”

“Recently we have received information which we felt was substantial enough to make us take another look at this case,” he told reporters, adding that the two detectives were likely to talk to both Wagner and the yacht captain.

The death of the “West Side Story” and “Rebel Without a Cause” star at age 43 has long been a Hollywood mystery — but was thought to have been laid to rest, until Thursday’s surprise announcement that police were reviving a probe.

Then on Friday Dennis Davern, former captain of the “Splendour,” the yacht that Wood and Wagner were on along with actor Christopher Walken on the night of November 29, 1981, recounted his version of the fateful evening.

The former captain — who co-wrote a book about the death two years ago –described how Wagner had shown clear signs of jealousy over Wood’s friendship with Walken.

In an interview with CNN, he described how Wagner and Wood retired to their cabin and started having a fierce, noisy row, which they then continued on the yacht’s aft deck.

“Then it became silent. and when it went silent I thought, maybe things have smoothed over and they’ve gone to bed,” he said.

But when he went to check everything was OK, he came upon Wagner, who “said Natalie’s missing, would I search the boat?” After a while Wagner said that the yacht’s dinghy had gone.”

Davern said he suggested they turn on the searchlight, but Wagner refused — and waited at least two hours to try to get help. In the meantime he, Wagner and Walken agreed to lie to detectives about what had happened, he said.

When asked if he was pressured not to take steps to locate Wood, the captain told NBC: “Yes, we didn’t take any steps to see if we could locate her.”

And when asked whether he thought Wagner was responsible for Wood’s death, Davern said: “Yes I would say so, yes.”

Wood was found drowned about a mile away from the yacht. Police reports said she was wearing a nightgown, socks and a down jacket, and had multiple bruises on her body and arms and an abrasion on her left cheek.

A publicist for Wagner said Thursday his family supported the police probe , while warning against people “trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death.”

On Friday the publicist said Wagner would make no more comment.

But Wood’s sister Lana said she did not believe the actress simply fell to her death.

“I would prefer to always believe that (Wagner) would never do anything to hurt Natalie, that he loved her dearly, which he did. And I don’t believe that whatever went on was deliberate,” she told Piers Morgan on CNN.

But she said: “I don’t think she fell. I don’t know if she was pushed. I don’t know if there was an altercation and it happened accidentally, but she … shouldnt have died.”

The Sheriff’s Department declined to speculate further on what the investigation will bring.

“Her death was ruled an accident, an accidential drowning and that’s what it is .. If our investigation at the end of it points to something else, then we’ll address that,” Corina said.