Lost In Paradise

Who Murdered A Beautiful Peace Corps Volunteer In Tonga?

(CBS)  This story originally aired Oct. 23, 2004. It was updated Jan. 24, 2008.

The isolated South Pacific island nation of Tonga is a kingdom unto itself. It's 6,000 miles from the California coast, 2,000 miles east of Australia. It's a sleepy, peaceful place with a unique culture.

Tonga prides itself in being the only South Pacific island group never colonized by a western power. There are a lot of western influences though, chief among them, the Peace Corps, which has operated in Tonga for decades.

In late 1975, a young Peace Corps volunteer named Deb Gardner arrived in Tonga, and so began a story of adventure and love and ultimately, of murder.

Correspondent Susan Spencer talked to many people who still remembered the night of Oct. 14, 1976, when Gardner was stabbed to death in her hut. Those who weren't around then have heard the stories told and retold.

But the truth about what really happened to her, and to her killer, has taken a long time to emerge.

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"At some level, I don’t believe she’s gone. To me, it’s like this person is still, it just happened," says writer Phil Weiss, who first heard rumors of the murder in the late '70s, while backpacking in Samoa. It haunted him, until finally, in 2001 he began researching his book, "American Taboo."

"It became everything to me. I decided that I was gonna drop everything and find out what happened to Debbie Gardner," says Weiss. "At some point, I went through the looking glass on this thing."

Weiss quickly discovered that he wasn’t the first man to have had that reaction to Gardner. Fellow Peace Corps worker Emile Hons remembers the very moment in December of 1975 when he first laid eyes on her at a welcoming ceremony for her group of new volunteers.

"When she smiled, you had to smile," says Hons. "You didn't necessarily know why she smiled, but you were forced to smile."

Frank Bevacqua, a fellow Peace Corps worker, also dated Gardner for a time. "There was just something about her that wanted you to be around her," says Bevacqua. "She just made you feel like the world was a better place to be in because of her."

Weiss says that every guy in the Peace Corps wanted to go out with her. "But I think she had to turn a lot more away," he says. "It was the 1970s, too, and there was a lot of sexual pressure on the young women."

Gardner was outgoing and friendly, but as a science major from Washington State University, Weiss says, she also had a serious side. To get closer to the culture, she chose to live in a Tongan neighborhood outside of town, in a simple one-room house.

"She enjoyed more of the village life," says Weiss. "She had a good relationship with the Tongan families across the way. She liked decorating her house with Tapa cloth and woven mats from the market."

She also loved her Peace Corps job, teaching science at Tonga High School with fellow teacher Telehiva Fine. "You’re like sisters, sort of, and then, I think, seeing that she accepted us, we accepted her. She was just one of us," says Fine.

But after roughly six months on Tonga, Gardner was beginning to have problems - among them, another Peace Corps volunteer, Dennis Priven.

"Dennis was very shy, very intelligent," says Weiss, of the 24-year-old Brooklynite. "But a lot of people found Dennis to be weird, introverted, bizarre."

"He was really intense. He was a combination of a kind of New York aggressive, and quite shy," says Barbara Wilson, who went through training with Priven. "He sometimes offended people, not from any desire to offend people, but because he really didn't care what they thought."

He also had one trademark quirk: a 6-inch diving knife, usually strapped to his belt. And it was soon clear that Priven had a crush on Gardner.

[lauraparis22]

I am shocked by the response of the Peace Corps to the murder of Deb Gardner and wonder .... if it had been Deb who murdered Dennis, would it have been so easy for them to sweep it under the rug?

What kind of response is, "I''m very sorry for the pain of Deb''s family..." but her murderer is one of us? A "death in the family?" Not, "a MURDER in the family?"

Join America''s PEACE Corps: Where PEACE is more important than LIFE and you can MURDER with Impugnity!

[foop3]

As far as I am concerned the Gardiners should be suing the government and specifically Mary George and Dennis Previn.
The government hired him at Social Security after knowing he was a murderer.

[holmeskj]

I helped carry Deb Gardner''s casket to the plane. I was in Dennis'' PC group. I lived 12 miles out of town & came in for weekends & was friends with everybody. I knew Deb & teased her every chance I could. She had an infectious personality that charmed you.I and my friends grieved long & hard for Deb & loathed Dennis, Mary George & PC/DC. We were shocked when Dennis left Tonga. He broke no other law but a Tongan law & got away with murder. 2 days after I helped put her body on that plane, I was standing infront of Viaola Hospital at night talking with another PC (Rich Danforth)about her.Suddenly a chill went up & down my spine. Rich felt it too. In my heart of hearts I know it was Deb saying good bye. I am now crying on this keyboard. Time dampens but does not heal old wounds. Emile Hons & Frank Bavaqua are 2 great guys. Dennis should be extradited back to Tonga for breach of contract with the US Gov''t. No justice for Deb Gardner while Privin goes free.

[skyhag1]

This is a travesty of justice. The PEACE Corp? I cannot believe that this government would front a top-notch defense lawyer for this scum-bag murderer.
That poor woman, and her poor family. This makes me physically ill...

[om8130]

This story is so disturbing on so many levels. it is obvious many people today are still impacted from this situation. If you ask me, Mary George has blood on her hands as well for covering up for this monster and not sending him back to the US before anything happened. Once she saw he was disturbed he should have been returned for a mental evaluation and not allowed back in Tonga or near Deb. He will get his just dues and she will get hers. Deb''s parents should take legal action. Thank you for revealing this story. Rest in peace, Deb.

[om8130]

This story is so disturbing on so many levels. it is obvious many people today are still impacted from this situation. If you ask me, Mary George has blood on her hands as well for covering up for this monster and not sending him back to the US before anything happened. Once she saw he was disturbed he should have been returned for a mental evaluation and not allowed back in Tonga or near Deb. He will get his just dues and she will get hers. Deb''s parents should take legal action. Thank you for revealing this story. Rest in peace, Deb.

[dmotte]

This happened a long time ago so let the man live in peace and get on with your pathetic lives.

[dfjones_usa]

A murderer should never be allowed to ''live in peace''. I don''t care who he killed, or how long ago, he killed and has never had to face the consequences. Instead, this murdering gov''t employee was given a cushy gov''t job! Deb Gardner didn''t have the opportunity to live in peace, and neither did her family, or any of the many who were touched by her. They still grieve. The passage of time doesn''t mitigate a brutal murder.

[dfjones_usa]

A murderer should never be allowed to ''live in peace''. I don''t care who he killed, or how long ago, he killed and has never had to face the consequences. Instead, this murdering gov''t employee was given a cushy gov''t job! Deb Gardner didn''t have the opportunity to live in peace, and neither did her family, or any of the many who were touched by her. They still grieve. The passage of time doesn''t mitigate a brutal murder.

[expeditor1]

I cannot believe the post by dmotte. If that were your daughter you would have a different attitude. CBS please post the address Dennis Previn.I would like to follow him and haraas him as he did Deb. What my government did makes my skin crawl.

[wyo-kid]

Dennis Previn should have done the right thing and killed himself.

[holmeskj]

Kapau teke ilo a lea ko eni, pea tala mai.

[jbellor]

I was in the Peace Corps in 1974 in El Salvador. I remember a briefing we had, where a Peace Corps official was explaining about what to do if any of us got into any "bad" trouble during our time in El Salvador. His words were "get to the American Embassy ASAP". He said it didn''t matter what you had done, even murder, they would get you out of the country. We didn''t think much about it at the time, but I guess they were serious.

[molo4]

This is not justice.....

In my opinion... This cases should be reopen once again in Tonga. I fell sad about this, And my heart goes out to Deb''s Family. I am from Tonga, I believe that this person who did this to Deb. He will be ill for long-time to come...

[neo267-2009]

None of these people would have gotten away with it if she had been my daughter or friend.