Lost In Paradise

Who Murdered A Beautiful Peace Corps Volunteer In Tonga?

(CBS)  Priven so wanted to impress her that at one point, he surprised her with an intimate, and unwanted, candlelight dinner. "Eventually, Dennis made a clean breast of all his deep feelings for her, feelings which she did not reciprocate," says Weiss. "She ended up leaving there in a hurry. She was very upset."

"She was sad," adds Bevacqua. "'I wish he wouldn't do that. He just didn't seem to understand. Nothing's gonna happen.' "

But Priven just wouldn't take the hint. He started hanging around the Peace Corps office at about the time Gardner picked up her mail. He would follow her occasionally. And he'd even show up, uninvited, at Tonga High School, where she worked.

Was Gardner afraid of Priven? "Yeah," says Telehiva Hive, a fellow teacher with Gardner. "I think that I can say that she was."

Friends had begun to notice changes in Priven, and some, including Hons, were concerned enough to alert the Peace Corps director of Tonga. "I went and talked to her about it, that I thought he might be losing it a little bit," says Hons.

But the director of the office, a 47-year-old ex-model and political appointee named Mary George, did nothing.

Friends say Gardner requested a transfer off the main island, partly to get away from Priven. Priven, however, wanted another year in Tonga, partly to be near Gardner. Whatever her understanding of the situation, George said no to both requests.

Then, the Peace Corps party, on Oct. 9, soon turned into a wild night. Many volunteers got drunk, including Gardner, who left the party with Hons around 10 p.m.

"We walked the bikes home, and I don’t know for a fact, but I think Dennis followed us home," recalls Hons. "I don’t know if that was a turning point, but he was angry about it. I was with her, I guess, and he wasn't."

Volunteers noticed that Priven was slowly beginning to unravel days after the party. And even George noticed. Weiss says that George had turned down Priven for a third year: "He felt that Emile, his good friend, had taken advantage of Deb, and Deb had continued to turn him down. He snapped."

On Oct. 14, 1976, Wilson remembers seeing Priven at school. "He just looked pale and looking away, and just gone," she says.

That evening, Bevacqua remembers being outside the town movie theater when Priven rode up on his bicycle: "I remember walking back into the theater and saying, 'Boy, I just had one of the weirdest conversations with Priven I ever had.' ...Something spiritual. It just gave me the creeps. And off he went."

Weiss says that evening, Priven found his way to Ngele'ia, Gardner's village outside of town. Priven was armed with a metal pipe, a syringe, two bottles of cyanide, and his 6-inch diving knife.

"It would have been around 9:45 that night. Deb had put on her white nightdress. She was preparing to go to sleep. And Dennis appeared," says Weiss. "He went berserk. He hit her with a metal pipe and then just started stabbing her."

Gardner fought for her life. Priven stabbed her 22 times and began to drag her body to the door, at which point her screams had called the neighbors from the bush.

"I heard a scream. I know there’s something happening in there," says To'a Pasa, who was just 15 at the time of the murder. He came running from his house across the road. "I was very scared. I was thinking to myself, 'There is someone there inside trying to rape her.' "

[wildal33]

this is so horrible and carma is a b,,,h and will catch up with him,the thing is thats not very good on her parents having had to go thru losing a daughter and having to live with the fact that he got/gets to walk around and live his life after taking Debs .shame on them all..cant imagine anyone being shocked at our gov and the way they handled it ..shame on them too..they have one set of rules for all us and a seperate set for them....

[neo267-2009]

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

[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...

[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.

[holmeskj]

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

[wyo-kid]

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

[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.

[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.

[dmotte]

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

[wildal33]

who did you murder and get away with,,,from your coment sounds like something heartless you might do .....

[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.

[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...

[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.

[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.

[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!