Lost In Paradise

Who Murdered A Beautiful Peace Corps Volunteer In Tonga?

(CBS)  Suddenly To'a, who recognized Priven, says the door opened, and Priven appeared at Gardner's front door, dragging her into the doorway. "He saw me. I know he saw me. But I just stand there and watch," he says. "Outside the fence. It was a full moon."

When Priven realized he was being seen, he dropped Gardner face down in her doorway and bicycled off through the rugby field and into the night. Left behind was a knife, as well as a flip-flop, a pipe, syringe and cyanide.

"What he had planned was to kill Deb and then to kill himself with the cyanide," says Weiss, who thinks Priven's plan was derailed when he saw To'a, who cried out for help.

Weiss says a Peace Corps driver asked Gardner who did this. The answer: Dennis Priven.

To’a’s family took Gardner to the hospital. The doctors did their best at the emergency room, but they couldn't save her. "She was perforated all through her body," says Weiss. "She was a mess."

Hons raced to Gardner’s house the minute he heard that Priven had hurt her. "I came to the door. It was open about two inches. The light was on. I pushed the door open. And there was blood everywhere," recalls Hons. "And it just shocked my soul. Then I saw Dennis’ backpack, his knife, his flip-flop, his glasses all in the blood."

Weiss says his initial reaction to the Peace Corps when they heard that Gardner's body had turned up at the hospital was basically, "We gotta find Dennis."

Everyone was out searching that night, scouring the island. They feared that Priven would kill himself next.

Weiss says Dennis went home, and tried to kill himself by taking painkillers. But in the early morning hours of Oct. 15, 1976, Priven turned himself in, and was charged with murder. "We’re approaching a moment where there is going to be the biggest crisis in the history of Peace Corps," says Weiss.

In Tonga, murderers hang. And what possibly could be more scandalous than for one volunteer to be hanged for the murder of another? "Mary [George] was hoping against hope that Dennis hadn't done it," says Weiss.

In fact, in her first telex to Washington that night, after Priven was in custody, George implied that Gardner's Tongan neighbors might be involved.

"Even after everyone knew it was Dennis, already that effort by the Peace Corps to put the blame somewhere else, and to make things go away," says Weiss. "That impulse has seized the Peace Corps within moments of Deb's death."

Later that day, a Peace Corps official from Washington contacted Gardner's mother, Alice. Gardner's parents were divorced, and her father, Wayne, got the news while moose hunting in Alaska. "He told me my daughter was dead," recalls Wayne. "But they didn't know how she died or what. ... I was in shock."

Hons was pressed into service to take her body home. "It obviously shocked me to even think of that," he says. "I felt Mary George would take her home or Mike or someone."

Gardner's ashes were scattered in the waters off Puget Sound, and shortly thereafter, George wrote Deb's mother, first offering condolences, and then urging sympathy for Priven.

Priven, meanwhile, was refusing to talk either to his lawyers or to the police. But his friends dropped by the jail frequently to chat.

[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!