Sylmar Man, Prostitute Convicted in Slaying of His Wife

A Sylmar man and his prostitute lover could face the death penalty after a jury convicted them Thursday of bludgeoning the man’s wife to death to acquire her assets.

Dennis Dawley, formerly a starter at the Encino-Balboa golf course, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation of murder.

Prosecutors said Dawley, 61, worried that his wife, Joan, would wipe him out in a divorce, killed her April 17, 1991 to gain control of two homes, various life insurance policies and a cash inheritance exceeding $100,000.

Brandita Taliano, a prostitute and heroin addict, was also found guilty of murder and conspiracy charges but acquitted of solicitation.

Beginning Monday, jurors will decide whether the pair should be executed.

As he heard the verdict, Dawley, who had testified in his own defense, stared blankly and put his head in his hands. Taliano wept.

During the three-month trial before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shari K. Silver, Dawley admitted his 35-year marriage had its trouble spots, but denied killing his wife, citing their mutual passion for bowling and gambling jaunts to Las Vegas.

But prosecutors painted a different picture.

Dawley, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert B. Foltz said, was worried he would be divorced after his wife acquired a house and cash from her mother in an inheritance. He initially attempted to pay someone $12,000 to kill her, prosecutors said. But when that fell through, Taliano and Dawley carried out the crime themselves, Foltz said.

Authorities arrested Taliano in 1991 but released her because of a lack of evidence. Later, a new scientific technique linked Taliano to the crime when her DNA was detected under the dead woman’s fingernails.

Circumstantial evidence supplied by Police Det. Paul Tippin showed Dawley had visited Taliano 14 times in jail before the slayings, and afterward put her up in hotels, claimed her as a dependent on income taxes and put her name on titles to property.

“Clearly there was a very bonded relationship after the murder of Joan Dawley,” Foltz said. “And there’s no explanation of that relationship except for the fact they were both involved in the murder. Each becomes bonded to keep the other from ratting them out.”

Defense attorney Rayford Fountain said he will concentrate on preparing for the penalty phase next week.

“Lawyers live with their client,” Fountain said. “The man that I know just doesn’t fit the kind of characteristics of someone who would do this.”

“I’m still stunned by the verdict.”