Imagine being David, a 15-year-old kid growing up in Southern California. You’re already typically confused because, well, you’re 15. You’re an only child. Mom and Dad have divorced, resulting in a joint custody situation, adding to your confusion. Mom is dating again, and her current boyfriend doesn’t seem to be a good dude. Your only solace is music.
Then one morning in late February 1983, you’re sick in bed and home from school. Mom is out for a morning jog. That’s when you hear someone breaking into the house.
When you get up to look, you’re confronted by someone pointing a gun at you—someone you know. You’re handcuffed and locked in the bathroom. When Mom got home, she had an argument with the gunman.
Before he took off, the guy let Dave out of the bathroom and said, “Don’t say anything. Keep your mouth shut—or else.” And then he left. Young Dave was terrified, so he kept his mouth shut.
But that wasn’t the end of it. A week later, this same guy returned to the house and shot David’s mom and her best friend dead. He then went on the lam for nearly a decade.
The trauma that David experienced was unimaginable. Even though he grew up to be the guitarist for Jane’s Addiction, one of the iconic alt-rock bands of the late ’80s and ’90s, processing what happened on that day in February 1983 sticks with him to this day.
This is episode 49 of Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry. And this time, it’s all about Dave Navarro and his witness to murder.
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