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Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson, was found dead in a swimming pool at the home of her then-boyfriend, Don Bohana, in Ladera Heights, California, in August 1994. She was survived by her ex-husband and their three sons, TJ, Taj, and Taryll Jackson.
Dee Dee Jackson's reported cause of death was drowning in the swimming pool. The doctors had pronounced her dead before her sons could take her to the hospital. However, in November 1998, Don Bohana was pronounced guilty of second-degree murder of the 39-year-old.
Bohana was a Los Angeles-based businessman and a divorcee who reportedly began dating Dee Dee Jackson in 1994. The industrialist was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. However, despite serving 19 years of his sentence, Bohana maintained that the drowning was an accident and he did not murder Jackson.
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Speaking about their mother's death, TJ Jackson told ABC News 20/20 that it was their worst memory.
"I just had a sixth sense in my head, as if I knew already it was terrible and I knew already that my mother wasn't with us. It was just a nightmare. It's like a kid's worst memory," TJ said.
Tito Jackson married Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson in June 1972 at the age of 18. The couple divorced each other in 1988 after 16 years of marriage. The Jackson 5 member previously said of his ex-wife's death:
"They (his sons) said, 'Mom is dead.' It was just a sad moment, you know. It was just horrifying."
Tito Jackson passed away at the age of 70 on September 15, 2024, after suffering a reported cardiac arrest. His sons confirmed his death in an official statement on social media.
Tito Jackson and his sons believed Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson's death was not an accident
On August 27, 1994, Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson, was pronounced dead after reportedly drowning in a swimming pool. However, according to ABC News, Tito Jackson and the couple's three children immediately had questions.
Her sons reportedly refused to believe that Dee-Dee's death was an accident, claiming she was afraid of water. Tito Jackson also claimed his ex-wife was not a swimmer.
"My first question was, 'Drown?' What was she doing in the water? You know,'cause Dee Dee and I, neither of us swam. It points to a murder to me, in the first degree," Tito said.
The Jackson 5 member also alleged that the bruises and signs of struggle on her body indicated there were fights. Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson's younger son, Taj Jackson, agreed with his father.
"That [the accidental drowning] didn't line up with anything that we believed in knowing our mom and knowing how much she feared the pool," Taj said.
Jackson also claimed that Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson's then-boyfriend, Don Bohana, wanted her to help him with his alleged financial difficulties and killed her when she refused.
"She was a Jackson and that's what he knew," Tito Jackson said.
However, there was no substantial proof to confirm such a motive on Bohana's part, although the businessman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for his alleged involvement in Martes-Jackson's death.
Despite the verdict of his trial, Don Bohana maintained that the drowning was an accident and he did not murder Jackson. The industrialist reportedly began dating Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson in 1994. She was 39 years old at that time, while Bohana was 59. At the time of Jackson's death, the couple had been dating for 11 weeks, according to ABC News.
Bohana is currently in his 80s and has been denied parole four times since his conviction. During each hearing, Dee Dee Jackson's sons opposed his release. Yet, Bohana maintained he would never admit to killing their mother.
Since their mother's death, TJ, Taj, and Taryll Jackson have founded the Dee Dee Jackson Foundation. They conduct music therapy classes across the United States to honor her memory.
What did convicted Don Bohana say about Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson's death?
According to the documentary show Accident, Suicide or Murder, Don Bohana claimed he was drinking with Dee Dee Jackson by the swimming pool on the fateful night of August 27, 1994.
At around 11 pm, the couple had finished dinner. Bohana was drinking wine while Jackson had rum and coke.
"It was very, very hot, unusually hot in L.A. at the time. ... We'd go out, sit by the pool, have a couple of drinks. Delores would sometimes have a cigarette. It's very romantic," Bohana said.
At 3.30 am, Bohana called 911 to report an emergency. Former LA detective Robert Snapper claimed Bohana had slurred speech, indicating he was drunk. However, he was able to tell them Jackson's name.
Bohana claimed the couple had ended up in a hot tub, and Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson swam back and forth a couple of times before allegedly drowning. Bohana allegedly jumped into the water to rescue her from a 15-foot-deep pool.
"I jumped in, put my arms around her and then flipped her out of the pool. At that time, I started doing CPR on her."
The police found scratches on Dee Dee Jackson's face and breasts. She reportedly had three times the legal limit of alcohol in her system at the time of death.
Although Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson's cause of death was declared "undetermined" at first, further trials ruled it was a homicide. Don Bohana was charged with second-degree murder in 1998, but he did not plead guilty to this date.
