Prosecution spent $270,000 on Westerfield case

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | 2/6/03 | San Diego Union Tribune

[Jaded]

SAN DIEGO – The District Attorney's Office spent nearly $270,000 prosecuting David Westerfield, including thousands for DNA analysis and expert witnesses, it was announced today.

Westerfield was sentenced to die for the February 2002 killing of 7-year- old Danielle van Dam.

The former Sabre Springs resident and neighbor of the victim is now on death row at San Quentin.

According to figures the District Attorney's Office released, more than $35,000 was spent on experts for Westerfield's trial, and more than $146,000 on DNA analysis.

More than $62,000 was spent on a telephone survey and a jury questionnaire review.

[Jaded]

Check this out.

[Jaded]

Ping

1500+ was getting a little long.

[demsux]

666 alert

[spectre]

$146,000 on DNA analysis? They sure looked at alot of stuff didn't they? I don't remember there being that much evidence, tho?

Just my 2 cents...:~)

[spectre]

Opps...MORE than $146,000. How much more?

sw

[demsux]

I thought they had their own lab?

[Jaded]

Here's the updated version:

By Alex Roth
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
5:40 p.m., February 6, 2003

Prosecutors spent nearly $270,000 convicting David Westerfield of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, according to the San Diego District Attorney's Office.

The office couldn't say where the Westerfield case ranked in comparison with the cost of other high-profile San Diego criminal cases in recent years.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who took office in January after defeating incumbent Paul Pfingst, said this is the first time the office has released such figures.

Death penalty trials are usually the most expensive to prosecute because of the legal complexities. These cases often have two phases: a guilt phase and a penalty phase.

The final figure of $269,746 doesn't include the salaries of the prosecutors and district attorney investigators involved in the case. It also doesn't include the money spent by police and other law-enforcement agencies who investigated the girl's abduction from her Sabre Springs bedroom in February 2002.

San Diego police declined yesterday to detail their expenses pending a request for the information under the state public records law, which the Union-Tribune has submitted.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Pettine said the final cost wasn't terribly high considering the enormous amount of scientific investigation involved in the case.

"We're also talking about the murder of a a little girl," he said. "How do you put a price tag on that?"

The biggest expense for prosecutors was DNA analysis, with the office spending $152,712, according to the figures. They also paid more than $62,000 to a jury consulting firm and more than $14,000 to a single expert witness – Bill Rodriguez, a forensic anthropolgist who provided an opinion about the girl's time of death.

The office spent thousands of dollars on meals, air fare and lodging for various witnesses.

Westerfield, a self-employed design engineer, was sentenced to death Jan. 3 for kidnapping and murdering the girl, who lived two doors away. He is being housed on death row in San Quentin State Prison outside San Francisco.

Westerfield, who sold his house to help pay his legal bills, ran out of money before the trial started. His legal bills were paid from public funds from that point forward.

The cost of his public defense has been ordered sealed by Superior Court Judge William Mudd. The Union-Tribune has asked the 4th District Court of Appeal to unseal those costs, but the appellate court hasn't yet ruled on the issue.

[Jaded]

They also paid more than $62,000 to a jury consulting firm and more than $14,000 to a single expert witness – Bill Rodriguez, a forensic anthropolgist who provided an opinion about the girl's time of death.

They have got to be joking. Paid 14K for Rodriguez.

[spectre]

"How do you put a price on that?"

Errr..Bush seems to think that malpractice suits, which could include loss of life, is worth $250,000 Max.

Natch, the lawyers are unhappy campers.

sw

[demsux]

Paid 14K for Rodriguez.

Didn't he say she could have died in January?

[countess]

More than $62,000 was spent on a telephone survey and a jury questionnaire review.

Hey, nothing like a custom-crafted jury to get you the verdict you want! Too bad Pfingst couldn't do this with the entire electorate.

[demsux]

I wonder if they ever did test the DNA from the course black hair found on her body...would love to see it checked against Avila, Rowland and Whitmore.

[demsux]

Oh, and Andy Kemal

[Commander8]

I don't mind that much money being spent putting away a sleazebag childkiller and putting him down like the sick animal he is.

[JudyB1938]

I am willing to accept the fact that man is guilty.

I am NOT willing to accept the selective testing of evidence.

[Jaded]

Others are just fine with it. Infact, others appaud minimum effort of the state of Kalifornia.

[demsux]

Here's a question for ya: I know that Barbara Easton was not called to testify, but why did she request not to be photographed? AND why did mudd consider the request?

The other pizza party people had to show their faces.

[Jaded]

Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe she has her reputation to think of? In the distance shot of her she looks rather like Howard Stern.

[demsux]

BTW, here are some UNDISPUTED FACTS: (hourly post time)

The parents lied to and misled police for the first 17 + hours after their daughter was reported missing....(Parents admitted on the stand to lying...TESTIMONY

A 60+ pound dog AND alarm system in the home...Fact..TESTIMONY

TESTIMONY revealed that the Van Dams were involved in wife swapping, with at least one occassion taking place in the master bedroom, just down the hall from Danielle's bedroom.

Damon Van Dam admitted having sex with Barbara Easton at Easton's apartment...Damon also admitted that Barbara Easton came up to the master bedroom, got on the bed and "cuddled" with Damon at about 2:00 am ON THE NIGHT DANIELLE DISAPPEARED....TESTIMONY

Two people at the bar, Cherokee Youngs (female) and Ryan Tyrol (male), complete strangers to the Van Dams, testified, under oath, that Brenda Van Dam invited them back to the Van Dam home ON THE NIGHT DANIELLE DISAPPEARED...they felt that it was for sex...btw, either Barbara or Brenda asked Cherokee "if she liked girls?"...TESTIMONY

The Van Dam's drug dealer and his ex-brother in law came over to the Van Dam home at about 2:00 am, after the bar closed...TESTIMONY

The bug evidence indicated that the body was placed at Dehesa Rd. closer to Feb. 15-16, than Feb. 2-4. Westerfield was under constant surveillance BEFORE the 4th...TESTIMONY by the man the prosecution originally had.

The lead detective was "not aware" that blood was discovered in the Van Dam stairwell and garage, until the preliminary hearing...TESTIMONY

A spent bullet shell casing was found on the floor of the girls room one day after the room was thoroughly searched...TESTIMONY

NO evidence of Westerfield in or around the Van Dam home...TESTIMONY

Unmatched DNA mixed with Danielles DNA on the cuff of her pajama's. Westerfield excluded...TESTIMONY

Unidentified fingerprint on bannister in the Van Dam home. Westerfield excluded...TESTIMONY

Unidentified hair on Danielle's body. Westerfield excluded...TESTIMONY

Pot use and drinking by the parents on the night Danielle disappeared...TESTIMONY

Location of body: somebody wanted this body found...not buried or hidden...an illegal dumpsite...more like a serial killer...Westerfield was all over the county and desert and could have buried her in the desert...CONCLUSION with merit.

International child porn ring broken up at virtually the same time as this event, with one of the perps living within walking distance of the bar, in POWAY...FACT but not testimony

[CW_Conservative]

More than $62,000 was spent on a telephone survey and a jury questionnaire review.

Feldman mentioned in his closing argument that some of the jurors noted during the selection process that they disagreed with the OJ jury and thought their verdict was wrong.

I wonder what they would think if they knew that the same lady(Jo-Ellan Dimitrius) that help OJ's lawyers pick that jury, was paid 62,000 to help the prosecution select them.

Dimitrius, along with Judge Mudd, are most responsible for this attempted kill. Mudd coddled that jury like a grandpa playing with his grandkids.

He needed to make sure that none of those jurors had their soon-to-be-forthcoming mental and/or emotional breakdown during the trial.