The judge in the David Westerfield trial rejected another defense request to sequester the jury but said he still considers it "a possible option." Posted on 07/30/2002 7:13:26 AM PDT by FresnoDA
By Alex Roth
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 30, 2002
The judge in the David Westerfield trial rejected another defense request to sequester the jury but said he still considers it "a possible option."
Superior Court Judge William Mudd said he didn't think it was necessary at the moment but has asked the county to prepare "a back-up contingency plan" just in case.
Westerfield's lawyers have asked several times for jury sequestration, and they renewed their request yesterday. Lead defense lawyer Steven Feldman said he worried that the jury might be affected by the publicity in the Samantha Runnion kidnap-murder case in Orange County.
Feldman cited comments made by Samantha's mother about Alejandro Avila, the man charged with kidnapping and killing the 5-year-old girl. In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Erin Runnion blamed her daughter's death on a jury that acquitted Avila of child molestation charges two years ago.
Feldman said he worried that jurors in the Westerfield case might hear about the interview and feel pressured to convict his client, who is charged with kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam of Sabre Springs.
The judge said he would remind jurors about news coverage they should avoid. He also said he talked to them about sequestration last week after receiving reports that someone in the media followed some of the jurors to their cars and wrote down their license plates.
"They're a hearty group and they didn't appear to be intimidated by what occurred, and I continue to believe in their integrity," the judge said yesterday.
With the trial in recess for a day, lawyers spent yesterday discussing legal instructions to give to the jury before they begin deliberations. It seems likely that testimony will continue into next week.
Prosecutors are expected to finish their rebuttal evidence today, at which point the defense will put on evidence to rebut the prosecution's rebuttal. One possible defense witness probably won't be called until Monday, Feldman told the judge yesterday.
You have to be kidding. BRENDA? The BIG FAT LIAR, IN COURT IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE, SWORN ON THE BIBLE, and STILL LIES OVER AND OVER? THAT BRENDA?
The Brenda who said her kids never were out by themselves, but the neighbors say different?
You believe what Brenda said if you want, you are only fooling yourself.
Brenda said Danielle never left the yard without permission, and had to be told her boys said that wasn't true. That Danielle and Dylen got over the fence and 'got in trouble' for it.
SO, BRENDA has shown a pattern of lying about KEEPING AN EYE on her KIDS.
AND if she let Danielle go to the park, and Watched her from the front yard, do you really think she could SEE what Danielle was doing? That far away?
However, the transcript does not indicate the MH was there during the times Brenda is talking about---is that testimony elsewhere? When is Brenda talking about and was Danielle alone? Did she meet a playmate at the park?
23 degrees Celsius, (1647.1 accumulated degree hours required)
All those that have said Danielle never went to the park by herself while the MH was there ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG, and they ought to have the guts to admit to it.
That was the INVALID conclusion.
HERE IS THE CORRECT one:
All those that have said there is NO WAY Danielle could have gone to the park by herself, and the MH have been there at the same time ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG, and they ought to admit it.
NOW, let's see if those posters can admit Daneille did go to the park unescorted, and could have been there at the same time the MH was there.
I'm still waiting for that testimony. The neighbor who saw the boy in front of his own house two weeks or so ago said he didn't cross the street but looked like he wanted to so she helped him.
Zero evidence van Dam kids running hither and yon unsupervised.
Zero evidence near, much less in, the MH.
mummilogist...skin can mummify in 24 hrs..slam dunk
Note--Like I predicted, he is calculating both the first bug guys dates and his own date by using temps from various places. But I suspect I will continue to be macked by those with superior knowledge and logic.
How precise is this number? This is an estimate. This data had limitations. Only maximums and minimums. We don't know what went on during the day. (Sounds like he was provided the golf guy's records rather than the National Weather Services' hourly temperature readings.)
Does not tell us when body arrived at Dehesa Road. NO way of knowing when body was dumped. Entomology is not a precise field.
Made similar calculations at Brown Field.
*This isn't all making sense to me. Anybody jump in and clarify!
I never made that claim. Only that its one more highly unlikely event.
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