Van Dam Case Witness Challenges Findings Of Defense 'Bug Expert': But...His Testimony Don't Add Up..

Union Tribune ^ | July 31, 2002 | Jeff Dillion

[UCANSEE2]

I can think of only one reason those blue fibers .....Well, that has become obvious.

So, DW wraps Danielle in a blue blanket, making sure he drags it all over his own house first, then takes it out to the MH to wrap Danielle in after he kills her. He makes sure to spread the fibers from it all over the MH, and yet not get any blood or DNA anywhere (except 1 drop by the bathroom and 1 on his jacket). He does this while still drunk, BTW.

He drives around with a DEAD/ALIVE Danielle all weekend in the MH and she leaves 1 print in the MH and 1 hair.

On the way home, he dumps her body at Dehesa Rd, then comes home. The police have overwhelmed the neighborhood and DW can't get the MH back home, he has to park it a block over. BUT, he carries the blue blanket back (in front of the police) takes it home and washes and drys it.

Then he carries it back past the police and takes off in the MH and destroys this blanket, his boots, and other misc items to cover himself.

[pinz-n-needlez]

I think you solved the case, U!

[KLT]

ROTFLOL...from Hawaii huh...maybe he got some of those STDS Hawaii is so famous for, and his brain went limp...

BWAHAHAHAHA! Sometimes, I crack myself up.....

[demsux]

Hi Kim,

I was gone all afternoon (golfing, again), and I was reading through the earlier thread, got to about post 300+ and got tired of the banter.

Can you give me a "thumbnail" of today's testimony?

And then, can you ping the DW apoligist of your choice to give his/her side of the testimony?

I really think that would be an ideal way for me and others, that missed today, to get a "feel" for today's testimony.

[KLT]

Either Westerfield is the stupidest man on Earth...or somehow...you got your facts wrong...Hmmmmmmm. I believe your order of said events are wrong...You can mix that around any way you want...the evidence is still there..

[spectre]

Hold on, FRES...just count to ten, take a deep breath. It won't be much longer now. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Now, OTOH, if the urge gets the best of you (we're only human, sigh)...GO FOR IT..with my blessing, dear boy.

sw

[demsux]

I'm back to reading todays thread, sounds like there was some "Feldmanizating" going on with regard to the math errors...was it as bad as it sounded?

[KLT]

Anyone notice any cheese on this thread....Ooops did I say cheese...This is a cheese ping....

[spectre]

Oh noooo, not the cheese thread!

dem, Feldman was brutal. He caught Goss in 5 Mathmatical errors and reduced him to what I can only describe as a "slinky"..

Of course, most of the VD groupies think Dusek won the day..no surprise there.

Feldman won, IMHO, when he caught the fuzzy Math errors, and said "Whoops"! Too cute.

sw

[juzcuz]

Danielle's necklace--

Brenda's PH test.
Q:"....did she wear any jewelry?"
A:" About two years she had a necklace on that was brown, stretchy, loops.

Q:"How about the necklace, how often would she wear that?"
A: "She never took it off."
Q:" Did you make her take it off?"
A: "No"

For -TWO YEARS- Danielle wore that necklace--she never took it 0ff Since she was 'FIVE". This means that Danielle never washed her neck under that necklace since she was 'FIVE'.... I'M APPALLED THAT A MOTHER WOULD ALLOW HER CHILD TO GO FOR TWO YEARS WITHOUT A COMPLETE BATH...

[Spunky]

For -TWO YEARS- Danielle wore that necklace--she never took it 0ff Since she was 'FIVE".

Can you believe only one orange fiber and a strand of her hair was found tangled in it?:-)

[Spunky]

From yesterday's hearing:

MR. DUSEK: 2.06 WOULD BE THE HIDING, DISPOSAL, GETTING RID OF, TRYING TO GET RID OF, THE BLOOD EVIDENCE ON THE JACKET, TAKING IT TO THE DRYCLEANER'S, TRYING TO CLEAN THAT UP.

In what context was Dusek saying all this? I remember the lawyers and the judge discussing the charges. Feldman wanted a 2nd degree charge as a choice and the judge said No!

Then I remember them talking about when Goff was going to be there, how long his testimony would take and when would Feldman be ready for his rebuttal etc.

[juzcuz]

They found one orange fiber- tangled in a wad of hair around the necklace. She also had 20 RED nylon fibers found in her hair....

[cyncooper]

In my post I said: "But look for Dusek to argue that DW destroyed the source. From yesterday's hearing:"

Then I inserted Dusek's comments.

The context is he was telling the judge his argument regarding these items as they discussed what jury instructions will be given. So I was saying "this is what he'll be saying in closing argument".

[cyncooper]

Feldman wanted a 2nd degree charge as a choice and the judge said No!

Also, Feldman wants a 2nd option for the jury of first degree premeditated without the kidnapping charge. Judge said "no".

[FresnoDA]

WHOOPS!!!!

Updated 6:40 pm

Expert contradicts others, self
 WITH VIDEO
An insect expert testifying for the prosecution in the Westerfield trial says flies could have colonized Danielle van Dam's body sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14, far earlier than defense witnesses have estimated – then admits some miscalculations.

By Jeff Dillon
SIGNONSANDIEGO

July 30, 2002

Union-Tribune

Dr. M. Lee Goff

An insect expert testifying for the prosecution in the David Westerfield case said Tuesday that flies appeared to have colonized Danielle van Dam's body sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14, far earlier than defense witnesses have estimated.

Under cross-examination, however, defense attorney Steven Feldman questioned Goff's numbers and got the expert to admit he made some miscalculations.

M. Lee Goff, an entomologist and chairman of the Forensic Sciences Department of Chaminade University in Honolulu, said his review of the crime scene photos, morgue photos, weather reports and other evidence suggest that Danielle's body was exposed to insects as early as Feb. 1 and no later than Feb. 14.

"We're working on an estimate. We're not running a stopwatch here," Goff said.

The defense has contended that there was no way Westerfield could have placed the victim's body where it was found in the East County community of Dehesa, because he was under close surveillance by police beginning Feb. 5.

[John Jamieson]

That was the orange fiber that "covered" Danielle's body according to Nancy Gross?

[John Jamieson]

I'd say that DW has something orange in his home, unless you know the exact source.

[bolthead]

Looks to me like some people have had to resort to grasping at fibers.

[shezza]

You know something that kind of "bugs" me? Why is it that forensic specialist Tanya Dulaney says "20 to 30 fibers found in Westerfield's washer, 50 to 100 found on top of the washer, another 50 to 100 in his laundry, and 10 to 20 found in the bedding in his master bedroom"?

If she's a specialist and this is evidence, why can it not be "26 fibers found in the washer, 64 found on top of the washer, another 53 found in his laundry, and 17 found in the bedding"? Did she just get tired of counting, or did she look at a little baggie in which tiny fibers were collected and make a "best judgment" estimate of the numbers? I would think precision would be a little more impressive than generalities. But that's just me.