Until six months ago, David Westerfield hosted barbecues by his pool, fixed dinner in his remodeled kitchen and relaxed on white leather sofas in his four-bedroom house. Posted on 08/05/2002 8:59:13 AM PDT by FresnoDA
By Kristen Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 5, 2002
Until six months ago, David Westerfield hosted barbecues by his pool, fixed dinner in his remodeled kitchen and relaxed on white leather sofas in his four-bedroom house.
He ran a business from home, logging onto one of several computers. He took his plush motor home on trips to the desert, where his children and friends played on his numerous sand toys.
Today, his Sabre Springs home is on the market for $480,000 and his Toyota 4Runner, motor home and computers are in police custody. No matter what the verdict in his capital murder trial, life as David Westerfield knew it will never be the same.
After he was charged Feb. 22 with kidnapping and killing his 7-year-old neighbor Danielle van Dam, Westerfield was incarcerated in the 17-story County Jail in downtown San Diego. Because of security concerns, he was placed in isolation on the third floor, the building's medical unit.
His cell is equipped with the basics. A television is the only perk. The floors are cold, hard concrete. So are the beds. Three inches of mattress cushions his back at night.
The cell is painted white and furnished with a tiny, built-in desk, a urinal and a sink that doubles as a water fountain. On days when court isn't in session, Westerfield doesn't see much else.
"There's little opportunity for him to do anything other than watch TV or read," said Sheriff's Capt. Ken Culver, who runs the jail.
Westerfield has limited contact with anyone other than the guards. He can leave his cell, with an escort, to make phone calls, and he gets visitors several times a week.
During his incarceration, his attorneys and their staff members have met with him more than 50 times. He's had six sessions with a couple of psychologists.
He's allowed two 30-minute visits a week from friends and family. His sister stopped by 10 times, and his ex-wife and two children have visited at least a dozen times.
After visits, he returns to his cell, where he eats his meals, reads books, writes letters, watches television and sleeps.
Westerfield was moved into an isolation cell not as disciplinary action but because he was threatened. His first day in the facility, inmates drew pictures of him with a noose around his neck and screamed that they wanted him to die.
"Since then there have not been any issues with him," said Culver, who noted that Westerfield is respectful toward deputies.
Culver said it's unlikely that other prisoners know where Westerfield is. He showers alone and occasionally is allowed access to a gymnasium, also alone. He hasn't been outdoors since he was booked.
His life is not only restricted to his cell, it is tightly monitored. Deputies and video cameras record his every move.
Inmates are awakened at 4 in the morning, and breakfast is served within a half-hour so those with scheduled court appearances can be transported to courthouses.
Lunch arrives between 9:45 and 10 a.m. and dinner usually is at 4 p.m. The lights are out by 10.
Meals are produced en masse in an Otay Mesa facility and delivered to the Front Street jail. The meals, which range from fried chicken to casseroles, are reheated on individual trays in a big oven, the way airline flight attendants heat in-flight meals.
Westerfield's meals are delivered to his cell, while most inmates eat with others in central dining areas.
On court days, he changes into a suit, which sometimes has been dry-cleaned overnight.
Beneath his jacket, he puts on a metal waist-belt that has chains that cuff his arms. Then he is escorted from his cell to a pedestrian bridge that stretches from the County Jail through the old jail next to the downtown courthouse, and then to the courthouse.
During the trial, his restraints are unhooked. Westerfield sits at the defense table in a suit and tie, laughing occasionally at the judge's jokes and smiling or waving at friends who testify.
At lunchtime, when his attorneys, the jury and court staff head off to lunch, he's locked in a holding cell behind the courtroom and handed a jail-packed sack lunch. It's typically a peanut butter or bologna sandwich, an apple or orange and a drink.
After the court proceedings, deputies lead him back through the crosswalk to the jail.
When he gets there, he changes out of his suit and back into his blue jail uniform. Then he's led to the sparse, white cell that, for now, is home.
That always cracks me up.
I reckon that's just more disinformation put out by the Nancy Grace clones (or is it clowns?) in an attempt to influence the court of public opinion.
I think the motions are over, and Judge Mudd says NO to sequestering the Jury, but that if anything ELSE should happen before they go to deliberations, then he would reconsider.
I take it there are no more witnesses...UNLESS by some miracle they can deliver the summons to Barbra who might be hiding out in Mexico to avoid being served.. (I don't KNOW this for a fact, just kiddin...maybe..:~)
sw
sw
' ... Pfingst spoke with her for half an hour and had her interviewed by investigators. But she says a report generated from that interview—which she showed to San Diego Magazine—leaves out key parts of her story Further, Rooney says Pfingst told her the report would be turned over to Peyer’s defense attorney, Bob Grimes, and that she didn’t need to discuss “more than what’s on that piece of paper.”'
' ... In the report, Lafko writes that she and Beck’s attorney, William Bibb, “discussed the fact that Pfingst and Beck knew, at least during the [Peyer] trial if not before, that the clothing had been contaminated before it was sent to the FBI for analysis and that that fact had not been shared with the defense.”
The “clothing” in the reference was case evidence: Knott’s sweater and Peyer’s police uniform. ...'
Ms. Shenn, please report back to the stand for more questioning!
Indeed!
But according to Beth Karass, just now, we don't need to know anything except that Danielle's pressed out fingerprint, or hand print, as she is saying, is ALL we need to point to the fact that Westerfield kidnapped her, she was alive, and that he killed her.
With that, dear friends, I have to leave CTV now, and pray to the LORD that the Jurors aren't listening to that propoganda.
To JUDGE MUDD..."YOU are wrong, sir! Where else but Court TV or Rick Roberts can the Jury turn too? These shows have to get him convicted, it's their reputation, it's their purpose..get him convicted. They are giving out disinformation, exaggerating the evidence and paying little attention to the Defense... The Jury IS listening, God help you...Judge Mudd...they are".
sw
There is a whole list of items that the MEDIA and the POLICE spewed out to the public in efforts to (1)capitalize on the sensationalism and (2) Ensure the public that the police had found a scapegoat and the public could now relax and let their children back out on the streets of SD.
The fact that at the same time (JAN-FEB) a major CHILD PORN RING was uncovered in SD and Poway, and 2 of the major kingpins in it were arrested (one Jan 27th, the other Feb 18th) was kept fairly quiet.
There was traces of DNA found in her BED, that were not DW's. Matter of fact they remain UNIDENTIFIED.
Oh, are YOU really THE Palladin?
sw
There's no evidence they were filming Danielle undetected and selling this on the internet, or selling it to the 2 men arrested in SD and Poway for running a CHILD PORN RING.
There's no evidence that either of those 2 men (known for capturing little girls and raping them on video and selling the videos) decided to kidnap Danielle, then dumped her body just before police homed in on the second man.
There's no evidence that Damon was a major salesman/mule for Child Porn in his trips back and forth to Europe.
There's no evidence that police found trace evidence of Cocaine in the VD home, but were convinced by a certain retired policewoman and a certain PR team (both of which were at the VD's side from the first moment of this crisis) to ignore this.
There's no evidence that the parents were in any was responsible for knowing the whereabouts of their daughter.
There's no evidence the parents left their children unattended in the home while they were out working/getting pizza/buying drugs/having sex with their friends/going to paintball arcades.
If you are going to tell someone they are wrong, make sure you are right before you begin.
The DA and FresnoDA has nothing to do with the term District Attorney. OK~!
You are right in that swinging, in general, has nothing to do with DW's guilt.
Pot smoking has nothing to do with DW's guilt.
BUT, BOTH THINGS do relate directly to Danielle's disappearance and her parent's DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY for that.
If you think some total stranger got in, past the dog, Damon and the other 2 boys, and carried Danielle out of the house, then I can see where you get your conclusion.
If you go back and review all the testimony from the Prelim Hearing, and the TRIAL, and review the EVIDENCE, you will find that the parents were IRRESPONSIBLE. That it is possible neither were home for much of the evening and the daughter ran outside herself looking for them, or ran away from home.
You will see that the parents lied to police for 17 hours, during which, had they provided the TRUTH, their daughter could possibly have been found alive.
In short, rather than CHECK on their kids safety, the two parents were BUSY SWINGING and DOING DRUGS. NOW, you tell us, were the PARENTS responsible for their daughter? Were they acting RESPONSIBLE?
Just wanted to help you catch up to where most people who have really followed the case are.
sw
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