Westerfield's Fate In Hands Of Jury: VERDICT WATCH BEGINS in Van Dam Murder Case

CourtTV ^ | August 8, 2002 | CourtTV

[FresnoDA]

Jury's hands After two months of hearing evidence, jurors have begun deliberating the fate of David Westerfield, who is accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam

[UCANSEE2]

So you're intimating that the blood could have come from another family member -- maybe Brenda had a nosebleed or a cut when she was dancing with him!

NOPE. I never said it WAS BLOOD. I said STAIN. Brenda, after a bottle of wine, one NEVERENDING JOINT, pizza, mixed drinks, shots, a RED BULL, more joints, could have left her DROOL on many places on DW's clothes, or in his SUV (the police found prints on DW's SUV that the judge SUPPRESSED from being brought into evidence in court. There were rumors BRENDA might have been in the parking lot in DW's SUV). SHe could have drooled on that jacket if it was laying in the SUV.

Was DW wearing it at Dad's ? I don't believe he was, but do we know? Where was it while he was at DAD's? We don't know.

You think it was blood, I say they never proved it was blood, they just PRESUMED it was cause it was a reddish brown color. (Ohhh, like pizza sauce or drool from mixed drinks. The test done only proved it COULD be BLOOD or it could have been a dozen other things. But it did contain DNA. Maybe Brenda's Maybe Danielle's, Maybe Dylans.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I am going by my own recollection but if anyone knows for certain if the jacket stain was a drop or a swipe please let us know. What was the exact wording to describe the stain?

This is one of the convenient "oops" by LE. Doggone if they didn't manage to forget to take a 35mm picture and only got a polaroid.

Without the clearer image, they were unable to determine in what manner it landed there. Didn't that work out well for them? Hmmmm????

[Green]

I have seen over and over on this thread people saying it was blood and others saying it wasn't positively identified as blood. Have you seen the transcript regarding this testimony?

[UCANSEE2]

What happens if you spill RED WINE on a GREEN JACKET?

What happens if you drool pizza sauce out of your mouth and onto a GREEN JACKET?

What happens if you drink a MIXED drink made with various LIQUORS and drool them out on a GREEN JACKET?

[sawsalimb]

Who knows if they would remember something like that with the volume of clothes that goes through a cleaners every day

Yeah-asking the counter people at a cleaning place if they remember a spot on a jacket strikes me as asking the kid at the fast food place if he remembers taking an order for fries. Kind of a stretch.

[Jaded]

Brenda has worn an orange sweater to court on several occassions.

[rolling_stone]

My recollection was it was a smear on the jacket about 1" LONG. there were 3 other spots and at least one of those was "blood" belonging to DW.

I thought the prints in the MH on the cabinet belonging to the victim were found before the body, can someone source the testimony on that? I do recall the MH was not completely checked for prints and the criminalist returned at a later date, but I thought DanielleVD's prints ere found the first time around.

When I go to a cleaners they always check for spots. And they are supposed to check after cleaning also. How did the criminalist spot them?

[small_l_libertarian]

or drool from mixed drinks

OMG. Brenda was drinking vodka and CRANBERRY. Are Red Bulls red?

[KnutCase]

You would get a muddy brown color if red wine spilled.....depends on whether it's a light wine like Rose or dark like Cabernet

[the-gooroo]

That's right, only the polaroid! This is unbelievable. I can't remember but did they say why they didn't follow the usual procedure of a 35mm photo?

[UCANSEE2]

What was the exact wording to describe the stain?

I don't know about the WORDING, but instead of taking a PICTURE with a SERIOUS CAMERA (like 35-mm) they shot the picture of the carpet stain and jacket stain with a POLAROID. We all know how POLAROID's come out with a purplish tint, and are not that good of definition, and there is no negative to use to BLOW UP or ENHANCE the photo.

Why did LE do this, when they KNOW what kind of CAMERA they are trained to use on IMPORTANT, CRITICAL EVIDENCE?

I see one answer, don't you?

[UCANSEE2]

Just wondering. Did it change your attitude about the FATHER OF THE YEAR, DAMON?

[KnutCase]

Cranberry would cause a brown stain on green jacket..plus, as you surmise, would also leave DNA if from Brenda

[rolling_stone]

You would get a muddy brown color if red wine spilled.....depends on whether it's a light wine like Rose or dark like Cabernet

How about Ripple or Thunderbird, that might be more along someone else's tastes, I hear they go well with pizza...

[Jaded]

I believe that was on the night of the 4th/morning of the 5th before it was impounded by the police. Hmmm.

[UCANSEE2]

I can point to TESTIMONY where witnesses Said BLOOD and got away with it.

We discussed this for hours on a previous thread.

We have posters who have expert knowledge in the testing of stains, blood, and they said the test done, HEMASTIX, would prove that a stain COULD be blood, or RUST, or about a dozen other things. The ACTUAL TEST that PROVES something IS BLOOD was not done.

The tests done at the VD home where there were BLOODSTAINS on the STAIRWELL, WALL, and on the CEMENT outside by the GARAGE, were ones that GAVE PROOF whether they were BLOOD or NOT.

[sawsalimb]

You would get a muddy brown color if red wine spilled

If a forkful of lasagna(or enchiladas,or roast and gravy,or quite a few other things I can think of)slipped and wound up on your jacket you'd also have a brownish stain. Or if you dropped a slice of pizza,and it landed wrong,you could get a brownish stain...

[CedarDave]

I didn't want to make it too obvious, but I guess it wasn't obvious enough. ;>)

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Brenda has worn an orange sweater to court on several occassions.

Thank you. Is it only me that thinks that Feldman was referring to her wearing an orange sweater in court and not at Dad's?

Somehow that was what I thought he was sayng when Mudd decided to jump in. I thought there was confusion as to what and where. Anyone else?

[KnutCase]

I'm not familiar with Ripple or Thunderbird....I only drink the good stuff. However, my knowledge of colors does not come from drinking, but from painting (I'm an artiste).