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

[KnutCase]

I don't have a home page. Don't know how to set one up. I do not know much about operating these things.

[alisasny]

I know in my heart that the parents of Danielle did not kill her.

I am sorry that they had a dubious life that even opened them up to question.

[UCANSEE2]

Isn't it obvious that these stains were put on the jacket well after the disappearance of Danielle, and in fact after the jacket was cleaned and returned to DW?

That is what I have been saying.

BUT, another possibility is that the DRY CLEANING place is CRAPPY. That the clerk LIED, or DOESN'T Remember, or didn't want her boss to know she doesn't really check the garments.

Maybe she was STONED!

The reason I would BUY into the Stains having been there is that ONE was DW's Blood (at least they say so, we don't know for sure) and DW did have scrapes on his arms from trying to get the MH unstuck.

[small_l_libertarian]

I hope there's at least one juror who's just like you - who after hearing all the prosecution has to say and all the defense has to say, still says "I haven't made up my mind." Reasonable doubt. I have plenty of it.

[NatureGirl]

I can't remember but did they say why they didn't follow the usual procedure of a 35mm photo?

Feldman asked this on cross. The specialist said that they had been told to use a different procedure for this case. Apparently, there had been a memo sent around. The implication was that superiors wanted them to be extra-careful when doing their job, but told them that polaroids instead of 35 mm would be okay. Why? Why, if you're trying to be really careful in a high-profile case, would you use sloppier methods??

[Lucky]

You reminded me of the insurance money...so there is one other theory I've been thinking about....I almost hate to say it, but...maybe Damon planted these things ahead of time....possible or not?

[CedarDave]

Sounds like Danielle had a lot of friends over (children
friends, kids who sneeze, drool, even bleed on occasion -- in other words, typical kids).

[UCANSEE2]

I'm still wondering how forensics found the stain.

That I don't know.

[crystalk]

Yes, see my subsequent posts esp #538. The stains seemed to be on there when the LE forces got the clothing, but had not been on there before-- it had just come from the cleaners.

Of the three spots of apparent blood that the LE clerk saw before doing anything, only one was Danielle's and IIRC it was never det. whose the others were.

[UCANSEE2]

I could be wrong here, but I thought the drycleaning was never picked up by DW, I though that LE picked up the cleaning. Anyone? What was the timeline here?

No, YOU IS RITE!

[crystalk]

Apparently her panties were in immed assoc with the pjs and obviously had been worn by her on the night in question. There was a substantial body-fluid stain in the crotch of these panties, not blood, urine, or feces. It was indicative of a vaginal discharge. [That in turn in a 7-yr-old is often taken as evidence of molestation.]

It was THIS STAIN which was used as the basis for all later determination of Danielle's DNA being found here or there, blood or whatever.

In theory, if these panties could have been someone else's, or the vaginal discharge someone else's, the whole thing could have been fooled.

[UCANSEE2]

"Well, they were all the same, it wasn't possible to prove it was DANIELLE's only, it could be Brenda's, but that would ruin our case, and I wouldn't get paid!"

For those that don't believe this could be the case, that a TESTING LAB and EXPERTS would 'fudge' their results to get paid, READ THIS: FORENSICS EX-SPURTS"

[KnutCase]

As I recall, the ploice speculated that DW might have taken things to the cleaners. But they had to check out the cleaning establishments to locate which one. Luckily they found the right cleaners on the first or second contact. Anyone else recall this info???

[NatureGirl]

I still can not believe any of you believe the parents (either or both) killed this child.....

Just after Danielle went missing, the following happened in Toronto, Ontario (somewhat near where I live):

The estranged father had weekend custody of his two daughters, one girl was 5, one was 3. On the day he was supposed to return them, he brought back the older one, but refused to say where the younger one was. He'd only say that she was "safe". She was "safe", all right. They found her in a wooded area, strangled to death. And the father led the police to her body.

Earlier this week, in another nearby city, another father came home, and stabbed his 2-year old son to death in front of the mother.

Andrea Yates.

Susan Smith.

Parents just don't kill children, right?

[nycgal]

I don't have a home page.

All we freepers have a home page here (actually called a profile page). Click on your name on the upper right, next to where it says "New posts to you". then click on "My Profile" and then "Edit Profile". There's a large space there where you can tell us about yourself and with a bit of html, (provided you have somewhere on the internet where you can upload image files), you can display your artwork.

[CedarDave]

Yes, that's reasonable doubt! Only one little tiny bit of blood evidence. And if she was murdered by him, and given the condition of the body (teeth missing), there would have to be lots of blood. And he took some bedding to be cleaned, but it wasn't totally trashed out, or else we would have known it. (Was anything of his, hairs, etc. found at the body scene??) Of course he could have burned sheets, towels, etc., but that much blood would have shown up if they had used luminal on his motor home. No, I'm leaning against convicting him. Reasonable doubt.

[fatima]

UCANSEE2
says,"Damon is molesting Danielle. She has mentioned it in her diary. She wants to find somewhere to hide. She has run away several times. Mommy gone to the bars two weekends in a row. Damon molesting her.

Partiers come 'home'. Damon in somber mood. Danielle has run away again and he knows why.

Partiers leave. Brenda drunk, falls asleep. If Danielle still home, Damon (who has apparently been doing cocaine)(traces were found in the home but PR firm got LE's to ignore it) goes and molests Danielle again.

EARLY ,morning, Danielle sneaks out of the house. Heads to park. DW's SUV is there, and open. DW is in the house getting things ready.

Danielle sneaks in and hides. OOPS, here comes DW. Danielle gets out and hides somewhere.

DW takes off. Danielle remembers DW's pool, his nice house. She climbs over gate and gets in the backyard. The side door to the garage has been left OPEN (per testimony). She goes in his house to hide. She wanders around, then goes to the bedroom and sleeps some on the bed. P>Pretty soon, Damon heads to park, notices DW gone and sees side DOOR open. Figures Danielle might be there. Goes in, finds her and when she says she is going to tell, he kills her. Takes her to the DAMN VAN and drives her body somewhere and dumps it. Somewhere way off on a mountain bike trail. Takes something out of DW' laundry room to wrap Danielle in or maybe he wrapped her in a comforter or sheet that was on DW's bed where he found her.
and drives her body somewhere and dumps it. on 8/8/02 6:05 PM Pacific by UCANSEE2

and drives her body somewhere and dumps it.The bugs still work.

[UCANSEE2]

Danielle's room was described as a virtual sump of DNA. There were (besides very much of her own) an incredible number of blood traces of dozens of people, not known, on her beanbag chair, others on the wall, in her bed, on the stair rail, it was more like what might be in a public toilet, than one little girl's suburban room!

Sounds more like Damon had a VIDEOCAM hidden in Danielle's room and would invite strangers to RAPE his daughter on camera and then sold it over the internet or to INTERNATIONAL CHILD PORN dealers. (Two of which lived in the San Diego/Poway area, isn't that damn convenient?)

Kinda explains her running away, sleeping in the boy's room, piling her bed with stuffed animals, writing things like "BEING HURT, WANT TO TELL" in her DIARY.

Goes back to the rumors that there were some kind of CABLE lines to the VD house that were CUT right before Investigators stepped in.

[Green]

As I recall, the ploice speculated that DW might have taken things to the cleaners. But they had to check out the cleaning establishments to locate which one. Luckily they found the right cleaners on the first or second contact. Anyone else recall this info???

I thought DW told LE about his trip to the drycleaners during his interview with them when he was giving him his timeline of activities that day. Only thing is, he only mentioned one trip at first then later it was discovered he actually made 2 drop offs of items to the cleaners that day.

[KnutCase]

I have no knowledge of "uploading". Do not know what you are talking about. However, I could check things out on the profile page and see what I can do there. Thanx for the info.