Van Dam Jury Update, Monday August 12th: Westerfield's Fate Lies In Mudd Instructions?

Court TV ^ | August 12, 2002 | Court TV

[FresnoDA]

Jury's time Jurors will resume deliberations Monday in the capital case of David Westerfield, who is accused of killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam

DAY TWO: FRIDAY, AUG. 9, 2002
12 noon ET	Jury enters jury room.
2:30 p.m. ET	Jury goes home for the weekend.

DAY ONE: THURSDAY, AUG. 8, 2002
1:10 p.m. ET	Jury begins deliberating. After two months of testimony, the capital murder trial of David Westerfield is in the hands of the jurors, who began their deliberations following more than two days of closing arguments.
2:50 p.m.	Jury sends a note to the judge.
3:00 p.m.	Jury at lunch.
4:30 p.m.	Judge calls the lawyers but not the public or the press into the courtroom.
5:15 p.m.	Judge says jurors sent note asking to deliberate five days a week instead of having Friday off and he approved their request.
7:00 p.m.	Jury goes home for the day. Will return Friday morning.

[JudyB1938]

LOL We BOTH thought it was "spooky".

[gigi]

Dry Cleaning didn't destroy the dna on the jacket. So I would think if it survived on the jacket, it would have survived on the comforter and pillow shams.

Unless the cops got it before it was cleaned. But I don't think thats the case.

[mouser]

i have a question and a request
i live in missouri and have no access to cable tv and a dial up connection so streeming video dose not work too well

my intrust is how the van dam's react to the verdict whether it is up or down i think their reaction will tell us a lot about them and maybe tell us if they had involvment

will someone please watch them and post their reaction when when the verdict is read

thanks

[gigi]

That picture is soooo CREEPY!!!

[JudyB1938]

I personally could care less what kind of poison people put into their systems. Their bodies. Their deaths.

However ...

When children are brought into the equasion, those children should be removed and given to responsible parents to raise.

If a crime is committed under the influence of drugs, the penalities should be the same as for alcohol.

Hard Drug traffickers should be put to death.

Marijuana is MUCH less harmful than alcohol and should be treated the same. Why should gangsters make all of that money, when we could save money foolishly spent on a phony War on drugs? Instead, it should be legalized and taxed. Taxpayers would be a whole lot better off, just like they were when they ended prohibition.

Drug users should have access to legal drugs (methadone, anti-depressants, etc). That's all many of them are doing, anyway, is self-medicating to escape the realities of their wretched lives.

[gigi]

Off the subject, I saw your post about your Maine Coon cat. I have a Maine Coon, named Sumo(guess why) and we always say that if a stranger came in the house and went through the kitchen, Sumo would trip him hoping to get fed. LOL!! Sumo races everyone to the kitchen and has tripped me a few times.
I got a kitty Lucy from the pound 2 years ago and I think she might be part maine coon. People have asked me if she was. She's a real character!!

[Politicalmom]

I don't think children should be around ANY kind of substance use or alcohol abuse. People who put their kids to bed and then get drunk, or high, are not going to be alert to deal with an emergency.

Not to mention, regardless how you feel about it, it IS illegal, and brings unsavory people into the family orbit.

Of course, the Van Damns LIKE unsavory people.

[JudyB1938]

I think we are on the same track. Just different words to describe the same thing.

The Van Damns are of the lowest life form and should have those two boys taken away from them. What those boys are learning is how to be just like their parents. And learning from the father to have contempt for women.

[small_l_libertarian]

Not at all. It's none of any of our business, unless it has a bearing on what happened to Danielle. Same with the swinging. It's none of our business, unless it had an effect on what happened to Danielle.

Either of those things could have been a cause or a contributing factor, and in that case would be relevant. But all the nights that they swang (swung? swinged?) or did drugs and nothing bad happened are none of our business or concern.

If, however, one of the swingers (either that night or sometime previous) showed a weird interest in Danielle, or is a cat burglar, or has a thing for children, or anything that has to do with the murder, then it's our business.

I am completely against the whole idea of thought crimes, guys. Mere possession of anything, be it a substance, an item or an idea does not constitute a crime. I cannot justify locking anyone up who has not caused harm to someone else. I really have no fight with any of you guys over this, ('cuz I like you and stuff) but you won't change my mind.

[bvw]

"15 Minute Hate"

You know, after 9/11 I think the whole world moved beyond where Orwell ever got to, do you? And was Orwell an atheist or an agnostic? Swirl those questions around awhile. Interested in your opinion.

Anyway if I'm right on that, the United Hate Swirlers Amalgamated Union, Nancy Grace, chief commissarette is about to take it on the virtual anime chin.

[the Deejay]

Yep! My Maine Coon was the same about wanting to be fed, even though he knew he wasn't hungry. I think it was his way of getting *extra* attention when someone came to visit.

He was a better *watch cat* than some dogs. Apparently, Layla certainly isn't as good as my cat was.

My cat got incurably ill in 1998 & we had to have him put to
sleep. I don't want any more animals. It's too much like losing a family member when they die.

[the Deejay]

Another thing he would do if he got ignored, he would jump onto a person's back! And he had some serious claws, if I didn't keep them clipped at least once a week.

I'm sure he would have jumped onto an intruder's back and that person would have had some serious scratches. (Dead giveaway.) lol

[the-gooroo]

Yup, "spooky" and "creepy" just about sums it up. :)

[Eva]

Most pedophiles prefer girls, but some molest boys and girls -- often based on who is available.

The so-called expert on pedophilia lost me with this statement. Apparently the author does not consider man on boy sex to be pedophilic.

[small_l_libertarian]

Ugh. I said I didn't want to fight and I'm going to do it anyway. Please know that this is not directed at you in particular, PM, because I do think that you're a wonderful lady, and I'm totally willing to agree to disagree.

That said... Illegal does NOT equal immoral. Illegal does NOT equal wrong.

Would you have taken away the children of parents who visited speakeasys? How about parents who kept a bottle of gin under the mattress?

I don't think you would say it was okay to take those parents' children away from them because they possessed or used an illegal substance. Alcohol was illegal, but only because men said so. There is no divinely given commandment that says "Thou shalt not party."

There is a huge chasm between drug use and abuse, and an even bigger chasm between abuse and dealing. If a parent is a drug abuser, to the point where his/her drugs are obviously having a detrimental effect on their kids (dirty, not fed, behind in school, whatever), then I think society has an obligation to step in and protect that child. If a parent is a drug dealer who has large quantities of a valuable substance that other people are willing to steal (or kill for), then I think that society has an obligation to protect that child from the obvious danger posed to him/her.

Absent any real danger to the child(ren), though, I truly can't see any way to justify calling those parents criminals, or take their children away, or lock them up. That would be an evil thing to do, breaking up a family because of some stupid law.

[FresnoDA]

Hello Spec,

How goes it...are you lurking today?

FresnoDA

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

It is spooky, isn't it? What is the point of an artist's sketch concerning a person LE would like to question, if they aren't willing to acknowledge that they have someone who knows the family and fits the description right in the palm of their hands?

Oh and yes.........coincidentally this similar looking man's daughter turns up missing and he has been around other incidents of missing children.

I suppose there are still people who think it's wrong to suspect any wrongdoing by the van Dams and question their early exculpation by LE. Amazing !!!!!

[the Deejay]

Profile of Juror #1 Juror #1 in the pool.

A woman who works as a welfare-eligibility worker for San Diego County. During jury selection, she expressed concerns about the behavior of Brenda van Dam, the victim's mother.

It's that last sentence that doesn't sound too good for the VDams.

[small_l_libertarian]

Those pictures keep scaring me. It really could be him and I don't think it's my overactive imagination at work. Freaky.

[Jaded]

Drycleaning DOES NOT degrade DNA. THe only DNA associated with the comforters was David's.