In taped interrogation, Westerfield tells police 'my life is over'

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | January 7, 2003

[TomB]

In a videotaped interrogation with San Diego police detectives four days after Danielle van Dam was kidnapped, an exhausted David Westerfield says "my life is over," seemingly coming close to an admission that he murdered his 7-year-old neighbor.

"As far as I'm concerned my life is over, the life that I had, the life that I was living is over," Westerfield says in the interrogation conducted the evening of Feb. 5, 2002. Danielle was last seen the night of Feb. 1.

"But you can't blame anyone but yourself, Dave," answers one of the police detectives.

"And I have no problem with that," Westerfield replies.

In the tapes released Tuesday, Westerfield admits "unusual" sexual encounters with his wife, denies anything improper about his alleged use of binoculars to watch neighbors and says the child pornography found on his computer was simply something he downloaded along with a lot of other pornographic images and that he had no sexual interest in children.

Superior Court Judge William Mudd agreed Monday to unseal the videotape along with hundreds of pages of transcripts, documents and recordings in the Westerfield case, as well as transcripts of police interrogations and court hearings conducted in secret.

Some of the material – audiotape and videotape of Westerfield being interrogated during the early stages of the investigation – was released Tuesday afternoon.

The remainder of the material, which ranges from transcripts of closed-door court hearings to motions regarding potential evidence, will be released Monday, Mudd ruled.

The ruling Monday came three days after Mudd sentenced the former design engineer to death for kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, his neighbor in Sabre Springs.

Monday's court hearing came in response to a request by The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has been seeking access to the information for months. The San Diego-based 4th District Court of Appeal has ruled that Mudd must release the information.

The San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists made a donation to the legal costs.

Westerfield, who attended Monday's hearing, is scheduled to be moved within days to death row at San Quentin State Prison outside San Francisco.

During earlier court appearances, Westerfield was always dressed in civilian attire, but he appeared in court Monday in a green jail jumpsuit. He sat in a holding area so he couldn't be filmed by a television camera.

[cyncooper]

Oh, I am sorry, I thought you corrected devine.

Oh, I did---for myself. I typed too quickly and hit "post" before I saw my error so noted it should have been "divine".

[BARLF]

Just proves my point!......;))
We're hanging in there, Thanks....

[BARLF]

See, I even looked criticize up in the dictionary and still got it wrong! LOL

[demsux]

anyone have a copy of post 1374, i missed it and she usually directs that "stuff" at me?

[demsux]

Wow, Nancy Grace has nothing on her...she should get her own CourTV show.

[EllaMinnow]

Imagine that! And I didn't even threaten to beat anyone up.

I don't watch Nancy Grace, but I did just watch today's John Walsh show. You should watch it if you get the chance.

You might learn something.

[EllaMinnow]

Being hateful to me won't help Westerfield.

[demsux]

Being hateful to everyone won't help you.

[EllaMinnow]

I am hardly hateful to everyone.
I am hateful to murderers, perverts, and those who defend them.

[demsux]

perverts,

So what about the Van Dam's? They are definitely perverts...swappers, voyeurs, exhibitionists

[EllaMinnow]

Just stop.

[Jaded]

Ah, the double standard.

[EllaMinnow]

Well, I do think that perverted murderers are the worst of the worst. If that's a double standard, fine.
As I've said before, there is no moral equivalence when it comes to murder. None.

[demsux]

I agree completely, I just hope they got the right perverted murderer...the bugs say that they don't (and bugs don't lie) unlike the VD's.

[EllaMinnow]

I'm sure they did get the right perverted murderer.

[demsux]

I'm sure

Good for you, move along now...NOW

[Jaded]

To: demsux

Being hateful to me won't help Westerfield.


1428 posted on 01/31/2003 10:16 AM CST by redlipstick
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To: redlipstick

Being hateful to everyone won't help you.


1429 posted on 01/31/2003 10:34 AM CST by demsux
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To: demsux

I am hardly hateful to everyone.
I am hateful to murderers, perverts, and those who defend them.


1430 posted on 01/31/2003 10:43 AM CST by redlipstick
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To: redlipstick

perverts,

So what about the Van Dam's? They are definitely perverts...swappers, voyeurs, exhibitionists


1431 posted on 01/31/2003 10:49 AM CST by demsux
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To: demsux

Just stop.


1432 posted on 01/31/2003 10:52 AM CST by redlipstick
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Reading comprehension?

[EllaMinnow]

No, I think the comprehension problem is yours. I don't believe the van Dams are murderers. I also don't believe that swinging is as bad as collecting child pornography.

It seems that you think that all sin is equal. I do not.

[demsux]

I also don't believe that swinging is as bad

I just had a REALLY bad visual...