Prosecution spent $270,000 on Westerfield case

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | 2/6/03 | San Diego Union Tribune

[Jaded]

Dusek talked about it in the opening and closing. I believe Feldman spoke of it. Perhaps even in the Redden interview.

There are many sources out there, if you would but look.

[UCANSEE2]

why did the VD's get a "pass". They were both stoned and drunk...

#1 Diane Halfman - close personal friend of the VD's

#2 Ott and Keyser - close personal friend of Diane Halfman

This CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND term used all the time in this case. Does that mean SWINGER, SEXUAL PARTNER ?

[UCANSEE2]

I find it very encouraging that you ask questions.

On the 911 tapes, the dog can be heard barking.

In questioning after Danielle's disappearance, Damon says the dog CAN'T BARK. Later he changes the story to it was NOT TRAINED TO BARK. Then he changes it to IT DIDN"T WANT TO BARK.

Therefore, #1 , it can and does bark, and it is on record (on audio tape of a call to 911) barking.

#2 Damon kept changing his story about the dog's barking as his lies kept being exposed.

[Jaded]

We have had a mirkle at our house. When we got our puppy, she was 5 weeks old. She couldn't bark. She couldn't growl. She could only whimper when she wanted something. The litter was kept separate from the older dogs at the breeders. She barks now. Growls too. Quite loudly. I'm surprised that she didn't meow. What with bein' around cats all the time since she was 5 weeks old.

/so

[BARLF]

According to McNally, next door to vD's said the VD's were over on Friday(would have to check for time of day) selling cookies. Then Damon came running over the next morning wanting to know if they had seen Danielle. Danielle was missing and she sometimes sleepwalked.

This could possibly be why the dogs followed her scent to the house next door.

Course you can't depend on the stupid dogs to get it right!

[CW_Conservative]

why did the VD's get a "pass". They were both stoned and drunk...

#1 Diane Halfman - close personal friend of the VD's

#2 Ott and Keyser - close personal friend of Diane Halfman

This CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND term used all the time in this case. Does that mean SWINGER, SEXUAL PARTNER ?

Yes, history has shown that it is a tremendous benefit to have friends inside the San Diego Police Department. Here is a blast from the past to demonstrate:

Fight over blame in toddler's death

Parents fault sitter, allege police cover-up

San Diego, California USA

By Rex Dalton
STAFF WRITER
January 17, 1999

Although Scotty Neaves' death in 1996 was ruled a homicide, no one has been charged in the case.

The Neaves family said in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court that the baby sitter, Wendy E. Cummings, 27, caused Scotty's death, allegedly by shaking him until brain tissue was torn.

And in a recently filed federal lawsuit, the Neaves family said the law enforcement investigation of the case -- by San Diego police, the county Medical Examiner's Office and the District Attorney's Office -- was botched and compromised by a conflict of interest.

The reason, the Neaves family contends:

Cummings' father, Roger B. Michael, 54, was then a San Diego police sergeant who knew the investigating detectives. The Neaveses say Cummings told them she also knew the detectives well; Cummings denies it.

Investigating detectives declined to be interviewed, but top police officials denied there was any cover-up or impropriety in the case.

"We do an objective investigation, it doesn't matter who the suspect was," said Lt. Jim Collins, who supervised Scotty's homicide probe.

The Neaveses, who have since moved to Oregon, question the performance of Dr. Brian D. Blackbourne, the county medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Scotty, because of his conflicting rulings in the case.

Initially Blackbourne ruled the manner of death was undetermined, according to records. About six months later, he changed the manner of death to "homicide," but only after the family pushed for a review by an outside expert.

About two months after Scotty's death, a San Diego police examiner gave Cummings a lie detector test. Cummings' father and Detective Doakes watched from outside the room.

San Diego police told Michael that his daughter passed the test, indicating she did not kill Scotty. But a videotape of the exam shows she vomited when asked if she had harmed the boy.

An independent expert contacted by the Union-Tribune said that in more than 30 years of conducting polygraph tests, he had never seen a subject vomit during a test. He said it made the exam "meaningless."

"I don't think you can come to a reliable conclusion if someone vomits during the test," said Paul K. Minor, a Virginia polygraph authority who set up and ran the FBI's polygraph program.

Paul Redden, the San Diego police polygraph examiner who administered the test to Cummings, declined to be interviewed. A superior, Capt. Ron G. Newman, said Michael "voluntarily brought his daughter" in for the test.

Lie detector tests are not admitted as evidence in court because of questions about reliability. But Medical Examiner Blackbourne used the polygraph results in his initial ruling on Scotty's death.

[demsux]

"We do an objective investigation, it doesn't matter who the suspect was," said Lt. Jim Collins, who supervised Scotty's homicide probe.

This is the maroon that was "on the scene" at the VD's and didn't know they had discovered blood in the garage, or what appeared to be blood in the stairwell.

San Diego's finest...they should work for the postal service.

[Jaded]

Left out the other all-star from that article: Ret. Capt. Ron Newman. Now a councilman in Escondito.

[BARLF]

In the weeks that followed, Collins and Sgt. Judy Woods visited the van Dams each night to update them on the investigation's progress and answer their questions. After a long day at work, they would spend two to three hours with the couple.

"I was in the van Dams' house more than mine," Woods said.

[demsux]

"I was in the van Dams' house more than mine," Woods said.

Probably true before and after the "abduction"...LOL

[CW_Conservative]

The Austin American-Statesman (TX), Jan 11, 2003
Van Dam investigator in Austin for training; San Diego lieutenant who helped nab killer of 7-year-old offers tips to area officers.

Byline: Tony Plohetski, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

A leading investigator in the case of a California girl who was kidnapped and murdered by a neighbor was in Austin on Friday teaching law officers how to handle such investigations.

San Diego police Lt. Jim Collins, who handled the case of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, told more than 200 officers and deputies how to expand missing person searches to include neighbors, how to effectively get information from them and what tools are available for such investigations.

"Child abductions are cases that really grip investigators themselves," Collins said. "Your emotions start to run high right away."

Collins was invited to address Central Texas law officers by Austin police officials as part of the department's annual training. The department spends about $150,000 on training each year, which includes guest speakers.

"When you get that kind of practical experience, it helps us," Assistant Police Chief Jimmy Chapman said. "It's like, 'We lived through this, and here is the good and the bad.' "

Danielle's killer, David Westerfield, was sentenced to death.

Although Collins and his officers gathered enough evidence to convict Westerfield, he said the department should have handled some aspects of the investigation differently.

He encouraged officers to conduct a full forensic sweep of a victim's house within the first few hours after a person is reported missing. Collins said his department waited too long.

Collins also said dogs should be used to trace the victim's scent.

Other officers attending the four-hour training were from Williamson and Bastrop counties, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the University of Texas police force.

Austin police Lt. Larry Oliver, who handles missing person cases, said he found the session educational.

"We found out what they did right, what they did wrong and what they wished they would have done," he said.

[Jaded]

He encouraged officers to conduct a full forensic sweep of a victim's house within the first few hours after a person is reported missing. Collins said his department waited too long.

Collins also said dogs should be used to trace the victim's scent.

Other officers attending the four-hour training were from Williamson and Bastrop counties, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the University of Texas police force.

Weren't they telling us dogs are useless? And how much cleaning can the guy do in about 3 hours total in the entire house? I looked back at some pics of DW's room. First of all it's not all that big for a master bedroom. The walls are lined with furniture. Barely room for a drunk to tote a kid around.

http://community-2.webtv.net/anthas2/Evidence/page2.html
http://community-2.webtv.net/westri/WesterfieldTrial/page6.html

Also, Collins is the one who didn't know about blood at the VD house. Strange that.

[demsux]

He encouraged officers to conduct a full forensic sweep of a victim's house within the first few hours after a person is reported missing.

Sounds to me as though he is talking about the VD's house...blood, shell casing, drag marks, vacuum cleaner bags, wet-dry vac...

Yup, he didn't even know about the blood.

[UCANSEE2]

I believe your original question referred to the time in the desert. He was not parked right next to anyone out in the desert, but he was parked close enough for the other desert campers to hear and see any unusual activity, according to their testimony.

He was parked right next to other campers at the Silver Strand. Per Testimony.

[cinFLA]

Then I take it you retract your statement in 1066.

"Remember, he has been out there, had people parked right next to him, then moves later on, gets stuck, has someone come by, then this (I tow vehicles out of the sand when I'm not too drunk) tow driver helps pull him out of the sand and Prosecution tried to imply that Danielle was in the MH the whole time."

[BARLF]

Collins also said dogs should be used to trace the victim's scent.

Westerfield's house was the first of 200 houses to be checked by scent dogs. Did the dog/dogs trace Danielle to DW's house? Apparently not. Did the dogs find Danielle's scent anywhere besides the vD house? Did Danielle vanish from that house without a trace?

So, how did the scent dogs help in the Westerfield/van Dam case, Lt.Collins? Sir,do you believe the dogs in all cases or just when their nose fits your agenda?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Jaded]

IIRC, the statement was that at the first wash he pulled into there were people close and very loud, so he moved on. In theory they would be next to him if they were the nearest. On top of is another thing.

[Jaded]

The SAR dogs went to the house next door. The McNally house that the McNally's were in the process of moving in to.

[cinFLA]

IIRC, the statement was that at the first wash he pulled into there were people close and very loud, so he moved on.

I have seen no testimony to this effect.

[Jaded]

Obviously. Try the Redden transcript.