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Judge Mudd Says Sequestering Of Jury Possible: Van Dam case has jurors facing more Mad-Dawgging!!
Union Trib ^ | July 30, 3002 | Alex Roth

Posted on 07/30/2002 7:13:26 AM PDT by FresnoDA

Judge says sequestering of jury possible

By Alex Roth
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

July 30, 2002

Judge William D. Mudd chastises the media and threatens to cut off video and still-photo coverage David Westerfield's murder trial Thursday, July 25, 2002, in San Diego. Mudd said the problem was due to a security breech when an unnamed person followed some jurors to their vehicles and wrote down license numbers. Westerfield is accused of the kidnapping and murder of seven-year old Danielle van Dam. (AP Photo/Dan Trevan,POOL)The judge in the David Westerfield trial rejected another defense request to sequester the jury but said he still considers it "a possible option."

Superior Court Judge William Mudd said he didn't think it was necessary at the moment but has asked the county to prepare "a back-up contingency plan" just in case.

Westerfield's lawyers have asked several times for jury sequestration, and they renewed their request yesterday. Lead defense lawyer Steven Feldman said he worried that the jury might be affected by the publicity in the Samantha Runnion kidnap-murder case in Orange County.

Feldman cited comments made by Samantha's mother about Alejandro Avila, the man charged with kidnapping and killing the 5-year-old girl. In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Erin Runnion blamed her daughter's death on a jury that acquitted Avila of child molestation charges two years ago.

Feldman said he worried that jurors in the Westerfield case might hear about the interview and feel pressured to convict his client, who is charged with kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam of Sabre Springs.

The judge said he would remind jurors about news coverage they should avoid. He also said he talked to them about sequestration last week after receiving reports that someone in the media followed some of the jurors to their cars and wrote down their license plates.

"They're a hearty group and they didn't appear to be intimidated by what occurred, and I continue to believe in their integrity," the judge said yesterday.

With the trial in recess for a day, lawyers spent yesterday discussing legal instructions to give to the jury before they begin deliberations. It seems likely that testimony will continue into next week.

Prosecutors are expected to finish their rebuttal evidence today, at which point the defense will put on evidence to rebut the prosecution's rebuttal. One possible defense witness probably won't be called until Monday, Feldman told the judge yesterday.


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: 180frank; danielle; kidnapping; molestation; threadjackals; vandam; westerfield
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To: the Deejay
Total, DW bought 4 boxes of cookies. And what difference does that make?

If he didn't buy MINT cookies for himself, then we can conclude he killed Danielle. NO ONE DOESN"T BUY THIN MINTS !

621 posted on 07/30/2002 3:00:48 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: pinz-n-needlez
No no, I didn't mean YOU... that's the words in a song my great grandmother taught me.. I'm sorry. :(
622 posted on 07/30/2002 3:01:03 PM PDT by Freedom2specul8
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
http://www.crimelibrary.com/forensics/anthropology/6.htm

As time passes, different groups of insects come and go in the process of assisting corpse decomposition. As each feeds on the body, it changes the body for the next group, which is attracted to those particular changes.Entomologists agree that there are four main types of direct relationships: The necrophagous species (flies and beetles) that feed directly on the corpse, and their stages of development over about two weeks helps to indicate how long the person has been dead. Predators and parasites of the flies and beetles (other types of beetles that prey on eggs and maggots). One type of blow fly can feed on either body tissue or maggots. Wasps are also parasitic on the maggots, and since they tend to specialize, it's easy to tell what kinds of flies had been on the body. Wasps, ants, and beetles that feed on both the body and the maggots. (Wasps that capture too many flies can actually delay decomposition). Spiders that use the body as a habitat to prey on other insects. "The relationships of the insects to the body, in terms of how they make a living," Goff explains, "are determined by the biology of the insect. Parasites remain parasites, although in some cases the tissue-eaters have been known to switch to predation as the body is consumed. Yet habitat and climatic factors can alter their periods of activity on the body. If the particular insect feeds on dried tissues, it may appear earlier in a hot, arid habitat and possibly not appear at all in a moist habitat. These changes may affect the pattern of succession, but the roles of the individual insects are set by their evolution."

623 posted on 07/30/2002 3:01:17 PM PDT by Spunky
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To: cyncooper
"--whether he took her or enticed her--it is kidnapping"

Yes that is true!

624 posted on 07/30/2002 3:01:44 PM PDT by Freedom2specul8
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
That situation -- irresponsible parents getting drunk with bums they just meet on the street, the girl taken by a bum invited home ... gee how would that relate here?
625 posted on 07/30/2002 3:02:09 PM PDT by bvw
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To: John Jamieson
Whoops, Dr. Goff made an error in addition! Feldmanized!
626 posted on 07/30/2002 3:02:45 PM PDT by spectre
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
BTW, hardly a "My God, an innocent man is sitting here accused of something he didn't do!!!" defense.
627 posted on 07/30/2002 3:02:49 PM PDT by cyncooper
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To: John Jamieson
Feldy got him again...call an ambulance, this guy is bleeding on the stand...
628 posted on 07/30/2002 3:02:59 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~; cyncooper
"--whether he took her or enticed her--it is kidnapping"

NOW, all you have to do is figure out who the HE was.

629 posted on 07/30/2002 3:03:07 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
OOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSS!
GOFF MADE A MATHMATICAL ERROR. RECALLCULATED AND IT WAS 143 degree calculation INSTEAD OF THE 55 degree calculation he had used.
630 posted on 07/30/2002 3:04:16 PM PDT by Spunky
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To: All
It seems to be now that GOFF's science is the IMPRECISE one.
631 posted on 07/30/2002 3:04:42 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: pinz-n-needlez
Just so you know I wasn't directing it towards you..and that the song is real.. :)

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Cottage/3192/Shoofly.html

Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
For I belong to somebody.


I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star,
I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star

632 posted on 07/30/2002 3:05:10 PM PDT by Freedom2specul8
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Comment #633 Removed by Moderator

To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Anyone got a better feed than sandiego.com?

This one has been OK for me

http://www.760kfmb.com/

634 posted on 07/30/2002 3:05:21 PM PDT by Duan
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To: UCANSEE2
NOW, all you have to do is figure out who the HE was.

Well, since Boyce talked about her ending up in the motor home, who do you think he was talking about?

635 posted on 07/30/2002 3:05:22 PM PDT by cyncooper
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To: John Jamieson
"Bios of Feldman from months ago said he was a TOD expert. Guess they were right."


Yes, that's true, & also that's why none of these experts can hand him a crock of bull.


636 posted on 07/30/2002 3:05:45 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: UCANSEE2
Feldman going in for the kill on, Judge interrupts and calls them to quarters.
637 posted on 07/30/2002 3:05:49 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: rolling_stone
Drats..another "mathmatical error coming up" keep losing feed.

sw

638 posted on 07/30/2002 3:06:04 PM PDT by spectre
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To: All
FELDMAN IS HAVING CHECK HIS COMPUTER TO SEE IF HE MADE SOME MORE MATHMATICAL ERRORS.

OOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPS! HE HAS

639 posted on 07/30/2002 3:06:06 PM PDT by Spunky
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=shoo+fly+don%27t+bother+me
640 posted on 07/30/2002 3:06:06 PM PDT by Freedom2specul8
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