Prosecutor: Westerfield Guilty 'Beyond Possible Doubt'(Many Still Find Van Dam's Culpable)

Court TV ^ | August 7, 2002 | Harriet Ryan

[Neenah]

Hi Jrabbit...thanks, good company here.

[Spunky]

Did you just finish the MCF site?

What is the MCF site, and how do I get there?

[UCANSEE2]

WHY DIDN'T THE PD GO AFTER THE DAD?????

Several reasons.

(1)From the very first moment they had their CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND, Diane Halfman , at their home to advise them on police procedure, questioning techniques, etc. Diane Halfman was also a CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND of the INVESTIGATORS, and so likely DIRECTED THEIR ACTIVITIES.

(2)On other threads is has been discussed that there is this wierd coincidence of DAMON having been in close proximity to many CHILD DISAPPERANCES, starting with the ADAM WALSH. (Yep, kid of John Walsh, of AMERICA's MOST WANTED). Yes, he was a teenager back then. So what. Child molester/killers don't suddenly hop into being at 50 like they would have you believe DW did.

Then Michael Nigrete, who just happened to be the kid of one of DAMON's CO-WORKERS. There have been several others.

Is it possible Damon was involved. Well, if you want statistics the fact that Damon was VERY NEAR something like 4-5 child kidnappings/deaths and DW was near only 1, well, YES.

[FresnoDA]

John Walsh

Exclusively Represented by Keppler Associates

Walsh turned personal tragedy into a passion for justice after the 1981 abduction and murder of his son, Adam. Perhaps best recognized as the host of America's Most Wanted, he successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Missing Children's Act, which resulted in the founding of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (of which he serves as a board member).

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Biography

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A tireless advocate for victim's rights and missing children, John Walsh has turned his passion for justice into the nation's number-one crime-fighting show, America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back. Walsh is no stranger to violent crime; in fact, his incredibly successful career as a host of a nationally televised program, and as an advocate for victim's rights, was a career Walsh never anticipated.

In the summer of 1981, Walsh was a partner in a hotel management company in Hollywood, Florida. He was living the American dream. He and his wife, Reve, had a beautiful six-year-old son, Adam, the joy of their lives. They never thought crime could touch them. But that joy was shattered on July 27th, 1981, when Adam was abducted and later found murdered. The Walshs' have never received the closure that America's Most Wanted has brought the lives of so many crime victims. The prime suspect in Adam's murder, Ottis Toole, was never charged in the Adam Walsh case; he died in prison while serving life for other crimes taking the truth to the grave with him.

The story of the Walsh family's tragedy has been dramatized in the 1983 NBC television movie, Adam, and a 1986 sequel, Adam: His Song Continues. Following the airing of the broadcasts, a roll of missing children was featured, leading to the recovery of 65 youngsters.

It wasn't long after Adam's death that the Walshes turned their grief into positive energy to help missing and exploited children. Battling bureaucratic resistance and legislative nightmares, John and Reve's work led to the passage of the Missing Children Act of 1982 and the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984. The latter Bill founded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which maintains a toll-free hotline number (1-800-THE-LOST) to report a missing child or the sighting of one.

In their son's memory, they also founded the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to legislative reform. Recently, the centers merged with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Walsh serves on the board of directors of the National Center.

Back in 1984, Esquire Magazine voted John Walsh "one of the best of the new generation"; since then, Walsh's endless quest for justice has been trumpeted across the pages of newspapers and magazines around the nation including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and, recently, People Magazine, where Walsh was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People for 1996. And CBS portraits named him one of the 100 Americans Who Changed History.

Law Enforcement officials around the nation have also honored Walsh for his efforts. In 1988 he was named the U.S. Marshals Man Of The Year, and two years later received the same honor from the FBI " the Bureau's highest civilian award. Walsh has received hundreds of other honors, including the 1984 Father of the Year Award from the National Father's Day Committee. Walsh is the only private citizen to receive a Special Recognition Award by a U.S. Attorney General, and he's been honored in the Rose Garden four times by three presidents: Clinton, Bush, and Reagan (twice).

Today, Walsh continues his lobbying efforts, testifying before Congress and state legislatures on crime, missing children and victims' issues. In light of the attacks on September 11, he has not faded into the shadows, rather he stepped forth appearing at ground zero highlighting the bravery and sacrifices of New York’s Police and Fire departments. More recently Walsh has been asked by Colin Powell and President Bush to do a special America’s Most Wanted featuring the 22 terrorists that now top the FBI's most wanted list. 

He has also started a production company, Straight Shooter Productions, in partnership with America's Most Wanted Executive Producer, Lance Heflin. In its first year, the company syndicated the wildly popular Manhunter in 45 countries and created the syndicated America's Most Wanted: Final Justice here in the United States. In 1995, Walsh executive produced the highly rated made-for-TV movie If Looks Could Kill (in which he made his acting debut " portraying himself); and received his first prime-time Emmy nomination for Street Smart Kids, a labor of love he created and produced for the FOX network.

John Walsh is also the author of a best-selling book, TEARS OF RAGE: From Grieving Father to Crusader For Justice The Untold Story of the Adam Walsh Case. The book was released in September of 1997.

Mr. Walsh's second book, NO MERCY, Walsh discusses hunt for the worst criminals of our time in shattering true crime stories. This book was released in October of 1998.

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[Eva]

Interestingly, I heard a forensic specialist on Greta Van Sustern's show, say that it was obvious to him that the Smart case was an inside job. That perpetrator had to know the inside of the house, had to know where to find the right girl, not only which room, but which bed that she slept in, and had to know family habits. He had no doubt in his mind that this was an inside job and that was the reason that it was handled so strangely.

[nycgal]

Thanks for posting your thoughts about Danielle. It helped me to think about the possible/probable abuse she had been experiencing in her own home by her parents or others. Made me very sad. I can't imagine DW being a party to it. He seems to be a kind person.

[shezza]

That perpetrator had to know the inside of the house, had to know where to find the right girl, not only which room, but which bed that she slept in, and had to know family habits.

Same argument could apply in this case, as well.

[UCANSEE2]

What is the MCF site, and how do I get there? Millenium Children's Fund site.

The owner Daniel Pierce was invited to the Van Dam home when Danielle first disappeared. This website discusses what he found. The parents and PR firm invited him into the VD house. When he saw things and SAW THROUGH Things, the VD's no longer wanted him around.

Just type WWW.MCF.TV into your browser.

[UCANSEE2]

Just wondering. Have you read the info on the MCF site?

[FresnoDA]

So....where is BARB EASTON?????

Jack the Ripper may be more notorious, but while he was busy killing five prostitutes in the alleyways of Victorian London, another Victorian murderer, Jane Toppan, was brought in on charges of having killed close to 100 people in Connecticut. Toppan said in court, "That is my ambition, to have killed more people--more helpless people--than any man or woman who has ever lived." Bad Girls Do It! has a jocular title and cover illustration, and Michael Newton (author of Hunting Humans) occasionally indulges in macabre humor.

Nonetheless, these 182 case histories of female multiple murderers are packed with well-researched details. You will read about "angels of death" (nurses who kill), "black widows," lethal landladies, and murderous moms. Many of them are little known, such as Rachal David, a religious fanatic who tossed her seven children off an 11th-story hotel balcony in Salt Lake City in 1978, while a screaming crowd watched from below.

 

[Neenah]

MCF Site

Post # 77

[shezza]

Oops, Feldy's back on! Sorry. Showing photos of "just another day at the beach" on the Strand. Open doors, closed doors on MHs. Open curtains on some, closed curtains on others.

[shezza]

When David gets back to the neighborhood, there are hundreds of vehicles, LE, media, no place to park. If he was guilty, why not "get out of Dodge"? Mexico is just 17 miles away. He could go to France. He came home.

[Neenah]

I agree !! But on the thread, you get shot down so bad for expressing that.

[shezza]

In comes Mr. Westerfield, and we're told no one was in the residence. We're being told the LE was being careful, not to trace, not to track. But look at this photo by Det. Morris. This is right where the laundry is. This walks to and from the trash, which is in the garage, and inside the residence. David was totally cooperative. He couldn't have been more cooperative. When Damon is cooperative it's okay. But when David was cooperatie, that was a suspicious circumstance.

[FresnoDA]

[UCANSEE2]

What's on post #77 on that thread is most, but not all. Better to go to www.MCF.tv and see the whole banana.

[shezza]

Pic of neighborhood. Paul Huang's house. The hose was left out, not at all unusual. Susan L., it was not unusual to leave hose out. But here's the sinister evidence to which DAW returns. Among the most sinister is the laundry.

(Sits in witness chair): I wonder if I got a tape lift on my back right now if we'd find Miss Shen, or Mr. Holmes, or any of them?

[the Deejay]

"He could go to France. He came home.'

Exactly right. He could have been gone for months, but he went home, as planned when he left.

[Steve0113]

He could have been gone for months...

Not really. To disappear right when Danielle did would have triggered a nationwide manhunt.