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Prosecutor: Westerfield Guilty 'Beyond Possible Doubt'(Many Still Find Van Dam's Culpable)
Court TV ^ | August 7, 2002 | Harriet Ryan

Posted on 08/06/2002 8:53:49 PM PDT by FresnoDA

Prosecutor: Westerfield guilty 'beyond possible doubt'

Photo
Lead prosecutor Jeff Dusek traced the fingerprint, blood and fiber evidence linking defendant David Westerfield to a murdered girl.

SAN DIEGO — Calling the murder of Danielle van Dam an "evil, evil crime" that shattered notions of suburban safety, a prosecutor urged jurors Tuesday to convict her neighbor, David Westerfield, of capital charges.

Before a courtroom filled to capacity for closing arguments, prosecutor Jeff Dusek said the 50-year-old engineer snuck into the second-grader's bedroom last February, snatched her from her canopy bed, killed her and then "dumped this 7-year-old child naked in the dirt like trash for animals to devour."

"He's guilty of these crimes. He's guilty of the ultimate evil. He's guilty to the core," Dusek told jurors at the end of a closing studded with drama despite its three-and-a-half-hour length.

Dusek shouted and jabbed his finger at the defense table when he discussed Westerfield and the child pornography the prosecution says reveals a motive in the killing. But when he mentioned Danielle's death, his voice dropped to a whisper, forcing jurors to lean forward when he said, for example, of the moments before her killing, "This was not an easy time. This was not fast."

 

Westerfield listened to the prosecutor's closing argument Tuesday.

At one point, he slammed his hand again and again on the jury box rail to simulate, he said, Danielle's head striking Westerfield's headboard as he raped her. The image was too much for Brenda van Dam, Danielle's mother. She leapt up from her seat at the back of the courtroom and ran to the door in tears.

Westerfield's lawyer, Steven Feldman, began his closing late Tuesday afternoon. He is to conclude Wednesday morning and then Dusek will have one final opportunity to convince the panel to convict Westerfield of felony murder, kidnapping and child pornography charges.

The six women and six men who have heard evidence in the two-month long trial appeared to pay close attention to Dusek's summation, which focused on the forensic evidence connecting Westerfield to Danielle's disappearance and problems with his alibi for the weekend she vanished.

A spot of her blood on a jacket Westerfield took to the dry cleaners, Dusek said, "in itself tells you he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That alone. But it doesn't stop there."

He also listed fiber, fingerprint and hair evidence linking Westerfield to Danielle and said, "all of it comes back to his lap." Of two blond strands found in the defendant's recreational vehicle and genetically matched to Danielle, he said, "Proof beyond a reasonable doubt? Proof beyond a possible doubt."

Dusek pointed to an autopsy photo showing Danielle's badly decomposed remains and ticked off the fiber and hair evidence technicians gleaned from her body.

"From Danielle herself, she helps to solve this case," he said.

Westerfield gazed straight ahead, and in the back row of the courtroom, Brenda and Damon van Dam held hands and stared at the floor. A row in front of them and three seats to their right, Westerfield's sister, who was attending the trial for the first time and was in the company of her husband and son, stared at the image.

Dusek also attacked Westerfield's claim that he spent the weekend Danielle vanished on a 560-mile solo road trip in his recreational vehicle.

"He gives us a bogus story that just doesn't wash," said Dusek, referring to his account of driving from his home to the beach then to the desert then to another part of the desert before returning to the beach.

He said Westerfield spent that weekend sexually assaulting Danielle and then after killing her, searching for a place to dump her body.

The prosecutor listed other potential suspects, including the van Dams, their friends, Westerfield's teenage son and even "the bogeyman," but said each was investigated and cleared.

He criticized what he said were defense attempts to implicate Westerfield's son, Neal, in the crime and said testimony about the van Dam's risque sex life, which included swinging, was irrelevant.

"All the sex, the alcohol, who's doing this, who's doing that. That's got nothing to do with her kidnapping," Dusek said.

With Westerfield's mug shot projected on the courtroom wall next to a passport photo of Danielle taken the day she vanished, Dusek said, "I think at times we've lost track of the other person. We've lost track of Danielle, what happened to her, what he did to her."

The prosecutor downplayed bug evidence presented by the defense suggesting Westerfield was under surveillance when Danielle's body was dumped and therefore couldn't have been responsible.

"Everyone's different, has a different estimation, approximation, some might even say guess," said Dusek. He added, "This is not an exact science. This is not DNA."

The prosecutor told jurors repeatedly that he did not have to prove to them why Westerfield killed Danielle, only that he did, but he said he was certain jurors wanted to know, "Why would a regular, normal 50-year-old guy kidnap and kill a 7-year-old child?"

There was no answer, he said, just another question. Pointing to print outs of some 85 images of child pornography found on computers and discs in Westerfield's home, Dusek said, "Why would a normal 50-year-old guy have pictures of young naked girls?"

With some of the images of elementary-school aged girls, naked and exposing their genitals, flashing on the courtroom wall behind him, Dusek pointed at Westerfield and said, "These are his fantasies."

Westerfield stared toward the empty witness stand, never looking at the photos.

Dusek acknowledged that "if (Westerfield) is the guy, that destroys all our senses of protection."

"That's the scariest part — he was a normal guy down the street," said Dusek.

Defense lawyer Feldman promised jurors the heart of his argument Wednesday, but in a little more than an hour before the panel, he seemed to be hoping for a hung jury. He presented jurors with a list of "Jury Responsibilities," several of which seemed aimed at encouraging any panelist for acquittal not to cave to pressure from other jurors.

One "responsibility" read "All of you have the right to have your feelings respected."

Just before court broke for the day, Feldman held up a blank piece of posterboard and said, "This is the only evidence they have of David Westerfield in the van Dam residence."

He suggested the van Dam's swinging lifestyle endangered their children.

"You don't know what pervert is coming in the door when you're in the bar, drunk, making invites," he said.

 
Comprehensive case coverage


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To: Southflanknorthpawsis
Doesn't he look like he has a stocking pulled over his face?

Yes! I was looking at his face today wondering what it was that was creeping me out. I thought he might have had a facelift or something.

981 posted on 08/07/2002 7:13:07 PM PDT by nycgal
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To: MizSterious
I know you had to go make dinner so you missed Dusek, but don't worry, .....

You didn't miss anything.

982 posted on 08/07/2002 7:13:37 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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Comment #983 Removed by Moderator

To: Yeti
This will be going on for a long time. If he is found guilty, there is plenty of reason to appeal. If acquitted, he will be suing court tv for their inaccurate reporting, and well, really suing almost everyone involved.

I think that this is where feldi sees the money...I believe he will be aquitted and the civil suit will be better off settled out of court...for the VD's and prosecution

984 posted on 08/07/2002 7:16:04 PM PDT by demsux
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To: Southflanknorthpawsis
Plus, Dusek used a 4 letter word yesterday.
I didn't happen to hear it, but everyone's
been buzzing about it.
985 posted on 08/07/2002 7:16:18 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: the Deejay
That is an excellent point!!!
986 posted on 08/07/2002 7:16:22 PM PDT by gigi
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To: the Deejay
I think is this case was presented in a police science class and the names and locations were changed the Instructor would immediately explain why the parents were the most likely perps, the friends of the parents next likely, and the guy two houses down the street who had no record the least likely to be investigated.
987 posted on 08/07/2002 7:16:56 PM PDT by Dave_in_Upland
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To: basscleff; All
Well it's all over for DW. Susan Estrich, on with Greta, says "no hung jury". DW will be found guilty.
988 posted on 08/07/2002 7:17:55 PM PDT by nycgal
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To: UCANSEE2
"You didn't miss anything."

LOL!! Just some high blood pressure.
989 posted on 08/07/2002 7:19:15 PM PDT by gigi
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Comment #990 Removed by Moderator

To: Dave_in_Upland
I didn't want to make the same mistake as other posters and "overstate" things... LOL!
991 posted on 08/07/2002 7:19:57 PM PDT by CAPPSMADNESS
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To: nycgal
I should have added </sarcasm>
992 posted on 08/07/2002 7:20:15 PM PDT by nycgal
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To: CyberAnt
I said, BRENDA SAID Danielle would run off and they would have to search for her. I didn't make that up - I saw the interview on TV when she said it. If Brenda was lying, I have no way to prove otherwise. Brenda's statement is not a figment of my imagination. I heard her, and I saw her make the statement.

I didn't see this TV interview, but I did hear that rumor and it occurred VERY EARLY in Danielle's disappearance. Afterward, though, in the PH and in TRIAL testimony, she totally denied it.

993 posted on 08/07/2002 7:20:28 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: nycgal
"Well it's all over for DW. Susan Estrich, on with Greta, says "no hung jury". DW will be found guilty."

(Iced tea spew on my keyboard!) Now, I KNOW
the verdict will be NOT GUILTY!
994 posted on 08/07/2002 7:21:16 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: nycgal
but I got the impression he was very subtly pointing his finger at Damon. I need to check the transcript when it comes out.

Well, it wasn't very subtle, it was pretty direct. More or less called DAMON a BIG FAT LIAR.

995 posted on 08/07/2002 7:21:58 PM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: FresnoDA
JackaLantern! Gotta love it!
996 posted on 08/07/2002 7:22:00 PM PDT by CAPPSMADNESS
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To: shezza
I will second (third, fourth, etc) the kudos for your reporting. was stuck at work all day and couldn't watcha bit. Your on-the-fly transcripts are amazing. Thanks so much.
997 posted on 08/07/2002 7:22:16 PM PDT by fnord
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To: spectre
Hang in there spec, we have all seen and heard all the stuff you mentioned and it hasn't changed what we think about the evidence presented by prosecution. Don't you think the jurors may feel as we do, especially if they have been getting information(even tho they are not supposed to) from this site or listening to the ninnys on CTV and other media?

I am not saying they have disobeyed the judge's orders.I just think they will make up their mind as they go thru the process together.

I also believe in the power of prayer. Thats all we can do and keep praying the right decision will be made.

998 posted on 08/07/2002 7:22:58 PM PDT by BARLF
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To: Dave_in_Upland
You're right about a police science class & how
they would view "suspects". It isn't rocket
science, either. With research & watching the
prelim, I had my suspect. Still do.
999 posted on 08/07/2002 7:23:23 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: Greg Weston
Hey Greg,

Someone earlier suggested that you might be duhhhhhhhsek or one of his in-bred cousins...is it true?????

1,000 posted on 08/07/2002 7:23:42 PM PDT by demsux
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