Jury begins deliberations -Prosecutor says victim has pointed to her killer (keep it civil)

UNION-TRIBUNE signonsandiego.com ^ | August 9, 2002 | Alex Roth

[dread78645]

Jurors in the David Westerfield trial began deliberating yesterday after hearing a final statement from the lead prosecutor, who beamed a photo of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam onto the wall and urged the jury to focus on the physical evidence.

Finishing closing arguments in the two-month murder trial, prosecutor Jeff Dusek called a blood spot on Westerfield's jacket the "smoking gun." And Dusek imagined what Danielle might tell the jury if someone could bring her back to life "just for a moment" so she could answer the question, "Please tell us who did this to you."

"I've already told you," Dusek said the girl would tell the jury. "I've told you with my hair and where you found it. I've told you with the orange fiber that you found on my choker, and where you found it.

[John Jamieson]

Maybe someone thought they could find a matching gun in the motorhome.

[Politicalmom]

Gosh, I hope nobody uses it to clone Clinton!!!!!!!!!!!!

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

[small_l_libertarian]

My favorite theory (it didn't start with me, but I can't remember who thought of it) is that a cop who knew that the investigation was going the wrong way dropped it in there on purpose to "contaminate" all the evidence in there. Don't know that I believe it, but it is such a sensible theory.

Another idea was that Damon put it there with the intention of planting matching bullets, gun or something else at DW's. (That's obviously if you believe that Damon is the perp.)

[hoosiermama]

Maybe it was a warning? Doesn't the mob do some weird thing like that to get people in line?

[John Jamieson]

That's the same casing that was checked out of evidence for a few hours by "persons unknown".

Maybe someone told the cops that one of the big activities at Glamis was target shooting and they once saw DW going it.
They had no idea that the body would showup without holes.

[Jaded]

It's on the original poll where you can vote like all those dead people in chicago. Well and often. 64000+ votes and only 1000+ hits on the index page and 260 on the poll page. Methinks something is afoul.

[John Jamieson]

Ya, like put a horse's head in your bed, really cool stuff like that.

[Krodg]

Just a small item that has been bugging me. Both parents took credit for putting the gate in Danielle's doorway. Why the battle on this small detail?

[the Deejay]

"Gosh, I hope nobody uses it to clone Clinton!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bite your tongue.

[John Jamieson]

Because they couldn't keep their stories straight?

[hoosiermama]

Was thinking along the lines of their financial situation. Maybe mob ties? Casing left to remind them to stay in line.

[the Deejay]

Ahhh, they wouldn't have been trying to "plant evidence" now, would they??

Well, lo & behold they didn't find a gun while rummaging through all of DW's belongings. Not even a trace.

How can one load a .22 caliber bullet into binoculars? *giggle giggle*

[sawsalimb]

OK,wild brainstorm here. Do any of the vehicles involved in this case have that gps system option? The one that tells you where you are,etc. That could be an interesting avenue to investigate.

[John Jamieson]

You've got to wonder if Clintoon was at Dad's that night.

[hoosiermama]

Maybe that's why CLinton doesn't take the cover off his when he look through them!

[John Jamieson]

westerfield had it installed on 2/4, for free!

[the Deejay]

"You've got to wonder if Clintoon was at Dad's that night."

ROTFL! I'll bet he wishes he had been there. Sounded like his type of partying alright.

[hoosiermama]

oooooooooo
GOOD ONE!

[the-gooroo]

Who discovered the casing and when? Do you know what Feldman said about this in his closing? All I can remember is Dusek telling the jury that it wasn't anything to concern themselves with. It was an old casing, probably fell out of someones cuff. Blah blah blah

[small_l_libertarian]

I don't know. Which vehicles, specifically? The ones I can think of are Brenda's SUV, Damon's van, Westerfield's SUV, Westerfield's RV, Denise's car and whichever car the guys arrived to the pizza party in.

What are you thinking?