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Mudd Letters Opened To Public: Van Dam Jurors Continue to Mull and Ponder Westerfield's Fate! 8-15
Union Trib ^ | August 15, 2002 | Union Trib

Posted on 08/14/2002 9:29:21 PM PDT by FresnoDA

Letters to judge opened to public


SIGNONSANDIEGO

August 14, 2002

The judge in the trial of David Westerfield today allowed reporters to see court log entries of notes from jurors, as well as letters to the judge from the public about the murder of Danielle van Dam.

The letters from the public included a variety of theories about the case.

One letter-writer sent the following theory to Judge William Mudd: "Danielle van Dam killed herself.''

A nearly illegible postcard with a Spokane postmark alluded to at least one ex-wife "with a drinking problem (who) lives in Spokane.''

 


DAN TREVAN / Union-Tribune
Some of the folders of documents made public by Judge William Mudd.
The writer failed to indicate whether the reference was to ex-wives of Westerfield – who has been married and divorced twice – or someone else connected with the case.

The postcard was unsigned.

Another missive came from a man who referenced another high-profile murder trial – that of O.J. Simpson.

"The O.J. Simpson case was a miscarriage of the state's justice mainly because Judge (Lance) Ito was too lenient with the actors defending O.J.,'' the man wrote.

There was no news Wednesday afternoon about the status of deliberations, but Mudd announced he was holding a sealed hearing 9:30 a.m. Thursday to consider an unspecified defense motion in the case.

Wednesday was the fifth day of deliberations. The prosecution concluded its closing arguments last Thursday.

Westerfield is accused of kidnapping 7-year-old Danielle van Dam from her Sabre Springs home and killing her.

He could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of murder with special circumstances.

He has also been charged with misdemeanor possession of child pornography.

The log entries show that on Friday, the jury requested ``all available evidence of pornographic images'' and a photograph of a teen-age daughter of the defendant's ex-girlfriend.



TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: 180frank; vandam; vandamswingers; westerfield
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To: cyncooper; dread78645
Thanks to you both. Thought I was goin' goofy.
301 posted on 08/15/2002 11:50:37 AM PDT by small_l_libertarian
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To: nycgal
BVD looks like she's been ridin' hard & put away wet.
(Probably true.)
302 posted on 08/15/2002 11:50:38 AM PDT by the Deejay
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To: the Deejay
Especially if you compare her skankiness now to a pic taken when Danielle was two or three. I asked "Who is that with Danielle?" and then I finally realized it was Brenda looking about twenty years younger. Actually sort of looked nice...
303 posted on 08/15/2002 11:53:00 AM PDT by Politicalmom
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To: the Deejay
Did you notice how much the daughter looked like the mother? I just feel that little girl was also rode hard - in more ways than one. I think that's why she's dead. Poor little thing.
304 posted on 08/15/2002 11:53:48 AM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: JudyB1938
We have some very good prosecutors here. I can't fault them for anything I've seen in prosecuting cases. I do have plenty of problems with the defense attorneys.
305 posted on 08/15/2002 11:54:11 AM PDT by the Deejay
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To: small_l_libertarian
That's what I thought, too, but most everyone disagreed with me.

Regarding the jury deliberations.

They asked for the porn evidence last Friday. It wasn't until Monday afternoon that they asked for the interview DW gave to Redden.

From this it seems the porn was dealt with first, before moving on to the kidnap/murder charges. IMO.

306 posted on 08/15/2002 11:54:28 AM PDT by cyncooper
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To: cyncooper
Excerpt: Search warrants released Monday show that one of the detectives on the case used the same dry cleaner as Westerfield. Because of that, he was able to identify the origin of a dry cleaner's receipt, dated Feb. 4, taken from Westerfield's vehicle just two days after the girl turned up missing.

How does that relate to this excerpt later in the same article:

In one affidavit, San Diego police Detective Terry Torgersen said Westerfield told detectives he submitted items for cleaning at Twin Peaks Cleaners the morning of Feb. 4.

If Westerfield told Torgersen which dry cleaners they used, why did they search others first? Quite obviously from this Detective's statement, they knew which dry cleaners to look at.

Logically, if he hadn't told them anything about a dry cleaners - how would they have known that he'd gone to one?
307 posted on 08/15/2002 11:57:08 AM PDT by NatureGirl
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To: Politicalmom
LOL! I thought the same thing when I saw BVD in that video! I had first thought it was a younger sister of BVDs.

Well today, her appearance shows some serious hard lifestyle has come into play in the past 3 years. Hmmm,
let's see, what could it be? Drinking, pot, sexual encounters? I would think it's a combo of all three.
308 posted on 08/15/2002 11:58:49 AM PDT by the Deejay
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To: cyncooper; All
On a completely unrelated note ... can you guys imagine sitting in a room looking at porn all day with 11 other people? I would not be able to stop laughing (from embarrassment, I mean!). What a weird day for the jurors that must have been!
309 posted on 08/15/2002 11:59:07 AM PDT by small_l_libertarian
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To: Jaded; cyncooper
Well, here is all I can find so far.

More Westerfield Search Warrant Affidavits Released

SAN DIEGO -- David Westerfield admitted to police that he dropped off bedding and other items at a Poway dry cleaners two days after Danielle van Dam disappeared, according to search warrant affidavits released Monday.

In one affidavit, San Diego police Detective Terry Torgersen said Westerfield told detectives he submitted items for cleaning at Twin Peaks Cleaners the morning of Feb. 4.

Among the items recovered from the dry cleaners were two comforters and pillow cases, a green jacket, a pair of black denim pants, a black sweater and a black T-shirt, according to the documents.

An affidavit for another search warrant indicates police set up a "trap" on Damon and Brenda van Dam's home phone number to try to trace any incoming calls.

I found the search warrants for the dry cleaners but they don't tell much, EXCEPT that they weren't specifically looking for a jacket.

310 posted on 08/15/2002 11:59:24 AM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: Jaded
The lapel
311 posted on 08/15/2002 11:59:37 AM PDT by Rheo
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To: cyncooper
... taken from Westerfield's vehicle just two days after the girl turned up missing.

Not that media articles aren't mostly BS and spin, but ...

2 days after she was found missing would be the 4th. When did they get the search warrant for the SUV? Seems just as likely DW provided the receipt and name as backup to his long interview. Why did it take 3 days to go get the clothes? And why the spin to make it look like inspired detective work?

312 posted on 08/15/2002 11:59:40 AM PDT by fnord
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To: JudyB1938
Agree. I have always thought that little girl has been abused sexually. Then, when I read what she had been writing in her diary, it was like she was telling me my thoughts were spot on.
313 posted on 08/15/2002 12:00:46 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: the Deejay
Who is that woman in the montage (the one wearing the matching shirt as Danielle)?

Anyone know?

314 posted on 08/15/2002 12:01:33 PM PDT by demsux
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To: UCANSEE2
You da man! I thought I had read that about DW telling them about the morning trip (I know we discussed it on these threads a few days back), but had no idea where. Thank you.
315 posted on 08/15/2002 12:01:42 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian
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To: the Deejay
How do you know you can't fault those other prosecutors for anything? Have you ever followed a trial as closely as this one? Have you ever read the transcripts? Did you realize that people can be convicted on fibers and hair that are merely "similar to". Did you know that it's a "perfect match" even when not all of the DNA lines up correctly? Etc Etc Etc

Sorry, but this trial has really made a cynical old woman out of me. I think my last illusions just went by the wayside.
316 posted on 08/15/2002 12:05:41 PM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: small_l_libertarian
GAWD! I would have plugged my ears & closed my eyes when the rest of the jurors watched porn. EEWW! I would have told them I saw & heard more than I needed in court.
317 posted on 08/15/2002 12:06:07 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: the Deejay
In all fairness to Brenda (you have no idea how much it pains me to do this), we never saw her until after her daughter was gone. I am certain that stress and strain like that will put a year or two (or ten) on your face really quickly.

We don't know what she looked like even a day before Danielle was gone.
318 posted on 08/15/2002 12:06:57 PM PDT by small_l_libertarian
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To: NatureGirl
Logically, if he hadn't told them anything about a dry cleaners - how would they have known that he'd gone to one?

Right on the Redden interview tape he tells about trip #2 (the black clothes trip). The article does not say Westerfield told them *on* 2/4 about *both* trips. It says he told them about the trip made on 2/4---see the difference? It appears they had to search for which drycleaners and one detective thought it *might* be Twin Peaks because he is a customer there. Westerfield may have acknowledged after all of the items were found that those were his items. I would like to see the affidavit.

319 posted on 08/15/2002 12:06:58 PM PDT by cyncooper
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To: Space Wrangler
Hi Space........The vD's are/were smart enough to evade investigation and point out to the LE a dumbass nice guy to take the fall. So far it is working. ehhh?

Watch your hose,fibers,and never leave the neighborhood when someone has gone missing,even if you aren't aware of their having gone missing.

320 posted on 08/15/2002 12:07:20 PM PDT by BARLF
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