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

[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.

Jurors ask to review pictures, interview

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.

[The Other Harry]

Make that 801

[BARLF]

Well, the room must have been clean because Brenda asked Damon the next morning if Danielle slept in her bed. Don't you think she could tell if the bed had been slept in or not?

[The Other Harry]

Soomebody got the link to Stealth Ninha Dave website?

[NatureGirl]

Someone said the beanbag was up on the bed. I would have put the beanbag on the bed, IF I HAD VACUUMED THE FLOOR! Did Damon get the urge to clean Danielle's carpet while she was sleeping?

[dread78645]

Any idea what Ott and Keyser make a year?

If I was the boss, I'd say next year they make little rocks out of big rocks.

[MissToots]

Per father-daughter dance. Since this was an annual event, it's quite possible DW knew about it & naturally assumed Danielle would be taken by her father. Just DW's fuzzy recollection that he THOUGHT Brenda mentioned it.

[crypt2k]

Stealth Ninja Dave Website

[The Other Harry]

10-Q

[domestice]

Absolutely Judy,

I think that any reasonable parent, whose child was missing, would do their best not to disturb anything. That way if there was evidence, hopefully it would still be in tact.

Not only that, besides the evidence, or lack thereof, there has been a double standard throughout this whole circus.

*the media says "we shouldn't be concerned w/ what the VD's do in their bedroom"

*the media says "DW must be a murderer b/ he had porn" (we should be concerned w/ he does in his bedroom)

*DW is fingered as "wierd" for being a clean freak

*No big deal if VD's wipe things clean after daughter
has disappeared.

Also, I have heard, but cannot verify, that the VD's had the whole house painted inside????
Danielle was cremated????
evidence gone.

Granted, I could be wrong, but this is how it seems to me, at this point.

[Valpal1]

I just posted an update on the missing Oregon City girls, Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis.

http://www.FreeRepublic.com/focus/news/734037/posts

[domestice]

You're funny!

[sawsalimb]

The video rental bit concers Robert Bork, who rented "The Parent Trap", "The Sound of Music", "Birth of a Nation", "Silent Scream", and "Triumph of the Will".

Riefenstahl? Griffiths? Bork is obviously harboring rascist nazi sympathies,and he probably only rented "The Parent Trap" to see the part where Haley Mills was slow dancing with the back of her dress cut away and her underwear showing. Off with his head. And while you're at it,smash the bottles and burn the corks.

[The Other Harry]

You're funny!

And I see you've been catching up. That's good!

[domestice]

goodnight everyone.

Thanks for listening to this 'newbie'.

[small_l_libertarian]

I think I just found Ott and Keyser in the motorhome!

From Karen LeAlcala, Preliminary Hearing. Cross-exam by Feldman:

Q DID YOU RECEIVE ANY PIECES OF EVIDENCE FROM

19 INSIDE THE MOTORHOME FROM DETECTIVES OTT OR KEYSER?

20 THE COURT: OVERRULED.

21 THE WITNESS: YES.

[The Other Harry]

I've been out out touch. Anyone know what the jury has requested so far? I know about the audio interview tapes and the porn the other day, but nothing since that.

[small_l_libertarian]

BINGO!!! Karen LeAlcala - Preliminary Hearing - cross-exam by Feldman:

23 BY MR. FELDMAN:

24 Q YOU TOLD US IN ONE OF MY EARLIER QUESTIONS,

25 I ASKED YOU WHETHER OR NOT OTT OR KEYSER HAD BEEN

26 INSIDE THE MOTORHOME, I THINK BEFORE YOU GOT THERE,

27 AND I THINK YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T REMEMBER OR YOU

28 DIDN'T KNOW. BUT, AGAIN, THAT'S MY MEMORY.

1 MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, AND I JUST TRIED TO

2 FOCUS YOU, MA'AM, THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING TO DO: DO

3 YOU REMEMBER WHETHER OR NOT EITHER OTT OR KEYSER

4 WERE EVER IN THE MOTORHOME WHILE YOU WERE THERE?

5 A YES.

6 Q YOUR ANSWER YES, BECAUSE MY QUESTION IS

7 SOMEWHAT AMBIGUOUS. I ASKED YOU WHETHER YOU

8 REMEMBERED AND YOU SAID YES. SO NOW THAT I KNOW YOU

9 REMEMBER, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU REMEMBER, PLEASE.

10 A THAT THEY WERE IN THE MOTORHOME AT THE SAME

11 TIME I WAS.

12 Q ALL RIGHT. DID EITHER OTT OR KEYSER, DID

13 YOU EVER SEE EITHER OF THEM IN THE AREA SIMILAR OR

14 CLOSE TO WHERE YOU WERE ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN

15 ATTEMPTING TO LIFT PRINTS?

16 A CERTAINLY NOT AT THE TIME I WAS LIFTING

17 THEM, I DON'T REMEMBER, NO.

18 Q HOW ABOUT BEFORE YOU WERE LIFTING THEM BUT

19 WHILE YOU WERE STILL IN THE MOTORHOME?

20 A I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER IF THEY WERE THERE ON

21 THAT PARTICULAR DAY THAT I LIFTED THE PRINTS.

22 Q BUT YOU REMEMBER A DAY WHERE YOU WERE

23 INSIDE THE MOTORHOME AND AT THE SAME TIME

24 MISTERS OTT AND KEYSER WERE THERE, TOO; CORRECT?

25 A YES.

26 MR. FELDMAN: NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

*** Ott was in the motorhome. ***

[small_l_libertarian]

Jennifer Shen's recall testimony. Highlights: Dull vs. bright orange fibers. "Constellation of colors" fibers found on body and orange fibers could have all come from a multicolored blanket. Fibers that she thought matched after performing all the tests she does were shown to be definitely not a match when tested with the microspectrophotometer.

Feldman asked the jury in his closing to remember her face when she realized that her own notes called the orange fiber caught in Danielle's necklace "dull orange" and all the other orange fibers "bright orange."

So far, the jury has only asked for things Feldman told them to check out.

[sawsalimb]

And Ott is the detective who found what was introduced as the blood spot in the mobile home?

[small_l_libertarian]

If he is, I'm gonna seriously have a heart attack. Haven't gotten that far in the transcripts yet. I'm just starting the afternoon session of March 12th, preliminary hearing.

Do you know the answer?