Posted on 01/08/2003 9:24:19 AM PST by TomB
In a videotaped interrogation with San Diego police detectives four days after Danielle van Dam was kidnapped, an exhausted David Westerfield says "my life is over," seemingly coming close to an admission that he murdered his 7-year-old neighbor.
"As far as I'm concerned my life is over, the life that I had, the life that I was living is over," Westerfield says in the interrogation conducted the evening of Feb. 5, 2002. Danielle was last seen the night of Feb. 1.
"But you can't blame anyone but yourself, Dave," answers one of the police detectives.
"And I have no problem with that," Westerfield replies.
In the tapes released Tuesday, Westerfield admits "unusual" sexual encounters with his wife, denies anything improper about his alleged use of binoculars to watch neighbors and says the child pornography found on his computer was simply something he downloaded along with a lot of other pornographic images and that he had no sexual interest in children.
Superior Court Judge William Mudd agreed Monday to unseal the videotape along with hundreds of pages of transcripts, documents and recordings in the Westerfield case, as well as transcripts of police interrogations and court hearings conducted in secret.
Some of the material – audiotape and videotape of Westerfield being interrogated during the early stages of the investigation – was released Tuesday afternoon.
The remainder of the material, which ranges from transcripts of closed-door court hearings to motions regarding potential evidence, will be released Monday, Mudd ruled.
The ruling Monday came three days after Mudd sentenced the former design engineer to death for kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, his neighbor in Sabre Springs.
Monday's court hearing came in response to a request by The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has been seeking access to the information for months. The San Diego-based 4th District Court of Appeal has ruled that Mudd must release the information.
The San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists made a donation to the legal costs.
Westerfield, who attended Monday's hearing, is scheduled to be moved within days to death row at San Quentin State Prison outside San Francisco.
During earlier court appearances, Westerfield was always dressed in civilian attire, but he appeared in court Monday in a green jail jumpsuit. He sat in a holding area so he couldn't be filmed by a television camera.
One would guess you said that because you believe that no guilty person could pass a polygraph. Is that a correct assumption?
Several posters found examples of what you referred to. Why don't you respond back?
It makes no difference, really, about the polygraph. The reality of the situation is that they are like divining rods. They may or may not indicate where water is and are only as good as the belief of the rod holder.
Even if every suspect that was guilty passed a polygraph test, it proves nothing.
It does, however, raise more REASONABLE DOUBT. It probably bothers those that believe the Polygraph exam he was given is further proof he is guilty.
It really isn't. That is why it is not accepted in a court of law.
If this were the case, it would prove that polygraphs are a complete waste of time.
However, since it is the case that the guilty usually fail and the innocent usually pass, they do have some merit.
They are allowed in court for the defense as evidence of reasonable doubt, they are not allowed for the prosecution as evidence of guilt. A good system, IMO.
And LE are allowed to use them to help them eliminate suspects, (they do NOT eliminate by them alone, however)
All in all, a pretty good tool, in conjunction with other techniques.
You hateful spiteful old hag
Don't you hate it when someone uses someone else's words for their own benefit?
Just so you don't think I'd ever do that, I'll post your whole comment.......all the credit to you of course.
How awful!
You are hateful
No, it is you who are hateful
I'm here to annoy you cuz you don't agree with me..
get a life
That's rude!!!!
I'll kick your buttocks!
Mod, help me!!
You hateful spiteful old hag
1447 posted on 02/03/2003 11:00 AM PST by ~Kim4VRWC's~ [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1446 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
That's funny.
Is this the best you've got?
You're the one discussing your private freepmails, not me.
This case isn't "unfolding" to you, cyncooper or reddipstick...IT'S OVER for you and yours.
The ONLY reason that you and yours frequent this thread is to disrupt, hurl venom and denigrate other posters.
For those with doubts, it is a place to discuss other possible scenario's at our leisure.
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