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.
If not, I'm sure we will have them soon, if public record and can be released.
Have you now a changed mind on that subject?
No, I haven't changed my mind. My comment above was an observation of the official record (the affidavit) vs. a story, perhaps from the media, about the dog reacting at the new neighbors, and which story some gave more weight to.
BTW, as I have stated many times: If the dogs had hit anywhere the police wanted them to hit it would have been used by Dusek in the trial. They didn't ,he didn't.
They did present such testimony . The cadaver dog at the MH. Some just found the testimony non-credible.
heheheh
We hit *80* yesterday and only the low 70's today. Snow was fun when I was a kid, but, not to drive in!
I would have liked for the scent dog that was used in the vD house to "hit" on Dw's scent, in Danielle's room or anywhere in the vD house. I wouldn't have my doubts today.
Brenda's statement that she never told anyone at the bar about her family or the father/daughter dance and damon was upset she was growing up so fast, and the new shirt.
Brenda testified she did talk about it at the bar...not to mention how stupid it is to think that Danielle would have told DW about damon being upset she was growing up too fast.
DW said out of the clear blue that there was supposed to be a babysitter.In the docs just released...he was asked to recall his conversation with Brenda...this was not out of the blue.
The freeway wind might have blown off the scent.
DW was overly cooperative.
The hose was unrolled altho his house looked neat.
The park ranger said he seemed suspicious.
The park ranger did not even ID DW when first shown his pic or mention suspicious behavior.
The MH that was supposedly seen in the neighborhood on the pm of 2/1..neighbor had to swerve to miss it.Not in neighborhood that night.
DW said WE when recalling trip.
Fit FBI profile..but no profile submitted prior to warrant request..sd just talked with profiler...no profiler testified tho
Dog interest in garage...Brenda said was not in garage...Ott's notes tho say no dog hit..no mention of interest.
I read something recently in the new docs that said the judge was also informed of him failing the poly..not important but seems to be in the page of redacted info on that affidavit.
That's because DW had Danielle in there later--and Brenda wouldn't know that.
The only other comment I have (and I'm sure your thrilled--sorry!), is each and every time Westerfield talks about there supposed to have been a babysitter at the van Dams, he has this tone of wonder and surprise in his voice. He says it first in the media interview that was shown to the jury. He says it a few times in his interviews with detectives. He kind of pauses of muses aloud, sometimes phrasing it "I could have sworn she said..." that it isn't just stated matter of factly in answer to a question of what did Brenda say.
I was going to answer this post in a similar way, even though it was directed to you.
He is, without question, a murderer. But lets look at what Jaded admits he is guilty of...child pornography possession and Peeping Tom behavior that is absolutely revolting and done without the subject's knowledge or consent. I do not find a moral equivalence here and old Dave just one more average sinner.
Then add in the kidnapping, rape (yes, I know he wasn't charged with it), and murder.
Whether Westerfield is guilty is not something subject to one's "world view", not a philosophical question.
The babysitter comment was in that post as it was in the affidavit and the docs confirmed it was not said out of the blue to the detectives prior.
As for DW's tone of wonder and surprise in subsequent conversations....she did tell him she was going to get a babysitter...and would be at Dad's if she did....she was.
This article was post on July 11,2002.S.D.Channel.com
Just peeped out the window, not here yet....:)) We're about half way between St. Louis and Memphis, think this front is for Memphis,too. Good news is.......it won't last long.
Can't recall of hand what the others stated...info overload!
Sorry to hear about the computer problems...that is so frustrating.
Thank you for posting this info, I know it's not easy going thru all these documents.
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