Disquieting Disclosures: The Unbearable Sadness of the Danielle Van Dam Story

The American Partisan ^ | 15 March, 2002 | Jennifer King

[The Right Stuff]

Disquieting Disclosures -
The Unbearable Sadness of the Danielle Van Dam Story
by Jennifer King, Senior Editor

March 15, 2002

"The Heretical Housewife"

There should be no quarter given to those who abuse and defile the trust placed in them by an innocent child. Child molesters are heinous creatures, destroyers of the future who themselves deserve to be dispatched in the most hideous way possible. Whoever murdered Danielle Van Dam (right), whoever dumped her soft little body into dirty scrub brush by the side of the road to be mauled and desecrated by the fangs of wild animals, deserves to die an equally painful and inglorious death. And, Danielle’s parents, Damon and Brenda Van Dam, deserve our heartfelt sympathy for the disastrous loss of their little girl in such a horrid manner.

However, disquieting revelations have been floating around this case since Danielle disappeared on February 1st, 2002. First disclosed by radio talk-show host Rick Roberts, these rumors have been linked to an unnamed San Diego Law Enforcement Officer (LEO). The rumors alleged that the Van Dam’s were “swingers”, who had a special room set up in their garage - with inside locks - where eager participants had orgies replete with heavy drinking and pot smoking.

The Van Dam’s, on their appearances on Larry King Live and America’s Most Wanted, seemed evasive, dodging questions about their personal lifestyle. They also almost immediately hired a PR firm, whose spokesman likewise deflected this line of questioning without denying it outright.

Thursday, in court hearings, both Brenda and Damon Van Dam seemed to verify some of these allegations. At the very least, the Van Dam behavior and home life can be said to have been highly unusual.

Brenda Van Dam (left) gave some staggering testimony. Among the stunners were the revelation that she had left 7-year old Danielle alone, trying on clothes, in Mervyn’s, while she hunted down her 5 and 10-year old sons who were “at other stores” in the same mall. Then, Brenda admitted that she had noticed her neighbor, David Westerfield (right), the accused killer, at a Poway bar, “Dad’s”, the previous Friday, January 25th. Van Dam, who was with two friends, Barbara and Denise, admitted under questioning, that the three women had been dancing together, suggestively, with Barbara even attempting to fondle Brenda’s breasts.

According to testimony, the following week, Brenda Van Dam, Danielle and her brother went over to Westerfield’s house in order to sell him some Girl Scout cookies. Westerfield asked Van Dam why she hadn’t introduced him to her friends, who, he allegedly said, “looked really fun“. She also testified that Westerfield had told her that he often had “adult BBQ’s”, at which, according to Van Dam, he said, “He would provide the salad, but everyone had to bring their own meat.“ Van Dam testified that she told Westerfield to meet her and her friends at "Dad’s" the following Friday, and she would then introduce him to her friends.

On February 1st, the day Danielle would disappear, the following events transpired, according to Van Dam’s testimony. Brenda returned with the kids at approximately 5:30, then went out to pick up pizza for dinner, leaving the children alone in the house. After dinner, her two girlfriends, Denise and Barbara, came over and stayed about 15 minutes. The three women each had a beer, then they and Brenda’s husband Damon, met in the garage, where they smoked part of a joint (marijuana cigarette).

At approximately 8:30 p.m., the three women went to “Dad’s” where they met up with Westerfield. Westerfield bought them all drinks (Brenda testified that she had three cranberry-vodkas, one shot of tequila and one Red Bull). Westerfield says he danced with Van Dam, she initially denied it, but testified under oath that she “couldn’t recall.” She did admit to “slow dancing” with an older man, and testified that Denise and Barbara were “sexual dancing” with each other and with other women in the bar.

Van Dam also testified that the girlfriends met up with two men named “Rich and Keith.” Rich was alleged to be the pot connection, in later testimony given by Damon Van Dam. Supposedly, Keith was very interested in Barbara, and confided to Brenda that he had “popped a “V”, apparently referring to a Viagra pill. He allegedly asked Brenda to facilitate a tryst between the two.

At 2:00 a.m., when closing time was announced, the three women got in Brenda’s truck (allegedly taking hits from the same joint they had smoked earlier) and the two men drove in another vehicle to the Van Dam home. Damon, who was allegedly asleep in his underwear in his own bed, was awakened by Barbara, who climbed on top of the bed. Damon admits to “kissing” Barbara, and “rubbing her back”.

Brenda Van Dam came upstairs about 15 minutes later, informed the couple that they were being “rude” and that they should join the rest of the ensemble downstairs. Yet, after pizza, the remaining guests allegedly left. The Van Dam’s assert that they went to bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. They did not consider checking on their children then, and did not realize that Danielle was missing until approximately 9:30 a.m. the next morning.

Danielle’s naked and decomposed body was found by volunteer searchers on February 27th.

Whether her parent’s lifestyle had anything to do with her death is debatable. Surely, the Van Dams love their children, aged 10, 7 (Danielle) and 5. Yet the Van Dams appear to have engaged in a lot of activities which could be directly and indirectly injurious to their family. There aren’t too many families, for example, where the mother leaves her young children alone while she runs out to pick up dinner. There aren’t too many devoted mothers who routinely spend Friday nights dirty-dancing at the local bar. Wise parents who exercise sound oversight do not partake in the heavy drinking and pot smoking which appear to have occurred on a regular basis in the Van Dam household.

And, most parents simply do not invite a group of drunken, pot-addled barflys over to their home at 2 o’clock in the morning, while their innocent children sleep only a few rooms away. One wonders whether either Damon or Brenda’s “friend” Barbara, ever considered what the children would think should they awaken and find their father with a woman who wasn‘t their mother rolling around on their parent’s bed.

Many dark theories abound as to what might actually have transpired between the Van Dams and David Westerfield. According to the defense attorney, witnesses have offered to come forward to testify that, not only DID Brenda Van Dam dance with Westerfield, but she did so exclusively and in a suggestive manner. Nevertheless, Westerfield may indeed be solely responsible for the murder of Danielle, and if he is found guilty than he should fry.

However, the Van Dam’s do appear to have fostered, at the very minimum, a home environment where the least suitable people would often be around their most precious assets. Their little girl, unfortunately, was the one who paid the price. ***

© 2002 Jennifer King

COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.

[MizSterious]

She certainly didn't hide the sexual antics, apparently. The testimony about the other woman being snuggled in bed--the door was open, the kids could have wandered in at any time. From what they said, one could be forgiven for presuming that this behavior was not that unusual in that particular household. How "wholesome" is that?

[antaresequity]

Was he invited in or did he sneak in?

I cant bring myself to believe that Westerfield would sneak into a house with 5 people in it and be able to snatch a child and not wake anyone or get the dog to bark.

In the testimony wasn't DW placed at the bar when VD left to go home with her friends?

[Osinski]

Parents who love their children do not abuse drugs in front of them in their home.

You wrote: Neither testimony nor news reports confirm that rumor.

They admitted to smoking pot, at the very least, while their children were home and then they interacted with their children. Kids know whether you are stoned or not. They were abusing drugs in front of their children. What part of this is rumor?

[FresnoDA]

I would have to ask, did some of the "party-goers" have access to the rest of the house at any time? Would they have wandered, drunken and stupored, into the children's rooms? Were any of them depraved enough to have done more than just 'wander'?

Yeah, they could have wandered, unless there was something even more sinister planned by DVD and Barb...

We have the father admitting to an affair with a woman who is out with the wife, both women can vouch for each other as alibi's.

If Brenda knew about the affair and had an attitude with Barbara, WHY was she going out with her? (She seemed to have an attitude in her testimony with Barbara)

I wonder how Damon felt that his wife and girlfriend were going out?

Could Damon and Barbara have organized this?

Barbara keeps Brenda out of the house, Damon is free to plant evidence/ditch the body.

I wonder if there was forced entry anywhere at DW's house?

Damon was aware that DW would be in attendance that night.

Then we have Danielle writing an apology letter to her father the night she disappears, while the wife and father's girlfriend are out, and is left in the care of her father.

Could Danielle have found something out that night that angered Damon?

[FresnoDA]

Regardless of your opinion of the VD's or DW, we now know:

• Damon had some type of falling out with Danielle (Danielle's apology note), Posession of Danielle (he was babysitting), the opportunity to commit the crime (IF it wasn't accidental- even if it was), and he had the means to dispose of the body.

 

• He also had the ability and timeframe to set DW up.

 

• The VD's will obviously sit tight on any information about themselves for self preservation, so if there's more to their relationship (Brenda and DW) it will be like pulling teeth to get the info from them

[RnMomof7]

We have the father admitting to an affair with a woman who is out with the wife, both women can vouch for each other as alibi's.

Did I miss this? Was this in testimony?

Why should the wife care? For Petes sake sex (affairs) were their recreation!

[Kerensky]

Please see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/647110/posts?page=379#379

[FresnoDA]

Good recap...dead on..

[FresnoDA]

We have the father admitting to an affair with a woman who is out with the wife, both women can vouch for each other as alibi's.

Did I miss this? Was this in testimony?

Why should the wife care? For Petes sake sex (affairs) were their recreation!

 

Here is the article...I also heard, and read in the transcripts where Damon admitted that he and Barb were a thing....

Parents drug use, sex lives steal focus

Brenda van Dam cries as she testifies Thursday about her daughter's disappearance.

Source -->

SAN DIEGO (Court TV) — The parents of Danielle van Dam took the stand Thursday at a preliminary hearing for their daughter's accused killer and tearfully recalled the circumstances of the 7-year-old's abduction from her bedroom.

 

Easton, he said, got on the bed.

"I put my arm around her and kissed her and rubbed her back," said Damon van Dam, adding that he could not remember whether his wife was in the room at the time, but she later left.

On cross-examination, Feldman asked if he and Easton had a relationship with her and he said "Yes."

Eventually, he and Easton joined the two men and Brenda van Dam in the living room. After eating pizza, the guests left and the van Dams went to bed about 2:30 without looking in on their children.

[RnMomof7]

That doesn't spound like an "affair" it sounds like a threesome???Am I reading it wrong??

[FITZ]

Then we have Danielle writing an apology letter to her father the night she disappears

The apology letter was written that same evening???

[FITZ]

They are also reaping the "rewards" of lying on the stand (several times) and to the police

Maybe it's not lying but just not having much of a memory of what went on that night. It sounds like they were all pretty drunk and stoned.

[FITZ]

Welcome to FR ---glad you stopped lurking. I wonder if the party got loud at certain times and woke the kids up. Maybe Danielle wasn't even in the house when she was taken, maybe she was out walking around and got picked up by someone who didn't know the family or their wild ways.

[FITZ]

but I sense something very cold and dark in Brenda's eyes

I haven't been able to see the testimony on television ---it would be interesting to watch them testify. It is possible about the gang and some kind of satanic ritual killing. There's a lot of that in Mexico and all kinds of missing and killed children over there. I can see why DW is a suspect and why the Van Dams would have known about his child porn and immediately suspected him.....or he was set up because of it. There's so many questions about this case.

[MizSterious]

I'm not so sure I'm going to give the VDs that much benefit of the doubt, especially since Damon admitted on the stand that he'd made a deliberate decision not to tell the police certain important information--deliberate was the word used, and he did admit to it. Regarding your "walking around" theory--along those lines, Danielle was said to sleepwalk, also--still more reason to have checked the doors and make sure the child was safely inside.

[FITZ]

I'm not giving them too much benefit of the doubt. I've let my kids sleep outside in tents in the yard which I often did as a kid, I also know many people ---including myself who don't lock doors all the time so I hope that's not a crime ---but then I don't live in a city or a suburb.

[f.Christian]

Fortunate me...my mother is Saint---when she 1st got pregnant she always told us---12 children---she quit smoking cigarettes!

When I was teen ager sleeping she would pray over me.

She always told me...don't get too attached to this world---it is not our home-destiny...

"holy monks get buried in sheets--no coffins"!