Pro-capital-punishment jury sought

I don't know if I made much sense just now - but I've got it boiled down to: Brenda's a user - or - she's friendlier with Westerfield than we know - or - she was willing to reciprocate Westerfield's nice gesture with some gesture of her own.

Yep, you made a whole lot of sense. Couldn't have said it better myself.

I don't know what happened that night... who did what, when or where. But I've got a gut feeling that there is a whole lot more that we haven't heard, than what we have heard.

A precious child is dead and I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to be known. Let the chips fall where they may as long as the guilty parties (no pun intended) are punished ...whomever he/she/they may be!

Thanks for the ping - interesting article, though I wish it could have said more. I'd love to know how drunk this gal thought Westerfield was. I mean - if he's going to try to use being "too drunk" as an excuse for not having been able to commit the crime - that may have been evident to this woman at some point during that time. It doesn't say at what time during the night's events that Westerfield wanted to buy her and her friend the drinks and offered to give her friend the ride home. I'm thinking it must have been after Brenda and her friends were there - after all, why would he have made this offer early, before Brenda and friends arrived - if he hoped for a shot at Barbara or Brenda even? But if he made the offer to these ladies later - after maybe being rejected by Barbara or Brenda - that would indicate to me that he probably just shrugged it off and moved on to finding another gal to "hook up" with. The article says he seemed really nice - that's so wierd - all we ever really hear about him is that he was really nice. I mean - that woman in the article could have easily said "He was totally drunk and kind of creepy" but she didn't - she didn't even say "I thought he seemed nice at the time - but looking back now - I see that he was behaving oddly." Nothing like that at all. She does however recall stoned Brenda - hmmmn. I need more answers.

"...but I've got it boiled down to: Brenda's a user - or - she's friendlier with Westerfield than we know - or - she was willing to reciprocate Westerfield's nice gesture with some gesture of her own."

Personally, I think all of the above.

I did post the very interesting item from the friend's personal web page, but I also have to admit I don't know if it's true or if its someone looking for her own 15 minutes of fame. It would seem that the gag order would preclude her putting that out there. Since she works at the bar, surely both sides have already taken her statement--which means she could be a potential witness. I believe the gag order would cover this. So maybe it's a lot less than it seems.

But if it is true, then it does cast a new light on Brenda's testimony and possibly the prosecution's case. Someone on another board notified the people who should know she's talking about this, so don't be surprised if the page disappears.

I think that before we take the life of another human being, we need to be very sure the person is guilty of the crime. Many people--quite a few on here, I note--want to send anyone the police accuse to death row. I'm with you: if he's guilty, he should die, not so much for revenge, although maybe for that too, but for me, I want the killer to die because then he'll never, ever be able to do such a thing again. In that respect, the death penalty works. But first, let's make sure, let's be very, very sure, that this is the man who did it. We pride ourselves on not doing vigilante lynchings in this country, but I do believe there are some Freepers who would happily hold a lynching party, just because the crime is so horrible--no thought whatever innocence or guilt.

Political Notebook - Van Dam case is news to juror

DAVE DOWNEY and KIM EPLER
Staff Writers

5/26/02

When horrific events break our hearts, we assume everyone hears of them.

Never assume anything.

Take, for example, the heart-wrenching kidnap-murder of Danielle van Dam, which has been sprayed across front pages throughout the country.

Apparently not everyone followed the 7-year-old Sabre Springs girl's disappearance and the arrest of her neighbor, David Westerfield.

While camped out in a San Diego courthouse outside closed hearings in the case of accused murderer Westerfield earlier this month, the mob of reporters covering one of San Diego County's biggest stories met a young man whom few believed existed.

He was a juror in the courtroom next door, and he was curious why so many reporters were hanging out in the hallway.

It's the Westerfield case, reporters explained.

"Who's Westerfield?" he asked.

Man, have we got an attorney who wants to meet you, said the shocked throng.

The man said he didn't make it a habit to watch or read the news.

I asked the moderator to remove #26 because the writer requested her picture and name be removed. I am reposting the rest of the article below:

Imagine walking into your place of work, just as you have for the past four years, except that tonight is different. Tonight there is a sign saying, "Taping of 'America's Most Wanted' - Anyone who crosses this sign gives the show the right to use their likeness."

Already in the back of my mind I knew what this was regarding. Ever since the night Danielle van Dam turned up missing, and David Westerfield and Brenda van Dam had been seen in this bar, reporters had flooded the building.

At this point the body of the young girl had not yet been found, but my mind was racing with the things this man had probably done to her. It creeped me out thinking that this same man was the one with whom I had been conversing that fateful Friday night. He seemed really nice and even offered to give my girlfriend a ride home that night and to buy us drinks, which we both declined.

It is hard to remember all the details of that night. I remember that stoned Brenda and David Westerfield spoke briefly and danced intimately on the dance floor. Now as the trial is set to begin, my mind races back to that night and I wonder, "What if my friend had gone with him? What would we have accepted that night?"

Sorry I don't have a link for it any longer. She's removed the page. But I find the article interesting enough that it should be included as part of the information we're collecting on the trial.

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