Westerfield trial TV coverage lures viewers with lurid details

The San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | June 7, 2002 | Robert P. Laurence

[MizSterious]

Westerfield trial TV coverage lures viewers with lurid details

Remote Control

Robert P. Laurence

June 7, 2002

TV is about pictures, and the David Westerfield trial has not been a pretty picture.

Carried live on four local stations, and on cable's Court TV, the trial's pictures have been drawn in words, words like "sexual penetration" "putrefaction," "animal activity" and "decomposition" used in describing what might have happened to the body of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam before and after her death.

To many, the pictures, again drawn in words, of adults engaged in spouse-swapping, group sex and pot smoking have been nearly as repugnant.

But just as many are finding the whole spectacle of kidnapping, murder, kinky sexuality and everyday middle-class suburbanites pursuing a lifestyle usually associated with memories of hippies of the 1960s morbidly fascinating. (Some may be looking at the folks next door with new curiosity.)

Decisions of local TV stations have varied according to the expected newsworthiness of whatever witness has been on the stand. All carried the testimony of Damon and Brenda van Dam, Danielle's parents, Wednesday and yesterday.

KUSI/Channel 51 has been the most dedicated, carrying all the testimony live, and airing a nightly hour-long wrap-up of the day's activities at 9 p.m. For viewers who don't subscribe to cable, KUSI has been the only place to watch the entire trial.

KGTV/Channel 10 has aired most of the testimony in the first three days of the trial. The coverage airs sometimes on Channel 10, and always on KGTV's all-news cable outlet on Channel 15. KFMB/Channel 8 and KNSD/Channel 39 have been choosier, often skipping the testimony of technical experts.

Wednesday's ratings favored KGTV and KUSI, and Nielsen totals of how many people have been watching TV during the day were up as much as 12 percent compared to last week.

Some of the technical testimony has been the most gruesomely fascinating, including the descriptions of County Medical Examiner Dr. Brian Blackbourne of the condition of Danielle's body when it was found, and his listing of which body parts had been gnawed by animals and which had not. (Blessedly, the courtroom camera has eschewed close-ups of the pictures of the child's body. Those would be too ugly to bear.)

Just as fascinating in the context of the grisly scenario was Brenda van Dam's description of the now-painfully mundane routine of selling Girl Scout cookies, the route she and Danielle followed as they walked house to house through the neighborhood, and her statement that the home of defendant David Westerfield "was the last house we went to."

For those who have made up their mind that Westerfield is guilty, Court TV is the place to go. Anchors Nancy Grace and Sheila Stainback have all but declared themselves witnesses for the prosecution. Both have ridiculed potential defense arguments before they've been made in court, and Grace described Westerfield at one point as "looking pretty pasty right now."

Grace yesterday waxed long and righteously indignant because Damon van Dam wasn't allowed to stay in the courtroom while his wife testified, bemoaning that he wasn't being allowed "closure," but ignoring the fact that California courts don't allow witnesses to remain in court while other witnesses testify.

Local anchors have remained neutral and objective, but speculation has not been entirely absent. Lawyer Milt Silverman, analyst for KGTV, yesterday said he was wondering whether Westerfield had "figured out ways to defeat those locks" on the Van Dams' home.

Still, the most memorable pictures we've seen so far in the Westerfield trial were those of yesterday morning.

The first was the stricken look on Brenda van Dam's face when she was asked how many children she has, and her long pause as she deliberately decided to include Danielle: "Three."

The second was of Brenda van Dam, sobbing and daubing a tissue to her eyes as she listened to a tape of her first 911 call, and heard her own voice tell the operator, "My daughter's not in her bed this morning. She's only 7...

"Oh my God! ... I don't know where she could be."

[John Jamieson]

They might be related.......you got any new info?

[Jaded]

IMO, perhaps that they were less than thorough in their "investigation". I believe the bumpers in question were the son's, could be wrong though. The son was said to have been in residence that weekend. Why didn't they search the home with the son there? Hhmmm.

Point was LE was very selective in what information they documented. SURPRISE!!

[John Jamieson]

The cop denied he saw them.

[fnord]

All that pizza talk on the other thread got me hungry.

Was it established that this was Domino's pizza? If so, more interesting to me (rather the number of pizzas) is that she would go pick it up rather than have it delivered. Who goes to pick up a pizza from a delivery chain, unless there are other reasons to be out and about at the same time?

I'd be interested in knowing her whole itinerary ... has this been brought in to evidence?

[spectre]

What do you want us to say? A Fairytale for YOU :~)

Once upon a time, in Perfect CA... there was a Mommie and Daddy who were at home, popping popcorn, watching a Disney video with their children...drank some soft drinks....kissed the kids goodnight...stayed up to watch the late news and hit the sack with each other about 10:30pm.

Before going to bed, they locked all their doors and made sure the security alarm was set...Put the dog in its doggie bed and woke up the next morning to find that their daughter had mysteriously vanished, without a trace.

Now, does that change the picture?

sw

[John Jamieson]

The only difference would be, the daughter would NOT be missing and there would be no story to tell.

[Jaded]

The kinky couple allowed a parade of other kinky people through their home... do ya think it coulda contributed? There is no evidence of David Westerfield in the home. There will eventually be a veritable laundry list of deviants who paraded through the home. Who knows maybe it was one of the regulars.

See this thread post #46 David Westerfield
The time of departure is between 3:00 and 3:29 according to DvD's trial testimony.

Oh and SDPD impounded his Toyota 4-Runner with California license plate 4SFN016. Then returned it. They did find fingerprints on it that were neither Danielle's or Mr. Westerfields, but relevant enough to the case for the DA to object at the PH. Wonder who's they are? Enquiring minds and all that.

[spectre]

Ahhh, well, hubbie just drove up the street and picked up our two Pizza's at Domino's...all that Pizza talk was as bad as watching the Soprano's!

Yes, she stated it was Domino's and she picked "the pizza up" before going home around 6pm that night. I counted the slices of ONE large Pizza, it was 8.

I think they only placed so much emphasis on the "Pizza eating" to make the swinging party appear legit.

sw

[Jaded]

No, because Brenda doesn't recall when she got the mj from Rich. It is suspected that that was why it was imperative that she make that little trip, sans the children.

[spectre]

Bingo!

sw

[BARLF]

Yes, those women there make me wanna barlf.........OOps I mean barf.

[BARLF]

I think I read where a divorce was considered a year ago and defense could not go there.

[MizSterious]

Thanks for the bump, even though it had more typos than Carter had little liver pills--was trying to post real fast and get offline before the thunderstorm hit. Ouch, it was full of errors.

[MizSterious]

There are still two little boys in that house that are living. In my opinion, it's also about them. They need to be removed from that household immediately.

[MizSterious]

Or, she was picking up the drugs for evening's festivities.

[spectre]

Oh nooooo...Miz! There was just that one little joint they all shared from 8pm to after 2am, wasn't there? giggle, gag!

Catch ya all later. Stay safe, Miz..sw

[rolling_stone]

Westerfield's name is David Alan Westerfield DOB 2/25/52

The body was not burned only appeared that way from decomposition

Danielle is the product of BVD & DVD per DNA testimony at PH

[John Jamieson]

CNN got it wrong then! Can you point to the DNA testimoney; I didn't know there had been any.

[John Jamieson]

They also need to be interviewed, if they have not been.

[Jaded]

They were interviewed. That's how Feldman got the information about opening the gate and the scratch.