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."

[Karson]

Thanks for that info. Wonder how long they lived there.

We have friends who lived in Gainsville for many years but have retired back here now.

[Rheo]

I can only find the 1989 marriage and 1991-1993 info on the property...they had no liens, judgements, affidavits, etc.....I am finding no date of birth for Brenda and only one possible for him, which was used from Appleton WI at some point.......doesn't really matter, just like databases :-)

[Jaded]

That's true, it does happen to all kinds of families. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped at gunpoint by someone who climbed through the bedroom window. That's what the local news said.

The VanDam case is unique on many levels. If infact the alarm lights were on, the children should have been checked on. Especially since the parents stated Danielle sleepwalked. They have since backed off that statement. They lied to police up through 6 separate interviews. The accused is suppose to have entered a home that has a very open floor plan, while the father was awake and a dog about. Then the accused waited around for 1 to 1.5 hours, leaving no DNA.

The two cases are dissimilar in more ways than they are similar, IMO.

[John Jamieson]

You are of course right. I can't explain any of them. None make any sense to me.

The van Dam issue is: did they make a lot easier for their family to be victumized as a result of their life style, AND now that we know what that life style was, are there other possible perps that should be investigated.

DW may be the bad guy, but alot of the initial claims turn out to be a lot of exageration (like the porno). He has to be convicted beyond a reasonable doubt and the parents have clouded the issue with sex, drugs, lies, and too many weird friends.

[Karson]

According to the testimony of Carston Heinburger:

Instructions given to look for items could possibly be from Danielle or her belongings. Blue blanket.

Do you think he meant to say blue pajamas or is a blue blanket missing from Danielle's room?

[Karson]

Chris Morgan was the one who actually found her body. When asked why he thought it was Danielle, said because of the blonde hair and the earring and gap in her teeth that resembled the missing persons photo.

I knew I didn't dream hearing that!

[rolling_stone]

Westerfield Deed

Van Dam's

Damon (Peter) is reportedly interested in surfing and bicycle riding among his other hobbies...

DNA testimony was given by a femal forensic specialist/biologist but I don't recall her name.

[John Jamieson]

Sad that Westerfield had to turn over his house to the lawyers. If he is found not guilty can he sue anybody?

[rolling_stone]

The government has a lot of immunity and a PH showed sufficient evidence to bind him over for trial, so unless there is some provable fabrication of evidence by someone I doubt it. I am of the opinion he is facing an uphill battle.

[FresnoDA]

BUMP!!

[Karson]

Court records show Peter Damon van Dam, 36, and Brenda Sue Cope, 39, both Florida natives, were married in Gainesville on March 11, 1989, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 100 NE 1st St.

Costello (bought their house in 1993) said the van Dams told her they were selling the house because they were moving to Texas. News reports say the couple moved to San Diego a few years ago.

Thanks for the link! That confirms what I had read before that they lived in FL and then Texas before moving to SD.

[Karson]

Do you have any info on the VDs in Texas?

[Rheo]

None...nothing found in Houston or Dallas......was just reading John Walsh's interview w/Larry King....he told Larry that DW moved into the neighborhood recently...thought he was already living there when the VD's moved in??

[John Jamieson]

A battle for his life, I'd say.

[John Jamieson]

I looked for David Westerfield in the CA web White Pages which are probably an average of a year old? The only DW was north of LA and it was a David "A" Westerfield. He seems to have been born in SD and spent most of his life there.

[Karson]

John Walsh's interview w/Larry King....he told Larry that DW moved into the neighborhood recently...thought he was already living there when the VD's moved in??

Yes, DW was already there before the VDs moved in. I think he moved there approx 1996. The VDs moved in '98 or '99

John Walsh has been grossly inaccurate on several things in several cases.

[ladyinred]

What you posted sounds reasonable, however, the truth is the death of a child results in a divorce very often. The parents instead of growing closer, in their grief usually do just the opposite for any number of reasons.
I am disgusted by the defense attorney. His dramatic speeches about the parents are designed to draw the attention of his obviously guilty client.

Yes, the parents are messed up and bad role models that is true. It is also true that the physical evidence points to the accused.
Both can be true, the parents are lousy and Westerfield is a murderer.
I don't care if they left the kids alone in the house and has affairs with half the world. That does not give the creep the right to kill the poor little girl.
Why defense attorneys are allowed to demonize everyone else around them is beyond me!

[John Jamieson]

You've already assuming that he's guilty....there certainly hasn't been any evidence of that presented on the court case I'm watching. There may be in the future, but it seems that they're off to a very slow start. Even the rumored evidence seems weak so far.

[Karson]

Can you find anything that confirms DvD living in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area July 1981? I heard him say -- on the John and Ken Radio Show-- that he lived in SE FL when Adam Walsh was kidnapped. How old would Damon have been in 1981?

[John Jamieson]

If all of the RV DNA is mitocondrial and can be explained by either Brenda or Danielle being in the RV, that would leave only the finger or palm print as the remaining hard evidence against Westerfield. Do children inheret skin patterns from their parents 50-50 or not at all? Does Westerfield have to claim both BVD and Danielle were in the RV or just Brenda?