BREAKING: BRENDA VAN DAM DANCED WITH WESTERFIELD: (Modern Day Westside Story?)7-9-02 Trial Watch

KFMB ^ | July 9, 2002 | KFMB

[FresnoDA]

WITNESSES SAY BRENDA VAN DAM DANCED WITH DAVID WESTERFIELD

(07-08-2002) - Three defense witnesses testified Monday that Brenda van Dam and David Westerfield, the man accused of murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, danced together the night before the girl was discovered missing.

"Mr. Westerfield and Mrs. van Dam were dancing," said Patricia LePage, describing the scene at Dad's Cafe and Steakhouse the night of Feb. 1.

Since the prosecution introduced hair and fibers found at the defendant's house and motorhome, the defense has tried to show the evidence could have been transferred in some other way, such as dancing.

The 50-year-old defendant would face the death penalty if convicted of kidnapping and killing Danielle van Dam, who lived two houses away in Sabre Springs. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of child pornography.

In testimony near the beginning of the trial, Brenda van Dam told the court she did not dance with Westerfield.

But LePage said van Dam rubbed her hips and chest against Westerfield during several dances together, recalling the movie "Dirty Dancing." That was just part of what LePage described as "frisky" behavior exhibited by van Dam that night.

LePage said she was in a smoking lounge at Dad's with her daughter, Cherokee Youngs, when van Dam came in and struck up a conversation with the younger woman.

"Well, she did ask my daughter if she liked girls," LePage said when asked to describe the conversation. Van Dam, she said, asked Youngs if she wanted to come to her house for a party later that night.

Youngs testified about the encounter last week.

Duane Blake, a fisherman who said he goes to Dad's a couple times a week, said he caught a glimpse of the defendant dancing with van Dam.

Blake confirmed an interview with the District Attorney's Office, in which he described their dancing as, "huggy, huggy." He testified he even thought Westerfield might be trying to pick up on van Dam.

Earlier Monday, another woman testified she saw Westerfield dance with Danielle's mother.

Glennie Nasland, who began her testimony last week, said she was on the dance floor and saw the pair turn toward each other while dancing with other people.

Nasland, who described herself as a friend of Westerfield, said she watched them for 20 seconds before they turned away again.

In other testimony Monday, Dave Laspisa said that going to the desert to look for friends, and without bringing an all-terrain vehicle, was not an unusual activity for Westerfield.

The witness, a self-employed Poway man, said he's known the defendant for 15 years and has camped with him near the Imperial County community of Glamis for 10 years.

The witness was one of several people who testified as the defense began to move away from what happened at a Poway night spot the night before Danielle was discovered missing Feb. 2 to Westerfield's weekend wanderings.

Westerfield's attorney, Steven Feldman asked Laspisa to explain why someone would avoid Interstate 8 while taking a motorhome to the desert. Laspisa said high winds and black ice were common on that route, which traverses altitudes over 4,000 feet.

Heather Mack, a security guard at Coronado Cays, testified that she saw Westerfield drive his motorhome into the exclusive neighborhood in the afternoon or evening hours of Feb. 3.

Mack said Westerfield smiled and waved at her as he drove past her security kiosk, but she never saw him again.

The witness told Dusek that she originally told a police officer that she "vaguely remembered" seeing the defendant's recreational vehicle.

Glen Seebruch, an engineering manager at Nokia, testified earlier that Westerfield called him the morning of Feb. 1 and told him he planned to go to the desert that weekend.

Feldman, told Judge William Mudd that his case may be completed by the end of the week.

Insect expert David Faulkner is expected to testify about how long the victim's body may have been in the East County before volunteer searchers found it on Feb. 27.

Feldman has said Westerfield would have had no opportunity to dispose of the body because he was under constant police surveillance from Feb. 4 until his arrest Feb. 22.

[JudyB1938]

Those nosebleeds could have just been from the desert air. One of my granddaughter always had nosebleeds when she was growing up. Now her 2-yr old is doing the same thing.

[Jrabbit]

Exactly! I didn't get it for a while til he started clawing at the TV screen when her face was on! With Nancy disgrace he just raises his leg. I have to keep her off at all times!

[John Jamieson]

The video tape of a dirty, clumsy, Danielle is so telling about the care the parents gave this little girl. If my daughters sent me a video like that of our grandchildren, I'd get on a plane to Florida and demand to know what was going on.

[Spunky]

What I found very interesting from the TV pundits was how the prosecution had made a big deal out of not finding any of Westerfield's prints in his own motor home, so therefore he must have cleaned it down thoroughly to get rid of evidence.

The truth is they never found any of Danielle's prints in her own bedroom either. So another of the prosecutions (evidence he did it) is debunked. When asked how it could be that a person's own prints may not be in a room they live in, the detective gave some technical answers.

[JudyB1938]

Would you please let it go. Let's stick to discussing the case and not each other. PLEASE.

[Rheo]

That's another question I have...if that body was placed at Dehesa after the road trip....the info about his road trip was known...why not place the body somewhere around Glamis to really tie it to him?

Was it a time constraint issue or just needed that body to be found at that time and maybe by a certain searcher??

[GoldenBear]

When I prosecuted there was a saying that police officers and long term prosecutors used when a new prosecutor would question bringing a case against a defendant "even if he did not do it this time, he did it sometime." Now, I am very pro-prosecution, but I hope they did not key-in only on DW because of the porn to the exclusion of others. I hope that the prosecution can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that DW did it, but, to date, there are alot of holes. I am very concerned that we will never know who murdered that little girl. That is tragic!

[Politicalmom]

I think Judy is referring to the information required to register with EZBoard.

[John Jamieson]

I second the motion. Discuss the case! Please!

[Jrabbit]

I'm kind to all animals except jackals and skunks and moles. Speaking of skunks, was Danielles' body found the day after DW was arraigned for her murder?

[Rheo]

That is a big issue with me also...letting them back in that house on 2/3.

And taking pictures of DW on 2/4...how many neighbors had their pic taken over that weekend or on 2/4?

[JudyB1938]

As I said in another post, GOD KNOWS. And God doesn't forget!

[jacquej]

I have a better idea... let Kim have her thread with all her buddies, and we can have ours, with Fresno's satirical posts.

I recognize his brand of humor. It is the same as that used by surgeons, police, the brave young men in our military, etc... to find comic relief in the midst of horrible trauma.

Many of us are very distressed by the horror of Danielle's life circumstances and her death, and Fresno's humor helps relieve the stress we all feel by seeing a possibly innocent man crucified by sloppy police work, a rush to judgement by the DA, and the possibility that the real perpetrator could get off scot-free, to do it again sometime...

[JudyB1938]

Yes, that was my objection. But Jacque explained why they ask all of those personals.

[cyncooper]

They did find Danielle's prints on her door, I believe. Testimony presented during prosecution's presentation. Guess DW could have been in the house and not left prints, Hm?

[Rheo]

The truth is they never found any of Danielle's prints in her own bedroom either

Good point spunky.....can you help with the transcription this afternoon also?...hubby is home today and I, as his fetcher for projects, have to keep being interrupted...geez.

[Jaded]

He was arrested 2/22. The first search of Dehesa was 2/23. Her body was found on 2/27. On the night of 2/26 a tip was phoned in to LRC regarding re-searching the Dehesa area. Imagine that.

[Henrietta]

Where will justice for DW come from when this hell/trial is over. What on earth will he do for a living. Even if he is aquitted, his business is ruined, his home is gone, and some idiots who haven't yet learned to color within the lines will never stop looking at him, pointing fingers, and hissing or spitting.

I think that besides the death of poor Danielle, this is the most horrible part of this whole thing. They drag this guy's name thru the mud, and when it's all over, they'll just claim that he "got off" because he had a good defense attorney, not because they were wrong in the first place.

I hope he makes a pile of money selling his story for a made-for-TV movie. Poor guy. I think he is innocent too (this case was fishy from the start, IMO) and wonder what he can ever do to get his life back.

BTW, are you all aware that the cops gutted his MH? I won't make any bets on the taxpayers compensating him for that loss, but he surely deserves it.

[Politicalmom]

Actually there are two phases to get into the Refugee Board.

You need to register with EZBoard, which has nothing to do with me.

Then, I need an email identifying yourself, by Freeper name if possible. That is all the information I ask for.

[Jaded]

For anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half and leave no TRACES?