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.

[Rheo]

Also, the original blue-grey fibres were described as having a slight curve to them. Do these mini-fibres (2 mm) also have a curve to them, or has that not been mentioned?

Not mentioned about the slight curve, to my knowledge.

[cyncooper]

No, fibers were found on the towels. The source of the fibers has not been determined.

[GoRepGo]

Blue nylon fibers....all microscopically slightly different....melting point of various nylon fibers helps determine type of fiber... infrared chemical analysis would not destroy fiber...analyzed blue fibers from victim, white sheet from victim...got white sheet from property room.... brown paper bag, sealed, opened bag, removed sheet, did she photograph white sheet? "no"... took to examination room and analyzed it there...stains on sheet? dirt present, sheet was very dirty...

[mommya]

Hmmmmn...and the blue/gray fibers are nylon - not likely to be a towel either - when I think of nylon I think of exercise clothes and windbreakers and gym bags and such - what else is nylon?

[hoosiermama]

I could see Brenda using the back seat of DW's car in the parking lot at Dad's....... With or without his knowledge.

[Rheo]

I think it was Jennifer that said yes...but thought she said for a couple of weeks for how long..but did't hear clearly so could be wrong.

[Freedom2specul8]

It appears they're not performing "new" tests, just waiting for results to come back..Some of the tests took a long time.

[Freedom2specul8]

We need to find the list of items that describes what was removed from the vd home. That would help..

[John Jamieson]

Police uniforms

[BunnySlippers]

The most incredible belly-aching is going on and on about producing Westerfield's boots

But if DW CANNOT produce the clothes he wore that night it would be yet another piece of the puzzle. But I do know there are some who will claim he made a midnight donation to Goodwill ...

Let's wait (as they say) ...

[Spunky]

Except court is out all next week..wouldn't be until the 22nd....that is a whole week of jurors being subjected to media

This is really disturbing to me. Wouldn't you think the Judge would postpone his vacation until the trial is over?

[Rheo]

Would be really nice to know whose darn prints were on the back of his SUV!

[Krodg]

I used to have total faith in LE, then I woke up!

[Rheo]

It wasn't the tests that took long...they just didn't do them until July.

[hoosiermama]

CARPET!

[Jaded]

Maybe his boots weren't black. Just dark boots? I missed after break this afternoon.

[John Jamieson]

15 hours, done last few days.

[cyncooper]

The fibers are not *from* the towels, but *on*. I would love to know the source.

[FresnoDA]

BILL LIBBY PERHAPS????  San Diego freepers, confirm??

[Rheo]

It was the condition of him presiding over the trial...so sequester the jury while he is gone!