Defense has had no shortage of witnesses to make its case

A week ago, Janet Roehr, a neighbor of David Westerfield's, testified at his murder trial about some of his routines, including his occasional habit of parking his motor home in front of his house.

Her testimony lasted 15 to 20 minutes, but what she said wasn't as important as what she did: She smiled at Westerfield.

Roehr was among a parade of defense witnesses who consider themselves friends of Westerfield's and who seem to like him, even as he stands accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old neighbor Danielle van Dam, who disappeared from her bedroom in Sabre Springs in February.

At various times during the trial, those witnesses have grinned at Westerfield, winked at him and laughed in his direction. One witness gave the 50-year-old design engineer the thumbs-up sign while leaving the courtroom.

Whatever else Westerfield's attorneys have accomplished so far, they have succeeded to some degree in humanizing their client. Legal experts said the importance of this achievement shouldn't be underestimated in a case in which the jury must decide not only guilt or innocence but also, potentially, whether he deserves the death penalty if convicted.

"They give the picture of Westerfield being a pretty normal middle-aged, middle-class guy," said San Diego defense lawyer Robert Grimes, who has been following the case. "It makes the jury wonder: Could this person really have done this horrible crime?"

During the guilt phase of a trial, rules of evidence place limits on character evidence ? that is, testimony about a defendant's personality. Nonetheless, a jury can get some feel for a defendant by sizing up his friends and evaluating how much those people stick up for him.

Several neighbors, some camping buddies and a female friend Westerfield hung out with at a Poway bar have testified. In large part, they were "people who seem like nice, ordinary citizens," said San Diego lawyer Mike Still, a former prosecutor.

One of the defense's most powerful witnesses was Westerfield's former girlfriend Susan L., who cried while acknowledging she still cares about Westerfield but hadn't seen him since shortly before his February arrest. She dated Westerfield for about three years after his divorce from his second wife. (Her last name is not being published to guard the identity of her daughter, who also testified.)

Her affection for Westerfield seemed genuine, although she admitted on cross-examination that he changed when he drank alcohol, that he once became "forceful" when drunk, and that he once waited outside her house.

In some ways she was a terrific witness for both the defense and the prosecution. For the defense, she made the point that Westerfield is a man who can attract a woman who seems sweet and normal. For the prosecution, she illustrated that Westerfield might have a dark side that goes beyond his alleged habit of collecting child pornography.

In addition to showing the jury that Westerfield has friends who care about him, his legal team has succeeded in raising questions about some of the prosecution's theories in the case, some legal experts say.

Prosecutors say Westerfield engaged in suspicious behavior by embarking on a meandering, two-day journey in his motor home on the weekend Danielle disappeared. He went from Coronado to the Imperial County desert and back again, traveling back roads and getting stuck in the sand twice along the way, he said.

But several defense witnesses testified that within the esoteric subculture of San Diego County motor-home enthusiasts, Westerfield's behavior wasn't necessarily that weird. It's not uncommon to drive back roads as a way of taking in the scenery and avoiding high winds on Interstate 8, they said.

Prosecutors noted that Westerfield, who is compulsively neat and organized, took off that weekend without putting away his garden hose, which was uncoiled on the lawn. This shows he was in a hurry, they say.

But Westerfield's former girlfriend said it wasn't unusual for him to toss down the hose in the front yard before leaving on a motor-home trip. She also said the motor home got stuck in the sand during several camping trips she took with him.

Prosecutors called a volunteer who testified that his cadaver-sniffing dog reacted to a side compartment of Westerfield's motor home during a search at a police impound lot.

Under questioning by the defense, he revealed that he never told police about his dog's behavior and that he was much less definitive about his dog's reaction in an e-mail he sent to the dog's breeder several weeks later.

Prosecutors say child pornography found on computer disks in Westerfield's office prove he has a sexual affinity for young girls.

But a computer expert hired for the defense suggested that at least some of the pornographic images might have been downloaded by Westerfield's 18-year-old son.

Meanwhile, the prosecution ? which has succeeded in presenting a powerful body of forensic evidence linking fibers, blood and hair from the girl to Westerfield's house, motor home and sport utility vehicle ? stumbled once or twice in the past week.

Prosecutor Jeff Dusek leaned on several defense witnesses in a way that might cost him some credibility with the jury, legal observers say. And he may have come across as unnecessarily mean-spirited when confronting witnesses whose testimony conflicted with the prosecution's theory of the case.

"Prosecutors wear the white hat," said Still, the former prosecutor. "Don't beat up on witnesses you don't need to beat up on."

But Dusek had his stellar moments, too. His questioning of the defense's star witnesses ? insect expert David Faulkner ? was one of the most effective, and important, cross-examinations of the entire trial.

On direct examination, Faulkner, an entomologist with the Museum of Natural History, said flies on the girl's body indicated it was dumped at a time when Westerfield was already under 24-hour police surveillance.

But on cross-examination by Dusek, Faulkner appeared to contradict himself, admitting that strange weather patterns in February ? as well as the imprecision of the science ? made it impossible to know precisely how early the flies had infested the girl's body.

At the start of the trial, lead defense attorney Steven Feldman promised that the insect expert's testimony would exonerate Westerfield.

But by the time Faulkner left the witness stand, many of the jurors had stopped taking notes. They will be the final arbiters of whether Faulkner's testimony was relevant, and whether it made any sense at all.

Time for a repost..some haven't seen it yet. See me small updates and I will add it for next posting. When it gets too big, we'll put on geocities.

John Jamieson and Valpal1's comments

Combining your excellent posts...along w/some extra comments

Here's what I think the prosecution has proven "beyond a reasonable doubt":

1. What.. Homicide and kidnapping

2. Who - deceased victim Danielle Van Dam

3. When - Sometime between 2/1 and 2/17 (Exact date and time of death and date and time of dumping both unknown)

4. Where removed from her home-, and killed somewhere within the area between her home and body location on Dahesa Rd.

5. How - Exact cause of death unknown. More than likely suffocation, determined by elimination method Danielle van Dam is dead, her pajamas were removed and her nude body was illegally dumped off of Dehesa Road Person(s) who dumped her is also unknown, But a suspect was arrested and charged. Manner of death is also unknown, posion, drugs, stabbing, strangulation and bullet have been elminated. ME could not elimate suffocation.

Young girls don't just die, she's seven, not seventy-seven. Accidental suffocation of seven year olds generally involve appliances like refridgerators or accidental asphyxation by caught clothing. Course, it's highly unusual for children to disrobe for hide-n-seek or for corpses to shed clothing that strangled them, so nudity in an accidental suffocation is a red flag to investigators and most manuals will tell you in such cases to look for pornoghaphy and autoerotic paraphanalia. Although that would also be highly unusual behavior in a seven year old as well.

There is ample proof that she had no organic desease or defect (natural causes). Claims that she could have died by her own acts of misadventure do not explain the location of the body. Claims that her nude body was placed there to cover up an accidental death that no one caused lack basic logic.

Either the minimal forensic evidence in DW's home and RV was left there through prior casual contact (cookie sale) and transference or it didn't. But it most certainly did not get there by Danielle wandering over and accidently suffocating in the nude while no one was around

6. Why - Criminal intent or to prevent discovery of other crime (felony murder).

Motive --Possible sexual assault

7. Defendant --David Westerfield, neighbor of Danielle.

8. Known previous contact--Danielle van Dam was once in David Westerfield's home to sell him girl scout cookies. Brenda and DW had spoken in a bar and grill called "Dads" on 2 separate occasions.. Stipulated by both sides.

9.Known evidence --Danielle's dog hair, her prints, her hair and blood found in motorhome. Blood from both Danielle and David Westerfield on DW's jacket. DW had scratches on his arm and possibly legs. Fibers with common source.. found on or near Danielle's body and David Westerfields home. Child pornography, both legal and illegal found in DW's home office. Danielle was found nude, with her necklace on. Various fibers, hairs vegetative growth located on and around her body.

Special Notes

Danielle van Dam may have been in David Westerfield's motorhome.
Layla the dog may have been in David Westerfield's motorhome.
Danielle may have bled slightly in that motor home and on DW's jacket while possibly sneaking in there with or without the knowledge of her parents or david westerfield. (Date and time undetermined. Location of jacket also unknown.)
David Westerfield and/or his son Neal has an interest in computer pornography that might have included child pornography that was illegal at the time. Something was viewed on DW's computer while DW was being voluntarily interviewed by investigators. (Child pornography laws were effectively gutted by a SCOTUS ruling after DW was charged. No books, video tapes, films, magazines, etc were found to strengthen this assumed perversion arguement.)
David Westerfield took a strange weekend motorhome trip, the details of which are verifiable with credit card reciepts, cell phone records and eye witnesses. (no proof was offered that DW even passed by Dehesa Road)
David Westerfield, single and twice divorced, has alcohol related problems, along with his mother. His mother and sister called him and his dad horndogs...they were unable to control certain inpulses, whether it related to alcohol or women..Possibly sexual urges uncontrollable.
The vanDam parents and a few of their friends lived perverse life style prior to the event..that included wife-swapping, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, drinking alcohol and smoking joints.
Brenda vanDam feared that Barbara Easton would somehow (undefined, could be emotionally or physically) hurt Danielle vanDam. Some would say that for whatever reason, Brenda did not want drunken barbara around Danielle that particular day.

(The whole thing makes you wonder: If Dave Westerfield's little 7 year old daugther went missing on 2/1 would the vanDams be on trial now?)

With respect, the prosecution has also introduced at least the following evidence: 1. Search dogs alerted at the defendant's home but not at other neighborhood homes.

2. When the defendant arrived at the Strand, he remained in the motorhome for several hours with all the curtains drawn.

3. The defendant lied about his reasons for leaving the Strand.

4. The defendant lied about his reason for returning to Poway after leaving the Strand.

5. The defendant twice used the pronoun "we" when describing his travels on the weekend Danielle disappeared.

6. The person who helped dig out the motorhome in Glamis thought he heard another person in the motorhome.

7. Trace evidence of Danielle was found in the defendant's bed, not just in his motorhome.

8. The motorhome was usually parked offsite, except when it was being loaded or unloaded.

9. Danielle, as a rule, did not play outside of her back yard without adult supervision.

10. Danielle's blood was found on the defendant's jacket and on the carpet of his motorhome, and the defendant sought to have the jacket cleaned at the earliest possible moment following his return from the desert.

11. The defendant, who was usually friendly, if not jovial, with the employees of the dry cleaner, was withdrawn and unable or unwilling to meet their gaze as he turned in the jacket which had Danielle's blood on it.

12. Injuries to Danielle's mouth were consistent with death by suffocation.

13. Danielle's fingerprints were found in the motorhome, most unfortunately in a position where she would have left them if she had been placed on the motorhome bed on her back.

14. The motorhome door is not easily operated by a person as small as Danielle was.

15. A cadaver dog alerted at a storage compartment on the motorhome (although I will grant you that the primary witness offering this testimony was exceedingly weak).

46 posted on 7/8/02 6:45 PM Central by p. henry

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/712729/posts?page=46#46

Various theories by various freepers compiled and memorized over time.

He was drunk and blacked out when he did it.

He planned for days or weeks in advance, even buying a plastic sheet.

Barbara the lesbo tried to rape danielle, mistaking her from damon or something, suffocated her and the parents helped cover it up

Incest by dad and mom didn't know it

Danielle was shared with swinger friends

danielle was molested ...and clearly had budding breasts which could be an indicator of molestation. Danielle had vaginal discharge. Sometimes an indication of molestation for a girl her age. See for example: http://www.utoronto.ca/kids/vulvag.htm

The date fell on an occult date--maybe she was sacrificed

Danielle's necklace is like a bondage necklace..these parents are sick.

Danielle snuck out cuz strangers were fondling her while she was in bed and she tried to run way. She was caught by the mom who was so angry.. they had their way..killed and dumped danielle and now mom and dad are basking in the limelight.

Danielle snuck out cuz strangers were fondling her while she was in bed and she tried to run way..dw saw her on the street, snatched her and had his way with her

The son did it and the dad is covering up

All of the major players are involved in swinging and know each other very very well. When things got too out of hand, danielle died.so they set up a neighbor and planted child porn in his office.

Speculation based on when DW said his garage door was not locked when he came back to the house Sat. afternoon. It was usual for it to be locked. At first I thought speculation like this was really far out - now I'm not so sure. Say DW had some similar blue towels that he used for various stuff like out at the pool, camping, drying his car, whatever. Maybe he leaves some of these in the laundry room adjacent to the garage for easy access - or maybe they were still in the dryer or something - anyway - somebody could have gotten in there and took one. Far fetched maybe - but I also can't help thinking of Damon's little newsgroup post regarding how to "Get back" (or something to that effect) at a person who steals your bike is to put a business card or some such ID into the seat post tube thingy - and he wasn't too nice about his choice of words as I recall. Damon has a devious mind - I think - and I know truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. All I'm saying is that I don't discount this kind of speculation as much as I used to.

Testimony from DW's x-girlfriend on July 10th

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/713548/posts?page=665

DW had brown boots and black dress shoes, not black boots

He was a suspect from 2/4...under surviellence since then, including a GPS on his SUV.

When he did laundry, he would dump the hamper over the bannister to the floor below by laundry room.

His x girlfriend Susan confirmed a lot of camping stuff that he had said.

An attorney wrote Feldman a letter and testified that the route DW said he took to Glamis is something he has done and for the same reasons.

Neil was in the house on 2/4 pm when DW returned from police station...cops were outside and did not alert Neil or try to make contact..DW was not allowed in the house during this time. (may need corrections here)

The VD's and pizza gang's cell phones were trapped.

Susan L, the x-girlfriend said that she didn't drink much, that dw drank too much, she left him cuz of his drinking problems and that when he did drink, his character/mood changed to being upset, sad/depressed, withdrawn and he becamse very quiet. Dusek also got her to admit that he becamse forceful while drunk once. Forceful was vague, wasn't defined..so the jury is left to speculate what the forceful was all about unless it's explained later.

she said the front blinds would be closed *if* it were cold outside. He told detectives it was cold that particular da. Other campers, during their testimony said it was not cold.

http://video.uniontrib.com/news/metro/danielle/20020625-9999_1m25hair.html

Hair similar to Danielle van Dam's was found on sheets in David Westerfield's bedroom, and authorities found fibers in his motor home that appear to match fibers from the girl's bedroom carpet, a criminalist testified yesterday. Also, hairs similar to the van Dams' family dog were found in Westerfield's house, his motor home and on a comforter he dropped off at a dry cleaner, criminalist Tanya DuLaney said. DuLaney, who works in the San Diego Police Department crime lab, testified on a day when prosecutors used charts and blow-up photos in an attempt to show that traces of the 7-year-old girl were scattered throughout Westerfield's domain
http://www.courttv.com/trials/westerfield/062002_ctv.html

"SAN DIEGO — In the most damning testimony yet against David Westerfield, a DNA analyst said Thursday that blood stains on the defendant's jacket and on the carpet of his motor home match the genetic profile of his slain neighbor, Danielle van Dam.

Annette Peer of the police department's crime lab told jurors in the capital murder trial that there was only a one in 670 quadrillion chance the blood on the jacket came from someone else and a one in 130 quadrillion the carpet stain was not Danielle's.

When Peer described a quadrillion as 1 followed by 15 zeroes, two spectators in the courtroom gallery gasped. The world population stands at roughly six billion, or 6 followed by nine zeroes. "

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