Posted on 07/16/2002 10:37:13 PM PDT by FresnoDA
Bug for bug: Prosecutors hire their own entomologist |
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Prosecutors in the David Westerfield capital murder trial have hired a top national forensic entomologist in an apparent attempt to neutralize the defense's strongest argument for acquittal insect evidence indicating the defendant could not have killed Danielle van Dam. M. Lee Goff, a professor of forensic sciences at Chaminade University in Hawaii, said that as of Friday morning, he is working for the San Diego District Attorney's office on the case. "[P]roviding testimony seems to be more important than providing commentary," Goff wrote in an e-mail, explaining why he could no longer comment on the case. If Goff testifies for the prosecution, he will likely contradict, or at least raise questions about, the testimony of defense expert David Faulkner, who testified last week that insects found in Danielle's decomposed body suggested she had been left outside for a far shorter time than prosecutors claimed. Danielle, a second-grader who lived two doors from Westerfield, was abducted from her bed the night of Feb. 1. Searchers found her body along a roadside Feb. 27. Faulkner said his analysis showed that flies which land almost immediately on dead bodies first infested her corpse between Feb. 16 and Feb. 18. Because Westerfield was under police surveillance after Feb. 5, he could not have dumped her body then. During Faulkner's testimony, prosecutor Jeff Dusek quizzed him about whether unusually warm and dry temperatures in February might have skewed his results, but Faulkner stood by his findings. Goff trains FBI agents and has testified in cases across the country, including the trial of serial killer Thomas "Zoo Man" Huskey in Tennessee. He is also the author of "A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes," a book that, according to the Washington Post, "anyone who can get past the gross-out factor will find a fascinating read." Forensic entomologists are a fairly rare breed in the United States. Richard Merritt, a forensic entomologist and professor at Michigan State University, said he only knew of nine North American experts certified by the American Board of Forensic Entomology. San Diego-based Faulkner does not have a doctorate and is not certified by the board, but both prosecutor Dusek and defense lawyer Steven Feldman have consulted him in previous cases. Forensic entomology, unlike DNA analysis is "not an exact science," Merritt said, and dueling interpretations of insects found at crime scenes and during autopsy is not uncommon. "It's not black and white. There's more play because of the environmental factors," he said. These experts establish the time of a body's first infestation by determining the age of the insects they recover. There are standard life spans for those maggots, flies and sometimes beetles, but temperature can affect how long individual bugs live. In the "Zoo Man" case, Goff and another forensic entomologist, Neal Haskell, clashed over when insects first entered the corpse of a murdered prostitute. Huskey, a former employee of the Knoxville Zoo, confessed to killing four women in 1992 and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. At his trial, however, his lawyers suggested that one of the women was killed by someone else. Goff said maggots indicated that Huskey was in custody at the time the woman's body was dumped, but Haskell put the time at a few days before his arrest. The jury deadlocked on the mental illness issue, and Huskey will be retried. Because each scientist has his own method of determining the life spans, the process can lead to disagreement, Merritt said. Rarely, however, does the disagreement concern the 15-day disparity in the Westerfield case. "A lot of the disagreements involve a variation in one day, two days," said Merritt. "Not over a week and a half. If it's that big a time, someone screwed up." |
Yes, I am also wondering.
Or, While Brenda was at the Dad's, and while Damon was supposed to be babysitting (rumors from neighbors were that he was several blocks away visiting a girlfriend), Danielle snuck out of the house.
This would help explain Damon's SOMBER mood. Couldn't admit to Brenda that Danielle had run away while he was out HORNDOGGING (to use an expression). So he decides to play it cool, hope Danielle will come back. Next morning, when Brenda finds Danielle isn't in her room, Damon tells Brenda , CALL 911. THat is why they called before searching neighborhood. Damon already knew she had been gone for HOURS.
Where is it? I have my attached my spew-proof shield to my monitor.
I believe that we must explore all possibilities.
I have always said that the VD's were responsible for the disappearance of their daughter. This doesn't mean they did it. It means they were not being responsible parents.
The police pursed ONE theory and are now trying to make the facts fit the theory.
That is why I don't accept it.
Danielle's brother Dylan apparently told police Danielle had run off several times in the past, and that she didn't come back on her own. Brenda and Damon had to hunt her down. There is a reason for her running off if it happens repeatedly.
Neighbors reportedly told the press that Damon left the house that Friday night and the had reason to say he went to another woman's house in the neighborhood. THis was during the time Brenda and the girls were at Dad's.
Want to know where the blood and drag marks in the VD yard came from? Want to know why they weren't Danielle's? Want to know why Danielle ran off that night?
I HAVE THE ANSWER. It all has fallen into place.
Seems like speculation, something for which there is no shortage in this case. Who is the alleged woman? If she is identified and called to testify, would that help or possibly hurt DW. After all, if Damon was out of the house, it would have provided a better opportunity for the kidnapper (assuming Danielle was in the house when she was abducted)to enter undetected. At the least, it would cast even more suspicion on the prosecution's case because it would be another lie exposed.
After Brenda and friends leave, Damon puts the kids to bed. He kills the dog, he has had it and his temper gets the best of him.
He then goes to visit a 'girlfriend' that lives a couple of blocks away. While he is gone, Danielle gets up, finds the evidence (blood, the dog in the trash can by the garage) and runs away.
Damon comes home to find Danielle is gone, the lid is off the trash can.
He gets rid of the dog, maybe he even searches for Danielle, maybe he hopes she will come home on her own.
Brenda,friends come home around 2am. Damon is 'SOMBER'. He is hoping if Brenda doesn't notice, that Danielle will show up and he can claim ignorance.
Unfortunately, someone has picked Danielle up. Someone that likes to pick up little girls. Maybe he talked to her about having just lost her dog.
Next morning, Brenda is awakened by the doorbell, (Damon hopes it is Danielle) but it is the neighbor girl. Brenda finds Danielle is gone, so Damon tells her to call 911, because he already knows.
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