Posted on 06/19/2002 8:45:03 PM PDT by NatureGirl
Here's the new thread, all ready for Thursday.
Testimony recently discussed includes fingerprint evidence, as well as Westerfield's clean laundry. The Van Dam home was (strangely) devoid of fingerprints, except for a couple of latents that didn't match any of the pizza party people or, apparently, David Westerfield.
Westerfield's motorhome didn't contain any of his fingerprints, but did have one print from Danielle L. (the daughter of Westerfield's ex-girlfriend), Jennifer (a friend of Danielle L.), and a partial from Danielle Van Dam.
The prosecution said yesterday that they would be finished "in seven court days".
The "Barb" name hasn't been mentioned for quite some time on these threads. Does anyone know if she is scheduled to testify? Could it be that she might testify that Damon was not even at home when the "pizza party gang" returned? Thus giving more credence to the stranger abduction theory - The gross time-line errors of the entire "pizza party gang" for that evening - and especially in light of testimony coming out today of an unID'ed print on the bannister.
Also, it will be interesting to see if they definatively tie the hairs found under Danielle's arm and in her hands to DW - or if that will be un ID'ed too.
Some have speculated that she might be called by the defense because Dusek had said that he was done calling witnesses to talk about the VD's lifestyle.
Could it be that she might testify that Damon was not even at home when the "pizza party gang" returned?
I don't think that she, alone, could testify to that since she was with both Denise & Barbara, and if they didn't testify that Damon wasn't there, then she couldn't either without saying that the other 2 perjured themselves. I thought that the 2 guys showed up at the house first, as the women had to go back to Dad's to pick up cigarettes they had left behind.
AND BARBARA, APPARENTLY HADN'T
27 SOBERED UP ENOUGH TO WITHHOLD THE INFORMATION ABOUT HER
28 RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VAN DAMS, HER LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP,
3411 1 NOT JUST WITH BRENDA BUT WITH DAMON ALSO, AND SHE TOLD THEM THE
2 TRUTH. SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT
3 NIGHT. WE WERE SMOKING DOPE. WE WERE IN BED TOGETHER. WE WERE
4 HUGGING AND KISSING. WE WERE DOING THIS AND THAT. THIS IS WHAT
5 HAPPENED AT THE BAR.
If that's the case and Danielle can be ruled out as having made it, I would say the likelihood of a print lasting very long on a handrail (in a home with three children) is on the remote side, and that an unID'd print like that would, IMO, be very significant.
The dead body; the blood, fiber and print evidence; the strange travel itinerary of Westerfield.
Circumstantial? Sure it is, but he is the most probable killer.
Skakel went down on circumstantial, as have many others. OJ should have, except for the stupid jury. Stay tuned.
22 A. The whole time was so bad I couldn't even say if
23 it was the second day or third day. I don't know. But I
24 know when we were allowed back in, people -- by the time I
25 got in the house, there was at least a half a dozen people
26 cleaning it from fingerprint dust.
27 Q. Do you know where they were cleaning?
28 A. On the stairs is what I saw. I only went into
Page 655
1 the entryway.
2 Q. What did you do?
3 A. My main concern was that no one clean Danielle's
4 room.
5 Q. Why?
6 A. Because I was worried -- because I knew
7 somebody --
8 THE COURT: You want to take a break?
9 THE WITNESS: I knew something bad had happened,
10 and I wanted to make sure if there was any evidence, that
11 it was still there.
12 BY MR. DUSEK:
13 Q. What did you do to protect that room?
14 A. We closed the door and we put one of the
15 dog gates up with a sign that said do not enter.
16 Q. Did you let any of your friends into that room?
17 A. No. We let a couple of people look in, but we
18 wouldn't let anybody walk in.
Dorie Savage arrived at 10am..gate was up...shell casing was now on Danielles bedroom floor....not sure who the "we" is that put up gate.
Per this testimony, it does appear the neighbors vacuumed the stairway but he put up gate.
All this vacuuming and doing the laundry is just weird. They can't wait a week or so to do household chores? My mind wouldn't even be on it. Why would you take the risk of destroying any evidence while your child is still missing? If my child was missing, my house would go to pot until I cared enough about the house to do housework.
In the PH...he did make these statements:
25 A. I mean they have been out there enough times and
26 taken enough out of that room that I don't think they need
27 any more.
11 A. From everything I see with what's going on here,
12 it looks like they have enough evidence.
15 A. I have seen people walk out of my house with tons
16 of stuff that I'm voluntarily giving them.
These are the only mentions, in the PH, of the gate and stairway vacuuming....if trial testimony differs, I'll post it.
Wow! Rheo, you are just the greatest! You've spent so many hours compiling info, transcribing what happens in the trial, and offering so much!! You're here early in the day 'til early the next AM. When do you sleep? I'm sure many of us appreciate your work; I know I really do! Thank you so much!
Also noticed in PH...the master bedroom door was not dusted for prints...DVD had to request to LEO that they dust all the windows around the house.....he also said something that stuck out ....he came down at 8am..made pop tarts for the kids and a waffle for him..took out garbage..BVD came down..cleaning kitchen...we went upstairs for awhile came back down..neighbor shows up at 9am......
So much info going around, it gets hard to remember what has actually been said and new people to the threads don't need more confusion, so going to the source sure helps....thank goodness for those transcripts!!
wish MizSterious was back with all her info and knowledge of the case!
I heard that BvD had gone upstairs to wake Danielle, and found her door wide open. (This is the part I heard confirmed.) Let's assume the parents are NOT involved with the sordidness of it all. If BvD shut the door at 2am, and DvD woke up repeatedly to go downstairs at 3:30am, if the door to Danielle's room was still closed, I'd assume she was still there.
Then, in the morning, everyone woke up, and went downstairs. I thought that everyone would pass by Danielle's room. NO ONE noticed her door was open??? Not until BvD went up at 10am? Wouldn't you notice if a door that was supposed to be closed was open, and yet no one noticed?
If they could've figured WHEN the door got opened, it would help to narrow down when she disappeared.
Yup, bugs me big time!! We have so many questions because so little makes sense.
Where are the transcripts located?
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