WESTERFIELD TRIAL: Week Three - Day Four

San Diego Courtroom Trial | none

[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".

[cyncooper]

testimonty=testimony

[fnord]

and if they show the fibers in his house, how can they say it's not from the VD family cookie sale?

the prosecution is doing the defense's job of showing at least casual interaction between the two sides. got to wonder if the DA has an ace to play, or is hoping for an emotional verdict?

until they place DW in the VD house, or at least have a plausible explanation, he will likely walk, guilty or not. they better play that ace soon!

[sbnsd]

until they place DW in the VD house, or at least have a plausible explanation, he will likely walk, guilty or not. they better play that ace soon!

Why do you think the DA went for the death penalty for this case? If I were a juror, I'd need so much more proof with almost no doubt to convict someone to death. Since they can't prove motive of sexual assault (no physical evidence), they can't prove that he was IN the house, they can't prove exactly how she died, and there are no witnesses to anything absolute, why would they go for the death penalty?

[cyncooper]

and if they show the fibers in his house, how can they say it's not from the VD family cookie sale?

It depends on where the vD fiber is found. They have not presented that yet. The color and texture was revealed by investigators who observed the homes and collected samples.

There does come a time when the sheer number of coincidences required to account for all the forensic evidence, which I do not consider to be insubstantial, defies common sense as having an innocent explanation. But regarding this particular bit of info, we're awaiting further details.

[Valpal1]

testimonty LOL, is that anything like the full monty? Thanks for the inadvertant laugh.

[fnord]

I reckon politics (publicity) is why they went DX ... but that is the cynic in me.

[cyncooper]

Heheheh

[ThinkingMan]

WELCOME BACK KIM!!!!!!

[HoneyBoo]

You make an excellent point.

[Karson]

IRT our discussion last night about the VD's new neighbors. This is from Damon's trial testimony.

1 Q. THERE IS A HOUSE, AS WE LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPH,

2 IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR RIGHT THAT'S ON THE CORNER; IS THAT CORRECT?

3 A. YES.

4 Q. WAS THAT HOUSE OCCUPIED WHEN THIS HAPPENED?

5 A. I BELIEVE SOME PEOPLE HAD JUST MOVED IN. I DON'T

6 THINK THEY WERE STAYING THERE. I THINK THEY WERE PAINTING THE

7 HOUSE. IT WAS EITHER THURSDAY OR FRIDAY I TALKED TO THEM 'CAUSE

8 THEY WERE PAINTING THE HOUSE.

9 Q. HAD THEY NOT YET MOVED IN?

10 A. NO, IT WAS EMPTY. I DON'T THINK THEY WERE STAYING

11 THERE.

[Rheo]

Has this neighbor testified at all in PH or trial?..or just the media article?

[Karson]

No, the neighbor hasn't testified yet. Wonder if he will?

[Rheo]

Doesn't look like it....can't figure out how meeting this neighbor fits in the timeline for Friday (as he said in the article)....maybe it was Thurs like DVD said and the neighbor was wrong.

Sounds like the house was vacant on Friday....wonder if there is backyard/gate access that one could use to avoid the street?

[185JHP]

We may not "know" att (at this time), but I like your "cherchez la breast grabber" theory, after (1) one of the vDs and (2) a slutbar perp/vert whose identity we don't know att. Is someone like Dunne doing a psychohistory on DW, to determine what event, or event cascade, sent him into a downward spiral, leading to him seeking solace in a relationship with "loose women"? Couldn't someone have told him that "All sluts are always WOMBATs (Wastes of Money, Brains and Time"?

[Karson]

maybe it was Thurs like DVD said and the neighbor was wrong.

Maybe so, especially since a couple of other neighbors thought they bought cookies on Thursday also. The neighbor could have been wrong or the media could have misquoted the neighbor.

Sounds like the house was vacant on Friday....wonder if there is backyard/gate access that one could use to avoid the street?

If the nighbors didn't spend the night on Friday, they apparently arrived early Saturday AM since they were there when Damon went there searching for Danielle.

I'm not sure about the backyard/gate access. From all I've read and seen, I think all the yards had one gate. One way in and one way out.

[John Jamieson]

I must be totally confused; got almost nothing out of your post!

I just read DW's interrogation. The questioner keep cutting him off. Like when he asked DW about people on the street early Saturday morning, DW said he saw a woman, and was cutoff with....I'm only interested in children on the street????

[Freedom2specul8]

Tis good to be back with ya'll!!! Yee Haw!!

[demsux]

Funny you mention van Dam carpet fiber, because I believe they are going to show their carpet fiber at his house.

Obviously the VD carpet fibers will be in DW's house...Three of the VD's were in his house "selling cookies" the week before her "abduction".

[demsux]

Hi Kim,

Good to see you back...I'm still doubting DW's guilt, HOWEVER the blood is pretty damning, UNLESS she got scratched by the dog at the park and DW fixed her up in the MH.

[Freedom2specul8]

Hi!! I know that many people still have doubts... I think his behaviour as described by the dry-cleaning clerk was odd and was apparently different from the way he normally behaved.., the child-rape pictures and animation scenes, blood, scratches, hair, lack of his fingerprints in the rv and other strange events lay more doubt on his innocence then guilt on another. I don't think we've even gotten through HALF of the prosecution's evidence.. (not just evidence against DW..but all the evidence)

HOWEVER, the defense will get its time to prove that a third party did it and to try to prove that danielle was killed days after she was kidnapped. I can't even IMAGINE them finding a convicted pedophile/molestor who had kept his victim alive for days before killing her. ??? How often does that happen? Most assault the victim, get it over with quickly..or so I thought.

It doesn't appear that the defense is going to blame damon..that would taint the jury against DW so fast, they would not be able to recover. I would like to see what evidence they will present that shows strangers were being invited into the home on a regular basis. If the prosecution utilizes all of it's resources, from jury consultants to expert witnesses to counter feldmans accusations..that will help. If the prosecution divides its closing argument up.. by giving 1/2 before feldman's closing argument and the 2nd 1/2 after...me thinks DW's chances of winning will have dropped..

AMORE...your expert opinion is very valued..come back!