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.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Makes sense...Brenda kind of resembles an Oompa Loompa. LOL

[Lanza]

Hey SW! Although I will have to endure the very biased Nancy Grace, I just got Court TV this morning! Turned on the tube, and the whole cable line up had changed.

[juzcuz]

--Imagine-- the scene.

The courtroom is full. People are lining the hallway walls, shoulder to shoulder, for probably the entire floor. Her comes Brenda...'flamboyantly' stomping down the hallway, arms flying,eyes aflame with fire with new tissue in hand. She starts yelling, probably screaming to speak to Dumsik.
---It seems she had to put on a show---I's my guess she wanted draw all eyes on her, to gain attentiona and sympathy --maybe.

This just seems sooo childish/stupid to me. If she really wants to build her image as a 'respectable' person. She she have handled her frustration with some class.

She could have wrote a note to Dunsick and sent it to him through the Baillif...maybe.

[spectre]

Nancy Grace makes me want to hurl!

We only have one other to endure this afternoon, that is Lisa Bloom.

They start at 9am EST, everymorning and go over bits of the live testimony we missed from the day before.

Beth Karas, the on the spot SD CTV reporter, is another huge VD supporter...She and Nancy make quite a team, LOL!

sw

[Karson]

Although I will have to endure the very biased Nancy Grace, I just got Court TV this morning

Bless your heart. I also have to endure the dribble of Nancy disGrace. :-(

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I wouldn't put it past her to behave that way. Their whole act from the get-go has been an attention-getter. It's all about them...and not their dead little girl.

"No regrets about the events of that night." *shudder*

[Rheo]

Judge Mudd is telling jury once again about self policing from media...so much stuff being told out there...can't figure out where the media is getting this stuff..obviously not watching trial......probably no court on Thurs now either.

[Rheo]

Ms. Mack...the Coronado Cays witness is due to retake stand.

[FresnoDA]

Hey gang....(and Val especially!!!)

Don't forget to take your.......

Sabre Swings

Vitamins

[Rheo]

Calling new witness as Ms. Mack not there yet or something

[Rheo]

Mark Tallman...SDPD..Special Units...spoke w/Donald Raymond? in Coronado...showed him DW pics....about the overpayment...sd DW did not look like the person who inquired about overpmt

[Rheo]

Did not think DW was the same person who inquired about the overpayment.

[Rheo]

crossexam

[FresnoDA]

Cool...I just generated a complaint, on myself....

My complaint about Mr. Fresno D A

There are some comments I need to make regarding Mr. Fresno D A. I would like to start by discussing Fresno's tirades, mainly because they scare me. The thing I'm the most frightened about is that I find that some of Fresno's choices of words in his ethics would not have been mine. For example, I would have substituted "cranky" for "psychotherapeutical" and "gruesome" for "interchangeableness." There is absolutely nothing these out-of-touch hooligans will not do to destroy their enemies. They will poke into the most secret family affairs and not rest until their truffle-searching instinct digs up some stubborn incident that is calculated to finish off their unfortunate victim. He spouts a lot of numbers whenever he wants to make a point. He then subjectively interprets those numbers to support his vituperations while ignoring the fact that now that I've been exposed to his op-ed pieces, I must admit that I don't completely understand them. Perhaps I need to get out more. Or perhaps I do not find blanket statements that are worthless, infantile, and incomprehensible to be "funny". Maybe I lack a sense of humor, but maybe it is not uncommon for him to victimize the innocent, penalize the victim for making any effort to defend himself, and then paint the whole loathsome affair as some great benefit to humanity. Fresno claims that he is a model citizen. I respond that facts and their accuracy make a story, not the overdramatization of whatever he dreams up. We were put on this planet to be active, to struggle, and to give our propaganda fighters an instrument that is very much needed at this time. We were not put here to corrupt our youth, as Fresno might claim. We must think outside the box. We must uplift individuals and communities on a global scale to create and nurture a true spirit of community. And we must comment on a phenomenon that has and will continue to initiate a reign of intellectually stultified terror. Please join me in incorporating these words into our living credo.

[Rheo]

Raymond did not recognize the pic of DW....did give info about camper in space 66

[Rheo]

gave license # of camper 66...the Rogers

[Rheo]

Raymond said individual did contact him about overpayment that ranger discussed....was shown pic of Danielle..

[Rheo]

Raymond did not recall seeing her.....Raymond was shown
1 color head shot eyes closed..1 color head shot eyes open and xeroxed copy

[Rheo]

The pic description above was for pics of DW

[Rheo]

did not use DW's name....he interviewed Raymond on 2/5