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.

[Rheo]

direct..

[Freedom2specul8]

That's OK. I thought you were referring to VD threads.

Thanks... :)

[Rheo]

doesn't recall order of pics of DW shown to Raymond....spent about a min on pics of Danielle and a min each of DW....gave him plenty of opportunity to view....pics of DW were provided by Det. Morris that he took.

[mommya]

UCANSEE - could you hit me one more time with a good link to hear the trial online - my puter's not real great by today's standards - I've tried to hear the trial audio online before - no luck - but I'll sure give it another shot - thanks.

[Freedom2specul8]

HA HA HA HA!! That is hilarious...LOVE the generator. Still laughin..

[Rheo]

The pics were taken on 2/4 to his knowledge....doesn't recall using their names specifically...could have..made it clear it was a serious investigation

[Rheo]

crossexam

[Rheo]

Raymond only spoke of 1 overpmt scenerio....subject to recall

[Rheo]

Ms. Mack to retake the stand

[mommya]

What's with that witness not showing? Can a person get in any sort of trouble for that - if it's not a legit. excuse?

[Rheo]

Dusek to question

[Rheo]

Judge said it was allowable as long as she was not a hostile witness refusing to show or something....she was just running late, I guess

[Rheo]

she is really hard to understand.

[FresnoDA]

You're just going to have to get up the nerve and ask the girl out! You are clearly obsessed. You were probably hoping for a law suit thinking she would be at the depostions so you could meet her in person! LOL

I love your pictures and captions. My family thinks I'm nuts sitting here giggling alone.

TWO THINGS....

Number 1.

I am happily married, and my Sicilian Wife is both better looking than the Pizza Party Gals..and she is disease free.....no known STD's...

Number 2.

My wife is UNIAMOUROUS....

Not allegedly POLYAMOROUS like the Pizza Party Gang!!

Any other questions or comments, see post number 149 to lodge a formal complaint....

---

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/1547908/detail.html

The first witness on Day 4 of the trial is Denise Kemal, a 28-year-old flight attendant who is a close friend of the van Dam family.

[mommya]

thanks

[Rheo]

sun went down at 5:23pm on 2/3

[Freedom2specul8]

Dare I be so petty and say this...YES I THINK I WILL.. Her eyebrows..have gotsta go.

[Rheo]

time difference on defense investgtr statement...said she told Marian it was wrong...wasn't corrected apparentely.....

[Freedom2specul8]

This gal is a snot..

[FresnoDA]

My complaint about FresnoDA

I have two orders of business regarding FresnoDA. Before examining the present situation, however, it is important that I beat FresnoDA at his own game. Malicious, hectoring clericalism is the shadow cast on society by his editorials, and as long as this is so, the attenuation of the shadow will not change the substance. I assume that he is unaware of his obligation not to treat anyone who doesn't agree with him to a torrent of vitriol and vilification, as this unawareness would be consistent with his prior displays of ignorance. He will probably never understand why he scares me so much. And FresnoDA definitely does scare me: His ideals are scary, his put-downs are scary, and most of all, his shenanigans will have consequences -- very serious consequences. And we ought to begin doing something about that. If he continues to erode constitutional principles that have shaped our society and remain at the core of our freedom and liberty, crime will escalate as schools deteriorate, corruption increases, and quality of life plummets. As I noted at the beginning of this letter, FresnoDA's allegations are geared toward the continuation of social stratification under the rubric of "tradition." Funny, that was the same term that his supporters once used to force women to live by restrictive standards not applicable to men. On a closing note, I hope that this letter, while incomplete, informal, and having no authority except its own inner strength and conviction, has clearly demonstrated to you that FresnoDA's macabre opinions may have serious repercussions, even beyond the issue of fetishism.

---

I have a lengthy response to Val's comments...but since the trial is in session, I have chosen brevity instead....

I DON'T APPROVE OF THE SWINGING/ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE SO IDOLIZED BY VDA'S...

I SUPPOSE THAT VAL DOES....

---

Back to the trial......