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.

[UCANSEE2]

The rest of us here are concerned about this issue. We don't think anyone, FresnoDA included did anything beyond what has been done on numerous threads, not just on Danielle, but on a myriad of subjects.

The commentator on SanDiegoChannel, KGTV, said that he thought the Cherokee Young's mother and a dog had mated. This is being watched by possibly thousands or more on the internet.

FresnoDa made a parody. He didn't (I don't believe) say it was a fact. He and others were lampooning the CLINTON episodes.

The things that have been said about CLINTON would , if a lawyer were able to sue for them all , generate a KAZILLION DOLLAR lawsuit, huh?

So, while I understand your concern for Jim Robinson, Why did you just pick on FRESNODa? What about the million other things the rest of us have said? What about the things said about Clinton, or TWA800 and the people involved in it?

I know, where do you draw the line? Well, I think we do fairly well in letting someone know they are getting into the bad taste category.

Maybe some things have been close to that line, but again. Why pick on one person?

[UCANSEE2]

See post 41.

[Freedom2specul8]

I'm ready to hit the hay and will catch up on Teri tomorrow. It's a small world!! I have to agree that fresno has posted what some people consider parodies. Some find them humorous I guess. On a personal note, I find no humor in beastiality stuff ..

Did you see this ?

Spectators Lining Up For Seat At(Westerfield)Trial: July 8, 2002: Barb Easton Watch Continues Posted by FresnoDA to spectre On News/Activism Jul 8 6:16 PM #729 of 1,048 There's that LE and VD connection again...you're hot, Fres! Thanks...I am also in hot water...seems that truth_seeker is representing Denise Kemal...who is suing Free Republic and myself for slander..... Huh....I guess she takes offense to the alleged insinuation that she is a SLUTJACKAL I can't figure out why..... I am concerned however that the National Zoological Association has contacted me on behalf of JACKAL LOVERS, who are bringing suit against me and Free Republic for slandering Jackals by evoking Jackals as reference with regard to The Brend, The Den and The Barb..... Oh my, what to do, what to do..... FDA/lol/so http://www.freerepublic.com/fo cus/news/712577/posts?page=729 #729

[UCANSEE2]

One of two things. FresnoDa is exaggerating what Truth_seeker said to him in private mail, or, Truth_seeker is trying to antagonize FresnoDa, and did say those things in private mail.

Only one way to know for sure.

One of them has to have the guts to post the Private mail so we all KNOW.

Gentlemen, would you like to settle this the proper way?

[JudyB1938]

I really am tired of people who get off into snits with each other. I don't like the pictures that get posted over and over. I don't like bestiality being paraded as humor. But that's just me. I prefer rational discussion of the particulars in this case. The threads get too long for any of the disrupting chains of thought.

Hopefully, your post will put an end to a lot of it!!! Thank you.

[JudyB1938]

Oops. I take back my last remark. You're agitating for continuance of a matter that in reality has no pertinence to the discussion of Danielle Van Dam and her accused killer. Let it go. Please.

[John Jamieson]

I just finished watching the late replay of K. Crier, the 2am ct show. She found alot to like in Feldman's case today as did her guests. Progress is being made here.

Pretty soon: THE BUG MAN COMITH!

[John Jamieson]

People have described Brenda's RED shirt at dad's. She seems to me the type that might wear a fuzzy RED sweater. Do we really know what it was?

[John Jamieson]

Wonder if there's any video tape or stills of that night at Dad's? Usually someone has a camera. Security cameras?

[JudyB1938]

I think a lot of us have been waiting for that Bug Man. I sure hope the Bug Man plays out like the ones on TV - PROFESSIONAL. There's been too many "similars" in the prosecution's testimony for me.

[John Jamieson]

He was orginally a prosecution expert who didn't get the RIGHT answer. Dusek knows him well. Feldman is also a bug expert. This should be interesting.

[UCANSEE2]

Well, make up your mind.

Seriously, I think FresnoDa gets carried away sometimes.

I hate the snitty remarks.

If you go back and read the threads, you will see this. You will see I try to maintain the calm on these threads. You will see that I enjoy engaging in discussions with an opposing viewpoint. I appreciate those that have the other view.

What I don't appreciate is those that JUMP IN , and either PICK ON one person, or JUMP IN and start ranting at everyone that won't immediately believe them.

You have been on these threads enough to know what is going on.

There are certain posters on these threads that get 'catty' with each other. There are a couple that seem to enjoy picking on each other.

We all try to moderate this, so that these posters, who ACTUALLY DO CONTRIBUTE a lot of IMPORTANT INFORMATION, do not get kicked off.

Now, Truth_seeker and FresnoDA seem to have a dispute, and JimRob is being involved (I guess) again by one or both.

I want to settle this here. I have said this over and over. Take responsibility for your own actions. Don't ask others to do or be a certain way. SET THE EXAMPLE, then they will most likely follow.

I have asked them to settle this man to man, in front of us all, so we can see who is causing a problem, and settle it.

I want to get back to discussions of the DW case.

It isn't over and a little girl is dead, and a man's life is on the line for it.

If you really think, after all I the work I have done in thread after thread, that I am trying to agitate the situation, then I am failing.

[UCANSEE2]

Anyway, it is after 3am here. I have to go to bed and get some shuteye.

If the bug expert testifies tomorrow, will that be the straw that broke the camel's (prosecutions) back?

[John Jamieson]

Feldman's time for about a dozen more witnesses. Some we probably can't guess but here is my SWAG:

BugMan
Danielle L
Danielle L's mother
Jackie Westerfield
NOT: Barbara Easton
Brenda van Dam
Anyone who spent the night on 2/1 with DW
Maybe: David Alan Westerfield
Neigbors that live close to the park

Can you think of more?

[JudyB1938]

You have been a VOICE OF REASON. That's why I was SHOCKED when you called for airing all that BS on this thread.

See ya tomorrow. I sure hope we get something definitive.

BTW, I didn't know the Bug Man was originally a prosecution witness. Interesting! I think tomorrow is going to be very telling.

[JudyB1938]

I still think they should question parents/children as to whether or not any of them had been in the MH without anybody knowing. That would be a STRONG indicator that Westerfield isn't guilty.

Question: Why isn't the defense insisting on getting the other discarded evidence tested?

[John Jamieson]

I suspect that the defense has questioned all the neighbors and I'm expecting that they have more possibilies. We just haven't heard about it yet.

The defense would have to pay to testing anything left and Westerfield is big time broke.

[JudyB1938]

It's just awful how the court system can break innocent people. And that's how they get a lot of them ... they don't have the money to fight any more, so they have to plea bargain. Justice is NOT fair!

For a simple paternity DNA test, the cost is only about $600 or so. But I saw a figure of $1500 for some of the tests that would have to be run in this case. I can certainly understand how Westerfield wouldn't have the money to do it. I think the prosecution should be FORCED to do it!

[truth_seeker]

This should set the record straight, for it is verbatim, cut & pasted from the private mail, which preceeded FresnoDA going public with his rendition.

To FresnoDA | 2002-07-08 13:12:09 sent

"I think you should contact your insurance agent. Notify him/her that you are posting a suggestion on the internet, that a person engages in bestiality.

Ask your agent, if your existing coverage would apply, in the event the individual were to sue you?

You might contact Jim Robinson, because you might be in the same lawsuit with him, over the issue."

From FresnoDA | 2002-07-08 13:47:33 replied

"Hi (truth_seeker)...which post are you referring to?"

To FresnoDA | 2002-07-08 15:03:26 sent

"I am referring specifically to your suggestion with Denise and bestiality.

Check with your insurance agent and your lawyer."

Perhaps my PRIVATE words could have been better selected. I do admit that they were strong, just as intended PRIVATELY.

Even if my word choice was imperfect, it was intended to be handled PRIVATELY. FresnoDA decided to make it public, obviously needing further attention derived from repeated PUBLIC ridicule of me.

I guess I should have known better than to think that FresnoDA had the good judgement, to resolve it PRIVATELY, as I set out to do.

Maybe the moderators want to expose FR to lawsuit defense EXPENSES, so that FresnoDA can have a playground. If that is the case, I will stand corrected.

Let the readers decide between the actual text above, and FresnoDA's use of same, regarding judgement, responsibility, accuracy, fair play, etc.

[John Jamieson]

Let me get this straight.

You're not a lawyer then?

You don't know Denise Kimel?

This is just some BS opinion of yours, based on your own sense of "morality" with no serious legal knowledge on your part, and no permission from Denise to threaten people on her behalf?

Sounds like you maybe acting just a little to self important.