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.

[John Jamieson]

PS: My personel opinion, is that Denise Kimel maybe involved in the death of Danielle van Dam. Last heard, I still had the right to that opinion in the good Ole USA.

[John Jamieson]

Do we know for certain that the "spot" of the motorhome carpet and the jacket "stain" were both blood? Has that been scientifically established?

DNA can come from other sources. The jacket especially bothers me because it's in the right spot for a 7 year old to drool on it. I don't believe that 2 drops of blood prove murder anyway, but if wasn't proven to be blood, the case is weaker still. ("presumptive" tests for blood are not enough, the stuff reacts to a wide variety of chemicals)

Was DW wearing the jacket when Danielle came over to sell cookies. Did he pick her up?

[shezza]

Not to detract from the topic here, but does anyone party in bars at night with their mothers??!!!

They were celebrating Mom LePage's birthday that night. Went out to dinner at Burger King (bet she got one of the paper crowns), then stopped by another bar where Cherokee usually goes but it was closing when they got there. So they went on to Dad's.

[shezza]

"She walked up to me and she asked me to dance.
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice
she said, "Layla"
L-A-Y-L-A Layla, lay lay lay Layla

Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy,
but when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Layla, lay lay lay Layla, lay lay lay Layla

Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand
why she walks like a dog and talks like a man
Oh my Layla, lay lay lay Layla, lay lay lay Layla

Well, I'm not the world's most passionate guy,
but when I looked in her eyes,
I almost fell for my Layla,
Lay lay lay Layla, lay lay lay Layla

Girls will be dogs, and dogs will be girls.
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world,
except for Layla. Lay lay lay Layla, lay lay lay Layla."

(apologies to the Kinks)

[Tiger28]

speaking of photos...maybe you could post one of young Ryan--he was one of the more enjoyable witnesses --also- what was with the prosecuter asking him if Denise was Asian and showing Ryan the wrong picture (tried going through last thread--too much nonsense--sorry if already posted and discussed)

[John Jamieson]

What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
You know it's just your foolish pride.

CHORUS:
Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.

CHORUS

Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane.
Please don't say we'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain.

CHORUS

CHORUS

Clapton

[pinz-n-needlez]

They didn't go to Burger King (although I remember someone saying they did go to BK for dinner that night). They went to a nother restaurant and paid with a credit card.

That 's what Mama LePage was referring to when she sat down. She had called and gotten the time of the billing/exit.

She was a hoot!

Fres, in the interest of accuracy, I Could Have Danced All Night is from My Fair Lady (Lerner and Lowe), not West Side Story (Bernstein and Sondheim). Now you know what I did while everyone else was in Law School. LOL

[pinz-n-needlez]

I posted an idea yesterday:

I wonder if Dusek is showing witnesses a picture of Westerfield's old girlfriend, Susan, who IIRC, is Asian. He's trying to muddle up the identification of Denise with Susan to weaken the testimonty that DW was dancing with the pizza crowd to restrict possible transfer of fibers.

[Helen]

The group dynamics on this board are almost as fascinating as the trial itself! Once again, thanks for the thread and I'll be working and lurking.

[FresnoDA]

BUMP to your post(64), that washes away the "truth"!!!! LOL

[FresnoDA]

Fres, in the interest of accuracy, I Could Have Danced All Night is from My Fair Lady (Lerner and Lowe), not West Side Story (Bernstein and Sondheim). Now you know what I did while everyone else was in Law School. LOL

Ahhhh....you can tell it was late when I spurned that parody.....

YOU ARE CORRECT....

However, with the trouble I was in yesterday, the last thing I need is to start a Parody on MY FAIR LADY...with relation to Denise....geeezzzz!!!!

 

Denise Kemal points to an exhibit showing photos of Dad's Cafe while testifying during the murder trial of David Westerfield in a San Diego courthouse, June 10, 2002. Kemel, 28, testified that Brenda van Dam had introduced her to Westerfield, accused of the kidnapping and murder of seven-year old Danielle van Dam from her Sabre Springs home last February, at the start of a girls night out at the bar. REUTERS//Dan Trevan/POOL

[spectre]

SHOW TUNE TIME..

"Hey Sister, Go Sister, Soul Sister, Go Sister..

He met Marmalade down in Old New Orleans
Struttin' her stuff on the street
She said "Hello,
Hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?"
'Mmm Hmmm Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da?
Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya here (?)

Creole Lady Marmalade....Yes!"

Time for my morning aerobics, in honor of Denise, Brenda and friends favorite "bump and grind"...tune!

sw

[FresnoDA]

Ahhh.....spectre...COFFEE SPEW ALERT WAS NOT ISSUED.....AHHHHHHH....LOL

[shezza]

Why you're absolutely right. With my headphones on and the internet connection so distorted, I thought Cherokee said they went to Burger King (!!) when they actually went to a posh establishment named the Brigantine. Mea culpa!

25 Q. WHERE WERE YOU BEFORE YOU GOT TO DAD'S?

26 A. THE BRIGANTINE WITH MY MOM FOR HER BIRTHDAY DINNER.

27 Q. WHAT TOWN IS THE BRIGANTINE IN?

28 A. IN POWAY.

. 7203

1 Q. YOUR MOTHER'S NAME IS WHAT?

2 A. PATRICIA LAPAGE.

3 Q. AND IT WAS HER BIRTHDAY THAT YOU WERE CELEBRATING?

4 A. YES.

[sonserae]

I've always had a 6th sense since I was a small child. My feeling the whole time has been that Westerfield is innocent and Damon is the one who is guilty. If you read between the lines of what Danielle wrote in her diary about her dad, it has incest written all over it.

[shezza]

ROFLMAO! What a talented bunch! "Show Tune Tuesday"...has a nice ring to it.

Gearing up for another day of bump-and-grind testimony. Think the bug guy will be on the roster? I don't believe they finished up with the Cays guard from yesterday, so she may be first on the stand this morning.

[FresnoDA]

Since spectre is busy doing aerobics...I thought I would do some house cleaning from yesterday.....

Couple of things.........LOL

---

BRIGANTINE or BURGER KING!!!  LOL

Our newest Brigantine opened in the North San Diego community of Poway in October 1993. The restaurant has a heated patio as well as a spacious banquest room with fireplace. The roomy lounge has a full oyster bar and offers daily happy hour specials.

AS FOR YESTERDAY'S FREEPMAIL MARATHON...............

Good thing TS saves everything and posted the "freep mail" EVIDENCE!!!!......I have a bad habit of replying, and checking the delte when send....(MY BAD).....

For the record:

When someone fires a freepmail out of the blue at me....throwing around lawsuit..."get your lawyer and insurance agent ready, you just said Denise Kemal engages in Beastiality"...well, I don't know about you guys...but my NUT ALERT WARNING goes off....

I went public, to do exactly what happened...to flush this crud out of my FREEPMAIL...and onto the Forum.

If I want to send people emails, I have a hundred names in my email address book.

I am here to POST....

To post fast, to post provocatively, and if ever and if at all possible, to post with CODE SHRIEK HTML and GRAPHICS!!!!

Sorry for this interruption in the normal VD trial discussion....

Now, with house cleaning events completed........

AWAY

        WITH

                THE

                      SHOW!!

[crystalk]

I think Danielle, whether running away or with parents consent, had left the scene of action well before her mother ever took the boys to the Mall.

Maybe she had a sex date made for her by Mom and did not want to keep it, was being rebellious. Had to be coerced.

I do not think that poor Danielle was any virgin (at 7!!) and I do think that her own father was part of the reason. This shouts so loud, that the claims of some DW involvement, I can not hear by comparison. I think the girl had left home before DW ever got home on Friday or came into any position where he could have got her, indeed how could he have got her if she wasn't there in the first place, was already gone?

[Jaded]

The speculation was that she was subpoena'd by the Defense.

[shezza]

BTTT! I've wondered about the DNA samples they got from her underwear, too...I don't think it's normal for an innocent 7-year-old to have vaginal secretions. (As I pointed out on another thread, the folklore explanation for the epidemic raping of pre-pubescent girls in Africa is the belief that since their vaginal canal is dry and thus "pure," it will cure these men of AIDS and other STDs.) I also think (thanks RNmom) that vaginal secretions in little girls is a sign of sexual abuse.

Also, Brenda asked Cherokee Youngs, "Do you like girls?" Not, "Do you like other women?" Hmmmmmmmm.