Posted on 07/22/2002 3:02:31 PM PDT by FresnoDA
Westerfield's trial had been in recess since July 11 so the judge could take a previously scheduled vacation.
Westerfield, 50, lived two doors from Danielle, who vanished after her father put her to bed the night of Feb. 1. Searchers found the girl's nude body on Feb. 27 along a rural roadside east of San Diego.
A forensic entomologist, testifying Monday for the defense, said Danielle's body could not have been dumped at the roadside before Feb. 12, according to his analysis of flies and larvae collected during an autopsy. The blow flies that were found on the body typically descend on a cadaver shortly after death, but it can take longer in cooler temperatures, entomologist Neal Haskell said. Based on his analysis of the temperatures in the area at the time, Haskell (pictured, right) put "the time of colonization" likely at Feb. 14 and no earlier than Feb. 12.
Prosecutors challenged the defense's weather data.
Haskell's testimony puts the time the body may have been dumped several days earlier than suggested by a previous defense witness, entomologist David Faulkner. The defense has seized upon the time of death, which could not be precisely determined, to suggest that the body was dumped at a time when Westerfield was under constant police surveillance.
Westerfield was put under observation soon after Danielle disappeared, according to police testimony. He was arrested on Feb. 22.
During Haskell's testimony about insects devouring Danielle's body, the girl's parents, Brenda and Damon van Dam, stared at the floor as they sat in the back row of the courtroom. It is the first time that Damon van Dam has been in court since Judge William Mudd banned him from the proceedings almost a month ago as a security risk. Mudd restored his trial privileges just before going on vacation.
Lawyers for Westerfield have said they expect to offer two to three more days of testimony.
Vaccuming would be normal and would suck up hairs. Washing the floor too. These are normal parts of finishing a trip. If he had time to do his laundry he certainly had time to run the vaccum, wash down the shower,toilet and hard floors.
This would still leave old hairs that have accumulated in out of the way places but pick up new hairs in normal traffic areas.
Anyone who thinks Westerfield did not kidnap, rape, and murder Danielle Van Dam is:
a) an idiot
b) a former o.j. juror
c) a child molester or child molester sympathizer
d) a contrarian (taking an opposing view for the sake of taking an opposing view)
e) a person who thinks someone with a college education, a home, and a good-paying job wouldn't commit a crime like this because 'they have too much to lose'
f) johnnie cochran
g) a member of some defense lawyer organization
h)someone who thinks Mark Furhman planted the blood on Westerfield's jacket
i) someone who likes to view child pornography
j) any or all of the above.
Oh, yeah. Any defense lawyer reading the 'pro-westerfield' posts is laughing his/her a** off at your attempts to explain why he couldn't have done it. Defense lawyers have done a good job convincing people that ANY doubt is a reasonable doubt...and, hey.....any doubt that you (such a smart person..coming up with all those explanations for the evidence)..any doubt YOU have just MUST be reasonable. Yeah. You can be a big hero and be the holdout on the jury.
Circumstances are also evidence. You will rarely, if ever, be convinced of something 100 per cent. It takes courage to convict beyond a REASONABLE doubt, and NO COURAGE to find all sort of REASONS (reasonable or NOT) to explain away something.
I'm not looking for replies. Just had to get that off my chest. I have a low moron-tolerance right now.
Again, the interview DW gave to Det. Redden has been entered into evidence. I don't know why he wanted to convey to the police that he cleaned the MH, but he did. Whether he really did, or just wanted the police to think he did, I have no idea. But, as I pointed out earlier, DW himself is on the record regarding this issue.
HERE IS MY THEORY for what happened (cause you hit the nail on the head, IMO).
Danielle and her brother had CLIMBED OVER THE FENCE and got in trouble for it. HOW many times did they do this and not get caught?
How many times did Danielle wander down the street to the PARK? How many times did she wander down to wonder at the BIGOLE motorhome, and the DUNEBUGGIES (you couldn't keep a kid away from that if you tried).
Now we know DW is pretty picky, likes to keep things in nice shape, CLEAN. Probably doesn't want INSURANCE LAWSUITS for having kids sneak in his MH and then fall down and hurt themselves.
So Danielle or maybe Dyllon sneak into the MH, or try to.
So, DW gets mad at them, or runs them off, or puts the word out to neighbors (specifically the VD's who the neighbors know don't watch their children) to keep their kids away from the MH.
Now the VD's are those ("my little child is an angel and wouldn't do anything like that, why I don't even let them out of my sight. Hey, were did the damn kids get to now?..... oh, sorry, I mean, those kids must be HIDING waiting to come out and BOO me, you KNOW ??!?!?!?!") kind of parents that blame everyone else instead of themselves for their kid's getting in trouble.
So, they get their other neighbors (the ones they smoke pot with) to get together and notify the homes association that DW is in violation of the rules keeping that DAMN MH in his driveway.
You have misdiagnosed yourself. More likely you have been watching too much Court TV.
She would have had to play there a long time for her to drop enough hair that one finds its way into the trap. That would give her enough time to explore. A kid who entered the RV would open every door and most every cabinet. I would expect there to be 3 or more at least. Even so, I cannot come up with a scenario that combines all three. Hair with root, fingerprint and blood or blood like subtances. Two maybe, but three puts it into never never land statistically.
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