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2nd Bug Expert Bolsters Westerfield Defense: (Dusek Melting Down Before Juries Eyes!!)
NBC/San Diego ^
| July 22, 2002
| NBC/San Diego
Posted on 07/22/2002 3:02:31 PM PDT by FresnoDA
Expert Says Fly Infestations Show When Danielle's Body Was Dumped
POSTED: 6:58 a.m. PDT July 22, 2002
UPDATED: 2:28 p.m. PDT July 22, 2002
SAN DIEGO -- The trial of David Westerfield resumed Monday with more testimony about insects, as defense lawyers tried to show that their client was not the person who dumped Danielle van Dam's body along a two-lane road in East County.
Before testimony began, Judge William Mudd warned jurors to ignore last week's murder of a young girl in nearby Orange County. Mudd said that the abduction, sexual assault and murder of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion "bears no relation" to the trial of David Westerfield.
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.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: 180frank; bugsrunamok; vandam; westerfield
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To: Bluebird Singing
They were off on their own from before sunrise to after sunset in the Van Dam Damn Van. Several press photos exist but I haven't seen them lately.
To: UCANSEE2
Who sent them back? Based on what ? Did someone call in with a tip? An illegal alien or maybe someone posing as one?
To: Southflanknorthpawsis
Sheesh......this will be costly. Does Ru-Paul have a blonde wig ?
To: cyncooper
The ocean probably holds many secrets. Does DW own a boat?
To: cyncooper; rolling_stone
.
Good body disposal idea, tooHALT. You are both under arrest for suspicion of murder. You said THAT phrase.
Now we will proceed to find the evidence necessary to fool a jury, I mean convict you.
PLease turn around and place your hands behind your backs!
NOW !!!!!
(/sarcasm)
To: Bluebird Singing
Were they off on their own, or with others on the search team. Was he driving his own blue van out there? I'd really like to know where that van is today. YES, on their own. Driving around 'handing out pamphlets to recruit more help. (wait, driving around the desert to recruit people. Wouldn't it make more sense to go to shopping malls to recruit?)
YES, the BLUE VAN.
And it's GONE, GONE, GONE.
To: UCANSEE2
WHen this hits 1450, I am going home.
To: UCANSEE2
(2)The DRC said the info came from two anonymous phone calls. So the anonymous caller was never identified? Was the reward only for information leading to the SAFE recovery of Danielle?
To: crypt2k
See 1440
To: UCANSEE2
The caller could have been the perp after becoming confident that DW was solidly in the hot-seat.
To: crypt2k
So the anonymous caller was never identified? Was the reward only for information leading to the SAFE recovery of Danielle? (1) No, not that I ever heard.
(2)The reward wasn't sufficient for whoever had to call in twice to get the POLICE/MEDIA/SEARCHERS attention to risk going to jail for Danielle's murder.
To: formerDem
Thanks for your fact-filled, considered, and knowledgeable post, former currentDem
To: dread78645
Why do you think that anyone who thinks that Westerfield is guilty must be a democrat?
To: crypt2k
The caller could have been the perp after becoming confident that DW was solidly in the hot-seat. The caller could have been pissed cause the cops were giving DW all the GLORY in the MEDIA (tv, papers, etc) and not himself. Criminals most enjoy the fact that they are SMART ENOUGH to ELUDE police. They don't like it when they are successful because the cops made a mistake.
At least the kind of psycho killers that would RAPE, MURDER a young girl, then leave some kind of CALLING CARD.
Danielle's callling card may have been 'disturbed' by 1 extra DAY of animal activity.
See he thought they would find her the first day he called. BUT THEY DIDN'T.
So he had to call back. By that time the animals had eaten parts and drug parts all over the place. RUINED the CALLING CARD effect.
To: UCANSEE2
Do you think it was more likely Damon or a random psycho serial killer?
To: redlipstick
What's interesting is that so many normally hang 'em high conservatives, like myself, think he's not guilty.
To: UCANSEE2
So, he ignores all these "GOOD PLACES TO HIDE A BODY" and takes it and drops it conveniently on TOP OF THE GROUND, at an ILLEGAL DUMPING SITE,not far off the road, where IT WILL SURELY BE DISCOVERED when the city ends up having to clean up the site, BECAUSE why ? Alexandria answers: (after waving hand frantically in the air) Because it was close to the place where the body was kept\stored?
A place that had been searched already maybe even RIGHT before they put it there? It wouldn't be a good thing if one happened to run into search & rescue when one needs to dispose of a body.
BTW, on DVD's friend from high school, does anyone know how he got back to Florida? Did he drive? A newly purchased van perhaps?
To: redlipstick
Why do you think that anyone who thinks that Westerfield is guilty must be a democrat? It's not that at all. Go read post #1206 or something close , by formerDEM.
To: UCANSEE2
Interesting observation, coupled with the bug guys testimony that he thought the body had been moved a bit, it could fit that scenario.
To: John Jamieson
So what's different about this case?
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