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.
There are 9 certified experts. Faulkner is not one of the nine.
It appears that the certified expert pretty much agreed with Faulkner's report.
I'm not sure...many have said that it doesn't matter what they did or who they slept with. While I find their activities unseemly, I don't think it very relevant to Danielle's murder, and so haven't really paid much attention to the posts on that stuff.
First and foremost, no evidence in record that any other children can testify to being in there (I would expect the defense to trumpet this if there were). No evidence that any adults witnessed children entering.
The lack of finger prints by Danielle if she did play in there, there should be more. Especially in that so many un I'd prints were found.
The presence of the hair in the trap. The likelihood that a hair would have shed, plus found its way in the drain, plus got caught and not washed down is slim to none in my opinion.
THe presence of the blood or blood like substance.
The combined presence of three unlikely sources of physical evidence that are each unlikely to be left strains my ability to see this as reasonable.
Hair in trap = 80% a single hair was dropped (at rate of 1 every 15 mins), 50% chance it landed in place other than carpet (where it would be vaccumed), another 50% chance Westerfield wash floor, picked up hair and rinsed it in sink, 25% chance the single hair lodged in trap. .80*.50*.50*.25=.05%,
The chance of leaving behind two blood or blood like spots while playing in van ? 20% each or 4% for two.
The combined chance that all three occured on one visit (.80*.05*.04)= 0.16% chance.
Well, if you are correct.....that will be such a shock.
His Rice Crispies told him so!
How do you explain the other blonde hairs in the sink drain that were not Danielle's?
Maybe it should be, but it isn't, and that's that!
As far as drinking the Kool Aid goes, I'm just telling you what the law is...you don't have to like it!
Fingerprints are the evidence I have accepted that show that , at some time, Danielle had been in the MH.
The 'blood' and hair evidence are no proof at all. I can explain a scenario where her hair and 'DNA' (blood) could be in the MH and yet she never entered it.
Wanna know how ?
Danielle , according to the lack of a hit by tracking dogs, had not been in the MH for approximately 2 weeks before the dogs searched it.
Yes, and aren't we lucky that he favors us with his uninformed opinion?
Oh, come on, you don't mean to tell us that the PROSECUTION was the first one to LIE about the PORN in an attempt to win????????
Why didn't they call a certified expert ? What determines certified ?
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