2nd Bug Expert Bolsters Westerfield Defense: (Dusek Melting Down Before Juries Eyes!!)

NBC/San Diego ^ | July 22, 2002 | NBC/San Diego

[FresnoDA]

2nd Bug Expert Bolsters Westerfield Defense

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.

[demsux]

I'm not impressed with your dodging of the question. Afraid it makes DW look bad that he didn't mention the "dirty dancing" with Brenda when asked directly who he danced with?

I'm not trying to dodge it, when "fast dancing" he may have turned around and "faced her"...is that dancing, he may not of thought so, but the Cherokee's mom thought so

[Politicalmom]

WHAT is your problem? People SLEEP and CHANGE in a motor home. So what? That has NO bearing on ANYTHING.

[Greg Weston]

How convienent. Maybe if Westerfield has enough guts he'll get on the stand and straighten it all out then.

[Spunky]

>>>Westerfield said absolutely nothing about dancing with Brenda<<<

And why would he do that when asked who he danced with?

Maybe its because the little, littlest one (Denise)made more of an impression on him and that is who he remembered right off.

[Rheo]

Isn't that Redden interview transcript about 45 minutes long?...wasn't he interviewed for about 22 hours?

[demsux]

Kim, you and I have always had a pleasant exchange of thoughts throughout these threads...I appreciate your candor.

My question to you is this: What about the bug evidence???

[Greg Weston]

>>>he may have turned around and "faced her"...<<<

And that's when the fibers flew through the air on him?

[fatima]

Sorry only speak Italian 2 nd grade ,important do not respond I repeat ,do not respond

[demsux]

Alright, I'm done...take your prozac and see ya on some future thread.

[Greg Weston]

And leave me hanging about the flying fibers? How dare you!!

[cyncooper]

This case is NOT about OJ. This is nothing like OJ. Why do so many of you insist on spewing the "Like OJ" line?

Cuz the case is like OJ? :)

[rolling_stone]

Well since Barb & Brenda & densie were such good friends, it seems very posible they could have transferred from them to DW. Or maybe DW did dirty dance with Brenda and didn't get a chance to say it or didn't remember it. Much ado about nothing. Find something with some substance to squak about.

[Greg Weston]

Well like I said maybe he'll get on the stand and explain the whole fiber flying dirty dancing episode.

[rolling_stone]

Why would he get on the stand? Most defense attorneys counsel their clients not to, and in this case there already appears to be much doubt to those that have closely followed in and not just read the media Cliff notes...

[dread78645]

That is a false conclusion which can be best shown by the recent example of an a top five accounting firm's actions.

I missed some of transcripts, I guess.
Please post any links to accounting firms that murder 7 year old kinder. Thanks.

[Jrabbit]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Finally, someone asks about the testimony today. Evidently, it wasn't what a lot of posters on this thread today wanted discussed. I think it was very important, especially since todays witness backs up the witness that the DA was going to use.

[Greg Weston]

Then let's talk about DW being the unfortunate victim of numerous unlucky coincidences. In your opinion is he the most unlucky murder defendent in history to have all this evidence both physical and circumstantial point right at him??

[Freedom2specul8]

second attempt to post with edit. SIGH

Scratch my second post about blonde hair in the wheel well, it may mean nothing-I can't get back into the transcripts to make my point..so will try tomorrow!

Am having computer time outs...TOOK FOREVER TO GET THIS POSTED.

Sorry

[juzcuz]

I'm now wondering how clumps of her hair could have gotten 15- 80- 90 feet from her body.
From what I understood, North of her body was the direction of a golf course. I believe her head under the tree was S so her feet were pointing North. Her body on a 6'slope is that right?? To the North is there some kind of ridge then a stream then a golf green is that right???>?
If the area is situated way then someone could have drug her body from the golf green, while stepping on her hair, that would have pulled clumps her hair out, and left a trail.

[connectthedots]

See IN RE GRIFFITHS, 413 U.S. 717 (1973) for the USSC case that states that attorneys are not officers of the court in the same sense that most people wrongly think. Scroll down to 413 U.S. 717, 728 for the most applicable part of this opinion.