Where would your molestation scenario fit in the time line? Assuming the jury got it right, Westerfield snatched the girl sometime between leaving the bar, close to midnight and under the influence, and the next morning, when Brenda called 911.
The prosecution presented no evidence to show that DW invaded the girl's house. Therefore, it seems to me, in order for the verdict to be correct, DW must have come across the girl sleepwalking in the street after midnight and managed to grab her without anyone seeing or hearing anything. Then he presumably molested and killed her and dumped the body in the desert while leaving a remarkably faint trail behind in the motor home. And, of course, the bugs were kind enough to delay their infestation of the remains so that Feldman would have a card to play at the trial.
Yep. Reaffirms my faith in American courts and juries.
I was speculating that the molestation was ongoing before the child's death. My only reasons for this speculation was the DNA in his motorhome, the Van Damme's lifestyle, the fact that DW knew them, and was perhaps close, and the fact that he had (as I understand it) categorized, stored kiddie porn. These coincidences make me think that the man may not be completely innocent, but I agree that, from what I could follow of the trial, there was more than reasonable doubt, and had I been on the jury, with the evidence that I was able to see NOT being on the jury, I would have held out for "not-guilty" until we all rotted in the jury room.
The whole thing is very sad and disgusting. I'm not sure Westerfield is innocent in any sense of the word, but the prosecution sure didn't prove their case to my satisfaction. As an entomologist who has studied forensic entomology, and my understanding of the entomological data, it seems almost 100% to me that the girl was put whre she was found while DW was under constant surveillance. That's the creepiest thing to me about the case, and really the only thing that got me following the case at all.
BTW, what was the nature of the DNA found in his motorhome? Hair? Skin? Blood?