I worry just a little about your comment. I wouldn't say the people here defending him can relate to the crime. I would say a small minority may have one little problem: you can search this thread and find a few posts asking what's wrong with pornography on your computer etc. etc., doing everything they can to minimize the child-pornography aspect of it. That I do find troubling.
Christ's sword divides. The libertarians and the conservative Christians here aren't going to see eye-to-eye on pornography. But I would hope on the subject of child pornography, FR would be a place where that's not minimized or excused. I doubt that means that people here who say Westerfield's innocent on that charge too consume it. But I worry that they're part of the problem in the sense of not understanding the depravity and seriousness of this crime. I can't even understand the instinct to try to minimize what was on his computer. I don't get it. It makes me think, as I've said too often, some of these people don't live on Planet Earth.
I don't even think adult pornography is "OK", but it's my understanding that none of the pornography found involved prepubescent children.
Which, again, doesn't make it OK, but every time I've seen a child molestor busted (only on TV) they've had to bring boxes to haul all the child-raping porn away. No matter how computer-literate the molestors are, they always seem to have to have dead-tree copies as well. If Westerfield had nothing on dead-tree, it casts some doubt, for me at least, on the provenance of all the electronic porn.
I've cleaned too much porn off the computers of people who I KNOW did not download it deliberately to be certain of his guilt on that front.
I know the prosecution/defense can't wrap up every little loose thread & tie it in a neat bow just for me, but I'd like a few more than we've had. I hope he is really guilty, because the thought of an innocent man being destroyed by this is almost as unbearable as what Danielle must have suffered. I believe some of the legal eagles on the forum have said he can take the stand in the penalty phase next week. If he truly is innocent, he'd better. I would have risked it at trial myself.
"But I would hope on the subject of child pornography, FR would be a place where that's not minimized or excused"
It's not minimized or excused, it's denied and the jurors are not being given credit for knowing child porn when they see it.