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(KGTV) - The California Supreme Court Monday upheld the conviction and death sentence for David Westerfield, the man found guilty of killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam in 2002. Young Danielle was reported missing from her Sabre Springs home on Feb. 2, 2002, and her disappearance led to a search that spanned all of San Diego County. Investigators gathered enough evidence to arrest Westerfield, a neighbor of Danielle and her family, for her disappearance and death on Feb. 22. Five days later, Danielle’s badly decomposed body was found along Dehesa Road in Harbison Canyon. In August 2002, Westerfield was found guilty...

ANATOMY OF A MURDER The disappearance of Danielle van Dam was a shocking tragedy that ballooned into more than just a murder case. The parents’ lifestyle—and actions by police, media, lawyers and the district attorney—came into question. As the legal team for defendant David Westerfield begins the fight for his life, here’s a no-holds-barred look behind the scenes of San Diego’s biggest story of 2002. By Kevin Cox

Jurors in the David Westerfield trial began deliberating yesterday after hearing a final statement from the lead prosecutor, who beamed a photo of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam onto the wall and urged the jury to focus on the physical evidence. Finishing closing arguments in the two-month murder trial, prosecutor Jeff Dusek called a blood spot on Westerfield's jacket the "smoking gun." And Dusek imagined what Danielle might tell the jury if someone could bring her back to life "just for a moment" so she could answer the question, "Please tell us who did this to you." "I've already told you,"...

<p>SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) --A San Diego jury began deliberations Thursday in the trial of David Westerfield, accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam.</p> <p>The panel of six men and six women adjourned for the day without reaching a verdict. It is set to resume deliberations Friday.</p>

Jury's hands After two months of hearing evidence, jurors have begun deliberating the fate of David Westerfield, who is accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam

Bugs: The best witnesses? A forensic entomologist, who studies the maggots and insects found at a crime scene or autopsy, provided the strongest evidence yet for David Westerfield. By Harriet Ryan Court TV On one side there are Danielle van Dam's fingerprints, her blood drops, strands of the 7-year-old's blond locks, hair from a dog like her weimaraner and carpet fibers that seem to be from her room. There is child pornography and a convoluted alibi even the defendant calls "weird." On the other side, the side for David Westerfield's acquittal, there are bugs. The pile of evidence painstakingly...

Defendant now lives a Spartan existence By Kristen GreenUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERAugust 5, 2002Until six months ago, David Westerfield hosted barbecues by his pool, fixed dinner in his remodeled kitchen and relaxed on white leather sofas in his four-bedroom house. He ran a business from home, logging onto one of several computers. He took his plush motor home on trips to the desert, where his children and friends played on his numerous sand toys.Today, his Sabre Springs home is on the market for $480,000 and his Toyota 4Runner, motor home and computers are in police custody. No matter what the verdict...

Prosecution's bug expert struggles on stand Forensic entomologist Madison Lee Goff, left, testifies for the prosecution at the trial of David Westerfield. By Harriet Ryan Court TV SAN DIEGO — The insect expert prosecutors hoped would destroy David Westerfield's chances for acquittal stumbled badly during his turn on the witness stand Tuesday, capping confusing, overly technical testimony with the admission he made basic math errors in his findings. Madison Lee Goff, one of the most experienced scientists in the small field of forensic entomology, blushed a deep red as a defense lawyer for the man accused of killing Danielle...

Frustrated prosecutor swats at final bug expert David Westerfield, seated in court Thursday, faces the death penalty if convicted in the slaying of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. By Harriet Ryan Court TV SAN DIEGO — David Westerfield was sitting in the defendant's chair, but forensic entomology was on trial Thursday. Prosecutor Jeff Dusek, whose seemingly unshakeable case against Westerfield for the murder of Danielle van Dam has been jostled by this tiny, somewhat obscure scientific field, poured out his frustration on the last of three insect experts to testify for the defense. Like his colleagues before him, forensic entomologist...

Man Arrested was Found Innocent in 2000 Molestation Trial Lewis Davis the brother of the ex-girlfriend of Alejandro Avila in an exclusive interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News said that Avila had gone to the complex of Stanton townhomes where Samantha Runnion lived to visit his ex-girlfriend’s daughter.   RIVERSIDE — The man arrested in the investigation of the kidnap-murder of little Samantha Runnion, has in the past been accused of molesting two girls under the age of 14. This was two years ago and at that time a Riverside County jury found Alejandro Avila innocent.Deputy District Attorney Paul Dickerson...

<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) --  The night Danielle van Dam disappeared, the girl's mother was "dirty dancing" with the man accused of killing her 7-year-old daughter, a witness testified Monday.</p> <p>Brenda van Dam was rubbing her hips and bosom against defendant David Westerfield on a crowded dance floor in February, said bar patron Patricia LePage.</p>

Outside David Westerfield's impeccably landscaped house, police searching for Danielle van Dam noticed a garden hose stretched across the grass, and it made them suspicious, according to testimony yesterday. "That told me that whoever left that hose out was in a hurry," San Diego police Detective Maura Mekenas-Parga testified during the fifth day of Westerfield's trial on charges of kidnapping and murdering the 7-year-old girl. The detective said she and her partner noticed the hose Feb. 3, but no one appeared to be home. A day earlier, Danielle had been reported missing from her Sabre Springs home two doors away....

Detective: Westerfield appeared nervous when asked about his whereabouts   San Diego Police Sgt. Johnny Keene, left, testifies about the focus on David Westerfield early in the investigation of Danielle van Dam's disappearance. By Harriet Ryan Court TV SAN DIEGO — An errant garden hose, heavy sweating and a convoluted weekend itinerary. Police officers investigating Danielle van Dam's abduction initially zeroed in on her neighbor for those reasons, two detectives testified Tuesday. "I noticed that he was sweating profusely from under his arms," said San Diego Police Detective Johnny Keene of his first encounter with David Westerfield, an engineer who...

San Diego Superior Court Brenda Van Dam Preliminary Hearing Transcript JUDGE: Please tell us your name.A: Brenda Van Dam.JUDGE: Would you spell the first and last name. A: BRENDA Van Dam: B-r-e-n-d-a V-a-n D-a-m. JUDGE: Thank you very much. Prosecution begin. Dusek questions.Q: Mrs. Van Dam are you married?A: Yes. Q: Who are you married to? A: Damon Van Dam. Q: When did you get married? A: March 11th 1989. Q: So you've been married how many years? A: 13 years. Q: Just had an anniversary? A: Yes. Q: Where do you live? A: Sabre Springs. Q: What's the...

Police comb digital files in pursuit of evidence By Kathryn Balint STAFF WRITERMarch 18, 2002 As San Diego police began focusing on David Westerfield in connection with the kidnapping – and, as was later discovered, death – of Danielle van Dam, they looked in the places that so frequently hold clues to crimes: his computers. The Digital Age has taken police forensics far beyond fingerprints. Police now routinely seize computers in serious crimes. Increasingly, evidence from those computers becomes part of court proceedings, as it did last week when prosecutors presented evidence they said points to Westerfield as Danielle's...

SAN DIEGO, CA - A San Diego judge ordered David Westerfield to stand trial for kidnapping and murdering Danielle van Dam. Westerfield's arraignment is scheduled for March 28th at 2pm.

Westerfield Preliminary Hearing SAN DIEGO, CA - The preliminary hearing in the case against David Westerfield began Monday. Mr. Westerfield is charged with kidnapping and killing seven year old Danielle van Dam February 2nd of this year. Much information was revealed during the hearing. First, it was suggested that Danielle's father may have vacuumed an area of the house before investigators had an opportunity to collect potential evidence. Second, Mr. Westerfield had scratches on his arm (photos at bottom) that he claimed were injuries suffered while trying to dig out his motorhome that became stuck in the sand. Another...