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Animal genetics experts testify at closed-door sessionsSIGNONSANDIEGO July 1, 2002 Two experts on animal genetics testified today in a closed-door hearing to determine if the prosecution will be able to call one last witness in the David Westerfield trial before resting its case. One of the witnesses seen entering the courtroom for the hearing outside the jury's presence was Oliver Ryder.Ryder is an adjunct professor of biology at UCSD and works for the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species at the San Diego Zoo.Joy Halverson, a canine DNA specialist with QuestGen Forensics in Davis, also testified.A third man who took...

Anatomy of a MurderThe 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 Amid the superstores and strip malls that pass for community in the suburbs of San Diego, some small-town traditions remain. Parents still come out to watch their kids play Little League baseball, just like...

Damon van Dam barred from Westerfield trialBy Ben FoxASSOCIATED PRESS June 25, 2002SAN DIEGO – A judge has barred the father of Danielle van Dam from the trial of the man accused of killing his 7-year-old daughter. In a closed hearing, Judge William Mudd ordered Damon van Dam out of the courtroom and instructed him to stay away from the third floor of the courthouse in downtown San Diego."As a father I can certainly appreciate the disdain to which you must hold Mr. Westerfield and his counsel. The fact is, however, you represent a security risk at this point in...

Hair in Westerfield home similar to Danielle'sKIMBERLY EPLER Staff WriterSAN DIEGO ---- A police criminalist testified Monday that tiny pieces of evidence ---- hairs and carpet fibers ---- found in David Westerfield's house and motor home could link the Sabre Springs man to Danielle van Dam, the 7-year-old neighbor he is accused of kidnapping and murdering. Tanya DuLaney, a trace evidence analyst with the San Diego Police Department, said blonde hairs, dog hairs and tan carpet fibers found on Westerfield's property were similar to Danielle's hair, the short brown-gray fur of the van Dam family dog and Danielle's bedroom carpet....

June 24, 2002 04:00 PM SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Several blond hairs resembling those of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam were found on the bed sheets of a San Diego man accused of kidnapping and killing her, a police forensic expert testified on Monday. Tanya DuLaney, taking the witness stand in the trial of 50-year-old engineer David Westerfield, said more hair possibly belonging to the girl was found in lint from his dryer, along with 18 dog hairs similar to that of the van Dam family dog. DuLaney said three blond hairs were found on bed sheets in the master bedroom...

Televised proceedings a far cry from O.J. fiasco By Alex RothUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJune 23, 2002 In retrospect, it's hard to pinpoint the most cartoonish aspect of the O.J. Simpson trial. Maybe it was the sitcom-style insults traded by the attorneys, or the ringing cell phones in the courtroom, or Johnnie Cochran making up rhymes during closing arguments. All of it broadcast live on television. The Simpson case was a public-relations fiasco for the California courts – and many people blamed the television camera. It became conventional wisdom in the legal community that televising trials was a bad idea. The...

The prosecution has finished up their third week in the case against David Westerfield. To review transcripts of the Preliminary Hearing (PH) or the trial Transcripts/DocumentsFor a look at the window screen that DW supposedly looked out to peer into the VD backyard. Bathroom WindowThe VD's backyardVD BackyardThe trial resumes tomorrow at 9:00am. The prosecution has said they will conclude by the end of the month (6/27).previous thread

NBCSandiego.comExpert: Danielle's Blood On Jacket, In Motor Home Chance Of Mismatch Close To Nil POSTED: 10:40 a.m. PDT June 20, 2002UPDATED: 1:06 p.m. PDT June 20, 2002 SAN DIEGO -- A bloodstain found on a jacket belonging to child murder suspect David Westerfield matched a DNA sample from the 7-year-old girl he is accused of killing, a police DNA analyst said Thursday. Danielle van Dam Murder Annette Peer of the San Diego Police Department's forensic biology unit, said that a stain on a jacket that Westerfield left at a dry cleaner and another stain found on the carpet of his...

Here's the new thread, all ready for Thursday. Testimony recently discussed includes fingerprint evidence, as well as Westerfield's clean laundry. The Van Dam home was (strangely) devoid of fingerprints, except for a couple of latents that didn't match any of the pizza party people or, apparently, David Westerfield. Westerfield's motorhome didn't contain any of his fingerprints, but did have one print from Danielle L. (the daughter of Westerfield's ex-girlfriend), Jennifer (a friend of Danielle L.), and a partial from Danielle Van Dam. The prosecution said yesterday that they would be finished "in seven court days".

This is a new thread because the last one has gone over 1000 replies.The last subjects being discussed were the .22 Cartridge spent shell and the possibility Damon wore long sleeve shirts because he had POISON OAK.Danielle's body was found in a patch of POISON OAK.Also being discussed were the , so far, lack of physical evidence, or it being tied to something that could prove Westerfield is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Case playing out before nationwide jury of spectators By Leslie Wolf BranscombUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJune 17, 2002There is only one jury that gets to make the call in the David Westerfield trial. Those 12 citizens sit silently in a San Diego courtroom, ordered not to watch or listen to media coverage of the case and reserve judgment until the end.But there is another jury, outside the courthouse, that numbers in the thousands. Its members watch the trial also, from their living rooms, gyms and doctor's offices, and their commentary on the case runs nonstop on radio talk shows and Internet forums.And...

TOW TRUCK DRIVER CLAIMS HE HEARD WESTERFIELD TALKING TO SOMEONE!!! Phone Records, Witnesses Trace Westerfield's Movements Witnesses On Day 7 Show Movements   POSTED: 12:56 p.m. PDT June 13, 2002 UPDATED: 2:41 p.m. PDT June 13, 2002  SAN DIEGO -- The prosecution in the David Westerfield murder trial called on a cell phone company employee and several campers Thursday to verify the defendant's whereabouts the weekend Danielle van Dam disappeared. A series of calls from Westerfield's cell phone in early February appeared to mirror his rambling motor home trip to the beaches of southern San Diego County and the...

This article is a bit long...but some very eerie coincidences with the VD case..... FDA INVESTIGATOR'S GUIDE TO ALLEGATIONS OF RITUAL CHILD ABUSE January 1992Kenneth V. Lanning Supervisory Special Agent Behavioral Science Unit National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Academy Quantico, Virginia 22135 TABLE OF CONTENTS  1. Introduction. 2. Historical Overview. -- a. "Stranger Danger". -- b. Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse.-- c. Return to "Stranger Danger". -- d. The Acquaintance Molester.-- e. Satanism: A New Form of "Stranger Danger". 3. Law Enforcement Training. 4. Definitions. -- a. What is Ritual? -- b. What...

By Alex Roth UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER June 12, 2002 Of all the spectators who have crammed into a San Diego courtroom to watch the David Westerfield trial, apparently only one person is there on Westerfield's behalf. Johnny Neal is the brother of Westerfield's second wife, and he has known Westerfield for more than 20 years. He says Westerfield is a normal guy who likes to drink beer, talk politics and watch the Chargers on television. To say that Neal has become obsessed with the Westerfield case is an understatement. He has posted more than 1,000 messages on various Internet forums....

When asked on the witness stand why he didn't initially tell police about his activities the night Danielle disappeared, Damon van Dam answered, 'It didn't seem relevant' Private Lives, Public Trial Are sexual lifestyle questions relevant in the Van dam murder trial? By Jamie RenoNEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE     June 7 —  Is the sexual lifestyle of Danielle van Dam’s parents relevant in the David Westerfield trial? That’s a question many here are asking—and debating—as this emotional and high-profile murder trial continues in San Diego Superior Court.     WESTERFIELD, 50, A TWICE-DIVORCED freelance engineer with two grown children...

Van Dam friend describes Westerfield as 'creepy' KIMBERLY EPLER Staff Writer SAN DIEGO ---- David Westerfield, the man accused of killing Danielle van Dam, was described Monday as "creepy" by a friend of the girl's parents who saw him at a bar hours before the 7-year-old disappeared. "He was very quiet and weird," Denise Kemal, one of two women who went out drinking with Brenda van Dam, testified of Westerfield, the self-employed engineer standing trial for the crime. The 28-year-old flight attendant said Brenda van Dam introduced her to Westerfield on Feb. 1 when they arrived at a Poway bar...

STILL 'ENORMOUS AMOUNT TO LEARN' By Kristen Green UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJune 9, 2002New physical evidence about Danielle van Dam's disappearance and salacious details about her parents' sex life came out during the first week of David Westerfield's capital murder trial. Legal experts say it's too early to determine the significance those facts will have on the outcome of the case.The trial moved along fairly quickly, as both Brenda and Damon van Dam took the stand to testify about the events leading up to their 7-year-old daughter's disappearance. Attorneys have said the trial could last as long as 11 more weeks."I think...

BREAKING: Denise Testifies in Van Dam Trial!!! WESTERFIELD TRIAL TO RESUME TODAY(06-10-2002) - Another week of testimony in the David Westerfield trial starts this morning. Last week we heard from several key witnesses. Brenda and Damon van Dam took the stand to describe the events leading up to their daughter's disappearance. The medical examiner in the case testified about the condition of Danielle's body when it was discovered in Dehesa. And a forensic dentist talked about Danielle's missing teeth, indicating she may have been smothered. Brenda and Damon van Dam's testimony is now out of the way, but all we've...

Second week of long trial scheduled to resume SIGNONSANDIEGOJune 10, 2002 SAN DIEGO - The second week of what is expected to be a lengthy trial begins today in the case of People vs. David Westerfield, the 50-year-old Sabre Springs man who is accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam four months ago. The trial of David Westerfield -- one of the most closely watched in San Diego County history -- could last up to three months. Westerfield, a self-employed engineer, is charged with murder and kidnapping. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The first witness...

Westerfield trial TV coverage lures viewers with lurid details Remote ControlRobert P. Laurence June 7, 2002 TV is about pictures, and the David Westerfield trial has not been a pretty picture. Carried live on four local stations, and on cable's Court TV, the trial's pictures have been drawn in words, words like "sexual penetration" "putrefaction," "animal activity" and "decomposition" used in describing what might have happened to the body of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam before and after her death. To many, the pictures, again drawn in words, of adults engaged in spouse-swapping, group sex and pot smoking have been nearly...