In taped interrogation, Westerfield tells police 'my life is over'

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | January 7, 2003

[TomB]

In a videotaped interrogation with San Diego police detectives four days after Danielle van Dam was kidnapped, an exhausted David Westerfield says "my life is over," seemingly coming close to an admission that he murdered his 7-year-old neighbor.

"As far as I'm concerned my life is over, the life that I had, the life that I was living is over," Westerfield says in the interrogation conducted the evening of Feb. 5, 2002. Danielle was last seen the night of Feb. 1.

"But you can't blame anyone but yourself, Dave," answers one of the police detectives.

"And I have no problem with that," Westerfield replies.

In the tapes released Tuesday, Westerfield admits "unusual" sexual encounters with his wife, denies anything improper about his alleged use of binoculars to watch neighbors and says the child pornography found on his computer was simply something he downloaded along with a lot of other pornographic images and that he had no sexual interest in children.

Superior Court Judge William Mudd agreed Monday to unseal the videotape along with hundreds of pages of transcripts, documents and recordings in the Westerfield case, as well as transcripts of police interrogations and court hearings conducted in secret.

Some of the material – audiotape and videotape of Westerfield being interrogated during the early stages of the investigation – was released Tuesday afternoon.

The remainder of the material, which ranges from transcripts of closed-door court hearings to motions regarding potential evidence, will be released Monday, Mudd ruled.

The ruling Monday came three days after Mudd sentenced the former design engineer to death for kidnapping and murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, his neighbor in Sabre Springs.

Monday's court hearing came in response to a request by The San Diego Union-Tribune, which has been seeking access to the information for months. The San Diego-based 4th District Court of Appeal has ruled that Mudd must release the information.

The San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists made a donation to the legal costs.

Westerfield, who attended Monday's hearing, is scheduled to be moved within days to death row at San Quentin State Prison outside San Francisco.

During earlier court appearances, Westerfield was always dressed in civilian attire, but he appeared in court Monday in a green jail jumpsuit. He sat in a holding area so he couldn't be filmed by a television camera.

[xJones]

Stop stuttering!

[Freedom2specul8]

"what was the reasoning behind so many people believing Westerfield was innocent? "

What started it was back in feb 2002, rick roberts, a jerk of a radio show host, convinced 1/2 his audience that a report of an unnamed upper level police source (aka leaker) was true. The unnamed chicken source claimed that the van dams were having a wild drug and sex party in their garage the night danielle was kidnapped.

For some..The suspicion was that one of the participants went up, raped her...everyone including the parents got scared and then dumped her body. Evidence was planted on dw to throw the heat off the parents.

One of the rumor that was floating around was that danielle was given to westerfield by brenda..oh my gosh you would not believe all the crazy rumors flying.

Read here for more.

click

[aculeus]

Don't forget his sleazeball lawyer. He knew his client had killed her but insinuated that the parents had something to do with it.

[WellsFargo94]

Newsflash David...Danielle's life is over.

[Freedom2specul8]

Feldman, his defense atty... used rick roberts theories as much as he could. He used "RR's" tactics because of public reaction. He figured that if the public would react that way to RR's theories, chances are the jury would too. WRONG..

[dighton]

Sleazeball is right. His star witnesses were bug experts, whose conclusions -- as the defense knew full well -- were incorrect.

[SunnyUsa]

"But you can't blame anyone but yourself, Dave," answers one of the police detectives.
"And I have no problem with that," Westerfield replies.

He is the coldest murdering bastard, his demeanor at his sentencing - stonefaced and unremorseful - showed how completely depraved this murderer is...a death is too good for him and it can't come soon enough .

[dighton]

Tape #2 . . . . what a textbook narcissist creep.

[Amore]

What started it was back in feb 2002, rick roberts, a jerk of a radio show host, convinced 1/2 his audience that a report of an unnamed upper level police source (aka leaker) was true. The unnamed chicken source claimed that the van dams were having a wild drug and sex party in their garage the night danielle was kidnapped.

Kim, Kim, Kim, remember it also an unnamed police source who leaked the plea bargain info. Or do we know which police officers leaked it?

And did you listen to Rick Roberts show back then? I didn't, so I don't know what he himself actually said. I know such wild rumors were going around, and I know there was a great deal of discussion about the VD's activities on his show, but did Rick Roberts actually say the van dams were having a wild drug and sex party in their garage the night danielle was kidnapped? I know you & Val hate the guy, so in fact I was surprised when I did start tuning in to hear him and he sounded like a smart, rational guy (and, oddly enough, had views of all the participants which were close to my own views :-)

[EllaMinnow]

Court TV will be showing the tapes at 3 Eastern time.

[Valpal1]

Seems to be a curious silence from some quarters on the video release.

[BunnySlippers]

He admitted downloading child porn and he said he thought they were about 13 -14yrs old...the sick s.o.b....

That comment really got to me too.

[BunnySlippers]

Seems to be a curious silence from some quarters on the video release.

Perhaps. But the core group will NEVER be convinced.

[Valpal1]

RR changed his tune midstream after he successfully whipped up a mob and his listening numbers. It was a sleazy, but effective tactic.

[Valpal1]

I have hope that some of them will re-evaluate their emotional investment and give up the dark side. Darth Vader did, so I know it's possible ;-)

[EllaMinnow]

Then you are far more optimistic than I am.

I'm going to watch them now. The whole thing.

[Amore]

Thank you for your response, Val.

BTW, I apologize, I didn't ping you on this and once on the other thread because I couldn't remember what came after "Valpal" but I figured if I pinged Kim you'd get word of it.

I still would like to know what Rick Roberts himself actually said. I know you think the whole episode was sleazy, but I now wish I had listened back then. I know he gave the rumors a forum, allowing for large distribution of the swinging rumors which (since they did engage in extra-marital sex with their friends) turned out to have quite a bit of truth to them. But what did he himself say?

[Freedom2specul8]

I didn't listen to rick roberts at first--was going by what fresno wrote and the reports, but yes, I did go to his online real audio source and listened a few times. By the time he started changing his tune...and sounded like he was more on the side of prosecution..I then quit listening to him. You have to remember that I didn't start following this case until march..so a lot of the stuff roberts had said was already "out"... This is the first thread I could find..and the swinging and parties were started then.. See post #27 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/626093/posts?page=1,50

"Delicate questions became pointed yesterday when San Diego radio talk-show host Rick Roberts criticized the van Dams on the air for "not being honest" about "what really occurred" the night their daughter disappeared. Roberts told his listeners that a "reliable" source "high in law enforcement" said the van Dams have engaged in "lots of wife-swapping." Saying he believes the source, Roberts reported activity by the van Dams on the night of Feb. 1 dramatically different from their description to the news media. "

Honestly, I don't remember where I heard about the plea bargain.

[Freedom2specul8]

#60


This is an account of the Rick Roberts (KFMB 760 San Diego) radio show mentioned in the story above.


David Westerfield gave a *half-assed* confession. He has told police he did it and could take them to her (Danielle), but he wanted a lawyer first. He hired the lawyer yesterday. They are in heavy duty negotiations right now regarding his confession. A significant amount of kiddie porn was found in Westerfield's house. He is not a registered sex offender.
The Van Dam's are *swingers*. They swap partners. Westerfield had approached them in the past about their parties. He wanted to have one at his house. Mrs van Dam was seen *grinding* on the dance floor and left and possibly*did* a guy in the parking lot. She left with 2 women and 2 men. They all went to the van Dam's residence from the bar. They were partying and smoking marijuana in the garage (3 men & 3 women) when Danielle was abducted, they were not sleeping. All the adults had sex. Mrs van Dam gave one of her friends to her husband .The garage had special locks on the inside so the children could not get in. After the sex party broke up, Mrs van Dam found the open door and alarm blinking , but did not check the children. She went and closed their bedroom doors. Prior to the party Mr van Dam was awakened by the dog whinning ,( it cannot bark)had found a door open, and alarm blinking. He did not check the children.

What is the value of a 'rumor?' I don't know. This is the rumored explanation of what happened that night, the one that King was hinting at tonight. Take it for whatever it's worth.


60 posted on 02/11/2002 7:52 PM CST by Petronski

[Freedom2specul8]

Thank you for reminding me about the time.