Second bug expert testifies as Westerfield trial continues
KIMBERLY EPLERStaff Writer
SAN DIEGO ---- A forensic entomologist testified Monday that insect activity shows the body of 7-year-old murder victim Danielle van Dam was dumped along a rural road two to three weeks after she disappeared from her Sabre Springs home, a time when her accused killer was under 24-hour police surveillance.
Bug expert Neal Haskell was the second entomologist called by defense attorneys to try to show that David Westerfield, 50, could not have disposed of the second-grader, who he is accused of killing to satisfy his sexual desire for young girls.
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Day 20 of Westerfield's highly publicized trial centered on the life cycle of blow flies, with Haskell spending nearly all day on the stand testifying about his conclusion that Danielle was killed shortly before flies began "colonizing" her nude body.
Forensic entomologists use the well-known life cycle of blow flies to narrow down the time of death in murder cases.
The metallic-colored flies can lay eggs within minutes of finding a dead body. When the eggs hatch, the larva feed on the flesh. After a time, the larva migrate away from the body to find a dark, secure place to enter the pupa stage. After developing a hard shell, an adult fly emerges, reaches sexual maturity in three days and the cycle begins again.
Westerfield's attorney, Steven Feldman, told jurors on the first day of the trial that science would come to his client's rescue and show it was impossible for Westerfield to have been the one who left Danielle's body where it was found.
A lead detective in the case testified earlier that within three days of Danielle's Feb. 2 disappearance, police were keeping a tight watch on Westerfield day and night. A tracing device was also placed in Westerfield's car, the detective said.
Prosecutor Jeff Dusek, meanwhile, challenged Haskell's conclusion about when Danielle's body was first exposed to the elements and sometimes took on an adversarial tone with the witness during questioning.
At times, Dusek raised his voice while repeatedly questioning whether Danielle's body could have decomposed to the state in which she was found ---- with her hands, feet and face blackened and mummified ---- in Haskell's one-to-two-week timeline. Haskell said it could.
Dusek also raised questions about what condition Danielle's body would be in if it were left in the storage compartment of a motor home out in the desert for 24 to 36 hours before it was dumped in Dehesa. Haskell said such a scenario could have kept her body from being "colonized" by insects, but it also would have accelerated her decomposition and made her more attractive to blow flies.
Haskell dismissed Dusek's query about the possibility a coyote ate the first round of fly larva laid on Danielle's body, making it appear as though her body was exposed to the elements weeks after it was dumped and throwing off the timeline for how long flies had been able to access her body.
The prosecutor also seemed to be raising the possibility that Danielle's body was at some point covered with a blanket that might have been removed by animals that ravaged her body. Haskell said the flies still would have been able to get to her body.
Haskell said he based his conclusions on the condition of Danielle's body and he said he used temperatures in the region to determine how fast the insects would have grown.
Testimony in the case is scheduled to continue on Wednesday. Attorneys in the case are meeting with the judge to discuss scheduling and other issues today.
Contact staff writer Kimberly Epler at (760) 739-6674 or kepler@nctimes.com.
7/23/02