Posted on 03/22/2002 9:04:21 AM PST by FresnoDA
Sad, but true: over 90% of child abuse is perpetrated by a parent or household member (see the Center for Abused and Exploited Childrens' web site for this figure); also see statistics for child homicide: again, overwhelmingly perpetrated by a parent or household member. So yes, the family is usually considered suspect under such circumstances. Sometimes this is wrong (could have been one of the 10%, as in the Klaas and Walsh cases).
But to clear them so soon, what did that? Need I remind anyone that the Klaas and Walsh cases got so much publicity because they are so rare, and that police generally work according to statisitics? What made this case different? Need I remind anyone there are numerous cases where a parent killed the child, or the child died in an accident due to the parent's perceived negligence and said parent tried to blame it on an abductor ro intruder?
Again, I do not strongly believe in the guilt or innocence of Westerfield: until such time as there is proof of his DNA under the child's fingernails, or fibre or other physical evidence linking him to the VD house or Dehesa, etc., I'll be on the fence: I'll believe it could have been one of the 90% cases where a parent is to blame (especially as Damon has no alibi for 10:00-ish until 1:54,) or it could have been one of the 10%, where a stranger, possibly/probably Westerfield is to blame (timeline doesn't work out for Westerflield, plus no known profile works for Westerfield --but there is a first time for everything, so I can't leave that out, either).
Add to that that another perp (Grand Terrace case) did a botched attempt at abducting a seven-year-old little girl soon after this case (while Westerfield was in jail) and you've got some anxious parents in the vicinity wondering whether they've got the right guy, whether more copy-cats are out there. It is all open to speculation, based on the evidence released so far.
Well, it might depend on what kind of strings got pulled, if any. Might be as innocent as Pollyanna believes, but as you say, someone certainly seems to have smoothed the way for the VDs.
Trouble is, the evidence points in all kinds of directions. Some of it directly at Westerfield, some of it at those who were in the home that night.
If you look for opportunity, the father actually had the greatest opportunity, with the partygoers coming in second, and Westerfield a distant third. Damon was alone for some hours in the house, with only his word that he was where he said he was, and was doing what he said he was doing. After his court appearance, his word, unfortunately, is not very good. The partygoers, likewise, could have easily slipped away from the orgy pizza party and stashed the little girl in one of their vehicles. Does Westerfield have an alibi? We don't know yet, because the judge at the PH wouldn't allow that information into the hearing, but the term "alibi witnesses" was mentioned.
If you look at motive, you have to look at the guy with the child porn, even though that collection, too, was misreported as being far more extensive than it actually was.
If you look at means--and in this case, I think that should include transporting the child from her bedroom to where she was found--the evidence points away from Westerfield, whose motorhome was parked some miles away, and whose SUV was found to be devoid of any traces of Danielle. A perplexing question continues to be how he accomplished this. Perhaps they know. The gag order has stopped the flow of information, along with the misinformatin.
On the other hand, the "party goers" had vehicles nearby, as did the father.
So the question becomes, which evidence do we follow? The blood is a serious matter, and might clinch the case. Unless, as the Aussie papers reported (in a thread that fell victim to our resident threadkillers), Brenda and Westerfield were far friendlier than first reported. The Aussie papers detailed an affair of some 9 months' duration between the two. Would it be possible that the child visited during some of the more platonic meetings?
The evidence is darn confusing in this case. I think I'll wait before joining the lynch mob. I want to see something that ties up most of the loose ends before I register with Lynch Central for my ticket to the mob gathering. (
Common sense question bump!
Imnho, either Westrefield made an off-the-record confession, or this is railroading.
Let's forget for a moment, these were her parents. Let's think about the atmosphere in that house if IT weren't the parents? We have drinking, adultry, pot smoking, maybe even cocaine, irresponsible adults...high out of their minds.
We have a half-assed security system that works, but doesn't work. We have a watch-dog who is locked up, and doesn't bark, but can bark.
We have testimony that has changed, we have conflicting stories, we have unsubstantiated alibi's.
We have a PR firm being hired by the residents to "clean up their image"..
Now, with just this information, why wouldn't the people in the house be considered as Prime suspects?
sw
And do we know just how far they would go for a sexual thrill? That question often bothers me, especially when considering the little kids still in the home. They seemed so willing to risk so much for a quick thrill, what can we put past them?
But perhaps the most disturbing factor of this case is all the lying. The VDs, individually and in unison, lied about almost everything, and from the very first moment. The police lied or exaggerated about many things, from some of the earliest interviews. Why? All of these people--parents, police--surely must realize that all this lying can only put the case at risk?
And some of the people here take these liars' word for every little detail, without even giving it a thought--except to castigate anyone who asks WHY all the lies.
That all but clinches it for me - unless you set up a OJ-defense style of massive police conspiracy - physical evidence like blood and hair are fairly damning.
I think you're connecting the dots.
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