BREAKING: BRENDA VAN DAM DANCED WITH WESTERFIELD: (Modern Day Westside Story?)7-9-02 Trial Watch

KFMB ^ | July 9, 2002 | KFMB

[FresnoDA]

WITNESSES SAY BRENDA VAN DAM DANCED WITH DAVID WESTERFIELD

(07-08-2002) - Three defense witnesses testified Monday that Brenda van Dam and David Westerfield, the man accused of murdering 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, danced together the night before the girl was discovered missing.

"Mr. Westerfield and Mrs. van Dam were dancing," said Patricia LePage, describing the scene at Dad's Cafe and Steakhouse the night of Feb. 1.

Since the prosecution introduced hair and fibers found at the defendant's house and motorhome, the defense has tried to show the evidence could have been transferred in some other way, such as dancing.

The 50-year-old defendant would face the death penalty if convicted of kidnapping and killing Danielle van Dam, who lived two houses away in Sabre Springs. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of child pornography.

In testimony near the beginning of the trial, Brenda van Dam told the court she did not dance with Westerfield.

But LePage said van Dam rubbed her hips and chest against Westerfield during several dances together, recalling the movie "Dirty Dancing." That was just part of what LePage described as "frisky" behavior exhibited by van Dam that night.

LePage said she was in a smoking lounge at Dad's with her daughter, Cherokee Youngs, when van Dam came in and struck up a conversation with the younger woman.

"Well, she did ask my daughter if she liked girls," LePage said when asked to describe the conversation. Van Dam, she said, asked Youngs if she wanted to come to her house for a party later that night.

Youngs testified about the encounter last week.

Duane Blake, a fisherman who said he goes to Dad's a couple times a week, said he caught a glimpse of the defendant dancing with van Dam.

Blake confirmed an interview with the District Attorney's Office, in which he described their dancing as, "huggy, huggy." He testified he even thought Westerfield might be trying to pick up on van Dam.

Earlier Monday, another woman testified she saw Westerfield dance with Danielle's mother.

Glennie Nasland, who began her testimony last week, said she was on the dance floor and saw the pair turn toward each other while dancing with other people.

Nasland, who described herself as a friend of Westerfield, said she watched them for 20 seconds before they turned away again.

In other testimony Monday, Dave Laspisa said that going to the desert to look for friends, and without bringing an all-terrain vehicle, was not an unusual activity for Westerfield.

The witness, a self-employed Poway man, said he's known the defendant for 15 years and has camped with him near the Imperial County community of Glamis for 10 years.

The witness was one of several people who testified as the defense began to move away from what happened at a Poway night spot the night before Danielle was discovered missing Feb. 2 to Westerfield's weekend wanderings.

Westerfield's attorney, Steven Feldman asked Laspisa to explain why someone would avoid Interstate 8 while taking a motorhome to the desert. Laspisa said high winds and black ice were common on that route, which traverses altitudes over 4,000 feet.

Heather Mack, a security guard at Coronado Cays, testified that she saw Westerfield drive his motorhome into the exclusive neighborhood in the afternoon or evening hours of Feb. 3.

Mack said Westerfield smiled and waved at her as he drove past her security kiosk, but she never saw him again.

The witness told Dusek that she originally told a police officer that she "vaguely remembered" seeing the defendant's recreational vehicle.

Glen Seebruch, an engineering manager at Nokia, testified earlier that Westerfield called him the morning of Feb. 1 and told him he planned to go to the desert that weekend.

Feldman, told Judge William Mudd that his case may be completed by the end of the week.

Insect expert David Faulkner is expected to testify about how long the victim's body may have been in the East County before volunteer searchers found it on Feb. 27.

Feldman has said Westerfield would have had no opportunity to dispose of the body because he was under constant police surveillance from Feb. 4 until his arrest Feb. 22.

[spectre]

CYA...means "cover your ass" as in the Van Dams calling their social event a "Pizza Party"...and if you would go back and read your original inflamatory post...you might know why we are upset...it has nothing to do with any article, it has everything to do with you and your ilk NOT being able to back up your disgusting accusations with even ONE such post any of us made like that.

sw

[BunnySlippers]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020702/ap_wo_en_po/internet_pedophiles_3

More on the infants. There are several other articles about this ring as well.

[John Jamieson]

Next you'll be claiming that their name even sounds European.

[hoosiermama]

If I remember correctly, if testing the evidence somehow distroy or alters it, it must be done in from of an agent for the defense.

I believe that Mudd was upset because the material had not been given to the defense. That is why he appeared angry. Possibly will either have to throw it out as evidense or call for mistrial? A wrong procedure????Any legal beagle out there who knows for certain?

[Spunky]

Now I know how you got your screen name. (eeeewwww)

Geeeeeeeeez! I better keep my mouth shut. It seems like I am always putting my foot in it. Or maybe it is just your mind in the gutter ;-)

[Jaded]

Who else wants on the ping list so we can dissect testimony until the 22nd?

[Freedom2specul8]

No, the couple of thread killers did not get the thread pulled...but they do get pulled when people have no verbal impulse control.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/676282/posts?q=1&&page=1

[Mrs.O'Strategery]

LOL!!!!! :D

[UCANSEE2]

Or maybe it is just your mind in the gutter ;-)

I think it was this trial that put my mind in the gutter. ;-)

[BunnySlippers]

Or are you deliberately misunderstanding what people are saying to you? Or are you deliberately misunderstanding what people are saying to you?

I'm not deliberately misunderstanding anything. I think you should remember that I have been listening to people say "oh no, no one here think DW is innocent ... we're all on the fence". That turned out not ot be true. As to people saying child porn is less of a menace than swinging ... it has happened. Having said that, I think the people who say it are not aware that is more, much more insideous than reguloar porn. Perhaps they are not aware of the magnitude of the problem.

[John Jamieson]

Glad somebody got it.

[UCANSEE2]

You got MAIL !

[Krodg]

If that's what they had in mind for Danielle, it's no wonder she begged her daddy to forgive her.

[MizSterious]

You haven't had a verbal impulse you could control since I saw you appear on these threads.

[Freedom2specul8]

The only thing I can think of is the fact that swinging outweighed other topics of discussion on occasion..and that it was said numerous times that the problem was porn..which it wasn't the porn, it was child porn.

[UCANSEE2]

Glad somebody got it.

Did you really expect 'them' to get it?

[Freedom2specul8]

See what I mean? You have to insert your foot in your mouth every time.

[BunnySlippers]

Or are you deliberately misunderstanding what people are saying to you?

BTW, you'd be surprised at some of the wild things said to gloss over Westerfield's guilt.

[UCANSEE2]

I know, stay out of it.

[UCANSEE2]

There you go. See, DW is guilty already, and the trial isn't even finished.