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Westerfield's death-row letters Killer claims he was framed for Danielle van Dam murder By Alex Roth STAFF WRITERMay 3, 2003 From his cell on death row, David Westerfield spends his time reading murder mysteries and writing letters declaring he was framed for the murder of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, his Sabre Springs neighbor. "From the second that the police said that they found dvd's blood on my jacket, I knew I was being set up by one of two groups of people," the former design engineer wrote to one friend. "#1 the police or #2 the parents. My attorneys started...

SAN DIEGO – The District Attorney's Office spent nearly $270,000 prosecuting David Westerfield, including thousands for DNA analysis and expert witnesses, it was announced today. Westerfield was sentenced to die for the February 2002 killing of 7-year- old Danielle van Dam. The former Sabre Springs resident and neighbor of the victim is now on death row at San Quentin. According to figures the District Attorney's Office released, more than $35,000 was spent on experts for Westerfield's trial, and more than $146,000 on DNA analysis. More than $62,000 was spent on a telephone survey and a jury questionnaire review.

Is anyone out there in Southern California listening to the recording of David Westerfield's interrogation and lie detector test on KOGO radio? Oh my...What I've learned is NEVER, EVER take a Lie detector test. I'm not saying he's not guilty...He's guiltier than hell.. but the way they do it. I would NEVER subject myself to this if I were accused of a crime. I know I'll be flamed, but I don't like it. On the other hand...Westerfield did himself in with how cooperative he appeard to be. Calm and chatty. One of the questions was "Have you ever hut anyone...

<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) Child killer David Westerfield told detectives interrogating him after the disappearance of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, ''My life is over,'' and he asked the detectives to leave him alone with a gun.</p> <p>A newly released videotape of the interrogation, conducted three days after Danielle was reported missing, shows Westerfield sitting in a small room fielding questions from two detectives, who pleaded with him at one point to admit to the crime and tell them where to find the girl.</p>

Early last month, Dave Laspisa, a Poway businessman, opened his mail and discovered a holiday card from his old friend David Westerfield. "Greetings of the Seasons," the card announced, and inside was a handwritten note of thanks for Laspisa's support. Van Dams file lawsuit against Westerfield During the past year, Laspisa has been fairly vocal in his belief that Westerfield, his camping buddy, had nothing to do with the murder of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. "Please know that I was not involved in the death of this child," Westerfield wrote. "I'm saying this to you not to solicit more help...

SAN DIEGO – The parents of murdered 7-year-old Danielle van Dam sued her convicted killer, David Westerfield, on Thursday, one day before a San Diego judge was expected to sentence him to death for the harrowing crime. Damon and Brenda van Dam seek unspecified damages in their San Diego Superior Court lawsuit against Westerfield, the 50-year-old engineer who was found guilty in August of snatching Danielle from her bed and killing her. Westerfield, a twice-divorced father of two who lived near the van Dams in Sabre Springs and bought Girl Scout cookies from Danielle just days before her February abduction,...

When a person goes in search of enlightenment, it's usually good advice to avoid an Internet chat room. And yet it was a random posting on the Internet that led to a key piece of evidence in the David Westerfield case. At a luncheon in Mission Valley yesterday, prosecutors Jeff Dusek and George "Woody" Clarke told a number of anecdotes – some of them funny, others poignant and revealing – about what happened behind the scenes in the most publicized criminal trial in San Diego County history. The luncheon was organized by the San Diego Crime Commission and about 100...

Attorneys for Westerfield are citing "new evidence" from an "unnamed Police source" that suggests Danielle Van Dam might have been murdered in her room. This would negate the "special circumstance" that would enable the CA death penalty.Trial will likely be continued with judge granting defense motion that defense is "not ready" to present evidence on behalf of Westerfield in sentencing phase.

Defense lawyers in van Dam case ask for new evidence, delay of sentencing SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers for the man convicted of kidnapping and killing Danielle van Dam requested Thursday that his sentencing be delayed and prosecutors hand over evidence they believe could show the 7-year-old girl wasn't kidnapped. If that were the case, David Westerfield would not face the allegation that made him eligible for the death penalty. Danielle vanished from her bedroom on Feb. 1. Her body was discovered along a rural road nearly a month later. A jury recommended that Westerfield be put to death for...

Fox talk show host calls for disbarment of Westerfield lawyers Defense lawyers for David Westerfield confer at trial. By Harriet Ryan Court TV The phones in the San Diego County Bar Association's offices rang nonstop Thursday morning. Nearly 100 callers with demeanors ranging from annoyed to downright irate told employees that they were calling at the urging of talk show host Bill O'Reilly to file ethics complaints against David Westerfield's lawyers. "We had to change our voice mail the calls were coming in so quickly," said Sheree Swetin, the association's executive director, sounding exhausted and hastening to add that it...

By Greg Moran UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER September 19, 2002 The grounds for appeals in the David Westerfield case could cover everything from how jury summonses were sent at the trial's beginning to the unusual sequence of events that ended in 12 jurors voting for the death penalty. And many, many areas in between. Legal experts in death-penalty work said the way the Westerfield case was tried provides fertile ground for an appeal, which is automatic because it is a capital case. The goal of the defense is to find a solid reason that appellate judges should throw out the guilty...

<p>Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight.</p> <p>An absolute disgrace in the murder trial of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.</p> <p>According to a report in The San Diego Union Tribune, convicted killer David Westerfield's attorneys, Steven Feldman and Robert Boyce, knew their client was guilty.</p>

Police were on to killer quicklyInvestigators say first few days key to cracking case By Kristen Green STAFF WRITERSeptember 18, 2002 San Diego police detectives who investigated Danielle van Dam's kidnapping said if it had taken a day or two longer to identify David Westerfield as a suspect, it's likely the case would have ended differently. "If we hadn't homed in on him so quickly, it would have given him a little more time to think up better stories, do some more cleaning," Lt. Jim Collins said. More importantly, police might never have found his green sport jacket stained with...

Parents of kidnapped girl thank jurors for convicting, recommending death for neighbor Updated Sept. 17, 2002, 2:08 p.m. ET SAN DIEGO (AP) — The parents of Danielle van Dam on Tuesday thanked the jury that found their neighbor guilty of kidnapping and killing the 7-year-old girl and said they hoped their "angel" would watch over the panel. Speaking for the first time in months, Damon and Brenda van Dam said they were pleased with the outcome of the trial, which ended Monday with the jury's recommendation that David Westerfield be put to death. "We feel that the justice system revealed...

Plea deal 'minutes away' when body found By J. Harry Jones STAFF WRITERSeptember 17, 2002 Minutes before Danielle van Dam's remains were found Feb. 27, David Westerfield's lawyers were brokering a deal with prosecutors: He would tell police where he dumped the 7-year-old girl's body; they would not seek the death penalty. Law enforcement sources told The San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday defense lawyers Steven Feldman and Robert Boyce were negotiating for a life sentence for the 50-year-old design engineer, a neighbor of the van Dams in Sabre Springs. The deal they were discussing would have allowed Westerfield to plead guilty...

The judge in the David Westerfield case said yesterday that he has decided which prosecution witnesses will be allowed to testify at the penalty phas e of the murder trial, but he refused to be specific. Superior Court Judge William Mudd made his announcement following a closed-door hearing with the lawyers. He didn't identify the witnesses or the nature of their testimony. He simply said some prosecution witnesses "will testify, others will not". Westerfield was convicted last week of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. She was discovered missing from her bedroom Feb. 2; her body was found more...

TALE OF TWO LAWYERS...... DEFEATED and DECIETFUL

I just heard this at noon.

<p>A jury Wednesday found David Westerfield guilty of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, whose nude body was dumped near a desert road last winter.</p> <p>Westerfield, a 50-year-old engineer, sat slightly trembling, his face impassive, as the verdicts were read and the jurors were polled individually on each count.</p>

JUST ANNOUNCED, WESTERFIELD GUILTY IN VAN DAM CASE.

Breaking! After 24 days and 100 witnesses.......

David Westerfield Verdict in 7-year-old Danielle Van Dam murder .... Guilty !

Just announced that the Westerfield jury has reached a verdict. Verdict will be read at 11:30 am Pacific time.

Discovery hearing set as jurors deliberate for ninth day SIGNONSANDIEGO August 20, 2002 A request by the prosecution in the David Westerfield kidnap-murder trial to obtain more evidence or information, originally scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. hearing, has been vacated. Word of the hearing's cancellation was relayed to media representatives shortly after 10 a.m. today.The subject of the discovery motion filed by lead prosecutor Jeff Dusek was not disclosed. No reason was given for the hearing's cancellation.Today is the ninth day of deliberation by jurors. Today's deliberating session began at 9:07 a.m., according to a public information officer.Westerfield, 50, is...

Jury veterans say emotions can take overFeelings could impede addressing 'real issues' By Kristen GreenUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERAugust 18, 2002Jurors have deliberated on the David Westerfield case for seven days, and still no verdict. Commentators speculate about the reasons on every radio and television station. But only 12 people know what's going on inside the jury room, out of sight of the attorneys, the judge and the media.Jury consultants say the panel is probably quite organized and that deliberations are taking "a little long" because it's a complicated case. The experts say the jurors probably have been methodically sifting through evidence.But...

Letters to judge opened to public SIGNONSANDIEGO August 14, 2002 The judge in the trial of David Westerfield today allowed reporters to see court log entries of notes from jurors, as well as letters to the judge from the public about the murder of Danielle van Dam. The letters from the public included a variety of theories about the case. Jurors ask to review pictures, interview   One letter-writer sent the following theory to Judge William Mudd: "Danielle van Dam killed herself.'' A nearly illegible postcard with a Spokane postmark alluded to at least one ex-wife "with a drinking...

Jurors ask to hear recorded Westerfield interview Judge Mudd lashes out at talk radio 'idiots,' bars KFMB radio producer from courtroom SIGNONSANDIEGO STAFF and WIRE SERVICES August 13, 2002 The fourth day of deliberations in the David Westerfield trial has ended with no conclusion by the jury. The jury will resume deliberations Wednesday morning at the San Diego County Courthouse. Earleir today, jurors asked to hear Westerfield's only recorded explanation of what he was doing the weekend 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was kidnapped. Superior Court Judge William Mudd said he was granting a request from the jury for a tape...

SAND DIEGO, CA -- August 13, 2002 -- At approximately 8:45 AM this morning (PDT), two slices from a Thomas’ English Muffin entered the toaster and have yet to emerge. Onlookers, camped around the toaster on the west side of the kitchen, have been waiting impatiently, casting insults at this valiant duo. "I can’t believe it’s taking this long," said Mrs. Margarine. "This is an open and shut procedure that should be completed in just a few minutes." "I guess English muffins can be just as thick as broccoli stocks," declared Berry Jelly, a sweet preserve for the past six...

Jury's time Jurors will resume deliberations Monday in the capital case of David Westerfield, who is accused of killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam DAY TWO: FRIDAY, AUG. 9, 2002 12 noon ET    Jury enters jury room. 2:30 p.m. ET    Jury goes home for the weekend. DAY ONE: THURSDAY, AUG. 8, 2002 1:10 p.m. ET    Jury begins deliberating. After two months of testimony, the capital murder trial of David Westerfield is in the hands of the jurors, who began their deliberations following more than two days of closing arguments. 2:50 p.m.   Jury sends a note to the...

Jurors in the David Westerfield trial began deliberating yesterday after hearing a final statement from the lead prosecutor, who beamed a photo of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam onto the wall and urged the jury to focus on the physical evidence. Finishing closing arguments in the two-month murder trial, prosecutor Jeff Dusek called a blood spot on Westerfield's jacket the "smoking gun." And Dusek imagined what Danielle might tell the jury if someone could bring her back to life "just for a moment" so she could answer the question, "Please tell us who did this to you." "I've already told you,"...

<p>A Clovis chiropractor was at the heart of an international child pornography ring that transmitted images so despicable they nauseated investigators, authorities said Friday after they unsealed indictments in Fresno.</p> <p>Lloyd Alan Emmerson, 45, was among nine Americans and six foreigners charged with taking sexually explicit photographs of minors and sending them over the Internet as part of a ring whose members sometimes referred to themselves as "the club."</p>

<p>SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) --A San Diego jury began deliberations Thursday in the trial of David Westerfield, accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Danielle van Dam.</p> <p>The panel of six men and six women adjourned for the day without reaching a verdict. It is set to resume deliberations Friday.</p>

Defense rests; each side puts its spin on evidenceBy Steve Perez and Jeff DillonSIGNONSANDIEGO August 7, 2002 Ending nearly five hours of defense argument, the chief attorney for murder defendant David Westerfield rested Wednesday afternoon by urging jurors to remember they "save us from lynchings" and reminding the panelists that they are the "conscience of the community." The jury should begin deliberations Thursday. Defense attorney Steven Feldman began his afternoon remarks by telling jurors he was in the "homestretch" of his arguments. Repeatedly, he urged jurors to take the defense's point of view into consideration when the prosecution received its...

During eight weeks of testimony in the David Westerfield trial, jurors have heard from grieving parents, cops, barflies, forensic analysts, bug experts and people who drive dune buggies around the desert wearing video cameras on their heads. But there's one person whose silence has been conspicuous – Westerfield himself. Closing statements in the kidnap-murder trial are scheduled for this week, and it's now clear that Westerfield won't be testifying on his own behalf. As a legal matter, it shouldn't make any difference. He has a constitutional right to remain silent, and the jury is forbidden by law from holding his...

Prosecution witness challenges findings of defense 'bug expert' By Jeff DillonSIGNONSANDIEGO July 30, 2002 Union-TribuneDr. M. Lee Goff An insect expert testifying for the prosecution in the David Westerfield case said Tuesday that flies appeared to have colonized Danielle van Dam's body sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14, far earlier than defense witnesses have estimated. M. Lee Goff, an entomologist and chairman of the Forensic Sciences Department of Chaminade University in Honolulu, said his review of the crime scene photos, morgue photos, weather reports and other evidence suggest that Danielle's body was exposed to insects as early as...

Judge says sequestering of jury possible By Alex RothUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJuly 30, 2002The judge in the David Westerfield trial rejected another defense request to sequester the jury but said he still considers it "a possible option." Superior Court Judge William Mudd said he didn't think it was necessary at the moment but has asked the county to prepare "a back-up contingency plan" just in case.Westerfield's lawyers have asked several times for jury sequestration, and they renewed their request yesterday. Lead defense lawyer Steven Feldman said he worried that the jury might be affected by the publicity in the Samantha Runnion...

Evidence on insects likely to continueTrial winding down; closing statements may be this week By Alex RothUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJuly 28, 2002Expect to hear more evidence about insects as the David Westerfield trial enters what could be the final week of testimony before jury deliberations. On Tuesday, prosecutors are scheduled to call Dr. M. Lee Goff of the University of Hawaii as their final rebuttal witness in a trial that has lasted 23 court days. Goff is a forensic entomologist and the author of "A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes."Whether Goff will be the final insect...

MUDD MAD!!! Wed Jul 24, 8:33 PM ET Judge William D. Mudd admonishes the media about attempts to photograph Neal Westerfield, son of defendant David Westerfield, as the son left the courtroom during a break in his testimony Wednesday afternoon, July 24, 2002, in San Diego. The judge had ordered the media not to film the teen. David Westerfield is accused of the kidnapping and murder of 7-year old Danielle van Dam from her home in February. (AP Photo/Pool, Dan Trevan)

2nd Bug Expert Bolsters Westerfield Defense Expert Says Fly Infestations Show When Danielle's Body Was Dumped   POSTED: 6:58 a.m. PDT July 22, 2002 UPDATED: 2:28 p.m. PDT July 22, 2002  SAN DIEGO -- The trial of David Westerfield resumed Monday with more testimony about insects, as defense lawyers tried to show that their client was not the person who dumped Danielle van Dam's body along a two-lane road in East County. Before testimony began, Judge William Mudd warned jurors to ignore last week's murder of a young girl in nearby Orange County. Mudd said that the abduction, sexual...

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES OF VAN DAM RESIDENCE!!!A Little Girl LostOn the night of Feb. 1, 2002, 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was abducted from her bedroom in the Sabre Springs suburb of San Diego. After a massive search, her naked body was found in a trash-strewn lot 25 miles from her house. Her neighbor, David Westerfield, went on trial for the crime June 3.  The van Dam HouseDanielle lived in this four-bedroom stucco house on Mountain Pass Road with her parents, Brenda and Damon, and two brothers, Derek and Dylen.    In the KitchenThe evening before her kidnapping, Danielle sat at the kitchen table writing...

Never out of sightParents, experts on children agree this is the rule of the day  By Jane CliffordUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJuly 20, 2002Carolyn Burke answered the question even before it was asked: "I never let her out of my sight." It's the mantra of parents this week, following the abduction and murder of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion, grabbed outside her Orange County town house Monday.It's also the mantra of child-development experts who say that no child under the age of 6 should be playing unsupervised. They simply are incapable of making all the right decisions at the right time. And when...

COP SUSPECTS SAN DIEGO MAN??? Hmmm... Could Local Man Be Samantha's Killer? Convicted Kidnapper, Rapist At Large, Former Officer Says Posted: 4:34 p.m. PDT July 18, 2002 Updated: 5:38 p.m. PDT July 18, 2002 SAN DIEGO -- The suspect in the sexual assault and slaying of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion is probably still in the Southern California area, and may live, work or have family in the Stanton neighborhood from which the girl was kidnapped, according to Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona. Retired National City police officer Merrell Davis told 10News that the man police are looking for may be...

Bug for bug: Prosecutors hire their own entomologist A forensic entomologist provided the strongest evidence yet for David Westerfield, left. By Harriet Ryan Court TV Prosecutors in the David Westerfield capital murder trial have hired a top national forensic entomologist in an apparent attempt to neutralize the defense's strongest argument for acquittal — insect evidence indicating the defendant could not have killed Danielle van Dam. M. Lee Goff, a professor of forensic sciences at Chaminade University in Hawaii, said that as of Friday morning, he is working for the San Diego District Attorney's office on the case. "[P]roviding testimony...

Defense has had no shortage of witnesses to make its caseBy Alex Roth STAFF WRITERJuly 14, 2002 A week ago, Janet Roehr, a neighbor of David Westerfield's, testified at his murder trial about some of his routines, including his occasional habit of parking his motor home in front of his house. Her testimony lasted 15 to 20 minutes, but what she said wasn't as important as what she did: She smiled at Westerfield. Roehr was among a parade of defense witnesses who consider themselves friends of Westerfield's and who seem to like him, even as he stands accused of kidnapping...

Judge allows Danielle's dad back in courtKIMBERLY EPLER Staff WriterSAN DIEGO ---- The father of 7-year-old murder victim Danielle van Dam will be allowed to attend the remaining days of her accused murderer's trial, Judge William Mudd ruled Thursday. But he warned Damon van Dam that one more incident will result in him being banned from the courthouse. Two weeks ago, Judge Mudd deemed Damon van Dam a "security risk" for repeatedly staring down his daughter's accused murderer, David Westerfield, in courtroom hallways despite several warnings from sheriff's deputies and prosecutors. Mudd then barred Damon van Dam from the third...

Testimony costs flight attendant her job Airline fires witness for admitting pot use By Kristen Green UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERJuly 12, 2002 Denise Kemal was fired June 28, more than two weeks after her nationally televised testimony, because the company has a zero-tolerance drug policy. Losing her job has ruined her life, Kemal said yesterday. "I've always wanted to fly," she said. "It took me years to get my job." She said she is appealing the dismissal because smoking marijuana "wasn't an everyday thing." While she waits for an answer, Kemal, 28 and recently divorced, watches the Westerfield trial from...

Expert: Body dumped after defendant fell under suspicionby Steve Perez andGreg MagnusSIGNONSANDIEGO July 10, 2002 Union-TribuneSusan L. describes her relationship to David Westerfield. An expert witness called by the defense Wednesday afternoon said he is "very confident" the nude body of Danielle van Dam was probably dumped off Dehesa Road near El Cajon more than a week after murder defendant David Westerfield came under police surveillance. Insect expert David Faulkner testified he based his conclusion upon studies he conducted on larvae and insects recovered from the victim's body, discovered by volunteer searchers on Feb. 27.Westerfield is accused of kidnapping 7-year-old...

Defense could pin hopes on insect life By Kristen Green STAFF WRITER June 30, 2002 In the first four weeks of David Westerfield's murder trial, jurors were schooled in scientific evidence such as blood and DNA, fingerprints and fibers. Now they'll get a crash course in the life cycle of flies. Westerfield's team of lawyers is expected to launch his defense this week, and lead attorney Steven Feldman has hinted that he will use insect biology to prove 7-year-old Danielle van Dam died after police and reporters began tracking his client's every move. That would mean Westerfield couldn't have killed...

New evidence implicates WesterfieldBy Steve Perez andGreg MagnusSIGNONSANDIEGO July 9, 2002 A police specialist says she linked 46 fibers from four locations in David Westerfield's motor home, in every way she could measure, to 19 blue fibers found in the sheet that was used to wrap the body of Danielle van Dam, recovered in East County. The witness, Tanya DuLaney, criminalist with the San Diego Police Department, was called Tuesday as the defense presented its case because she offered new prosecution evidence.DuLaney testified she recovered 46 fibers from four locations in the motor home that Westerfield took on a weekend...