Expert: Body dumped after defendant fell under suspicion (SO WHO DUMPED DANIELLE VAN DAM'S BODY??)

Union Trib ^ | July 11, 2002 | Steve Perez/Greg Magnus

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I sort of get a kick out of the fact that Dooooooofus wanted to talk a lot about the extraordinary circumstances for the bugs last February and how that may make the findings suspicious, but thinks the van Dams and their extraordinary circumstances are not worth a thorough look.

[Registered]

That was funny.

[Politicalmom]

You are all going to get banned while I am gone, aren't you??? : )

[Illbay]

So, who killed the little girl? Are there any other likely suspects?

[vollmond]

This trial has shown me that juries need another option besides Guilty and Not Guilty. They need to be able to decide that a case is Not Proven, which leaves open the possibility for a retrial if additional conclusive evidence or testimony is uncovered.

I know that technically a hung jury has the same result, but there's a lot of pressure on a jury to reach some sort of conclusion. It's bad for a guilty person to walk scot-free forever because of prosecutorial or police incompetence, and it's also wrong to overlook flawed investigations and trials to find someone guilty.

Having said all that, I believe that Westfield is involved somehow in the death of Danielle, but the prosecutors have not proven it beyond a reasonable doubt. I predict that the jury will find him guilty on the Child Porn charge, but hang on the kidnapping and murder charges. That way they can punish him, but give the prosecution more time for investigation and a chance to retry him with more conclusive evidence.

[Politicalmom]

So you believe that a person should just be tried until the prosecution can manage to get the evidence to fit? How many times would you allow this? And there would be no penalty for bringing an early trial without enough evidence?

That doesn't sound like a place I would want to live.

[Jaded]

LOL That was great!!!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I agree Politicalmom...when would it end? The prosecution can just keep trying and trying until they get a jury that believes them? If that's the case, then all you'd need is a crooked DA, or LEA, or Lawyer, that just wants a win at any cost. You'd have planted or fudged evidence, appeal after appeal...it would never end.

[Jaded]

Just don't take pictures!!!

[spectre]

Yeah, we're gonna get banned, but we'll go to your web site...and hide..REFUGEE's ARE US...

sw

[UCANSEE2]

PING ))))))))) to everyone.

Please welcome 'Cudjo' to the threads.

HEre is copy of the latest PING list for hysterical purposes (I mean historical purposes)

UCANSEE2, FresnoDA, Mrs. Liberty, demsux, MizSterious, Jaded, skipjackcity, RnMomof7, spectre, Poohbah, BARLF, Valpal1, FriarTom, DoughtyOne, Amore, Travis McGee, BunnySlippers, Hillary’s Lovely Legs, fivecatsandadog, mommya, Doc Savage, ~kim4vrwc's~, goldenstategirl, Politicalmom, southflanknorthpawsis, Lauratealeaf, mini_teacup, Snow Bunny, Alamo-Girl, Republican Wildcat, Howlin, Fred Mertz, onyx, SusanUSA, MdmKoochie , Uni-Poster, fnord, Uni-Poster, Registered, TXDeb, tutstar, theirjustdue, notpoliticallycor ewrecked, lady reaper, Beach_Babe, brneyedgirl, wonders, HoHoeHeaux, vacrn, Karson, sbnsd, Rheo, John Jamieson, jacquej, let freedom sing, nycgal, hergus, Hildy, tutstar, ThinkingMan, Amore, Howlin, Mrs.Liberty, rolling_stone, wirestripper, Jhoffa_, GummyIII, Luis Gonzalez, Lanza, sneakypete, Tennessee_Bob, Greg Weston, Shezza, Dudley, Winstar1k, is_is, Wednesday’s Child, Donzerly lights, Mrs.O’Strategery, pinz-n-needlez, Angelique, Jdontom, Nancie, Tiger28, sunshine state, fatima, Henrietta, Blue Screen of Death, pubmom, Spunky, it’s me, TexKat, gigi, Yeti, alexandria, luv2lurkhere, JudyB1938, pyx, SheLion, Dread78645, juzcuz, helpisontheway, Lorraine, Kayti, Krodg, afraidfortherepublic, jokar, itsahoot, Rightfield, hoosiermama, greenishness, zip ,bolthead,fussybutt,the-gooroo,redhawk, tetelestai;Cudjo

[MizSterious]

I'm waiting for those transcripts to appear on the U-T site, as I didn't get to hear as much of the testimony as you folks did. But let me also say I'm hearing all kinds of different "conclusions" that the bug man was supposed to have made. Some people are saying he agreed with the prosecution as a bottom line; others are saying he said Feb. 16th at the earliest. So I see I'll have some reading to do this weekend!

However, if he did say that, bottom line, Feb. 16th was the earliest she could have been there (or even 10 days earlier than that--DW was under constant surveillance since the 4th), then I really have to say he could NOT have done this crime, period, that's it, all she wrote folks.

However, I haven't heard much said about the area and the weather. I don't think the weather would have had as much of an effect on the flies as Dusek et al would have us believe.

Here's the thing about the flies in that area that I think we should keep in mind. They keep saying it was a "rural" area like that should make a difference. It doesn't. Even in rural areas, there are wild critters. Wild critters defecate, and where they do, flies congregate. Foliage rots. Hikers and mountain bikers (it was on a well-known mountain bike trail) drop food. Food draws flies.

They mentioned the housing development a mile or so away--but didn't mention the golf course that is much closer. There is a clubhouse there, and they throw out garbage. Golfers snack, and leave crumbs or even toss whole chunks of food in the trash. This draws flies. And there was the illegal dumping--along with the tires and mattresses, there could have been food items as well. All drawing flies. And flies love to live in tires--along with mosquitos.

To say a fly wouldn't find this body for weeks seems unlikely to a non-expert like me. Just try it sometime. Go out in the country, get as far away from civilization as you can. And count the minutes (maybe seconds) until you notice a fly or several flies. You can hear them buzzing all around you in some pretty remote places. The only time I have not seen flies was in the dead of winter in Vermont.

Places with mild climates like San Diego should have a proliferation of flies at that time of the year. It might have seemed cool to locals, but it was still warm enough for flies.

[crypt2k]

I keep coming back to this:

No evidence Westerfield was ever in the VD house.

No evidence a vehicle owned by Westerfield was at the site where the body was found.

No witnesses to Damon van Dam's location the night of the party at Dad's.

The fiber evidence is far less compelling than DNA evidence (no way to prove two fibers came from a common source), yet the prosecution chooses to include it after the DNA presentation.

[MizSterious]

Well, with any luck....

;)

[Jaded]

Soitenly!!! Look at DvD, maybe the party gang Barb, Keith and Rich. Or anyone who was issued or overheard the open invitation at Dad's.

[MizSterious]

You said a mouthful there, Politicalmom. Thankfully, our Founding Fathers had more wisdom than some Freepers when they wrote the Constitution. I think some people would prefer the old Communist Russia, but count me out.

[UCANSEE2]

just maybe some of the earliest bugs were homosexuals and didn't reproduce..:~)

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

[UCANSEE2]

You are all going to get banned while I am gone, aren't you??? : )

The closer the trial gets to the end, the higher the chances of that go WAYYYYYY UPPPPPPPPPPP!

[fnord]

Do you mean bee-steality? The DA would comb through all the evidence to find out, and wouldn't Dusek drone on and on about that?