Judge Unseals Van Dam Murder Case Documents
Pretrial Hearings Start Tuesday
POSTED: 10:05 am PDT May 6,
2002
UPDATED: 6:24 pm PDT May 6,
2002
SAN DIEGO -- Attorneys for David Westerfield may claim their client was drunk if he abducted and killed 7-year-old Danielle van Dam from her home, a prosecutor said in pretrial motions released Monday.
Westerfield, 50, is charged with murder, kidnapping, possession of child pornography and a special circumstance allegation of murder during a kidnapping in connection with the second grader's death.Prosecutors said last week they will seek the death penalty if Westerfield is convicted.
Deputy District Attorney Jeff Dusek said that his office had no idea what to make of possible defenses such as: an alibi for Westerfield; third party access to the van Dam residence; or a third party culpability defense that one or more of 34-to-76 registered sex offenders in the vicinity committed the crimes.
"To date, the people (of California) have received no discovery (documents from the defense) at all," Dusek wrote in one of the motions. "More specifically, the people have received no reports whatsoever indicating how the defense will prove facts necessary to establish an alibi or third party culpability." Defense attorneys Robert Boyce and Steven Feldman said that the request for a hearing regarding the relevance of third party culpability evidence was premature. "At this point in time, Mr. Westerfield has not fully investigated his defenses," his attorneys wrote in a motion filed April 29. "At the risk of sounding cynical, the defense is concerned that the people are filing some of these motions to obtain's Mr. Westerfield's defense strategy and theory of the case." Prosecutors admitted that they called the victim's parents -- Damon and Brenda van Dam -- as witnesses at Westerfield's preliminary hearing in part to discover what kind of cross-examination could be expected from the defense at trial, according to Boyce and Feldman. The parents discovered that their daughter was missing from her bed the morning of Feb. 2. Volunteer searchers in the East County found her body on Feb. 27, along a road in Dehesa. Westerfield, who lived two doors down from the van Dams in Sabre Springs, was arrested on Feb. 22. Dusek also filed a motion seeking to limit questioning of Brenda and Damon van Dam about their lifelong experiences with alcohol of drugs. Brenda van Dam testified at the preliminary hearing that she smoked a marijuana cigarette both while with her girlfriends in her garage before going to Dad's restaurant the night of Feb. 1, and while at Dad's later that night. Westerfield's attorneys contend in another motion that the child pornography charge against the defendant should be tried separately from the murder and kidnapping charges. But prosecutors said that while possession of child pornography isn't in the same class of crime as murder and kidnapping, all three crimes are certainly "connected together in their commission." "The defendant kidnapped a 7-year-old girl from her own bed," Dusek wrote in his motion. "He killed her, then dumped her nude body in an isolated location. The conclusion is inescapable ... she was sexually molested prior to her murder." Westerfield's attorneys also filed a motion objecting to the introduction at trial of any computer images, cartoons, photographs or videos of pornographic materials seized from computers files and computer storage devices in the defendant's home. All but two of the images of alleged pornography introduced at the preliminary hearing were created on the storage discs seized from Mr. Westerfield in mid-1999, the defendant's attorneys state in court papers. "Pornographic images created up to three years have slight, if any, probative value on proving a motive on the part of David Westerfield to kidnap and/or murder Danielle van Dam," Westerfield's attorneys wrote. Prosecutors said the computer evidence seized from the defendant's home included still images of clothed, partially naked and nude adult and apparent children; a series of still, animated images depicting forcible sexual attacks of a young female; and digital movies of displaying adults and apparent children engaged in sexual activity, including forcible sexual assault. One seized compact disc containing sexually explicit forcible sex scenes with apparent juveniles was created last November, prosecutors said. Superior Court Judge William Mudd is scheduled to hear arguments on the pretrial motions beginning Tuesday. Trial is set for May 17.
![]() DANIELLE VAN DAM 1994-2002 DISCUSSION E-mail: daniellevandam @yahoo.com Send mail to: P.O. Box 501515 San Diego, 92150 |
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Previous Stories:
- May 1, 2002: Court: Westerfield Affidavits To Remain Sealed
- April 25, 2002: DA To Seek Death Penalty Against Westerfield
- April 18, 2002: Judge Reviews Cops' Files In Van Dam Murder Case
- April 17, 2002: Westerfield Fights To Keep Search Warrants Sealed
- April 15, 2002: DA: Deny Westerfield Access To Police Records
- April 12, 2002: Lie-Detector Specialist: Westerfield 'Deceptive'
- April 11, 2002: No Live Press For Westerfield Pretrial Hearings
- April 4, 2002: Westerfield Lawyer: Client Abused By Police
- March 28, 2002: Trial Date Set For Van Dam Murder Case
- March 28, 2002: Westerfield To Make Court Appearance
- March 25, 2002: $24,000 Left In Van Dam Search Fund
- March 24, 2002: Van Dam Family Honors Volunteers, Police
- March 19, 2002: Neighborhood Danielle Memorial Removed
- March 19, 2002: Danielle Memorial May Be Scrapped
- March 17, 2002: Memorial Celebrates Danielle van Dam
- March 15, 2002: San Diegans To Remember Danielle At Memorial
- March 15, 2002: Westerfield To Stand Trial In Van Dam Murder
- March 12, 2002: Preliminary Hearing Offers Additional Details
- March 11, 2002: Witness: Danielle's Body Found Nude, Decomposing
- March 8, 2002: Gag Order Issued In Van Dam Murder Case
- March 6, 2002: Where To Put Danielle's Flowers Sparks Row
- March 5, 2002: Danielle's Parents Speak Out
- March 4, 2002: Westerfield Affidavits To Remain Sealed
- March 3, 2002: Experts Try To Determine Danielle's Cause Of Death
- March 1, 2002: Body Found Believed To Be Danielle's
- March 1, 2002: Autopsy Confirms Body Found Is Danielle's
- February 27, 2002: Search Warrants Show Police Sought Child Porn
- February 27, 2002: Danielle's Parents Respond To Neighbor's Arraignment
- February 26, 2002: Trial Set For Accused South Bay Boys' Killer
- February 26, 2002: Westerfield To Be Charged With Murder
- February 25, 2002: Danielle's Blood Found On Neighbor's Clothing
- February 21, 2002: Search For Danielle Extends To Mexico
- February 21, 2002: Marines Assist In Search For Danielle
- February 20, 2002: Governor Shows His Support For Van Dam Family
- February 20, 2002: Police Use Old Murder For Clues In Van Dam Case
- February 20, 2002: Crime Lab Personnel Return To Van Dam Home
- February 18, 2002: Search Continues For Danielle van Dam
- February 15, 2002: Police: Break In Missing Girl Case Expected
- February 14, 2002: Police Search Neighbor's House Again
- February 13, 2002: Marc Klaas Lends Support To Van Dam Family
- February 13, 2002: Reward For Danielle Reaches $185,000
- February 13, 2002: 'Better Trained' Dog Joins Danielle Search
- February 12, 2002: Rewards Grow In Search Of Missing Girl
- February 11, 2002: Missing Girl's Family Offers $25,000 Reward
- February 8, 2002: Police: Westerfield Had Child Porn
- February 8, 2002: Investigation Operations Base Leaves North County
- February 8, 2002: Search For Danielle Goes Nationwide
- February 7, 2002: Parents Plead For Help Finding Missing Daughter
- February 5, 2002: Police Question Neighbor In Missing Girl Case
- February 4, 2002: Parents Plead For Daughter's Safe Return
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