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Witnesses: Westerfield, Van Dam Danced Together

Friends Take Stand On Westerfield's Desert Behavior

POSTED: 6:30 pm PDT July 8, 2002

UPDATED: 10:19 pm PDT July 8, 2002

Brenda van Dam and the man accused of murdering her 7-year-old daughter danced together the night before the girl was discovered missing, three defense witnesses testified Monday in David Westerfield's trial. "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.

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Since the prosecution introduced hair and fibers found at the defendant's house and motor home, 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.

Summary Of Day 17 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, also 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 van Dam. Earlier, 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, 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. Westerfield usually had company when he went to the desert, but sometimes went alone, the witness said, several times showing up at Laspisa's campsite unannounced. The defendant showed up once five years ago unannounced and without so-called "sand toys" for riding in the desert, Laspisa testified. "He could always use mine," Laspisa said. 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. Defense attorney Steven Feldman asked Laspisa to explain why someone would avoid Interstate 8 while taking a motor home to the desert. Laspisa said high winds and black ice were common on that route, which traverses altitudes over 4,000 feet. "Does he sweat a lot?" Feldman asked, referring to something police investigators noted about the defendant during an initial interview. "If you ask me, yes," Laspisa said. "Where does he sweat?" "Under his arms," Laspisa replied. Laspisa said it was traditional to go to the desert on Super Bowl weekend. Under cross-examination from Deputy District Attorney Jeff Dusek, he said Westerfield joined him on three such occasions, but conceded the last time was three years ago.

Some of Laspisa's testimony clashed with that of his wife, Debra (pictured, left). She told Dusek that Westerfield never came out to Glamis without his "toys." Debra Laspisa testified that Westerfield would normally ride a dune buggy when he was in Glamis. Westerfield's longest stay in the desert was four days, the shortest three days, the witness said. Heather Mack, a security guard at Coronado Cays, testified that she saw Westerfield drive his motor home 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. Among those he is still expected to call to the stand is insect expert David Faulkner, who 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. Previous Stories: