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CNN Live At Daybreak
Van Dam Kidnapping Suspect Now Charged With Murder
Aired February 26, 2002 - 05:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And prosecutors have brought a murder charge against the man arrested last week in the kidnapping of a 7-year-old California girl. The body of Daniel (sic) Van Dam, though, has not been found. David Westerfield will be arraigned in court today.
Well, let's get more details now on what has become the kidnapping and the killing of Danielle Van Dam.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just breaking it.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a confirmation of the worst kind, one that ended all hope of finding 7- year-old Danielle Van Dam alive.
PAUL PFINGST, SAN DIEGO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I must conclude that Danielle Van Dam is no longer living and was killed by her abductor.
GUTIERREZ: The accused abductor is David Westerfield, a 50-year- old mechanical engineer who lives two doors away from the Van Dams. He was arrested last Friday in her disappearance.
CHIEF DAVE BEJARANO, SAN DIEGO POLICE: This truly has been probably one of the most extensive, thorough investigations, searches involving the disappearance of Danielle.
GUTIERREZ: On the eve of his arraignment on a kidnapping charge, San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst made a last minute announcement.
PFINGST: And my office will file one count of murder against David Westerfield for abducting and killing 7-year-old Danielle Van Dam.
GUTIERREZ: The D.A. is adding a special circumstance allegation to the murder charge.
PFINGST: The special circumstance filed against David Westerfield is murder during a kidnapping. This charge carries with it a potential death penalty sentence or a sentence of life without parole.
GUTIERREZ: For three weeks, Brenda and Damon Van Dam prayed their daughter would be found alive. But then traces of her blood were allegedly found on Westerfield's clothes and in his motor home. This weekend, the Van Dams met with investigators and the district attorney.
PFINGST: And it was difficult to bring out the word murder. When they heard the word and recognized that we were dealing with this issue, both parents were in tears.
GUTIERREZ: Police have not yet found Danielle, but the D.A.'s office says it has successfully prosecuted four homicide cases without a body.
PFINGST: All four of those cases resulted in a guilty verdict and a number of those cases have ended up on death row.
GUTIERREZ: With news of the murder charge, one nearby resident posted a sign on David Westerfield's property.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want people to see it, and we want David to have a conscience about it, and we want him to tell us where she is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone asked me one time well, isn't it like looking for a needle in a haystack? And my response is, well, if that haystack were your daughter somewhere, you would want it ripped apart, straw by straw to find her. And that's what the Van Dams want.
GUTIERREZ: The Van Dams met with volunteers who had gathered to look for their daughter for the past three weeks. The volunteers have assured them they will not stop now.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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