Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Man guilty in kidnapping case Seven-year-old’s neighbor could face execution BY BEN FOX THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO - A neighbor was convicted Wednesday of kidnap ping 7-year-old Danielle van Dam from her home and killing her in the first of a string of brazen child abductions that have drawn na tional attention this year. Danielle’s mother burst into tears and a crowd outside the courthouse cheered as the jury convicted self-employed engineer David Westerfield of murder, kid napping and possessing child pornography. Westerfield looked at the jury but showed no obvious reaction; the 50-year-old faces either life in prison or execution when the tri al’s penalty phase begins next week. The parents, jurors and trial at torneys are under a gag order and couldn’t comment on the verdict. The jury deliberated for about 40 hours over 10 days after a lurid trial in which the defense sug gested that the lifestyle of Danielle’s parents, including spouse-swapping and marijuana use, put her at risk. Prosecutors had argued that drops of the victim’s blood on Westerfield’s jacket amounted to a DNA-backed “smoking gun” that jurors couldn’t ignore. Danielle disappeared from her home sometime after her father put her to bed on Feb. 1. Her nude body was found along a rural road nearly a month later, too decom posed to determine even how she died or whether she was sexually assaulted. Westerfield, who lived two houses away from the van Dams, left on a meandering trip in his motor home the morning her fam ily reported she was gone and po lice and volunteers began search ing the neighborhood. He was placed under surveil lance and eventually arrested af ter investigators learned he had been at the same bar as Danielle’s mother and two of her friends the night the girl vanished. “Those who are close to the fam ily have chosen to defer comment or reaction until the van Dams can speak for themselves,” Sara Fraunces, the parents’ spokeswom an, said after the verdict. Westerfield’s sister wept and shook her head as she sat two rows behind him. “I am in shock. I am just in shock,” said David Neal, a former brother-in-law of Westerfield. “He thought he was going to get off.” Outside the courthouse, Jeri Fortier, 58, was among the crowd that erupted in applause when the verdicts were read. “There was a mountain of evi dence against Westerfield. He was obviously guilty,” Fortier said. Sabre Springs, the neighbor hood where Danielle lived, was quiet except for a gathering of re porters. Across the street from Westerfield’s home someone post ed a sign that read: “Please NO media. Thank you.” “I wanted to cry. I’m glad that they found somebody guilty and that we can all rest and feel a lit tle more safe in the neighbor hood,” said resident Vicki Sanders. Danielle’s slaying led a year of high-profile abductions of chil dren, including Elizabeth Smart, 14, in Utah; Samantha Runnion, 5, in Orange County, Calif.; Cassandra Williamson, 6, in Missouri; and Jennifer Short, 9, in Virginia. Elizabeth and Jennifer remained missing. Samantha and Cassandra were found dead. Utah man charged in attack; girl, 11, remains in hospital ♦ * SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man accused of dragging an 11-year old girl from her bedroom and pummeling her with a hammer was charged Wednesday with kidnapping, attempted rape and attempted murder. The girl remained hospital ized in critical condition. Doctors said every bone in the middle of her face had been bro ken. “This is probably one of the most egregious, violent felonies against a child,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney David Yocom. “It’s pretty amazing she’s survived.” Authorities said Javier Sickler, 28, dragged the girl from her bedroom Monday and at tempted to rape her in the yard. He then allegedly beat her with a hammer. Sickler and the girl’s father were high school classmates and had renewed their friendship in the last few weeks, police have said. Sickler was in jail on a $1.5 million bail and was to be ar raigned Thursday. It wasn’t im mediately clear if he had an at torney. Police have said Sickler told investigators that he suffers from blackouts and doesn’t re member attacking the girl, though he does remember knocking on the door of her home that night. West Nile CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 stiffness, confusion, coma, tremors, convulsions and paraly sis. People over the age of 50 run a higher risk of developing en cephalitis if they become infected. According to DHEC, three fourths of those who get infected do not get sick at all, and most oP the remaining one-fourth get fevers, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph glands and rashes. There have been 251 recorded cases of people who have con tracted the West Nile Virus in the United States. Of those, 11 have been fatal. One was in Illinois, two in Mississippi, and nine in Louisiana. There is no vaccine or drug yet to treat humans for encephalitis. After recovering from the virus symptoms once, the body builds antibodies to resist the illness. The virus has symptoms that are similar to the flu, so if symp toms do arise, DHEC recommends contacting a doctor. Prevention, such as emptying stagnant pools of water, can lessen the risk of catching the virus. Mosquitoes bite mostly during dusk and dawn, so take precau tions while outside at this time. Look for repellant with 20 percent to 30 percent DEET. If you find a dead bird, taking certain steps can ensure your safe ty and help you know whether DHEC can test the specimen. Raptors (owls, hawks and ea gles), crows and blue jays are most likely to be infected with the virus. After ruling out natural causes of death, look for infesta tion or decay, which would ruin the sample. If the bird meets these condi tions, put it on ice or in a cool area. Use gloves to pick up the bird, then contact your local en vironmental health office. The environmental health of fice closest to USC is at 2000 Hampton St. It can be reached at (803) 576-2910. For any other ques tions, visit www.cdc.gov or www.scdhec.net. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com -1 ™ Work Study Students Need A Job? Earn While You Learn! work-study positions at the Columbia Area Mental Health Center offer an opportunity to gain valuable work experience. 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