Toni Blake, a jury consultant, told the CBS affiliate that Feldman’s strategy is to paint the Van Dams as unreliable witnesses, who may have hindered the police investigation.
Danielle van Dam (September 22, 1994 - February 2002) was an American girl from the Sabre Springs neighborhood of San Diego, California, who disappeared from her bedroom during the night of February 1–2, 2002. Her body was found by searchers on February 27 in a remote area. Police suspected a neighbor, David Alan Westerfield, of the killing.
David Westerfield, Fighting for His Life, 17 Years after Ending Danielle's. He killed Danielle Van Dam, after horribly abusing her. It is gut-wrenching that he continues to fight so hard for his life.
Danielle Van Dam and her family did not deserve this animal inserting himself into their lives, and ending Danielle's. The end of these seemingly endless appeals will, at some point, be a relief. He is inhuman, and deserves no sympathy or empathy, from any of us.
Eventually, after the state Supreme Court got involved and the case was re-tried, the man was acquitted.
After a stellar 40-year legal career, Steven Feldman is packing up his Golden Hill office and ready to retire. Although the Westerfield case brought him international notoriety, it's not the singular trial he wants to be remembered for.
Feldman says he doesn't want his epitaph written with Westerfield at the top. He wants to be remembered "As someone who can be remembered as giving his clients the best possible defense, as being an ethical and honest person, as someone who's made a difference to the criminal defense community and dead-set against the death penalty."