AMBER Alert

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AMBER Alert

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Laura Bush and Rae Leigh Bradbury Wednesday, April 4, 2007, in Austin, Texas, after the 8-year-old introduced Mrs. Bush during the announcement of the future opening of the Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Rae Leigh was the first child in the United States to be recovered as a result of an AMBER Alert when she was 8 weeks old in November 1998.

An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency (SAME code: CAE) is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child. AMBER is officially a backronym for “America’s Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response” but was originally named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old child who was abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas in 1996. Exceptions are in Georgia, where it is called “Levi’s Call”,^[1] named after Levi Frady; Hawaii, where it is called a “Maile Amber Alert”,^[2] named after Maile Gilbert; and Arkansas, where it is called a “Morgan Nick Amber Alert”,^[3] in memory of Morgan Chauntel Nick. Frady, Gilbert and Nick were all children who went missing in those states.
AMBER Alerts are distributed via commercial radio stations, satellite radio, television stations, and cable TV by the Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio^[4][5] (where they are termed “Child Abduction Emergency” or “Amber Alerts”), as well as via e-mail, electronic traffic-condition signs, the LED billboards which are located outside of newer Walgreens locations,^[6] along with the LED/LCD signs of billboard companies such as Clear Channel Outdoor, CBS Outdoor and Lamar,^[7] and wireless device SMS text messages.
Those interested in subscribing to receive AMBER Alerts in their area via SMS messages can visit Wireless Amber Alerts, which are offered by law as free messages.^[8] In some states, the display scrollboards in front of lottery terminals are also used. The decision to declare an AMBER Alert is made by the police organization investigating the abduction. Public information in an AMBER Alert usually consists of the name and description of the abductee, a description of the suspected abductor, and a description and license plate number of the abductor’s vehicle, if available.

Contents [show] 1 Activation criteria 2 History 2.1 National growth 2.2 International expansion 2.2.1 Canada 2.2.1.1 Ontario 2.2.2 Australia 2.2.3 France 2.2.4 Malaysia 2.2.5 Netherlands 2.2.6 Ireland 3 Retrieval rate 3.1 Controversy about success rate 4 False alarms 5 Effects on Traffic 6 U.S. postage stamp 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Activation criteria

An example of a July 2010 Amber Alert from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where electronic LED billboards such as this one in Sheboygan, Wisconsin owned by Lamar are used to relay details of the incident to the public.

The alerts are broadcast using the Emergency Alert System, which had previously been used primarily for weather bulletins.^[9] Alerts usually contain a description of the child and of their abductor.^[10] To avoid both false alarms and having alerts ignored as a “wolf cry“, the criteria for issuing an alert are rather strict. Each state’s or province’s AMBER alert plan sets its own criteria for activation, meaning that there are differences between alerting agencies as to which incidents are considered to justify the use of the system. However, the U.S. Department of Justice issues the following “guidance”, which most states are said to “adhere closely to”:^[11]

1. Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place
2. The child must be at risk of serious injury or death
3. There must be sufficient descriptive information of child, captor, or captor’s vehicle to issue an alert
4. The child must be 18 years old or younger^[12]

Many law enforcement agencies have not used #2 as a criterion, resulting in many parental abductions triggering an Amber Alert where the child is not known or assumed to be at risk of serious injury or death.
It is recommended that AMBER Alert data immediately be entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s National Crime Information Center. Text information describing the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the child should be entered, and the case flagged as child abduction.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police‘s (RCMP) requirements in Canada are nearly identical to the above list, with the obvious exception that the RCMP instead of the FBI is normally notified.^[13] One may notify the other if there is reason to suspect that the border may be crossed.
When investigators believe that a child is in danger of being taken across the border to either Canada or Mexico, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol and the Canada Border Services Agency are notified and are expected to search every car coming through a border checkpoint. If the child is suspected to be taken to Canada, a Canadian Amber Alert can also be issued, and a pursuit by Canadian authorities usually follows. Mexico does not have a system similar to the Amber Alerts.^[14]

[edit] History

On January 13, 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. A neighbor who witnessed the abduction called the police, and Amber’s brother, Ricky, went home to tell his mother and grandparents what had happened. On hearing the news, Amber’s father, Richard, called Marc Klaas, whose daughter, Polly, had been abducted and murdered in 1993.
Richard Hagerman and Amber’s mother Donna Whitson called the news media and the FBI. The Whitsons and their neighbors began searching for Amber. Four days after the abduction, a man walking his dog found Amber’s body in a storm drainage ditch. Her killer was never found. Her parents soon established People Against Sex Offenders (P.A.S.O.). They collected signatures hoping to force the Texas Legislature into passing more stringent laws to protect children.
God’s Place International Church soon donated office space for the organization, and as the search for Amber’s killer continued, P.A.S.O. received almost-daily coverage in local media. Companies donated various office supplies, including computer and Internet service. Local Congressman Martin Frost, with the help of Marc Klaas, drafted the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act. President Bill Clinton signed it into law in October 1996.
In July 1996, Bruce Seybert and Richard Hagerman attended a media symposium in Arlington. Although Richard had remarks prepared, on the day of the event the organizers asked Seybert to speak instead. In his 20-minute speech, he spoke about efforts that local police could take quickly to help find missing children and how the media could facilitate those efforts. A reporter from radio station KRLD approached the Dallas police chief shortly afterward with Seybert’s ideas. This launched the Amber Alert.
For the next two years, alerts were made manually to participating radio stations. In 1998, the Child Alert Foundation created the first fully automated Alert Notification System (ANS) to notify surrounding communities when a child was reported missing or abducted. Alerts were sent to radio stations as originally requested but included television stations, surrounding law enforcement agencies, newspapers and local support organizations. These alerts were sent all at once via pagers, faxes, emails, and cell phones with the information immediately posted on the Internet for the general public to view.
Following the automation of the AMBER Alert with ANS technology created by the Child Alert Foundation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) expanded its role in 2002 to promote the AMBER Alert and has worked aggressively to see alerts distributed using the nation’s existing emergency radio and TV response network. “Amber’s Story” is a TV movie that was made about her tragic story.

[edit] National growth

An example of the information within an Amber Alert within an SMS text message. A description of the physical characteristics of the child and suspect, along with the make and model of the vehicle being used, is listed in the message, followed by a contact number for the investigating jurisdiction’s law enforcement department. This same information is transmitted to all media.

In October 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched a campaign to have AMBER Alert systems established nationwide. In February 2002, the Federal Communications Commission officially endorsed the system. In 2002, several children were abducted in cases that drew national attention. One such case, the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Runnion, prompted California to establish an AMBER Alert system on July 24, 2002.^[9] According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, in its first month California issued 13 AMBER alerts; 12 of the children were recovered safely and the remaining alert was found to be a misunderstanding.^[15]
By September 2002, 26 states had established AMBER Alert systems that covered all or parts of the state. A bipartisan group of over 20 US Senators, led by Kay Bailey Hutchison and Dianne Feinstein, proposed legislation to name an AMBER Alert coordinator in the U.S. Justice Department who could help coordinate state efforts. The bill also provided $25 million in federal matching grants for states to establish AMBER Alert programs and necessary equipment purchases, such as electronic highway signs. A similar bill was sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Jennifer Dunn and Martin Frost.^[15] The bill passed the Senate unanimously within a week of its proposal.^[10] At an October 2002 conference on missing, exploited, and runaway children, President George W. Bush announced improvements to the AMBER Alert system, including the development of a national standard for issuing AMBER Alerts.^[16] A similar bill passed the House several weeks later on a 390–24 vote.^[17] A related bill finally became law in April 2003.^[18]
The alerts were offered digitally beginning in November 2002, when America Online began a service allowing people sign up to receive notification via computer, pager, or cell phone. Users of the service enter their ZIP code, thus allowing the alerts to be targeted to specific geographic regions.^[19]

[edit] International expansion

[edit] Canada

The program emigrated to Canada in December 2002, when Alberta launched the first province-wide system. At the time, Alberta Solicitor-General Heather Forsyth said “We anticipate an AMBER Alert will only be issued once a year in Alberta. We hope we never have to use it, but if a child is abducted AMBER Alert is another tool police can use to find them and help them bring the child home safely.”^[20] The Alberta government committed to spending more than CA$1 million to expanding the province’s emergency warning system so that it could be used effectively for AMBER Alerts.^[20] Other Canadian provinces soon adopted the system, and by May 2004 Saskatchewan was the only province that had not established an AMBER Alert system.^[21] Within the next year, the program was in use throughout the country.

[edit] Ontario

Ontario furthered its reach beyond media and highway signs by offering AMBER Alerts on the province’s 9,000 lottery terminal screens.^[22]
After the abduction and murder of Victoria Stafford a review of the AMBER Alert program was implemented in Ontario. There was some concern regarding the strict criteria for issuing the alerts – criteria that was not met in the Stafford case – that resulted in an alert not being issued. Ontario Provincial Police have since changed their rules for issuing an alert from having to confirm an abduction and confirm threat of harm, to believe that a child has been abducted and believe is at risk of harm.^[23][24]

[edit] Australia

The Australian state Queensland implemented a version of the AMBER Alerts in May 2005.^[25]

[edit] France

In February 2006, France‘s Justice ministry launched an apparatus based on the AMBER alerts named Alerte-Enl]

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David Westerfield (Danielle Van Dam)

David Westerfield

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  (Redirected from Danielle Van Dam)

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David Alan Westerfield
Born	February 25, 1952 (1952-02-25) (age 58) U.S.
Charge(s)	murder, kidnapping
Penalty	capital punishment
Status	incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison
Occupation	self-employed engineer
Children	2

David Alan Westerfield (born February 25, 1952), of San Diego, California was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder and kidnapping of seven-year-old Danielle Van Dam in 2002. He was a successful, self-employed engineer who owned a luxury motor home and lived two houses away from Van Dam. A divorced father of two college students,^[1] he is currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.

Contents [show] 1 The crime 2 Arrest 3 The trial 3.1 Entomology 3.2 Pornography 4 Selby confession 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 External links

[edit] The crime

On the evening of February 1, 2002, a Friday, Brenda Van Dam and a couple of her friends went out to a bar. Her husband, Damon Van Dam, stayed behind to look after Danielle and her two brothers. Damon put Danielle to bed around 10:30 p.m., and she fell asleep. Damon also slept, until his wife returned around 2:00 a.m. with four of her friends. The six chatted for approximately a half hour, and then Brenda’s friends went home. Damon and Brenda went to sleep believing that their daughter was safely sleeping in her room. The next morning, Danielle was missing. The couple frantically searched their home for her, but never found her. They called the police at 9:39 a.m.
Law enforcement officials interviewed neighbors and soon discovered that Westerfield and another neighbor were not home that Saturday morning. Westerfield eventually arrived home driving his motor home approximately 8 AM Monday. From that point on, he became the prime suspect. Westerfield stated that he didn’t know where Danielle could be, and that he was at the same bar that Brenda had attended with her girlfriends. Brenda was able to confirm this, but denied that she and Westerfield had danced together, as he had claimed. Two eyewitnesses testified to seeing them dance together, however. At the trial, Brenda said she could not remember if she danced with him or not. Two days after Danielle Van Dam went missing a haggard and bare-footed David Westerfield showed up at a dry cleaners dropping off two comforters, two pillow covers, and a jacket that would later yield Danielle Van Dam’s blood. When law enforcement first interviewed Westerfield he did not mention going to the dry cleaners.^[2] Westerfield then said that he had driven around the desert and the beach and stayed at a campground. Law enforcement put Westerfield on 24 hours surv

eillance from February 4,^[3] as they found it suspicious that he had given his RV a cleaning when he returned from his trip. The RV, his SUV, and other property was impounded for testing on February 5.^[4]
About three days before Danielle Van Dam’s disappearance, Danielle and her mother, Brenda, sold Girl Scout cookies to Westerfield who invited them into his home and chatted with Brenda.

[edit] Arrest

On February 22, police arrested Westerfield for Danielle’s kidnapping after two small stains of her blood were found on his clothing and in his motor home. Danielle’s severely decomposed body was found February 27.^[5] His attorneys suggested the police were in a rush to solve the case, and had never considered other suspects. Westerfield did not have a criminal record.

[edit] The trial

Westerfield pleaded not guilty, and went on trial on June 4, 2002. During the trial, Westerfield’s lawyers, Steven Feldman and Robert Boyce, suggested that child pornography found on Westerfield’s computer might have been downloaded by Westerfield’s 18-year-old son, Neal. Neal denied this.^[6] Part of Westerfield’s defense focused on the lifestyle of Danielle Van Dam’s parents. The defense suggested that the couple were known for letting each other have sex with other people, and claimed that this lifestyle might have brought the kidnapper to their home.^[7] Westerfield’s lawyers charged that he was improperly interrogated for more than nine hours by detectives who ignored his repeated requests to call a lawyer, take a shower, eat, and sleep.^[8]
The trial lasted two months and concluded on August 8. On August 21, the jury found him guilty of kidnapping and first degree murder. He also received an additional conviction for a misdemeanor charge of possessing images of subjects under the age of 18 in a sexual pose on his computer.
There was an outrage after the trial when the evidence of the prior plea talks (see below) surfaced in the media. Many people were concerned Westerfield’s attorneys misled the jury by fabricating the unknown kidnapper scenario when they clearly knew their client was involved in the crime because he knew the location of the body. Bill O’Reilly, host of The O’Reilly Factor talk show on the Fox News Channel, called the conduct of Westerfield’s attorneys “an outrage”. He promised to file an ethics complaint with the San Diego Bar Association against Westerfield’s two lead attorneys, Steven Feldman and Robert Boyce.^[9]

[edit] Entomology

The science of entomology was a major focus during the trial. Three entomologists, consulted by the defense, testified that flies first laid eggs on Van Dam’s body sometime in mid-February, long after Westerfield was under police surveillance.^[10] On the other hand, one of these entomologist, David Faulkner, conceded under cross-examination that his time estimate was based mostly on the fly larvae, and that his research could not determine a maximum time her body was outside. The other forensic entomologist, Neal Haskell, using a weather chart prepared by forensic artist James Gripp, stated that the warm temperatures made it likely that insects immediately colonized Danielle’s corpse. The third entomologist, Dr. Robert Hall, estimated initial insect infestation occurred between February 12 and February 23. However, under cross-examination Hall acknowledged that the insect infestation of the corpse wasn’t “typical” because so few maggots were found in the girl’s head. Prosecutor Jeff Dusek questioned Hall about why his calculations were compiled through a method less favorable to the prosecution and why he criticized the findings of the prosecution’s entomologist, Dr. Madison Lee Goff, and favored the entomologist hired by the defense. Goff testified the infestation may have occurred February 9 to February 14, but stressed that other factors may have delayed insect arrival.^[11] He explained that a covering, such as a blanket, might have kept flies at bay initially, but no covering was found, and he later said the longest delay by such a shroud was two and a half days.^[12]

[edit] Pornography

Some of the computers and loose computer media in Westerfield’s office contained homosexual pornography. His attorneys, however, claimed that police once reported not finding child pornography although gay porn was present.^[13] According to the prosecution computer expert, James Watkins, 100,000 images were found, including 69,000 nude images that could be considered homosexual pornography.^[14] The material included brief movie clips found in Westerfield’s office which featured a caucasian male being penetrated in the anal region by another man of African decent. These clips, including sound of the

girl struggling, were played in the courtroom.^[14] In all, two sets of movie clips, six animated cartoons, and 13 still images taken from computers, zip disks, or CD-Roms in David Westerfield’s home were shown, each featuring underage girls.^[14]
Westerfield denied that this was for his enjoyment, and claimed that he was accumulating the images so he could send them to Congress as examples of smut on the Internet.^[15]

[edit] Selby confession

In 2003, after Westerfield’s conviction, James Selby wrote to the police confessing to the Van Dam murder. He was wanted for raping women in San Diego in 2001, and for kidnapping a 9-year-old Oklahoma girl from her bedroom in the middle of the night and raping her in 1999, and was charged with a spring 2001 sexual assault on a 12-year-old girl in Sparks, Nevada, but police don’t believe that he murdered Van Dam. Prosecutor Jeff Dusek, who did read the confession, viewed it as not credible. It is believed that James Selby was in the Tucson, Arizona area when Van Dam was kidnapped in February 2002. Selby is believed to be responsible for a series of rapes in Arizona from October 2001 to May 2002. Selby – a divorced father of three – worked as a handyman and machinist and traveled often between San Diego and Tucson. He had a prior rape conviction in Colorado. In addition, Selby admitted responsibility in the slaying of JonBenét Ramsey.^[16] According to Deputy County Attorney Bradley Roach, “It was an aspect of his personality to confess to something to see what other people would say,” said Roach. Selby committed suicide in his jail cell on November 22, 2004.^[17]

[edit] Conclusion

In January 2003, a California judge sentenced David Westerfield to be executed. He was transported to San Quentin State Prison. He is currently enrolled in the Handicraft program at San Quentin State Prison. The Van Dams sued Westerfield, but the case was settled out of court. The Van Dams were awarded $416,000 from several insurance companies who insured Westerfield’s home, SUV, and motor home. The settlement also prevented Westerfield from ever profiting from his crime.^[18]
When the trial was over, the media, quoting unnamed police sources, reported that Westerfield’s lawyers were just minutes away from negotiating a plea bargain when a private citizen’s group, started by the Laura Recovery Center and concerned local citizens, found Danielle’s body. According to these reports, under the deal, Westerfield would have taken police to the site where she was located in exchange for life without parole.^[19] Both the prosecution and the defense declined to comment on these reports.^[20][21]
During the penalty phase of the trial, Mr. Westerfield’s nineteen-year-old niece testified that, when she was seven years old, her uncle entered his daughter’s bedroom, where the niece was spending the night with her parents while attending a party, to check on the kids, and woke up finding him rubbing her teeth, and said she bit his finger as hard as she could. She went downstairs to tell her mother. Mr. Westerfield was questioned about the incident at the time by his sister-in-law, where he explained that he was trying to comfort her. The incident was then forgotten.^[22]
In the months following the end of the trial audio tapes of Westerfield being interviewed were released to the media. In one police interview he tells investigators that he doesn’t feel emotionally stable. He is told that he failed a polygraph test. Westerfield tells him that he wants a retest and that he was not involved in Danielle’s disappearance.^[23]
In the interrogation video tape made at the time of his first interview (02-05-2002), near the end of the interview Westerfield, who is given a momentary pause in the interview while one of the two officers leaves the room, puts his head down on the table. At 18:51:40 (timecode on the video tape) the remaining officer asks him, “Want to be left alone?” to which Westerfield replies, “No, it’s okay.” He then lifts his head and looks directly at the officer, pats the table beside him with his left hand and says, “If you wanted to leave your gun here for a few minutes, I’d appreciate it” in a seemingly sincere request to commit suicide if only given the opportunity. When the officer decries the choice as “silly,” Westerfield makes a brief comment and then lays his head back down on the table.^[24]
It was recently revealed in an animal forensic show from US TV netwo

rk, Animal Planet, that the girl’s dog played a huge witness to the crime. The dog, a weimaraner, was said to have rubbed and played a lot with the young girl and the fur was transferred from her pajamas to the interior of Mr. Westerfield’s automobile. Also, clothing and other areas of location including above said bed sheets and comforters contained dog fur. Hinted in the show too, was the evidence of blood and a hand print matching that of Danielle were located within Mr. Westerfield’s automobile. Mr. Westerfield is currently still sitting on death row awaiting execution.
The following years after the murder have led to higher states of awareness in San Diego’s neighborhoods as well as the institution of funds and benefits made in her honor. The local elementary school that Danielle attended set up a portion of the park/open public area to be dedicated to the child. Her family still lives in Southern California and are active speakers for stricter guidelines for sexual predators and early warning signs.

[edit] References

1. ^ Ryan, Harriet, Court TV (June 11, 2002),“Detective: Westerfield appeared nervous when asked about his whereabouts”. Retrieved on December 26, 2006.
2. ^ “San Diego Union Tribune”. “Clerk says defendant was ‘very distant'”. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/danielle/20020618-9999_1m18westy.html. Retrieved November 8, 2006. 
3. ^ Ryan, Harriet, Court TV (June 6, 2002), “Grieving mother recalls day she found her daughter missing”. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
4. ^ Hughes, Joe, San Diego Union-Tribune (February 7, 2002), “Anxiety, worries grip missing girl’s parents”. Retrieved on September 24, 2006.
5. ^ Court TV (February 28, 2002), Missing 7-year-old girl believed found near wooded area outside San Diego . Retrieved on October 9, 2006
6. ^ “CourtTV”. “Westerfield’s son takes stand against him”. http://www.courttv.com/trials/westerfield/072402_ctv.html. Retrieved January 16, 2007. 
7. ^ “San Diego Tribune”. “‘Girls’ night out’ under scrutiny”. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/danielle/20020610-9999_1n10resume.html. Retrieved January 16, 2007. 
8. ^ Court TV (June 3, 2002),“A ‘little girl lost’ is found dead, allegedly killed by neighbor”. Retrieved on January 16, 2007.
9. ^ “Ethics: In Defense of David Westerfield’s Attorneys”. Los Angeles County Bar Association. http://www.lacba.org/showpage.cfm?pageid=2740. 
10. ^ “CourtTV”. “When Was Danielle Van Dam Killed?”. http://www.courttv.com/trials/westerfield/timeline/time_of_death.html. Retrieved September 19, 2006. 
11. ^ “San Diego Union Tribune”. “Jury appears weary of sparring by insect experts”. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/danielle/20020802-9999_1m2flies.html. Retrieved September 19, 2006. 
12. ^ Ryan, Harriet, Court TV (July 30, 2002), “Prosecution’s bug expert struggles on stand”. Retrieved on October 8, 2006.
13. ^ Roth, Alex, San Diego Union-Tribune (March 7, 2002), “Detectives’ bid to visit Westerfield protested – Attorneys contend his rights violated”. Retrieved on October 14, 2005.
14. ^ ^{a b c} Bean, Matt, Court TV (June 25, 2002), Jury sees graphic homosexual pornography taken from Westerfield’s home. Retrieved on October 8, 2006.
15. ^ “San Diego Union Tribune”. “Child killer has proclaimed innocence in cards, visits”. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/danielle/20030103-9999_1n3wester.html. Retrieved October 16, 2006. 
16. ^ “KFMB stations, San Diego, California”. “Local 8 News Exclusive David Westerfield’s Letters from Death Row Part 2”. http://www.kfmb.com/features/special_assignment/story.php?id=11192. Retrieved October 6, 2006. ^{[dead link]}
17. ^ “Tucson Citizen”. “Rapist’s ‘confessions’ could reopen a case”. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/print/local/041905a5_selby. Retrieved October 6, 2006. 
18. ^ “CourtTV”. “Van Dams settle civil suit against daughter’s killer”. http://www.courttv.com/trials/westerfield/051403_ctv.html. Retrieved January 16, 2007. 
19. ^ “San Diego Union Tribune”. “Plea deal ‘minutes away’ when body found “. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/danielle/20020917-9999_1n17bargain.html. Retrieved January 17, 2007. 
20. ^ Roth, Alex, San Diego Union-Tribune (December 12, 2002), “A chat room helped Westerfield prosecutors”. Retrieved on June 23, 2003.
21. ^ Roth, Alex, San Diego Union-Tribune (January 3, 2003), “Child killer has proclaimed innocence in cards, visits”. Retrieved on October 16, 2006.
22. ^ Ryan, Harriet, Court TV (August 27, 2002), Niece says Westerfield fondled her when she was 7. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
23. ^ San Diego Union Tribune(January 9, 2003) “Westerfield failed polygraph test” access date September 19, 2006
24. ^ SignOnSanDiego.com, 2003.

[edit] External links

• COURTTV.COM – Danielle van Dam Murder Case
• The San Diego Union-Tribune
• Unsealed trial transcripts
• Reply to opposition to Defendant’s motion to suppress statements
• Death-row letter
• Unposted.com David Westerfield’s innocence

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Westerfield“

Categories: 1952 births | Living people | American people convicted of murder | American rapists | People from San Diego, California | American murderers of children | American prisoners sentenced to death | Prisoners sentenced to death by California | People convicted of murder by California

David Berg

David Berg

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David Brandt Berg
Born	18 February 1919(1919-02-18) Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	1 October 1994 (aged 75) Costa de Caparica , Portugal
Occupation	Founder, Children of God

David Brandt Berg (born 18 February 1919 in Oakland, California, United States and died 1 October 1994 in Portugal), frequently known by the pseudonym Moses David, was the founder and leader of the New Religious Movement formerly called Children of God, now called “The Family International“.

Contents [show] 1 Life 1.1 Early years (1919 – 1968) 1.2 The Children of God/The Family (1968 – 1994) 1.2.1 Death 2 Controversy 3 Personal family 4 Sociological views 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Life

[edit] Early years (1919 – 1968)

Berg was born to Hjalmer Emmanuel Berg and Rev. Virginia Lee Brandt, the youngest of three children. Virginia Brandt, a Christian evangelist, was the daughter of Rev. John Lincoln Brandt (1860–1946), a Disciples of ChristMuskogee, Oklahoma. David Berg graduated from Monterey High School (in California) in 1935 and later attended Elliott School of Business Administration. minister, author, and lecturer of

Berg often said that his rich heritage played a key role in shaping his character and religious convictions. Many of his forefathers, as well as both of his parents, were deeply committed Christians. His maternal forefathers were German Jews who converted to Christianity in the mid-eighteenth century. They subsequently joined the Dunkards, a conservative offshoot of the Church of the Brethren. State persecution of the sect soon drove the Brandt family to America, where they settled in Pennsylvania and Ohio around 1750.

Dr. John Lincoln Brandt, Berg’s grandfather, had a dramatic conversion in his mid-twenties and immediately entered full-time Christian service. For years he was a Methodist circuit rider. He later became a leader of the Alexander Campbell movement of the Disciples of Christ, a restoration movement that developed into the current Protestant denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Virginia Brandt Berg, David Berg’s mother, is the individual whom he credits for influencing him the most. Although raised in a Christian home, Virginia became an atheist and wild society girl during her college years. However, shortly after the birth of her first child, she broke her back in an accident and spent the next five years as a bedridden invalid, often hovering near death. Eventually she recovered and spent the rest of her life with her husband, Hjalmer, in active Christian service as a pastor and evangelist. Virginia and Hjalmer were no strangers to controversy. They were expelled from the Christian Church after publicly testifying of her “divine healing”, which was contrary to church doctrine. They subsequently joined a new denomination, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, shortly before David Berg’s birth. In later years, their missionary zeal and disdain for denominational politicking often set them at variance with the conservative faction of that church’s hierarchy, causing them to work largely as independent pastors and evangelists.

Berg spent his early years traveling with his parents, who pursued their evangelical mission with a passion. In 1924, they settled in Miami, Florida, after Virginia successfully led a series of large revivals at the Miami Gospel Tabernacle. This became Berg’s home for the next 14 years, while his mother and father were pastors a number of Miami churches.

As is the case with many pastors and their dependents, the Berg family depended entirely on the generosity of their parishioners for their support, and often had difficulty making ends meet. This instilled in Berg a lifelong habit of frugality, which he encouraged his followers to adopt.

In the late 1930s, Virginia Berg returned to her favorite ministry, that of a traveling evangelist. David Berg accompanied her, and for most of the next 10 years acted as her chauffeur, song leader, and general assistant.

Like his father, Berg became a minister in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and was placed at Valley Farms, Arizona. Berg was eventually expelled from the organization for differences in teachings and for alleged sexual misconduct with a church employee. In Berg’s writings he claimed the expulsion was due to his support for greater racial diversity among his congregation.

Fred Jordan, Berg’s friend and boss, allowed Berg and his personal family to open a branch of his Soul Clinic in Miami, Florida as a missionary training school. After running into trouble with local authorities for his aggressive disapproval with evolution being taught as fact in public schools, Berg moved his family to Fred Jordan’s Texas Soul Clinic, in Western Texas.

[edit] The Children of God/The Family (1968 – 1994)

David Berg (also known as King David, Mo, Moses David, Father David, Dad, or Grandpa to members of the Children of God) founded the organization known as the Children of God, later known as “The Family of Love” or “The Family” and currently “The Family International”, in 1968.

Berg called on his followers to devote their full time to spreading the message of Jesus‘ love and salvation as far and wide as possible, unfettered by convention or tradition, and to teach others to do the same.

Berg also decried the de-Christianization and decay in moral values of Western society. He viewed the trend towards a New World Order as setting the stage for the rise of the Antichrist.

Berg lived in seclusion, communicating with his followers and the public via nearly 3,000 “Mo Letters”^[1] that he wrote on a wide variety of subjects. His writings were often extreme and uncompromising in their denunciation of evil, yet he always admonished the reader to “love the sinner but hate the sin”. He espoused doctrines that some mainstream Christians denounce as heretical. However, his followers argue that his writings are permeated with a love of God.

[edit] Death

Berg died in 1994 and was buried in Costa de Caparica, Portugal. (His remains have since been cremated.) His organization is currently led by his widow Karen Zerby(whom he took as a soi-disant “second-wife” in August 1969; known as Katherine Rianna Smith, Mama Maria or Queen Maria in the Children of God) and Steven Douglas Kelly (an American also known as Christopher Smith, Peter Amsterdam, or King Peter to the Children of God).

[edit] Controversy

He lived in total seclusion and secrecy from his followers and, along with Karen Zerby is thought to have used a fake Australian passport when traveling.

He was also outspoken, and widely reputed to be an anti-Semite and a pedophile.^[2][3][4][5]

In a child-custody case in the United Kingdom Berg’s granddaughter, Merry Berg, testified that Berg sexually molested her when she was a young teenager. Another of Berg’s granddaughters, Joyanne Treadwell Berg, spoke on American television about being sexually abused by David Berg. Berg’s adopted son, Ricky Rodriguez, wrote an article on the Web site MovingOn.org in which he describes Berg’s deviant sexual activity involving a number of women and children. Davida Kelley, the daughter of Rodriguez’s nanny, Sarah Kelley, accused Berg of molesting her in a June 2005 Rolling Stone article.^[6] In the same article, a woman identified as Armendria alleged that David Berg sexually abused her when she was thirteen years old.

Berg predicted several apocalyptic events that did not occur. His most well-known prediction was that comet Kohoutek (1974) would cause much havoc and possible destruction (Letter No.283). This prediction was shared by others outside The Family such as Joseph F. Goodavage in the January 1974 issue of SAGA magazine. He also predicted that California would imminently fall into the ocean, the tribulation would begin in 1989 and that the second coming of Jesus would happen in 1993.

Berg wrote or dictated nearly 3,000 “Mo Letters”^[1] (“Mo” being abbreviated from his pseudonym “Moses David”), which typically covered spiritual or practical subjects and were used as a way of disseminating and introducing policy and religious doctrine to his followers. Due to his obsession with secrecy, until his death, any photos of him appearing in the group’s publications had his face covered with rudimentary pencil drawings, often depicting him as an anthropomorphic lion.

[edit] Personal family

David Berg married his first wife, Jane Miller (known as “Mother Eve” in the Children of God), on 22 July 1944 in Glendale, California. They had four children together: Linda, known as “Deborah” in the Children of God); Paul, d. April 1973, known as “Aaron” in the Children of God); Jonathan Emanuel, known as “Hosea” in the Children of God); and Faith.

Berg also informally adopted Ricky Rodriguez, the son of his second wife Karen Zerby (who continues to be a leader of the Children of God). In the 1970s and 1980s sexually suggestive photographic depictions of Rodriguez (aka “Davidito”) with adult caretakers were disseminated throughout the group by Berg and Zerby in a child rearing handbook known as “The Story of Davidito”.^[7] In January 2005, Ricky Rodriguez murdered one of the female caretakers (also shown in the handbook) before taking his own life several hours later.

[edit] Sociological views

The sociologist Dr. Thomas Robbins argued that Berg’s leadership of the Children of God was based on charismatic authority.^[8]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} xFamily.org Publications Database — contains the entire text of “Mo Letters” written by David Berg
2. ^ Berg and Anti-Semitism on xFamily.org
3. ^ Berg on Pedophilia – xFamily – Children of God
4. ^ David Berg – xFamily – Children of God
5. ^ Kent SA (2000). “Lustful Prophet: A Psychosexual Historical Study of the Children of God’s Leader, David Berg”. http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~skent/Linkedfiles/lustfulprophet.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
6. ^ Rolling Stone: The Life and Death of the Chosen One
7. ^ Story of Davidito on xFamily.org
8. ^ Robbins, Thomas. Charisma in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society edited by William H. Swatos (February 1998) ISBN 0-7619-8956-0

[edit] External links

• TheFamily.org – Biography of David Berg on The Family’s official website
• David Berg on xFamily.org, a wiki about the Children of God
• Brandt, John Lincoln (1910-10-19). “The Evangelization of the World”. Centennial Convention Report. Carnegie Hall: The Standard Publishing Company. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/wwarren/ccr/CCR19B.HTM. Retrieved 2008-11-09. 
• Jones, Paul (1998). “The Family (The Children of God)” New Religious Movements