Westerfield Juror Is Ill; Deliberations Stalled
The jury in the penalty phase of the David Westerfield trial did not deliberate Tuesday after a juror called in sick.
The panel had been scheduled to begin its fourth full day of discussing whether Westerfield should be executed or imprisoned for life for the kidnapping and murder of Danielle van Dam, 7.
Superior Court Judge William Mudd said that if the illness persists, he may need to replace the juror with an alternate. If that happens, the jury will have to restart deliberations from the beginning, because alternates have not been privy to the closed-door process.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
