A woman who lived only a few doors from seven-year-old Danielle van Dam when the child was abducted and murdered has launched an angry attack on California Governor Gavin Newsom after he commuted the killer’s death sentence.
On November 5, 2026, Newsom exercised his constitutional clemency powers to commute the death sentences of all 548 prisoners on California’s death row. The move included Danielle’s killer, David Westerfield, whose sentence was reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
In a letter announcing the decision, Newsom wrote: ‘I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.’
Christina Buttons, however, strongly condemned the governor’s decision. In an emotional social media post, she wrote: ‘I have been waiting 24 years for my neighbor David Westerfield to be executed for the kidnapping and murder of my 7-year-old neighbor, Danielle van Dam.’
‘And now, thanks to @GavinNewsom, it looks like it will never happen.’
Danielle was last seen on February 1, 2002, after her father put her to bed at the family’s home in the upper-middle-class Sabre Springs neighborhood of San Diego.
In a nightmare scenario for any parent, her naked body was discovered nearly a month later beside a remote road. The remains were so badly decomposed that investigators could not determine the cause of death or establish whether she had been sexually assaulted.
Thousands of volunteers joined the extensive search, but suspicion soon focused on their 50-year-old neighbor, Westerfield, who had driven away in his motorhome on the morning Danielle disappeared.
Investigators later found Danielle’s blood inside the vehicle and on Westerfield’s clothing, along with a substantial amount of other forensic evidence linking him to the crime.
Westerfield was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Danielle and sentenced to death.
More than two decades later, Buttons, who witnessed the community’s ordeal, has described the lasting psychological impact of the murder and her fury that Westerfield may never be executed.
Christina Buttons, who lived just a few doors from Danielle Van Dam when she disappeared, has spoken out against Gavin Newsom’s decision to commute the killer’s death sentence, along with those of 548 other inmates. She described how the child’s murder devastated the community and left a lasting mark on her childhood
Danielle (pictured) was taken from her bedroom in February, one of a series of child-abduction cases that gripped the nation in 2002
Westerfield, who lived two doors away and had bought Girl Scout cookies from Danielle days before she vanished, quickly became a suspect. Investigators learned that he had been at the same bar as Danielle’s mother and two friends on the night she disappeared. He left in his motorhome early the following morning as police and volunteers searched the neighborhood
A reward poster seeking the return of the seven-year-old was displayed near her family’s home in Sabre Springs, north of San Diego, California, on February 26, 2002
Her naked, severely decomposed body was found beside a remote road on February 27, 25 days after she disappeared
The woman, who was 13 at the time, said the murder devastated the entire neighborhood and had a profound effect on her mental health.
‘I was a sensitive kid, and it was a major contributor to my mental health decline during adolescence,’ she wrote.
During the 20 days between Danielle’s disappearance and Westerfield’s arrest, Buttons developed insomnia and spent nights walking through her home, checking the locks on doors and windows.
She followed the trial closely, saying the disturbing evidence revealed in court left her unable to stop imagining what Danielle may have endured.
‘As we learned the horrific details, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she endured during the three days he had her,’ she wrote.
The condition of Danielle’s remains prevented investigators from determining exactly how she died or whether she had been sexually assaulted.
Buttons said that, despite the lack of a definitive finding, she and other residents feared Danielle had been taken for that purpose.
Westerfield was also convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material found on his computer.
During the trial, Danielle’s blood was found on one of Westerfield’s jackets, while her hair was discovered in his bedroom. Investigators also found her blood, hair and fingerprints inside his motorhome
Prosecutors argued that nothing less than the death penalty was justified for an ‘evil, selfish, cold-hearted child killer.’
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Brenda van Dam wept during the trial as Superior Court Judge William Mudd described how the girl’s naked body had been found missing teeth. The judge called the crime ‘extremely cruel and vicious.’
At trial, prosecutors presented extensive forensic evidence connecting Westerfield to Danielle. Her blood was found in his motorhome and on his clothing, while her hair was recovered from his bed, including the pillow and sheets.
Westerfield, who lived two doors away, had bought Girl Scout cookies from Danielle just days before she disappeared.
Prosecutors alleged that he entered the van Dam family home during the night and hid there until he could take Danielle without waking her father or brothers. Her mother, Brenda, had been out with friends the previous evening.
The defense challenged that theory. Attorney Steven Feldman argued that the abduction was more likely committed by someone familiar with the family and their home.
Feldman also raised questions about the van Dams’ lifestyle, including their marijuana use and participation in swinging.
He argued that their behavior had exposed their children to possible dangers, while insisting the defense was not blaming the parents for Danielle’s disappearance.
Lead prosecutor Jeff Dusek urged jurors to concentrate on the physical evidence, particularly Danielle’s hair being found in Westerfield’s bed.
Following the two-month trial, Westerfield was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping and sentenced to death.
Buttons described the debilitating mental-health effects she experienced after the child’s discovery, when she was only 13, and called for action to ensure the predator received the punishment imposed by the court
The sentencing proceedings brought the brutality of the crime into sharp focus. Danielle’s mother, Brenda, wept as the judge described how her daughter’s naked body had been found missing teeth.
Judge William Mudd characterized the crime as ‘extremely cruel and vicious.’
Brenda delivered a devastating victim-impact statement, saying: ‘Our precious Danielle was taken by a monster, thinking only of self-gratification and not thinking about the sweet little child he was harming or how his crime would affect her family, the community and the world.’
She added: ‘You do not deserve any leniency, any mercy, because you refused to give it to Danielle.’
Danielle’s father, Damon, spoke about the milestones his daughter would never live to experience.
‘I’ll never get to see her become a doctor or a teacher. I’ll miss seeing her go to the prom. I’ll miss her graduation. I’ll miss seeing her go off to college and seeing what she will become,’ he said.
He described the family’s grief as a ‘hole in all of our hearts that will never heal.’
For Danielle’s former neighbor, Westerfield’s death sentence represented the possibility that he would ultimately face the punishment imposed by the court.
Brenda and Damon van Dam released a white dove for their daughter Danielle during a memorial service at Escondido High School in California on Saturday, March 27, 2010
In 2019, however, Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in California, halting them throughout his governorship. Westerfield’s conviction and death sentence were later unanimously upheld by the California Supreme Court.
Buttons said she continued to hope that a future governor would honor the wishes of California voters, who rejected efforts to abolish the death penalty in 2012 and 2016. In 2016, voters also approved a measure designed to accelerate executions.
‘All these years, I’ve held on to the hope that someone would eventually take office who respected the will of California voters and would allow these sentences to be carried out,’ she wrote.
Newsom’s latest action has left her enraged, particularly because of the moral reasoning he gave for intervening.
‘It’s especially insulting to hear Newsom talk about morality, as if he is morally superior to those of us whose lives were affected by these heinous crimes and who want to see the perpetrators brought to justice,’ she said.
She ended her post by appealing to the state’s highest court: ‘I’m hoping the California Supreme Court can stop Westerfield’s commutation.’