Christina Buttons, who was 13 when her 7-year-old neighbor Danielle van Dam was abducted and murdered in 2002, has voiced strong opposition to California Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on the state's death row, including Danielle's killer, David Westerfield. Newsom used his constitutional clemency authority on November 5, 2026, to reduce these sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In a social media post, Buttons stated, "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 abducted from her San Diego home on February 1, 2002. Her body was found nearly a month later, dumped on a remote roadside. Westerfield, a 50-year-old neighbor, was identified as a suspect after he drove away in his motorhome the morning of her disappearance. Investigators found Danielle's blood inside the vehicle and on Westerfield's clothing, along with other incriminating forensic evidence. He was convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death.
Buttons described the lasting psychological impact of Danielle's murder on her own childhood, stating it was a "major contributor to my mental health decline in adolescence." She developed insomnia and became hyper-vigilant about home security in the weeks between Danielle's disappearance and Westerfield's arrest. The details that emerged during the trial, including the horrific condition of Danielle's remains, left Buttons unable to stop thinking about what the child endured during the three days she was held captive.
Prosecutors presented substantial forensic evidence linking Westerfield to Danielle, including her blood in his motorhome and on his clothing, and her hair found in his bed. The judge called the crime "extremely cruel and vicious." Danielle's parents, Brenda and Damon van Dam, expressed their profound grief and the irreparable loss of their daughter, with Brenda stating Westerfield "do[es] not deserve any leniency, any mercy because you refused to give it to Danielle."
Governor Newsom stated in his commutation letter that he believes "we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency." This decision follows Newsom's 2019 moratorium on executions in California.
Buttons expressed frustration with Newsom's justification, finding it "especially insulting to hear Newsom go on 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 expressed hope that the California Supreme Court could intervene to stop Westerfield's commutation.