Don’t Blame Van Dams for Daughter’s Death

Re “Trial Aggravates Parents’ Suffering,” Aug. 9:

The private lives of Brenda and Damon van Dam were made very public after the disappearance and murder of their daughter, Danielle, and unjustly ripped the focus away from the perpetrator responsible for her death.

Blaming the parents by insinuating they put their daughter in harm’s way is a despicable return to the days when the public, courts and news media blamed rape victims for the crimes committed against them. The defense attorney has asserted that Brenda and Damon’s lifestyle was responsible for the murder of their child, and the media--radio, print and television--has sensationalized the absurdity of it. The van Dams’ daughter was an innocent victim of an appalling crime, and her parents have been made to suffer more than any family should ever have to.

Dee Anna S. Behle

Dana Point