Westley Allan Dodd

Case record: Westley Allan Dodd

Overview

Westley Allan Dodd was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cole Neer and his brother William Neer and of Lee Iseli, and was also convicted of attempted kidnapping at the New Liberty Theater. Dodd was executed by hanging in Washington on January 5, 1993.

Timeline

• September 4, 1989 — Dodd went prowling with a six-inch knife in David Douglas Park.
• November 1, 1989 — A hunter discovered Lee Iseli’s body near Vancouver Lake.
• November 11, 1989 — Dodd tried to abduct a young boy from a Vancouver theater.
• November 13, 1989 — Dodd attempted another abduction in Camas, Washington, was captured after his car broke down, and police took him into custody.
• January 1990 — Dodd changed his pleas to guilty on all counts.
• July 15, 1990 — A jury agreed that Dodd should die for his crimes.
• January 5, 1993 — Dodd was executed by hanging.

Background

Dodd was born on July 3, 1961, in Washington State. He graduated from high school in 1979 and joined the U.S. Navy two years later. Dodd was described as having a loveless home, with parents who were often neglectful, and he was also described as ostracized in his school environment and deprived of emotional growth. The family was said to have been cast into disarray after his parents divorced.

Dodd was conscious of his sexual attraction to neighborhood boys by age nine. By age fourteen, he began exhibiting himself by flashing other children from his bedroom window, until one reported him and police were called. He was described as seeking pleasure further afield.

After his parents divorced, the exposing escalated to molesting. Dodd’s father, Jim Dodd, described acknowledging his son’s sexual deviancy with “father-son chats,” while mostly avoiding talking about it despite Westley’s increasing arrests and warnings. Jim Dodd also said: “He never did drugs, he never drank, he never smoke.”

Dodd was said to have been conscious of his sexual attraction to neighborhood boys by age nine, and to have become sexually abusive when he was 13. He was described as socially isolated and intimidated by girls. Dodd was said to have considered himself able to hide and to have been well behaved in other respects.

The offence

Kidnapping and murders of Cole Neer and William Neer

On Labor Day weekend, Dodd positioned himself near a trail entrance at David Douglas Park in Vancouver. The evening described him returning to the park at 6:15 in the evening.

William Neer, 10, and his brother Cole Neer, 11, raced their bikes through David Douglas Park on their way home. Dodd blocked the way and told the brothers to get off their bikes. When Billy asked why, Dodd responded, “Because I told you to.”

Dodd controlled the situation so that the boys did what he said. He told two teenagers who passed with the boys to be quiet. He led the brothers off the trail, told them to lay down their bikes where they would not be visible from the path, and told them to stand with their backs to each other, tying their wrists together with shoelaces. Cole asked repeatedly, “Why?” and Dodd said one of them would have to pull down his pants and said, “Will it hurt?” Dodd said it would not.

Dodd began molesting the boys and forced them to kneel. Dodd ordered Billy to sit while he molested Cole. Dodd stabbed Billy in the stomach. Dodd attacked Cole as Cole jumped up, catching him in the side with a knife. Billy was able to run off toward a busy street.

Dodd caught Billy and stabbed him in the side and shoulder as Billy apologized: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Dodd then ran back into the woods and left the boys bleeding to death. Dodd returned to make sure Cole was dead and to retrieve potential evidence. Investigators later found Cole Neer at 2:00 a.m., after the brothers’ father, Clair Neer, had called the police.

Attempted kidnapping and murder of Lee Iseli

On October 29, Dodd abducted four-year-old Lee Iseli of Portland, Ore. Lee had been taken from the playground of the Richmond Elementary School.

Dodd approached Lee at the playground and asked, “Hi! How you doing?” Lee responded, “hi.” Dodd offered “fun” and money, asking, “Would you like to have some fun and make some money?” Lee shook his head “no.” Dodd insisted and offered his hand.

Lee was led to Dodd’s car. When Dodd placed Lee in his car and drove off, Lee said, “I live the other way.” Dodd told Lee, “We’re going to my house and play some games,” and “Just do what I tell you and I promise I won’t hurt you.” Dodd added, “But you’ll have to be quiet when we get there. My landlady doesn’t like little kids.”

After Lee was taken to Dodd’s apartment in Vancouver, Dodd took pictures of Lee with his Polaroid camera, told Lee to get undressed, and tied Lee to the bed with ropes. Dodd took more pictures and then molested Lee. Lee watched cartoons while Dodd recorded events in his diary. Dodd asked Lee if he wanted to spend the night with him. Lee said, “No,” because “My brother might miss me.” Dodd answered, “Nah, your brother is probably having fun too.”

Dodd took Lee to K-Mart to buy him a toy. A store employee approached them because of concern. Dodd explained: he was babysitting his nephew who wanted to go home. After that, Dodd took Lee to McDonalds. Dodd then continued molesting Lee until the early morning described as climaxing at 5:30, when he choked Lee unconscious and finished with a rope, suspending Lee’s body from a rod in the closet.

After work that night, Dodd dumped Lee’s body near Vancouver Lake. Lee’s body was discovered early on November 1 by a hunter.

Investigation and arrest

Dodd was eventually taken into custody in Camas, Washington after an attempted abduction at a theater. He got a screaming child outside but bolted for his car when witnesses gathered in the lobby. Less than two blocks from the theater his car broke down. Dodd was captured by the boyfriend of his latest victim’s mother, held until police arrived, and police took him into custody.

Police discovered evidence linking Dodd to the murders after questioning and a confession. Dodd at first denied involvement, objecting that he loved children, but later confessed in detail, directing police to his stash of manuscripts and photographs.

Two investigators named in the record were Portland Police Bureau Detective C. W. Jensen and Clark County Detective Sergeant Dave Trimble. They obtained Dodd’s confession and served the search warrant on his home.

Trial

Dodd was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Billy and Cole Neer and Lee Iseli, and with attempted kidnapping at the New Liberty Theater. He initially pleaded “not guilty,” but in January 1990, against his attorney’s wishes, he changed his pleas to guilty on all counts.

Later that year, Dodd stood before a Clark County judge and read a statement, indicting himself on all charges. The record describes that he admitted his crimes, including murder, were premeditated. There was no trial to determine his guilt; a jury was to decide whether to give him the death penalty.

During the penalty phase, the record describes Prosecutor Roger Bennett telling the jury: “Look what Mr. Dodd likes to do in his free time. Plan child murders. Commit child murders. Relive fantasies about child murders and write about them. With life without parole, two of those things are still available to him.”

The jury of six men and six women listened to sections of Dodd’s diary and saw photos implicating him regarding Lee Iseli. Dodd’s defense did not call any witnesses and did not present evidence during the trial. Defense attorney Lee Dane tried to suggest that only an insane person would write the diaries that Dodd kept.

On Saturday, July 15, 1990, the jury agreed that Dodd should die for his crimes.

During the trial, the record includes a statement attributed to William “Ray” Graves, who apprehended Dodd outside the New Liberty Theater: “The man don’t deserve to live -- not someone who does that to babies. There’s nothing more precious than them little guys.”

Dodd later told The Oregonian that he was bored by the testimony, saying: “I’ve heard it so many times now, it’s kind of old, really.”

Sentencing

The judge set Dodd’s execution date for January 5, 1993, in Walla Walla, Washington. The record states that by Washington state law Dodd had to choose the method of execution, and state law gave two options: lethal injection or hanging. Dodd chose hanging and later stated in interviews he chose that method “because that’s the way Lee Iseli died.”

The record also states that Dodd requested that his hanging be televised, but that request was denied.

The record quotes Dodd as saying after the sentence: “I didn’t offer any mitigating evidence during the penalty phase because, in my mind, that’s just an excuse. And I don’t want to make any excuses,” and also: “I do not blame the criminal justice system for anything...but the system does not work and I can tell them why,” and: “It doesn’t really matter why the crimes happened. I should be punished to the full extent of the law, as should all sex offenders and murderers.”

Dodd told the court: “I must be executed before I have an opportunity to escape or kill someone within the prison. If I do escape, I promise you I will kill and rape and enjoy every minute of it,” and he said, “because that’s the way Lee Iseli died.”

Appeals

Dodd resisted all appeals and did not seek to reverse the capital sentence. He resisted all appeals and mounted the gallows at Walla Walla State Prison shortly after midnight on January 5, 1993.

Outcome

Dodd was executed by hanging on January 5, 1993 in Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. The record states that he was the first American inmate hanged in nearly three decades and that his execution was witnessed by 12 members of local and regional media, prison officials, and representatives of the families of the three victims.

The record quotes Dodd’s last words as recorded by media witnesses:

“I was once asked by somebody, I don’t remember who, if there was any way sex offenders could be stopped. I said, `No.' I was wrong. I was wrong when I said there was no hope, no peace. There is hope. There is peace. I found both in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Look to the Lord, and you will find peace.”

Dodd was pronounced dead by the prison doctor and his body was transported to Seattle for autopsy. Dr. Donald Reay, the King County Medical Examiner, found that Dodd had died quickly and probably with little pain. The record states that he was cremated following the autopsy, and his ashes were turned over to his family.

Other details

Confessions and evidence found at his home

Dodd confessed to the crimes and directed police to his stash of manuscripts and photographs. When police searched his home, they found a homemade torture rack, ropes and belts for restraining victims, X-Acto knives for “experimental surgeries” described in the record, and ropes around the bed’s headboard and footboard. The record states that investigators also found four volumes of Parent/Child books and a copy of the New Testament with the words “Satan Lives” scrawled inside.

The record describes Dodd keeping diaries, photos, and other items organized in envelopes titled “Incident 1,” “Incident 2,” and “Incident 3.” It states that a photo album had “Family Memories” on the cover and contained images including Polaroids of Dodd naked, Dodd assaulting Lee, and pictures taken after Lee had died, including one of Lee hanging in the closet. The record says Dodd kept Lee’s folded “Ghostbusters” underwear in a briefcase under the bed.

Threats and statements attributed during sentencing context

The record includes the statement attributed to Dodd that his hanging be appropriate and that he wanted to die without appeal delays, saying that hanging was the appropriate means of execution and that he did not want his death delayed by appeals.

Additional prevention and advocacy material in the record

The record includes information about the Tennis Shoe Brigade, describing that they demanded longer sentences for sexual predators, a stop to early releases, mandatory treatment, and more medical compensation for the victims, as well as mandatory registration of all sex offenders. The record also describes that Westley Dodd became a symbol of what was wrong and was used as an impetus for reform.

The record also includes quotes and statements attributed to individuals connected to child safety campaigns and organizations, but it preserves only the statements explicitly quoted:

“Situations, not Strangers,”
“Some people might argue over whether we are, indeed, our brother’s keepers,”
“But surely we must be their child’s keepers.”

It also includes Dr. Ronald Turco’s psychological profile estimate that the killer would be 25 to 35 years old and “kicked out of the military if he served,” and that the killer would be a loner and probably kept photos, a diary, and child pornography, and that the killer probably chose boys because he saw girls as “defective.”

People and roles mentioned in the record

• Cole Neer — victim, age 11.
• William Neer — victim, age 10.
• Clair Neer — father of Cole Neer and William Neer.
• Lee Iseli — victim, age 4.
• Robert Iseli — father of Lee Iseli.
• William “Ray” Graves — apprehended Dodd outside the New Liberty Theater.
• Detective C. W. Jensen — named as an investigator involved in obtaining Dodd’s confession and serving a search warrant.
• Detective Sergeant Dave Trimble — named as an investigator involved in obtaining Dodd’s confession and serving a search warrant.
• Prosecutor Roger Bennett — prosecutor quoted addressing the jury.
• Defense attorney Lee Dane — defense attorney quoted.
• Judge Robert Harris — judge who threatened Dodd with lockdown conditions during the trial period described.
• Dr. Donald Reay — King County Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy and found Dodd died quickly and probably with little pain.
• Westley Dodd — defendant.

Statements quoted in the record beyond sentencing and last words

The record includes additional verbatim statements attributed to Dodd or others, including:

• Dodd, in his chronology written in 1991: “The thoughts of killing children are exciting to me.”
• Dodd, in interviews describing why he chose hanging: “because that’s the way Lee Iseli died.”
• Dodd, refusing and describing intention regarding escape: “If I do escape, I promise you I will kill and rape and enjoy every minute of it.”
• Dodd, in the context of coercion: “Because I told you to.”
• Lee Iseli’s quoted father’s statement: “Lee’s the kind of kid who doesn’t take off, but he can get sidetracked easily.”
• The memorializing statements in the record: “That boy is a real hero,” and “The Northwest’s most notorious and vicious child killer, Westley Allan Dodd, had terrorized the community — and it was fitting that community action, led by a child, brought Dodd to justice.”
• Testimony attributed to a theater owner’s observation: “The little boy was hysterical,” and “He was screaming so loud you could hear him for three blocks.”
• Testimony attributed to Graves: “There was fire in my eyes,” and “It burned me up. That little guy is pretty close to me. I love him and I love his family.”
• James’s statement to the theater owner: “That man was going to hurt me.”
• Graves’s statement to Dodd: “You have just been detained. We’re going to get the cops,” and: “Calm down, son,” and: “Calm down.”