Westley Dodd was a serial killer from Washington State who was executed for the murders of three boys. In this article on My Crime Library we will take a closer look at Westley Dodd the sexual psychopath.
Westley Dodd Early Years
Westley Dodd was born in Toppenish Washington on July 3, 1961. According to Westley there was no abuse in the household however expressions of emotion were limited however in his diary Westley would claim his parents violently fought and his parents preferred his younger siblings to him.. Westley was described as a quiet student with little to no friends throughout his school years.
Westley Dodd Criminal History
Westley Dodd criminal history began when he was just thirteen years old when he would routinely expose himself to younger children. His parents were in denial of his behavior outside of the home. By the time he was fifteen years old he was molesting younger children in the neighborhood.
In 1981 Westley Dodd would be arrested after he attempted to abduct two young children who thankfully were able to escape and call the police. No charges would be filed. Dodd would enlist in the Navy and would continue molesting younger children.
Westley Dodd would be arrested again for paying a group of boys $50 to play strip poker with him in a hotel room. Dodd told police he had planned to molest the boys however no charges were filed. Dodd would be arrested again for molestation and would be discharged from the Navy however his sentence was suspended.
After leaving the Navy Westley Dodd would move into an apartment block which was predominately young families. Soon Dodd would begin to molest children in the building. Westley would be arrested again for attempting to abduct a young boy, the boy was able to escape. Even though it was clear Westley was a sexual predator he would again escape punishment and be sentenced to probation and counseling.
Westley Dodd Murders
In September 1989 Westley Dodd would lure two brothers, Cole and William Neer. in Vancouver Washington to a secluded area where the ten and eleven year old would be forced to undress, tied to a tree, molested and then stabbed repeatedly. The eleven year old would die at the scene and his ten year old brother would die on the way to the hospital. Following the murder Westley would keep newspaper articles and photos of the double murder.
A month later Westley Dodd would travel to Portland Oregon where he convinced four year old Lee Iseli to go with him. Dodd promised to bring him home however he brought the child back to Vancouver Washington. Once back at his residence Westley Dodd made the child strip and would molest him for the next two days. Westley took photographs of the abuse. Lee Iseli would be strangled and hung in the closet. Eventually Dodd would get rid of the body by stuffing it into a trash bag and dropped in some bushes near Vancouver Lake
Westley Dodd Arrest And Trial
Westley Dodd attempted to abduct a six year old boy from a public washroom. However the child began to cry and yell. Dodd grabbed the child and attempted to leave the building however after realizing that people were watching he would let the child go and leave the area. The child’s mother boyfriend would follow Dodd outside.
Westley Dodd car would break down close to the attempted abduction site and the boyfriend would hold Westley until police arrived.
Westley Dodd would plead guilty to all three murders and would be sentenced to death.
Westley Dodd Execution
Westley Dodd was executed by hanging on January 5, 1993. Dodd who asked to be hanged had refused to appeal his death sentences saying he could not be cured. Westley Dodd final meal consisted of salmon and fried potatoes
Westley Dodd Videos
Westley Dodd More News
In the fall of 1989, in Vancouver, Washington, a short, 29-year-old man named Westley Dodd raped and murdered three young boys. The boys were brothers Cole and William Neer, ages 10 and 11, and 4-year-old Lee Iseli.
A few weeks later, police arrested Westley at a movie theater after he tried and failed to abduct another boy. He quickly confessed to the three murders. The prosecution sought the death penalty, and Dodd pled guilty.
Death penalty cases take a long time due to all the appeals built into the process. These appeals are designed to make sure the state hasn’t made any mistakes in the death sentence. They check for things such as juror misconduct, incompetent defense lawyers, new evidence. Death penalty cases take years, sometimes decades.
Westley Allan Dodd did not want that. Instead, he wanted to be executed as quickly as possible.
In letters to the Supreme Court of Washington, Dodd urged the court to allow him to waive his right to appeal his death sentence. He believed he deserved to die for what he did, and wanted it done as soon as possible.
Westley Dodd was what’s known as a “volunteer” — someone who gives up their rights in order to hasten their own execution. The Death Penalty Information Center cites about 150 cases of “volunteers” in the United States
Dodd’s case sparked debate both among people who supported and opposed the death penalty. Some argued he had the right to choose whether the court would review the validity of his death sentence. Others argued that the law ensures that all defendants have due process whether they want it or not.
In the meantime, Westley Dodd continued to advocate for his own execution in interviews and in exchanges with his pen pals. He said he felt remorseful, and even wrote a self-defense booklet for kids to learn how to stay safe from men like him. The booklet was called “When You Meet A Stranger.”
The debate made its way to the Washington Supreme Court. In a 7-2 ruling, they decided that Dodd did, in fact, have the right to waive his remaining appeals. After just three years on death row (five years shorter than the national average at that time), the State of Washington hanged Westley Dodd.
In this story, Bethany Denton interviews Dodd’s former attorney Gilbert Levy and defense attorney Jeff Ellis, who was a young lawyer during the time of the Dodd trial. Bethany also talks to Becky Price, who was one of the recipients of Dodd’s pamphlet “When You Meet A Stranger.”
https://www.knkx.org/post/man-admitted-murder-and-volunteered-die-executing-him-wasnt-simple
Westley Dodd More News
A 28-year-old man facing trial for the murders of three young boys and the attempted murder of a fourth changed his plea to guilty Monday without explanation.
Westley Allan Dodd, of Vancouver has been held without bail since his arrest Nov. 13, when he pleaded innocent to the charges.
Jury selection will begin as scheduled on June 25, but only in a consolidated penalty phase for all the cases. Dodd faces the death penalty or mandatory life in prison without parole.
Dodd did not indicate why he changed his plea. Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Arthur D. Curtis said Dodd went against the advice of his attorneys.
″We don’t feel it was a plea bargain in any respect,″ said Curtis. ″He plead guilty to what he was charged with.″
Westley Dodd softly and somberly described to Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Harris the three boys’ deaths in graphic detail.
Westley Dodd was charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated murder in the deaths of 4-year-old Lee Joseph Iseli of Portland, Ore., and Vancouver brothers Cole Neer, 11, and William Neer, 10.
The Neer brothers’ bodies were found Sept. 4 in a Vancouver park where they had ridden their bicycles. Both had been stabbed.
The Iseli boy’s body was discovered near Vancouver Lake Nov. 1, three days after he disappeared from a Portland schoolyard.
″On Sept. 4, 1989, I went to David Douglas Park with the premeditated intent to cause the death of another human being,″ Dodd told Harris. ″I raped Cole Neer and then I killed him. Yes, I also murdered William Neer … to conceal my identity.″
On Oct. 29, Westley Dodd said, ″I did kidnap Lee Iseli from Portland Ore., took him to my apartment in Vancouver and raped him. … And on the morning of Oct. 30, I murdered Lee Iseli.″
Westley Dodd was arrested after he carried 6-year-old James Kirk II from a Camas, Wash., movie theater. Although the boy was let go outside the theater, his mother’s boyfriend tracked Dodd down and brought him back.
″I did attempt to abduct and murder James Kirk,″ Dodd told Harris.
Westley Dodd was charged with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree attempted murder in that case. The kidnapping charge was dropped Monday.
Robert Iseli, whose son was one of those killed, said he hoped Dodd would get the death penalty. ″You shoot a rabid dog … and anyone else who has no value to society,″ he said.
https://apnews.com/article/36d396834a1964aab8bac2c02e85b64b