Tuesday • January 24, 1995
wmmmmmmmmmmmm
[special advance screening
O.J. Simpson trials begin
Simpson wants to speak with jurors; De
fense dumps new evidence on prosecutors
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Murder defendant
O.J. Simpson asked Monday for a one-minute
audience before his jurors, a stunning twist to
a day dominated by attorneys scrapping fierce
ly over last-minute evidence the defense
dumped on prosecutors.
Defense attorneys surprised the prosecu
tion with a list of 34 new witnesses and a
videotape of police walking through blood at
the murder scene. They also offered evidence
of an alibi for the first time
— a witness who says she
saw Simpson's distinctive
white Ford Bronco outside
his home at a time when
the prosecution alleges he
was two miles away killing
his ex-wife and her friend.
Simpson’s attorneys addi
tionally suggested in court
papers that police may have
moved the Bronco as well as
the bloody glove that
matched one found near the
bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald
Goldman last June.
Deputy District Attorney Marcia Clark
called the new evidence "trial by ambush” and
said she was "absolutely shocked” by the last-
minute disclosure. "This is a willful desire to
deprive the people of a fair trial,” she said.
Her colleague, William Hodgman, asked
for a week’s continuance to study the new evi
dence and witness list, which includes actress
Tawny Kitaen, local TV reporter Tracie Sav
age, Los Angeles Police Chief Willie Williams
and author Lawrence Schiller, who is writing
Simpson’s book.
"The truth, or part of the truth, has been hid
den from us by the defense,” Hodgman said.
Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. re
sponded with equal indignation.
"I am absolutely appalled that the prosecu
tion comes here and says they are unprepared,”
he said. "They see a few charts from us and be
come frightened and want to run away and
Simpson
hide for a week.”
Superior Court Judge Lance Ito was tense
during the exchange, interrupting attorneys at
times to say, "You’re wasting my time” and “Do
you expect me to believe that?”
The defense’s new disclosures showed how
vigorously they plan to challenge the prosecu
tion’s physical evidence. A newsreel videotape
obtained by the defense shows police officers
walking through blood while the bodies lie
nearby under sheets.
Defense lawyers say the blood was so contam
inated by the foot traffic that subsequent DNA
tests on it would be meaningless. Enraged prose
cutors said they had not seen the videotape be
fore and demanded time to find out when it was
shot. The blood evidence, they suggested, might
have already been collected by then.
While reviewing the videotape in court, Ito
ordered one segment of the feed blacked out for
television broadcast. When that portion was
shown on courtroom monitors, Simpson had a
pained look on his face, clenched his jaw and
looked away.
Relatives of the defendant and the victims, as
well as of the judge and lawyers squeezed into
the small courtroom along with a large gallery of
news reporters on hand for the long-awaited
opening round of evidence and testimony.
But the squabbling over the videotape and the
witness list delayed opening statements again.
Simpson’s bid to address jurors is not un
precedented; other defendants have given open
ing statements. One was black activist Angela
Davis, who was acquitted in June 1972 of
charges she helped plan a Aug. ‘7, 1970, Marin
County courthouse escape in which a judge, two
convicts and an accomplice were slain.
Simpson’s written request to show jurors
"physical scars, injuries and limitations” ap
pears to indicate he hopes to show he was
physically incapable of committing the crimes.
The prosecution strongly objected to the idea
of Simpson taking to jurors and to show his
scars. Ito put off until Tuesday any decision on
Simpson’s requests.
Bumping umbrellas with the taste
less, welcome to Simpson madness
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In
side, the main event had yet
to begin. Outside, the
sideshow was well under way.
"O.J. the Juice. Guilty of
abuse!” Ann
the fact that this goes on all
the time,” Summa told re
porters, pushing back her sog
gy cardboard mask. "We’re re
ally serious about this.”
Summa chanted
as she and other
members of the
Women’s Action
Coalition demon
strated against
domestic violence
across the street
from the Los An
geles County
Criminal Courts
Building.
Driving rain soaked the
group’s Nicole Brown Simpson
masks and drenched the
gawkers, hawkers, street
preachers, screaming tran
sients and lawyers trying to
get to work Monday.
Some were grimly intense.
"Were trying to underscore
He clutched a montage of
pencil drawings depicting
Simpson in various stages of
his life: football legend. Hertz
company spokesman and first-
degree murder de
fendant. -
"Tm just trying to make a buck off
these T-shirts. I don't care what people
say. I'll sell 'em anyway."
Floating above a
sea of tackiness,
and easily the most
tacky, was the
blonde, papier-
r • r-x a rr tti&che doll with
—Jamie DeJvlatOjj, bloody knives stick-
Simpson trial shirt salesperson ir } g out itj a , n ° b ~
r __ 1 vious effigy of Ms.
Simpson.
Jamie DeMatoff was selling
T-Shirts with "O.J. Simpson
Trial” emblazoned across the
scales of justice.
"They say this is the trial of
the century,” DeMatoff said.
"I’m just trying to make a
buck off these T-shirts. I don’t
care what people say. I’ll sell
’em anyway.”
Others acknowledged they
didn’t really care whether O.J.
Simpson killed his ex-wife and
her friend Ronald Goldman.
"I’m not supporting or
against him,” said an artist
who gave his name only as
Dooney. “This is all about
self-promotion and good-old
capitalism.”
Today
Mostly sunny and mild with a
high near 60. East southeast
winds 5-10 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy and cool. Low near
44. Light, southeasterly winds.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy and continued mild.
High near 63. South southeast
winds 5-10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Widely scattered showers
beginning early. Low near 48.
Source - A&M Chapter of the American Meteorological Society
Thursday
Cloudy with scattered showers
and thunderstorms. High near 62.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE CONCERTS
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.. . ' «
:v :
Iiawl
an nawne
julie delpy
Can the greatest romance of your life
last only one night?
jBieipoikjb
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