Direct examination of Donna Estes

📄 Direct examination of Donna Estes — Tuesday, December 3, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\3\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-DONNA-ES.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 24 of 57

◀ Cross-examination of Jackie Cooper Cross-examination of Donna Estes ▶

Witness: Donna Estes
Examiner: Daniel Petrocelli
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Tuesday, December 3, 1996 • Utterances: 52

Donna Estes, a social acquaintance of OJ and Nicole since 1988, testified about two encounters with OJ in the weeks before the murders. At a Memorial Day weekend dinner in LaQuinta, OJ arrived alone — he had just fought with Paula Barbieri after admitting he was still in love with Nicole — and spent roughly 20 minutes talking about Nicole, expressing both affection and frustration. Weeks later at the House of Blues, OJ asked Estes to keep his relationship with Paula (and the bracelet he'd just given her) secret from Nicole.

# 1 DONNA ESTES:

I do.

# 2 THE CLERK:

Please be seated. And if you would, please state and spell your name.

# 3 DONNA ESTES:

Donna Estes, D-O-N-N-A, E-S-T-E-S.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. PETROCELLI:

# 4 Q:

Good afternoon, Mrs. Estes. As of June 12, 1994, did you know O.J. Simpson?

# 5 A:

Yes.

# 6 Q:

And how long had you known him?

# 7 A:

I met them in 1988.

# 8 Q:

When you say you met "them," you referring to O.J. Simpson and Nicole?

# 9 A:

O.J. and Nicole.

# 10 Q:

And what was the nature of your relationship with Mr. Simpson and Nicole from 1988 to 1994?

# 11 A:

Social acquaintances. Maybe a little more. I was quite friendly with Nicole and both O.J.

# 12 Q:

Did you ever go on any trips with them out of town?

# 13 A:

We went to Acapulco for Nicole's 30th birthday in 1989.

# 14 Q:

How many people went on that trip?

# 15 A:

It was O.J. and Nicole and two other couples, including me.

# 16 Q:

And that was Nicole's 30th birthday, you say?

# 17 A:

Right.

# 18 Q:

Okay.

Were you with Mr. Simpson on the weekend of May 28, May 29, 1994, Memorial Day weekend?

# 19 A:

Yes, I was.

# 20 Q:

Was that at LaQuinta?

# 21 A:

Yes.

# 22 Q:

Why were you there?

# 23 A:

It was a group of friends went down to celebrate someone's birthday, so we went down for a long weekend.

# 24 Q:

Is that the birthday of Gail Austin?

# 25 A:

Yes.

# 26 Q:

Alan --

# 27 A:

Alan Austin's wife.

# 28 Q:

Alan Austin. And Alan Austin is a mutual friend of yours and Mr. Simpson?

# 29 A:

Right.

# 30 Q:

You saw Mr. Simpson at dinner that night?

# 31 A:

Yes.

# 32 Q:

Okay.

And how many folks were seated around the table, approximately?

# 33 A:

Approximately 10.

# 34 Q:

It was in a restaurant in LaQuinta?

# 35 A:

Right.

# 36 Q:

And at some point, Mr. Simpson joined the table?

# 37 A:

Yes. He came to the table. Everyone was seated, and O.J. came in. He came in late. And he came in without Paula Barbieri, who had come down to the resort with him. I had seen them in the morning and they said, we'll see you at dinner. When dinner came, O.J. came in alone.

# 38 Q:

What did Mr. Simpson say to you when he sat down?

# 39 A:

He sat down next to me and he explained that he and Paula had got into a fight because Paula asked him if he was still in love with Nicole, and he said yes, he was. And she left.

KEY QUOTE

# 40 Q:

Did he say anything more about Paula the remainder of the evening?

# 41 A:

He really didn't talk very much about Paula. He spent quite a bit of time speaking of Nicole. In fact, for maybe 20 minutes, he just continued talking about Nicole.

# 42 Q:

And what did he say about Nicole, if you can remember?

# 43 A:

He was saying things like how lucky he was that she was such a good mother to his children, and that the best day he can think of would be going to Disneyland with Nicole and the two children.

He also talked about Nicole liking to go out dancing, and that Nicole would rather go out dancing and wearing short skirts and see who notices her, than to just spend a quiet evening at home.

# 44 Q:

And is it fair to say he expressed both displeasure and good feelings about her?

# 45 A:

Oh, yes.

# 46 Q:

After that evening, did you then run into Mr. Simpson a few lights nights later?

# 47 A:

Yes, I saw him at the House of Blues.

# 48 Q:

What is the House of Blues?

# 49 A:

The House of Blues is a -- it's sort of a nightclub that plays live music, and they were having -- it's dinner and music -- they were having dinner outside, and I was having dinner with another couple, and we were all friends, so we joined his bigger party later in the evening.

# 50 Q:

And did Mr. Simpson say anything to you that evening?

# 51 A:

When I joined them at the table, I sat down for a few minutes next to Paula, who had -- who showed me a bracelet that O.J. had just given her. And at one point, O.J. got up and left the table, and came by and just mentioned to me, don't say anything to Nicole about the bracelet or about Palm Springs.

# 52 MR. PETROCELLI:

No further questions.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Donna Estes

He sat down next to me and he explained that he and Paula had got into a fight because Paula asked him if he was still in love with Nicole, and he said yes, he was. And she left.

OJ's own words, relayed firsthand, admitting he was still in love with Nicole just two weeks before the murders.

Donna Estes

The best day he can think of would be going to Disneyland with Nicole and the two children.

Illustrates OJ's idealized, possessive fixation on Nicole and the family unit she no longer wanted with him.

Donna Estes

Nicole would rather go out dancing and wearing short skirts and see who notices her, than to just spend a quiet evening at home.

Shows the flip side — OJ's displeasure and resentment toward Nicole's independence, the classic pattern of the controlling partner.

Donna Estes

O.J. got up and left the table, and came by and just mentioned to me, don't say anything to Nicole about the bracelet or about Palm Springs.

Reveals OJ was still actively managing what Nicole knew about his life — monitoring and controlling information flow even while supposedly separated.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Daniel Petrocelli•Donna Estes

Petrocelli walked Estes through OJ's 20-minute monologue about Nicole at the LaQuinta dinner — alternating between idealizing her as a mother and resenting her social independence. The structure builds a portrait of obsessive, ambivalent attachment.

revealing

Daniel Petrocelli•Donna Estes

The House of Blues incident: OJ gifts Paula a bracelet, then privately instructs Estes to hide both the bracelet and the Palm Springs trip from Nicole — weeks before the murders.

strategic

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 8444 • 52 utterances • Plaintiff witness

Civil Trial

Department 103