Direct examination of Jackie Cooper

📄 Direct examination of Jackie Cooper — Tuesday, December 3, 1996

Address:

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

TRIAL

▲ Day 24 of 57

◀ Sidebar: motions Cross-examination of Jackie Cooper ▶

Witness: Jackie Cooper
Examiner: Robert Baker
Called by: Defense • Date: Tuesday, December 3, 1996 • Utterances: 91

Jackie Cooper, a tennis professional and long-time friend of OJ Simpson, testified about spending Memorial Day weekend 1994 with Simpson — roughly 36 hours before the murders. Cooper described Simpson as sad, upset, and repeatedly preoccupied with Nicole having broken up with him, talking about her during a four-hour golf round, a one-hour phone call, and over dinner.

# 1 THE CLERK:

You do solemnly swear that the testimony you may give in the cause now pending before this Court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

# 2 JACKIE COOPER:

I do.

# 3 THE CLERK:

Sir, if you would, please state and spell your name for the record.

# 4 JACKIE COOPER:

My name is Jackie Cooper, J-A-C-K-I-E C-O-O-P-E-R.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. PETROCELLI:

# 5 Q:

Good afternoon Mr. Cooper.

# 6 A:

Hello.

# 7 Q:

What do you for a living?

# 8 A:

I'm a tennis professional.

# 9 Q:

And in June of 1994, what did you do for a living?

# 10 A:

I was the director of tennis at LaQuinta Hotel in the Palm Springs area.

# 11 Q:

How long have you known O.J. Simpson?

# 12 A:

Approximately 15 years.

# 13 Q:

And are you also friends with Allen Cowlings?

# 14 A:

Yes, sir.

# 15 Q:

Pretty good friends?

# 16 A:

Very good friends.

# 17 Q:

And how long have you known Mr. Cowlings?

# 18 A:

From the same amount of time, 15 years.

# 19 Q:

Just generally describe to the jury the nature of your relationship with Mr. Simpson over the years.

MR. P. BAKER: Vague, Judge.

# 20 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 21 A:

As a result of me being a tennis pro and a friend of AC, I got to know O.J.; I got to know his kids; we played tennis together when he played tennis, and we played golf together when we played golf, and we did some things socially together.

# 22 Q:

So you considered him, in June of 1994, to be a friend?

# 23 A:

Yes, sir.

# 24 Q:

And you believe he considered you to be a friend?

# 25 A:

Yes.

# 26 Q:

Now, do you recall being with Mr. Simpson on the weekend of, I guess it's May 28, May 29, 1994, Memorial Day weekend?

# 27 A:

Yes.

# 28 Q:

And when were you with Mr. Simpson on Saturday?

# 29 A:

We had a 6:00 a.m. tee time, so I was with him in the morning.

# 30 Q:

Played a round of golf with him?

# 31 A:

We played 18 holes.

# 32 Q:

You shared a golf cart with him?

# 33 A:

Yes.

# 34 Q:

How long was your time together playing golf?

# 35 A:

Approximately four hours.

# 36 Q:

And after golf, did you have occasion to see him at all that day?

# 37 A:

Yes. We had lunch after golf.

# 38 Q:

Then after lunch?

# 39 A:

After lunch, he came to my house to play golf again, to play another 18 holes, and --

# 40 Q:

Did you play?

# 41 A:

I didn't play because I was -- it was hot and I was tired.

# 42 Q:

And then he went off to do his thing?

# 43 A:

Yes; he went to play golf.

# 44 Q:

And did you then have occasion to speak with him after his golf round in the afternoon?

# 45 A:

After his round, he called -- he called me.

# 46 Q:

On the telephone?

# 47 A:

Yes.

# 48 Q:

And how long did you speak on the phone?

# 49 A:

We talked for approximately one hour, if not a little more.

# 50 Q:

And then, after you got off the phone, were you with him anymore that evening?

# 51 A:

Yes. We had dinner together at LaQuinta Hotel.

# 52 Q:

Just the two of you?

# 53 A:

No; it was a party of, I would guess, ten people.

# 54 Q:

Friends of both of yourself?

# 55 A:

Yes. More friends of his than mine.

# 56 Q:

Okay.

Now, so you spent a goodly amount of time with Mr. Simpson that day?

# 57 A:

Yes, sir.

# 58 Q:

Okay.

Now, going back to the morning when you played golf with him, did he talk to you at all about Nicole?

# 59 A:

Yes, he did.

# 60 Q:

What did he say?

# 61 A:

He said that she had broken up with him and it was different this time; that it was final; that she had -- he told me that she really meant it this time, I guess. Maybe not verbatim; that's the message that I got.

KEY QUOTE

# 62 Q:

And what was his --

MR. P. BAKER: Move to strike as nonresponsive.

# 63 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 64 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) What reaction did Mr. Simpson express to you, to Nicole having broken off the relationship?

# 65 A:

I think that he was sad. I think that he was upset and in distress.

MR. P. BAKER: Move to strike as nonresponsive.

KEY QUOTE

# 66 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 67 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) How did he indicate being upset and distressed to you?

# 68 A:

I think by -- maybe that he was repetitive in talking about it a lot.

# 69 Q:

Did you try to talk him out of it, sir?

# 70 A:

Talk him out of what?

# 71 Q:

Did you try to talk him out of his feelings or change his feelings in any way?

# 72 A:

I felt for him, and I tried to help him -- my advice to him was to go on with his life.

# 73 MR. BAKER:

Your Honor, I move to strike. It's nonresponsive, irrelevant, and immaterial.

# 74 THE COURT:

It's stricken.

# 75 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Did he basically talk to you about Nicole pretty much the entire golf round?

# 76 MR. BAKER:

I object. That's leading.

# 77 THE COURT:

Sustained.

# 78 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) What did he mainly talk to you about for the four hours that you were playing golf?

# 79 A:

I think off and on, it came up a lot about Nicole.

KEY QUOTE

# 80 Q:

By the way, was he there with a date that weekend?

# 81 A:

Yes.

# 82 Q:

And who was that?

# 83 A:

Paula.

# 84 Q:

When you spoke to him between 6:00 and 7:00 in the evening before dinner -- you said he called you?

# 85 A:

Yes.

# 86 Q:

And in the course of that hour, what did he talk about?

# 87 A:

The first thing he told me is that Paula had gone back home, and then we talked about Nicole.

KEY QUOTE

# 88 Q:

For the hour?

# 89 A:

Yes.

# 90 Q:

Okay.

# 91 MR. PETROCELLI:

No further questions, Your Honor.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Jackie Cooper

He said that she had broken up with him and it was different this time; that it was final; that she had -- he told me that she really meant it this time.

Establishes that Simpson knew Nicole considered the breakup permanent, just weeks before her death — relevant to motive.

Jackie Cooper

I think that he was sad. I think that he was upset and in distress.

Cooper's characterization of Simpson's emotional state, framing him as consumed by the loss of Nicole.

Jackie Cooper

I think off and on, it came up a lot about Nicole.

Shows Nicole dominated Simpson's thoughts throughout the entire golf round, despite being there with Paula Barbieri.

Jackie Cooper

The first thing he told me is that Paula had gone back home, and then we talked about Nicole.

Even with his girlfriend gone, Simpson's focus shifted immediately back to Nicole during their phone call.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Daniel Petrocelli•Robert Baker

Baker repeatedly moved to strike Cooper's characterizations of Simpson's emotional state as nonresponsive. Fujisaki overruled most but sustained the leading objection and struck Cooper's advice to Simpson about moving on with his life.

strategic

Objections

6 objections (2 sustained, 3 overruled)

Proceeding 8441 • 91 utterances • Defense witness

Civil Trial

Department 103