Recross-examination of William Bodziak (part 2)

📄 Recross-examination of William Bodziak (part 2) — Thursday, November 21, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\NOV\21\RECROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-WILLIAM.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 20 of 57

◀ Redirect examination of William Bodziak (part 2) Witness excused, jury instructions, and adjournment ▶

Witness: William Bodziak
Examiner: Hiroshi Fujisaki
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Thursday, November 21, 1996 • Utterances: 3

A single-question recross in which Baker extracts a concession from FBI footwear examiner Bodziak: he cannot state to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty that the shoes visible in a photograph are size 12. The exchange takes less than a minute and ends immediately after the admission.

# 1 Q:

One question.

You can't give an opinion to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty that the shoes in that photograph are size 12, can you?

KEY QUOTE

# 2 A:

No, I cannot.

# 3 Q:

Thank you.

MR. P. BAKER: Nothing further.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

P. Baker

You can't give an opinion to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty that the shoes in that photograph are size 12, can you?

Precisely targeted to undercut the prosecution's shoe-size argument — Bodziak's inability to certify size 12 weakens the link between the Bruno Magli prints and Simpson.

Bodziak

No, I cannot.

A clean, unqualified concession from the government's own footwear expert.

Evidence (1)

Informal

Photograph purportedly showing shoes worn by Simpson

discussed — witness concedes size cannot be certified from it

Notable Exchanges (1)

P. Baker•Bodziak

Baker lands a single, surgical question and gets an unambiguous 'No, I cannot' before immediately passing the witness back.

strategic

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Bodziak

scope of expertise / limits of opinion

Baker forces Bodziak to acknowledge the boundary of his expert opinion — he cannot certify shoe size from a photograph to the scientific certainty standard required.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 8376 • 3 utterances • Plaintiff witness

Civil Trial

Department 103