📄 Direct examination of Bill Renken — Wednesday, November 6, 1996
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\NOV\6\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-BILL-REN.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 10 of 57

Direct examination of Bill Renken

Witness: Bill Renken
Examiner: Peter Gelblum
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 • Utterances: 46
Plaintiffs' counsel Peter Gelblum read prior testimony from photographer Bill Renken, who took photographs of O.J. Simpson at a post-game interview in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 6, 1991. The photos show Simpson wearing gloves and were introduced into evidence as Plaintiffs' Exhibits 641 and 644-653. This testimony is part of the glove thread — establishing what gloves Simpson was wearing years before the murders.
1 MR. GELBLUM:

Next witness is a gentleman by the name of Bill Renken.

Would you spell your name, please.

2 (Continued reading as follows:)
3 MR. BAKER:

Would you read it correctly, please.

4 MR. GELBLUM:

It says "of the defendant." (Reading.)

"Q. Did you take photographs of the defendant during that game?

"A. Yes, I did.

"Q. How far away were you from him when you took those photographs?

"A. I'd say approximately, roughly, ten to maybe fifteen feet away.

"Q. And did you cause one of those photographs to be enlarged?

"A. Yes.

5 MR. GELBLUM:

Put 641 up, please.

"Q. I show you Exhibit 641, which --

6 THE REPORTER:

What is the exhibit number, please?

7 MR. GELBLUM:

I will, in one minute,

8 (Continued reading as follows:)
9 (The instrument herein referred to as a small vertical photograph of O.J. Simpson with Boomer Esiason taken by Bill Renken January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 641.)
10 MR. GELBLUM:

Do you have this on you?

Can you put this on the Elmo.

11 (Reading:)
12 MR. GELBLUM:

You can put that down.

13 (Reading:)
14 (Continued reading as follows:)
15 (The instrument herein referred to as photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a microphone conducting interview with Boomer Esiason standing behind O.J. Simpson, taken by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 644.)
16 (The instrument herein referred to as Vertical photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a blue umbrella, taken by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 645.)
17 (The instrument herein referred to as Horizontal photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a blue umbrella, taken by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 646.)
18 (Continued reading as follows:)
19 (Continued reading as follows:)
20 MR. GELBLUM:

Could you zoom in on the gloves. (Mr. Foster complies.)

KEY QUOTE
21 (Reading:)
22 (The instrument herein referred to as photograph of O.J. Simpson wearing gloves, similar photo to exhibit 644, taken by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991 without artificial lighting, in Cicinnati, Ohio, was marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit No. 647.)
23 MR. GELBLUM:

And this is how it reads in the transcript, Your Honor:

24 (Continued reading as follows:)
25 MR. GELBLUM:

Steve, could you put up one after the other, 648 through 653.

26 MR. BAKER:

Where are you reading?

27 MR. GELBLUM:

Page 45004, middle of the page.

28 MR. GELBLUM:

Is this the second one?

29 MR. FOSTER:

This is 649.

30 MR. GELBLUM:

This is 649. The last one was 648.

31 (The instruments herein referred to as Series of photographs taken of O.J. Simpson similar photo to exhibit 644 by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, at a post-game interview, were marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit Nos. 648, 649, respectively.)
32 (The instruments herein referred to as Series of photographs taken of O.J. Simpson interviewing Boomer Esiason, by Bill Renken on January 6, 1991, in Cicinnati, Ohio, at a post-game interview, were marked for identification as Plaintiffs' Exhibit Nos. 650, 651, 652, and 653, respectively.)
33 (Continued reading as follows:)
34 MR. GELBLUM:

I'd like to move into evidence, Your Honor, 641, and then 644 through 653.

35 THE COURT:

Received.

36 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 641 was received in evidence.)
37 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 644 was received in evidence.)
38 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 645 was received in evidence.)
39 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 646 was received in evidence.)
40 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 647 was received in evidence.)
41 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 648 was received in evidence.)
42 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 649 was received in evidence.)
43 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 650 was received in evidence.)
44 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 651 was received in evidence.)
45 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 652 was received in evidence.)
46 (The instrument previously marked as Plaintiffs' Exhibit 653 was received in evidence.)

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Peter Gelblum
Q. Did you take photographs of the defendant during that game? A. Yes, I did. Q. How far away were you from him when you took those photographs? A. I'd say approximately, roughly, ten to maybe fifteen feet away.
Establishes the photographer's proximity and ability to document Simpson's gloves clearly.
Peter Gelblum
Could you zoom in on the gloves.
Explicitly signals the evidentiary purpose of these photos — showing the type of gloves Simpson habitually wore.

Evidence (6)

Plaintiffs' 641
Small vertical photograph of O.J. Simpson with Boomer Esiason, taken January 6, 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio
introduced and received
Plaintiffs' 644
Photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a microphone conducting interview with Boomer Esiason standing behind him, January 6, 1991
introduced and received
Plaintiffs' 645
Vertical photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a blue umbrella, January 6, 1991
introduced and received
Plaintiffs' 646
Horizontal photograph of O.J. Simpson holding a blue umbrella, January 6, 1991
introduced and received
Plaintiffs' 647
Photograph of O.J. Simpson wearing gloves, similar to exhibit 644, taken without artificial lighting, January 6, 1991
introduced and received
Plaintiffs' 648-653
Series of photographs of O.J. Simpson at post-game interview with Boomer Esiason, January 6, 1991
introduced and received

Notable Exchanges (1)

Peter GelblumRobert Baker
Baker briefly challenged Gelblum's reading of the transcript ('Would you read it correctly, please'), to which Gelblum corrected the record — the text read 'of the defendant.'
procedural dispute

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 8177 • 46 utterances • Plaintiff witness
Civil Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 NOV 6, 1996 📄 Direct examination of Bill Ren
NOV 6, 1996 KRT DvH TD