Direct examination of Karen Crawford

📄 Direct examination of Karen Crawford — Friday, October 25, 1996

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\OCT\25\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-KAREN-CR.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 3 of 57

◀ Exhibit admission: Crawford Cross-examination of Karen Crawford ▶

Witness: Karen Crawford
Examiner: Daniel Petrocelli
Called by: Plaintiff • Date: Friday, October 25, 1996 • Utterances: 180

Karen Crawford, bartender and Sunday manager at Mezzaluna, testifies about Ron Goldman's movements on the evening of June 12, 1994. She establishes the timeline: Nicole's party left around 8:30-9:00, Judy Brown called at 9:37 to report lost glasses, Nicole then called asking if Ron was still there, Ron took the call and subsequently volunteered to drop the glasses at Nicole's house on his way to meet friends at Baja Cantina. Crawford last saw Ron Goldman leave through the Gorham side exit at 9:50 PM.

# 1 MR. PETROCELLI:

Call Karen Crawford, Your Honor. KAREN CRAWFORD, called as a witness on behalf of Plaintiff Goldman, was duly sworn and testified as follows:

# 2 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?

# 3 KAREN CRAWFORD:

I do.

# 4 THE CLERK:

Thank you. Please be seated. And would you please state and spell your name for the record.

# 5 KAREN CRAWFORD:

Karen Crawford: K-A-R-E-N, C-R-A-W-F-O-R-D.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. PETROCELLI:

# 6 Q:

Thank you, Your Honor. Good morning.

# 7 A:

Hi.

# 8 Q:

You used to work at Mezzaluna?

# 9 A:

I did.

# 10 Q:

Did you work there on June 12, 1994?

# 11 A:

Yes, I did.

# 12 Q:

What was your position there at the time?

# 13 A:

I was bartender and I was the Sunday manager.

# 14 Q:

Did Ron Goldman work there?

# 15 A:

He did.

# 16 Q:

And did he work there on June 12, 1994?

# 17 A:

Yes, he did.

# 18 Q:

What day was that?

# 19 A:

That was a Sunday.

# 20 Q:

And what was Ron's job that evening?

# 21 A:

Ron was a waiter.

# 22 Q:

Okay. And were there other people working there, as well?

# 23 A:

There were, yes.

# 24 Q:

Including Stewart Tanner?

# 25 A:

Stewart was bartending.

# 26 Q:

Now, at some point -- well, let me ask you this first: You recognized Ronald Goldman from working with him, right?

# 27 A:

Yes.

# 28 Q:

Can you see the photograph there?

# 29 A:

Yes.

# 30 Q:

Looking at Exhibit 19, that is a picture of Mr. Goldman?

# 31 A:

Yes, it is.

# 32 Q:

Okay. Did you recognize, as of June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson?

# 33 A:

Yes.

# 34 Q:

And looking at Exhibit 21, is that a picture of her?

# 35 A:

That's her.

# 36 Q:

Now, had Nicole come into the restaurant from time to time?

# 37 A:

Yeah, she did.

# 38 Q:

Okay. Did she come in on the evening of June 12?

# 39 A:

Yes.

# 40 Q:

And did she come in with a party of people?

# 41 A:

She came in with several adults and several children.

# 42 Q:

Okay. About how big was the party?

# 43 A:

I'd say 10 or 11.

# 44 Q:

And by the way, did Ron wait on the Brown party that night?

# 45 A:

No, he didn't.

# 46 Q:

You recognize the defendant, Mr. Simpson?

# 47 A:

Yes, I do.

# 48 Q:

Do you see him in the courtroom here?

# 49 A:

Yes.

# 50 Q:

Was he with the Brown party that evening --

# 51 A:

No.

# 52 Q:

-- at Mezzaluna?

# 53 A:

He wasn't.

# 54 Q:

Let me ask you to give us a little geography first. Maybe he'll just put it up here. Hopefully, it won't fall down

(indicating to map of Bundy area). Before I ask you what happened that evening, I'd like you to point to the map which I've marked as Exhibit 18. And I wonder if you could tell us on this map where Mezzaluna is located.

# 55 A:

Should I just get up?

# 56 MR. PETROCELLI:

Yeah. May she approach, Your Honor?

# 57 THE COURT:

Yes.

# 58 A:

Mezzaluna, right here at this corner of San Vicente and Gorham.

# 59 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Right around here?

# 60 A:

Yes.

# 61 Q:

And where did Ron Goldman live, if you know?

# 62 A:

He lived on Gorham Avenue between Mezzaluna and the VA Hospital.

# 63 Q:

Would that be on this side?

# 64 A:

Yes.

# 65 Q:

So here's Mezzaluna, and Mr. Goldman lived on Gorham, in this area, right?

# 66 A:

Yeah.

# 67 Q:

Little farther?

# 68 A:

Somewhere on that street, yeah.

# 69 Q:

Did you know if he he drove or walked to work?

# 70 A:

He walked.

# 71 Q:

You understood he lived a short distance from the restaurant?

# 72 A:

Yes.

# 73 Q:

Okay. That evening, now, do you recall what time Nicole's party left the restaurant?

# 74 A:

What time they left?

# 75 Q:

Yeah.

# 76 A:

They left between 8:30 and 9:00.

# 77 Q:

And that's the last time you saw Nicole Brown Simpson, when she left the restaurant around 8:30 to 9:00?

# 78 A:

Yes.

# 79 Q:

Okay. And sometime after Nicole left, did Ron Goldman punch out?

# 80 A:

Yeah, he did.

# 81 Q:

Do you know what time Ron Goldman punched out?

# 82 A:

He punched out about 9:30.

# 83 Q:

After Ron Goldman punched out, did he leave the restaurant right away, or did he stick around for a time?

# 84 A:

No, he stayed for a while.

# 85 Q:

Do you know what he did?

# 86 A:

He got something to drink and he sat down with a couple of other employees for a few minutes.

# 87 Q:

Okay. Did you then get a phone call?

# 88 A:

Yes.

# 89 Q:

And who called you?

# 90 A:

It was a woman who said she had lost her glasses. When she explained to me where she had been sitting, I realized it was one of the people in Nicole's party.

# 91 Q:

And who do you now understand that person to have been?

# 92 A:

It was Judith Brown.

# 93 Q:

Nicole's mother?

# 94 A:

Nicole's mother.

# 95 Q:

About what time did you get that phone call from Judy Brown?

# 96 A:

It was about 9:30, 9:35.

# 97 MR. PETROCELLI:

Can you focus that a little bit better? Guess not. (Indicating to monitor.) No, up here. Can you see that? It's very out of focus to me. Is it right --

# 98 JUROR:

Yeah.

# 99 MR. LEONARD:

Stipulate that it's 9:37.

# 100 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Let me just show you Exhibit 26. And you will see a phone call at 9:37 p.m. to 477-8667.

# 101 A:

Yes.

# 102 Q:

Is that the number of Mezzaluna?

# 103 A:

Yes, it is.

# 104 Q:

So, Judy Brown called you at 9:37 p.m, right?

# 105 A:

Yes.

# 106 Q:

And you spoke for about two minutes, right?

# 107 A:

Yes.

# 108 Q:

And what did she tell you?

# 109 A:

She had told me that she had lost some glasses. She told me she had been in a large party, and I recognized her voice because of her accent. So I knew the area that she was talking about. I looked around the area where their table was, where they were seated. When I didn't find the glasses there, I went outside to look, because I had seen them get out of the car, and I found the glasses outside.

# 110 Q:

After you found the glasses outside, what did you then do?

# 111 A:

I went back inside and let her know that I had found her glasses.

# 112 Q:

And what did she then say?

# 113 A:

Well, I had asked her when she would be picking them up. And she told me she lived too far away. So I told her that I would put them in an envelope and I would put them in the bar area -- we had a lost-and-found area behind the bar. She told me that she was going to have her daughter pick them up, so I put her daughter's name on it.

# 114 Q:

And that was the end of the call?

# 115 A:

Yes.

# 116 Q:

Let me show you an envelope and some glasses, please. A photo of this has been marked as Exhibit 25.

# 117 (The instrument herein described was marked for identification as Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 25.)

# 118 Q:

Putting the envelope and glasses in front of you, do you recognize the glasses?

# 119 A:

Yes.

# 120 Q:

Are those the glasses that you picked up at the curb, outside of the restaurant?

# 121 A:

Yeah.

# 122 Q:

And those are the glasses that you put in the envelope?

# 123 A:

Yes.

# 124 Q:

And is that the envelope that you put the glasses in?

# 125 A:

Yes.

# 126 Q:

And is that your handwriting?

# 127 A:

That's my handwriting.

# 128 Q:

What does it say?

# 129 A:

It says "Prescription glasses. Nicole Simpson will pick up Monday."

# 130 Q:

Okay. And what did you do with this envelope after you put the glasses in and wrote down Nicole's name?

# 131 A:

I put it behind the bar in our lost-and-found area.

# 132 Q:

What happened next?

# 133 A:

I got another phone call, and it was Nicole. She had -- she identified herself by saying that her mother had just talked to me. And I asked her when she would be picking up the glasses. And then I believe I asked her when. She wanted to know if Ron was still working. And I put her on hold and told Ron, You have a phone call. She actually said, is Ron still working, or is Ron still there. So I put her on hold and told Ron he had a phone call.

# 134 Q:

And then did Ron take the call?

# 135 A:

Yes, he did.

# 136 Q:

When Ron took the call, where did he come from?

# 137 A:

I believe he was sitting at the table by the front door.

# 138 Q:

Talking to some other people?

# 139 A:

Yes.

# 140 Q:

Did you see Ron speak on the phone to Nicole?

# 141 A:

I saw him speak, yes.

# 142 Q:

Okay. You could tell he was speaking?

# 143 A:

Yes.

# 144 Q:

Could you overhear the conversation?

# 145 A:

No, I couldn't hear what he was saying.

# 146 Q:

And after, you saw Ron hang up the phone?

# 147 A:

Oh, yes, I did.

# 148 Q:

And after he hung up the phone, what did you then see Ron do?

# 149 A:

He hung around for a couple of minutes talking to people, and then he asked me to to give him the glasses.

# 150 Q:

So he left the phone near you, went and talked to some folks again, and then came back?

# 151 A:

Yes.

# 152 Q:

And then asked for the glasses?

# 153 A:

Yeah. He told me he would drop them off -- he was going to drop them off at Nicole's, and asked me if I would give them to him.

# 154 Q:

And did he tell you what his plans were?

# 155 A:

He said he was going to drop them off at her house on his way to Baja Cantina.

KEY QUOTE

# 156 Q:

Did he tell you why he was going to Baja Cantina?

# 157 A:

Yeah. He was meeting a couple guys from work at Baja after work.

# 158 Q:

What happened next, after Ron said -- You gave Ron the glasses?

# 159 A:

I did.

# 160 Q:

And then what happened?

# 161 A:

He said good-bye to some people, and then he left.

# 162 Q:

What time was it, Ms. Crawford, when Ron left?

# 163 A:

He left at ten minutes to 10:00.

KEY QUOTE

# 164 Q:

And how do you know that?

# 165 A:

Well, my friend was at Mezzaluna, and he wanted to rent a video. And I thought I would call and see if the video store was open, because it was Sunday, and I thought maybe they would close early. And I specifically remember looking at my watch right after -- you know, right after Ron left. And I thought I would call, because I thought they might be closing at 10:00, so I called. And that he's how I remember.

# 166 Q:

Okay. So you saw Ron leave the restaurant at ten to 10:00?

# 167 A:

Yeah.

# 168 Q:

And you saw him go out the door?

# 169 A:

I saw him go out the door.

# 170 Q:

Toward which street?

# 171 A:

He left on the side doors that exit out to Gorham.

# 172 Q:

And that's where he lived, right, on Gorham?

# 173 A:

He lived on Gorham, yeah.

# 174 Q:

What was Ron wearing when he left?

# 175 A:

He had on his dark pants and white shirt. He had taken off some of his uniform, the vest.

# 176 Q:

The dark pants and white shirt are part of the waiter's uniform that Ron wore that evening?

# 177 A:

Yes.

# 178 Q:

Okay. And when Ron left the restaurant at ten to 10:00 in his waiter's uniform, is that the last time you saw him alive?

# 179 A:

Yeah, that's the last time.

KEY QUOTE

# 180 MR. PETROCELLI:

Thank you very much.

CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. LEONARD:

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Karen Crawford

He said he was going to drop them off at her house on his way to Baja Cantina.

Establishes Ron Goldman's stated plan and destination, explaining why he would have been at Nicole's condo that night.

Karen Crawford

He left at ten minutes to 10:00.

Pins down Ron Goldman's departure time with specificity, anchoring the prosecution timeline of when he would have arrived at Bundy.

Karen Crawford

It says 'Prescription glasses. Nicole Simpson will pick up Monday.'

Her own handwriting on the envelope corroborates her account and explains the origin of the glasses delivery errand.

Karen Crawford

Yeah, that's the last time.

Final line of direct — emotionally closing the last confirmed sighting of Ron Goldman alive.

Evidence (5)

Plaintiff's 18

Map of the Bundy area showing Mezzaluna's location at San Vicente and Gorham

Used to establish geography — witness approached to point out Mezzaluna and Goldman's residence on Gorham Avenue

Plaintiff's 19

Photograph of Ron Goldman

Identified by Crawford

Plaintiff's 21

Photograph of Nicole Brown Simpson

Identified by Crawford

Plaintiff's 25

Envelope with Crawford's handwriting ('Prescription glasses. Nicole Simpson will pick up Monday.') and Nicole Brown Simpson's glasses

Introduced and identified — physical evidence of glasses and chain of custody from restaurant to Goldman

Plaintiff's 26

Phone records showing a call at 9:37 p.m. to Mezzaluna's number (477-8667)

Used to corroborate Crawford's recollection of Judy Brown's call; defense stipulated to the 9:37 time

Notable Exchanges (2)

Dan Leonard•Daniel Petrocelli

Defense stipulated that the phone call to Mezzaluna occurred at 9:37 p.m. before Petrocelli could formally introduce phone records, cutting off a potential evidentiary step.

strategic

Daniel Petrocelli•Karen Crawford

Crawford explains her precise memory of the 9:50 departure time — she was checking whether a video store was still open for her friend, causing her to look at her watch right after Goldman left.

revealing

Light Moments (1)

Daniel Petrocelli

Petrocelli jokes about the map display: 'Hopefully, it won't fall down' and fumbles with an out-of-focus monitor before the defense stipulates to the time.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 8017 • 180 utterances • Plaintiff witness

Civil Trial

Department 103