Re-redirect examination of Arnelle Simpson

📄 Re-redirect examination of Arnelle Simpson — Tuesday, January 14, 1997

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1997\JAN\14\RE-REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-ARN.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 41 of 57

◀ Cross-examination of Arnelle Simpson (part 1) Cross-examination of Arnelle Simpson (part 2) ▶

Witness: Arnelle Simpson
Examiner: Dan Leonard
Called by: Defense • Date: Tuesday, January 14, 1997 • Utterances: 32

Petrocelli recrosses Arnelle Simpson to clarify her prior criminal trial testimony about the 40-second alarm delay on the rear door of the Rockingham estate. He uses the Elmo to display her criminal trial transcript and walks her through the specific mechanics — entering through the rear door triggers a 40-second window to disarm the alarm at the keypad near the maid's room or at other interior keypads. The exchange pins down the layout of the alarm system and corrects any ambiguity about arming versus disarming.

# 1 A:

It's my normal practice, like, during the week, if Gigi is home, to go through the back door. If I know on the weekend that she's not there, it is my practice to go to the front door, either at night or in the morning.

# 2 Q:

That's what you did that morning?

# 3 A:

Exactly.

# 4 MR. LEONARD:

I don't have any further questions. RECROSS-EXAMINATION BY

# 5 Q:

Now, in the criminal trial, when you were asked about this 40-second delay, you were specifically asked about entering through the rear door and disarming the house -- disarming the alarm from the inside of the house, correct?

# 6 A:

Repeat that.

# 7 Q:

You were specifically asked, when you answered the question about the 40-second delay about entering the house through the rear door and disarming the alarm from the inside of the house, correct, not arming it when you leave the house, but this disarming it when you enter the house. That was your testimony in the criminal trial?

# 8 A:

You're asking me that?

# 9 Q:

Yes. That was what you were asked and those were the answers that you gave, right?

# 10 A:

I'm confused. Please bear with me.

KEY QUOTE

# 11 Q:

Okay. No problem.

# 12 MR. PETROCELLI:

Can you put this on the Elmo, Steve. (Copy of criminal trial testimony displayed on the Elmo screen.)

# 13 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) Can you see that, Ms. Simpson?

# 14 A:

Yes, I can.

# 15 Q:

Okay. And those were the questions and answers that you gave at the criminal trial? (Witness reviews transcript.)

# 16 Q:

And you see the reference to the maid's room?

# 17 A:

Um-hum.

# 18 Q:

Now, outside the maid's room, where the laundry room is, that's on the outside of the inside of the house?

# 19 A:

Yes.

# 20 Q:

And going to that key pad, when you enter the rear door, if the alarm is on, you can disarm the alarm from the key pad on the inside of the house that's near the maid's room, right?

# 21 A:

That room or the front door.

KEY QUOTE

# 22 Q:

Or the front door?

# 23 A:

Yes.

# 24 Q:

In fact, there's one upstairs?

# 25 A:

Yes.

# 26 MR. LEONARD:

Object. Beyond the scope. He is now talking about a different door.

# 27 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 28 Q:

(BY MR. PETROCELLI) So if you enter through the rear door, you have 40 seconds to get to a key pad to disarm the alarm, correct?

KEY QUOTE

# 29 A:

Yes.

# 30 Q:

And the maid's room has a key pad in it for the alarm, right? Not in the maid's room, but just outside it?

# 31 A:

Yeah.

# 32 Q:

And what you were talking about is how you disarm the alarm from the inside of the house when you enter through the rear door, because the rear door has a 40-second delay on it, as you laid out in your testimony in the criminal trial, correct?

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Arnelle Simpson

I'm confused. Please bear with me.

Signals difficulty tracking Petrocelli's line of questioning, which he was using to reconcile her civil testimony with her prior criminal trial answers about the alarm delay.

Arnelle Simpson

That room or the front door.

Confirms multiple keypad locations exist inside the house, allowing disarming from different entry points — relevant to reconstructing OJ's possible movements.

Daniel Petrocelli

So if you enter through the rear door, you have 40 seconds to get to a key pad to disarm the alarm, correct?

The core point Petrocelli is establishing — the rear door's 40-second delay is a fixed constraint on the timeline of entry and exit from Rockingham.

Evidence (1)

Informal

Copy of Arnelle Simpson's criminal trial testimony displayed on the Elmo screen

displayed to witness for comparison with civil trial testimony

Notable Exchanges (2)

Daniel Petrocelli•Arnelle Simpson

Petrocelli walks Arnelle through her criminal trial transcript on the Elmo to lock in that her prior testimony was specifically about disarming the alarm upon entering through the rear door — not arming it upon leaving.

strategic

Robert Leonard•Judge Fujisaki

Leonard objects that Petrocelli's question about an upstairs keypad goes beyond the scope of redirect; Fujisaki overrules.

routine

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Arnelle Simpson

prior inconsistent statement / clarification via transcript

Petrocelli uses Arnelle's own criminal trial testimony, displayed on the Elmo, to establish that her answer about the 40-second delay was specifically about disarming the alarm when entering through the rear door — preempting any softening of that testimony in the civil context.

Witness Demeanor

(Witness reviews transcript.)

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 8794 • 32 utterances • Defense witness

Civil Trial

Department 103