Carl Douglas cross-examines Ron Shipp by challenging the extent of his friendship with OJ Simpson through questions about games, golf, meals, and socializing as couples. Shipp qualifies one meal as a late brunch but also says he had dined alone with Simpson and describes them as pretty good friends. He calls himself one of Simpson's 'servants,' explaining that he performed police-related favors and loved him. Douglas also probes Shipp's contacts with the Brown family and who he told about the key 'dreams' conversation before coming to the prosecution.
# 1 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. DOUGLAS, YOU MAY CONTINUE.
# 2 MR. DOUGLAS: THANK YOU.
# 3 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: ISN'T IT TRUE, MR. SHIPP, THAT FROM 8:15, THE TIME THAT MR. SIMPSON WENT TO BED, THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE EVENING, SOME MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY SAT WITH HIM IN HIS ROOM BECAUSE HE WAS SO GRIEF STRICKEN?
# 4 A: THAT'S NOT TRUE. SHIRLEY ASKED ME TO GO STAY WITH HIM. SHE DIDN'T WANT O.J. TO BE ALONE. SHE SAID, "YOU STAY UP THERE WITH HIM, RON."
# 5 Q: NOW, MR. SHIPP, LET ME CHANGE THE SUBJECT AND TALK ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH MR. SIMPSON. WERE YOU AND HE CLOSE FRIENDS?
# 6 A: I WOULD SAY WE WERE PRETTY GOOD FRIENDS. WE DIDN'T -- NEVER WENT OUT TO DINNER LIKE ON A REGULAR BASIS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
# 7 Q: DID YOU EVER GO OUT TO DINNER WITH HIM AND YOU, EVER?
# 8 A: WELL, WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO HAVE ME HELP HIM GET BACK WITH NICOLE. HE WAS REAL --
# 9 Q: YOU AND HE WENT OUT TO DINNER?
# 10 A: HE TOOK ME OUT A COUPLE OF TIMES.
# 11 Q: WHERE DID YOU GO?
# 12 A: ONE OF THE PLACES WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HIS OFFICE. I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S THE PIZZA PLACE OVER THERE.
# 13 Q: YOU AND HE WENT ALONE TO DINNER?
# 15 Q: WHAT MONTH WAS THAT IN?
# 16 A: WHENEVER HE -- 1989, WHENEVER -- THE FIRST WEEK AFTER HE AND NICOLE HAD THE ALTERCATION.
# 17 Q: WHEN ELSE DID YOU AND HE EVER GO TO DINNER TOGETHER IN THE 26 YEARS THAT YOU AND HE HAVE BEEN SUPPOSED FRIENDS?
# 18 A: YOU KNOW, MR. DOUGLAS, I'M SORRY. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, OKAY. WHAT HE DID, HE TOOK ME OUT TO -- MAYBE IT WAS A LATE BRUNCH TYPE -- IT WASN'T A DINNER. LATE BRUNCH TYPE OF A THING.
KEY QUOTE # 19 Q: YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A DINNER IN THE PRESENCE OF O.J. SIMPSON ALONE, HAVE YOU?
# 21 Q: O.J. SIMPSON IS A FOOTBALL FAN, ISN'T HE?
# 23 Q: O.J. SIMPSON IS A FOOTBALL FAN, ISN'T HE?
# 24 A: YEAH. HE LOVES FOOTBALL, YES, HE DOES.
# 25 Q: HE GOES TO GAMES A LOT, DOESN'T HE?
# 27 Q: YOU AND O.J. SIMPSON HAVE NEVER ATTENDED A FOOTBALL GAME TOGETHER --
# 29 Q: -- IN THE 26 YEARS THAT HE'S BEEN YOUR SUPPOSED FRIEND, HAVE YOU?
# 31 Q: YOU AND YOUR WIFE HAVE NEVER GONE ON A DOUBLE DATE WITH NICOLE AND O.J. SIMPSON IN THE ENTIRE TIME THAT YOU'VE KNOWN THEM, HAVE YOU?
# 32 A: YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
# 33 Q: YOU AND YOUR WIFE AND HE AND HIS EX-WIFE NEVER WENT TO A MOVIE OR A PLAY OR A CONCERT TOGETHER, THE FOUR OF YOU, HAVE YOU?
# 34 A: MY WIFE AND I WERE INVITED SHORTLY AFTER HE BEAT UP NICOLE.
# 35 MR. DOUGLAS: MOVE TO STRIKE THAT, YOUR HONOR; NONRESPONSIVE.
# 36 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 37 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: YOUR WIFE AND YOU WERE INVITED, BUT YOU NEVER WENT, DID YOU?
# 39 Q: ALL THE TIMES THAT YOU CLAIM THAT YOU WERE OVER HIS HOUSE PLAYING TENNIS, YOU HAVE NEVER IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE PLAYED TENNIS ON THE SAME COURT WITH O.J. SIMPSON, HAVE YOU?
# 41 Q: YOU'RE NOT REALLY THIS MAN'S FRIEND, ARE YOU, SIR?
# 42 A: WELL, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU WANT ME TO EXPLAIN IT, I GUESS YOU CAN SAY I WAS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, ONE OF HIS SERVANTS. I DID POLICE STUFF FOR HIM ALL THE TIME. I RAN LICENSE PLATES. THAT'S WHAT I WAS. I MEAN, LIKE I SAID, I LOVED THE GUY.
KEY QUOTE # 43 Q: YOU WEREN'T THE KIND OF FRIEND THAT HE WOULD SHARE SOME PRIVATE SECRET WITH, WERE YOU, SIR?
# 44 A: NOTHING EXCEPT FOR THE 1989 BEATING WHERE HE NEEDED ME.
KEY QUOTE # 45 Q: YOU KNOW THAT MR. SIMPSON IS AN AVID GOLFER, TRUE?
# 47 Q: EVER BEEN GOLFING WITH HIM?
# 49 Q: EVER ASKED TO GO WITH HIM?
# 50 A: NEVER. I'M NOT THAT GOOD.
# 51 Q: EVER BEEN TO A RAIDER GAME WITH HIM?
# 53 Q: A TROJAN GAME WITH HIM?
# 54 THE COURT: I THINK IT'S REDUNDANT.
# 55 MR. DOUGLAS: VERY WELL.
# 56 RON SHIPP: TROJAN GAME? WHERE YOU GOT A HOLD OF ME?
# 57 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: NOW, YOU HAVE HAD OCCASION TO MEET WITH MEMBERS OF THE BROWN FAMILY SINCE THE DEATH OF NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON, HAVEN'T YOU?
# 62 A: A MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR NICOLE.
# 63 Q: HAVE YOU BEEN DOWN TO DANA POINT TO SPEAK WITH ANY OF THE FAMILY SINCE THEN?
# 65 Q: HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH THEM ON THE PHONE OTHER THAN ON THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL?
# 67 Q: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH ANYONE FROM THE BROWN FAMILY ON THE PHONE SINCE THE FUNERAL UNTIL TODAY?
# 69 Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME?
# 70 A: MAYBE THREE WEEKS AGO.
# 71 Q: WHO DID YOU SPEAK WITH?
# 72 A: SPOKE TO BOTH LOU AND JUDY.
# 73 Q: WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME?
# 74 A: AFTER THE DEATHS.
# 75 Q: WHO DID YOU SPEAK WITH?
# 76 A: I'M TRYING TO CLARIFY.
# 77 Q: AFTER THE DEATHS.
# 78 A: I REMEMBER I WENT --- I DIDN'T WANT TO BOTHER THEM LIKE -- BECAUSE THEY WERE BEING BOTHERED. SO I PROBABLY WENT AROUND TWO AND A HALF, THREE MONTHS BEFORE I EVEN CALLED THEM. I MEAN I CALLED ROLF ALL THE TIME AND I CHECKED ON THEM THROUGH ROLF, AND I WOULD ASK HIM HOW THEY WERE DOING.
# 79 Q: YOU'VE SPOKEN WITH DENISE BROWN SINCE HER SISTER'S DEATH; HAVE YOU NOT?
# 80 A: ONCE AT THE MEMORIAL.
# 81 Q: HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH DOMINIQUE BROWN SINCE THE DEATH OF HER SISTER?
# 82 A: TALKED TO HER ONCE, WHICH WAS ALSO THAT THREE-WEEK PERIOD, THREE WEEKS AGO WHEN SHE ANSWERED THE PHONE.
# 83 Q: DID YOU TALK TO TANYA BROWN AT ALL SINCE THE DEATH OF HER SISTER?
# 87 Q: YOU MENTIONED THERE WERE SIX TIMES OR SO THAT YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE IN THE BROWN FAMILY ON THE TELEPHONE. ONE TIME WAS WITH LOUIS AND JUDITHA BROWN.
# 88 A: I TALKED TO LOU A FEW TIMES. I MEAN A FEW TIMES, I CALLED AND I WOULD ASK TO SPEAK TO JUDY OR SHE ANSWERED THE PHONE AND PUT LOU ON THE PHONE.
# 89 Q: DID YOU EVER TALK TO ANYONE IN THE BROWN FAMILY ABOUT THIS SUPPOSED CONVERSATION WITH YOU AND MR. SIMPSON ABOUT DREAMS?
# 91 Q: WHO ELSE HAVE YOU TOLD -- BEFORE TALKING TO MR. DARDEN AND MR. VANNATTER, WHO ELSE DID YOU TALK TO ABOUT THESE DREAMS OTHER THAN YOUR WIFE AND OTHER THAN SHEILA WELLER?
# 92 A: MY ATTORNEY, BOB MC NEILL.
# 93 THE COURT: ROBERT MC NEILL?
# 94 RON SHIPP: YEAH. ROBERT MC NEILL, CORRECT.
# 95 THE COURT: WASHINGTON BOULEVARD OFFICE?
KEY QUOTE # 97 MR. COCHRAN: NOT ANYMORE. THEY MOVED, YOUR HONOR.
# 98 RON SHIPP: DOWN ON -- HE WAS ON WASHINGTON, YES.
# 99 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: YOU BEGAN THE POLICE FORCE WHEN, MR. SHIPP?
# 101 Q: AND YOU WERE A MEMBER OF THE POLICE FORCE UNTIL WHEN, MR. SHIPP?
# 103 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. LET ME SEE COUNSEL OVER HERE AT SIDEBAR WITH THE REPORTER, PLEASE.