Carl Douglas interrupts Darden's direct examination to conduct a voir dire of Ron Shipp, over Darden's objection. Douglas probes the timeline of Shipp's visit to Rockingham and challenges Shipp's account of the bedroom conversation with Simpson — specifically whether Simpson's sister Shirley Baker was present. Shipp firmly denies it, insisting he and Simpson were alone, and Douglas reserves further questions.
# 1 THE COURT: MR. DARDEN.
# 2 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: WHEN WE LEFT OFF, MR. SHIPP -- I AM SORRY.
# 3 MR. DOUGLAS: MAY I VOIR DIRE NOW?
# 4 THE COURT: DO YOU WISH TO VOIR DIRE THE WITNESS AT THIS TIME?
# 6 MR. DARDEN: WE ARE NOT AT THAT POINT YET, YOUR HONOR. I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OF THE WITNESS.
# 7 THE COURT: THE OBJECTION IS OVERRULED. BRIEFLY, MR. DOUGLAS.
# 8 MR. DARDEN: WE'RE NOT AT THAT POINT YET, YOUR HONOR.
# 9 THE COURT: THAT'S FOR ME TO DETERMINE, MR. DARDEN. MR. DOUGLAS.
KEY QUOTE # 10 MR. DOUGLAS: THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.
VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION BY MR. DOUGLAS:
# 11 Q: MR. SHIPP, YOU SAID YOU ARRIVED AT THE ROCKINGHAM LOCATION THE SECOND TIME SOMETIME AROUND 5:45 OR 6:00, CORRECT?
# 12 A: ROUGHLY AROUND THERE.
# 13 Q: AND DID YOU SAY THAT IT WAS SOMETIME AROUND 11:00 O'CLOCK OR SO THAT YOU MET WITH MR. SIMPSON IN HIS BEDROOM?
# 14 A: IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, I THINK IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND THAT TIME.
# 15 Q: DO YOU RECALL, SIR, THAT IN FACT YOU LEFT MR. SIMPSON'S HOME SOMETIME AROUND MIDNIGHT THAT DAY?
# 16 MR. DARDEN: OBJECTION. THAT ASSUMES FACTS NOT IN EVIDENCE.
# 17 THE COURT: YEAH. CORRECT. BAD QUESTION.
# 18 MR. DARDEN: IS THE QUESTION STRICKEN, YOUR HONOR?
# 19 THE COURT: NO, THE QUESTION IS NOT STRICKEN. MR. DOUGLAS.
# 20 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: DO YOU RECALL, SIR, THAT YOU LEFT THE ROCKINGHAM HOME ESCORTING CATHY RANDA TO HER CAR?
# 21 MR. DARDEN: SAME OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR.
# 22 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 23 RON SHIPP: YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, OKAY, AS FAR AS --
# 24 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: THE QUESTION, SIR, IS, DO YOU RECALL ESCORTING CATHA RANDA TO HER CAR?
# 25 THE COURT: HOLD ON. WAIT A MINUTE, COUNSEL. MR. DARDEN, PLEASE.
# 26 MR. DARDEN: YOUR HONOR, HE'S INTERRUPTING THE WITNESS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS ANSWER.
# 27 THE COURT: IF YOU WOULDN'T INTERRUPT ME, MAYBE I COULD HEAR WHAT IS GOING ON.
KEY QUOTE # 28 MR. DARDEN: I CAN'T HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON EITHER, JUDGE.
# 29 THE COURT: MR. DOUGLAS. THIS IS BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF REGULAR VOIR DIRE AS FAR AS FOUNDATION IS CONCERNED. I DON'T HEAR FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS HERE.
KEY QUOTE # 30 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: WHEN YOU WENT UP TO MR. SIMPSON'S ROOM, ISN'T IT TRUE THAT SHIRLEY BAKER, HIS SISTER, WAS THERE?
# 33 MR. DARDEN: OBJECTION.
# 34 RON SHIPP: NO, IT'S NOT TRUE.
# 35 MR. DARDEN: THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE LINE OF QUESTIONING UNDER 403, YOUR HONOR.
# 36 THE COURT: I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS, MR. DOUGLAS, BUT WE'RE IN CROSS-EXAMINATION, WE'RE NOT IN VOIR DIRE AT THIS POINT.
# 37 MR. DOUGLAS: YES, YOUR HONOR.
# 38 Q: BY MR. DOUGLAS: WHEN YOU HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH MR. SIMPSON, YOU AND HE WERE ALONE?
# 40 Q: WHEN YOU HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH MR. SIMPSON, WASN'T HE ALREADY IN BED?
# 42 Q: WHEN YOU HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH MR. SIMPSON, WASN'T HIS SISTER THERE IN THE ROOM?
# 44 Q: IT'S YOUR TESTIMONY THAT YOU AND MR. SIMPSON WERE PRESENT ALONE TOGETHER, CORRECT?
# 46 MR. DOUGLAS: ONE MOMENT, YOUR HONOR.
# 47 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEFENSE COUNSEL.) # 48 MR. DOUGLAS: I WILL RESERVE MY QUESTIONS FOR LATER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.