Opening remarks and jury selection

📄 Opening remarks and jury selection — Tuesday, February 14, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\14\OPENING-REMARKS-AND-JURY-SELEC.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 18 of 167

◀ Jury instruction: final admonitions Cross-examination of Robert Riske ▶

Date: Tuesday, February 14, 1995 • Utterances: 20

Judge Ito opens the session by thanking the LAPD, Sheriff's Department, media, and counsel for a smoothly executed crime scene view that took place the previous Sunday. Cochran echoes the praise on behalf of the defense. The jury is then brought in, welcomed with a light remark about shopping, and Officer Robert Riske resumes the stand for continued cross-examination.

# 1 (JANET M. MOXHAM, CSR NO. 4855, OFFICIAL REPORTER.)

# 2 (CHRISTINE M. OLSON, CSR NO. 2378, OFFICIAL REPORTER.)

# 3 (PAGES 14313 THROUGH 14322, VOLUME 86A, TRANSCRIBED AND SEALED UNDER SEPARATE COVER.)

# 4 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, OUT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:)

# 5 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL.

# 6 MS. CLARK:

GOOD MORNING.

# 7 THE COURT:

BACK ON THE RECORD IN THE SIMPSON MATTER. MR. SIMPSON IS AGAIN PRESENT BEFORE THE COURT WITH HIS COUNSEL, MR. SHAPIRO, MR. COCHRAN, MR. DOUGLAS, MR. BAILEY. THE PEOPLE ARE REPRESENTED BY MISS CLARK AND MR. DARDEN. IS MR. DARDEN WITH US TODAY?

# 8 MS. CLARK:

HE HAD TO BE EXCUSED BRIEFLY, YOUR HONOR.

# 9 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. IS HE IS GOING TO BE BACK SHORTLY?

# 10 MS. CLARK:

VERY SHORTLY, YOUR HONOR, BUT WE CAN PROCEED.

# 11 MR. COCHRAN:

WE CAN PROCEED.

# 12 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. BEFORE WE RESUME WITH THE JURY AND THE WITNESS, ROBERT RISKE, I JUST WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK BOTH THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN COORDINATING OUR CRIME SCENE VIEW ON SUNDAY. I THINK IT WENT AMAZINGLY WELL. IT WAS A VERY, VERY SMOOTH OPERATION. I THOUGHT THAT THE INTRUSION UPON THE COMMUNITIES WAS AS MINIMAL, AS WAS REQUIRED UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I APPRECIATE THE COOPERATION OF THE NEWS MEDIA HELICOPTERS STAYING OUT OF EARSHOT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I APPRECIATE THE COOPERATION OF THE PRESS AND NOT BEING OVERLY AGGRESSIVE. AND I APPRECIATE THE PATIENCE AND COOPERATION OF COUNSEL IN ACCOMPLISHING THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT WENT LIKE CLOCKWORK, LITERALLY, AND I THINK IT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW CRIME SCENE VIEWS OUGHT TO BE HANDLED AND THERE WERE NO GLITCHES.

# 13 MR. COCHRAN:

I THINK THE COURT IS AWARE FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE DEFENSE, AT THE SCENE ON SUNDAY WE EXPRESSED THAT WE FELT IT WAS THE ESSENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM THE WAY THIS WAS CONDUCTED AND WE APPLAUDED ALL THE VARIOUS AGENCIES THAT CAME TOGETHER TO WORK AND SHOW HOW THINGS CAN REALLY WORK WELL.

# 14 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. COUNSEL, ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO PUT ON THE RECORD BEFORE WE INVITE THE JURORS TO REJOIN US? ALL RIGHT. DEPUTY MAGNERA, LET'S HAVE THE JURY, PLEASE.

# 15 THE COURT:

OFFICER RISKE, WOULD YOU COME FORWARD, PLEASE.

# 16 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:)

# 17 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. BE SEATED. ALL RIGHT. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT WE HAVE NOW BEEN REJOINED BY ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR JURY PANEL. GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

# 18 THE JURY:

GOOD MORNING.

# 19 THE COURT:

YOU LOOK WELL-RESTED AND WELL SHOPPED, I UNDERSTAND. ALL RIGHT. I SEE SMILES THERE. THANK YOU. LET ME THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND COOPERATION DURING OUR VISIT TO THE SCENE ON SUNDAY. I REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF WAITING INVOLVED FOR YOU; HOWEVER, I FELT THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US GO OUT THERE AND LOOK AT THESE LOCATIONS PERSONALLY TO UNDERSTAND THE PERSPECTIVES AND THE DISTANCES OF THE PARTICULAR LOCATIONS, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND COOPERATION DURING OUR VISIT.

ROBERT RISKE, THE WITNESS ON THE STAND AT THE TIME OF THE EVENING ADJOURNMENT, RESUMED THE STAND AND TESTIFIED FURTHER AS FOLLOWS:

KEY QUOTE

# 20 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THE RECORD SHOULD REFLECT THAT ROBERT RISKE IS STILL ON THE WITNESS STAND. MR. RISKE, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT YOU ARE STILL UNDER OATH. MR. COCHRAN, YOU MAY RESUME YOUR CROSS-EXAMINATION.

Temperature

routine

Key Quotes (3)

Lance A. Ito

I THINK IT WENT LIKE CLOCKWORK, LITERALLY, AND I THINK IT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW CRIME SCENE VIEWS OUGHT TO BE HANDLED AND THERE WERE NO GLITCHES.

Ito's unusually effusive praise signals how significant and logistically complex the jury crime scene visit was — a rare event in a high-profile trial.

Johnnie Cochran

WE FELT IT WAS THE ESSENCE OF PROFESSIONALISM THE WAY THIS WAS CONDUCTED AND WE APPLAUDED ALL THE VARIOUS AGENCIES THAT CAME TOGETHER TO WORK AND SHOW HOW THINGS CAN REALLY WORK WELL.

Cochran's enthusiastic agreement with the judge is notable — a moment of genuine cross-aisle civility in an otherwise adversarial proceeding.

Lance A. Ito

YOU LOOK WELL-RESTED AND WELL SHOPPED, I UNDERSTAND.

A rare light moment from the typically reserved Ito, suggesting the jury had some leisure time and the court atmosphere was briefly relaxed.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Lance A. Ito•Johnnie Cochran

Both judge and lead defense counsel praised the crime scene visit coordination in unusually warm terms, with Cochran specifically echoing Ito's sentiment on the record.

collegial

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito

Ito tells the jury they look 'well-rested and well shopped,' drawing visible smiles from the jury box.

Witness Demeanor

(I SEE SMILES THERE) — jury reacts warmly to Ito's shopping remark

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4784 • 20 utterances

Criminal Trial

Department 103