F. Lee Bailey resumes cross-examination of Sergeant Rossi, challenging his estimate of the distance between the West LA police station and the Bundy crime scene, then pivoting to probe Rossi's knowledge of laws governing coroner notification in homicide cases. Bailey attempts to establish that the coroner was not timely notified and that Rossi — a homicide supervisor — was unaware of the Health and Safety Code provision requiring such notification.
# 1 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, SERGEANT ROSSI. YOU ARE REMINDED THAT YOU ARE STILL UNDER OATH. MR. BAILEY, YOU MAY CONTINUE WITH YOUR CROSS-EXAMINATION.
# 2 MR. COCHRAN: MAY I APPROACH THE WITNESS, YOUR HONOR?
# 4 CROSS-EXAMINATION (RESUMED)
# 6 Q: SERGEANT ROSSI, I HAND YOU WHAT HAS BEEN MARKED DEFENSE 1013 FOR IDENTIFICATION AND ASK YOU TO LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN TELL ME THAT THAT REPRESENTS A MAP OF THE AREA SHOWING BOTH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND 875 SOUTH BUNDY AT THE INTERSECTION OF DOROTHY?
# 8 (DEFT'S 1013 FOR ID = BUNDY MAP) # 9 Q: BY MR. BAILEY: DO YOU SEE A SCALE ON THAT MAP?
# 11 Q: WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN -- BY ROAD -- THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE POLICE STATION AT 1663 BUTLER AVENUE AND 875 SOUTH BUNDY?
# 12 A: THREE TO FIVE MILES.
KEY QUOTE # 13 Q: THREE TO FIVE MILES?
# 15 Q: HOW ABOUT ONE MILE, 2842 FEET?
# 16 MS. CLARK: OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. OBJECTION. IS COUNSEL TESTIFYING?
# 17 THE COURT: THAT IS A LEADING QUESTION.
# 18 Q: BY MR. BAILEY: DOESN'T IT LOOK MORE LIKE A MILE AND A HALF?
# 19 A: IT LOOKS A LITTLE MORE THAN THAT TO ME, SIR.
# 20 Q: OKAY. WHEN WE ADJOURNED YESTERDAY, SERGEANT, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE CORONER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED AS OF 5:00 A.M. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT YOU PERSONALLY DIDN'T KNOW OF ANYONE HAVING NOTIFIED THE CORONER OF THESE HOMICIDES BY 5:00 A.M. --
# 21 MS. CLARK: YOUR HONOR, OBJECTION.
# 22 Q: BY MR. BAILEY: -- IS THAT CORRECT?
# 23 MS. CLARK: THIS IS THE SAME OBJECTION AS YESTERDAY. THIS WITNESS DOESN'T --
# 24 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 25 SGT. DAVID ROSSI: YES, SIR, THAT'S CORRECT.
# 26 Q: BY MR. BAILEY: OKAY. NOW, IS THERE ANY REQUIREMENT THAT YOU, AS A POLICE OFFICER, HAVE SOME FAMILIARITY WITH THE LAWS REGULATING THE CONDUCT OF HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS?
# 29 A: IF I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION, THE LAWS REGULATING THE CONDUCT OF THE INVESTIGATORS THAT ARE HANDLING THE CASE?
# 30 Q: NO. IS THERE ANY REQUIREMENT THAT YOU HAVE FAMILIARITY WITH THE LAWS THAT REGULATE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS?
# 31 A: YES. LAWS OF THE STATE, YES.
# 32 Q: ALL RIGHT. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ANY LAW THAT DICTATES WHEN THE CORONER SHOULD BE NOTIFIED WHEN A DEATH HAS OCCURRED?
# 33 A: NO, I'M NOT, SIR.
# 34 Q: YOU NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A LAW?
# 36 Q: DID YOU EVER HEAR OF SECTION 10250 OF THE CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE?
# 37 MS. CLARK: OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. OBJECTION. MAY WE APPROACH?
# 38 THE COURT: NO. YES OR NO. ARE YOU AWARE OF THE CODE SECTION?
# 39 SGT. DAVID ROSSI: NO, SIR.
# 40 Q: BY MR. BAILEY: DO YOU KNOW THAT IT IS --
# 41 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEFENSE COUNSEL.) # 42 MR. BAILEY: I'M SORRY. I'M TOLD I MISSPOKE. NOT THE CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE, THE HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE.
KEY QUOTE # 43 Q: DO YOU KNOW THERE IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE?
# 45 Q: HAVE YOU EVER REVIEWED THAT CODE?
# 46 A: THE ENTIRE CODE, NO, SIR.
# 47 Q: ANY SECTIONS OF THE CODE THAT MIGHT PERTAIN TO YOUR WORK?
# 49 Q: ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH A SECTION THAT DEALS WITH THE NOTIFICATION OF THE CORONER IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER DEATH?
# 51 MS. CLARK: OBJECTION. THAT IS NOT THIS WITNESS' JOB.
KEY QUOTE