Redirect examination of Ronald Phillips (part 2)

📄 Redirect examination of Ronald Phillips (part 2) — Friday, February 17, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\17\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-RONALD.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 21 of 167

◀ Sidebar: juror demeanor Recross-examination of Ronald Phillips ▶

Witness: Det. Ronald Phillips
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Friday, February 17, 1995 • Utterances: 41

Marcia Clark conducts a brief redirect of Detective Phillips to clarify the sequence of events at Rockingham on the morning of the murders. Clark establishes that Phillips did not relay the specific detail about OJ's red eye flight to Detective Fuhrman — only that contact had been made — and that Fuhrman approached Phillips (not the other way around) to show him something he had found.

# 1 MS. CLARK:

JUST A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS, DETECTIVE PHILLIPS.

# 2 THE COURT:

GIVE ME JUST TWO SECONDS HERE.

# 3 MS. CLARK:

SURE.

# 4 (BRIEF PAUSE.)

# 5 THE COURT:

MISS CLARK.

# 6 MS. CLARK:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

# 7 THE COURT:

THANK YOU.

# 8 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: SIR, DID ANYONE -- WHILE YOU WERE AT ROCKINGHAM THAT MORNING, DID ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT TIME THE DEFENDANT ACTUALLY LEFT FOR THE AIRPORT?

# 9 A:

NO.

# 10 Q:

I THINK YOU TESTIFIED EARLIER THAT CATHY THEN -- CATHY TOLD YOU HE TOOK A RED EYE FLIGHT?

# 11 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 12 Q:

AND THAT WAS WHEN YOU WERE ON THE TELEPHONE?

# 13 A:

YES.

# 14 Q:

BUT NO SPECIFIC TIME WAS MENTIONED TO YOU?

# 15 A:

NO. JUST THAT HE TOOK A RED EYE TO CHICAGO THE NIGHT BEFORE.

# 16 Q:

DID SHE TELL YOU WHAT AIRLINE?

# 17 A:

I DON'T BELIEVE SHE DID.

# 18 Q:

NOW, AFTER SHE TOLD YOU THAT, DID YOU GO OUT AND TELL SOMEBODY THAT THE DEFENDANT HAD TAKEN A RED EYE FLIGHT TO CHICAGO?

# 19 A:

I DIDN'T TELL THEM THAT HE HAD TAKEN A RED EYE FLIGHT, NO.

# 20 Q:

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

# 21 A:

JUST SAID I MADE CONTACT AND TALKED TO MR. SIMPSON IN CHICAGO.

KEY QUOTE

# 22 Q:

NOW, SOMETIME AFTER THAT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, YOU STATED THAT YOU WERE IN THE BREAKFAST ROOM OF THE LOCATION AND THAT DETECTIVE MARK FUHRMAN CAME TO SEE YOU?

# 23 A:

YES.

# 24 Q:

HOW LONG AFTER THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WAS THAT?

# 25 A:

FIVE MINUTES, NO MORE THAN 10 MINUTES, SOMEWHERE IN THAT AREA.

# 26 Q:

WAS HE ANYWHERE NEAR YOU WHEN YOU WERE HAVING THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION?

# 27 A:

NO.

# 28 Q:

HE CAME WALKING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE. WAS THAT WHAT YOU TESTIFIED TO?

# 29 A:

YES.

# 30 Q:

WHEN YOU MADE CONTACT WITH HIM, DID YOU TELL HIM THAT YOU JUST HEARD THE DEFENDANT TOOK A RED EYE FLIGHT TO CHICAGO?

# 31 A:

NO.

# 32 Q:

WHAT WAS YOUR CONVERSATION WITH HIM WHEN YOU SAW HIM IN THE BREAKFAST ROOM?

# 33 A:

HE WANTED TO TALK TO ME. HE WANTED TO SHOW ME SOMETHING. I WENT WITH HIM AND HE SHOWED ME WHAT HE WANTED TO SHOW ME. IT WAS BASICALLY HIS CONVERSATION EXPLAINING TO ME WHAT HE HAD FOUND.

KEY QUOTE

# 34 Q:

AND DID YOU TELL HIM ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR CONVERSATION WITH CATHY?

# 35 A:

I MAY HAVE MENTIONED TO HIM THAT I MADE CONTACT WITH MR. SIMPSON. I SUPPOSE THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN IN PASSING.

# 36 Q:

UH-HUH. JUST THAT YOU TALKED TO HIM?

# 37 A:

I'M SURE I TOLD EVERYBODY THERE AT SOMETIME OR ANOTHER THAT I HAD MADE CONTACT WITH HIM.

KEY QUOTE

# 38 Q:

AND, SIR, DID YOU MAKE NOTE IN YOUR REPORT OF THE DEFENDANT'S REACTION TO THE NOTIFICATION CALL YOU MADE TO THE DEFENDANT IN CHICAGO?

# 39 A:

YES.

# 40 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)

# 41 MS. CLARK:

THANK YOU. I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Ronald Phillips

He wanted to talk to me. He wanted to show me something. I went with him and he showed me what he wanted to show me. It was basically his conversation explaining to me what he had found.

Phillips describes Fuhrman initiating the contact and leading him to what he had discovered — a key moment in the chain of custody and discovery narrative around the Rockingham glove.

Ronald Phillips

I'm sure I told everybody there at sometime or another that I had made contact with him.

Phillips acknowledges broadly telling personnel at Rockingham that he reached OJ, but stops short of confirming he specifically told Fuhrman about the red eye flight.

Ronald Phillips

Just said I made contact and talked to Mr. Simpson in Chicago.

Clark pins down exactly what Phillips communicated — contact only, not the red eye detail — a distinction the defense had apparently tried to blur.

Evidence (1)

Informal

Phillips' investigative report, which included notes on OJ Simpson's reaction to the notification call in Chicago

referenced

Notable Exchanges (1)

Marcia Clark•Ronald Phillips

Clark walks Phillips through exactly what he told Fuhrman versus what he withheld — establishing that the red eye flight detail did not flow from Phillips to Fuhrman before Fuhrman showed him the glove.

strategic

Witness Demeanor

(Brief pause before proceedings begin.)

(Discussion held off the record between the deputy district attorneys.)

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4889 • 41 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103