📄 Cross-examination of Detective Stevens (1 of 2) — Thursday, February 2, 1995
📅 Feb 2 — Day 11
🛡️ Johnnie Cochran👮 Mike Stevens⚖️ Lance A. Ito
chain_of_custodydamagesnicole_brown
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\2\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-DETECTIVE.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 11 of 167

Cross-examination of Detective Stevens (1 of 2)

Witness: Mike Stevens
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Thursday, February 2, 1995 • Utterances: 36
Johnnie Cochran concluded his cross-examination of Investigator Stevens with a handful of questions about the contents of a safety deposit box — specifically an unexhibited letter and plane tickets in Nicole Simpson's name for a trip to New York (JFK). Cochran then displayed People's 20, a Los Angeles Times 'Hot Property' newspaper article about O.J. Simpson's Laguna Beach property purchase, to the jury via the ELMO projector before ending his examination.
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:)
2 THE COURT:

THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. BE SEATED. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT WE HAVE BEEN REJOINED BY ALL MEMBERS OF OUR JURY PANEL. INVESTIGATOR STEVENS IS ON THE WITNESS STAND UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. INVESTIGATOR STEVENS, YOU'RE REMINDED YOU ARE STILL UNDER OATH.

3 MIKE STEVENS:

YES.

4 THE COURT:

MR. COCHRAN, YOU MAY CONTINUE YOUR CROSS-EXAMINATION.

5 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU VERY KINDLY, YOUR HONOR. JUST A FEW MORE QUESTIONS.

6 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: DETECTIVE STEVENS, I PRESUME YOU FOUND NO OTHER LETTERS IN THAT SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX WE HAVE NOW TALKED ABOUT; IS THAT CORRECT?

7 A:

THERE WAS ONE OTHER LETTER.

8 Q:

ALL RIGHT. AND WE'VE NOT MARKED THAT THIS AFTERNOON?

9 A:

NO, WE HAVE NOT.

10 Q:

DID YOU FIND SOME PLANE TICKETS IN THERE ALSO?

11 A:

YES, I DID.

12 Q:

AND WHOSE NAME WERE THESE PLANE TICKETS IN?

13 A:

IF I RECALL, IT WAS NICOLE SIMPSON.

KEY QUOTE
14 Q:

AND WAS THIS A TRIP TO NEW YORK?

15 A:

YES, IT WAS.

16 Q:

WERE THESE TICKETS EVER USED, IF YOU KNOW?

17 A:

IT APPEARED TO BE THE RECEIPT.

KEY QUOTE
18 Q:

THE RECEIPT FOR PLANE TICKETS TO NEW YORK AND BACK TO LOS ANGELES?

19 A:

YES. TO JFK AIRPORT.

20 Q:

ALL RIGHT. NOW, MR. DARDEN ALLUDED TO IN HIS DIRECT EXAMINATION A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE REGARDING THE PURCHASE BY MR. O.J. SIMPSON OF SOME PROPERTY IN LAGUNA BEACH; IS THAT CORRECT?

21 A:

YES.

22 Q:

AND IS THAT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE BEFORE YOU?

23 A:

YES, IT IS.

24 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, I DON'T THINK WE'VE SHOWN THAT TO THE JURY. MAY I SHOW THAT TO THE JURY?

25 THE COURT:

YES.

26 MR. COCHRAN:

MAY I APPROACH?

27 THE COURT:

YOU MAY. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE THE ELMO WORKING? THIS IS PEOPLE'S 20?

28 MR. DARDEN:

20, YOUR HONOR.

29 THE COURT:

20.

30 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, WE PURPORT TO PUT IT ON THE BOARD.

31 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THAT IS THE SUNDAY COLUMN FROM THE TIMES REAL ESTATE SECTION?

32 MR. COCHRAN:

HOT PROPERTY, YES, YOUR HONOR. CAN WE INQUIRE WHETHER OR NOT THE JURORS ARE ABLE TO READ THAT?

33 THE COURT:

IT SEEMS TO BE SLIGHTLY OUT OF FOCUS. AND THE PART ABOUT MR. SIMPSON'S PROPERTY, THE FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS, WE CAN JUST FOCUS IN ON THAT I THINK. ALL RIGHT.

34 MR. FAIRTLOUGH:

IS THAT SUFFICIENT, YOUR HONOR?

35 THE COURT:

MOVE IT SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. MR. COCHRAN.

36 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU VERY KINDLY, YOUR HONOR. I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER OF INVESTIGATOR STEVENS AT THIS POINT.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Witness
IF I RECALL, IT WAS NICOLE SIMPSON.
Confirms the plane tickets in the safety deposit box were in Nicole's name, suggesting she had planned travel.
Witness
IT APPEARED TO BE THE RECEIPT.
Clarifies the tickets were actually a receipt, not unused tickets — indicating the New York trip was taken.
Johnnie Cochran
I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER OF INVESTIGATOR STEVENS AT THIS POINT.
Abrupt close of cross, suggesting Cochran extracted what he needed and chose not to press further.

Evidence (3)

Informal
An unexhibited letter found in the safety deposit box, separate from those already discussed
noted as not yet marked or shown to jury
Informal
Plane ticket receipt in Nicole Simpson's name for a round trip to JFK Airport, New York
discussed
People's 20
Los Angeles Times 'Hot Property' Sunday real estate column article about O.J. Simpson's purchase of property in Laguna Beach
displayed to jury via ELMO projector

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie CochranLance A. ItoChristopher Darden
Brief procedural back-and-forth to get People's 20 focused on the ELMO projector and confirm exhibit number with Darden before displaying to jury.
routine
Johnnie CochranWitness
Cochran establishes that a plane ticket receipt in Nicole's name — for a New York trip — was found in the safety deposit box but had not been shown to the jury.
strategic

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 4611 • 36 utterances • Prosecution witness
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 FEB 2, 1995 📄 Cross-examination of Detective
FEB 2, 1995 KRT DvH TD