Redirect examination of Rosa Lopez (part 2)

📄 Redirect examination of Rosa Lopez (part 2) — Friday, February 24, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\24\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-ROSA-L.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 25 of 167

◀ Recross-examination of Rosa Lopez (part 2) Recross-examination of Rosa Lopez (part 3) ▶

Witness: Rosa Lopez
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Defense • Date: Friday, February 24, 1995 • Utterances: 44

Cochran conducts brief redirect to rehabilitate Rosa Lopez by establishing the personal toll her testimony has taken: she has no place to sleep in Los Angeles, slept in her car after a falling-out with her daughter, and the dispute with her daughter was directly caused by her decision to testify. She states she came back voluntarily as promised but emphatically does not want to return again, citing fear for her safety and the public attention the case has brought on her.

# 1 MR. COCHRAN:

A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON REDIRECT.

# 2 MR. DARDEN:

DO YOU HAVE REDIRECT?

# 3 MR. COCHRAN:

SIT DOWN.

FURTHER REDIRECT EXAMINATION

# 4

BY MR. COCHRAN:

# 5 Q:

WITH REGARD TO YOUR STATEMENT WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE, DO YOU STILL WANT TO GO TO EL SALVADOR?

# 6 A:

YES, SIR, AND I'M LEAVING NOW. I'M LEAVING TOMORROW.

# 7 Q:

AND DO YOU HAVE A PLACE TO STAY IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SPEND THE NIGHT EVEN?

# 8 A:

NO, SIR.

# 9 Q:

WHEN YOUR DAUGHTER CAME BACK ON TUESDAY NIGHT FROM NEW YORK -- REMEMBER YOU TESTIFIED ABOUT THAT, WHEN SHE CAME BACK TUESDAY FROM NEW YORK, YOUR DAUGHTER?

# 10 A:

YES.

# 11 Q:

THE TWO OF YOU HAD AN ARGUMENT AT THAT POINT; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 12 MR. DARDEN:

LEADING, YOUR HONOR.

# 13 THE COURT:

SUSTAINED. REPHRASE THE QUESTION.

# 14 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: ALL RIGHT. DID THE TWO OF YOU HAVE AN ARGUMENT THAT NIGHT?

# 15 MR. DARDEN:

OBJECTION. LEADING.

# 16 MR. COCHRAN:

NOW, THAT'S NOT LEADING, COUNSEL.

# 17 ROSA LOPEZ:

YES.

# 18 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: AND AFTER THAT, DID YOU HAVE ANYPLACE TO STAY IN LOS ANGELES AFTER TUESDAY NIGHT?

# 19 A:

NO. I SLEPT ON THE STREET.

# 20 Q:

AND IN WHAT DID YOU SLEEP IN?

# 21 A:

IN THE CAR.

# 22 Q:

AND AFTER -- TONIGHT IN LOS ANGELES, DO YOU HAVE ANYPLACE YOU CAN GO AND SLEEP TONIGHT?

# 23 A:

NO.

# 24 Q:

IS THAT WHY YOU'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THAT OTHER STATE TONIGHT?

# 25 A:

YES.

# 26 Q:

ALL THE WHILE YOU ARE WORKING AT THE SALINGER'S, WHEN YOU WEREN'T AT WORK AT THE SALINGER'S, WHERE DID YOU LIVE?

# 27 A:

WITH MY DAUGHTER.

# 28 Q:

AND YOUR DISPUTE AND ARGUMENT WITH YOUR DAUGHTER IS OVER WHAT?

# 29 A:

BECAUSE OF THIS CASE, COMING TO TESTIFY.

KEY QUOTE

# 30 Q:

AND BECAUSE OF THIS CASE, YOU HAVE NO PLACE TO STAY; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 31 A:

YES, SIR.

# 32 Q:

NOW, WHEN YOU TALKED TO MR. JONES ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU COULD GO TO EL SALVADOR, TELL US WHAT, IF ANYTHING, YOU ASKED MR. JONES ABOUT GOING TO EL SALVADOR.

# 33 A:

I ASKED HIM IF I COULD GO TO EL SALVADOR BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF PRESSURE BECAUSE OF THIS CASE, AND HE SAID TO ME, "YOU CAN GO WHEREVER YOU WANT TO. YOU ARE NOT A PRISONER IN THIS COUNTRY," BUT AFTER I TESTIFIED HERE.

# 34 Q:

ALL RIGHT. AND IS THAT WHY YOU CAME BACK HERE VOLUNTARILY TODAY, BECAUSE YOU PROMISED YOUR LAWYER YOU WOULD COME BACK TO APPEAR BEFORE JUDGE ITO?

# 35 A:

YES.

# 36 Q:

AND, MA'AM, IF WE DON'T FINISH THESE PROCEEDINGS TODAY AND YOU HAD TO COME BACK ON MONDAY, DO YOU HAVE ANYPLACE TO STAY THIS WEEKEND?

# 37 A:

NO. AND I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK HERE ON MONDAY.

# 38 Q:

ALL RIGHT. DO YOU WANT TO COME BACK IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO TESTIFY IN THIS CASE?

# 39 A:

NO, SIR. I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK HERE.

# 40 Q:

AND WHY IS THAT?

# 41 A:

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK HERE WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS ME, EVERYBODY LOOKS AT ME. I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK TO TESTIFY. I SAID THAT I WOULD COME TODAY AND I CAME TODAY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TESTIFY AGAIN.

KEY QUOTE

# 42 Q:

AND ARE YOU STILL AFRAID FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY?

# 43 A:

YES, SIR.

# 44 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

Temperature

emotional

Key Quotes (4)

Rosa Lopez

I SLEPT ON THE STREET... IN THE CAR.

Establishes that testifying left her literally homeless — powerful humanizing detail Cochran wanted the jury to absorb.

Rosa Lopez

BECAUSE OF THIS CASE, COMING TO TESTIFY.

Directly attributes her estrangement from her daughter and her homelessness to her involvement in the case — frames her as a victim of her own cooperation.

Rosa Lopez

I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK HERE WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS ME, EVERYBODY LOOKS AT ME. I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK TO TESTIFY. I SAID THAT I WOULD COME TODAY AND I CAME TODAY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TESTIFY AGAIN.

The emotional centerpiece of redirect — conveys exhaustion, fear, and unwillingness while also underscoring that she honored her word.

Rosa Lopez

YOU CAN GO WHEREVER YOU WANT TO. YOU ARE NOT A PRISONER IN THIS COUNTRY.

Lopez recounts what her attorney Mr. Jones told her — counters any implication she was fleeing or evading; frames her departure as freely permitted.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie Cochran•Christopher Darden

Darden objects twice to leading questions about the argument with Lopez's daughter. First objection sustained; on the rephrased version Cochran snaps 'NOW, THAT'S NOT LEADING, COUNSEL' and the witness answers before a ruling.

testy

Johnnie Cochran•Rosa Lopez

Cochran systematically establishes that Lopez is homeless, estranged from her daughter, afraid, and leaving tomorrow — building a picture of a witness who has suffered greatly for cooperating.

strategic/sympathetic

Objections

2 objections (1 sustained, 0 overruled)

Proceeding 5069 • 44 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103