Rosa Lopez excused

📄 Rosa Lopez excused — Friday, February 24, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\24\ROSA-LOPEZ-EXCUSED.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 25 of 167

◀ Recross-examination of Rosa Lopez (part 3) Sidebar: witness management ▶

Date: Friday, February 24, 1995 • Utterances: 9

Judge Ito formally excused Rosa Lopez from the witness stand, asking her to wait in the hallway. Cochran briefly interrupted when the judge asked where Lopez would stay in El Salvador, raising a security concern about her revealing her location publicly.

# 1 THE COURT:

MISS LOPEZ, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO EL SALVADOR, WHERE WILL YOU STAY?

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, JUST A MOMENT. CAN WE HAVE THAT QUESTION --

# 3 THE WITNESS:

I HAVE MY HOME IN EL SALVADOR.

# 4 MR. COCHRAN:

I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE'S GOING TO SAY. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY WITH REGARD TO HER RESPONSE TO THAT, IF THE COURT PLEASES. SHE CAN ANSWER IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COURT'S --

KEY QUOTE

# 5 THE COURT:

LET ME REPHRASE THE QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE A PLACE TO STAY WHEN YOU GO TO EL SALVADOR?

# 6 THE WITNESS:

I HAVE MY HOME THERE.

# 7 THE COURT:

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS LOPEZ. I'M GOING TO EXCUSE YOU FROM THE WITNESS STAND AT THIS TIME. I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO WAIT OUTSIDE IN THE HALLWAY. AND, MR. COCHRAN -- I AM SORRY. MR. JONES, WOULD YOU SIT WITH HER OUT IN THE HALLWAY, PLEASE?

KEY QUOTE

# 8 MR. JONES:

YES, YOUR HONOR.

# 9 THE COURT:

THANK YOU.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Johnnie Cochran

I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE'S GOING TO SAY. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY WITH REGARD TO HER RESPONSE TO THAT, IF THE COURT PLEASES.

Cochran flags a witness safety concern, prompting the judge to rephrase the question to avoid Lopez disclosing her specific location.

Lance A. Ito

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS LOPEZ. I'M GOING TO EXCUSE YOU FROM THE WITNESS STAND AT THIS TIME. I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO WAIT OUTSIDE IN THE HALLWAY.

Formal dismissal from the stand while keeping Lopez nearby, suggesting further proceedings involving her may follow.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Lance A. Ito•Johnnie Cochran

Cochran interrupts the judge's question about Lopez's lodging in El Salvador on security grounds; Ito accommodates by rephrasing to a yes/no form.

cooperative

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 5071 • 9 utterances

Criminal Trial

Department 103