📄 Sidebar: Fuhrman identification and admissibility — Monday, February 27, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\27\SIDEBAR-FUHRMAN-IDENTIFICATION.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 26 of 167

Sidebar: Fuhrman identification and admissibility

Date: Monday, February 27, 1995 • Utterances: 20
Defense counsel Cochran flagged a discrepancy between what a witness said ('Mark' Fuhrman) and what the interpreter rendered ('Mike' Fuhrman), prompting the sidebar to clarify the record. The bench conference quickly expanded into sniping between Cochran and Darden over courtroom delays, and a tense exchange about investigator Bill Pavelic and pending discovery, with Ito indicating he planned to adjourn at 4:30 and put on record that all materials had been turned over.
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD AT THE BENCH:)
2 MR. COCHRAN:

THE ONLY REASON I WANTED TO APPROACH THE BENCH, IT SEEMED TO ME SHE SAID MARK FUHRMAN. THE INTERPRETER SAID MIKE FUHRMAN. WE WERE LISTENING. SO I THINK --

3 THE COURT:

THAT'S WHAT THE INTERPRETER SAID, BUT I THOUGHT THE WITNESS SAID "MARK." WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK AND CLARIFY THAT.

4 MR. COCHRAN:

ALL RIGHT.

5 MR. DARDEN:

ARE WE JUST KILLING TIME OR SOMETHING HERE OR WHAT?

KEY QUOTE
6 MR. COCHRAN:

WE ARE KILLING TIME WITH ALL YOUR OBJECTIONS.

KEY QUOTE
7 THE COURT:

HOW LATE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

8 MR. DARDEN:

JUDGE, IF YOU KNEW WHAT I KNEW, YOU WOULD JUST WANT TO GO ALL NIGHT ON THIS. BUT, YOU KNOW --

KEY QUOTE
9 THE COURT:

I'M PROBABLY GOING TO QUIT AT 4:30.

10 MR. DARDEN:

I'M HOPING MY INVESTIGATORS WILL GET IN HERE BECAUSE I MAY --

11 THE COURT:

WHEN WE QUIT AT 4:30, WE'LL BRING PAVELIC IN AND PUT ON THE RECORD THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN TURNED OVER.

12 MS. CLARK:

WE ARE ASSUMING FACTS NOT IN EVIDENCE.

13 THE COURT:

YES. AND WE KNOW --

14 MR. COCHRAN:

JUDGE --

15 THE COURT:

-- THEY'VE BEEN TWICE BURNED NOW.

16 MR. COCHRAN:

JUDGE, CAN I SAY SOMETHING? LET ME SAY SOMETHING.

17 MS. CLARK:

NO. PLEASE, NOT NOW.

18 MR. COCHRAN:

AFTER YOU MAKE THESE STATEMENTS, THEN YOU WANT TO WALK AWAY, AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DO THAT. THERE IS -- WHEN YOU HAVE I SUPPOSE EIGHT, NINE, 10 LAWYERS, YOU TRY TO MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERYTHING.

KEY QUOTE
19 THE COURT:

LET'S NOT ARGUE THIS POINT NOW.

20 MS. CLARK:

AND I'M LESS THAN SYMPATHETIC.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Christopher Darden
ARE WE JUST KILLING TIME OR SOMETHING HERE OR WHAT?
Darden's open frustration with the sidebar reveals tension between counsel and hints he believes the Fuhrman name issue is a pretext.
Johnnie Cochran
WE ARE KILLING TIME WITH ALL YOUR OBJECTIONS.
Cochran immediately turns Darden's accusation back on him, escalating the interpersonal friction at the bench.
Christopher Darden
JUDGE, IF YOU KNEW WHAT I KNEW, YOU WOULD JUST WANT TO GO ALL NIGHT ON THIS.
Cryptic hint that prosecution investigators are bringing something significant — adds intrigue about what Darden believes is incoming.
Johnnie Cochran
AFTER YOU MAKE THESE STATEMENTS, THEN YOU WANT TO WALK AWAY, AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DO THAT.
Cochran confronts Clark directly for lobbing accusations and retreating, revealing the hostility between lead counsel at this stage of trial.

Evidence (1)

Informal
Materials associated with defense investigator Bill Pavelic — discovery or documents to be put on record as turned over
discussed

Notable Exchanges (3)

Johnnie CochranChristopher Darden
Darden accused the defense of 'killing time'; Cochran immediately redirected the charge back at Darden's own objections.
heated
Johnnie CochranMarcia Clark
Clark interjected 'we are assuming facts not in evidence' about Pavelic, then tried to end discussion; Cochran refused to let her disengage, accusing her of making statements and walking away.
heated
Lance A. ItoChristopher Darden
Darden cryptically told the judge he had investigators coming with something important; Ito cut off the discussion, set 4:30 adjournment, and planned to address the Pavelic record then.
strategic

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito
Ito dryly asks 'HOW LATE DO YOU WANT TO GO?' in response to Darden and Cochran bickering about wasting time.

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 4990 • 20 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 FEB 27, 1995 📄 Sidebar: Fuhrman identificatio
FEB 27, 1995 KRT DvH TD