Direct examination of Catherine Boe (part 3)

📄 Direct examination of Catherine Boe (part 3) — Friday, February 3, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\3\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-CATHERIN.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 12 of 167

◀ Sidebar: hearsay objection Bench conference ▶

Witness: Catherine Boe
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Friday, February 3, 1995 • Utterances: 48

Darden continues direct examination of Miss Boe, a neighbor and friend of Nicole Brown Simpson. She describes two conversations with OJ Simpson — one in her kitchen and one at a nearby park — in which he expressed jealous anger over Nicole allegedly sleeping with a male houseguest. Boe tried to calm him down by vouching for Nicole's fidelity, but Simpson dismissed her assurances.

# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:)

# 2 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. DARDEN, YOU MAY CONTINUE.

# 3 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: DURING THE KITCHEN CONVERSATIONS YOU HAD WITH THE DEFENDANT, WHAT, IF ANYTHING, DID HE TELL YOU ABOUT THE NATURE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH NICOLE BROWN?

# 4 A:

HE IMPLIED THAT SHE WAS UPSET OVER HIS WOMANIZING BUT THAT THAT WAS IN THE PAST, THE WOMANIZING WAS IN THE PAST.

# 5 Q:

IS THERE A PARK LOCATED NEAR YOUR HOME?

# 6 A:

NOT ON FOOT, BUT THERE IS A PARK NEARBY, YES.

# 7 Q:

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THAT PARK?

# 8 A:

KENTER CANYON RECREATION CENTER.

# 9 Q:

OKAY. WAS THERE EVER AN OCCASION IN WHICH YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE DEFENDANT AT THAT PARK?

# 10 A:

YES, THERE WAS.

# 11 Q:

AND DO YOU RECALL WHEN THAT WAS?

# 12 A:

IT WAS AROUND THE SAME TIME.

# 13 Q:

OKAY.

# 14 A:

IN THE SPRING.

# 15 Q:

OKAY. DID YOU AND THE DEFENDANT GO TO THE PARK TOGETHER?

# 16 A:

WE WENT WITH OUR TWO BOYS AND NICOLE.

# 17 Q:

AND WHILE AT THE PARK DID YOU AND THE DEFENDANT HAVE A CONVERSATION REGARDING THE NATURE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH NICOLE BROWN?

# 18 A:

THAT WAS PART OF THE CONVERSATION, YES, WE DID.

# 19 Q:

WHAT WAS THE GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER OF THE REST OF THE CONVERSATION?

# 20 A:

I WAS ADDRESSING WHAT I RECOGNIZED AS HIS STRESS.

# 21 Q:

OKAY. SORRY -- THE DEFENDANT SEEMED TO BE UNDER STRESS?

# 22 A:

YES, HE DID.

# 23 Q:

WHAT CAUSED YOU TO THINK OR BELIEVE THAT THE DEFENDANT WAS UNDER STRESS?

# 24 A:

WELL, HE WAS ARGUING LOUDLY AND ALSO I SAW A LOT OF THE WHITE OF HIS EYES SHOWING BETWEEN THE LID AND THE IRIS AND THAT IS AN INDICATION OF STRESS, AND I BROUGHT IT TO HIS ATTENTION AT ONE POINT DURING THE DIALOGUE AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.

# 25 Q:

OKAY. WELL, WHO WAS HE ARGUING LOUDLY WITH?

# 26 A:

NICOLE.

# 27 Q:

WHAT WAS HE SAYING TO NICOLE?

# 28 A:

UMM, I GATHER THAT HE WAS ANGRY AT HER, THINKING THAT SHE HAD BEEN WITH ANOTHER MAN AND SHE WAS ANGRY AT HIM FOR BEING ANGRY AT HER.

# 29 Q:

COULD YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

# 30 A:

WELL, AFTER A WHILE SHE WOULDN'T ARGUE ANY MORE AND SHE JUST FUMED ON A STONE WALL, SO I WAS STUCK WITH O.J.

KEY QUOTE

# 31 Q:

OKAY. AND YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE DEFENDANT THEN?

# 32 A:

YES, I DID.

# 33 Q:

OKAY. AND TELL US. TELL US THE CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH THE DEFENDANT AT THAT TIME.

# 34 A:

WELL, HE SAID THAT SHE WAS SLEEPING WITH SOMEBODY WHO HAD BEEN STAYING AT HER HOUSE, AND I WAS RELUCTANT TO DISCUSS IT, BUT BECAUSE HE SEEMED SO UPSET, I FELT I COULD PUT HIS MIND MORE AT EASE BY TELLING HIM THAT I DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS. IN FACT, I WAS SURE SHE WASN'T BECAUSE MY BOY WAS OVER FOR OVERNIGHTS AND NICOLE HAD SPECIFICALLY TOLD ME THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS STAYING IN THE SPARE ROOM, AND WHEN MY SON WAS THERE FOR AN OVERNIGHT, THE NEXT DAY I DID ASK HIM WHERE HE HAD STAYED, WHERE THE GUEST HAD STAYED, AND MY SON TOLD ME THAT HE HAD STAYED IN THE SPARE ROOM. BUT WHEN I TOLD O.J. THAT, HE SCOFFED AT ME AS THOUGH TO INDICATE THAT I SHOULDN'T BELIEVE HER. BUT I DO -- I DID BELIEVE HER BECAUSE SHE HAD NEVER LIED TO ME -- I HAD NO REASON TO THINK THAT SHE WOULD EVER LIE TO ME.

# 35 THE COURT:

NEXT QUESTION.

# 36 CATHERINE BOE:

I COULDN'T CONVINCE --

# 37 THE COURT:

HOLD ON. NEXT QUESTION.

# 38 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: WAS THE DEFENDANT UPSET OR ANGRY DURING THAT CONVERSATION?

# 39 A:

YES, HE WAS VERY UPSET.

# 40 Q:

AND WERE YOU ABLE TO RELIEVE HIS STRESS SOMEHOW?

# 41 A:

EVENTUALLY I WAS.

# 42 Q:

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU?

# 43 A:

WELL, I'M NOT SURE I ENTIRELY SUCCEEDED, BUT MAYBE FIFTEEN OR TWENTY MINUTES.

# 44 Q:

WHY AREN'T YOU SURE THAT YOU ENTIRELY SUCCEEDED?

# 45 A:

BECAUSE HE WAS CONVINCED THAT I WAS MISTAKEN, THAT HE KNEW HOW THINGS WERE.

KEY QUOTE

# 46 Q:

WAS THE DEFENDANT AND NICOLE BROWN LIVING TOGETHER AT THAT TIME?

# 47 A:

NO, HE WAS NOT. HE WAS DIVORCED AT THAT TIME.

# 48 MR. DARDEN:

THANK YOU. THAT IS ALL I HAVE.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Witness

HE WAS CONVINCED THAT I WAS MISTAKEN, THAT HE KNEW HOW THINGS WERE.

Captures Simpson's intractable jealousy — he rejected firsthand exculpatory evidence about Nicole's conduct.

Witness

AFTER A WHILE SHE WOULDN'T ARGUE ANY MORE AND SHE JUST FUMED ON A STONE WALL, SO I WAS STUCK WITH O.J.

Vivid scene-setting detail showing escalating conflict between OJ and Nicole in a semi-public space.

Witness

I SAW A LOT OF THE WHITE OF HIS EYES SHOWING BETWEEN THE LID AND THE IRIS AND THAT IS AN INDICATION OF STRESS.

Unusual observational detail used to characterize Simpson's emotional state as visibly extreme.

Witness

SHE HAD NEVER LIED TO ME — I HAD NO REASON TO THINK THAT SHE WOULD EVER LIE TO ME.

Character testimony for Nicole Brown Simpson, reinforcing her credibility through a trusted friend's eyes.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Witness•Lance A. Ito

The witness began to volunteer additional testimony after her answer ('I COULDN'T CONVINCE --') and Ito cut her off with a sharp 'HOLD ON. NEXT QUESTION.'

procedural

Witness•Christopher Darden

Boe recounts telling OJ she was sure Nicole was not sleeping with the houseguest, backed by her son's corroboration — and OJ scoffing at her. Darden uses this to establish obsessive jealousy.

revealing

Light Moments (1)

Witness

Witness deadpans 'SO I WAS STUCK WITH O.J.' after Nicole retreated to a stone wall rather than keep arguing.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4622 • 48 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103