📄 Cross-examination of Karen Crawford — Tuesday, February 7, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\7\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-KAREN-CRA.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 14 of 167

Cross-examination of Karen Crawford

Witness: Karen Crawford
Examiner: Robert Shapiro
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Tuesday, February 7, 1995 • Utterances: 100
Robert Shapiro cross-examines Mezzaluna manager Karen Crawford, focusing on the restaurant's time card for Ron Goldman and her observations on the night of the murders. Shapiro establishes that Crawford first saw most of the documents shown during direct examination only that day in court, casts doubt on the time-punch machine's accuracy, and uses her prior grand jury testimony to impeach her softened account of Goldman's whereabouts — nailing down that she previously testified the managers were 'having dinner,' not just 'hanging out.'
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:)
2 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL.

3 MS. CLARK:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

4 THE COURT:

MISS CLARK, HAVE YOU CONCLUDED YOUR EXAMINATION OF MISS CRAWFORD?

5 MS. CLARK:

YES, YOUR HONOR, I HAVE CONCLUDED DIRECT.

6 THE COURT:

MR. SHAPIRO.

7 MR. SHAPIRO:

YOUR HONOR, I WONDER, IF WE ARE DONE WITH THE EXHIBIT, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE MISS CLARK RETRIEVE THOSE, SOME PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I AM NOT GOING TO NEED AND THE ENVELOPE THAT I WILL NOT NEED.

8 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. WHY DON'T YOU RETRIEVE THAT, MISS CLARK.

9 (BRIEF PAUSE.)
10 THE COURT:

AND THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE.

11 (BRIEF PAUSE.)
12 THE COURT:

THANK YOU.

13 MR. SHAPIRO:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOUR HONOR.

14

CROSS-EXAMINATION

15

BY MR. SHAPIRO:

16 Q:

GOOD AFTERNOON, MISS CRAWFORD.

17 A:

HI.

18 Q:

I HAVE TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS AND I WILL NOT ASK YOU ANY QUESTIONS THAT UPSET YOU. THE DOCUMENTS THAT YOU WERE SHOWN BY MISS CLARK, SPECIFICALLY THE CHECK FOR DINNER --

19 A:

YES.

20 Q:

-- WHEN IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE SEEN THAT?

21 A:

WHEN IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN IT?

22 Q:

YES.

23 A:

I BELIEVE TODAY.

24 Q:

AND WHERE DID YOU SEE IT?

25 A:

WHERE DID I SEE IT? I SAW IT HERE.

26 Q:

AND THE RECEIPT FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE BILL, WHEN IS THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW THAT?

27 A:

TODAY.

28 Q:

AND WHERE DID YOU SEE IT?

29 A:

HERE.

30 Q:

AND THE TIME CARD, WHEN IS THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW THAT?

31 A:

I MAY HAVE SEEN IT EARLIER IN THE WEEK OF THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 12TH. I ADDED THEM UP ON JUNE 12TH.

32 Q:

SO THAT ONE YOU HAD SEEN BEFORE?

33 A:

YES.

34 Q:

IN ADDING UP THAT TIME CARD FOR MR. GOLDMAN DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING THAT WAS INCORRECT ON THE TIME CARD?

35 A:

WELL, I SEE WHERE I HAD ADDED IT UP IN ONE SECTION AND IT HAD BEEN RE-ADDED AGAIN.

36 Q:

DID YOU ALSO SEE THAT ON ONE DATE THERE WAS A TIME THAT THERE WAS A STAMPED IN FOR WORK, BUT NO STAMPING OUT OF WORK?

37 A:

I DON'T REMEMBER NOTICING THAT.

38 Q:

YOU DON'T REMEMBER NOTICING THAT? MAY I BORROW THE EXHIBIT FOR A MOMENT, YOUR HONOR? MAY I APPROACH THE WITNESS?

39 THE COURT:

YOU MAY. THIS IS PEOPLE'S 36.

40 Q:

BY MR. SHAPIRO: WAS THERE AN INDICATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WEDNESDAY WAS A WORKING DAY?

41 A:

WEDNESDAY? WELL, THERE IS -- THERE IS A STAMP IN AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHETHER OR NOT HE WORKED THAT DAY. MAYBE SOMEONE ACCIDENTALLY PUNCHED IN ON HIS TIME CARD AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR CARD. THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. MAYBE HE PUNCHED IN AND THEY DIDN'T NEED HIM AND HE JUST LEFT AND HE DIDN'T PUNCH OUT. MAYBE HE WAS JUST THERE FOR A FEW MINUTES. I CAN'T TELL YOU FOR SURE WHAT THAT IS. HE MAY HAVE WORKED AND FORGOTTEN TO PUNCH OUT.

42 Q:

DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT THE TIME ON THAT TIMES PUNCH MACHINE WERE ACCURATE ON JUNE THE 12TH?

43 A:

CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? DO I HAVE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT?

44 Q:

WHEN YOU PUT THAT CARD IN, IT GOES INTO A MACHINE; IS THAT CORRECT?

45 A:

UH-HUH, YES.

46 Q:

AND THAT MACHINE INDICATES A TIME; IS THAT CORRECT?

47 A:

YES.

48 Q:

DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THAT MACHINE WAS ACCURATELY RECORDING THE TIME ON JUNE THE 12TH?

49 A:

NO.

50 Q:

WHEN YOU GOT THE PHONE CALL FROM MRS. JUDITH BROWN, HAD YOU EVER TALKED TO HER ON THE PHONE BEFORE?

51 A:

I DON'T BELIEVE I HAD EVER TALKED TO HER ON THE PHONE, NO.

KEY QUOTE
52 Q:

AND NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON, HAD YOU EVER TALKED TO HER ON THE PHONE BEFORE?

53 A:

I DON'T REMEMBER IF I HAD OR NOT, NO.

KEY QUOTE
54 Q:

YOU SAY SHE WAS A REGULAR AT THE RESTAURANT?

55 A:

YES.

56 Q:

HOW OFTEN WOULD SHE COME IN?

57 A:

WELL, IN THE COURSE OF A YEAR I HAD SEEN HER ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND I WOULD CONSIDER THAT TO BE REGULAR. I HAD HEARD OF OTHER TIMES SHE HAD BEEN IN ON NIGHTS THAT I HADN'T WORKED.

58 Q:

ON THIS PARTICULAR NIGHT WHEN YOU WERE THE MANAGER, DID YOU SEE HER GREET RON GOLDMAN WHEN SHE AND HER PARTY ARRIVED AT THE MEZZALUNA RESTAURANT?

59 A:

YES.

60 Q:

AND HOW DID SHE GREET HIM?

61 A:

UMM, I JUST THINK SHE SAID HELLO AND I'M NOT -- I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID.

62 Q:

DID THEY HUG?

63 A:

THEY MAY HAVE.

64 Q:

DID THEY KISS?

65 A:

I DON'T THINK SO, NO.

KEY QUOTE
66 Q:

ARE YOU SURE?

67 A:

NO, I'M NOT SURE.

68 Q:

WHEN YOU WENT TO GET RON GOLDMAN, THAT WAS AT THE REQUEST OF NICOLE?

69 A:

YES.

70 Q:

AND WHERE WAS RON WHEN YOU WENT TO GET HIM?

71 A:

HE WAS SITTING AT THE FIRST TABLE BY THE FRONT DOOR.

72 Q:

WHAT WAS HE DOING?

73 A:

HE WAS SITTING TALKING TO THE TWO OTHER MANAGERS.

74 Q:

WHO ARE THEY?

75 A:

JOHN AND RICHARD.

76 Q:

DID YOU PREVIOUSLY TESTIFY THAT THEY WERE ALL HAVING DINNER TOGETHER?

77 A:

UMM, I DON'T THINK SO. JOHN AND RICHARD WERE HAVING DINNER.

78 Q:

YOU INDICATED THEY WERE HAVING DINNER AND MR. GOLDMAN WAS WITH THEM?

79 A:

YEAH. I THINK HE -- HE WENT OVER THERE JUST FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO HANG OUT.

80 Q:

DID YOU SEE MR. GOLDMAN EAT AT ALL THAT EVENING?

81 A:

NO, I DIDN'T.

82 MR. SHAPIRO:

MAY I JUST HAVE ONE MOMENT, YOUR HONOR?

83 THE COURT:

CERTAINLY.

84 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEFENSE COUNSEL.)
85 MR. SHAPIRO:

YOUR HONOR, I HAVE A TRANSCRIPT OF PREVIOUS TESTIMONY BY KAREN LEE CRAWFORD, CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MYSELF. THAT IS PAGE 12, HOWEVER, AGAIN I HAVE UNDERLINED IT. I WONDER IF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WOULD OBJECT TO ME SHOWING THIS OR WOULD LIKE ANOTHER COPY TO BE SHOWN TO THE WITNESS?

86 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND DEFENSE COUNSEL.)
87 MR. SHAPIRO:

MAY I APPROACH THE WITNESS, YOUR HONOR?

88 THE COURT:

YOU MAY.

89 MR. SHAPIRO:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

90 Q:

MISS CRAWFORD, WOULD YOU JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO REVIEW YOUR TESTIMONY PREVIOUSLY GIVEN AND I WANT TO DIRECT YOU TO LINE 22 THROUGH LINE 28, PLEASE.

91 A:

(WITNESS COMPLIES.) YES.

92 Q:

DO YOU RECALL BEING ASKED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BY ME?

93 A:

YES. GO AHEAD.

94 Q:

LET ME GIVE YOU THE QUESTIONS, OKAY?

95 MS. CLARK:

WELL, OBJECTION. THE WITNESS IS BEING ASKED TO REFRESH HER MEMORY. COUNSEL DOESN'T NEED TO READ THIS INTO THE RECORD. SHE JUST REFRESHED HER MEMORY AND NOW SHE CAN TESTIFY TO WHAT COUNSEL WANTS.

96 THE COURT:

OVERRULED. MR. SHAPIRO.

97 MR. SHAPIRO:

YES.

98 Q:

WERE YOU ASKED THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

"WHEN YOU WENT TO CALL RON GOLDMAN TO THE PHONE, WHERE WAS HE?

"ANSWER: HE WAS SITTING AT TABLE 101 WHICH IS THE VERY FIRST TABLE TO THE LEFT OF THE FRONT ENTRANCE.

"QUESTION: WHO WAS HE WITH, IF ANYONE?

"ANSWER: HE WAS SITTING WITH JOHN AND RICHARD, JOHN DEBELLO, THE MANAGER, AND RICHARD ARBOLINO.

"QUESTION: WHAT WERE THEY DOING?

"ANSWER: THEY WERE HAVING DINNER."

DO YOU RECALL BEING ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS AND GIVING THOSE ANSWERS?

99 A:

YES.

100 MR. SHAPIRO:

THANK YOU. NOTHING FURTHER.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Karen Crawford
MAYBE SOMEONE ACCIDENTALLY PUNCHED IN ON HIS TIME CARD AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR CARD. THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. MAYBE HE PUNCHED IN AND THEY DIDN'T NEED HIM AND HE JUST LEFT AND HE DIDN'T PUNCH OUT.
Crawford offers several speculative explanations for the anomaly on Goldman's time card, undermining the document's reliability as a fixed timeline anchor.
Karen Crawford
NO.
Her flat answer confirming she had no personal knowledge that the time-punch machine was accurately recording time on June 12th — directly weakening the prosecution's use of the time card to establish Goldman's schedule.
Karen Crawford
THEY WERE HAVING DINNER.
Read back from prior testimony, this contradicts her softer in-court description of Goldman merely 'hanging out' for a couple of minutes — a clean impeachment by prior inconsistent statement.

Evidence (4)

People's 36
Ron Goldman's time card for the week ending June 12th
discussed; Shapiro questioned anomaly of a stamp-in with no corresponding stamp-out, and challenged accuracy of the time-punch machine
Informal
Check for dinner at Mezzaluna
referenced; Crawford confirmed she first saw it that day in court
Informal
Receipt for payment of the bill
referenced; Crawford confirmed she first saw it that day in court
Informal
Transcript of Crawford's prior cross-examination testimony, page 12, lines 22–28
used to impeach; Shapiro read back her earlier statement that Goldman and the managers 'were having dinner'

Notable Exchanges (3)

Robert ShapiroKaren Crawford
Shapiro systematically walked through each document shown on direct, establishing Crawford had never seen the check or receipt before that day in court — subtly implying the prosecution introduced records the witness herself had no prior familiarity with.
strategic
Robert ShapiroKaren Crawford
Shapiro confronted Crawford with her prior testimony that Goldman and the two managers 'were having dinner,' after she had just testified he was only 'hanging out for a couple of minutes.' She confirmed the prior answers.
revealing
Robert ShapiroKaren Crawford
Shapiro asked whether Nicole and Ron hugged or kissed when she arrived. Crawford hedged — 'they may have' hugged, 'I don't think so' kissed, then admitted she was 'not sure' on the kiss.
probing

Credibility Attacks (2)

⚔ Karen Crawford
prior inconsistent statement
Shapiro read back Crawford's grand jury testimony in which she stated Goldman and the managers 'were having dinner,' contrasting it with her vaguer in-court claim that Goldman was merely 'hanging out' for a couple of minutes.
⚔ People's 36 (time card)
foundational challenge
Shapiro elicited that Crawford had no personal knowledge the time-punch machine was accurately recording time on June 12th, and that she could not explain the stamp-in with no stamp-out on Goldman's card — offering multiple innocent explanations herself.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 4690 • 100 utterances • Prosecution witness
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 FEB 7, 1995 📄 Cross-examination of Karen Cra
FEB 7, 1995 KRT DvH TD