Direct examination of Karen Crawford (part 2)

📄 Direct examination of Karen Crawford (part 2) — Tuesday, February 7, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\7\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-KAREN-CR.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 14 of 167

◀ Sidebar: envelope evidence Sidebar: witness conduct ▶

Witness: Karen Crawford
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Tuesday, February 7, 1995 • Utterances: 124

Karen Crawford, an employee at Mezzaluna restaurant, testified about the events of June 12, 1994 that established why Ron Goldman went to Nicole Brown Simpson's home that night. She recounted receiving Nicole's prescription glasses (dropped off by a customer), writing a note for Nicole to pick them up Monday, then getting a call from Nicole around 9:45 PM. She fetched Goldman to the phone, and after he hung up, he told her he was going to drop the glasses off at Nicole's on his way to meet friends at Baja Cantina. Crawford saw Goldman leave through the side exit at approximately 9:50 PM — the last time she saw him alive.

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

# 2 THE COURT:

THANK YOU, COUNSEL. YOU MAY PROCEED. PEOPLE'S 32.

# 3 MS. CLARK:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. MAY I APPROACH?

# 4 THE COURT:

YOU MAY.

# 5 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: MISS CRAWFORD, SHOWING WHAT YOU HAS BEEN MARKED AS PEOPLE'S 32, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE HANDWRITING ON THE FRONT OF THIS ENVELOPE?

# 6 A:

YEAH, THAT IS MY HANDWRITING.

# 7 Q:

IS THIS HANDWRITING THAT YOU PUT ON THIS ENVELOPE ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE THE 12TH, 1994?

# 8 A:

YES.

# 9 Q:

AND IT SAYS, "PRESCRIPTION GLASSES, NICOLE SIMPSON WILL PICK UP MONDAY"?

# 10 A:

YES.

# 11 Q:

NOW, LOOKING INSIDE THE ENVELOPE, CAN YOU SEE THE GLASSES THAT ARE INSIDE?

# 12 A:

YES.

# 13 Q:

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THOSE?

# 14 A:

YES.

# 15 Q:

HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE THEM?

# 16 A:

WELL, THEY LOOK LIKE THE GLASSES I PICKED UP OFF THE STREET.

# 17 Q:

AND THIS IS THE ENVELOPE THAT YOU PLACED BEHIND THE BAR?

# 18 A:

YES.

# 19 Q:

NOW, AFTER YOU HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH MRS. BROWN AND YOU PLACED THE ENVELOPE BEHIND YOU AT THE BAR, DID YOU GET ANOTHER PHONE CALL?

# 20 A:

YES.

# 21 Q:

ABOUT HOW LONG AFTER THE FIRST PHONE CALL DID YOU GET THE SECOND PHONE CALL?

# 22 A:

ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.

# 23 Q:

OKAY. WOULD YOU ESTIMATE THEN ABOUT 9:45?

# 24 A:

YES.

# 25 Q:

DID YOU RECOGNIZE THE PERSON WHO CALLED YOU?

# 26 A:

UMM, YES, I DID.

# 27 Q:

WHO WAS THAT?

# 28 A:

IT WAS NICOLE.

# 29 Q:

NICOLE?

# 30 A:

YES.

# 31 Q:

AND WHERE WERE YOU IN THE RESTAURANT WHEN YOU GOT THAT CALL?

# 32 A:

I WAS STANDING NEAR THE BAR. BOTH OF OUR PHONES ARE ON THE BAR, SO I WAS AT EITHER ONE END OR THE OTHER.

# 33 Q:

AND YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH NICOLE?

# 34 A:

YES.

# 35 Q:

WAS IT CONCERNING THE GLASSES?

# 36 A:

YES.

# 37 Q:

DID SHE ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING WITH RESPECT TO THOSE GLASSES?

# 38 A:

UMM, SHE TOLD ME -- WELL, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?

# 39 Q:

YEAH. DID SHE ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING WITH THOSE GLASSES?

# 40 A:

UMM, NO. SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD SPEAK TO RON, BUT SHE DIDN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH THE GLASSES.

# 41 Q:

OKAY. RON GOLDMAN?

# 42 A:

YES.

# 43 Q:

AND DID YOU THEN SPEAK TO RON GOLDMAN?

# 44 A:

YES.

# 45 Q:

WHAT DID YOU DO?

# 46 A:

I WENT OVER TO WHERE HE WAS SITTING AND I TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD A PHONE CALL.

# 47 Q:

DID HE SPEAK ON THE PHONE?

# 48 A:

HE DID, YES.

# 49 Q:

COULD YOU HEAR WHAT HE WAS SAYING?

# 50 A:

NO. I DIDN'T HEAR EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS SAYING, NO.

# 51 Q:

BUT YOU COULD TELL HE WAS SPEAKING?

# 52 A:

YES.

# 53 Q:

NOW, WHEN HE CAME OVER TO TAKE THE PHONE, WAS HE STILL WEARING HIS WAITER'S UNIFORM?

# 54 A:

NO, HE WASN'T.

# 55 Q:

HOW DID HE LOOK DIFFERENT?

# 56 A:

HE HAD TAKEN HIS VEST AND HIS TIE OFF.

# 57 Q:

OTHER THAN THAT, WHAT WAS HE WEARING?

# 58 A:

HE WAS WEARING BLACK PANTS AND WHITE UP ON TOP.

# 59 Q:

WHITE DRESS SHIRT?

# 60 A:

YEAH.

# 61 Q:

SO HE WAS STILL WEARING THAT MUCH OF THE UNIFORM?

# 62 A:

YES.

# 63 Q:

NOW, AFTER HE SPOKE FOR A WHILE ON THE PHONE, WHAT DID HE DO?

# 64 A:

HE HUNG AROUND FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN HE ASKED ME TO GIVE HIM THE GLASSES AND I DID.

# 65 (BRIEF PAUSE.)

# 66 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: SHOWING YOU WHAT HAS BEEN MARKED AS PEOPLE'S 30, A WHITE DRESS SHIRT, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BLACK PAIR OF DRESS PANTS, DO YOU RECOGNIZE WHAT WE ARE SHOWING YOU HERE?

# 67 A:

YES.

# 68 Q:

WHAT IS IT?

# 69 A:

IT IS RON'S SHIRT AND PANTS.

# 70 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN MS. CLARK AND THE WITNESS.)

# 71 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: AFTER HE HUNG UP THE PHONE, DID RON SAY SOMETHING TO YOU?

# 72 A:

YEAH. HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO DROP THE GLASSES OFF AT NICOLE'S.

KEY QUOTE

# 73 Q:

DID HE TELL YOU HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO SOMEWHERE?

# 74 A:

HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO MEET A COUPLE OF GUYS FROM WORK AT BAJA CANTINA.

KEY QUOTE

# 75 Q:

DO YOU KNOW WHERE BAJA CANTINA IS?

# 76 A:

YEAH.

# 77 Q:

WHERE IS IT?

# 78 A:

IT IS IN MARINA DEL REY.

# 79 Q:

SO DID YOU GIVE HIM THE ENVELOPE WITH THE GLASSES?

# 80 A:

YES.

# 81 Q:

DID YOU SEE HIM LEAVE THE RESTAURANT AT SOME POINT?

# 82 A:

YES, I DID.

# 83 Q:

DO YOU RECALL ABOUT WHAT TIME IT WAS?

# 84 A:

HE LEFT AT ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO 10:00.

KEY QUOTE

# 85 Q:

DO YOU RECALL WHAT EXIT HE LEFT THROUGH?

# 86 A:

HE LEFT THROUGH THE SIDE EXIT THAT GOES OUT ONTO GORHAM.

# 87 Q:

DO YOU RECALL WHO WAS TENDING BAR THAT NIGHT?

# 88 A:

STUART WAS TENDING BAR.

# 89 Q:

STUART TANNER?

# 90 A:

YES.

# 91 Q:

AND YOU RECALL SEEING RON ACTUALLY LEAVE THE RESTAURANT AT TEN MINUTES OF 10:00?

# 92 A:

YEAH, I SAW HIM WALK OUT THE DOOR.

# 93 Q:

AND WAS THAT THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HIM?

KEY QUOTE

# 94 A:

YES.

# 95 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)

# 96 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND DEFENSE COUNSEL.)

# 97 MS. CLARK:

YOUR HONOR, THIS IS A TIME CARD I WOULD ASK TO BE MARKED PEOPLE'S 36.

# 98 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. PEOPLE'S 36, TIME CARD.

# 99 (PEO'S 36 FOR ID = TIME CARD)

# 100 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: YOU CAN SEE IT ON YOUR MONITOR, OKAY? DO YOU RECOGNIZE WHAT IS BEING SHOWN THERE?

# 101 A:

YES, IT IS A TIME CARD.

# 102 Q:

ALL RIGHT. AND IS THAT RON GOLDMAN'S TIME CARD?

# 103 A:

YES.

# 104 Q:

AND FOR THE WEEK ENDING JUNE THE 12TH?

# 105 A:

YES.

# 106 Q:

CAN YOU SEE SUNDAY, JUNE THE 12TH, INDICATED ON THAT CARD?

# 107 A:

YES.

# 108 Q:

AND IT SHOWS THAT HE CAME IN WHAT TIME?

# 109 A:

HE CAME IN AT 4:30.

# 110 Q:

AND THAT HE CLOCKED OUT AT WHAT TIME?

# 111 A:

HE CLOCKED OUT AT 9:33.

# 112 Q:

THEN HE WAS HANGING AROUND THE RESTAURANT FOR AWHILE BEFORE HE ACTUALLY LEFT WHEN YOU SAW HIM LEAVE AT ABOUT 9:50?

# 113 A:

YES.

# 114 Q:

I'M JUST GOING TO SHOW YOU ONE MORE PICTURE.

# 115 A:

OKAY.

# 116 MR. COCHRAN:

MAY WE APPROACH, YOUR HONOR?

# 117 THE COURT:

AT THIS MOMENT?

# 118 MR. COCHRAN:

AS SOON AS THEY FINISH THIS.

# 119 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT.

# 120 Q:

BY MS. CLARK: OKAY. MISS CRAWFORD, DO YOU RECOGNIZE WHAT IS BEING DEPICTED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH?

# 121 A:

IT IS AN ENVELOPE.

# 122 Q:

OKAY. DOES IT APPEAR TO BE THE SAME ENVELOPE THAT YOU PLACED THE GLASSES OF MRS. BROWN IN ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE THE 12TH AND THAT YOU GAVE TO RON GOLDMAN TO TAKE TO NICOLE?

# 123 A:

IT LOOKS LIKE IT, YES.

# 124 MS. CLARK:

THANK YOU. I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Karen Crawford

HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO DROP THE GLASSES OFF AT NICOLE'S.

Establishes why Ron Goldman went to Nicole's house that night — a last-minute errand, not a planned visit.

Karen Crawford

HE LEFT AT ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO 10:00.

Pins Goldman's departure from Mezzaluna to approximately 9:50 PM, critical for establishing the murder timeline.

Karen Crawford

AND WAS THAT THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HIM? YES.

Quietly devastating — the last confirmed sighting of Ron Goldman before the murders.

Karen Crawford

HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO MEET A COUPLE OF GUYS FROM WORK AT BAJA CANTINA.

Shows Goldman had other plans that night; Nicole's errand was an unplanned detour.

Evidence (4)

People's 32

Envelope with Crawford's handwriting reading 'Prescription glasses, Nicole Simpson will pick up Monday,' containing Nicole Brown Simpson's prescription glasses

identified and introduced

People's 30

Ron Goldman's white dress shirt and black dress pants — the clothing he was wearing when he left Mezzaluna

identified

People's 36

Ron Goldman's time card for the week ending June 12, 1994, showing he clocked in at 4:30 and clocked out at 9:33 PM

introduced and read into record

Informal

Photograph of the envelope containing Nicole's glasses

identified

Notable Exchanges (1)

Marcia Clark•Karen Crawford

Clark methodically walks Crawford through the sequence: first call from Mrs. Brown, second call from Nicole, fetching Goldman, handing off the glasses, and Goldman's departure — building a precise timeline for the jury.

strategic

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 4688 • 124 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103