📄 Blood trail chart objection — Thursday, February 9, 1995
📅 Feb 9 — Day 16
🛡️ Johnnie Cochran🏛️ Marcia Clark⚖️ Lance A. Ito
bloodchain_of_custody
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\9\BLOOD-TRAIL-CHART-OBJECTION.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 16 of 167

Blood trail chart objection

Date: Thursday, February 9, 1995 • Utterances: 18
Before the jury was brought in, Cochran objected to the word 'trail' on a prosecution chart depicting blood drops at Bundy, arguing it was conclusory and argumentative. Clark defended the label as simply descriptive of what witnesses observed and would testify to. Judge Ito overruled the objection.
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, OUT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:)
2 THE COURT:

BACK ON THE RECORD IN THE SIMPSON MATTER. ALL PARTIES ARE AGAIN PRESENT BEFORE THE COURT. MR. BAILEY, YOU HAD SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO COMMENT ON BEFORE WE GET TO THE JURY?

3 MR. COCHRAN:

NO. I DO, YOUR HONOR.

4 THE COURT:

MR. COCHRAN.

5 MR. COCHRAN:

THERE IS ONE CHART THAT I JUST WANTED TO CALL THE COURT'S ATTENTION TO THAT I HAVE ONE QUESTION REGARDING, THIS ONE, YOUR HONOR. I THINK THE USE OF THE WORD "TRAIL", I THINK THAT THAT'S CONCLUSIONARY. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH "DROPS," WHATEVER. BUT I THINK "TRAIL" -- I THINK THERE'S NO REAL ISSUE ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT'S ARGUMENTATIVE AND I THINK IT'S CONCLUSIONARY IN FORM, AND I DON'T OBJECT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH I'VE SEEN, BUT THE LABEL I THINK IT'S A LITTLE NECESSARY LICENSE. AND I'LL TELL YOUR HONOR THAT THERE WILL BE A LOT OF EVIDENCE WITH REGARD TO WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S A TRAIL, AND I OBJECT TO THAT.

6 THE COURT:

MISS CLARK.

7 MS. CLARK:

YES, YOUR HONOR. THIS WAS SHOWN TO MR. COCHRAN YESTERDAY AND THERE WAS NO OBJECTION LODGED. SECONDLY, IT IS A MATTER OF WHAT WAS OBSERVED AND WHAT WILL BE TESTIFIED TO BY THE WITNESSES, THAT THE BLOOD TRAILED AND IN FACT DID TRAIL. THERE WAS A TAILING EFFECT TO THE BLOOD THAT SHOWED THAT IT TRAILED IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION. AND SO IT'S SIMPLY DESCRIPTIVE OF WHAT THE TESTIMONY WILL BE. THAT'S WHAT THE BOARD IS. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS. COUNSEL CAN ARGUE IT'S NOT, BUT WE HAVE A SERIES OF BLOOD DROPS TO THE LEFT OF THE SERIES OF BLOODY SHOE PRINTS. IT'S A TRAIL OF BLOOD.

8 MR. COCHRAN:

THAT'S HER CONCLUSION. I'M INDICATING TO THE COURT THERE WILL BE TESTIMONY THAT THAT IS NOT A TRAIL. IT'S -- ALL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS THE EVIDENCE.

9 MS. CLARK:

WELL, WHAT IS IT?

10 MR. COCHRAN:

I'M TALKING ABOUT THE LABEL OF THIS EVIDENCE, AND I JUST THINK IT'S INAPPROPRIATE TO CALL IT A BLOOD TRAIL. SO I AM ASKING THE COURT -- WHEN I SAW THIS LAST NIGHT, WE WEREN'T ON THE RECORD OR WHATEVER. SO NOW IS THE TIME. SHE HADN'T PUT IT OUT. NOW IS THE TIME. I'M JUST SAYING WE SHOULD -- IF SHE WANTS TO CALL IT BLOOD AT BUNDY, I HAVE NO OBJECTION. I OBJECT TO THE USE OF THE WORD "TRAIL."

11 MS. CLARK:

YOUR HONOR, I THINK THAT'S A MATTER FOR COUNSEL TO ARGUE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT -- BUT THIS IS -- THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S EVIDENCE. THIS IS THE WAY THE WITNESSES CHARACTERIZE WHAT THEY SAW, AND SO IT'S SIMPLY DESCRIPTIVE. THAT'S WHAT THE TESTIMONY IS GOING TO ELICIT. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THESE BOARDS.

12 MR. COCHRAN:

THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT. IT'S A MATTER FOR BOTH COUNSEL TO ARGUE, BUT NOT ANY ARGUMENT ON THIS DOCUMENT.

13 MS. CLARK:

WELL, COUNSEL CAN PUT UP HIS OWN BOARD AND SAY BLOOD DROPS, IT IS NOT A TRAIL. BUT OUR WITNESSES FOUND IT TO BE A TRAIL AND THAT'S WHAT THE TESTIMONY WILL SHOW AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE BOARD.

14 THE COURT:

THANK YOU.

15 MR. COCHRAN:

WELL, I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, YOUR HONOR. I THINK THE EVIDENCE WILL BE THAT THIS IS 160 FEET UP THAT WAY AND THEY FIND FOUR DROPS OF BLOOD.

16 MS. CLARK:

FIVE.

17 MR. COCHRAN:

FIVE DROPS OF BLOOD. THAT DOES NOT MAKE A TRAIL AMONG MOST REASONABLE EXPERTS. AND THE QUESTION IS, I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE THAT -- AT THIS POINT, I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE UNTIL AT THE END OF THE CASE. IT'S ARGUMENTATIVE.

18 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. OBJECTION IS NOTED. IT'S OVERRULED. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. LET'S HAVE THE JURORS, PLEASE, DEPUTY MAGNERA.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Johnnie Cochran
I THINK THE USE OF THE WORD 'TRAIL', I THINK THAT THAT'S CONCLUSIONARY. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH 'DROPS,' WHATEVER.
Cochran draws a precise semantic line — 'drops' is neutral, 'trail' implies directional movement and origin, which the defense intends to contest.
Johnnie Cochran
I THINK THE EVIDENCE WILL BE THAT THIS IS 160 FEET UP THAT WAY AND THEY FIND FOUR DROPS OF BLOOD.
Cochran previews the defense theory: the small number of drops spread over distance doesn't constitute a 'trail' in any meaningful sense.
Marcia Clark
FIVE.
Clark's single-word correction mid-argument is a small but pointed moment — she knows the evidence cold and won't let even minor mischaracterizations stand.
Marcia Clark
THERE WAS A TAILING EFFECT TO THE BLOOD THAT SHOWED THAT IT TRAILED IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION. AND SO IT'S SIMPLY DESCRIPTIVE OF WHAT THE TESTIMONY WILL BE.
Clark grounds the label in anticipated witness testimony, arguing the board reflects evidence rather than argument.

Evidence (1)

Informal
Prosecution chart/board depicting blood drops at Bundy, labeled 'blood trail'
challenged — Cochran objects to the word 'trail'; Ito overrules and allows the label

Notable Exchanges (1)

Johnnie CochranMarcia Clark
Cochran argues 'trail' prejudges contested evidence; Clark counters that her witnesses will testify to exactly that characterization and counsel can put up their own board saying otherwise. The exchange reveals the defense intends to argue the blood drops are too sparse and spread out to constitute a trail.
strategic

Light Moments (1)

Marcia Clark
Cochran says 'four drops of blood' — Clark immediately interrupts with a flat 'FIVE,' correcting the record with one word.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 4754 • 18 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 FEB 9, 1995 📄 Blood trail chart objection
FEB 9, 1995 KRT DvH TD