📄 Recross-examination of John Edwards (part 2) — Tuesday, January 31, 1995
📅 Jan 31 — Day 9
🛡️ Johnnie Cochran👮 Det. John Edwards
domestic_violencepolice_proceduretimeline
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JAN\31\RECROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-JOHN-ED.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 9 of 167

Recross-examination of John Edwards (part 2)

Witness: Det. John Edwards
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Tuesday, January 31, 1995 • Utterances: 23
Cochran conducts a brief recross of Detective Edwards, pressing him on whether he genuinely cared about OJ Simpson's welfare after deciding to arrest him, and whether prior domestic violence calls to the Simpson residence were properly followed up. Edwards concedes he did not check whether previous officers had documented incidents under the same law, and that he delegated that responsibility to others without confirming it was done.
1 THE COURT:

MR. COCHRAN.

2 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU.

FURTHER RECROSS-EXAMINATION

3

BY MR. COCHRAN:

4 Q:

ONCE YOU MADE YOUR DECISION TO ARREST MR. O.J. SIMPSON, YOU DIDN'T ASK HIM ABOUT ANY INJURIES ANYWAY, DID YOU? YOU JUST WANTED TO TAKE HIM TO JAIL; ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SIR?

5 A:

ABSOLUTELY.

6 Q:

THAT IS THE SITUATION. YOU WEREN'T INTERESTED IN HIS WELFARE AT THAT POINT; IS THAT CORRECT?

7 A:

I COULD SEE HE WAS NOT INJURED.

8 Q:

YOU COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING -- STRIKE THAT. YOU HAD MADE A DECISION AND THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO CARRY OUT; ISN'T THAT RIGHT, OFFICER?

9 A:

UNDER THE PENAL CODE AND DEPARTMENT POLICY, HE WAS GOING TO JAIL FOR 273.5.

KEY QUOTE
10 Q:

RIGHT. AND AS YOU SAID, IF THE OTHER OFFICERS HAD BEEN OUT THERE SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES, ISN'T THAT THE SAME LAW THAT YOU WERE UNDER ON JANUARY 1ST?

11 A:

EXACTLY.

12 Q:

THAT WOULD MEAN THAT SINCE HE WASN'T ARRESTED, NOTHING HAPPENED LIKE THAT; ISN'T THAT CORRECT? THAT IS NOT WHAT THE LAW IS; ISN'T THAT CORRECT?

KEY QUOTE
13 A:

NOT NECESSARILY.

14 Q:

NOT NECESSARILY. BUT YOU DON'T KNOW, DO YOU?

15 A:

I DON'T KNOW AND NEITHER DO YOU.

KEY QUOTE
16 Q:

YOU DIDN'T BOTHER CHECKING, DID YOU?

17 A:

NO.

18 Q:

YOU THOUGHT THE SERGEANT WOULD CHECK THAT, DIDN'T YOU?

19 A:

I THOUGHT THE SERGEANT OR THE DETECTIVE THAT WAS HANDLING THE CASE WOULD CHECK THAT, YES.

20 Q:

YOU DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THEY CHECKED THAT OR NOT, DO YOU?

21 A:

AS FAR AS I KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.

22 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

23 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. DETECTIVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU ARE EXCUSED. PLEASE DON'T DISCUSS YOUR TESTIMONY WITH ANY OTHER WITNESSES. MR. DARDEN, YOUR NEXT WITNESS, PLEASE.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (3)

Witness
I DON'T KNOW AND NEITHER DO YOU.
A rare moment of a witness pushing back directly at Cochran, briefly disrupting his rhythm.
Witness
UNDER THE PENAL CODE AND DEPARTMENT POLICY, HE WAS GOING TO JAIL FOR 273.5.
Edwards frames the arrest as mechanical and mandatory, undercutting Cochran's implication of bias or selective enforcement.
Examiner
THAT WOULD MEAN THAT SINCE HE WASN'T ARRESTED, NOTHING HAPPENED LIKE THAT; ISN'T THAT CORRECT?
Cochran tries to establish that prior officers failed to enforce the same law, implying inconsistent or deferential treatment of Simpson.

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie CochranDetective Edwards
Cochran presses Edwards on whether prior responding officers should have arrested Simpson under the same 273.5 statute; Edwards concedes he never verified whether those incidents were investigated.
strategic
Johnnie CochranDetective Edwards
When Cochran implies Edwards didn't know what happened on prior calls, Edwards fires back 'I DON'T KNOW AND NEITHER DO YOU,' momentarily seizing control of the exchange.
tense

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Detective Edwards
omission / failure to investigate
Cochran establishes Edwards never checked whether prior responding officers documented or acted on previous domestic violence incidents at the Simpson residence, and that he delegated this without confirming it was done.

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 4580 • 23 utterances • Prosecution witness
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 JAN 31, 1995 📄 Recross-examination of John Ed
JAN 31, 1995 KRT DvH TD