Darden rehabilitates Detective Edwards on redirect, drawing out testimony about OJ Simpson's imposing physical presence and visible anger (pulsating veins), Nicole Brown's terror, and Edwards' decision not to arrest Simpson. Edwards also reveals for the first time that Nicole told him the argument was triggered by OJ having sex with another woman in the house that night — a detail Edwards deliberately omitted from his report to avoid media sensationalism.
# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:) # 2 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. DARDEN, YOU MAY CONTINUE.
# 3 MR. DARDEN: MAY I HAVE ONE MOMENT, YOUR HONOR?
# 4 THE COURT: CERTAINLY.
# 5 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 6 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: WHAT WAS THE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH NICOLE BROWN AT WEST L.A. STATION, DETECTIVE?
# 7 A: IT WAS -- SHE TOLD ME WHY THE ARGUMENT HAD OCCURRED THAT NIGHT.
# 8 Q: WHAT DID SHE TELL YOU?
# 9 A: SHE SAID THAT THERE WERE -- THERE WAS TWO OTHER WOMEN LIVING IN THE HOUSE AND THAT O.J. SIMPSON HAD SEX WITH ONE OF THEM PRIOR TO GOING TO BED THAT NIGHT WITH HER.
KEY QUOTE # 10 Q: IS THAT IN YOUR REPORT?
# 13 A: BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER I FINISHED THE REPORT AND TURNED IT IN, I STARTED GETTING PHONE CALLS FROM THE NEWS MEDIA AND NEWSPAPERS AND I DIDN'T FEEL THAT IT WAS A RELEVANT PART OF THE REPORT OR THE CRIME AND IT WOULD JUST BE A SENSATIONALISM THING.
# 14 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 15 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: YOU SAW BOTH NICOLE BROWN AND THE DEFENDANT THAT NIGHT; IS THAT CORRECT?
# 17 Q: WHO WAS THE BIGGEST PHYSICALLY?
# 18 A: O.J. SIMPSON WAS ABOUT 6-1, 215 POUNDS, DIDN'T APPEAR TO HAVE AN OUNCE OF FAT ON HIM.
# 19 Q: HE SEEMED TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION?
# 21 Q: WHY DIDN'T YOU GO INTO THE HOUSE AT ROCKINGHAM?
# 24 A: BECAUSE IT WAS AN OFFICER SAFETY PROBLEM WITH AN INJURED VICTIM IN THE REAR OF MY CAR AND I COULDN'T LEAVE MY PARTNER ALONE TO GO INTO A LOCKED FACILITY LIKE THAT, AND THERE WAS NO ANYBODY WHO COULD GET INTO HELP ME IN CASE I NEEDED SOMETHING.
# 25 Q: YOU INDICATED TO MR. COCHRAN THAT YOU HAD NEVER SEEN THE DEFENDANT ANGRY PRIOR TO JANUARY 1, 1989; IS THAT CORRECT?
# 27 Q: AND YET YOU TOLD US TODAY THAT HE APPEARED ANGRY TO YOU?
# 29 Q: WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT HIM PHYSICALLY THAT CAUSED YOU TO CONCLUDE THAT HE WAS ANGRY?
# 30 MR. COCHRAN: CALLS FOR SPECULATION, YOUR HONOR.
# 31 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 32 DET. JOHN EDWARDS: YES. HIS -- HIS FACIAL DEMEANOR, HIS VOICE AND HE HAD -- VEINS WERE POPPING OUT RIGHT HERE ON THE UPPER PART OF HIS HEAD, ALONG THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD THERE, WERE VEINS PULSATING AND POPPING OUT, AND I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE ON TELEVISION OR ANYTHING.
KEY QUOTE # 33 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: SO YOU ASSOCIATED THAT WITH ANGER?
# 35 Q: YOU COULD HAVE ARRESTED THE DEFENDANT IN HIS UNDERWEAR HAD YOU WANTED TO?
# 36 MR. COCHRAN: OBJECTION. LEADING AND SUGGESTIVE, YOUR HONOR. IMMATERIAL.
# 37 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 38 DET. JOHN EDWARDS: YES.
# 39 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: WHY DIDN'T YOU?
# 40 A: BECAUSE I KNEW THAT IF I TOOK O.J. SIMPSON, A PERSON OF THAT STATURE, TO THE STATION IN HIS UNDERWEAR THAT THERE WOULD BE REPERCUSSIONS BECAUSE THE MEDIA WOULD SHOW UP AND IT WOULD BE BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION.
KEY QUOTE # 41 Q: YOU ALSO TOLD MR. COCHRAN THAT YOU DID NOT INDICATE IN THE REPORT THAT NICOLE BROWN WAS INTOXICATED?
# 43 Q: WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT HER DEMEANOR THAT NIGHT THAT CAUSED YOU TO BELIEVE THAT SHE WAS INTOXICATED?
# 45 Q: HAVE YOU HAD TRAINING IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?
# 47 Q: HAVE YOU HAD TRAINING IN THE PROFILE OF A --
# 48 MR. COCHRAN: YOUR HONOR, I OBJECT TO THIS QUESTION. THIS IS IMPROPER. IMPROPER REDIRECT EXAMINATION AND IMPROPER QUESTION.
# 49 THE COURT: SUSTAINED.
# 50 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: DID THE DEFENDANT APPEAR AFRAID AT ALL OF NICOLE BROWN TO YOU THAT NIGHT?
# 52 Q: DID SHE APPEAR TO BE AFRAID OF HIM?
# 53 MR. COCHRAN: ASKED AND ANSWERED, YOUR HONOR.
# 54 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 55 DET. JOHN EDWARDS: SHE APPEARED TO BE TERRIFIED.
KEY QUOTE # 56 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: YOU DESCRIBED EARLIER ABOUT THE MUD ON NICOLE BROWN; IS THAT CORRECT?
# 58 Q: DID YOU SEE ANY MUD ON THE DEFENDANT?
# 60 MR. DARDEN: MAY I HAVE A MOMENT, YOUR HONOR?
# 61 THE COURT: CERTAINLY.
# 62 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) # 63 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: DID NICOLE BROWN INDICATE TO YOU ANY REASON, OTHER THAN A DESIRE TO BE WITH HER CHILDREN, THAT IS, FOR HER NOT GOING DOWN TO PARKER CENTER?
# 64 A: THAT WAS IT. SHE JUST WANTED TO GET BACK TO HER CHILDREN.
# 65 Q: IS THAT WHAT SHE TOLD YOU AT WEST L.A. STATION?
# 67 Q: WHY DIDN'T YOU KEEP HER AT THE STATION?
# 68 A: SHE WANTED TO GET BACK TO HER CHILDREN.
# 69 Q: WAS SHE UNDER ARREST?
# 71 Q: HAD SHE VIOLATED ANY LAW?
# 73 Q: WAS THERE ANY INDICATION THAT SHE HAD BEATEN UP THE DEFENDANT?
# 75 Q: AND YOU DID SPEAK TO THE DEFENDANT, RIGHT?
# 77 Q: HE DIDN'T TELL YOU THAT SHE BEAT HIM UP, DID HE?
# 79 Q: YOU DIDN'T BOOK HER PANTS INTO EVIDENCE?
# 80 A: NO. I PHOTOGRAPHED THEM.
# 81 Q: WHY DIDN'T YOU BOOK HER PANTS?
# 82 A: I FELT THE PHOTOGRAPH SIGNIFICANTLY DEPICTED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HER IN REGARDS TO THE PANTS.
# 83 Q: YOU TOLD MR. COCHRAN THAT THE DEFENDANT SAID THAT THE POLICE HAD BEEN OUT TO THE LOCATION EIGHT TIMES BEFORE?
# 85 Q: WERE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT FROM THE DEFENDANT?
# 86 MR. COCHRAN: YOUR HONOR, I OBJECT TO THAT. IRRELEVANT AND IMMATERIAL WAS HE SURPRISED.
# 87 THE COURT: SUSTAINED.
# 88 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: WELL, YOU DIDN'T GO BACK TO THE STATION AND CHECK THE RECORDS TO SEE IF THE LAPD HAD BEEN TO THE HOUSE EIGHT TIMES BEFORE, DID YOU?
# 91 A: BECAUSE I FELT THE DETECTIVE ASSIGNED TO THE CASE WOULD DO THAT. ONCE I PUT THAT STATEMENT IN THERE, I FIGURED IT WOULD BE PART OF HIS FOLLOW-UP.
# 92 Q: WHEN THE DEFENDANT TOLD YOU THAT THE POLICE HAD BEEN OUT TO THE HOUSE EIGHT TIMES BEFORE, DID HE TELL YOU THAT THEY HAD BEEN THERE ON SOCIAL CALLS?
# 93 A: NO. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE SAME SORT OF THING.
# 94 MR. COCHRAN: THE QUESTION WAS ANSWERED. OBJECT AS ASKED AND ANSWERED.
# 95 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 96 MR. DARDEN: I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THE ANSWER, YOUR HONOR.
# 97 THE COURT: I SAID OVERRULED.
# 98 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: CAN WE HAVE THE QUESTION AND ANSWER READ BACK?
# 99 THE COURT: THE QUESTION IS: "WHEN THE DEFENDANT TOLD YOU THAT THE POLICE HAD BEEN OUT TO THE HOUSE EIGHT TIMES BEFORE, DID THEY TELL YOU THEY HAD BEEN THERE ON SOCIAL CALLS?" YES OR NO.
# 100 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: WHAT WAS THE ANSWER, DETECTIVE?
# 101 A: YES, THE POLICE HAD BEEN OUT THERE BEFORE.
# 102 Q: DID HE TELL YOU THAT THEY HAD BEEN THERE ON SOCIAL CALLS?
# 103 A: OH, NO, THEY WERE THERE FOR THE SAME KIND OF AN INCIDENT.
KEY QUOTE # 104 MR. DARDEN: THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. NOTHING FURTHER.