Cross-examination of Arnelle Simpson (part 2)

📄 Cross-examination of Arnelle Simpson (part 2) — Monday, July 10, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\10\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-ARNELLE-S.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 111 of 167

◀ Afternoon session opening Bench conference: examination procedures ▶

Witness: Arnelle Simpson
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Defense • Date: Monday, July 10, 1995 • Utterances: 72

Marcia Clark cross-examines Arnelle Simpson about OJ Simpson's phone records from Chicago on June 13, 1994. Clark walks through People's 489 (cell phone bill) and introduces People's 490 (hotel phone bill) to establish that only one call was made from Chicago to the main Rockingham house. Arnelle says she has no recollection of a police officer placing a call from the house to her father in Chicago. The session ends mid-examination when the judge calls a recess so Clark can locate the exhibit number for a third phone bill already in evidence.

# 1 MS. CLARK:

Now, I believe it was your testimony earlier that--that all of those calls were made by Mr. Simpson from Chicago, correct?

# 2 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 3 MS. CLARK:

I'm going to show you People's 489.

# 4 MS. CLARK:

Try and make it bigger. Okay. Slide over there. There are go.

# 5 MS. CLARK:

All right. Now, you see these are--just for your information, Miss Simpson, these are--this is the phone calls placed from your father's cell phone from Chicago on the date of June the 13th. Okay?

# 6 MS. SIMPSON:

Uh-huh.

# 7 MS. CLARK:

Do you see the phone numbers there listed?

# 8 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 9 MS. CLARK:

Okay. You're familiar with the man by the name of Skip Taft, correct?

# 10 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 11 MS. CLARK:

You indicated that was your father's lawyer?

# 12 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 13 MS. CLARK:

Do you recognize his phone numbers on this bill?

# 14 MS. SIMPSON:

Umm--

# 15 MS. CLARK:

You can direct the arrow. See that red arrow up there?

# 16 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 17 MS. CLARK:

You don't recognize it?

# 18 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 19 MS. CLARK:

You don't know them offhand?

# 20 MS. SIMPSON:

Is it his home or office number?

# 21 MS. CLARK:

Either one.

# 22 MS. SIMPSON:

I only know the office number.

# 23 MS. CLARK:

Okay. Do you recognize one of these numbers as his office number?

# 24 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 25 MS. CLARK:

Okay. Do you have any record with you, a phone book like the one you had on June the 13th that would refresh your recollection as to what his phone numbers are?

# 26 MS. SIMPSON:

I know the office number by heart.

# 27 MS. CLARK:

Okay. And do you see his office number here?

# 28 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 29 MR. COCHRAN:

Your Honor, may are approach just one moment? Could you take that down?

# 30 MS. CLARK:

Are you worried about the--

# 31 MR. COCHRAN:

Can you take those down?

KEY QUOTE

# 32 MS. CLARK:

Let me just cover up all of them. Hold on, Johnnie.

# 33 (Discussion held off the record between the Deputy District Attorney and Defense counsel.)

# 34 MS. CLARK:

Try it one more time.

# 35 MS. CLARK:

And then I'll just show it to you. Okay. There's only one number showing now. The number in the main house, the prefix, do you recall whether it was 476?

# 36 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 37 MS. CLARK:

Okay. And since that's no longer the number, the phone number for the main house, was that 476-4619?

# 38 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 39 MS. CLARK:

All right.

# 40 MR. COCHRAN:

Counsel, 4619?

# 41 MS. CLARK:

4619. Yeah.

# 42 MS. CLARK:

Okay. Now, the number that we're showing here on this screen on People's 489, 476-1706, do you recognize that as being Kato Kaelin's phone number in his room?

# 43 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 44 MS. CLARK:

All right. Now, you indicated that there was a call received in your house--let me just show this to you. Tell me if you recognize any of the phone numbers on this bill on People's 489 as a phone number that would go into the main house for Mr. Simpson as of June the 13th.

# 45 MS. SIMPSON:

Into--

# 46 MS. CLARK:

June the 13th, as of June the 13th.

# 47 MS. SIMPSON:

No.

# 48 MS. CLARK:

Okay. All right. I'm going to show you now the phone calls registered for his hotel room in Chicago.

# 49 MS. SIMPSON:

Okay.

# 50 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran, do you have a copy of these?

# 51 MS. CLARK:

I'm going to show--make sure--he does, but--

# 52 MR. COCHRAN:

I don't have it here.

# 53 (Discussion held off the record between the Deputy District Attorney and Defense counsel.)

# 54 THE COURT:

All right. Miss Clark.

# 55 MS. CLARK:

Thank you. Okay. This is the copy of the Defendant's phone bill at Howard Johnson in Chicago for June the 13th. Ask that it be marked People's 490.

# 56 THE COURT:

All right. People's 490, hotel phone record.

# 57 (Peo's 490 for id = hotel phone record)

# 58 MS. CLARK:

Okay. I'm going to show you the phone bill that's now been marked as People's 490. And just to help you out, direct your attention to one particular phone number here, (310) 476-4619, ask if you recognize that.

# 59 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 60 MS. CLARK:

All right. Is--that's the phone number to the main house?

# 61 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 62 MS. CLARK:

So between--all right. So looking at the cell phone bill and the hotel bill, it would appear that one phone call was made to the main house, correct, from Chicago?

KEY QUOTE

# 63 MS. SIMPSON:

Yes.

# 64 MS. CLARK:

All right. Now, do you have any recollection of a police officer placing a call from the house in the kitchen where you were in your presence to Mr. Simpson in Chicago?

# 65 MS. SIMPSON:

No, I don't have any recollection of that.

KEY QUOTE

# 66 MS. CLARK:

Okay. I'm going to show you, while you have those in your hand--hang on to those.

# 67 MS. CLARK:

Actually I believe these are already in evidence, your Honor, but I can't remember the number of the exhibit, the Defendant's phone bill, GTE phone bill.

# 68 THE COURT:

All right. Why don't we take our recess at this point and you can locate the other bill.

# 69 MS. CLARK:

Okay. Or I can use my copy right now if it would be easier just to show--

# 70 THE COURT:

No. But we need to know what you're referring to.

# 71 MS. CLARK:

Okay.

# 72 THE COURT:

All right. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to take our mid-afternoon break at this time. Please remember all of my admonitions to you. We'll stand in recess for 15 minutes. Miss Simpson, you can come down. Come back in 15 minutes.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Marcia Clark

So between--all right. So looking at the cell phone bill and the hotel bill, it would appear that one phone call was made to the main house, correct, from Chicago?

Clark synthesizes both exhibits to pin down the number of calls OJ made to Rockingham, constraining the timeline of his knowledge of the murders.

Arnelle Simpson

No, I don't have any recollection of that.

Arnelle denies remembering a police officer calling OJ from the house kitchen — a detail the prosecution apparently intended to pursue further.

Johnnie Cochran

Can you take those down?

Cochran's off-record sidebar interrupts the phone bill display, suggesting concern about other numbers visible on the exhibit being seen by the jury or press.

Evidence (3)

People's 489

OJ Simpson's cell phone bill showing calls placed from Chicago on June 13, 1994

displayed on screen, used to identify numbers called

People's 490

Hotel phone record from Howard Johnson in Chicago for June 13, 1994

introduced and marked during examination

Informal

GTE phone bill for the Rockingham house, already in evidence but exhibit number unknown to Clark at the time of recess

referenced but not yet displayed — recess called to locate the exhibit number

Notable Exchanges (2)

Marcia Clark•Johnnie Cochran

Cochran interrupts the exhibit display and asks Clark to take down the phone bill numbers, prompting an off-record sidebar. Clark covers the numbers and then returns to show only the specific number relevant to her question.

strategic

Marcia Clark•Arnelle Simpson

Clark walks Arnelle through the phone numbers on both bills; Arnelle cannot identify Skip Taft's numbers or Kato Kaelin's room number, but does recognize the main house number (476-4619) when Clark points to it directly.

methodical

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Arnelle Simpson

prior inconsistent statement / memory challenge

Clark tests Arnelle's claim that all calls were made from Chicago by walking through the phone bills; Arnelle cannot independently identify the numbers of her father's lawyer or Kato Kaelin, suggesting limited familiarity with the details she testified to on direct.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 6695 • 72 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103