Direct examination of Carol Connors

📄 Direct examination of Carol Connors — Monday, July 10, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\10\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-CAROL-CO.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 111 of 167

◀ Return from sidebar Cross-examination of Carol Connors ▶

Witness: Carol Connors
Examiner: Robert Shapiro
Called by: Defense • Date: Monday, July 10, 1995 • Utterances: 94

Robert Shapiro called Carol Connors, a songwriter best known for co-writing the Rocky theme, to testify about seeing OJ Simpson at a $25,000-per-couple charity dinner on June 11, 1994 — three days before the murders. She described Simpson as warm, kind, and romantically engaged with Paula Barbieri that evening, establishing a positive mood and demeanor close to the date of the crime.

# 1 MR. SHAPIRO:

Miss Connor, please.

Carol Connor, called as a witness by the Defendant, was sworn and testified as follows:

# 2 THE COURT:

Miss Connor, step over here, stand over next to the court reporter and face the clerk, please. All right. Raise your right hand, face the clerk.

# 3 THE CLERK:

You do solemnly swear that the testimony you may give in the cause now pending before this Court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

# 4 MS. CONNOR:

I do.

# 5 THE CLERK:

Please have a seat on the witness stand and state and spell your first and last names for the record.

# 6 THE COURT:

All right. Miss Connor, would you pull the microphone close to you, please? Mr. Shapiro.

# 7 MR. SHAPIRO:

Thank you very much.

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. SHAPIRO

# 8 MR. SHAPIRO:

Good afternoon, Miss Connor.

# 9 MS. CONNOR:

Good afternoon.

# 10 MR. SHAPIRO:

How are you?

# 11 MS. CONNOR:

I'm okay.

# 12 MR. SHAPIRO:

A little nervous?

# 13 MS. CONNOR:

A lot nervous.

# 14 MR. SHAPIRO:

Well, we ask you just to relax, and I have just a few questions for you.

# 15 MS. CONNOR:

Okay.

# 16 MR. SHAPIRO:

At some point in time, have you become acquainted with my client, Mr. O.J. Simpson?

# 17 MS. CONNOR:

Yes.

# 18 MR. SHAPIRO:

And for how long have you been acquainted with him?

# 19 MS. CONNOR:

Well, I met O.J. about in 1980 I think.

# 20 MR. SHAPIRO:

And would you describe from 1980 to today how you would characterize your relationship with him?

# 21 MS. CONNOR:

Umm, an acquaintance.

# 22 MR. SHAPIRO:

And have you had an occasion to observe his demeanor?

# 23 MS. CONNOR:

Yes. At many different events and functions.

# 24 MR. SHAPIRO:

And when was the last time you saw him in person prior to today?

# 25 MS. CONNOR:

June 11th, 1994.

# 26 MR. SHAPIRO:

And how do you know that date and where was it?

# 27 MS. CONNOR:

How could I not know that date? It was at a $25,000 dinner party for the Sheba Medical Center honoring Madame Jihan Sadat and first lady, Prime Minister's wife, Leah Rabin, and it was in Bell Air, it was a private party given by the Ellis' at their estate.

# 28 MR. SHAPIRO:

Now, I notice you have somewhat extraordinary vest on. Does it have anything to do with your profession?

# 29 MS. CONNOR:

I'm a song writer.

# 30 MR. SHAPIRO:

And is there any songs that you've written that perhaps the jury would be familiar with?

# 31 MS. CONNOR:

Well, I hope. They would know the theme from Rocky because I was lucky enough to cowrite that with Bill Conty and Ann Robbins and--

# 32 MR. SHAPIRO:

Many others? Many, many others?

# 33 MS. CONNOR:

Some, yes.

# 34 MR. SHAPIRO:

Now, on the occasion of--

# 35 THE COURT:

Don't you know that in fact that was nominated for an academy award?

KEY QUOTE

# 36 MS. CONNOR:

Should I say it?

# 37 THE COURT:

It was, correct?

# 38 MS. CONNOR:

We were nominated for an Oscar. And may I make one other statement?

# 39 THE COURT:

No. That's fine.

# 40 MS. CONNOR:

We lost to Barbra Streisand.

# 41 MR. SHAPIRO:

Now, at this event, did you see O.J. Simpson there?

# 42 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 43 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you see him in the accompaniment of anyone?

# 44 MS. CONNOR:

He was with Paula--I have a slight speech impediment, but--

# 45 MR. SHAPIRO:

Let me try to help you with it. Barbieri?

# 46 MS. CONNOR:

Barbieri.

# 47 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you have a chance to observe them during the evening?

# 48 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did. When O.J. walked in, I had already been there. And he and Paula walked in, and he saw me standing there, and I waved to him. And he left Paula standing on the step and he came towards me and he put his arms around me and he said, "Oh, you look--"

# 49 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Narrative.

# 50 THE COURT:

All right. Next question.

# 51 MR. SHAPIRO:

Yes. And would you describe what he said to you?

# 52 MS. CONNOR:

He said--

# 53 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Hearsay.

# 54 THE COURT:

Sustained.

# 55 MR. SHAPIRO:

Did you have a conversation with him?

# 56 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 57 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you have a chance to observe his mood?

# 58 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 59 MR. SHAPIRO:

What was his mood like?

# 60 MS. CONNOR:

Well, he was wonderful. He was kind. I asked him to take a picture with some ladies. He couldn't have been nicer to everybody there, to the three ladies and myself. I spoke with him for a while.

KEY QUOTE

# 61 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you get a chance to see how he interacted with Paula, the lady he was with?

# 62 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 63 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you form any observations regarding the way he was interacting with Paula?

# 64 MR. DARDEN:

Objection. Irrelevant.

# 65 THE COURT:

Overruled. You can answer the question. Answer the question.

# 66 MR. SHAPIRO:

You may answer that.

# 67 MS. CONNOR:

Could you ask it again?

# 68 MR. SHAPIRO:

Yes. Did you form any opinions--did you have any view as to how he was relating with Paula? Did they--how did they seem together?

# 69 MS. CONNOR:

Well, I happened to witness or I happened to see a very exquisite romantic moment that took place between the two of them. And being a writer, I was able to compute it into my brain and to understand it and to wish that I had been lucky enough to be in a situation of what I had watched.

KEY QUOTE

# 70 MR. SHAPIRO:

Did O.J. appear any differently, any different on the night of June the 11th than he had on the prior occasions that you had seen him throughout the years since 1980?

# 71 MS. CONNOR:

Absolutely not.

# 72 MR. SHAPIRO:

Now, you mentioned that a photograph was taken.

# 73 MR. SHAPIRO:

I have previously shown this to counsel and it was used in the opening statement. Mr. Douglas is going to put it up on the board here.

# 74 MR. DARDEN:

Has that been marked, your Honor?

# 75 MR. SHAPIRO:

We're going to mark that as Defendant's 1247 with the Court's pleasure.

# 76 THE COURT:

How about 1227?

# 77 MR. DARDEN:

I object, your Honor. This is irrelevant. This photograph is irrelevant.

# 78 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 79 (Deft's 1227 for id = photograph)

# 80 MR. SHAPIRO:

Can you iden--is this the photograph that you alluded to?

# 81 MS. CONNOR:

I think that's me.

# 82 MR. SHAPIRO:

And did you provide that to us--

# 83 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 84 MR. SHAPIRO:

--in a smaller version--

# 85 MS. CONNOR:

Yes, I did.

# 86 MR. SHAPIRO:

--which I have here? And would you identify this--will you tell us about how that photograph came to be taken?

# 87 MS. CONNOR:

Well, we had been talking and O.J. and I were talking about our Abyssinian cats and he told me that they had passed away. And in the course of the conversation, I asked him how Nicole was, and he said she's fine. And there was a photographer standing over there, and I said, "Would you mind taking a picture with all these little ladies," because one of them is my height, Francis Brody, and they were all sort of a tither, you know, ohhh. And I said, "Would you mind taking this picture? It would really be wonderful and I know they would appreciate it." And O.J. said, "Not at all, Carol." So the photographer Peter was standing there, and I said, "Peter, would you mind taking this picture?" And he said, "No," and he said, "I'd love to take it." So he took the picture of us and that was the picture. I don't know the other two ladies. They were just in the picture. But Francis is a member of Sheba Medical Center as I am, and it was just a really fun moment.

# 88 MR. SHAPIRO:

How many people were at this event?

# 89 MS. CONNOR:

Umm, I don't know. I think around--I think around 300. It was a very renaissance evening and Natalie Cole was performing. It was quite beautiful.

# 90 MR. SHAPIRO:

And do you know what the amount was to come to this charity, what the charge was?

# 91 MS. CONNOR:

Umm, I was a guest of the event, but it was a $25,000 a couple dinner, and it was to raise money, as I said, for the Sheba Medical Center.

# 92 MR. SHAPIRO:

And was it a successful event in your opinion?

# 93 MS. CONNOR:

Very. I mean, it's the non-secular hospital of Israel.

# 94 MR. SHAPIRO:

Thank you. Nothing further.

Temperature

light

Key Quotes (4)

Carol Connors

I happened to witness or I happened to see a very exquisite romantic moment that took place between the two of them.

Defense establishing Simpson was in a loving, non-violent state with his girlfriend days before the murders.

Carol Connors

He was wonderful. He was kind. I asked him to take a picture with some ladies. He couldn't have been nicer to everybody there.

Character evidence painting Simpson as calm and pleasant on June 11th.

Carol Connors

I asked him how Nicole was, and he said she's fine.

Simpson's casual, non-hostile reference to Nicole two days before her murder — defense using this to suggest no rage or premeditation.

Lance A. Ito

Don't you know that in fact that was nominated for an academy award?

Judge Ito breaking from his typically austere demeanor to engage warmly with the witness about the Rocky theme.

Evidence (1)

Defendant's 1227

Photograph of Carol Connors with OJ Simpson and other women at the June 11, 1994 charity dinner

introduced and identified by witness

Notable Exchanges (2)

Lance A. Ito•Carol Connors

Judge Ito spontaneously asked about the Oscar nomination for the Rocky theme, prompting a light back-and-forth in which Connors revealed they lost to Barbra Streisand.

warm, light

Robert Shapiro•Christopher Darden

Darden objected repeatedly — narrative, hearsay, relevance — with only the hearsay objection sustained. Shapiro methodically got the substance in through rephrased questions.

strategic

Light Moments (3)

Carol Connors

Judge Ito asked about the Oscar nomination unprompted; Connors blurted 'We lost to Barbra Streisand' after the judge tried to cut her off.

Robert Shapiro

Shapiro noted Connors' 'somewhat extraordinary vest' as an icebreaker about her profession.

Carol Connors

When identifying herself in the photograph, Connors said 'I think that's me.'

Witness Demeanor

Self-described as 'a lot nervous' at the start

Warm and conversational; volunteered colorful detail throughout

Acknowledged a slight speech impediment when struggling with 'Barbieri'

Objections

4 objections (1 sustained, 2 overruled)

Proceeding 6699 • 94 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103