📄 Cross-examination of Francesca Harman (part 2) — Tuesday, July 11, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\11\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-FRANCESCA.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 112 of 167

Cross-examination of Francesca Harman (part 2)

Witness: Francesca Harman
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Defense • Date: Tuesday, July 11, 1995 • Utterances: 39
Darden cross-examines Francesca Harman, a neighbor or acquaintance who left a friend's house at 10:15 PM and did not hear a dog barking. Darden establishes that her statement was taken by Randall Later, a colleague who doubles as a private investigator and provided her statement to the defense, implying a connection between the witness and the defense team's investigative apparatus.
1 MR. DARDEN:

And I take it that you couldn't hear a dog bark and given the fact that you had the radio on; is that right?

2 MS. HARMAN:

I did not hear a dog barking.

KEY QUOTE
3 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. Now, you testified that you left your friend's house at 10:15?

4 MS. HARMAN:

Correct.

5 MR. DARDEN:

You didn't look at your own watch to determine what time it was when you left?

6 MS. HARMAN:

No. I looked at the desk clock that's on the credenza.

7 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. And is that the credenza located in the kitchen?

8 MS. HARMAN:

There's another clock in the kitchen. There's a stove that has a clock in the middle of it where you usually turn the timer.

9 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. Is that an antique stove in the kitchen?

10 MS. HARMAN:

No. It's a modern apartment building.

11 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. You didn't look at the clock on the stove before you left?

12 MS. HARMAN:

I wasn't in the kitchen. I was--I was near the kitchen. We had cleared the dishes. I looked at that clock, then I--we went back into the living room and then I left with the upstairs neighbor and I looked at that clock as I left because that's by the doorway.

13 MR. DARDEN:

And when you say "That clock"--

14 MS. HARMAN:

It's the desk clock on her credenza.

15 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. Who is Randall Later, L-A-T-E-R?

16 MS. HARMAN:

He is a gentleman that I work with.

KEY QUOTE
17 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. What does he do?

18 MS. HARMAN:

He's in the security department of the hotel.

19 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. And is he also a private investigator?

20 MS. HARMAN:

Yes, he is.

21 MR. DARDEN:

And he took your statement; is that correct?

22 MS. HARMAN:

Yes, he did.

23 MR. DARDEN:

And he provided your statement to the Defense?

24 MR. SHAPIRO:

Objection. Calls for hearsay.

25 MS. HARMAN:

I gave it to him and--

26 THE COURT:

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Overruled.

27 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. You gave your statement to Mr. Later; is that correct?

28 MS. HARMAN:

Yes, I did.

29 MR. DARDEN:

Now, do you know a man by the name of Tom Lang?

30 MS. HARMAN:

I do.

31 MR. DARDEN:

And do you know a man named Bob Bell?

32 MS. HARMAN:

No, I don't.

33 MR. DARDEN:

Does Tom Lang work for the same company you work for?

34 MS. HARMAN:

He doesn't work for the same company. He's just located in the same building.

35 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. Do you know Bob wells, w-e-l-l-s?

36 MS. HARMAN:

Yes, I do know who he is.

37 MR. DARDEN:

Does he work for the same company you work for?

38 MS. HARMAN:

Yes. He's the owner.

KEY QUOTE
39 MR. DARDEN:

Thank you.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Francesca Harman
I did not hear a dog barking.
Directly relevant to the timeline of the murders — the Akita's barking was a key marker for when the bodies were discovered.
Francesca Harman
He is a gentleman that I work with... He's in the security department of the hotel... Yes, he is [a private investigator].
Darden establishes that her statement was taken by a defense-connected PI, laying groundwork for a bias argument.
Francesca Harman
Yes. He's the owner.
Darden is mapping her professional relationships — Bob Wells as owner suggests Harman's workplace has multiple figures connected to this case.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Christopher DardenFrancesca Harman
Darden methodically establishes that Harman's statement was collected by Randall Later, a colleague who is also a private investigator working for the defense, suggesting her testimony was shaped or funneled through the defense's investigative network.
strategic

Credibility Attacks (2)

⚔ Francesca Harman
bias — defense-connected statement taker
Darden reveals that her statement was taken by Randall Later, a private investigator who works with her and provided the statement to the defense, implying she is a defense-aligned witness rather than a neutral one.
⚔ Francesca Harman
timeline precision challenge
Darden probes whether she actually looked at a clock herself or relied on a secondary source, questioning the reliability of her 10:15 PM departure time.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 6760 • 39 utterances • Defense witness
Criminal Trial
Department 103
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📂 JUL 11, 1995 📄 Cross-examination of Francesca
JUL 11, 1995 KRT DvH TD