Redirect examination of Denise Pilnak (part 1)

📄 Redirect examination of Denise Pilnak (part 1) — Tuesday, July 11, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\11\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-DENISE.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 112 of 167

◀ Cross-examination of Denise Pilnak Sidebar: witness statement admissibility ▶

Witness: Denise Pilnak
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Defense • Date: Tuesday, July 11, 1995 • Utterances: 66

Cochran uses redirect to reinforce Pilnak's timeline testimony, having her confirm without any doubt that she was on her porch from 10:21 to 10:25 PM on June 12, 1994, and called her mother at exactly 10:25 PM — both facts corroborated by her written statement to Detective Vannatter (Defense 1238) and a phone bill. A brief notable moment occurs when Cochran highlights that Pilnak was wearing a pro-LAPD pin, which the judge immediately struck. The examination ends abruptly at a sidebar when Clark objects to displaying page 2 of the document.

# 1 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran.

REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. COCHRAN

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Miss Pilnak, let me--before they take that down--let's keep that up for a second. Let's go on to the other paragraph.

# 3 MR. COCHRAN:

This--is this--what's the number of this document?

# 4 THE COURT:

This is People's 499.

# 5 MR. COCHRAN:

499, your Honor? Let's refer--not People's.

# 6 THE COURT:

Oh, I'm sorry.

# 7 MR. COCHRAN:

I--if they're not going to mark it, I would like to mark it.

# 8 THE COURT:

That will be Defense--

# 9 THE CLERK:

1238.

# 10 THE COURT:

1238.

# 11 MR. COCHRAN:

1238. Thank you.

# 12 (Deft's 1238 for id = document)

# 13 MR. COCHRAN:

Miss Pilnak, I'd like to ask you a couple questions if I might. With regard to this document that we're now about to talk about, Defendant's 1238, as I understand it, that's a document that you prepared and sent to Detective Vannatter; isn't that correct?

# 14 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 15 MR. COCHRAN:

And throughout this matter, when I was questioning you before, you said you were interested in justice; is that right?

# 16 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 17 MR. COCHRAN:

In fact, you're a big, big support of the police, aren't you?

# 18 MS. PILNAK:

Yes, I am.

# 19 MS. CLARK:

Objection, your Honor. Irrelevant.

# 20 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 21 MR. COCHRAN:

In fact, you're wearing a pin today that's supportive of the L.A. Police Department, aren't you?

# 22 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 23 THE COURT:

That's irrelevant. That's stricken. We agreed no pin stuff.

KEY QUOTE

# 24 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. No pin stuff. All right, your Honor.

# 25 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. At any rate, you are supportive of the police; is that right?

# 26 MS. PILNAK:

Yes, I am.

# 27 MR. COCHRAN:

And when you wrote this document to Vannatter, you were trying to be as accurate as you could regarding the events of that night; isn't that correct?

# 28 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 29 MR. COCHRAN:

And you weren't trying to shade your testimony to help the Prosecution or the Defense, were you?

# 30 MS. PILNAK:

No.

# 31 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Now, with regard to the document that Miss Clark was asking you questions about, is there any doubt in your mind at all that on the evening of June the 12th, 1994, that you and Judy Telander were out on the porch of your residence at about 10:21 until about 10:25 as she left that residence?

# 32 MS. PILNAK:

That's absolutely accurate. I was out there.

KEY QUOTE

# 33 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Is there any doubt in your mind that this was an unusually quiet evening there on Bundy, more quiet than any evening you had ever experienced in four years at that location?

# 34 MS. CLARK:

Objection. Leading.

# 35 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 36 MS. PILNAK:

No doubt.

# 37 MR. COCHRAN:

And you recorded that; is that correct?

# 38 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 39 MR. COCHRAN:

And although you recorded it in January of 1995, are those the facts as they existed back on June 13th, 1994, ma'am, July 12th rather?

# 40 MS. PILNAK:

Yes, they are.

# 41 MR. COCHRAN:

Now, with regard to the call to your mother, you have presented a phone bill here of the time of that call; isn't that correct?

# 42 MS. PILNAK:

Yes.

# 43 MR. COCHRAN:

And is that phone call reflective of the time you called your mom?

# 44 MS. PILNAK:

Yes, it is.

# 45 MR. COCHRAN:

And again, what time did you call your mom on that day?

# 46 MS. PILNAK:

I called my mother at 10:25 right after Judy left.

KEY QUOTE

# 47 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Are you sure about that?

# 48 MS. PILNAK:

Positive.

# 49 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. And after that, what did you have to do after that, if anything?

# 50 MS. PILNAK:

I mean, all I did was wash the crystal goblets and got myself ready to start my reading.

# 51 MR. COCHRAN:

All right. Now--

# 52 MR. COCHRAN:

Put the second page of this document up.

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

# 54 MR. COCHRAN:

Where's the second page of that document?

# 55 THE COURT:

Second page I believe Miss Pilnak has it.

# 56 MS. PILNAK:

Oh, I have it.

# 57 MR. COCHRAN:

May I approach again, your Honor?

# 58 THE COURT:

Yes.

# 59 MR. COCHRAN:

Just second page now of 1236. Thank you.

# 60 THE COURT:

1238.

# 61 MR. COCHRAN:

1238 rather.

# 62 THE COURT:

Page 2.

# 63 MR. COCHRAN:

Page 2. put page 2 up.

# 64 MS. CLARK:

Your Honor, I'm going to object to the showing of this. Ask to approach. There's other things that are contained here.

# 65 MR. COCHRAN:

Your Honor, this is her document, second page of the document she was using. I want to use the other part.

# 66 THE COURT:

Sidebar. Let me see the document.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Denise Pilnak

That's absolutely accurate. I was out there.

Unequivocal confirmation of her presence on the porch during the critical 10:21–10:25 PM window, directly relevant to the murder timeline.

Denise Pilnak

I called my mother at 10:25 right after Judy left.

Pins the timeline to documentary evidence — a phone bill — making this one of the harder-to-impeach time anchors in the case.

Denise Pilnak

No doubt.

Her response to whether it was an unusually quiet evening on Bundy — supports the defense argument that no screams or struggle sounds were heard during the prosecution's alleged murder window.

Lance A. Ito

That's irrelevant. That's stricken. We agreed no pin stuff.

Reveals a prior off-record agreement about not referencing Pilnak's pro-LAPD pin — Cochran appeared to be testing or deliberately eliciting this anyway.

Evidence (2)

Defense 1238

Written document Pilnak prepared and sent to Detective Vannatter describing events of the night of June 12, 1994

Marked and discussed; second page disputed, sent to sidebar

Informal

Phone bill documenting Pilnak's call to her mother at 10:25 PM on June 12, 1994

Referenced to corroborate timeline

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Cochran elicits that Pilnak is wearing a pro-LAPD pin, Clark objects as irrelevant (overruled), then Cochran asks about it directly and the judge strikes it sua sponte, revealing a prior agreement not to bring up the pin.

strategic

Marcia Clark•Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Clark objects to displaying page 2 of Defense 1238, citing unspecified content concerns; the examination ends at sidebar with the judge reviewing the document.

tense

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito

Cochran repeatedly calls the exhibit '1236' before being corrected by Ito — 'That will be Defense 1238' — twice in the same examination.

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Denise Pilnak

bias establishment (reverse — used by defense to bolster)

Cochran highlights Pilnak's strong support for the LAPD and her pro-police pin to preempt any suggestion she is biased toward the defense — framing her as a witness whose testimony favoring the defense timeline is especially credible precisely because she supports the police.

Objections

3 objections (0 sustained, 2 overruled)

Proceeding 6710 • 66 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103