Cross-examination of Willie Ford (part 2)

📄 Cross-examination of Willie Ford (part 2) — Thursday, July 20, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUL\20\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-WILLIE-FO.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 119 of 167

◀ Cross-examination of Willie Ford (part 1) Recess ▶

Witness: Ms. Ford
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Defense • Date: Thursday, July 20, 1995 • Utterances: 73

Darden cross-examines LAPD crime scene videographer Willie Ford, probing the limits of what Ford could know about room contents before he filmed them. Darden establishes that another photographer, Mike Wilson, was also present at Rockingham and may have taken photographs before Ford arrived, and highlights that Ford was coached by both Cochran and Neufeld in the courtroom immediately before testifying.

# 1 MR. DARDEN:

You can't testify to what was inside or not inside that room prior to your entry into the room with that camera, right?

# 2 MR. COCHRAN:

Speculation, your Honor. Calls for speculation.

# 3 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 4 MR. FORD:

This is correct.

# 5 MR. DARDEN:

Do you know someone named Mr. Wilson?

# 6 MR. FORD:

Art Wilson. I mean Mike Wilson?

# 7 MR. DARDEN:

Yes.

# 8 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 9 MR. DARDEN:

He is a photographer, right?

# 10 MR. FORD:

Yes, sir, he is.

# 11 MR. DARDEN:

He's a photographer just like you; is that right?

# 12 MR. FORD:

Yes, sir.

# 13 MR. DARDEN:

He is a crime scene photographer?

# 14 MR. FORD:

Yes, sir.

# 15 MR. DARDEN:

You saw Mr. Wilson at Rockingham that afternoon, didn't you?

# 16 MR. FORD:

Yes, I did.

# 17 MR. DARDEN:

You saw him there with a camera, didn't you?

# 18 MR. FORD:

Yes, I did.

# 19 MR. DARDEN:

You saw him there taking pictures?

# 20 MR. FORD:

I didn't see him taking pictures but I saw him.

# 21 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. You didn't see Mr. Wilson take any pictures at all that afternoon?

# 22 MR. FORD:

No.

# 23 MR. DARDEN:

So if Mr. Wilson took any pictures, then he took those pictures before you arrived?

# 24 MR. COCHRAN:

Object, your Honor, as speculation.

# 25 MR. DARDEN:

Is that correct?

# 26 THE COURT:

Sustained. Rephrase the question.

# 27 MR. COCHRAN:

Objection.

# 28 MR. DARDEN:

Do you know why videotapes are made of locations in residences after they are searched?

# 29 THE COURT:

I think we have already covered that.

# 30 MR. DARDEN:

Okay.

# 31 MR. DARDEN:

You told us this morning about your conversation with myself and Miss Lewis?

# 32 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 33 MR. DARDEN:

Did you also have a conversation with Mr. Cochran?

# 34 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 35 MR. DARDEN:

And did you have a conversation with Mr. Neufeld?

# 36 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 37 MR. DARDEN:

And you had a conversation with both of these men right here in the courtroom, didn't you?

# 38 MR. FORD:

Yes, I did.

# 39 MR. DARDEN:

You were seated in the front row?

# 40 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 41 MR. DARDEN:

Mr. Neufeld was seated to your left?

# 42 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 43 MR. DARDEN:

Mr. Cochran was seated to your right?

# 44 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 45 MR. DARDEN:

They had you hemmed up in there in that front row; is that right?

KEY QUOTE

# 46 MR. COCHRAN:

Object to the question "Hemmed up," your Honor.

# 47 THE COURT:

Rephrase.

# 48 MR. COCHRAN:

Counsel knows that is improper.

# 49 THE COURT:

The jury is to disregard that last question.

# 50 MR. DARDEN:

In any event, you were seated between Mr. Cochran and Mr. Neufeld?

# 51 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 52 MR. DARDEN:

And you were watching the video we just saw here--

# 53 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 54 MR. DARDEN:

--in court? They were asking you questions, correct?

# 55 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 56 MR. DARDEN:

And you told Mr. Neufeld at that time, didn't you, that you only shot rooms after they were processed by the criminalist?

# 57 MR. COCHRAN:

Object, your Honor, that is hearsay.

# 58 THE COURT:

Overruled.

# 59 MR. FORD:

Yes, sir.

# 60 MR. DARDEN:

That is no secret, is it?

# 61 MR. FORD:

No secret.

# 62 MR. DARDEN:

Let's talk about the camera you used. That was an RCA video camera?

# 63 MR. FORD:

Yes, it was.

# 64 MR. DARDEN:

You don't own that camera, do you?

# 65 MR. FORD:

No, sir.

# 66 MR. DARDEN:

In fact, that camera was requisitioned from property division at the LAPD; is that correct?

# 67 MR. FORD:

Yes.

# 68 MR. DARDEN:

That was a camera that had been stolen or taken off a drug dealer or something?

KEY QUOTE

# 69 MR. COCHRAN:

Objection, leading and suggestive.

# 70 THE COURT:

Cross. Rephrase.

# 71 MR. DARDEN:

Okay. That wasn't a camera that had been purchased by the department, was it?

# 72 MR. FORD:

That's correct.

# 73 MR. DARDEN:

Okay.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (3)

Christopher Darden

They had you hemmed up in there in that front row; is that right?

Darden's colorful attempt to characterize the defense's witness preparation as coercive; Cochran immediately objected and the jury was told to disregard it.

Willie Ford

Yes, sir — [that he told Neufeld] that you only shot rooms after they were processed by the criminalist.

Ford confirms he admitted to defense counsel during in-court witness prep that rooms were filmed post-processing, undermining any claim that the video captured an unaltered pre-search state.

Christopher Darden

That was a camera that had been stolen or taken off a drug dealer or something?

Darden's leading (and objected-to) attempt to undercut the professionalism and chain-of-custody integrity of the equipment used to document the crime scene.

Evidence (2)

Informal

RCA video camera used by Ford at Rockingham, requisitioned from LAPD property division (a seized asset, not department-purchased)

discussed, provenance challenged

Informal

Videotape of Rockingham residence shown in court during witness prep session in the front row

discussed

Notable Exchanges (2)

Christopher Darden•Johnnie Cochran

Darden used the phrase 'hemmed up' to describe Ford being seated between Cochran and Neufeld during in-court witness prep. Cochran objected and accused Darden of knowingly improper questioning; Ito had the jury disregard it.

heated

Christopher Darden•Willie Ford

Darden methodically established that photographer Mike Wilson was also present at Rockingham and that Ford never saw Wilson take pictures, implying Wilson's photos (if any) predated Ford's video — potentially showing a different state of the scene.

strategic

Credibility Attacks (2)

⚔ Willie Ford

bias / witness coaching

Darden established that Ford was seated between Cochran and Neufeld in the courtroom front row, watching the video and answering their questions, immediately before testifying — framing the witness as shaped by defense preparation.

⚔ Willie Ford

equipment reliability / chain of custody

Darden elicited that the camera Ford used was not standard department-purchased equipment but a seized asset from LAPD property division, subtly raising questions about its reliability and institutional provenance.

Objections

6 objections (2 sustained, 2 overruled)

Proceeding 6980 • 73 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103