Direct examination of Susan Brockbank (afternoon, part 5)

📄 Direct examination of Susan Brockbank (afternoon, part 5) — Tuesday, June 27, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\JUN\27\DIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-SUSAN-BR.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 104 of 167

◀ Sidebar: defense testing (1) Adjournment ▶

Witness: Susan Brockbank
Examiner: Marcia Clark
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Tuesday, June 27, 1995 • Utterances: 33

Marcia Clark continued her direct examination of LAPD criminalist Susan Brockbank, confirming the chain of custody for hair and trace evidence items sent to defense expert Gary Morton's lab for examination. Brockbank testified that she transported the items, observed them being examined over four days, and secured them in her personal evidence locker overnight before returning them to the evidence control unit the following day. The session ended before Brockbank could review exhibit board People's 451.

# 1 THE COURT:

Thank you, counsel. Miss Clark.

# 2 MS. CLARK:

Thank you, your Honor.

# 3 MS. CLARK:

All right. The items, if I can just abbreviate this, that you took with you for examination by Mr. Morton, were they the hair and trace recovered from the gloves, the blue knit ski cap, the cap from the Bronco, the Defendant's socks and exemplars from--that is hair sample of the victims, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown, the Defendant and sample from the Bronco carpet and from the dog's Kato and Chachi and all of the police and laboratory personnel shown on the board marked as People's 451?

KEY QUOTE

# 4 THE COURT:

451.

# 5 MS. CLARK:

Thank you.

# 6 MS. CLARK:

Is that what you took with you?

# 7 MS. BROCKBANK:

Umm, yes.

# 8 MS. CLARK:

All right. And when you took those items to his lab, did you observe them being opened?

# 9 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 10 MS. CLARK:

And did you observe Mr. Morton to examine those items?

# 11 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 12 MS. CLARK:

Over what period of time did that occur?

# 13 MS. BROCKBANK:

Umm, I believe it occurred over a four-day span.

# 14 THE COURT:

Those items were packaged up and returned to LAPD?

# 15 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 16 MS. CLARK:

Yes. And on what date was that?

# 17 MS. BROCKBANK:

On March 16th.

# 18 MS. CLARK:

And you observed them to be repackaged?

# 19 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 20 MS. CLARK:

And then you took them back with you to LAPD at the SID unit?

# 21 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 22 MS. CLARK:

Did you book them back into evidence?

# 23 MS. BROCKBANK:

Umm, not on that date. I arrived back at the lab after our evidence control unit had closed for the evening, so I secured them in my evidence locker in the trace analysis unit and then I returned them to ECU the following day.

# 24 MS. CLARK:

When you say "Secured," do you mean locked?

# 25 MS. BROCKBANK:

Yes.

# 26 MS. CLARK:

Have you by any chance had a chance to examine the board that we were going to ask you to examine yet?

# 27 MS. BROCKBANK:

Umm--

# 28 MS. CLARK:

451?

# 29 MS. BROCKBANK:

No. It would just take a couple minutes.

# 30 MS. CLARK:

Could I let her do that?

# 31 THE COURT:

I'm sorry?

# 32 MS. CLARK:

May she do that now, your Honor, and then I conclude?

# 33 THE COURT:

Let's call it a day. She will have to compare that with her notes.

KEY QUOTE

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Susan Brockbank

I arrived back at the lab after our evidence control unit had closed for the evening, so I secured them in my evidence locker in the trace analysis unit and then I returned them to ECU the following day.

Establishes a brief gap in the formal chain of custody — evidence spent a night in Brockbank's personal locker rather than official evidence control, a potential defense target.

Marcia Clark

The items, if I can just abbreviate this, that you took with you for examination by Mr. Morton, were they the hair and trace recovered from the gloves, the blue knit ski cap, the cap from the Bronco, the Defendant's socks and exemplars from--that is hair sample of the victims, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown, the Defendant and sample from the Bronco carpet and from the dog's Kato and Chachi and all of the police and laboratory personnel shown on the board marked as People's 451?

Comprehensive enumeration of the trace evidence package — confirms scope of items reviewed by the defense's own expert.

Lance A. Ito

Let's call it a day. She will have to compare that with her notes.

Judge cuts the session short before Brockbank can review People's 451, leaving Clark's direct examination incomplete.

Evidence (2)

People's 451

Board listing police and laboratory personnel — context suggests it catalogs who had access to or handled evidence

referenced but not yet reviewed by witness; examination deferred to next session

Informal

Hair and trace evidence from the gloves, blue knit ski cap, Bronco cap, defendant's socks, victim hair exemplars (Goldman and Nicole Brown), defendant hair exemplar, Bronco carpet sample, dog hair samples (Kato and Chachi)

confirmed as items transported to defense expert Gary Morton's lab for examination

Notable Exchanges (1)

Marcia Clark•Lance A. Ito

Clark asked permission for Brockbank to review People's 451 on the spot to wrap up her examination; Ito declined and adjourned for the day.

routine

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 7926 • 33 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103