📂 Thursday, March 2, 1995 — Day 29
◀ Criminal Trial
📅 Thursday, March 2, 1995 31 proceedings 2915 utterances
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\2
TRIAL
▲ Day 29 of 167

Day 29 — Thursday, March 2, 1995

Prosecution Systematically Destroys Defense Witness's Credibility
Judge Lance A. Ito • Criminal Trial • 31 proceedings • 2915 utterances
devastating

Day 29 was consumed almost entirely by Christopher Darden's aggressive cross-examination of Rosa Maria Lopez, a defense alibi witness who claimed to have seen Simpson's Bronco at Rockingham. Darden systematically dismantled her credibility through prior inconsistent statements, repeated contradictions in her own testimony, evidence of selective cooperation with the defense, and personal document discrepancies. Multiple discovery violations emerged as the prosecution introduced evidence the defense had never received, while questions arose about improper witness management by the defense team.

  • Mark Fuhrman identified by Lopez from video at proceedings' opening
  • Darden revealed Lopez filed for unemployment while claiming to leave the country
  • Videotape evidence showed Lopez made prior inconsistent statements about hearing voices at the Simpson estate
  • Defense investigator Bill Pavelic accused of suggesting Lopez's specific 10:15-10:20 Bronco sighting time
  • Discovery that Lopez spent seven hours at Cochran's office and received gifts: clothing, shoes, and blazer
  • Cochran accused of signaling Lopez during testimony; Cochran blamed the signal on court reporter Chris Olson
  • Seven-year discrepancy discovered between Lopez's birthdate on driver's license and other documents
  • Darden confronted Lopez with alleged statement that she would 'testify to anything anytime'
  • Multiple sidebars over discovery violations and evidence provided late to defense
  • Lopez made 40+ 'I don't remember' claims despite sharp recall during direct examination
Day 29 • 31 proceedings • 2915 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 Day 29 — MAR 2, 1995
MAR 2, 1995 KRT DvH TD