Darden cross-examines Rosa Lopez using her June 1994 phone bill to probe calls she made to the Salingers in the UK around the time of the murders. He also attempts to establish that she discussed the murders with her close friend Alma, a housekeeper at a nearby Rockingham address, but Lopez denies ever discussing the Bronco or murders with her. The session ends mid-examination for a videotape change.
# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, OUT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:) # 2 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. DARDEN, PLEASE PROCEED.
# 3 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: MISS LOPEZ, LET ME SHOW YOU A COPY OF A PHONE BILL, AN ACTUAL PHONE BILL FOR TELEPHONE NUMBER (310) 472-0900. THE BILL DATE IS JUNE 28TH, 1994.
# 4 MR. DARDEN: MAY IT BE MARKED PEOPLE'S 91?
# 5 THE COURT: PEOPLE'S 91.
# 6 (PEO'S 91 FOR ID = PHONE BILL) # 7 MR. DARDEN: AND I'M INDICATING 91 IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER, YOUR HONOR.
# 9 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: MISS LOPEZ, SHOWING YOU THE BILL MARKED PEOPLE'S 91, PLEASE TAKE THAT.
# 12 UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: YOUR HONOR, COULD WE HAVE MR. DARDEN USE THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE?
# 14 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: DO YOU SEE YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER ON THE FACE OF THAT BILL?
# 16 Q: AND I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO TAKE A LOOK THROUGH THE PAGES, IF YOU WILL, PLEASE. DO YOU KNOW ANY OF THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS YOU CALLED DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE 1994?
# 17 A: YES, SIR. THE ONES FROM GLENDALE.
# 19 A: IT'S JUST THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT USES THIS TELEPHONE. THE LADY THAT I WORK FOR ALSO USES IT BECAUSE IT'S HERS.
# 20 Q: WELL, YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE HOME ON JUNE 13TH, 14TH AND 15TH, CORRECT?
# 22 Q: LET ME SHOW YOU PAGE 6 OF THE PHONE BILL. OKAY. AND THERE ARE FOUR OR RATHER FIVE PHONE CALLS BETWEEN JUNE 11 AND JUNE 16 TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, CORRECT?
# 24 Q: OKAY. AND YOU MADE THOSE CALLS?
# 25 A: WELL, IF THEY HAPPENED ON THAT DATE, ON THOSE DATES, THEN I MADE THEM, SIR.
KEY QUOTE # 26 Q: OKAY. DO YOU RECALL CALLING THE SALINGER'S TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN THE AREA?
# 27 MR. COCHRAN: YOUR HONOR, I OBJECT -- OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. AND I WOULD LIKE -- AND MAY I INDICATE WHAT --
# 28 THE COURT: NO. NO. LET'S -- WHAT'S THE LEGAL GROUND?
# 29 MR. COCHRAN: THE GROUNDS IS, THIS IS -- THE COURT HAS TO SEE THE BILL. IF THE COURT WOULD LOOK AT THE BILL, IT WOULD UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT I'M INDICATING.
# 30 THE COURT: I'M GOT THE BILL IN FRONT OF ME.
# 31 MR. COCHRAN: LOOK UNDER PERIOD. I OBJECT TO THE FORM OF THE QUESTION. I THINK IT'S UNFAIR TO THE WITNESS, YOUR HONOR, BASED UPON THAT.
# 32 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 33 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: IN CALLING THE SALINGER'S IN THE U.K., WERE YOU CALLING THEM TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN THE AREA?
# 34 MR. COCHRAN: ASSUMES A FACT NOT IN EVIDENCE, YOUR HONOR.
# 35 THE COURT: OVERRULED.
# 36 ROSA LOPEZ: YES, SIR. I CALLED THEM.
# 37 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: DID YOU TELL THEM ABOUT THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS?
# 38 A: I DON'T REMEMBER IF I SPOKE TO HER BECAUSE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT TIMES AND I WOULDN'T FIND THEM AT THE HOTEL.
# 39 Q: DID THEY CALL YOU BACK?
# 40 A: I DON'T REMEMBER, SIR.
# 41 Q: YOU MENTIONED A CLOSE FRIEND NAMED ALMA, CORRECT?
# 43 Q: IS THAT ALMA GUERRERO?
# 45 Q: WELL, YOU DO KNOW ALMA GUERRERO, DON'T YOU?
# 46 A: I DO NOT KNOW ALMA GUERRERO, SIR.
# 47 Q: WELL, DO YOU KNOW A WOMAN NAMED ALMA WHO WORKS FOR A FAMILY ON ROCKINGHAM?
# 49 Q: OKAY. I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A DOCUMENT, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU THE ADDRESS. I AM GOING TO ASK YOU TO LOOK AT THE ADDRESS.
# 50 MR. DARDEN: IF I MAY, YOUR HONOR.
# 52 ROSA LOPEZ: I'LL LOOK FOR IT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
# 53 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: MAY I POINT IT OUT TO YOU, MA'AM? JUST KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
# 54 A: OKAY. OKAY. (IN ENGLISH).
# 55 Q: IS THAT THE ADDRESS WHERE ALMA WORKS?
# 57 Q: OKAY. AND SHE IS A HOUSEKEEPER AND A NANNY; IS THAT CORRECT?
# 59 Q: AND SHE'S SOMEONE THAT YOU SPEAK TO OR USED TO SPEAK TO ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS, CORRECT?
# 60 A: NOT EVERY DAY. BUT WE WOULD GO OUT TO WALK THE BABY.
# 61 Q: OKAY. AND YOU WOULD DO THAT OFTEN, CORRECT?
# 62 A: WHEN I HAVE TIME.
# 63 Q: OKAY. AND YOU WOULD MEET HER IN FRONT OF THE SALINGER'S HOUSE?
# 65 Q: AND YOU WOULD TALK ABOUT THE SIMPSON FAMILY?
# 66 A: NO, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MR. SIMPSON'S LIFE, SIR.
# 67 Q: WELL, YOU WOULD TALK ABOUT THE MURDERS AND HOW TRAGIC IT ALL WAS, CORRECT?
# 68 A: SHE MUST HAVE KNOWN IT. SHE LIVES THERE TOO.
# 69 Q: WELL, BUT YOU AND SHE TALKED ABOUT IT ON OCCASION, DIDN'T YOU?
# 70 A: NO. WE WOULD TALK ABOUT OTHER THINGS, ABOUT OUR OWN LIVES.
# 71 Q: OKAY. SO YOU WERE LIVING NEXT DOOR TO MR. SIMPSON'S ESTATE, BUT YOU NEVER TALKED ABOUT THE MURDERS WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND ALMA?
KEY QUOTE # 72 MR. COCHRAN: OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. THE FORM OF THE QUESTION IS ARGUMENTATIVE.
# 73 THE COURT: SUSTAINED. NO. ASSUMES FACTS NOT IN EVIDENCE.
# 74 MR. DARDEN: SHE SAID SHE WAS HER BEST FRIEND.
# 75 MR. COCHRAN: NO. THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE SAID.
# 77 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: OKAY. IS THE ALMA THAT WORKS AT 535 --
# 78 THE INTERPRETER: I AM SORRY, COUNSEL?
# 79 ROSA LOPEZ: SEE, YOU MENTIONED. ALL OVER THE WORLD KNOWS (IN ENGLISH).
# 80 Q: BY MR. DARDEN: NOW ALL OVER THE WORLD KNOWS NOW.
# 81 A: YOU'RE SO BAD (IN ENGLISH).
KEY QUOTE # 82 Q: I'M BAD. THE ALMA THAT WORKS THERE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND, CORRECT?
# 83 A: WE ARE FRIENDS, SIR.
# 84 Q: OKAY. YOU'VE KNOWN HER ALMOST FIVE YEARS, CORRECT?
# 86 Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HER?
# 87 A: ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS, AROUND THERE. AROUND THERE.
# 88 Q: OKAY. WELL, DURING THE MANY CONVERSATIONS YOU HAD WITH HER, YOU NEVER MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT SEEING THE BRONCO THE NIGHT OF THE MURDERS, CORRECT?
# 89 A: I DON'T REMEMBER HAVING TOLD HER ANYTHING, SIR.
KEY QUOTE # 91 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. MR. DARDEN, I HAVE TO STOP BECAUSE OF THE VIDEOTAPE IS RUNNING OUT AT THIS POINT. WE NEED TO CHANGE TAPES.
# 92 MR. DARDEN: I WOULD ASK THAT MR. COCHRAN NOT DISCUSS THE INFORMATION I JUST GAVE THE WITNESS WITH THE WITNESS, YOUR HONOR, DURING THE BREAK.
# 93 MR. COCHRAN: WHAT? ASK HER LAWYER.
# 94 THE COURT: IT'S UP TO HER LAWYER.
# 95 MR. DARDEN: WELL, I WOULD ASK MR. COCHRAN NOT TO GIVE THE INFORMATION I JUST GAVE TO HIM TO HER LAWYER.
# 96 MR. COCHRAN: TALK TO HER LAWYER.
# 97 THE COURT: ALL RIGHT. WE'LL STAND IN RECESS FOR 15.
# 98 MR. COCHRAN: YOUR HONOR, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT SOMETHING ON THE RECORD IF I COULD.
# 99 THE COURT: WHEN WE COME BACK.
# 100 MR. COCHRAN: WHEN WE COME BACK?
# 101 THE COURT: I HAVE TO STOP FOR THE TAPE. I HAVE TO STOP FOR THE VIDEOTAPE. MISS LOPEZ, YOU CAN STEP DOWN. WE'LL TAKE A 15-MINUTE BREAK. (RECESS.)