Voir dire of Kato Kaelin

📄 Voir dire of Kato Kaelin — Wednesday, March 22, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\22\VOIR-DIRE-OF-KATO-KAELIN.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 43 of 167

◀ Direct examination of Kato Kaelin (morning, part 1) Direct examination of Kato Kaelin (morning, part 2) ▶

Witness: Brian "Kato" Kaelin
Examiner: Robert Shapiro
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Wednesday, March 22, 1995 • Utterances: 17

Robert Shapiro conducts a brief voir dire of Kato Kaelin focused on his familiarity with the garage at the Rockingham estate. Shapiro establishes that Kaelin visited the garage infrequently — roughly 16 times over six months — and could not identify when a photograph of the garage was taken, laying groundwork to undermine photo evidence.

# 1 MR. SHAPIRO:

YOUR HONOR, MAY I TAKE THE WITNESS ON VOIR DIRE?

# 2 THE COURT:

YES.

# 3 MR. SHAPIRO:

THANK YOU.

VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION

# 4

BY MR. SHAPIRO:

# 5 Q:

DID THE ITEMS IN THE GARAGE EVER VARY FROM TIME TO TIME?

# 6 A:

YOU MEAN STORAGE THINGS?

# 7 Q:

YES.

# 8 A:

I WOULDN'T KNOW. IT WOULD BE -- THERE COULD BE STUFF IN THERE, YES.

# 9 Q:

DID YOU GO TO THE GARAGE OFTEN?

# 10 A:

NO.

# 11 Q:

HOW MANY TIMES WOULD YOU SAY YOU WERE IN THE GARAGE DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME YOU WERE LIVING THERE?

# 12 A:

SIXTEEN.

# 13 Q:

SIXTEEN TIMES. AND YOU LIVED THERE FOR HOW LONG?

# 14 A:

SIX MONTHS.

# 15 Q:

IF YOU WERE SHOWN A PHOTOGRAPH, DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT DATE THAT PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN?

# 16 A:

NO.

# 17 MR. SHAPIRO:

THANK YOU. NOTHING FURTHER.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Kato Kaelin

SIXTEEN.

His precise answer about garage visits over six months establishes he had limited familiarity with the space, undermining any claim he could authenticate or date a photograph.

Kato Kaelin

NO.

Direct admission that he could not determine the date a garage photograph was taken — the central point Shapiro was driving toward.

Evidence (1)

Informal

A photograph of the garage at the Rockingham estate

discussed — Shapiro testing whether Kaelin could authenticate or date it

Notable Exchanges (1)

Robert Shapiro•Kato Kaelin

Shapiro methodically establishes Kaelin's unfamiliarity with the garage through a short series of closed questions, culminating in Kaelin admitting he couldn't date a photograph of it.

strategic

Credibility Attacks (1)

⚔ Kato Kaelin

foundation challenge

Shapiro establishes Kaelin lacks sufficient familiarity with the garage to authenticate or date a photograph of it — likely to block or diminish photo evidence tied to the garage.

Objections

None recorded

Proceeding 5375 • 17 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103