Cross-examination of Delbert Wong (part 2) (1 of 2)

📄 Cross-examination of Delbert Wong (part 2) (1 of 2) — Wednesday, March 29, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\29\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-DELBERT-W.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 47 of 167

Witness: Judge Delbert Wong
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 • Utterances: 42

Cochran cross-examines Judge Wong about the retrieval of luggage from OJ Simpson's Rockingham home and Robert Kardashian's garage. The examination focuses on the condition and provenance of three bags — a Louis Vuitton bag, a black garment bag, and a Swiss Army golf bag — with particular attention to American Airlines luggage tags linking the bags to Simpson's Chicago trip the night of the murders.

# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:)

# 2 THE COURT:

THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. COCHRAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?

# 3 MR. COCHRAN:

JUST A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS, YOUR HONOR. THANK YOU VERY KINDLY.

# 4 Q:

JUDGE WONG, IN THIS INSTANCE YOU WERE REQUESTED TO MEET MR. ROBERT KARDASHIAN YESTERDAY AT ABOUT THREE O'CLOCK TO RETRIEVE -- THREE O'CLOCK AT MR. SIMPSON'S HOME TO RETRIEVE CERTAIN ITEMS LOCATED THERE; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 5 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 6 Q:

BY THE WAY, WITH REGARD TO THE LOUIS VITTON BAG, DID YOU NOTICE WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS ANY LUGGAGE TAG ON THAT BAG?

# 7 A:

YES, THERE ARE SOME LUGGAGE TAGS.

# 8 Q:

AND THIS LUGGAGE TAG ON HERE IS APPARENTLY FROM AMERICAN AIRLINES, IS IT NOT?

# 9 A:

YES, AMERICAN AIRLINES, AND THE TAG INDICATES "CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT."

KEY QUOTE

# 10 Q:

AND HAS A FLIGHT NUMBER SOMEWHERE ON THERE I PRESUME?

# 11 A:

668.

# 12 Q:

AND WAS THAT LUGGAGE TAG ON THAT BAG WHEN IT WAS POINTED OUT TO YOU IN MR. SIMPSON'S CLOSET?

# 13 A:

YES, IT WAS.

# 14 Q:

ALL RIGHT. AND THEN YOU THEN BROUGHT THAT LUGGAGE IN ITS PRESENT FORM TO COURT THIS MORNING, AS I UNDERSTAND IT?

# 15 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 16 Q:

AND THE -- DO YOU RECALL A GARMENT BAG, THE BLACK GARMENT BAG ON TOP OF THIS WAS ALSO FOUND IN ONE OF MR. SIMPSON'S CLOSETS; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 17 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 18 Q:

THE GOLF BAG HERE THAT I AM NOW TOUCHING, THE SWISS ARMY LOGO SO THAT WE ARE CLEAR FOR THE RECORD, THAT BAG WAS ALSO FOUND IN MR. KARDASHIAN'S GARAGE; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 19 A:

YES, THAT WAS IN MR. KARDASHIAN'S GARAGE.

# 20 Q:

AND YOU ACCOMPANIED HIM TO THAT LOCATION; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 21 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 22 Q:

AND WITH REGARD TO THAT BAG ALSO, IT HAS A PARTICULAR FLIGHT NUMBER, DOES IT NOT?

# 23 A:

YES. AMERICAN AIRLINE FLIGHT 1103.

KEY QUOTE

# 24 Q:

AND DOES IT SHOW WHERE 1103 FLEW INTO?

# 25 A:

LOS ANGELES.

# 26 Q:

SO THESE ITEMS ARE IN THE SAME CONDITION THEY WERE IN WHEN YOU FOUND THEM; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 27 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 28 Q:

IF I WERE TO HOLD UP THIS ITEM HERE, THIS BLACK BAG HERE --

# 29 MR. DARDEN:

352 OBJECTION.

# 30 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: -- ASK YOU TO HOLD THIS BLACK BAG UP HERE --

# 31 THE COURT:

OVERRULED.

# 32 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: DID YOU MAKE RECOVERY OF THIS BAG?

# 33 A:

PARDON?

# 34 Q:

DID YOU MAKE RECOVERY OF THIS BAG?

# 35 A:

NO, I DID NOT.

# 36 MR. COCHRAN:

MAY I HAVE JUST A SECOND, YOUR HONOR?

# 37 THE COURT:

CERTAINLY.

# 38 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN DEFENSE COUNSEL.)

# 39 MR. COCHRAN:

MAY I APPROACH, YOUR HONOR?

# 40 THE COURT:

YOU MAY.

# 41 (BRIEF PAUSE.)

# 42 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JUDGE WONG.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Judge Wong

YES, AMERICAN AIRLINES, AND THE TAG INDICATES "CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT."

Directly links the Louis Vuitton bag recovered from Simpson's closet to his Chicago trip the night of the murders.

Judge Wong

YES. AMERICAN AIRLINE FLIGHT 1103.

The Swiss Army golf bag found in Kardashian's garage bore a flight tag for the return leg to Los Angeles, tying Kardashian's possession of the bag to Simpson's travel itinerary.

Judge Wong

THAT IS CORRECT.

Confirms bags were brought to court in the same condition as found, establishing chain of custody through Judge Wong as a neutral witness.

Evidence (3)

Informal

Louis Vuitton bag with American Airlines luggage tag showing Chicago O'Hare Airport, flight 668; recovered from Simpson's closet

discussed, condition confirmed

Informal

Black garment bag found in one of Simpson's closets

discussed, condition confirmed

Informal

Swiss Army logo golf bag with American Airlines flight tag 1103 (destination: Los Angeles); recovered from Kardashian's garage

discussed, condition confirmed

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie Cochran•Christopher Darden

Darden raised a 352 objection as Cochran physically held up the black bag for the witness; Ito overruled it without elaboration.

routine

Johnnie Cochran•Judge Wong

Cochran systematically walked through each bag's location when found and the flight numbers on the luggage tags, with Wong confirming each detail tersely.

strategic

Witness Demeanor

(BRIEF PAUSE.) after Cochran requests to approach the bench

Witness responds 'PARDON?' when asked if he made recovery of the black bag — mild confusion at the phrasing

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 5502 • 42 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103