Direct examination of Delbert Wong

📄 Direct examination of Delbert Wong — Wednesday, March 29, 1995

Address:

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

TRIAL

▲ Day 47 of 167

◀ Swearing in Delbert Wong Cross-examination of Delbert Wong (part 1) ▶

Witness: Judge Delbert Wong
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 • Utterances: 89

Retired Superior Court Judge Wong testified as a special master appointed by Judge Ito to retrieve specific items from OJ Simpson's Rockingham property and Robert Kardashian's Encino home on March 28, 1995. He recovered two bags from Simpson's master bedroom closets and a golf bag from Kardashian's garage — all items pointed out to him directly by Kardashian. He confirmed he did not search either property independently and had no knowledge of the items' chain of custody prior to his retrieval.

# 1

DIRECT EXAMINATION

# 2

BY MR. DARDEN:

# 3 Q:

GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR.

# 4 A:

GOOD AFTERNOON.

# 5 MR. DARDEN:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD AFTERNOON.

# 6 Q:

JUDGE WONG, YOU ARE A RETIRED SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE, SIR?

# 7 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 8 Q:

AND IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CASE YOU HAVE BEEN ACTING AS A SPECIAL MASTER; IS THAT RIGHT?

# 9 A:

THAT IS ALSO CORRECT.

# 10 Q:

WHAT IS A SPECIAL MASTER, JUDGE?

# 11 A:

A SPECIAL MASTER IS A PERSON WHO IS APPOINTED TO CARRY OUT CERTAIN SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS.

# 12 Q:

OKAY. AND IN THIS CASE WERE YOU GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT BY JUDGE ITO?

# 13 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 14 Q:

OKAY. AND WERE YOU GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT DIRECTING YOU TO RETRIEVE CERTAIN ITEMS ON MARCH 28, 1995?

# 15 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 16 Q:

AND SHOWING YOU OR RATHER DIRECTING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE GOLF BAG IN FRONT OF YOU, DEFENDANT'S EXHIBIT 1063, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS BAG?

# 17 A:

YES.

# 18 Q:

ON WHAT DATE AND AT WHAT TIME DID YOU RECOVER THAT BAG?

# 19 A:

I RECOVERED THE BAG YESTERDAY.

# 20 Q:

OKAY. WHAT TIME OF THE DAY, IF YOU RECALL?

# 21 A:

ABOUT FOUR O'CLOCK.

# 22 Q:

WHO ELSE WAS PRESENT?

# 23 A:

MR. KARDASHIAN.

# 24 Q:

THE GENTLEMAN STANDING HERE, (INDICATING)?

# 25 A:

YES.

# 26 Q:

ONE OF MR. SIMPSON'S LAWYERS, ROBERT KARDASHIAN?

# 27 A:

YES.

# 28 Q:

AND FROM WHERE -- FROM WHAT LOCATION DID YOU RECOVER THAT BAG?

# 29 A:

THIS WAS IN THE GARAGE AT 360 NORTH ROCKINGHAM.

# 30 Q:

DID SOMEONE POINT THAT BAG OUT TO YOU?

# 31 A:

YES. MR. KARDASHIAN DID.

# 32 Q:

YOU DIDN'T SEARCH THE GARAGE, I TAKE IT?

# 33 A:

PARDON?

# 34 Q:

YOU DIDN'T SEARCH THE GARAGE?

# 35 A:

NO, I DID NOT.

# 36 Q:

YOU DIDN'T SEARCH ANY PORTION OF THE HOUSE?

# 37 A:

NO, THAT WAS NOT MY ASSIGNMENT.

KEY QUOTE

# 38 Q:

YOUR ASSIGNMENT WAS TO GO SEE MR. KARDASHIAN WHO WOULD POINT OUT CERTAIN ITEMS TO YOU?

# 39 A:

AND I WAS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THOSE ITEMS.

# 40 Q:

AND SHOWING WHAT YOU HAS BEEN MARKED DEFENDANT'S 1062, A LOUIS VITTON GARMENT BAG, SIR --

# 41 A:

YES.

# 42 Q:

-- DO YOU RECOGNIZE THAT BAG?

# 43 A:

YES, I RECOGNIZE IT.

# 44 Q:

OKAY. AND YOU RECOVERED THAT BAG YESTERDAY?

# 45 A:

YES.

# 46 Q:

FROM WHERE, SIR?

# 47 A:

THIS WAS FROM THE SECOND STORY MASTER BEDROOM. IT WAS IN A CLOSET TO THE -- TO THE RIGHT OF THE VANITY.

# 48 Q:

OKAY. WAS IT ON A SHELF IN THE CLOSET?

# 49 A:

IT WAS ON THE TOP SHELF.

# 50 Q:

WAS THAT BAG POINTED OUT TO YOU BY MR. KARDASHIAN?

# 51 A:

YES.

# 52 Q:

WERE THERE OTHER LOUIS VITTON BAGS SIMILAR TO THAT?

# 53 A:

I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE LOUIS VITTONS, BUT THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER BAGS, VARIOUS SORTS, IN THE CLOSET.

# 54 Q:

OKAY. BUT THAT PARTICULAR BAG WAS POINTED OUT TO YOU BY MR. KARDASHIAN?

# 55 A:

YES.

# 56 Q:

OKAY. AT THE DEFENDANT'S HOUSE?

# 57 A:

YES, THAT'S CORRECT.

# 58 Q:

WAS THERE ANYTHING INSIDE THE BAG WHEN MR. KARDASHIAN POINTED IT OUT TO YOU?

# 59 A:

NO. I DID NOT OPEN THE BAG. THE BAG IS INTACT.

# 60 Q:

OKAY. YOU DID NOT OPEN THE GOLF BAG?

# 61 A:

NO, I DID NOT.

# 62 Q:

SO YOU DELIVERED THESE BAGS TO THE COURT IN THE CONDITION IN WHICH YOU FOUND THEM, SIR?

# 63 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 64 Q:

SHOWING YOU WHAT HAS BEEN MARKED DEFENDANT'S EXHIBIT 1065, A BLACK GARMENT BAG OR SUIT BAG, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THAT BAG, SIR?

# 65 A:

YES. THIS IS THE GARMENT BAG THAT WE RECOVERED FROM THE MASTER BEDROOM.

# 66 Q:

AT THE DEFENDANT'S HOUSE?

# 67 A:

YES.

# 68 Q:

AND WHERE IN THE DEFENDANT'S HOUSE WAS THAT BAG?

# 69 A:

IT WAS IN A CLOSET TO THE LEFT OF A TELEVISION IN THE DEFENDANT'S MASTER BEDROOM.

# 70 Q:

AND THAT WAS POINTED OUT TO YOU BY MR. KARDASHIAN?

# 71 A:

YES.

# 72 Q:

OKAY. AND TO GO BACK TO THE GOLF CLUBS FOR A MOMENT, DID YOU RECOVER THOSE GOLF CLUBS FROM THE DEFENDANT'S HOUSE OR FROM MR. KARDASHIAN'S HOUSE?

# 73 A:

NO. THE GOLF CLUBS -- NO, YOU ARE RIGHT. THE GOLF CLUBS CAME FROM MR. KARDASHIAN'S HOUSE.

KEY QUOTE

# 74 Q:

OKAY. IN ENCINO?

# 75 A:

IN ENCINO.

# 76 Q:

AND THEY WERE IN THE GARAGE?

# 77 A:

YES.

# 78 Q:

IN MR. KARDASHIAN'S GARAGE?

# 79 A:

YES.

# 80 Q:

DO YOU KNOW HOW THEY CAME TO END UP IN MR. KARDASHIAN'S GARAGE?

# 81 A:

NO.

# 82 Q:

AND DO YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OR THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY REGARDING ANY OF THESE ITEMS?

# 83 A:

NO, I DO NOT.

# 84 Q:

YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE PRIOR TO YOUR RECOVERY?

# 85 MR. COCHRAN:

ASKED AND ANSWERED, YOUR HONOR.

# 86 THE COURT:

OVERRULED.

# 87 JUDGE DELBERT WONG:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 88 MR. DARDEN:

THANK YOU, SIR.

# 89 THE COURT:

MR. COCHRAN.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Judge Wong

NO, THAT WAS NOT MY ASSIGNMENT.

Establishes the narrow, directed nature of the recovery — Wong was guided entirely by Kardashian, not conducting an independent search.

Judge Wong

NO. THE GOLF CLUBS -- NO, YOU ARE RIGHT. THE GOLF CLUBS CAME FROM MR. KARDASHIAN'S HOUSE.

Reveals the golf bag was not at Simpson's house but at Kardashian's — raising implicit questions about why Simpson's belongings were stored there.

Judge Wong

NO, I DO NOT.

Wong had no knowledge of chain of custody for any of the recovered items, leaving their provenance unexplained.

Evidence (3)

Defendant's 1063

Golf bag recovered from Kardashian's garage in Encino

introduced, identified by witness

Defendant's 1062

Louis Vuitton garment bag recovered from top shelf of closet in Simpson's master bedroom

introduced, identified by witness

Defendant's 1065

Black garment/suit bag recovered from closet to left of television in Simpson's master bedroom

introduced, identified by witness

Notable Exchanges (2)

Christopher Darden•Judge Wong

Darden established that Kardashian personally directed Wong to each item rather than Wong conducting any independent search — placing Kardashian as the sole guide to what was retrieved.

strategic

Christopher Darden•Judge Wong

Darden confirmed the golf bag was stored at Kardashian's Encino home, not at Simpson's Rockingham property, with no explanation for how it got there.

revealing

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 5499 • 89 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103