Redirect examination of Delbert Wong

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

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\29\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-DELBER.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 47 of 167

◀ Administrative matters Recross-examination of Delbert Wong ▶

Witness: Judge Delbert Wong
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Wednesday, March 29, 1995 • Utterances: 34

Darden conducts a brief redirect of Judge Wong, who testifies about baggage tags on Simpson's garment bag and golf bag retrieved from American Airlines. The key finding is that the two bags bear tags for different flights and different times on June 13, 1994 — the golf bag was checked at 9:21 AM and the garment bag tagged at 11:32 PM — with the garment bag destined for Chicago O'Hare. Cochran's objection cuts off Darden's attempt to establish the murder date in context, but the timestamp evidence stands.

# 1

REDIRECT EXAMINATION

# 2

BY MR. DARDEN:

# 3 Q:

JUDGE, THE GARMENT BAG SHOWS FLIGHT NUMBER --

# 4 A:

THE GARMENT BAG SHOWS FLIGHT 668 AMERICAN AIRLINES FROM -- TO CHICAGO O'HARE.

KEY QUOTE

# 5 Q:

THAT IS TO CHICAGO; IS THAT CORRECT?

# 6 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 7 Q:

NOT TO LOS ANGELES?

# 8 A:

THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS, CHICAGO.

# 9 Q:

OKAY. AND SHOWING YOU THE GOLF BAG, WHAT IS THE FLIGHT NUMBER ON THIS BAG?

# 10 A:

AMERICAN AIRLINES 1103 LAX.

# 11 Q:

SO THE GARMENT BAG AND THE GOLF BAG THEN SHOW TAGS FOR DIFFERENT FLIGHTS; IS THAT RIGHT?

# 12 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 13 Q:

YOU ARE AWARE THAT THE MURDERS OCCURRED ON JUNE 12, 1994?

# 14 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, I WOULD OBJECT. THAT IS BEYOND THE SCOPE.

# 15 THE COURT:

SUSTAINED.

# 16 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: WELL, IS THERE A DATE AND TIME STAMP ON THE GARMENT BAG TAG?

# 17 A:

THE DATE IS JUNE 13TH ON THE GARMENT BAG.

# 18 Q:

AND IS THERE A TIME AS WELL ON THAT TAG?

# 19 A:

2332, WHICH IS JUST A LITTLE BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

KEY QUOTE

# 20 Q:

ON JUNE 13?

# 21 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 22 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)

# 23 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: AND IS THAT MILITARY TIME?

# 24 A:

THAT IS MILITARY TIME.

# 25 Q:

11:32 P.M.

# 26 A:

11:32.

# 27 (DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.)

# 28 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: JUDGE, DO YOU SEE A DATE ON THE TAG FOR THE GOLF BAG?

# 29 A:

GOLF BAG BEARS THE DATE -- THE TIME IS 0921, 13TH OF JUNE.

KEY QUOTE

# 30 Q:

THE GOLF BAG THEN APPARENTLY WAS BOOKED AT 9:20 A.M. ON JUNE 13TH?

# 31 A:

THAT IS CORRECT.

# 32 Q:

BY THE WAY, YOUR RETRIEVAL OF THESE -- THOSE BAGS OR THESE ITEMS, THAT WAS MADE PURSUANT TO A DEFENSE REQUEST; IS THAT RIGHT?

# 33 A:

THAT WAS MY INSTRUCTIONS WERE FROM JUDGE ITO.

KEY QUOTE

# 34 MR. DARDEN:

OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (4)

Judge Wong

THE GARMENT BAG SHOWS FLIGHT 668 AMERICAN AIRLINES FROM -- TO CHICAGO O'HARE.

Establishes the destination of Simpson's garment bag — Chicago — on the night after the murders.

Judge Wong

2332, WHICH IS JUST A LITTLE BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

The 11:32 PM timestamp on the garment bag tag is central to the prosecution's timeline argument.

Judge Wong

GOLF BAG BEARS THE DATE -- THE TIME IS 0921, 13TH OF JUNE.

The golf bag was checked roughly 14 hours earlier than the garment bag on June 13, supporting the argument the bags traveled on different flights.

Judge Wong

THAT WAS MY INSTRUCTIONS WERE FROM JUDGE ITO.

Clarifies the retrieval of evidence was court-directed, not a unilateral prosecution action — and notably, it was done at the defense's request.

Evidence (2)

Informal

Garment bag with American Airlines Flight 668 tag to Chicago O'Hare, dated June 13 at 2332 (11:32 PM)

examined and discussed

Informal

Golf bag with American Airlines Flight 1103 LAX tag, dated June 13 at 0921 (9:21 AM)

examined and discussed

Notable Exchanges (2)

Christopher Darden•Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Darden attempts to anchor the baggage timestamps to the June 12 murder date; Cochran objects as beyond scope and is sustained, preventing the explicit connection from being made in front of the jury.

strategic

Christopher Darden•Judge Wong

Darden walks the witness through the military time conversion (2332 = 11:32 PM) to make the timestamp accessible to the jury.

deliberate

Witness Demeanor

(DISCUSSION HELD OFF THE RECORD BETWEEN THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.) — appears twice, suggesting Darden was coordinating strategy mid-examination

Objections

1 objections (1 sustained, 0 overruled)

Proceeding 5504 • 34 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103