Recross-examination of Rosa Lopez (part 2)

📄 Recross-examination of Rosa Lopez (part 2) — Friday, March 3, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\3\RECROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-ROSA-LO.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 30 of 167

Witness: Rosa Lopez
Examiner: Christopher Darden
Called by: Defense • Date: Friday, March 3, 1995 • Utterances: 15

Darden concludes his recross-examination of Rosa Lopez with two pointed questions: whether Cochran briefed her on the contents of a letter, and whether she knows how to say 'I do not remember' in Spanish. Lopez deflects the first question by claiming she doesn't understand what attorneys tell her, then answers the second in a way that is either genuinely confused or inadvertently ironic — she demonstrates 'I do not remember' by repeatedly saying 'I don't remember' in English.

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

# 2 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. MR. DARDEN, WOULD YOU CONTINUE, PLEASE. THANK YOU.

# 3 Q:

BY MR. DARDEN: MISS LOPEZ, REGARDING THE PARAGRAPH JUST READ TO YOU BY THE INTERPRETER, DID MR. COCHRAN DISCUSS WITH YOU THE GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF THIS LETTER?

# 4 A:

UMM, THEY TELL ME ALWAYS, BUT I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THEM BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.

KEY QUOTE

# 5 Q:

IS THERE A PHRASE IN SPANISH THAT MEANS "I DO NOT REMEMBER"?

# 6 A:

THAT "NO".

# 7 Q:

CAN YOU SAY --

# 8 A:

THAT'S THE PHRASE, "NO".

# 9 Q:

CAN YOU SAY "I DO NOT REMEMBER" IN SPANISH?

# 10 MR. COCHRAN:

WELL, YOUR HONOR --

# 11 ROSA LOPEZ:

I DON'T REMEMBER IN SPANISH.

# 12 MR. COCHRAN:

THAT'S IRRELEVANT, WHAT DIALECT --

# 13 THE COURT:

OVERRULED. OVERRULED.

# 14 ROSA LOPEZ:

IT IS THE SAME IN SPANISH. I DON'T REMEMBER THAT, NO, SIR. NO, I DON'T REMEMBER AND I DON'T REMEMBER, IT'S THE SAME THING, SIR.

KEY QUOTE

# 15 MR. DARDEN:

THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (2)

Rosa Lopez

UMM, THEY TELL ME ALWAYS, BUT I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THEM BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.

Lopez distances herself from the defense team's coaching, claiming she tunes out attorney explanations — a convenient but unverifiable claim.

Rosa Lopez

IT IS THE SAME IN SPANISH. I DON'T REMEMBER THAT, NO, SIR. NO, I DON'T REMEMBER AND I DON'T REMEMBER, IT'S THE SAME THING, SIR.

Lopez's response collapses into repetition, demonstrating in real time the very phrase Darden was probing — and raising the implicit question of whether it was rehearsed.

Evidence (1)

Informal

A letter, paragraph 2 of which was read to Lopez by an interpreter immediately before this session

discussed — Darden probes whether Cochran briefed Lopez on its contents

Notable Exchanges (2)

Christopher Darden•Rosa Lopez

Darden asks Lopez to demonstrate the Spanish phrase for 'I do not remember,' and she responds in English — repeatedly — suggesting either genuine confusion or an inability to distinguish the languages under pressure.

strategic

Johnnie Cochran•Lance A. Ito

Cochran objects that the dialect question is irrelevant; Ito overrules him twice in rapid succession.

terse

Light Moments (1)

Rosa Lopez

Asked to say 'I do not remember' in Spanish, Lopez demonstrates by saying 'I don't remember' repeatedly in English, apparently unaware of the irony.

Credibility Attacks (2)

⚔ Rosa Lopez

bias / coaching

Darden presses Lopez on whether Cochran personally discussed the substance of the letter with her, implying she was prepared or coached by the defense on what to say.

⚔ Rosa Lopez

prior inconsistent statement / linguistic probe

By asking Lopez to produce the Spanish phrase for 'I do not remember,' Darden implies this phrase is a rehearsed deflection — and Lopez's muddled English response undercuts her credibility without Darden having to press further.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 5136 • 15 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103