Redirect examination of Rosa Lopez (part 1)

📄 Redirect examination of Rosa Lopez (part 1) — Friday, March 3, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\3\REDIRECT-EXAMINATION-OF-ROSA-L.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 30 of 167

Witness: Rosa Lopez
Examiner: Johnnie Cochran
Called by: Defense • Date: Friday, March 3, 1995 • Utterances: 26

Cochran begins redirect examination of Rosa Lopez by establishing her relationship with a woman named Sylvia Guerra, who works for a family called the Kaplans. The examination is cut short almost immediately when Darden objects to the line of questioning as irrelevant, and Cochran requests a sidebar to explain how he intends to connect the testimony.

# 1 THE COURT:

BACK ON THE RECORD IN THE SIMPSON MATTER. ALL PARTIES ARE AGAIN PRESENT. MISS ROSA LOPEZ IS ON THE WITNESS STAND. GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MISS LOPEZ. YOU ARE REMINDED YOU ARE STILL UNDER OATH.

# 2 ROSA LOPEZ:

GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR.

# 3 THE COURT:

AND, MR. COCHRAN, YOU MAY CONCLUDE YOUR REDIRECT.

# 4 MR. COCHRAN:

THANK YOU VERY KINDLY, YOUR HONOR.

# 5 THE COURT:

YOU ARE WELCOME.

# 6 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: MISS LOPEZ, ARE YOU ACQUAINTED WITH A LADY BY THE NAME OF -- HER ENTIRE NAME IS APPARENTLY SYLVIA GUERRA?

KEY QUOTE

# 7 A:

YES, SIR.

# 8 Q:

AND ABOUT HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THIS LADY?

# 9 A:

ABOUT TWO YEARS.

# 10 Q:

AND DO YOU RECALL HOW YOU FIRST MET HER?

# 11 A:

AT THE BUS STOP.

# 12 Q:

AND DURING THE TWO YEARS THAT YOU'VE KNOWN HER, HAVE YOU HAD OCCASION TO GO TO THE PLACE WHERE SHE WORKS?

# 13 A:

YES, SIR.

# 14 Q:

AND HAS SHE HAD OCCASION TO COME TO YOUR HOME WHERE YOU WORK -- WHERE YOU WORKED?

# 15 A:

A FEW TIMES.

# 16 Q:

AND WHAT, IF YOU RECALL, IS THE NAME OF THE FAMILY THAT SYLVIA WORKS FOR?

# 17 A:

KAPLAN.

# 18 Q:

DO YOU KNOW THEIR FIRST NAMES?

# 19 MR. DARDEN:

OBJECTION. IRRELEVANT, YOUR HONOR.

# 20 THE COURT:

SUSTAINED.

# 21 Q:

BY MR. COCHRAN: AND YOU'VE BEEN TO THE KAPLAN'S HOME?

# 22 A:

YES, SIR.

# 23 Q:

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THAT HOME FOR US GENERALLY WITHOUT THE ADDRESS OR WHATEVER?

# 24 MR. DARDEN:

YOUR HONOR, I OBJECT TO THIS. THIS IS UNNECESSARY.

# 25 MR. COCHRAN:

OKAY. CAN I LINK IT UP, YOUR HONOR? MAY WE APPROACH ON THAT POINT? MAY WE APPROACH?

KEY QUOTE

# 26 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. WITH THE COURT REPORTER, PLEASE.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (2)

Johnnie Cochran

MISS LOPEZ, ARE YOU ACQUAINTED WITH A LADY BY THE NAME OF -- HER ENTIRE NAME IS APPARENTLY SYLVIA GUERRA?

Cochran introduces a new witness or corroborating figure not previously prominent in the examination, suggesting a strategic pivot in redirect.

Johnnie Cochran

OKAY. CAN I LINK IT UP, YOUR HONOR? MAY WE APPROACH ON THAT POINT? MAY WE APPROACH?

Cochran's pivot to a sidebar signals the questioning has a specific evidentiary purpose he hasn't yet established — classic defense strategy of needing to lay foundation before the relevance becomes clear.

Notable Exchanges (1)

Johnnie Cochran•Christopher Darden•Lance A. Ito

Darden objects twice as Cochran tries to draw out details about the Kaplan household where Sylvia Guerra works. After the second objection, Cochran requests a sidebar to explain the connection, ending the transcript.

strategic

Objections

2 objections (1 sustained, 0 overruled)

Proceeding 5131 • 26 utterances • Defense witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103